Court records: resources by jurisdiction

The Library does not hold original court records.  However, some indexes and transcriptions of historic records can be found in the Library and/or online. A selection of resources are listed here by jurisdiction. 

Use the online catalogue to find and retrieve material using your Library login.

Australian Capital Territory 

In the Library: 

• Transcripts of proceedings / The Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory. 1978-1996 

New South Wales 

In the Library: 

• Great Britain. Colonial Office. Colonial Secretary's papers, 1788-1825 [Microform]. Also available on the Ancestry database. (Access via the eResources portal and search for Ancestry in the Browse eResources tab). 
• Genealogical research kit. Stage IV. Archives Authority of New South Wales. [Microform] Court records in this collection include: Reports of inquests 1796-1824, 1828; registers of coronial inquests 1834-1942, with indexes 1859-1894.  
• Colonial trials and court records benches of magistrates: [reels 665-667: Brisbane Water, Camden, Cawdor, Dungog] [microform].  Sydney: Archives Authority of New South Wales. Includes Brisbane Water 1841-1855, Camden 1847-1850, Cawdor 1825-1828, Dungog 1834-1835, 1843-1848.  
• Colonial trials and court records benches of magistrates: [Reels 671-676: Muswellbrook, Picton, Queanbeyan].  [Microform] Sydney: Archives Authority of New South Wales.  Includes Queanbeyan bench books 1841-1862.   
• Supreme Court of N.S.W. probate index. 1800-1984. [Microform]. See also the State Records of NSW guide to Probate Packets (Wills). 
•  Magistrates records in New South Wales, 1788-1945 / Hilary Golder 
•  Guilty or not guilty / Pamela Sheldon  

Online: 

State Records of NSW provide an alphabetical list of research topics. These include:

• Courts (Higher)
• Courts (Lower)
• Convicts
• Colonial Secretary
• Inquests & coronial inquiries
• Probates and wills

Northern Territory 

In the Library: 

• Northern Territory Supreme Court of probates and index of administrations granted and sealed 1875-1991. Genealogical Society of the Northern Territory.  [Microform] 
• Probate indexes, 1885-1941. Genealogical Society of the Northern Territory.  [Microform] 
• Cossons index, NT.  Borooloola, Anthony's Lagoon, Newcastle, Adelaide River, Brocks Creek, Rankine River and Pine Creek police journals: indexed death abstracts from police journals. Genealogical Society of the Northern Territory. [Microform] 

Queensland 

In the Library: 

• Queensland intestacies, insolvencies and wills: index to notices in the Queensland Government Gazette, 1859-1885 / [microform]: edited by Mary Geiger and Rosemary Kopittke.  Queensland Family History Society. 
• Queensland intestacies, insolvencies and wills: index to notices in the Queensland Government Gazette, 1886-1900 / [microform]: edited by Mary Geiger and Rosemary Kopittke.  Queensland Family History Society. 
• Queensland wills, 1857-1900 [microform]. Queensland State Archives. This is a combined index to the Supreme Court (Southern, Central and Northern Districts) Ecclesiastical Files for the period 1857-1900. 
• Queensland intestacy returns index 1896-1910 [microform] / compiled by Mary Geiger and Rosemary Kopittke.  Queensland Family History Society. An alphabetical index of intestacy returns which were published in the Queensland Government Gazette between 1896-1910. 
• Queensland intestacy returns index 1911-1916 [microform] / compiled by Mary Geiger and Rosemary Kopittke.  Queensland Family History Society. An alphabetical index of intestacy returns which were published in the Queensland Government Gazette between 1911-1916 
• Moreton Bay Supreme Court records 1857-1859 [microform] / compiled by Marianne Eastgate. Queensland Family History Society. 
• Miscellaneous records of the Moreton Bay region 1855-59 [microform] / compiled by Marianne Eastgate. Queensland Family History Society. 

Online: 

• Queensland State Archives guide to court records. Includes online indexes. 

South Australia 

In the Library: 

• South Australian legal records, compiled by Robert Foster, with the assistance of Alex Castles and Wilfred Prest.  Adelaide: Adelaide Law Review Association, 1996.  
• Inquests, 1877-1899 [microform] / by Jill Statton.   
• Inquests, 1900-1945 [microform] / by Jill Statton.   
• Testamentary index [microform] / Supreme Court of South Australia.   

Online: 

• State Records of South Australia guide to courts. Includes some online indexes. 

Tasmania

In the Library:

• Index to court records of Tasmania: from Tasmanian Papers held in the Mitchell Library, N.S.W. Tasmanian Family History Society Inc., Hobart branch, 2017
• Lower court records of Tasmania: index to records of cases heard in petty sessions. Sorell. Tasmanian Family History Society Inc., Hobart branch, 2008

Online:

Libraries Tasmania has the following guides to records:

• Court records
• Wills
• Divorces
• Prison records (post convict)
• Inquests

Victoria 

In the Library: 

• Divorce index Victoria 1861-1900. [microform] / Wendy Baker & Sue McBeth 
• Courts of petty sessions : transcriptions of original records for convictions in North East Victoria / Wadonga Family History Society 
• Cops and robbers : a guide to researching 19th century police and criminal records in Victoria, Australia / by Helen Doxford Harris and Gary Presland 
• Lucas's County Court cause list, County Court at Melbourne: list of causes for trial.  Melbourne: County Court.  Issues held: 1861-1867.  
• Register of convictions, orders and other proceedings in the court of Petty Sessions at Kerang, [microform] 1888-1920 
• Keilor & district historical records [microform] / transcribed & compiled by Angela M. Evans. Includes Keilor Court Books, Keilor Watchhouse Book and other historical records.   
• Victorian Argus court reports, 1851-1856 [microform] / indexed and supplied by Marion Button.   

Online: 

Public Record Office Victoria has the following guides (including online indexes): 

• Justice, crime and law 
• Wills and probates 
• Inquests and other coronial records 
• Divorce files and cause books 

Western Australia 

In the Library: 

• Order in the court: a guide to the records of the Supreme Court of Western Australia. State Archives of Western Australia. [Perth, W.A.]: Library and Information Service of Western Australia, 1990 

Online: 

• State Records Office of Western Australia guide to court records.