Australian Wills, Estates, and Probate Records

Australian Wills, Estates, and Probate Records Wills and probate records can often be a gold mine when researching Australian ancestors. Wills generally list surviving heirs by name, providing confirmation of family relationships. Probate records which document the handling of the estate through the court, whether the deceased died testate (with a will) or intestate (without a will), may help identify where family members were living at the time, including those residing in other Australian states, or even back in Great Britain. For more information on the valuable genealogical clues estate records can provide, see Probing into Probate Records. There is no central archive of wills in Australia. Instead, wills and probate registers are maintained by each Australian state, generally through the probate registry or probate office of the Supreme Court. Some states have transferred their early wills and probates, or provided copies, to the State Archives or Public Record Office. Many Australian probate records have also been filmed by the Family History Library, but some of these films are not permitted to be circulated to Family History Centers. How to Locate Australian Wills Probate Records AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORYRecords begin in 1911Indexes to wills and probate records in the Australian Capital Territory have not been published, and the records are not available online. ACT Supreme Court Registry4 Knowles PlaceCanberra ACT 2601 NEW SOUTH WALESRecords begin in 1800The Supreme Court NSW Probate Division has published an index to probates granted in NSW between 1800 and 1985, available in the NSW State Records Authority reading room and many major libraries (not available online). An index to early wills not included in the regular probate series is available online. Probate packets and wills from 1817 through 1965 have been transferred from the Supreme Court to the State Records Authority of New South Wales. Many of these probate packets are indexed online in Archives Investigator, including Series 1 (1817–1873), Series 2 (1873–1876), Series 3 (1876–c.1890) and a portion of Series 4 (1928–1954). Select Simple Search and then type in the name of your ancestor (or even just a surname), plus the term death to find indexed wills and probates, including the information youll need to retrieve a copy of the full probate packet. Learn more in the NSW Archives briefs Probate Packets and Deceased Estate Files, 1880–1958. State RecordsWestern Sydney Records Centre143 OConnell StreetKingswood NSW 2747 Access to wills and probate records from 1966 to the present require an application  to the Probate Division of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. Supreme Court of New South WalesProbate DivisionG.P.O. Box 3Sydney NSW 2000 NORTHERN TERRITORYRecords begin in 1911Indexes to Northern Territory wills and probates have been created and published on microfiche. The Family History Library has a partial set, but they are not open for circulation to Family History Centers (viewable in Salt Lake City only). Alternatively, send a SASE to the Northern Territory Registrar of Probates with details on the descendant, and they will send a return letter regarding the availability of the record and fees to obtain a copy. Registrar of ProbatesSupreme Court of the Northern TerritoryLaw Courts BuildingMitchell StreetDarwin, Northern Territory 0800 QUEENSLANDRecords begin in 1857Queensland has more will and probate records online than any other Australian state or territory, courtesy of the Queensland State Archives. Detailed information is available in their Brief Guide 19: Will Intestacy Records. Index to Wills, 1857-1940  - An online index to wills compiled from original Supreme Court files from all districts, including a few wills for people who died outside Queensland.Equity Index 1857-1899  - An online index to original Supreme Court Equity files that include the names of all people connected with a case.Instruments of Renunciation 1915-1983 - Lodged by executors who were no longer willing to administer a will, these records include many details on the deceased and estate.Trustees Files Index 1889-1929 - Files related to trusts set up under the terms of a will. Queensland State Archives435 Compton Road, RuncornBrisbane, Queensland 4113 More recent probates in Queensland are administered by and available through Queensland district court registrars. An index to the most recent probates from all districts can be searched online. Queensland eCourts Party Search – An online index to Queensland Supreme and District Court files from as early as 1992 (Brisbane) to the present. Supreme Court of Queensland, Southern DistrictGeorge StreetBrisbane, Queensland 4000 Supreme Court of Queensland, Central DistrictEast StreetRockhampton, Queensland 4700 Supreme Court of Queensland, Northern DistrictWalker StreetTownsville, Queensland 4810 SOUTH AUSTRALIARecords begin in 1832The Probate Registry Office holds wills and related documents for South Australia from 1844. Adelaide Proformat offers a fee-based probate record access service. Probate Registry OfficeSupreme Court of South Australia1 Gouger StreetAdelaide, SA 5000 TASMANIARecords begin in 1824The Archives Office of Tasmania holds most older records relating to the administration of probate in Tasmania; their Brief Guide 12: Probate includes details on all available records. The Archives Office also has an online index with digitized copies of wills (AD960) and letters of administration (AD961) up to 1989 available for online viewing. Index to Wills Letters of Administration from 1824-1989 (Tasmania) (includes digitized records) Probate RegistrySupreme Court of TasmaniaSalamanca PlaceHobart, Tasmania 7000 VICTORIARecords begin in 1841Wills and probate records created in Victoria between 1841 and 1925 have been indexed and digitized and made available online free of charge. Records of wills and probate records up to 1992 will eventually be included in this online index. Probate records after 1925 and up through about the last decade or so can be ordered through the Public Record Office of Victoria. Public Record Office Victoria99 Shiel StreetNorth Melbourne VIC 3051 Index to Wills, Probate and Administration Records 1841-1925 (Victoria) (includes digitized records) Generally, wills and probate records created within the past 7 to 10 years can be accessed through the Probate Office of the Supreme Court of Victoria. Registrar of ProbatesSupreme Court of VictoriaLevel 2: 436 Lonsdale StreetMelbourne VIC 3000 WESTERN AUSTRALIARecords from 1832Probate records and wills in Western Australia are not generally available online. See Information Sheet: Grants of Probate (Wills) and Letters of Administration from the State Records Office of Western Australia for further information. The State Records Office holds two indexes to wills and letters of administration: 1832-1939 and 1900-1993. Files up to 1947 are available at State Records Office on microfilm for viewing. State Records OfficeAlexander Library BuildingJames Street West EntrancePerth Cultural CentrePerth WA 6000 Most Supreme Court records in Western Australia, including probates, are covered by a 75 year restricted access period to protect the privacy of persons mentioned in the records. Written permission from the Supreme Court is needed before viewing. Probate Office14th Floor, 111 Georges StreetPerth WA 6000