This week marks History Week (3-11 September), an annual state-wide celebration of History organised by the History Council of NSW. Our Northern Beaches Local and Family History team are excited to showcase how we as a community can engage with our shared stories, past and present, to enrich our knowledge and understanding of our local surroundings. The theme for this year is Hands-On History, and what better way to get hands-on with history than History Hub, our most accessible service for the community to view, comment and share stories online of where we have come from and where we are going.

Hands-On History Hub

In 2019, Northern Beaches Libraries launched History Hub. For the first time the digitised historical collections from the former Councils of Manly, Warringah and Pittwater were accessible to the public on one website. The community is now able to explore over:

• 20,000 images
• 5000 fact sheets
• 200 oral histories and much more.

In total there are over 28,000 unique items that capture stories past and present of the Northern Beaches community and environment.

All items are free to download for private and research purposes, and if you join as a member by simply registering your email, you can curate your own collections and interact directly with the Local History team. So far, the site has had over a million page views from over 98 countries, showcasing how the Northern Beaches truly has an international profile.

How can I contribute?

Have you recognised a person on History Hub and have knowledge that you would like to share with the community about an image or publication? Your input is essential for us to collect valuable information for future generations to discover.

All items on History Hub have a suggested edit feature next to its display, enabling the public to add any extra details for the team to review and enhance the items meaning, or correct possible errors.

If you have materials relating to the history of Northern Beaches which you would like to share with the community please contact the team at localhistory@northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au

The community will soon be able to add their own digital photos to History Hub for assessment. This exciting new feature will allow the public to share memories from the past and present whilst helping us preserve Northern Beaches stories for future generations.

This article was created by Northern Beaches Council Library Local Studies: For enquiries, please contact your Local History Team today and get your Hands-On History!