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Researching the history of your house

Explore our resources that can help you find out more about the history of your house.

Post office directories

Post office directories were the equivalent of telephone books. These directories may be useful for researching who lived at your address. The State Library of Victoria has digitised a selection of the Sands and  McDougall directories which can be found here:

Search the Sands and McDougall postal directories

Richmond and Fitzroy libraries hold microfiche copies of every copy of the Victorian directories between 1839 to 1974.

The following books may also be helpful:

Council rate books

Council rate books were used to record Council rates collection. They include information about the owner and the occupier of a property, a brief description of the dwelling and the valuation.

The rate books are set out by ward, then by street. Maps are available for checking the ward as boundaries and names have changed over the years. There is a street index at the beginning of each ward listing which will tell you which page to look for.

Accessing rate books

  • The Collingwood and Fitzroy rate books are available online through Ancestry.com for the years 1860 to 1900. Microfiche/microfilm copies are available for Fitzroy from 1858 to 1958 and Collingwood from 1860 to 1984 at the Fitzroy Library.
  • City of Melbourne rate books 1861-1900 are also available. These resources have been copied to microfiche and microfilm and can be read on machines at Fitzroy Library. The City of Melbourne rate records can be accessed online from the Public Record Office of Victoria.
  • Richmond rate records 1857-1875 are available through the Yarra Libraries catalogue.
  • Richmond rate records 1857-1980 are available on microfiche at Richmond Library. 

Council heritage studies

Conservation studies are surveys of historic sites, with brief histories of significant buildings, often including houses. Many were undertaken by councils which now make up the City of Yarra in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Most have been digitised and are available on the City of Yarra website, while some are available in printed form in our libraries' local history collections. To find them, search the library catalogue, or ask staff for assistance.  

The digitised Carlton Conservation Study from 1984 is available through the Yarra Libraries' catalogue. 

Maps (Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works plans) 

The MMBW made detailed plans of much of Melbourne from 1895 until the mid-1950s. These plans can show the footprint of a building, often including details such as garden design and outbuildings. Digitised plans are available on the State Library website, search using the street name, suburb and the term ‘MMBW’. 

Newspapers  

Newspapers can have a surprising amount of property information. There are advertisements for sales, reports about insurance claims, and sometimes articles about people at a particular address.  The National Library of Australia’s Trove website is the best place to start looking at digitised newspapers.   

 

Guides for further help

Estimate the age of your house

The Heritage Council of Victoria has a book called What house is that? [PDF 1767KB] to help you identify architectural styles.

Researching historic homes

The Public Record Office Victoria has a helpful guide called Historic homes.

Research guide from the State Library of Victoria 

Discover the State Library Victoria's collection of architectural drawings, maps and online tools to help you research your house. 

Using rate records 

The Public Record Office Victoria has a useful guide to using rate records. 

 

Reference books

The following books may be useful and available for reference or in library reading only.

History Help
History Help

History Help

Need help researching the history of your house? Ask one of our expert Local History Librarians for a History Help session.