External view of the Victorian Archives Centre
About Us

About Public Record Office Victoria

Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) is the archive of State and Local Governments in Victoria. We hold over 100 km of digital and physical records from 1836 to the present day. Many records are accessible to the public either online or for viewing in our Reading Rooms. PROV also sets mandatory recordkeeping standards for state and local government agencies and provides advice on recordkeeping to government.

Learn more about PROV
colourful drawing of harmony square
A local history grant-funded project

We built this city

A City of Greater Dandenong heritage project involved a series of public installations with links to videos celebrating the diversity and history behind local sites such as Harmony Square. The project was funded by a local history grant. Applications for the next round of grants is now open.

Learn more about this project
Drawing of The Melbourne Trident by Stanislav Szukalski
Mander Jones Award winner!

Look history in the eye

In this award-winning podcast series by Public Record Office Victoria we interview the people who delve into public archives and uncover interesting truths about Melbourne and Victoria's past. Hear about the amazing monuments that were never built, Victoria's queer history, Pentridge Prison escapes, how Melbourne went from deadtown to musictown and more!

Listen now
prison register
Check out our blog

Delve into the archives

Stay up to date with the latest records and interesting stories uncovered from the collection. This blog will offer you a snapshot into the world of historical research featuring the extraordinary tales of Victorian people captured within Victorian Government archives.

Read now
istock image of a blue folder under a microscope
Privacy and recordkeeping obligations

Records management

Personal information is at risk when agencies do not have an effective disposal program in place and continue to hold public records for longer than the required minimum legal retention period. See our advice for managing personal information in records.

Read our advice

Visit us

Our Locations
Plan your visit
Victorian Archives Centre
99 Shiel Street, North Melbourne

Monday to Friday 10am to 4:30pm and every second and last Saturday of the month. Closed public holidays. Visit

Please note the PROV reading room is closed from 2pm Tuesday 24 December, reopening Thursday 2 January 2025. The National Archives' reading area is closed from 4:30pm 20 December until Wednesday 8 January 2025. 

Ballarat Archives Centre
Eureka Centre, 102 Stawell St, South Ballarat Central

Monday to Thursday 10am to 4:30pm. Closed public holidays. Visit

Please note this reading room is closed from 4:30pm Monday 23 December, reopening Monday 6 January 2025. 

Bendigo Regional Archives Centre
1st Floor Bendigo Library, 251-259 Hargreaves Street, Bendigo

Wednesday and Thursday 10am to 4pm. Closed public holidays. Visit

Please note this reading room is closed on 25, 26 December and 1 January, reopening 2 January 2025. 

Geelong Library and Heritage Centre
51 Little Malop Street, Geelong

Tuesday to Friday 10am to 4pm. Closed weekends, Mondays and public holidays. Visit

Closed weekends, Mondays and public holidays.

Before your visit please check the individual location for opening times and any upcoming closures.

What's On

Events, talks, exhibitions and publications
All events
Bendigo School of Mines
Talk

Bendigo Regional Archives Centre events

The Bendigo Regional Archives Centre (BRAC) is a repository and research centre for North Central and Western Victorian history based in the Bendigo Library. BRAC provides a variety of events that showcase the history of the Bendigo region and the breadth of the region's archival collection.
01 Jan 17:30 PM - 31 Dec 17:30 PM
Black and white illustration of Melbourne
Article

City views

Professor Andrew May's article examines the history of the construction of a scale model of Melbourne 1838, made for the 1888 Centennial International Exhibition. Reception of the model reveals that it held, at times, contradictory meanings for a variety of audiences and was a touchstone for nostalgic reflections about Melbourne’s past, the progressive achievements observable in its present and uncertainties about urban development in its future.
a 1940s ad of a woman with a camera and the word 'kodak'
Exhibition

Belongings: objects of a family life

We’re surrounded by objects, but have you thought about how important these things are in your life, or what they represent? This exhibition at the Old Treasury Building looks at the stories behind some of the objects that have shaped the family in Australia over the decades. It considers how families make and preserve cultural traditions through craft, food, and belief.
03 Jan 10:00 AM - 31 Dec 16:00 PM
Old map of Emerald Hill, Melbourne
Article

Reshaping the Yarra

Government archives, like those held at Public Record Office Victoria (PROV), provide documentary sources that allow us to visualise changes to natural and built environments over time. Using maps and plans from PROV’s collection, Sebastian Gurciullo's article explores plans and decisions associated with the Yarra River and the developing Port of Melbourne from the 1850s to 1973. The article explores changes to the course of the river and the surrounding area, as well as proposals for changes that were never implemented.

Material in the Public Record Office Victoria archival collection contains words and descriptions that reflect attitudes and government policies at different times which may be insensitive and upsetting

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples should be aware the collection and website may contain images, voices and names of deceased persons.

PROV provides advice to researchers wishing to access, publish or re-use records about Aboriginal Peoples

Learn more