Victoria Newspapers

Online Resources

 * Victoria Histories including Newspapers at FindMyPast ($), index.
 * 1828-1945 - Index cards to Port Phillip Gazette in the Mitchell Library, 1828-1945 at FindMyPast ($), images.
 * 1981-1997 - Victoria Funeral Notices at FindMyPast ($), index. This index, built from funeral notices from the Melbourne Herald Sun, contains over 119,000 records for the period 1981-1997.

Police and Government Gazettes

 * Victoria Government Gazettes at FindMyPast ($), index.
 * Victoria Police Gazettes at FindMyPast ($), index.
 * 1851 - Victorian Government Gazette 1851 at MyHeritage ($), index.
 * 1854-1930 - Police gazette, 1854-1930 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1855, 1864-1924 - Victoria, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1855, 1864-1924 at Ancestry ($), index.
 * 1858 - Victorian Government Gazette 1858 at MyHeritage ($), index.
 * 1859 - Victorian Government Gazette 1859 at MyHeritage ($), index.
 * 1863 - Victorian Government Gazette 1863 at MyHeritage ($), index.
 * 1864 - Victorian Government Gazette 1864 at MyHeritage ($), index.
 * 1865 - Victorian Government Gazette 1865 at MyHeritage ($), index.
 * 1878 - Victorian Government Gazette 1878 at MyHeritage ($), index.
 * 1887 - Victorian Government Gazette 1887 at MyHeritage ($), index.
 * 1888 - Victorian Government Gazette 1891 at MyHeritage ($), index.
 * 1889 - Victorian Government Gazette 1889 at MyHeritage ($), index.
 * 1890 - Victorian Government Gazette 1890 at MyHeritage ($), index.
 * 1891 - Victorian Government Gazette 1891 at MyHeritage ($), index.

New South Wales Records, Including Victoria Prior to 1851

 * The Ryerson Index – Death notices and obituaries in Australian newspapers
 * The Sydney Dead Persons Society began indexing death notices in the Sydney newspapers. This project has grown into the Ryerson Index which now (July 2013) indexes death notices and obituaries in 222 newspapers and has over 4,000,000 entries.


 * 1776-1980 - Australia miscellaneous genealogical records : COLLECTION RECORD, 1776-1980 at FamilySearch, index. Browse images
 * 1841-1987 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images

Australia

 * Australia Newspapers at MyHeritage($), index
 * Trove digitized newspapers
 * Australian Lutheran at FindMyPast ($), index.
 * 1840-1845 - Australian Periodical Publications 1840-1845
 * 1851-1997 - Australia Newspaper Vital Notices, 1851-1997 at Ancestry ($), index, incomplete.

What information can be found in newspapers
Given the relative ease of finding the precise date of births, deaths and marriages, with the right newspaper, you have a good chance of finding:


 * birth notices - generally published within a couple of weeks of birth
 * marriage notices - generally published on the day or sometimes as a "pre-marriage" notice a week or so in advance
 * death notices - generally published within a week or so of death
 * funeral notices - generally published with a week or so of death

In smaller towns, social pages of the newspapers would often write up the details of a wedding. These may appear up to a month or so later; I think the newspapers "saved them up" for days when there was no other social news to report. They often give a quite detailed list of the bridesmaids and groomsmen (often family members) as well as relatives and friends who attended. The dresses of the bride, bridemaids and mothers of the bride and groom are often described in great detail. Others who contributed to the ceremony or reception (singers, musicians, cake icing, etc) are mentioned and again are often relatives.

Similarly, smaller towns often publish obituaries, again appearing some time in the next month or so (possibly waiting for a slow news day). These will often have the full life story and a lot of vital clues can be found within them. Some newspapers will give an account of the funeral, listing the pallbearers and those who sent wreaths etc or simply attended (many of whom will be relatives). Sometimes the funeral and the obituary appear as a combined article.

In larger cities, there is far less likelihood of finding obituaries or accounts of weddings and funerals, unless the person was very well-known.

Engagement notices were often published, but with virtually no other records to provide any clues as to the date of the engagement, finding them tends to be a matter of luck or great persistance (reading through many editions of the newspaper).

Accounts of other events in the lives of your family (sporting achievements, accidents, etc) are frequently reported in the newspapers, especially in smaller towns. However, unless you have some awareness of the event from other sources that provides you with an approximate date, you are unlikely to find them except by luck or persistance. While there is a wealth of information in newspapers, the lack of indexing is a significant barrier to unlocking these valuable resources.

FamilySearch Library
Additional sources are listed in the FamilySearch Catalog: