Previous Finds of the Month
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Quandaries 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
2026
- To Current Find of the Month
- January 2026 - Summer reading, Canberra style: Records on the city's early bookshops
- February 2026 - Back to school: Celebrating 50 years of Dickson College
- March 2026 - More than a pamphlet: ACT Government brochures in the archives
- April 2026 - Let them play? Sunday sport and social change in Canberra
- May 2026 - Skateboarding & the Modernist Movement
- June 2026 - Alexander Bunyip
2025
- To Current Find of the Month
- January 2025 - Bushfire control in Canberra
- February 2025 - Takin' it to the streets: A look at the history of Canberra's iconic car festival
- March 2025 - Roll up! Roll up! - Royal Canberra Show
- April 2025 - Oaks Estate - Where the Molonglo and Queanbeyan rivers meet
- May 2025 - Proportional representation in action - 30 years of the Hare-Clark system in the ACT
- June 2025 - Always Be Curious - ABC Flats
- July 2025 - Wet garbage and prize-winning porkers: The story of the Canberra Hog Farm
- August 2025 - Small wonders: Protecting the ACT's rare fauna
- September 2025 - Gamblers, Madmen and Fit and Proper Persons: Billiard Saloon Licences 1929–1942
- October 2025 - A Bright Idea: The History of Daylight Saving in the A.C.T
- November 2025 - Tuggeranong’s Grit, Growth and Summer Glow
- December 2025 - A pleasure palace for the national capital: The Canberra Tivoli Gardens
2024
- To Current Find of the Month
- February 2024 - The ACT Landscape Works Collection - Outdoor planning on a grand scale
- March 2024 - Things of brass, string and wood - Insights into Canberra's musical youth in 1987
- April 2024 - From the Snowy Mountains to the Pacific Ocean: Canberra's place in its region
- May 2024 - Connections in Canberra’s history: Territory Lease files and Canberra Community Hospital Board records
- June 2024 - Air Pollution in the ACT - A story of one of our historic environmental concerns
- July 2024 - Mixed emotion and new growth - Refugee Week in Canberra in the early 1990s
- August 2024 - A Canberra (Times) icon: The City Walk fountain
- September 2024 - Bringing counterculture to Canberra: Aquarius Festival of University Arts, 1971
- October 2024 - It's (not) a long way to the shops: ACT Government records relating to shopping centres
- November 2024 - 'Romantic frolics' in a 'fairy tale city': 1982 Canberra Tourist Bureau brochures
- December 2024 - Seasons Greetings from ArchivesACT
2023
- To Current Find of the Month
- January 2023 - Westlake Settlement - Yarralumla's Hidden Ghost Town
- February 2023 - The Tuggeranong Inauguration Plaques - Canberra's Third Town turns 50
- March 2023 - Do Unto Others as They Should Do Unto You - National Council of Women ACT Branch
- April 2023 - Curtin's Radburn Development - The "inside-out" suburb
- May 2023 - ACT/NSW Border Survey - Field books listed in UNESCO register
- June 2023 - The Big Gun Dairy - From Floodplain to Wetlands
- July 2023 - Ten Pound Typists - Post WWII Assisted Passage to Canberra
- August 2023 - Sending in the clowns - Highlights of the Canberra Festival 1980s - 1990s
- September 2023 - Yarralumla Brickworks: A Canberra icon
- October 2023 - Leisure in the bush capital
- November 2023 - A job for the fun police?: Regulation of pinball machines in the 1970s and 1980s
- December 2023 - Royal Commission on Human Relationships
2022
- To Current Find of the Month
- January 2022 - Huts, Houses or Halls? Canberra's Riverside Hostel
- February 2022 - The Molonglo Internment Camp - A Notable Wartime Achievement - Vale Alan Foskett
- March 2022 - Prevention & Protection - Canberra Fire Brigade Daily Occurrence Registers
- April 2022 - Canberra in Photographs - Office of the Surveyor General Photo Collection
- May 2022 - Australian Capital Territory Fire Brigade - Mounted photographs and certificate
- June 2022 - From Dry to Wet - The Liquor and Liquor Poll Ordinances
- July 2022 - Hidden Behind a Title - Canberra's Industrial Leases
- August 2022 - Par for the Course - The Federal Golf Club's move to Red Hill
- September 2022 - Nurturing Nature - Tidbinbilla Fauna Reserve
- October 2022 - In the name of science - Planning for Canberra's Botanic Gardens
- November 2022 - Political mooves - Canberra's developing milk and dairy industry
- December 2022 - Sundown and Starlight - Canberra's Drive-In Theatres
2021
- To Current Find of the Month
- January 2021 - Building a City from Scratch - Federal Capital Commission
- February 2021 - Ephemera Fun - Brochures, booklets and leaflets on the ACT
- March 2021 - A Canberra Day Gift - The Civic Merry-Go-Round
- April 2021 - Fences & Hedges - Front Fence Survey records - 1982
- May 2021 - Royal Visits to Canberra - Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
- June 2021 - Lessees, Architects and Builders - Canberra's Early Private Building Development
- July 2021 - Good Fences Make Good Neighbours - The art of compromise
- August 2021 - Surveyor-General Photo Collection - From a Bird's Eye View
- September 2021 - For Amateur Growers & Nurserymen Alike - Propagation Methods for Raising Australian Native Plants - 1970
- October 2021 - 30 Years of Urban Gungahlin - From rural to urban - A Completely Different Lifestyle
- November 2021 - "Lest We Forget" Remembrance Nature Park
- December 2021 - It's starting to sound a lot like Christmas - Canberra's Festive Seasons from the Past
2020
- To Current Find of the Month
- January 2020 - Air Adventure of a Lifetime
- February 2020 - Hawking in the Territory - Licencing Hawkers in the Federal Capital Territory
- March 2020 - Land for Lease - 1950's ACT Land Sale Auctions
- April 2020 - Keeping it Local - Canberra's Group and Local Shopping Centres in Photos
- May 2020 - If These Walls Could Talk - Government Property and Tenancy Registers 1925 to 1968
- June 2020 - Nature or Nurture - The Yarralumla Nursery Cards & Ledgers
- July 2020 - Promoting Goodwill & Friendship - Canberra Nara Peace Park
- August 2020 - Making their mark - Federal Survey Camp Field Books
- September 2020 - Bursting into Blossoms! - Canberra's Celebration of Spring
- October 2020 - A Spirited Defence - The Rise & Fall of the Billabong Horse Era Museum Revisited
- November 2020 - A Professional Dance Company to Call Our Own - The Human Veins Dance Theatre.
- December 2020 - Towing the Line - The Canberra Rail Link & Locomotive 1210
2019
- To Current Find of the Month
- January 2019 - Help is on its way! - The plan to protect the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby
- February 2019 - Mulwala House - "Our house in the middle of the street"
- March 2019 - ACT Bicentennial number plates - An A1 idea
- April 2019 - Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee - The Canberra Day showdown
- May 2019 - Higher ground - the campaign for a local university site
- June 2019 - The little engine that could - Light rail comes to Canberra
- July 2019 - Leaving a footprint - Honeysuckle Creek and Orroral Valley
- August 2019 - Let's talk of graves, of worms, and epitaphs - Viscount Dunrossil's gravesite
- September 2019 - More than roads, rates and rubbish - Minutes of the ACT Advisory Council
- October 2019 - Fences, farms & forests - Planning for forests in the Federal Capital Territory
- November 2019 - Tracking Caddisflies, Screech Beetles & Tadpole Shrimps - 'Waterwatch Kit for Primary Schools'
- December 2019 - A place to call home - The Raiders' move to Canberra
2018
- To Current Find of the Month
- January 2018 - Flying the Burley Griffin in the Birdman Rally - A glimpse into one of Canberra's most eclectic events
- February 2018 - 'We've done it all at Belconnen Mall!' - Belconnen Mall turns 40
- March 2018 - Going once, Going twice...- the sale of the Belconnen Mall
- April 2018 - Canning the Cane - The abolition of corporal punishment in ACT Schools
- May 2018 - The bid to boost tourism in the capital - The ill-fates Black Mountain Cable Car
- June 2018 - Per ardua ad astra - Through adversity to the stars. The life and unlikely resting place of W.G. Duffield
- July 2018 - Bringing up baby - 90 years of the Canberra Mothercraft Society
- August 2018 - The life aquatic - The plan to bring water sports to Jerrabomberra Creek
- September 2018 - Where there's smoke there's fire - Changes to the tobacco legislation
- October 2018 - Remembering stories past - Find of the Month celebrates ten years with a win!
- November 2018 - Slip, slidin' away - The 1974 Don Capasco Car Rally
- December 2018 - We Honestly Love you!
2017
- To Current Find of the Month
- January 2017 - Chemicals, Carp and Sea Cows - The Fight against Water Weeds in Canberra's Lakes
- February 2017 - Give me a home among the gum trees - Tekel's Eucalyptus Oil Distillery, 1938
- March 2017 - Grace Will Lead Me Home - The Crypt under St Christopher's Cathedral
- April 2017 - Facilitating Change - In Support of a Unified Approach to Gun Control
- May 2017 - What about me? The history of referendums in the ACT
- June 2017 - Canberra Means Business! Busting the Canberra myth
- July 2017 - Roll up! Roll up! A celebration of local events from the 1980's
- August 2017 - Travelling stock routes in the ACT - For the drover's life has pleasures that the townsfolk never know
- September 2017 - 'It's all about the plumbing' - Women and jury service in the ACT
- October 2017 - When Canberra floods - How three 'exceptional' floods effected the ACT
- November 2017 - 'Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending' - The NCDC goes out with a bang
- December 2017 - 'A Capital Display' - Floral displays of City Hill
2016
- To Current Find of the Month
- January 2016 - "A Dignified Architectural Grouping" : Stuart Flats, Griffith, ACT
- February 2016 - "Exhibitions Like This Should Be Always Here, A Part Of Life" : Sculpture '75
- March 2016 - Politicians and Other Birds of Prey: Nature Based Tourism in the ACT
- April 2016 - Bombs Away : The Tuggeranong Bombing Range
- May 2016 - Concrete Monstrosities or Canberra Icons? : C.G. Cummings Plans for the Concrete Bus Shelter
- June 2016 - Training For the Computer Age : The Burroughs B5500 Computer
- August 2016 - Industries Other Than a Noxious Trade : The Evolution of Braddon’s Industrial Area
- July 2016 - Royalty, Diplomats and Celebrities : Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve Visitors Book 1970 - 1986
- September 2016 - Hollywood on the Molonglo : Studio City Canberra
- October 2016 - The Territory Plan, legless lizards, and a completely different lifestyle : 25 Years of Urban Gungahlin
- November 2016 - Vocational Inspiration - Celebrating the Canberra Apprentice : ACT Apprenticeship Register 1937 - 1968
- December 2016 - Can you pass the test? Step back in time with the 1956 Commonwealth Public Service Entrance Examinations
2015
- To Current Find of the Month
- January 2015 - The Lost Roads of Canberra
- February 2015 - The Urban Environment Enhanced : The ACTION/Montone Bus Shelter Painting Competition
- March 2015 - A Long and Dirty Saga : The Introduction of Wheelie Bins to Canberra
- April 2015 - The Molonglo Internment Camp : A Notable Wartime Achievement
- May 2015 - Shooting Not Permitted on Sundays : Destruction of Hares 1928 - 1948
- June 2015 - Game, Set and Match : Canberra Tennis Courts 1928-1931
- July 2015 - Today a Mighty Development has Taken Place : Fourth Auction Sale of ACT Business & Residential Sites 14th July 1951
- August 2015 - Planning or Procrastination? : A New Electrical Workshop for the Kingston Powerhouse
- September 2015 - To Define What Is Obscene : Objectionable Publications Ordinance 1958
- October 2015 - The Hog Farm : “The National Capital’s Greatest Industry”
- November 2015 - "Lest We Forget" : Remembrance Nature Park
- December 2015 - "Three Antiquities Writing a Book" : Writing the Bicentennial History of Canberra
2014
- To Current Find of the Month
- January 2014 - Too Small, Too Elaborate or Just Right? : Plans to Extend the Albert Hall
- February 2014 - No More Shiny Bums! : Standard Office Furniture - 1951 Series
- March 2014 - The Peace and Prosperity of the Region - Canberra's Sister City Relationships
- April 2014 - 50 Shades of Red, Yellow and Crimson : Autumn in Canberra
- May 2014 - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! : Snow Resorts in the ACT
- June 2014 - Let’s Talk Fireplaces : Department of Territories 1986
- July 2014 - A Unified Service, with Common Values and Standards : The Formation of the ACT Public Service 1st July 1994
- August 2014 - Gamblers, Madmen and 'Fit and Proper Persons' : The Register of Billiard Saloon Licences 1929 to 1942
- September 2014 - Propagation Methods Used at the Canberra Botanic Gardens for Raising Australian Native Plants 1970
- October 2014 - A Spirited Defence : The Rise and Fall of the Billabong Park Horse Era Museum
- November 2014 - Yee-Ha! It's Roadeo Time!! : ACTION at the 1992 & 1993 National Bus Roadeos
- December 2014 - The Christening of Bruce Stadium : The 3rd Pacific Conference Games, Canberra 3-4 December 1977
2013
- To Current Find of the Month
- January 2013 - Preparation of the Competitive Designs for the Federal Capital
- February 2013 - Lindsay Pryor, the Prince and the Kurrajong Seeds - 1950/52
- March 2013 - Not Quite Set in Stone : The First Canberra Day - 12th March 1913
- April 2013 - Saluting Those Who Served : Telopea Park School War Memorial
- May 2013 - Looking a Gift Horse in the Mouth? The ACT Self-Government School Medallion
- June 2013 - Flight of Fancy to Down-to-Earth Design : Design & Construction of the Canberra Theatre Centre
- July 2013 - "The Dignity of the City" : Protecting the City of Canberra Coat of Arms
- August 2013 - Our "most fatal" Disaster : The Air Disaster Memorial
- September 2013 - "A Diversity of Attractions" : Designing Commonwealth Park
- October 2013 - Spring Riots in the Streets!
- November 2013 - Gorgeous Govvies : Housing Review 1961 - 400 Series Designs
- December 2013 - The Gentlest Means of Transport : Canberra's First Bicycle Path
2012
- To Current Find of the Month
- January 2012 - Summer Safety Brochure - 1986
- February 2012 - Future of the Causeway Houses - 1969
- March 2012 - Canberra Day Official Programme - 1967
- April 2012 - ACT Heritage Committee Plaques - 1982
- May 2012 - Trading Standards - 1980s
- June 2012 - Asbestos Branch Publicity - 1988/89
- July 2012 - Hedge Trimming - 1941
- August 2012 - Chief Minister Proud of Her First Hundred Days - August 1989
- September 2012 - Toadstool Automatic Advisory Service - 1973
- October 2012 - Drive Yourself Tours In & Around Canberra - 1975
- November 2012 - 1986 Papal Visit
- December 2012 - Merry Christmas With Safety - December 1983
2011
- To Current Find of the Month
- January 2011 - Invitation Cards
- February 2011 - Rabbit Destruction Ordinance 1919
- March 2011 - Good Friday Pop Festival 27/03/1970
- April 2011 - 1954 Royal Visit
- May 2011 - Future Maintenance of the Margins of Lake Burley Griffin
- June 2011 - Development of Civic Centre & City Hill - 1922
- July 2011 - Jervis Bay Nuclear Power Station Information Centre - July 1970
- August 2011 - Application to Build Mount Franklin Snowfields & Chalet 1935 to 1938
- September 2011 - Ceiling Heights in Dwellings - 1948
- October 2011 - Sheep Grazing Canberra City Area -1952
- November 2011 - Lanyon Cemetery Commemorative Plaque - 1982
- December 2011 - Department of Territories Christmas Cards
2010
- To Current Find of the Month
- January 2010 – Saving Water
- February 2010 – Bushfire Control
- March 2010 – STD Phone Calls
- April 2010 – Canberra’s Captain Cook Memorial
- May 2010 – Everyone Matters: Paper Quilt
- June 2010 – Television Antennae
- July 2010 – Indigenous Place Names in Canberra 1928
- August 2010 – Early Tourist Brochures
- September 2010 – Royal Bluebell: Canberra’s Floral Emblem
- October 2010 – Decimal Currency: Loss of Revenue
- November 2010 – Tea Services Review 1987
- December 2010 – Sale of Christmas Tree
2009
- To Current Find of the Month
- January 2009 - His Excellency Field Marshall Sir William Joseph Slim
- February 2009 - Charles William Thompson
- March 2009 - Tuberculosis X-Rays
- April 2009 - Heritage Festival
- May 2009 - Business of the Month in 1928
- June 2009 - Kerosene Heaters
- July 2009 - Re-entry of Skylab
- August 2009 - 1931 Compton Theatre Organ
- September 2009 - Canberra Day at Expo '88
- October 2009 - Vladamir Petrov's 1951 Skoda
- November 2009 - Townobile Electric City Transit System
- December 2009 - Canberra Christmas Tree
2008
- To Current Find of the Month
- June 2008 - Conservation of the 1927 Rates Book
- November 2008 - Amorial Bearings of the City of Canberra
- December 2008 - Ethos
ArchivesACT Quandary
- The Duntroon Photo Album 1917-1920
- The 7" Single '750 mls' & 'Lost for Words'
- The Photograph of the 1930 Canberra Advisory Council