Newcastle Stories

The Awabakal and Worimi peoples are the traditional custodians of the land and waters of Newcastle. After British settlement Newcastle became a convict settlement and has a long heritage as an industrial and harbour city.

Newcastle Libraries collects, preserves and provides access to a range of materials which document the history of Newcastle and the Hunter and its people. Whether you are a family historian, a student or interested in the heritage of the local area, Newcastle Libraries has the resources to help you.

Family History

The Local Studies Library specialises in Australian family history resources & has a range of material dealing specifically with the Hunter Valley.

Online Collections

As well as visiting our Reading Room, you can access a range of online resources to help you locate books, heritage publications, maps and plans, reports, newspaper articles, digitised books and images.

Hunter PhotoBank

The Hunter PhotoBank is Newcastle Libraries's digital image database. It contains historical and contemporary images of Newcastle and the Hunter dating from the 19th century.

Local History Library

Newcastle Libraries provides research advice and access to a range of materials about the history and heritage of Newcastle and the Hunter Region which is available to everyone.

Newcastle Collections

For more than 50 years Newcastle Libraries has been committed to collecting the history and heritage of Newcastle. Over that time the Library has acquired an extensive and important collection that documents the story of Newcastle.