Did you know at PROV we receive more than 10,000 orders for wills and probates every year? If you’re starting your family history journey this Family History Month, wills and probates are a great place to start. Start exploring: prov.vic.gov.au/explore-coll...

How can comics and graphic storytelling transform investigations of historical archives into hard-hitting narratives? Join us on 24 September to hear award-winning illustrator and journalist Sam Wallman in conversation at the Victorian Archives Centre and online www.eventbrite.com.au/e/sam-wallma...

Did you know a train was used to test potential World War 2 recruits?⁠ In 1940, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was in desperate need of recruits. ⁠They fit a train with medical rooms, offices and a phone – then off it went touring our state.⁠ Find the full set of photos: go.vic.gov.au/4pTbSEp

Do you remember the Commonwealth Games mascots of 2006? This stunning series from our collection was used in the planning of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games opening and closing ceremonies. These drawings can be ordered for viewing in our reading room: prov.vic.gov.au/archive/VPRS...

Ever wondered what's behind the shelves? Our archivists are in the repository selecting records for Open House Melbourne. Discover your state archives with a free guided tour this Saturday: openhousemelbourne.org/event/victor...

This only happens once a year! On Saturday 25 July, take a guided tour around the parts of the Victorian Archives Centre usually reserved for archivists. openhousemelbourne.org/event/victor...

All aboard the Mount Buffalo Chalet bus, 1965! 🔎 Search Mount Buffalo for fascinating photographs depicting the region and the Chalet’s long history: go.vic.gov.au/4eWbobO

Hundreds of new archives have been added to our collection ranging from photographs of community activities in Darebin to 1920s insolvency files and a 1930s register of autopsies. Learn more on our blog: prov.vic.gov.au/about-us/our...

For 5 decades, NAIDOC Week has been held every July to recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Celebrate at a NAIDOC event near you: www.naidoc.org.au/local-events... And discover histories from our archives: prov.vic.gov.au/about-uskoor...

These images capture James Stirling's Geological Survey party among the mines of Korumburra in 1895. James Stirling was a government geologist. During this visit, he reported a total 35,755,511 tonnes of coal in the region. 📸 Discover more Korumburra Mines Department photos: go.vic.gov.au/4ouxdU4

From Camberwell to Footscray and Moonee Ponds...these were just three in a franchise of grocery stores run by Archibald Crofts (9 September 1875 – 20 May 1942). #SuburbsofMelbourne go.vic.gov.au/4oXljT1

Discover your archives! For Open House Melbourne we're opening the airlocked doors to the heart of the Victorian Archives Centre, the archival repository. Join a guided tour & take a peek inside the drawers, boxes & cabinets that our house our State collection openhousemelbourne.org/event/victor...

Sam Wallman installing new work at the Victorian Archives Centre - exploring the legacy of the 1970s Green and Pink Bans, when construction workers downed tools to protect heritage buildings, low-income housing, the environment, and persecuted queer communities. prov.vic.gov.au/whats/public...

We celebrate the blurry and beautiful Flinders Street Station, c1920s-30s, this cold #TrainsPlanesAutomobiles Tuesday. Search 'Flinders' on our photo wall for more: prov.vic.gov.au/photowall 📸 VPRS 12800/P0003.

🧵Armenian women grind grain and spin cotton in today's beautiful #FashionFriday photo. 📷️ VPRS 14517/P0001/31, M553. go.vic.gov.au/3Ra3Mdp

Do you want your research published? Submissions are now open for the 2027 issue of our Provenance journal. ➡️ prov.vic.gov.au/explore-coll...

PROV's online Map Warper was first launched back in 2019. Since then, it has become an invaluable site for researchers to explore changes to Victoria’s landscape over time. Our three-part blog series explores how Map Warper is used to delve into the history of place: prov.vic.gov.au/about-us/our...

Happy International Archives Week and Day #IAW2026! International Archives Week (8–12 June 2026) is an annual event that acknowledges archives around the world and their role in protecting rights, memories and futures. 📸 Royal Melbourne Show, 1958. VPRS 14517/P1, Unit 25, H461.

It's 1867 and Victorian physicians Dr. McCrea and Mr. Hutchison supply responses to a world-wide survey about leprosy. What results is the 'Report on Leprosy by the Royal College of Physicians prepared for Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for the Colonies.'

"She had a magnetic presence. You really wanted to be around her and wanted to be part of whatever change she was creating." How is Joan Kirner remembered, 36 years on from becoming our first female Premier? Read our latest blog post: go.vic.gov.au/4dIM0FF

An assortment of historic church and marine records, Darebin, Pyrenees and Nillumbik council records, Omeo and Cassilis court registers and commercial building plans are among recent transfers to PROV's collection. Learn more about these most recent additions to our collection: go.vic.gov.au/4dKr69k

Family history researcher Neil is a descendant of Mary and William Oliver. At just 16, Mary was convicted to hang in the UK, but was then transported to Van Diemen's land for a life sentence. She escaped the convict system and married William in 1834...

Provenance 2026 is now online! Provenance is our free annual online journal featuring articles that utilise records from our vast historic collection to tell stories of Victoria's past. Read the issue now: go.vic.gov.au/4cOkd7D

Our Map Warper expert, Asa Letourneau, was pleased to host a workshop as part of Melton's Heritage Festival on Wednesday. The Festival continues through to 9 May with fascinating author talks, tours and workshops all related to Melton and Victorian history. 🎟️ www.melton.vic.gov.au/Out-n-About/...

To celebrate Chinese Language Day we re-share episode 10 of our Look History in the Eye podcast. In this episode, Anna Kyi explains the importance of 19th Century Victorian Chinese petitions in understanding the Australian Chinese immigrant experience of the goldfields. go.vic.gov.au/4mBZpDA

Our latest episode of Look History in the Eye, Melbourne follows Sean Reynolds into the archives, where his Melbourne Ghost Signs research leads him through criminal files and forgotten stories of women long overlooked. Listen through Spotify, Apple Podcasts or our website: go.vic.gov.au/4snv2SM

Don’t miss the final weeks of ‘Rewind Forward’ at the Victorian Archives Centre! Drawing from the State’s rich archives, five artists reawaken Victoria’s historical narrative: Emile Zile, Sam Wallman, Shannon Slee, Susan Fitzgerald, and Queer-ways. bit.ly/4bWQgjX Photograph by Astrid Mulder.

Now available to watch online! In Names in the Margins, author and historian Sean Reynolds uncovers the hidden lives of women revealed through his Melbourne Ghost Signs research. Watch on our YouTube channel: bit.ly/3MZreZb

It’s amazing what’s hidden in our glass plate negative collection! Our digitisation team have been busy scanning photographs of power stations, and they came across two beautiful portraits of an elegantly dressed woman. The images look slightly too casual to be official.

What can rate records reveal about your family history? So much more than you might think! On our blog, researcher Harry Firns shares the story of his ancestor George Firns using Bendigo rate records from the 1850s: go.vic.gov.au/4bvW3wL