Primary contact
Unit 2, Building A, 16 Mars Road, Lane Cove West
Sydney, New South Wales 2066
Westpac Group Archives, Sydney
Westpac has a long and proud history as Australia's first and oldest bank. It was established in 1817 as the Bank of New South Wales under a charter of incorporation provided by Governor Lachlan Macquarie. In October 1982 it changed its name to Westpac Banking Corporation following the acquisition of the Commercial Bank of Australia. For further details about the bank's history, see https://www.westpac.com.au/about-westpac/westpac-group/company-overview/our-history/?searchsource=search-results&kw=our%20history&cat=other&rank=9&result-type=natural
Westpac's archives was established in 1955 under the purview of notable economic historians and is one of only a handful of corporate collections in Australia and is the largest privately held archives in the Southern Hemisphere. It holds almost six kilometres of records and a photographic collection with more than 10 000 images, and 5000 or so architectural plans.
Officer-in-charge: Head of Historical Services
Records deemed to be of permanent value from Westpac Banking Corporation and its predecessors:
Includes, for example:
No longer open to the public: visit by appointment only.
Researchers must complete an application for access to archival records. Advance notice of visit required including proof of identity.
Research services provided by staff in response to written (letter or email) or telephone requests.
Limited copying services available for photographs.
Revised 4 May 2018