Woman between two bookshelves, taking a book from one.

Welcome to Local Studies

The Local Studies Collection consists of a wide range of for-loan and archive materials.

The collection aims to collect, document, preserve and promote the history, development and culture of the City of Busselton area.

The collection consists of:

  • photographs

  • maps & plans

  • oral histories & transcripts

  • books & reports

  • local newspapers

  • rate books

  • brochures & pamphlets

  • unpublished material

Archive Material

View over shoulder of a person reading a book.

Request access to archive material to view at Busselton Library by completing an Enquiry Form.

Catalogue

Old photo of the construction of Busselton jetty.

You can search our catalogue for Local Studies items. Items are available to loan in both Busselton and Dunsborough Libraries.

Gallery

Black and white photo of a steam train going over a bridge.

Enjoy browsing our extensive image collection on the Busselton Libraries Flickr page. New images are added regularly.

Need help with your research?

The Local Studies Officer is available to answer research enquiries.

Please complete an enquiry form.

External Links

There’s a wealth of information available to help with your research. Depending on the subject you’re researching, you might find these links useful:

Busselton Historical Society
The Busselton Historical Society manages local oral history activities, and their active group of volunteers work to capture the fascinating stories of people local to Busselton, Dunsborough and surrounding areas.

Each oral history has a digital version, available on the State Library of Western Australia website and a written transcript kept in the library archive. You can make an enquiry to view the transcript in our library. Recordings are added regularly so be sure to check the catalogue for new titles.

Should you have any questions about oral history please contact: oralhistory@busseltonhistoricalsociety.org.au.

Find digital oral histories on the State Library of Western Australia website.

Busselton Family History Society
Situated in the Community Resource Centre, the Busselton Family History Society is a totally volunteer operated group. It maintains a library of research materials for use by anyone researching their family history. Access to online resources is also available. Advice and assistance is freely provided.
Visit the Busselton Family History Society

The Busselton Museum
The Heritage Butter Factory and Busselton Museum has ten display rooms packed with photographs, equipment and memorabilia which trace the family, social, civic, commercial and maritime history of Busselton.
Visit The Busselton Museum

Busselton Local Heritage Survey
A detailed listing of heritage buildings within the City of Busselton.
Visit the Busselton Local Heritage Survey

State Register of Heritage Places
Contains a comprehensive statutory list of places that have heritage value in the State.
Visit State Register of Heritage Places

State Records Office
Responsible for managing, preserving and providing access to the State’s governmental records. Here you will find early exploration maps, early gazetted town plans, groups settlement plans and more.
Visit the State Records Office

Landgate
Historic Crown surveys and early exploration maps, and historical titles and surveys.
Visit Landgate

J.S. Battye Library of WA History
Responsible for collecting and preserving Western Australian heritage material including indexes, newspapers, photos and maps.
Visit the J.S. Battye Library of WA History

The Bussell and Molloy Diaries
Digital copies of eleven diaries written mainly by Franes Louisa (Fanny) and Joseph Vernon Bussell and two diaries written by John and Georgiana Molloy available to download here.
Visit The Bussell and Molloy Diaries

Storylines
An interactive archive containing photographs, oral histories, historical documents, sounds and movies for the State Library’s digitised heritage collections relating to Aboriginal history in Western Australia.
Visit Storylines

The WA Post Office Directories
Search for merchants in Busselton and Quindalup from 1893, and individuals from 1895.
Visit The WA Post Office Directories

The Police Gazette of WA
A fascinating record of criminal activity and policing in Western Australia from 1876-1900. Search by surname, place or convict number.
Visit The Police Gazette of WA

Trove
Created and maintained by the National Library of Australia. The digitised newspaper zone is the most heavily used part of Trove with more than 100 million newspaper articles. Includes local newspapers up to 1954.
Visit Trove

The AIF Project
A database of Australian Anzacs in World War I. Drawn from a range of official sources, including personal files on the National Archives website and Embarkation and Nominal Rolls on the Australian War Memorial website.
Visit The AIF Project

Oral History

You can listen to stories and memories of Busselton and surrounds past through the State Library Catalogue or by borrowing copies from Busselton or Dunsborough Library.

The Busselton Oral History Group is an active group of volunteers that work to capture the fascinating stories of people local to Busselton, Dunsborough and surrounding areas.

Each oral history has a digital version, available on the State Library of Western Australia website, a hard copy CD located at Busselton and Dunsborough Library, and a written transcript kept in the Library archive.  Each CD is available for borrowing through the library catalogue and you can make a request to view the transcript in the library.

The Busselton Oral History Group can be emailed at listorc@westnet.com.au.

Recordings are added regularly so be sure to check the catalogue for new titles.