Open Wednesdays and Thursdays by appointment only, the City of Bunbury Local Studies Collection is located within the Bunbury Public Library, 2 Parkfield Street, Bunbury.
FAQ - Accessing Records
Reference books can be accessed at the Museum during opening hours. Appointments to view records located in the Local Studies Collection can be made for Wednesdays and Thursdays. We ask that appointments are made two weeks in advance to allow for staff and room availability.
To make an appointment, please contact the Local Studies Engagement Officer on 08 9792 7075 or localstudies@bunbury.wa.gov.au.
You may also complete an online Local Studies Research Request for our Local Studies Officer to investigate. We allow 30 minutes per enquiry, so the more information you can provide the more accurate our search will be on your behalf.
You are encouraged to check out our Useful Websites list, and talk to the heritage organisations of Greater Bunbury to further your research.
Our Local Studies collection comprises documents relating to Council functions, and records created by our staff in the course of their duties or presented to Council or donated to our collection. These include minutes of Council Meetings, rate books, reports, maps, official photographs and records, oral histories, local history books and newspaper archives.
We hold copies of most Bunbury newspapers on microfilm (from 1853 to 2005) and paper copies of the Bunbury Mail (1990 to 2012). You are welcome to come and search these yourself by appointment.
Whilst we have a database listing items in the Museum and archive, we do not yet have a detailed index of names and locations mentioned in records. This means some searches are time consuming.
Not all records are available for public viewing, due to privacy and legal requirements or the delicate condition of the item. We may ask you to prove your identity and reason for requesting access or information to recent records.
Unfortunately, many records were lost in floods during the 1930’s, 50’s and 60’s, so even when we ‘should’ have some documentation, we don’t. Other items are deemed ‘State Records’ and were transferred to the State Archive prior to 2010, so it is always worth checking with them for Bunbury items.
Many records created and kept by other government or private organisations, such as businesses, community groups, health, school and faith bodies, have not been deposited with us. We suggest you contact those organisations, or their State/National office to see if access is possible.
If you have an image or document which could be digitised for our Local Studies Collection, or an artefact you would like to donate, please visit our Object Donations page to learn more.