The State Library has digitised more than 4,600 historic plans of 460 regional towns in NSW and made them available on their website.
The latest tranche of digitised subdivision plans dates from as early as the 1880s up to the 1930s. They were produced by real estate agents and auctioneers to advertise new subdivisions and land sales. They range from hand‐drawn surveyors’ plans to beautifully designed colour posters.
Some of the plans are annotated with sales figures, and you can see how public transport or access to shops, parks and local attractions influenced the popularity of a town.
To find your neighbourhood, visit the subdivisions plans page below and type in the name of your town:
