New South Wales Government Gazettes

There are 59 gazettes covering the years 1832 to 1880 included in this collection. The government of New South Wales published these gazettes with the intention of communicating to the general public notices pertaining to a wide range of issues. As such, these gazettes can provide valuable context and depth to your research into the local and social history of New South Wales.

Personal names are also included throughout these gazettes, often including associated place names and dates. You can read official notices from various government departments, including notices pertaining to the naming of roads or land sales and auctions. You may also be able to find the following information:

• Electoral notices

• Government orders

• Tenders and contracts

• Government purchases

• Matters related to local government

• Various land notices – land grants would include the names of the individual who promised the land and to whom the land was promised, as well as a description of the land.

• Medals and awards granted

• Probate and bankruptcies

• Court notices

• Laws and regulations related to convicts

• Various lists – for example, in the 1833 gazette, there is a list of prisoners of the Crown given tickets of leave.

You can look through these gazettes in their entirety by using the previous and next buttons at the top of the PDF viewer page. Additionally, you can search through our index of personal names appearing in the New South Wales Government Gazettes from 1832 to 1863 by following the link to New South Wales Government Gazette index 1832-1863 in the Useful Links & Resources section.

Government gazettes were generally published on a weekly basis and, for a time, served a dual function as general newspapers.

Prior to the first publication of the New South Wales Government Gazette on 7 March 1832, official notices were published in the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, the first newspaper in the colony.

Please note that because other colonies split off from New South Wales at different times during this time period (1832-1880), these government gazettes may include people and places outside the current New South Wales borders. For example, in 1851, Victoria separated from the New South Wales colony. As such, it may be worthwhile to search for your Australian ancestors living outside of New South Wales during this time period.