Welcome to the
Your place for genealogy and local history in Hamilton, Victoria
BECOME A MEMBERWe have a vast array of local family and township histories available for purchase or viewing in our rooms
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MOREMelville Park & I.O.R Conference, 1912
The Hamilton History Centre provides a research service using the resources of the Centre.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORELooking east along Gray Street, Hamilton. c1930
Guided tours of Hamilton's main streets, the General Cemetery, the South Hamilton (Lutheran) Cemetery and more
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MOREMembers of the Hamilton Hunt Club with Hounds & Horses c1893
The Hamilton Academy situated on the corner of Pope and Collins Street, Hamilton was founded by James Begg in 1870 and existed until mid-1900. In 1874 the building better known more recently as “St Mary’s School” was built for the Academy, which could claim to have been the pre-eminent post elementary school in the district for much of the 1880’s.
This book tells its story of that other school-the “Hamilton Academy” and James Begg's role in it which deserves to be told.
The History Centre is located in the Hamilton CBD and holds a vast historical collection. Read more about the Hamilton History Centre here..
Staffed by helpful volunteer Hamilton history experts, we will undertake historical research for you, or you may come into the Centre and conduct your own research.
Gathered over many years from local and other sources, our Centre holds a vast array of documents, books and maps. Visit our reading rooms for more info.
Our collection includes over 2000 local historical photographs, cemetery records, German settlement history, war records, family history records, parish maps, pastoral properties, records of Hamilton residences, shops and businesses, as well as church and school records. All visitors are welcome. To see what is in our collection, please visit our collection page. For location and hours, please click here.
Hospital Sunday Botanical Gardens, 1910
Genealogical resources are kept at the Hamilton History Centre. We have the civil registration birth, marriage and death indexes for Victoria and some other states, shipping records for Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia, indexes to Victorian and South Australian naturalisations and prisoner indexes. There are Victorian Gazettes and Post Office directories and various other indexes concerning place names, publicans, and hospitals, etc.
Gray Street, Hamilton looking west c1930
Extensive records to search for Hamilton and area inhabitants are held at the Centre. These include church registers, family histories and much more. We also have an extensive collection of published books available, as well as maps, directories, and newspaper articles. To view a summary of our collection please visit our collections page. Browse our website for more information or make contact using the information on our contact page.
The Hamilton History Centre has compiled the following videos highlighting some of our prominent historical people and places. You can view them here or visit our YouTube channel for more information.
Click on any of the videos to start play. Videos can be opened in the YouTube App for users with mobile devices, or opened in YouTube on desktops for a larger view.