Fact sheet 191 – Aerial photographs
The major aerial photographic collections held by the National Archives are listed below. Additional photographs may be identified by conducting a phrase search on the RecordSearch database using the term 'aerial photo*'.
Accessing some of the collections may not be straightforward because they are not always well indexed. In addition, the geographical coverage of some collections is still to be fully determined.
Arrangements for obtaining copies differ from State to State. Inquiries should be directed to the office holding the collection.
Aerial photographic collections
Location, description and quantity | Date | Series no. |
|---|
Canberra | | |
The trenches in northern France [0.4m]
Bombardment damage on the battlefields of France [0.18m]
RAAF aerial surveys of Australia [0.2m]
CSIRO Murray River Basin aerial surveys [0.2m]
Army aerial photographs of Australia [158.5m]
Aerial photographic mosaics [7.2m]
Aerial survey of Australia [240.5m]
Aerial photographic mosaic glass negatives of Darwin [0.2m]
Aerial photographic mosaics [3.5m]
Aerial photographic mosaics [0.7m]
Snowy Mountains [0.9m]
Lake Mackay and Mt Rennie MacDonald (WA and NT) [0.2m]
Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority [23m]
Australia (all States except Tas and the ACT) [1m]
Australia (except ACT) and PNG [53.7m]
The Australian Capital Territory [2.5m]
South Vietnam [0.3m]
Phuoc Tuy Province, Vung Tau areas, South Vietnam [0.6m]
Jabiluka uranium mine site and surrounds, NT [0.1m]
Lemonthyme and Southern Forests, Tasmania [0.3m] | 1916–18
1916–18
1930–53
1931–38
1933–86
1935–37
1940–60
1944
1950–61
1951–58
1952–60
1957
1959–71
1960–74
1960–ongoing
1960
1967
1971
1975
1987–88 | M433
M434
A2594
D1900
A8514
AA1969/104
A1579
A2832
A2827 and A2829
A2828 and A2830
M2235
A2831
A5618 and A5672
A54461
A891 and A892
A894
A69192
A68302
A4409
C2398 |
Sydney | | |
RAAF aerial surveys of Australia [13.5m] (see also Melbourne)
War damage (including Darwin, Thursday Island, New Guinea and New Britain [78.5m]
Vegetation cover in eastern New Guinea [0.2m]
Cockatoo Island Dockyard [0.2m] | 1928–53
1942–48
1943
1944–64 | B5424
SP24/1
M1744
C90 |
Melbourne | | |
Victorian and NSW coastal areas, and NW Australia [0.2m]
RAAF aerial surveys [285m] (access provided by AUSLIG)
RAAF surveys of Australia and overseas [103m]
Central Australia [0.2m]
Allied Works Council storage depots in NSW [0.2m]
Laser profile charts and photographs [7.5m]
Papua New Guinea [1.5m] | 1920–30
1928–53
1942–48
1943
1944–45
1967–83
1977 | MP390/3
B5424
B3957
M1174
MP960/5
B1375, MT2188/6 and MT2188/7
B473 |
Brisbane | | |
Eagle Farm aerodrome and surrounding areas [0.2m]
RAAF Base Amberley, Lavarack Army Barracks, Townsville and the Clevedon Remote Receiving Station [0.2m]
Commonwealth Rehabilitation Centre, Taringa [0.2m]
Lavarack Army barracks site and Townsville area [0.2m]
Lightstations: Bustard Head, Cape Capricorn, Sandy Cape [0.2m]
Meteorological satellite weather negatives [1.2m]
Rockhampton aerodrome and Archerfield aerodrome [0.2m]
Dent Island, Queensland [0.4m] | 1942–72
1954–69
1962–77
1965
1976
1978
1978–83
1989 | BP374/3
J2781
J1958
J158
J2797
BP542/3
J2782
J2857 |
Perth | | |
Civil aviation aerial photo maps, Western Australia [0.2m] | 1953–57 | PP395/1 |
Adelaide | | |
RAAF aerial photographs of SA and NT [2.7m]
Aerial survey photographs of railway locations in SA [0.4m]
Tarcoola to Alice Springs railway [0.45m]
Army photomaps of South Australia [0.7m]
South Australia and the Northern Territory [0.36m]
Weapons Research Establishment (SA) [0.5m]
Woomera rocket range [0.5m]
Railways in the NT [0.2m]
The Maralinga atomic test area, South Australia [6.5m]
SA railway locations including Broken Hill area in NSW [0.8m]
South Australia and the Northern Territory [0.36m]
South Australia [0.9m]
Outback South Australia [0.2m]
South Australia [3.2m]
South Australia and the Northern Territory [1.08m]
Defence exercise areas (including Williamtown, Amberley, Woomera, Darwin and parts of WA) [18.5m]
Tarcoola to Alice Springs Railway [2.6m]
Weapons Research Establishment (SA) [0.2m]
|
1946
1946–48
1947–50
1947–52
1947–53
1947–59
1950–72
1950–72
1953–61
1954–75
1955–60
1955–68
1961–65
1964–85
1965–69
1968–70
1971–73
1975
|
D4630
D2771
D5272
AP1021/13 and 22
D4631
D4648
D1947
D2327
D1768
D1938
D4632
AP1129/2
D4467
D5270
D4633
D3917
D4472 and D5271
D4675
|
Hobart | | |
CSIRO soil investigation aerial photographs of Tasmania [3.5m]
Tasmanian railways [2m] | 1946–65
1976 | P2541
P2705 |
Darwin | | |
North Australia [0.5m]
CSIRO aerial surveys of NT [0.36m]
CSIRO aerial surveys of NT [0.5m] | 1935–40
1950–69
1971–86 | NTAC1979/126
E1390
E1389 |
Australian War Memorial, Canberra | | |
Australian military campaigns (maps and aerial photos) [48m] | 1885–ongoing | AWM195 |
1 series held by AUSLIG 2 series held by Department of Defence
For more information
You can obtain more information about the record series listed above (and the items within the series) fromRecordSearch, the Archives database. Follow the links in the series lists to go directly to information on that series. You can also use RecordSearch to find out about the agencies that created the records and to locate more records on your subject. You might also explore PhotoSearch to find out if there are photos pertaining to your subject.
RecordSearch and PhotoSearch are available online or in all Archives reading rooms. Reference staff are available in the reading rooms to help you, or email ref@naa.gov.au.
Other sources
National Library of Australia – Prints of approximately 800,000 aerial photographs of Australia taken from 1928–87 are held by the National Library of Australia (see Fact Sheet 2 – Addresses of other archival institutions for contact details).
AUSLIG – Details of how to access AUSLIG's aerial photographic library are available from the AUSLIG website at www.auslig.gov.au/products/photos/
