A new online resource has been released today that allows over 2,000 historical survey plans of the Perth metropolitan area to be viewed and downloaded from a modern mapping interface.
Historical plans available through the RetroMaps site have been digitised by the State Records Office of Western Australia with funding provided by the Friends of Battye Library Inc.
Trained volunteers were engaged to geo-reference the plans so they are searchable by location.
The plans provide detailed insight into specific properties that formed Perth's urban area in the early 20th Century.
Most plans pre-date available aerial photographs and show how parts of the metropolitan landscape have transformed dramatically over the years.
RetroMaps is a free resource and West Australians can download high-resolution copies of plans without cost at: https://mapping.sro.wa.gov.au
As stated by Culture and the Arts Minister David Templeman:
"This is 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.
"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."
As stated by Innovation and ICT Minister Dave Kelly:
"RetroMaps is 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.
"In today's world, it's important that government services are delivered digitally."
