Victorian Genealogy
Finding People and Places in Victoria, Australia.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE VICTORIA - PASTORAL RUN PLANS (VPRS 8168)
These are part of the Historic Plans Collection. They have been digitized.
These may include:
https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/VPRS8168
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE VICTORIA - PARISH AND TOWNSHIP PLANS (VPRS 16171, VPRS 16306)
These are also known as Record Plans. Parish and township plans show property boundaries. They include:
Properties are annotated with a file number; this may be used for locating records about that property. Parish and township plans have been digitized.
STATE LIBRARY OF VICTORIA - TOWNSHIP, PARISH AND COUNTY PLANS
The State Library of Victoria has an extensive collection of over 10,000 plans, many of which have been digitised.
LANDATA - RECORD PLANS
Record or Parish Plans can be ordered online from Landata. They may be found under Central Plan Office.
https://www.landata.vic.gov.au/
STATE LIBRARY OF VICTORIA - MAP OF VICTORIA SHOWING PARISHES
This has been digitized.
https://viewer.slv.vic.gov.au/?entity=IE9535218&mode=browse
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE VICTORIA - MAP WARPER
Historic parish plans can be viewed by searching on a current location name.
https://mapwarper.prov.vic.gov.au
STATE LIBRARY OF VICTORIA - TOWNSHIP AND PARISH GUIDE
This is a list of townships proclaimed under the Land Acts of the State Of Victoria. For each township, it has the parish, the land district, the municipality and the proclamation year and the page number in the Government Gazette. It has been digitized.
https://viewer.slv.vic.gov.au/?entity=IE4361644&mode=browse
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE VICTORIA - PUT AWAY PLANS (16931 P1)
These are earlier editions of Parish and Township Plans. They may show earlier plans before further subdivisions took place. They may include earlier land selections (people who may have selected land but not purchased it). They are on microfiche. They are not online.
LANDATA - PUT-AWAY PLANS
Put-Away Plans can be ordered online from Landata. They may be found under Central Plan Office.
https://www.landata.vic.gov.au/
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE VICTORIA - HISTORIC PLANS COLLECTION (VPRS 8168)
This is a collection of early surveys and other kinds of maps kept by the Department of Crown Lands and Survey between 1836 and 1984. About 45% of the 11,000+ plans have been digitized.
STATE LIBRARY OF VICTORIA - MINING LEASE APPLICATION PLANS
This collection of close to 600 mining maps is thought to have been produced by the Victorian mines department. They are dated 1870 to 1890 and cover the subdivisions of Gordon, Creswick and Ballarat, along with some maps of Bendigo. They may be accessed by surname or place through the catalogue.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE VICTORIA - BALLARAT AND BALLARAT EAST TOWN ALLOTMENT SURVEY PLANS 1858-1938 (VPRS 4771)
https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/VPRS4771
STATE LIBRARY OF VICTORIA - MELBOURNE METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS PLANS 1890s-1950s
The MMBW plans were produced by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) from the 1890s to the 1950s to facilitate the design and development of Melbourne's sewerage system. They provide a historical record of Melbourne streetscapes and environmental features, including outlines or 'footprints' of buildings. They have been digitized.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE VICTORIA - MELBOURNE METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS PLANS 1889-1970
There are several sets of plans and a collection of Field or Level Books. The MMBW created detailed plans of houses and other buildings in the Melbourne metropolitan area. They are not online.
STATE LIBRARY OF VICTORIA - FIRE INSURANCE PLANS 1888-1962
Fire insurance plans were prepared for insurance companies so they could gauge the fire risk posed by different buildings. The plans were also used to investigate insurance claims. The plans are extremely detailed and show the buildings' occupants, construction materials, number of levels in a building and fire protection facilities. They are usually known as 'Mahlstedt plans', after the main publishing company that produced them.
The State Library of Victoria holds most versions of the volume covering Melbourne's CBD from the years 1888 to 1962, but they also hold a number that show the South Melbourne (Southbank) area. In addition, they hold single editions covering the cities of Bendigo, Ballarat and Geelong, as well as a handful of cities from other Australian states. All of their Mahlstedt volumes are digitised.
STATE LIBRARY OF VICTORIA - AUCTION PLANS
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, real estate companies produced many thousands of posters featuring maps of the lots available at upcoming auctions. Many of these auction plans are very plain black-and-white posters, showing basic information about the upcoming auction and a simple map of the subdivision. Others are highly decorative, featuring colourful illustrations, decorative fonts, cartoons and even verse.
The State Library of Victoria has several thousand Victorian auction plans. This number includes five named collections that were donated by real estate agents: Vale; Batten and Percy; Dyer; Haughton; and Maddock, Lonie and Chisholm.
BENDIGO REGIONAL ARCHIVES CENTRE - CITY OF SANDHURST-BENDIGO MAPS PLANS INDEX
https://www.brac.vic.gov.au/_files/ugd/cdba08_92d246b15cba4ea9b099a5f5dfa32f51.pdf
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