Accessing Archives – Local Studies Reading Room

Want to delve more into Bunbury history, read the newspaper on the day you were born or see what the Council was discussing? Take a look...

The Local Studies Reading Room is open weekly on Thursdays from 9.30am-1pm, and is located within the Bunbury Public Library on Parkfield Street.

Are you researching your family, Bunbury life in past decades, or a specific event in history? Perhaps you are working on a school project, writing a book, renovating your old house, or trying to find your great-grandfather. The Local Studies Collection may hold the answers…

Our collection offers all sorts of interesting bites of Bunbury's history, including but not limited to:

• Copies of Bunbury newspapers on microfilm (from 1853 to 2005)
• Paper copies of the Bunbury Mail (1990 to 2012)
• Council minutes and documents used to inform their decisions (available from 1950 to 2000)
• Rate books, reports, maps, and heritage listings of places
• Historical photographs, postcards, letters, booklets and leaflets of Bunbury
• Biographies of Bunbury identities
• and many more

Our Local Studies Officer is available on Thursday mornings to help guide you on your research journey, answer your research questions, or retrieve items for viewing.

If you wish to view specific records, please contact the Local Studies Officer by email (localstudies@bunbury.wa.gov.au) to book a seat in our reading room and advise what information you wish to research. We recommend giving two weeks’ notice whenever possible, as seats are limited.