Oral History is the oldest form of sharing knowledge and culture. Aboriginal people of Australia have been sharing their stories orally for 60,000 years or more. Sadly, if these stories are not shared they will be lost, as the prehistory to this country is not written.
Our Oral History Program and Collection helps us to keep the oral histories of South-Eastern Australia alive and ensures that cultural knowledge is preserved for future generations. The program began in 1987 with the intention of preserving culture and knowledge for the Koorie community. Many of these audio and visual recordings share significant stories and links to family members.
Our Oral History Collection encompasses an audio and visual collection of over 2000 recordings, predominantly interviews with Koorie people from all over Victoria.
Please explore a small part of our collection of oral histories by following the links below.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that our Oral History Collection will contain images and voices of people who have passed.
We acknowledge Aboriginal Victoria and Viva Energy Australia whose generous support enables us to not only record new oral histories but also ensure our existing Oral History Collections are properly stored and preserved for the benefit of future generations.
