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State Library of Tasmania > Family history > Filling in the gaps > Almanacs and directories

Almanacs and Directories

Directories are published lists of names, usually arranged alphabetically or by location. Wise's Tasmania Post Office Directory was published, annually or biennially, from 1890 to 1948. It lists heads of households in each town in Tasmania, and also includes business, church, professional and government directories. There are street-by-street and house-by-house listings for Hobart and Launceston. Earlier general directories were published once only: McPhail's National Directory of Tasmania (1867/8), F.B. Manning's Tasmanian Directory (1881/2), Middleton and Manning's Tasmanian Directory and Gazetteer (1887); other early directories were limited to Hobart or Launceston.

Tasmanian telephone directories were published from 1906. Until 1970 a single volume covered the entire state. From 1971 they were divided into three geographic areas: southern Tasmania, including Hobart; the north east, including Launceston; and the north west and west.

Government departments, and other large institutions such as the university, often produce their own internal directories.

Almanacs cover a wide range of general information covering all aspects of life (e.g. state and local government, business, education, churches, clubs, weather, transport, postal services, etc) and sometimes include a directory. Walch's Almanac was published annually from 1863 to 1980. It includes information about Tasmanian towns and local government areas, with names of significant officials. The earliest Tasmanian almanacs were those produced by Andrew Bent and Henry Melville (1824-37), and by James Ross and W.G. Elliston (1829-38).

For further information see: Local and family history sources in Tasmania compiled by Anne M. Bartlett and Australian almanacs 1806-1930: a bibliography compiled by Ian Morrison, Maureen Perkins and Tracey Caulfield.

Related links : Land grants and property

Listed here is a selection of further resources.

Almanacs
Date range Title Resource type
1824 The Van Diemen's Land pocket almanack for the year of our Lord ...1824
Microfiche
1825 Tasmanian almanack for the year of our Lord ...1825
Microfiche
1829-1832 Hobart Town almanack for the year ...1829-1832
Microfiche
1833 The Van Diemen's Land annual and Hobart-Town almanack for the year 1833
Print
1835-1838 Ross's Hobart Town almanack and Van Diemen's Land annual for ...1835-1838
Microfiche
1851-1857 Wood's Tasmanian almanack
Microfiche
1863-1869 Walch's Tasmanian almanac and guide to Tasmania for ...1863-1869
Print
1870-1971 Walch's Tasmanian almanac for ...1870-1970/1
Print
1863-1910 Index to Walch's Tasmanian almanacs
Print
1863-1904 Selected volumes of Walch's Tasmanian Almanac, 1863-1904
View Online
1867 MacPhail's directory of Tasmania 1867
Print
1878, 1880-1882, 1884, 1886, 1893-1894 Everybody's Tasmanian almanac
Print
1881-2 F. B. Maning's Tasmanian directory for ... / F. B. Maning, compiler
Print
1887 Middleton & Maning's Tasmanian directory & gazetteer
Print
1890-1940 Wise's Tasmania post office directory
Print & CD-ROM
- Local and family history sources in Tasmania / [compiled by] Anne M. Bartlett
Print
- Australian almanacs 1806-1930: a bibliography / compiled by Ian Morrison, Maureen Perkins and Tracey Caulfield
Print
Directories
Date range Title Resource type
1825-37, 1847-59 [Tasmanian directories: 1825-37, 1847-59]
Print
1847 Hobart Town general directory for ...
Microfiche
1852 Hobart Town directory and general guide
Microfilm
1854 General directory of Hobart Town, 1854
Microfiche
1857 Hobart Town directory and book almanack, containing the name, calling, and address of each householder residing within the city of Hobart Town, with a variety of useful information
Microfiche
1859 The Hobart Town directory: containing a complete alphabetical list of every householder within the city boundaries, the number of householders being 4015, and also a classified professional and trade directory / compiled from the last electoral and assess
Microfiche
Pre 1900 Pre-nineteen hundred directories: miscellaneous Tasmanian directories - tas 1
Microfiche
1890-1948 Tasmania post office directory (Wise's)
Various
Tasmanian telephone directories
Date range Title Resource type
1884,1886, 1894 List of subscribers: [an enlarged facsim]
Print
1906-1915, 1918-1950 Telephone exchanges: list of subscribers
Microfiche
1926-1941, 1945-1950 Tasmanian telephone directory
Microfiche
1951-1958 Tasmania telephone directory
Microfiche
1952-1970 Tasmania telephone directory
Print
1971-1984 Southern Tasmania telephone directory (including Hobart)
Microfiche
1985-2008 Hobart & Southern Tasmania
Print
1971-1984 North and North Eastern Tasmania telephone directory (including Launceston)
Print
1985-2008 Launceston & North Eastern Tasmania
Print
1971-1985 North West and West Coasts of Tasmania telephone directory
Print
1986-2008 North West & West Coasts of Tasmania
Print
Alumni directories
Date range Title Resource type
Up to 1900 Alumni Cantabrigienses: a biographical list of all known students, graduates and holders of office at the University of Cambridge, from the earliest times to 1900
Print
1593-1860 Alumni Dublinenses: a register of the students, graduates, professors and provosts of Trinity College in the University of Dublin (1593-1860) / George Dames Burtchaell and Thomas Ulick Sadleir
Print
1500-1886 Alumni Oxonienses: the members of the University of Oxford, 1500-1886: their parentage, birthplace,
Print
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