Historical research resources
The Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Manufacturing and Regional and Rural Development is the custodian of the state's land and property information and the lead agency for spatial information and surveying in Queensland. We hold many of the official historical maps, plans and documents of Queensland which may assist you with historical research and planning pertaining to land ownership, changes to block of land boundaries, or locations of features.
Land 101 - Guide to historical land research
Our guide to historical land research describes the main components of land administration in Queensland:
- administrative areas, such as pastoral districts, counties, parishes and land agent’s districts (LADs)
- property descriptions, including historical and current ways of describing urban and rural land
- tenure types, such as freehold, leasehold and reserves.
The guide also explains where to find these components on maps, survey plans, land records, titles, gazettes and newspapers.
- Download Land 101: Historical land research in Queensland .
- Read more about historical land administration in Queensland.
Accessing historical map scans
The historical maps topic is a function of the Queensland Globe. It allows you to search for and access historical map scans released by the department for any Queensland location using the Queensland Globe.
- Read more about historical maps and plans.
Download images of these maps:
The following guide explains how to access historical map scans using the Queensland Globe’s historical maps topic.
Research assistance
The Museum's Curator and Research Officer can assist with interpreting early records, such as land ownership and land history. Email museum@spatial-qld-support.atlassian.net to make an appointment. Lengthy investigations may incur an hourly fee. Please contact us for pricing details.
Examples of research requests
- Assistance in determining the history of land ownership over a block of land on Thursday Island was requested by a departmental business unit to help with a native title assessment.
- A member of the public wished to know where a relative had owned land—we provided information from our historical cadastral map collection.
- A researcher wanted to know the location of hotels in the Town of Gympie in the early 1870s—we provided information from our survey plans collection.
- A member of the public sought information about a block of land in the Brisbane area owned by an ancestor—we provided information from our titles records.
Related links
- Access historical maps and plans.
- Learn about Queensland parishes and historical land administration.
- Learn about the Department’s collection of historical photographs.
- Learn about the history of aerial photography.
- Discover historical objects.
- Read about notable surveyors and cartographers.
- Contact the Queensland State Archives for research information and to obtain copies of other historical maps and documents.