Australia Marriages - What else you can try
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This page will give you additional guidance and resources to find marriage information for your ancestor. Use this page after first completing the marriage section of the Australia Guided Research page.
Additional Online Resources
Additional Databases and Online Resources
- 1800s-1900s: Australia Marriage Collections at FamilySearch - (List of collections) Australia Marriages, 1810-1980
- 1810-1980: Australia, Marriages at MyHeritage ($)
Substitute Records
Additional Records with Marriage Information
Substitute records may contain information about more than one event and are used when records for an event are not available. Records that are used to substitute for marriage events may not have been created at the time of the marriage. The accuracy of the record is contingent upon when the information was recorded. Search for information in multiple substitute records to confirm the accuracy of these records.
| Use these substitute records to locate marriage information about your ancestor: | ||
| Why to search the records | ||
| Census records may can list the relationship to the head of household and marital status of every individual. | ||
| Church marriage records may be available when civil marriage records cannot be found. A church marriage record may provide the bride’s maiden name in addition to the date and place of the marriage. To access church records, first determine the denomination. | ||
| May contain engagement and marriage notices, and even obituaries that can provide the name of a spouse. | ||
| Military records may include the name of an individual's spouse. | ||
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Tips for finding marriages
Successfully finding marriage records in online databases depends on a few key points. Try the following search suggestions:
- Spelling variations. Your ancestor's name may be misspelled. Search with spelling variations for the first and last name of your ancestor.
- Search given name. Search by given name by leaving out the last name.
- Search for bride. Search by the bride’s name rather than the groom’s name.
- Add information. For common names, add more information to narrow the search such as approximate year of marriage or the county the marriage took place in.
- Date range. Expand the date range of the search by a few years.
- Search state/territory. Search using the state/territory name only instead of by town/city.
Why the Record may not Exist
Known Record Gaps
Records Start
The dates of commencement of civil registration in each colony/state and territory are:
| State | Start Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tasmania | 1838 1-Dec | |
| South Australia | 1842 1-Jul | |
| Western Australia | 1841 9-Sep | |
| Victoria | 1853 1-Jul | |
| Queensland | 1856 1-Mar | ¶ Note 1 |
| New South Wales | 1856 1-Mar | |
| Northern Territory | 1870 24-Aug | ¶ Note 2 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 1930 1-Jan | ¶ Note 3 |
- Note 1. Civil registration commenced in Queensland when it was still part of the Colony of New South Wales. The relevant records were transferred to the control of the new Colony of Queensland at its formation in 1859.
- Note 2. Civil registration began in the Northern Territory when it was administered from Adelaide. Responsibility was taken over by the Commonwealth from South Australia in 1911. The function was transferred to the Northern Territory Government in 1978 when internal self-government was granted.
- Note 3. Civil registration began in the Australian Capital Territory from the creation of the Territory. At first, the function was carried out by New South Wales until 1930 when the Commonwealth took over. In 1988, the function was transferred to the Government of the Australian Capital Territory when internal self-government was granted.
Records Destroyed
Some records may have been lost, destroyed, or damaged. More specific information is not known. Civil registration records are generally complete.