Koorie Heritage – Aboriginal Records at PROV

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The early official records, up to 1860, relating to the administration of Aboriginal affairs in Victoria are located at Public Record Office Victoria (PROV). The holdings are most extensive for the period 1839 to 1859, which covers the period of the Chief Protector of Aborigines and his successor the Guardian of Aborigines.

For the period c. 1860 to 1960 it is necessary to conduct research at both PROV and the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Melbourne Office. This separation of the archives is a result of the State Government legislating to transfer responsibility for Aboriginal affairs to the Commonwealth in 1975. Shortly after this, those records not already in the custody of PROV were transferred to the Commonwealth by the State Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs.

Published in 1993 My Heart is Breaking: A joint guide to records about Aboriginal People in the Public Record Office of Victoria and Australian Archives, Victorian Regional Office (Australian Government Publishing Services, Canberra, 1993) is a valuable tool for researching the history of Victoria’s Aboriginal people since European settlement. As well as listing the holdings in both PROV and NAA (formerly Australian Archives) collections, it illustrates the richness and variety of the surviving records through the use of excerpts from the original records. Details of the early Protectorate period up to 1840, including transcripts of records, are included in the publication Historical Records of Victoria, vols 2A and 2B (Melbourne University Press, Melbourne 1998).

The publication Finding Your Story has been produced by Public Record Office Victoria, Aboriginal Affairs Victoria and the Victorian Koorie Records Taskforce as a reference tool for individual Indigenous Victorians seeking information on their separation from family and community. Finding Your Story will also help organisations that assist the Stolen Generations on their journey of discovery and healing. For information on how to obtain a copy visit Finding Your Story online at www.prov.vic.gov.au/findingyourstory or contact PROV on 1800 657 452 or ask.prov@dvc.vic.gov.au.

Researchers can consult PROV's Online Catalogue for more information on the collection. Records can be ordered through PROV’s Online Catalogue for viewing in one of PROV’s reading rooms. Many of the records have been microfilmed and are available in that format.

The Aboriginal Protectorate and its successors:

VA 512 Chief Protector of Aborigines 1838–1849

VA 513 Guardian of Aborigines 1849–1860

VA 514 Central Board Appointed to Watch Over the Interests of Aborigines 1860–1869

VA 515 Board for the Protection of Aborigines 1869–1957

VA 4371 Aborigines Welfare Board 1957–1968

A Select List of Series

VPRS 1694 Board for the Protection of Aborigines: Correspondence Files 1889–1931

Researchers are also advised to consult National Archives of Australia series B313 for other correspondence files.

VPRS 10768 Board for the Protection of Aborigines: Register and Index of Inward Correspondence 1909–1941

For an earlier register consult National Archives of Australia series B328.

VPRS 926 Aboriginal Board: Letter Book Coranderrk 1838–1839

Series Available on Microfilm VPRS 4467

VPRS 12 Aboriginal Protectorate Returns 1840–1849

VPRS 11 Unregistered Inward Correspondence to the Chief Protector of Aborigines 1847–1851

VPRS 2895 Chief Protector of Aborigines: Outward Letter Book 1848–1850

VPRS 4409 Copies of Correspondence relating to the establishment of the Aboriginal Protectorate 1838–1839

VPRS 4399 Duplicate Annual Reports for the Chief Protector of Aborigines 1845–1849

VPRS 4465 Outline of a plan of a Mission to instruct Aborigines in the Principles of Christianity c. 1843

VPRS 4466 Unregistered papers relating to the Native Police Corps 1848–1849 (and undated)

VPRS 10 Registered Inward Correspondence to the Superintendent, Port Phillip District relating to Aboriginal Affairs 1839–1851

Other Aboriginal Records at PROV

There are also records related to the administration of Aboriginal affairs in Victoria included in other series in the PROV collection, such as records of the Superintendent of the Port Phillip District, the Chief Secretary and the Department of Crown Lands and the Surveyor General. Records that detail legal matters such as court and police records and records of finance and education may also be of interest to researchers. For example:

VPRS 90 Victoria Police: Daybook of the Native Police Corps 1845–1853

VPRS 4415 Chief Secretary’s Registered Inward Correspondence relating to Aboriginal Affairs transferred to the Department of Crown Lands and Survey 1851–1856 (with gaps)

VPRS 2894 Registered Inward Correspondence to the Surveyor-General, from the Guardians of Aborigines 1856

VPRS 2897 Registered Inward Correspondence to the Land Branch, Superintendent of the Port Phillip District relating to Aboriginal Stations 1847–1851

For a more comprehensive listing of records in the PROV collection relating to Aboriginal people researchers can consult My Heart is Breaking.

New researchers to PROV can also consult the Getting Started Research Pathway, the Koorie People and Places Research Pathway, PROVguide 1 Services to the Public and PROVguide 66 PROV's Archival Control Model.

Information on researching Koorie Family History at PROV can be found in PROVguide 65 and the publication Finding Your Story.