Local & family history

Gold Coast Libraries holds the city's largest and oldest collection of local history material. Discover our history by exploring our online resources or by visiting our Local Studies Library.

Our Local Studies Library holds a wide range of material relating to the history, development, culture, environment and heritage of the Gold Coast. Donations and copies of heritage materials are always appreciated.

Gold Coast Stories

Our Gold Coast Stories website brings together interesting tales, popular stories and hidden histories about the people and places of the Gold Coast.

Picture Gold Coast

Explore our amazing collection of vintage and modern photographs of the Gold Coast. Learn about Picture Gold Coast.

History Pin

Explore an ever-growing range of Gold Coast photographs pinned to a local map.

Discover your family history with our comprehensive range of historical and family history online resources. These include:

• Ancestry library edition
• MyHeritage library edition
• Fold3 library edition

Ancestry library edition

Trace your ancestors with records including:

• census
• military records
• court, land and probate records
• vital and church records
• directories and passenger lists
• stories, memories, histories, pictures and more.

Accessible in libraries on our public access PCs.

MyHeritage library edition

One of the largest, most diverse genealogy databases of its kind in the world. It includes billions of documents from over 48 countries. The database contains millions of historical photos, public records, indexes and more.

Fold3 library edition

Discover your family's military past with access to a range of Commonwealth and U.S. military records. Records include stories, photos and personal documents of men and women who served.

Visit our eLibrary now to browse more online family history resources.

The Local Studies Library also holds a wide range of material to help you uncover your family history. This includes birth, death, marriage and cemetery indexes, and newspaper clipping files related to Gold Coast people, places and subjects.

Picture Gold Coast is our collection of historical photographs of the Gold Coast. It includes a range of scenes dating from pioneering days to views of life in a modern city. These images convey the history, development, heritage and culture of the region.

You can browse thousands of images online. We are always adding new images, and copies of your own heritage images are always appreciated.

It's okay to print, copy or download an image for private research or study purposes without asking for permission. Please contact us if you're interested in publishing an image for community or commercial purposes, including any online use. If you'd like a high quality image, our Local Studies Library offers a digital photographic service.

Find out more by contacting the Local Studies Library.