Mission and Reserve records

Of the many Aboriginal missions that were established, most have disappeared, but some are still in existence.

The listing below is by no means complete and has been kindly reproduced from the book "Lookin for your mob : a guide to tracing Aboriginal family trees" by Diane Smith and Boronia Halstead, Canberra : Aboriginal Studies Press, 1990.

 

For a list of Church names and their missions click here

Select from the lists below for the names of particular missions from each state:

NSW | QLD | VIC | TAS | WA | NT | SA

Starting dates for missions can vary as to what event is taken as the starting point (eg the arrival of a priest or the granting of land). Churches often maintained some form of presence after the official closure date given.

It must also be noted that some churches, especially the UAM and the AIM, were active on government settlements, though they didn't always have an administrative role.

Many churches hold their records centrally in their major administrative offices. Sadly, many church records are missing or lost.

To find contact information for a church archive, you can use the Directory of Archives in Australia by either browsing their list or searching by keyword.

 

How to find a Mission and Reserve record

 

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