History of Waverley

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History is a continuous process of interaction between the historian and the facts, an unending dialogue between the present and the past.’ What is History? E. C. Carr, 1990.

The Local Studies collection at Waverley Library celebrates our local history. An active collection, it contains original records documenting the lives of local people, the histories of local organisations and some Waverley Council records, including early Council minutes and correspondence files.

It also houses objects related to the local area, oral histories, a photographic and cartographic collection, audio-visual resources, research files and its own specialist publications.

Our interest in history gives us a way to understand society. Historians value cultural memory believing that we are enriched by understanding the ways in which we are all products of history. By giving us a way to comprehend the past, history helps us to understand our world now.

The questions we ask of the past, the topics we research and the interpretations we make, are heavily influenced by the times in which we live. For this reason there are many histories of the Waverley area, some are even contradictory – but all are equally valuable.

Contact us

If you have any material relating to the Waverley Local Government Area (LGA) you would like to donate, or loan to us for copying, please contact our Local Studies Librarian, phone: (02) 9083 8744.