What it used to cost
Read them and weep: compare prices for groceries, houses and wages in Victoria spanning the 19th and 20th century. Read more
Discover the Library’s unique history and explore our constantly changing, world-class exhibitions. Use our tools and guides to search our amazing historical collections of more than two million books, pictures, newspapers, maps and more – or explore our constantly expanding digitised collections. Let your curiosity run free.
Our collection includes ephemera, artworks, audio and video files, digitised copies of works, music scores, books and more. Use our catalogue search to filter your search from the first click and get to the content you need quickly. You can search for a specific format, date range or locate only those items that are immediately available - on the shelves or online. You can download digital files of many collection items, and order digital copies of others.
Our new-look catalogue in beta (test) mode makes searching easier. You’ll find more options for saving citations, an improved ability to save records and a better experience on mobile. Try the new-look catalogue in beta now and send us your feedback to help improve our full-release version, due later this year.
From advertising posters and vintage postcards to an ever-expanding album of photos, the fascinating stories of our shared past are here for you to explore in high-resolution.
Compare the contemporary and the historical, in black-and-white and colour. Discover Melbourne streetscapes and gardens, family portraits, fashion and food. And see people at work, home and play across Victoria.
Best of all, you can download any of these images and create your own story.
Dive in and see the story of Victoria's history brought to life in almost 200,000 (and growing) amazing historical images.
All images in this search pool are out of copyright or available to be used. (Search the catalogue to see our full image collection.)
Read them and weep: compare prices for groceries, houses and wages in Victoria spanning the 19th and 20th century. Read more
Get to grips with the law using our tips on searching law reports, court and police records, newspaper reports and other commentaries, with a focus on Victorian and Commonwealth cases. Read more
From ASIC to ASX, our research guide will help you find current and historical information about Victorian and other Australian companies. Read more
Find out how to retrieve and analyse the helpful information stored in early Australian census records from 1788 to 1901. Read more
Don't drown in newsprint! With more than 3000 current, historical and online newspapers in our collection, our research guide will help you find your way. Read more
Looking for a lost relative from overseas or interstate? Our useful guide will help you research passenger lists and other records of migrants arriving in and leaving Victoria. Read more
From the 1803 Sorrento settlement to separation from NSW, our research guide introduces you to the documents and pictures that tell the story of Victoria's early years. Read more
Use our research guide to help trace the stories of individual soldiers and nurses who served during World War I, with a focus on Australian personnel and some information on British sources. Read more
Help us fix newspaper articles online and reveal hidden details from Victoria's past.
Browse our latest selection of ebooks to read online or download.
Visit exhibitions past and present, browse documents from Melbourne's birth or share experiences from WWI.
Dive into our digital image pool, select and download your photos, then create something new.
Hear from our expert teams and discover the intriguing insights their collections reveal.