Maps at the State Library of NSW

The State Library of NSW holds one of the most significant collections of maps and charts in Australia. The estimated size of the collection is over 200,000 maps which includes over 40,000 subdivision plans. The current collection covers Australia, in particular NSW, the Pacific region, Antarctica and extends to the rest of the world. Visit our website.

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Crowds on the wharf farewell passengers on the P&O Moldavia with streamers, Pyrmont

Maps at the Library is moving

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You can continue reading about our amazing maps collection on the State Library of NSW website.

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Thank you for your support over years. We look forward to sharing more of our great maps collection!

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A general chart for the purpose of laying down a ship's track on her voyage from England to the East or West Indies or the Pacific Ocean [cartographic material] : additions to 1852 / by J. W. Norie, Hydrographer. 

During the 19th century, emigrant ships travelling to Australia sailed into the Bay of Biscay (off the coast of France) before heading south to the equator. Stopping for supplies either at Cape Town or Rio de Janeiro, sailing ships could often spend weeks in the doldrums waiting for wind. Great Circle sailing took ships south into the Roaring Forties, where travellers faced freezing conditions and the risk of icebergs, before heading back up towards the Australian coast. With the advent of steam-powered ships and the opening of the Suez Canal, the time to reach Australia decreased significantly. This chart was used to plot the track of ships 'Vimeira', 'Walter Hood', 'La Hogue', and 'George Marshall' in 1851, 1855, 1857, and 1868.

Scale [1:22 176 000].  This nautical chart is from the "Leslie Family Collection 1805-1911" at MLMSS 6930. Published:  [London : Charles Wilson], 1852.

One inch equals 350 miles at equator. First published in 1833 by Norie, this chart of the world on the Mercator's projection has additions to 1852 and is by Charles Wilson.Norie conducted his business at the Naval Academy, 157 Leadenhall Street, London, from 1815 to 1830. His partner Charles continued there after Norie's death in 1843 as "Charles Wilson, Late J.W. Norie & Co."

This nautical chart is amongst Leslie Family Collection items at SLNSW; it was used to plot track of ships Vimeira, Walter Hood, La Hogue, and George Marshall in 1851, 1855, 1857, and 1868. Very large composite chart; the equator proper measures 175 cm. with additional overlap of 10 cm. A zoomable version may be seen here or click on the map for a larger version.

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Port Jackson & Middle Harbor also Parramatta & Lane Cove Rivers [cartographic material] / H. E. C. Robinson Litho. Sydney : H. E. C. Robinson, Wentworth Court, Elizabeth St, [1900?]

This detailed 1900s coast line map of Sydney’s Port Jackson and nearby rivers is almost swamped by its decorative border showing nautical flags and signals that might be seen in Sydney’s waterways at that time. 

Description:  1 map : col. ; 33 x 50 cm. on sheet 57 x 75 cm. Shows railways, existing and projected tramways, main roads and ferry routes. Shipping and signal flags around the map as a decorative border. A zoomable version may be seen here. 

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Noua orbis terrarum delineatio singulari ratione accommodata meridiano tabb, rudolphi astronomicarum [cartographic material] / Philippus Eckebrecht civis Norimbergensis.  [Ulmae? : s.n., 1659?]. 

On this day, October 25th in 1616 Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog became the first known European to set foot in Australia, leaving an inscription at what became named Cape Inscription, Western Australia. 

Description:  1 map ; 3 hemispheres each 28.8 cm. in diam., on sheet 40.2 x 69.2 cm. Scale [ca. 1:100 000 000].  Relief shown pictorially. From: Tabulae rudolphinae ... / Ioannes Keplerus. [Ulmae? : s.n., 1659?]. In Latin.  In lower right corner: Sumptus faciente Jo: Kepplero Sculpsit Norimberge J.P. Walch A* 1630.

World map on central hemisphere and two adjoining half spheres embraced by a double-headed eagle. Shows the Dutch discoveries on the west coast of Australia of Hartog and Houtman. This copy is from the Dixson Map Collection and shows that Hartog’s trip was known within educated European Society at that time. A zoomable version may be seen here. 

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Bowral-township [cartographic material] : the property of J. N. Oxley, Esqre. for sale / by Messrs Richardson & Wrench ; reduced by F. H. Reuss, Architect & surveyor. Sydney : Richardson & Wrench, [1867?]

Description:  1 map ; 39.2 x 50.4 cm.  Relief shown with hachures. A zoomable version may be seen here. 

Scale [ca. 1:3168] (E 150°25'04"/S 34°28'54").  Sales plan for land in Bowral in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales bordered by Bunadoo Street, Bowral Street, Bong Bong Street, Station Street and Bindoolee Street. Shows adjacent landowners.In lower left corner: Reduced by F. H. Reuss, Architect & surveyor, 134 Pitt St., Sydney. 

Dating [1867?]: After 1866. Mittagong-Sutton Forest Railway opened 1867. Before 1868. F.H. Reuss had this business address only to 1867. (Sand's Directory 1868).  Part of the A & R H.E.C. Robinson 1960 donation.

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Aboriginal carvings of Port Jackson and Broken Bay / measured and described by W. D. Campbell.  Sydney : Govt. Pr., 1899. 

A map produced by the New South Wales Department of Mines and Agriculture in 1899 of known Aboriginal Carvings of the Sydney Region It is a technical map key map to a larger collection that none the less, shows the great skill of the map makers and lithographers creating a pleasing image. 

Description:  v, 73 p., [29] leaves of plates (4 folded) : ill. (3 folded), folded map; 30 cm. Fold out map at rear.  At head of title: Department of Mines and Agriculture. Memoirs of the Geological Survey of New South Wales., Ethnological series ; no. 1. A zoomable version may be seen here. 

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Myles Dunphy lantern slides of views chiefly in New South Wales, ca. 1910-1930,  Box 48: Myles Dunphy lantern slides of miscellaneous scenic, architectural plans, Rose Bay, Taronga Park and Stephenson's Rocket Engine, ca. 1910-1930

Today, 7th October, marks the Centenary of the opening of the Sydney Zoological Gardens, known as Taronga Zoo, located at Bradley’s Head in the Northern Suburb of Mosman. Based on the Hamburg Zoo’s new concept of the barless zoo it developed a focus on the scientific, education and conservation aspects of animal keeping in the 1960s with this emphasis continuing today. A zoomable version of the map from the Library’s collections of Australian conservation pioneer Myles Dunphy of the may be seen here.

The second image posted is from the opening of the Taronga Zoological Gardens, October 1916. 

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South Polar chart shewing the discoveries and track of H.M.S. Erebus and Terror during the years 1840. 1. 2. 3 with the lines of equal magnetic dip and variation and the position of South Magnetic Pole [cartographic material] / by Captain Sir J.C. Ross R.N. F.R.S. Commander of the expedition.

Published:  Sydney : Government Printing Office, 1891. 1 map ; 40 x 39 cm. Depth shown by bathymetric soundings. Scale [ca. 1:24 267 350] (W 180°--E 180°/S 30°--S 90°). 

Following the exciting news from the Arctic Research Foundation of the discovery after 168 years of the wrecked Sir John Franklin’s Royal Navy exploration vessel HMS Terror here is some interesting items in our collections related to the the ill fated trip in 1845 of the HMS Terror and the HMS Erebus. Both ships were abandoned in heavy sea ice in an attempt to chart the Northwest passage with heavy loss of life. The wreck and the mystery of what happen has been the inspiration for many works of art as well as books such as  Clive Cussler’s Arctic Drift and Mordecai Richler’s Solomon Gursky was here. You can read more about the discovery here. 

"Photolithographed at the Government Printing Office; transferred to stone and printed at the Department of Lands April 1891."

A facsimile of 'South Polar chart' published at the Hydrographic Office of the Admiralty June 3rd 1847, engraved by J. & C. Walker.

Differs from the engraved original in 'Van Diemen Land' being changed to 'Tasmania', and in the dotted outline of Australian mainland between Cape Otway and Cape Nelson being now solid. Also included in Ross' 'A voyage of discovery and research in the Southern and Antarctic regions during the years 1839-43 by Captain Sir James Clark Ross' publ. by John Murray in 1847.

Polar view showing discoveries in Antarctica from Cook 1774 to 1843 as well as the south magnetic pole and lines of equal magnetic dip and equal magnetic variation. A zoomable version may be seen here. 

The second image here is from a manuscript letter held at the Library by John Edward Davis giving an account of a voyage by the British Antarctic Expedition from 23 November 1841 to 6 April 1842. He was second master on H.M.S. Terror and responsible for drawing the fair charts from the surveys; he also made many drawings and watercolour sketches some of which were reproduced in Ross' published account of the expedition. Details of these papers and more images of the letter is here. 

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Henri Lemasson papers relating to the bombardment of Papeete, Tahiti, 22 September 1914, and notes made by L. Donier, 30 April 1931. 

This is Henri Lemasson’s account of the bombardment of Papeete by two German Navy ships Gneisenau and Scharnhorst with plan of Papeete and notes, 22 September 1914, and notes made by L. Donier, 30 April 1931.

Henry Lemasson was a French Postal and Telecommunications civil servant who was sent to Tahiti in 1895 to become head of the Papeete Post Office from 1895 to 1904 and again from 1912-1920. He also was an amateur photographer whose photographs were chosen to illustrate the first series of stamps created by the French Oceanic Settlement. He met Paul Gauguin in 1895, photographing his hut in Punaauia and his sculptures and they made excursions together in the Tahitian countryside. He was in Tahiti on 22 September 1914 when the two German Navy ships Gneisenau and Scharnhorst bombarded Papeete and destroyed the Post office. Dornier was an official in the civil administration of Papeete and was also present during the bombardment. Lemasson's and Dornier's accounts of the episode in these documents were written in the context of political conflict between the military and civil administration of Papeete: see Conflits pouvoir politique / pouvoir militaire, l’exemple de Tahiti (août-décembre 1914), at http://centenaire.org/fr/print/3271 , which mentions Lemasson.

Purchased as Lot 184 at auction: Tahiti et la Polynésie française, 1768-1964 : lettres, manuscrits et documents depuis les premières missions, rares impressions polynésiennes, importantes lettres autographes de Paul Gauguin, livres et autographes de Pierre Loti et illustrations pour ses oeuvres : vente aux enchères publiques à Paris, le 2 Juin 1969. Catalogue is located at 996.2016/1A1. A note on file by Suzanne Mourot, Associate Mitchell Librarian, 28 August 1972, states "There is no indication in the catalogue as to the provenance of the documents; however, it is known to be the collection of Andre Ropiteau continued by Father Patrick O'Reilly and is for short referred to by collectors and historians as the sale of the Ropiteau-O'Reilly collection." A zoomable version of the map may be seen here. 

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On this day, 17th September 1879, the International Exhibition in Sydney opened the doors of its main building the ‘Garden Palace’

Sydney’s Garden Palace was a magnificent building with a grandeur that dominated the skyline and captivated society.

Three years later it was destroyed in a devastating fire. The motto of the Sydney International Exhibition would prove tragically apt, Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites or ‘Newly risen, how brightly you shine’. 

The exhibition was planned in the hope that it would contribute to the prosperity and advancement of the New South Wales colony and demonstrate Australia’s real identity. A building fit to house the prestigious event was needed quickly.

Some interesting facts:

Dimensions: 244 x 152 x 64 metres

Dome: 31 metres in diameter, 47 metres high with a 6 metre wide stained glass skylight (6 largest in the world)

Area: 112,000 square metres in cruciform shape

Architect: James Barnet

Foundation stone laid: 13 February 1879

Materials used: 2.5 million bricks, 243 tonnes of galvanised iron, 1.4 million metres of timber and glass

Period of International Exhibition: 17 September 1879 – 20 April 1880

Total attendance at the International Exhibition: 1,117,536

Countries participating: 34 plus their colonies

No. of exhibits: 14,000

Read more in the State Library of NSW feature on the Garden Palace

These images are now on show in our current exhibition:

 Planting Dreams; Shaping Australian Gardens

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Plan of 6 valuable farms & one allotment adapted for a water mill. Situate at Penshurst on the River Paterson [cartographic material] the property of A. Holden Esq. / Hutton & Burrows, Surveyors.  Sydney : Allen & Wigley, Lithog., [1855?] 1 map : col. ; 63 x 45 cm. 

Inset: local sketch.  nset: Cross-section of water levels. (Vertical scale of 40 ft to 1 inch). Shows: Paterson River and Horse Crk. Shows lessees. acreages, areas that have been cultivated or cleared, bldgs,and Penshurst Homestead, some vegetation. Dating: Property was advertised for sale in the Maitland Mercury 7/2/1855. p.4. A zoomable version may be seen here. 

The area of this map is the rural area around the Paterson River. It is NOT the Sydney suburb of Penshurst.

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Plan of the Botanic Garden [cartographic material].  Suppl. to the Sydney Mail, July 15, 1871. 1 map ; 26 x 18 cm. Lithograph. 

Map of Botanic Garden showing paths, lay-out of shrubs and garden beds with type of plants cultivated, list of buildings including hothouses etc., area in course of being reclaimed. A zoomable version may be seen here. 

In the 200th anniversary year of the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Library has a new exhibition Planting Dreams: Grand Garden Designs. The exhibition will run until January 15th, 2017. 

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A map of New England and New York [cartographic material] / Francis Lamb, sculp. London : Tho. Basset and Richard Chiswell, 1676.

1 map ; 37 x 49 cm, on sheet 40 x 52 cm. Scale [ca. 1:1 900 800] 1 in. = 30 miles (W 70°00'00"--W 75°31'11"/N 39°25' 13--N 50°00'00").  "Sold by Tho: Baßett in Fleet Street, and Richard Chiswell in St Pauls church yard"

First published in: A prospect of the most famous parts of the World / by John Speed, London : T. Basset and R. Chiswell, 1676. 

On verso: The description of New Netherlands, now called New-York; The description of New England, pages 45 and 46.  Map of New York, part of the prsent day region of New England, Massachusetts, New Jersey and part of Maryland.

Map has crest, "Honi Soit Qui Mal y Pense", rhumb lines, decorative scale and compass roses. Shows rivers, mountains, islands, places names and vegetation. Relief shown pictorially. Cartouche title.  Oriented north.

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Plan of the proposed docks and the line of a canal with a collateral cut on the Surrey side of the River Thames [cartographic material] / surveyed by order of the Committee deputed for the inhabitants of Southwark by C. J. Craklow.

Published:  [London] : Luke Howard & Sons, [1799].  1 map : col. ; 38 x 49 cm.  [Scale not given ] (W 00°07' 00/N 51°30' 00).   

"Second report (1799) from the Select Committee upon the improvement of the Port of London" -- Head of map. "Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 11th July 1799 and to be reprinted 1802" -- Foot of map. Area: from Lambeth Beach (West of London) to Woolwich Beach (East of the Isle of Dogs). Shows: surrounding streets with names and dock areas. A zoomable version may be seen here.

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Nova totius terrarum orbis geographica ac hydrographica tabula [cartographic material] / Auct. Guiljelmo Blaeuw. Published:  Amsterodami : Gulielmus Blaeuw Sub Signo Solarii deaurati, [1635].

Description: 1 map : hand col. ; 29 x 43 cm.  Scale [ca. 1: 90 000 000] Mercator proj. (W 180°00' 00"--E180°00' 00"/N 90°00' 00"--S 90°00' 00).

"SEPTEM PLANETAE SEPTEM MIRABILIA MUNDI Quatuor elementa Quatuor anni tempestates".

World map on Mercator projection with polar insets and elaborate decorative border showing the seven planets and wonders of the world, four elements and seasons, as well as the division into the frigid, temperate and torrid climatic zones. Ptate 4 of Blaeu's world map of 1606 engraved by Josua van den Ende. "Ja. van den Ende sculpsit”.Beach and Nova Guinea shown; Tierra del Fuego as an island on main map, but as part of Magallanica on south polar view. A zoomable version may be seen here. 

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[South America: a rough map drawn to resemble a dragon] [cartographic material] / [drawn and lithographed by] Geo. Collingridge. 

Published: [Sydney : G. A. Collingridge, 1899?]. 1 map : b&w ; 18.4 x 13.5 cm. Lithograph.  Dixson Library copy: Inscribed on verso "Not to be much reduced. Straits of the Dragons tail". A zoomable version may be seen here. 

When George Alphonse Collingridge de Tourcey arrived in Australia in 1879, he had already lived a remarkable life. Born in England in 1847, Collingridge had studied art in France before joining the Papal Zouaves to fight Garibaldi in 1868. He then practiced and taught art in Sydney with his brother, Arthur. From wood-engraving he moved to the study and reproduction of early maps of Australia. His books, The Discovery of Australia (1895) and First Discovery of Australia and New Guinea (1906), are among the first to present the theory that Australia was first charted by Portuguese navigators in the 16th century.

George Collingridge was fascinated with the world maps produced in Dieppe, France in the 16th century. He argued that these maps were based on secret charts produced by Portuguese navigators, and that a continent named Jave-la-Grande appears in place of Australia. Collingridge produced colourful facsimiles of the Dieppe maps, and published them in his works on the discovery of Australia.

George Collingridge made his living as an art teacher. He taught at the Sydney Technical College, at Barker College and at Jave-la-Grande, his home-cum-studio in Hornsby. Collingridge published two of his books under the pseudonym ‘The Hermit of Berowra’.

Collingridge was fluent in seven languages, including the artificial language Esperanto. He established the first Esperanto club in Australia, and wrote of his aspirations for Esperanto to break down barriers and to become a universal language. His linguistic skills were particularly useful in studying the placenames shown on the 16th-century Dieppe maps.

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Railway map Sydney Suburban and City Underground Railway [cartographic material] / Published and presented with the Compliments of the Commissioner for Railways.  [Sydney : s. n.], 1939.

Description:  2 maps on 1 sheet : both sides, col. ; 15 x 23 and 15 x 15 cm. Notes: "City Underground Railway Location of stations and entrances" Diagram of Sydney rail transport on verso. A zoomable images are here and here. 

Based on the Henry Beck’s London Underground map, this Sydney version from 1939 looks familiar, however you would be hard pressed to find a Sydney Sider today who would refer to it as the Underground, but rather the simply, the train. The maps looks surprisingly similar today, though additions to the Western Line and the Airport line were a long way off at that point. 

The extensions to the lines noted here were completed, however it is interesting to note that the suburb of Dumbleton was glamorously re-named Beverly Hills after the Californian city, in order to attract land buyers following the opening of the train station. Appropriately,  Beverly Hills is one of the few Sydney suburbs still with its own operating Movie Theatre.