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:

• Jackson, R (1997) The streets of Richmond, Richmond & Burnley Historical Society, Richmond.
• Cummings, K (1997) Streets of Collingwood, Collingwood Historical Society, Abbotsford.
   

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

• Fitzroy rate books 1858-1973 were digitised in early 2011 and an electronic copy of these are available for viewing at the Fitzroy Library in the Local History Collection.
• 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.
• City of Collingwood rate books are held at the Fitzroy library.
• 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. 

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.

• Regan, D and Press, K (1990) How to trace the history of your house, Penguin, Ringwood
• Davison, G and McConville, C (ed)(1991) A heritage handbook, Allen & Unwin, North Sydney
• Kellaway, C (1991) How to research the history of a house, Allen & Unwin, North Sydney - Chapter 14 uses Richmond buildings as case studies
• Jackson, R (2001) Researching your house in Richmond, Burnley, Vic.
• Vines, M, Outhred, G and Leigh, J (1996) Identification of housing styles and faults, RMIT, Melbourne.
• Burchell, L (1991) Recognising house styles 1880s - 1990s, City of Coburg, Coburg.
• Stapleton, M and Stapleton, I (1996) Australian house styles, Flannel Flower Press, Yeronga.