Convicts: Bound for Australia

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Key to library resources

Access anywhere with a library card In the Library (or anywhere with a Library card for NSW residents)
Available to access in the library Only in the Library
Publicly available online Publicly available

Log of logs

How to use Log of logs

Only in the Library You can use Log of logs: a catalogue of logs, journals, shipboard diaries, letters, and all forms of voyage narratives, 1788 to 1988, for Australia and New Zealand and surrounding oceans when you are in the Library. Can't come to the Library? Contact us.

How to find out about a convict or passenger's voyage to Australia

You need the name of the ship, the date and port of arrival (some ships made more than one voyage) to find out if any logs survived. Don't know the ship, date and port of arrival? Try resources listed on Beginning your family history research, Becoming free and Voyage out to Australia.

 

STEP 1

Use Log of logs: a catalogue of logs, journals, shipboard diaries, letters, and all forms of voyage narratives, 1788 to 1988, for Australia and New Zealand and surrounding oceans to find out if there are surviving logs from the ship your convict was transported on.

Logs of logs is kept on the shelves in the Family history service. The three volumes contain an alphabetical list by name of ship with voyages in date order. The volumes are not cumulative so you will need to check them all.

STEP 2

Find the name of the ship in the list to see what kind of ship it was, what voyages it made, what kinds of logs survived for that voyage and where these are held. Check the front of the volume for a description of the code of where the records are kept as well as contact details.

Go to the resource

What's in the Log of logs?

Log of logs is a catalogue of surviving logs, journals and shipboard diaries, letters and all forms of voyage narrative covering emigration to the antipodes. These resources were written by passengers and crew and can provide information about the voyage and immigrant ancestors.

View a digitised example of a log book from our collection.