The Reserve Bank of Australia has a unique and rich archive. In addition to records about the nation’s central bank, their archives contain records about Australia’s economic, financial and social history over nearly 200 years. The records have been identified by the National Archives of Australia as being of continuing value to the nation.

The records pre-date the Reserve Bank as it is known today. This is because the Reserve Bank descended from the original Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) which had a central banking function and had absorbed other banks with a colonial history. When the central banking and commercial functions were separated, the original Commonwealth Bank has renamed the Reserve Bank of Australia and the commercial arm formed a new bank that we know today as the CBA. (In the discussion of the archives, ‘Bank’ is used to refer to this continuous central bank entity.)

The archives include records about the specific responsibilities and activities of the Bank. They are also a primary source of information regarding Australia’s broader economic, financial and social history, and provide a context for the operations and decisions made by the Bank. Given the timespan of the records housed in the archives, they capture many significant events in the life of the nation from those in Australia’s colonial past, the Depressions of the 1890s and 1930s and two World Wars, through to more contemporary episodes.

The Archives holds records of the Reserve Bank and records it inherited:

• Savings Bank of New South Wales: Various, 1832-1914
• Government Savings Bank of New South Wales: Various, 1871-1932
• Commonwealth Bank of Australia: Various, 1912-1960
• Reserve Bank of Australia: Various, 1960- present

The earliest record held in the Reserve Bank Archives is a legal document from September 1824 between John Austin and Thomas Wylde, relating to the sale of land in New South Wales. This document, part of the Savings Bank of New South Wales collection (1832-1914), is thought to have originally come from an earlier bank called Campbell’s Bank, which was established in Sydney in 1819.

The archives are in a variety of media and formats which include files, volumes, photographs, films, plans, posters, banknotes and stamps.

To facilitate access to the archival records, the Archives have an online platform Unreserved. Unreserved enables users to independently search and download digital versions of key archival records, learn about the nature and scope of the Bank’s entire archival collection, access metadata about archival records that are yet to be digitised, and lodge requests for information or assistance from the archivists.

In addition to Unreserved, you can also:

• Email the Archivist with your research enquiry.
• Visit the Reserve Bank’s Research Room to view and research original records. For more details about arranging a visit, see the Guide for Researchers145KB.

When submitting a research enquiry or request to visit the Research Room, you should ensure that you provide a detailed written enquiry first regarding the nature of the information required. The Archivists will assess whether there is appropriate material to meet the request and will contact you to discuss your enquiry further. Please note that due to the fragility of some records, they may not be able to be viewed in their original formats, or digitised.

The records in the Reserve Bank Archives are retained permanently by the Bank in their original formats. A program to digitise those records that are in the ‘open access’ period is well advanced and as records are digitised, they will be added to Unreserved, together with Research and Series Guides, to assist with context and further research. Where records are not yet digitised, key metadata about all archival series is available on Unreserved.

The Archives is open 10.00 am and 4.00 pm on weekdays, excluding Public and NSW Bank Holidays. Access is by prior appointment only.