Tasmanian Government publications

A guide to accessing Tasmanian Government publications at our library and online.

About Tasmanian government gazettes

Government gazettes are official publications that include legal notices and details about the actions and decisions of government. These publications contain a wide range of information including:

  • land transactions
  • court notices
  • government appointments
  • bankruptcies
  • reward notices
  • new acts of parliament
  • tenders
  • patent applications
  • unclaimed letters
  • shipping and emigration notices

The first official Tasmanian gazette and newspaper was the Hobart Town gazette and Southern reporter first published in 1816. This publication was preceded by two short-lived unofficial publications published from 1810 to 1814 (Derwent star and Van Diemen’s Land intelligencer/Van Diemen’s Land gazette and general advertiser). Tasmanian Government gazette has had this title since 1907.

Accessing gazettes

Online

2008–
Tasmanian Government Gazette
Published online since 2008, with search and browse functionality. Published each Wednesday. Includes special and periodical gazettes. 

Print

1907-2012
Tasmanian Government Gazette
Held in print, from 2013 State Library Victoria ceased receiving issues. Published weekly, bound in six-monthly volumes. From November 1990 includes supplement Tasmanian State Services notices which was previously included in gazette.

1810-1906
See historical gazettes below. 

Indexes

Online

2008–
Use online search on Tasmanian Government Gazette website. 

Printed indexes also available in PDF format from 2008 onwards, published twice a year in January and July and available through Tasmanian Government Gazette website.

Printed

2004-2012
Tasmanian government gazette. Produced every six months and bound with volume to which it refers. From 2013 State Library Victoria ceased receiving issues.

1990-2003
Tasmanian government gazette. Six-monthly indexes for these years were not received until after volumes were bound. Therefore indexes for these years have been bound as 2 volumes, 1990-1999, 2000-2003.

1833-1992
The index to the Tasmanian government gazette and its predecessors (Hobart Town GazetteHobart Gazette) has been published annually or biannually since 1833. It is included with the bound volumes of the gazette. There is a cumulated index for the years 1833-1843 included in the holdings for The Hobart Town gazette.

Historical gazettes (1810-1906)

Chronology of Gazettes

1810-1812
The Derwent star and Van Diemen’s land intelligencer
Hobarts first newspaper produced by the government printer George Clark. First issued on 8 January 1810, there were twelves issues published from 1810 to 1812.

May 1814-Sep 1814
Van Diemen’s Land gazette and general advertiser
A short-lived unofficial gazette.

June 1816-January 1821
The Hobart Town gazette and Southern reporter

January 1821-August 1825
The Hobart Town gazette and Van Diemen's Land Advertiser
Official Government sponsorship withdrawn in June 1825, but continued to publish under this title until August 1825, when it changed its name to Colonial Times and Tasmanian Advertiser. Published weekly. 

June 1825-1880
The Hobart Town gazette
Set up by the Government in opposition to the Hobart Town Gazette and Van Diemen's Land Advertiser, and used its numbering. Published weekly.

1881-1906
The Hobart gazette
Published weekly

Available online (via Trove)

1816-1821
The Hobart Town Gazette and Southern Reporter

1821-1825
Hobart Town Gazette and Van Diemen’s Land Advertiser

1825-1827
Hobart Town Gazette

Available Microfilm 

June 1816-Jan 1821
The Hobart Town gazette and Southern reporter

Jan 1821-Aug 1825
Hobart Town gazette and Van Diemen’s Land advertiser

June 1825-Aug 1851 
Hobart Town gazette  

1881-1906
Hobart gazette
Microfilm not held by State Library Victoria but 1881 to 1900 is held by National Library of Australia and 1881 to 1906 is held by State Library of Tasmania.

Sep 1851-1880
Hobart Town gazette.
Microfilm for this period is not held by State Library Victoria. It is available from National Library of Australia.

Available Print

Digitised editions or microfilm should be used where available. 

1810-1812
The Derwent star and Van Diemen’s land intelligencer
State Library Victoria only hold reprint of issue for 3 April 1810 which reports the death of Lieutenant-Governor Collins. State Library of New South Wales has issues for Nov 1811 to February 1812 both in printed format and on microfilm.

May 1814-Sep 1814
Van Diemen’s Land gazette and general advertiser
Not held by State Library Victoria. State Library of New South Wales holds in both printed format and on microfilm.

June 1816-January 1821
The Hobart Town gazette and Southern reporter
Various issues between 1817-1821 and from 1927 held in print by State Library Victoria. June 1816 to December 1819 also available a facsimile reproduction.

January 1821-August 1825
The Hobart Town gazette and Van Diemen's Land Advertiser

June 1825-1880
The Hobart Town gazette
Some issue missing. 

1881-1906
The Hobart gazette

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