The State Records Office has digitised historical plans that provide detailed insight into specific properties that formed Perth’s urban area in the early 20th century.
Funded by Friends of Battye Library Inc and under the RetroMaps project, trained volunteers were engaged to geo-reference the plans so they can be searched by location.
The exercise found most plans pre-dated available aerial photographs, showing how parts of the metropolitan landscape had transformed dramatically over the years.
Minister for Culture and the Arts, David Templeman said the digitisation provided a great opportunity for Perth residents to engage with archival records easily, from the comfort of their home.
“RetroMaps will be of great benefit to anyone interested in the history of their property, from school children researching their local area, to heritage researchers who require these sorts of resources for their work,” Mr Templeman said.
“I commend the State Records Office for making this new resource available and I also wish to acknowledge the work of those who contributed toward the project in a purely voluntary capacity.”
Minister for Innovation and ICT, Dave Kelly said RetroMaps was a great example of combining historical, archival information with contemporary technologies and platforms.
“The site is an innovative way of making these unique Government records available to everyone, to improve their accessibility,” Mr Kelly said.
The maps can be accessed on the State Records website at this PS News link.
