CHS RESEARCH CENTRE
The CHS Archives Collection holds more than 40,000 items, including personal memoirs; family history and reminiscences; academic and Government papers; books; unpublished reports; newspapers; journal articles and maps. Many of these are available digitally. A separate Images Collection holds nearly 40,000 digitised photographs
The collections cover Far North Queensland, from south of Cardwell, north to the Torres Strait and west to Burketown, taking in most of the Wet Tropics, Cape York Peninsula, the Einasleigh Uplands and the Gulf of Carpentaria. Cairns is a particular focus.
Both collections are available for personal or professional research through the CHS Research Centre.
Researchers can book to access the collection in person or submit an online request. The catalogue is not available online but our professional archive and photographic researchers are available to assist you search and discover the collection when you come into the centre, or undertake research on your behalf when a query is submitted.
All searches requested to the Society require an initial 1 hour payment fee with a reduced hourly rate fee for every hour thereafter. This goes towards the important job of covering costs to maintain our significant collection for future generations to enjoy. Cairns Historical Society is committed to its role as custodians of this great community asset.
Copies of items may be purchased, subject to copyright
restrictions.
Charges
- Entry to the Research Centre & onsite assistance: $15 (members free)
- Photocopying/Digital copies: 40c per A4 page, 80c per A3 page
- High Res photographic scans: $38.50 (includes GST)
- Low Res photographic scans: $13.50 (includes GST)
- Research (email or phone requests): $27.50 for 1st Hour, $22.00 per hour thereafter
Donate Material
The Society is always interested in hearing from people with original documents, photographs, diaries etc from Cairns and Far North Queensland.
If you have an original item that you think we could be interested in, we would love to hear from you!
READAbout CHS
Book an appointment to visit the Research Centre – the Collection holds more than 60,000 items covering an area from Cardwell to Bourke Shire.
EXPLOREPhotographic Collection
Seeing is believing - the Cairns Historical Society’s collection catalogue has been assessed as nationally significant for its extensive visual record of Far North Queensland.
