Primary contact
Unit 2, Building A, 16 Mars Road, Lane Cove West
Sydney, New South Wales 2066
Identity area
Identifier
daa/201
Authorized form of name
Westpac Group Archives, Sydney
Parallel form(s) of name
Other form(s) of name
- Formerly Westpac Historical Services
Type
- Business
Contact area
Head of Historical Services
Type
Address
Street address
Unit 2, Building A, 16 Mars Road, Lane Cove West
Locality
Sydney
Region
New South Wales
Country name
Postal code
2066
Telephone
02 9214 2229
Fax
See website
Note
Description area
History
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.
Geographical and cultural context
Mandates/Sources of authority
Administrative structure
Officer-in-charge: Head of Historical Services
Records management and collecting policies
Records deemed to be of permanent value from Westpac Banking Corporation and its predecessors:
- Bank of New South Wales
- Commercial Bank of Australia Ltd
- Australian Joint Stock Bank Ltd
- Australian Bank of Commerce
- City Bank of Sydney
- Australian and European Bank
- Town and Country Bank
- Mercantile Bank of Sydney
- Bank of Tasmania
- National Bank of Tasmania.
Rare banking memorabilia and the papers of former officials are also accepted.
Buildings
Holdings
Includes, for example:
- Bank of New South Wales - Chief Inspector: Half yearly reports, 1907-1971 (80m)
- Various Branches: Current account ledgers, 1850-1950 (50m)
- Chief Executive: Correspondence, 1864- present (50m)
- Premises Departments: Branch photographs, 1870- present; Architectural drawings, 1870- present
- Westpac Banking Corporation (and predecessors): Board minutes, 1817- present (60m).
Finding aids, guides and publications
Access area
Opening times
No longer open to the public: visit by appointment only.
Access conditions and requirements
Researchers must complete an application for access to archival records. Advance notice of visit required including proof of identity.
Accessibility
Services area
Research services
Research services provided by staff in response to written (letter or email) or telephone requests.
Reproduction services
Limited copying services available for photographs.
Public areas
Control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Revised 4 May 2018
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Maintenance notes
Access points
Access Points
- Industry, Manufacturing and Commerce (Thematic area)