Aerial photographs

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The major aerial photographic collections held by the National Archives are listed below. Additional photographs may be identified by conducting a phrase search in RecordSearch using the term aerial photo*.



Accessing some of the collections may not be straightforward because they are not always well indexed. Inquiries should be directed to the office holding the records.

Aerial photographic collections

Canberra
Title or description of record Date range Series number
The trenches in northern France 1916–18 M433
Bombardment damage on the battlefields of France 1916–18 M434
CSIRO Murray River Basin aerial surveys 1931–38 D1900
Army aerial photographs of Australia 1933– A8514
Aerial survey of Australia 1940–60 A1579
Aerial photographic mosaic glass negatives of Darwin 1944 A2832
Aerial photographic mosaics 1950–61 A2827
Aerial photographic mosaics 1950–61 A2829
Aerial photographic mosaics 1951–58 A2828
Aerial photographic mosaics 1951–58 A2830
Large format paper and digital flight line diagrams 1951–96 B6676
Snowy Mountains, black & white aerial survey photographs 1964 M2235
Lake Mackay and Mt Rennie MacDonald (WA and NT), glass negatives 1957 A2831
Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority 1959–72 A5618
Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority 1959–71 A5672
Australia (except Tas and ACT) (access provided by Geoscience Australia) 1960–74 A5446
Australia (except ACT) and PNG 1961– A891
Australia (except ACT) and PNG 1961– A892
The Australian Capital Territory 1960– A894
South Vietnam (access provided by Department of Defence) 1967 A6919
Phuoc Tuy Province and Vung Tau areas, South Vietnam (access provided by Department of Defence) 1971 A6830
Jabiluka uranium mine site and surrounds, NT 1975 A4409
Lemonthyme and Southern Forests, Tasmania 1987–88 C2398

Sydney
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Negative films of RAAF aerial survey photography of Australia (see also Melbourne) 1928–53 B5424
War Damage Commission claim files, reference maps and photographs (including Darwin, Thursday Island, New Guinea and New Britain) 1942–48 SP24/1
Vegetation cover in eastern New Guinea, black & white slides 1943 M1744
Cockatoo Island Dockyard 1944–64 C90
RAAF aerial photographs of South Australia and Northern Territory 1946 D4630
Aerial survey photographs of railway locations in South Australia 1946–48 D2771
Tarcoola to Alice Springs railway 1947–50 D5272
Army photomaps of South Australia 1947–52 D5540
South Australia and the Northern Territory 1947–53 D4631
Weapons Research Establishment, Salisbury, South Australia 1947–59 D4648
Woomera rocket range 1950–72 D1947
Railways in the Northern Territory 1950–72 D2327
South Australia and the Northern Territory 1955–60 D4632
South Australia 1955–68 AP1129/2
Outback South Australia 1961–65 D4467
South Australia 1964–85 D5270
Defence exercise areas (including Williamtown, Amberley, Woomera, Darwin and parts of Western Australia) 1968–70 D3917
Tarcoola to Alice Springs railway 1971–73 D4472
Tarcoola to Alice Springs railway 1972 D5271
Weapons Research Establishment (South Australia) 1975 D4675

Melbourne
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Album of photographs – TAS, VIC, NSW & WA 1920 MP390/3
Negative films of RAAF aerial survey photography of Australia 1928–53 B5424
Aerial survey photography negatives of Australia 1932–40 A1103
Aerial films, CPE (Central Photographic Establishment) prefix 1942–99 B3957
Central Australia, photographic prints 1943 M1174
Allied Works Council storage depots in NSW 1944–45 MP960/5
Negative films of aerial survey photography 1945–48 B6670
Negative films, PR prefix 1946 B6671
Prints of aerial photography, National Mapping Division 1947–93 B6675
Diapositives, Australian Survey Office & AUSLIG, SO or SOC prefix 1951–88 B6668
Prints, Australian Survey Office & AUSLIG, SO or SOC prefix 1951–88 B6669
Negative films, SO or SOC prefix 1951–88 B6672
Large format paper and digital flight line diagrams 1951–96 B6676
Paper flight line diagrams (A4) of aerial survey photography 1951–96 B6690
Negative films, CA prefix 1953–93 B6654
Test films of aerial survey photography, S prefix 1967–82 B6679
Laser profile charts and photographs 1967–83 B1375
Laser profile charts and photographs from test flights 1970–72 MT2188/6
Laser profile charts and photographs 1970–72 MT2188/7
Papua New Guinea, AP (aerial photography) prefix 1977 B473
Negative films, AUS prefix 1987– B6673

Brisbane
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Eagle Farm aerodrome and surrounding areas, and Amberley Airfield 1942–72 BP374/3
CSIRO aerial surveys of NT 1950–69 E1390
RAAF Base Amberley, Lavarack Army Barracks, Townsville and the Clevedon Remote Receiving Station 1954–69 J2781
Commonwealth Rehabilitation Centre, Taringa 1962–77 J1958
Lavarack Army barracks site, Townsville 1965 J158
CSIRO aerial surveys of NT 1971–86 E1389
Lightstations: Bustard Head, Cape Capricorn & Sandy Cape 1976 J2797
Meteorological satellite weather negatives 1978 BP542/3
Rockhampton aerodrome and Archerfield aerodrome 1978–83 J2782
Dent Island, Queensland 1989 J2857

Perth
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Civil aviation aerial photo maps, Western Australia 1953–57 PP395/1

Adelaide
Title or description of record Date range Series number
The Maralinga atomic test area, South Australia 1953–61 D1768

Hobart
Title or description of record Date range Series number
CSIRO soil investigation aerial photographs of Tasmania 1946–65 P2541
Tasmanian railways 1976–97 P2705

Darwin
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Aerial Geological and Geophysical Survey of North Australia (AGGSNA) 1935–40 NTAC1979/126

Australian War Memorial, Canberra
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Australian military campaigns (maps and aerial photos) 1919– AWM195

Other sources

The National Library of Australia holds prints of approximately 800,000 aerial photographs of Australia taken from 1928–87, as well as useful information on using map indexes and flight diagrams to identify specific records of interest.



The N H (Doc) Fisher Geoscience Library holds approximately 1.4 million aerial photographs of Australia and Papua New Guinea dating from the 1940s.