Guide to government gazettes

The State Library of Queensland holds editions of the Queensland Government Gazette from December 1859 onwards.

• On microfiche: (up to December 2006) at FICHE/B 328.943 que
• On microfilm: (only up to 1998) at MFL 3328.943
• In print: bound volumes are at S328.943 007
• Loose issues: (current issues only) at SER 328.943

What is in the gazettes?

Government gazettes provide proclamations by the State Governor, and official notice of actions taken by Government authorities, Government departments, local councils and companies.

The Queensland Government Gazette can help you find information about:

• Appointments to Government positions and resignations of senior officers
• Notices of medals and decorations, awards granted etc
• Brands (registration and transfer)
• Electoral divisions: establishment and changes to electoral district boundaries
• Declaration of Insolvencies
• Lands:
  • Assessments and tranfers of runs
  • Agricultural reserves
  • Land orders
  • Land repossession
  • Land reserves
  • Land sales and leases
• Legislation notices: announcements of new Acts of Parliament, regulations and amendments
• Lighthouses (appointments of keepers, lighthouse closures)
• Naturalisations
• Patent registrations
• Police notices
• Registration lists of medical practitioners, builders, publicans, justices of the peace etc
• Registration of companies and firms
• Tenders for public works, schools, roads, etc.
• Unclaimed letters
• Wills, intestacies and transmission of real estate by death

  Finding the Queensland Government Gazette in the State Library's catalogue

  • Government records can be tricky to find because there are many variations of their titles. Here's a tip for finding Government gazettes in the State Library's catalogue OneSearch
  • In OneSearch, enter "Queensland Government Gazette" in the search box as a phrase. Remember to use "gazette", not "gazettes"
  • Limit your search to title. This will retrieve the main entry for the Queensland Government Gazette with the call numbers for the microfilm, microfiche and printed versions.

  Indexes to the Queensland Government Gazette

  Various indexes covering different time periods exist for the Queensland Government Gazette
  
  The Consolidated Index to the Queensland Government Gazette (1859-1919) is on

  • Microfilm: at MFC 328.943 1999-
  • Microfiche: at 328.943 CON
  • CD ROM: (1859-1919) at QCFS 328.943 2004
  • A printed index to the gazettes: (1850-1907) at REFJ328.943 que

  Various specialised indexes exist as well. These include indexes to Queensland timber licences, publicans' licences, proclamations of boundaries, among others.

  Find the specialised indexes in the catalogue by typing "government gazette" index in the search box.

  The Queensland Government Gazette on the web

  Editions of the Queensland Government Gazette from 2003 onwards are available for free download from the Queensland Government Publications.

  The Queensland State Archives has a useful guide to the Queensland Government Gazette on their website.

  Commonwealth gazettes

  Finding Commonwealth gazettes in the State Library's catalogue

  • In Onesearch, if you type commonwealth gazette in the search box (no limits required) you will retrieve records for the original gazette and its separate versions (special, periodic, chemical etc). You can be specific if required eg: commonwealth gazette special. Just remember to use gazette, not gazettes.

  Useful guides on the web

• The Government Notices Gazette provides information on accessing Government notices gazettes.  Historic gazettes have been published electronically since 1 July 2002.