Author: Tara Oldfield
Senior Communications Advisor
New to our collection this month and available for researchers to view in our North Melbourne reading room are historic records of Victoria’s ports and harbours, and probate records from 2015-2017.
Records of ports and harbours
Historic records of Ports Victoria and predecessor agencies including the Melbourne Harbor Trust Commissioners, the Ports and Harbours Branch of the Public Works Department, the Geelong Harbor Trust, and the Port of Melbourne Authority have recently been added to PROV’s collection. These are physical records primarily consisting of maps and plans, and date back to the nineteenth century.
Learn more about the transfer of this collection, delve into some of the records, and view the full list of items, in this article by Samantha Courtier.
Probate records
Probate records contain documents received or created by the Supreme Court certifying the deceased’s will's validity and confirming the appointment of an Executor to administer the estate. Letters of Administration is the Court's approval to administer the estate of a person who dies without a will. In most instances Letters of Administration will be granted to the next of kin of the deceased e.g. a spouse, domestic partner or a child of the deceased.
Probate records from 2017 have now been added to our collection, as well as various 2015 and 2016 files finalised in 2017, and are available for copy requests or to order for viewing in our North Melbourne reading room.
You can search the collection on our wills and probates topic page.
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