New South Wales land and placename databases and map collections
Alphabetical list of place names of New South Wales
- Compiled in 1954 by Ernest C. Gleeson who worked at the NSW Department of Lands. It lists all of the place names that appeared in NSW parish maps up to 1954, which included the Eastern and Central divisions of NSW. Towns, villages, hamlets, rivers, mountains, valleys, creeks and farms were all listed and for each he provided the corresponding county, parish, land district, pastures protection district and local government Authority.
Atlas of the Suburbs of Sydney
Geographical Names Board
- Place name searches will provide the parish and county name of the location as well as the Gazettal date, LGA and brief information about the place, sometimes including historical information.
Historical Atlas of Sydney
- Provides access to the key maps and map series held by City of Sydney Archives. The maps range from the 19th and 20th centuries and were produced variously by Council itself, other government authorities or private surveying firms and individuals. The historical atlas also provides background to Council’s evolving boundaries from 1842 until today.
Historical Imagery Viewer
- Managed by NSW Spacial Services, the Historical Imagery Viewer, as part of the Spatial Collaboration Portal, allows users to search, discover and download historical imagery from the NSW Spacial Services library dating back to the 1930s. Over Sydney, these images can also be viewed as a mosaic, allowing users to explore the city and its history.
Historical Land Records Viewer
- Managed by NSW Land Registry Services, the viewer provides free access to historic parish, county, town and pastoral maps showing land ownership from the late 19th to mid 20th centuries. It also provides access to digitised Old Form Torrens Titles up to the 1960s, 'Old System' deeds, historical indexes to vendors and purchasers, plan lodgement books and other important land record sets. We've put together four webinars and step-by step guides to help you get started.
New South Wales Land Registry Services
- Use the Online Portal to search for title deed numbers and other information regarding property in New South Wales. Information from this portal will help with searching the Historical Land Records Viewer. Guidance on how to search historical records including very useful Information sheets and search guides as well as access to Information Brokers is available via the Research link.
New South Wales State Archives and Records Maps and plans
- Indexes and guides to their collection of historical maps and plans. Indexes and guides are also available to their vast land records collections.
Spatial Services
Australian online map collections
Arrowsmith's Australian Maps
- Documents the differences between the states of Australian maps from John Arrowsmith's London Atlas of Universal Geography, from its first appearance in 1834 until 1858. The maps illustrate British knowledge of the Australian continent after 50 years of British occupation. The website is the product of research conducted by Dorothy Prescott OAM.
Geosciences Australia
- Provides free general and thematic maps of Australia including outline maps, bathymetric maps, geophysical maps and geological maps.
International online map collections
A Vision of Britain
- Provides historical maps including Ordnance Survey sheets to the 1940s, statistical data and maps, and historical descriptions of Britain from 1801 to now.
British Library Online Gallery
- Digitised collection of maps and views.
David Rumsey historical map collection
- Over 30,000 maps and images online. The collection focuses on rare 18th and 19th century North American and South American maps, as well as historic maps of the world, Europe, Asia and Africa.
Digital Map Collection, American Geographical Society Library.
- This site contains over 700 maps, ranging from early maps of Asia to historical maps of Wisconsin and Milwaukee, and other American cities, states, and national parks.
National Library of Scotland
- High-resolution zoomable images of over 44,000 maps of Scotland, including county maps, town views, military maps and estate maps of Scotland.
New York Public Library map collection
- Includes early American maps, world maps and atlases, and maps of the Pacific Ocean.
Old Maps Online
- Digitised historical maps in libraries around the world.
Osher Map Library, University of Southern Maine.
- Digitised maps from their map exhibitions, including early world maps, the first printed maps, and historical American maps.
World Digital Library
- Digitised content from collecting institutions world-wide.
Hydrographic charts
Hydrographic surveys of navigable waters in NSW, including inland waterways, coastal rivers and entrance bars, can be viewed and purchased online through NSW Roads and Maritime.
Over 450 paper charts as well as ENC & RNC products are available through the Australian Hydrographic Service.
Geological maps
A selection of geological maps and mineral deposit maps are available through NSW Resources and Energy.
Climate maps
Australian climate maps including temperature, rainfall and solar radiation are available through the Bureau of Meteorology.
Travel maps and guides
Free online maps, travel planners and travel guides, ideas on things to do and places to see, and suggested itineraries are available through Cartoscope.
Find a selection of travel guides for Sydney and regional New South Wales at VisitNSW.
Maps in other Australian Libraries
View over 65,000 online maps with Australian content via Trove.
