About 350 photographs, including glass negatives, and a small number of pencil sketches, majority depicting paddle steamers sailing or moored on the Murray or Darling rivers.

Around 830 books mainly relating to Buddhism, but also to Hinduism, Indian history and Western philosophy, in German, French and English and mostly published 1870–1945.

About 15,000 books and pamphlets. The great strength of the collection is in Pacific voyages and early Australiana with many very rare items. Also manuscripts including papers of Joseph Banks, maps and pictures.

80 oral history interviews with musicians, dancers and others, and recordings of songs and performances, as well as sheet music, imprints and personal papers.

Oral history interviews with people involved in all aspects of forest and around photographs depicting various aspects of forests and forestry work.

About 1225 books published in France from the 17th-20th centuries, including the writings of great, popular and minor writers.

14,000 books and pamphlets about numerous subjects such as Australian poetry and literary criticism, English and Scottish poetry, Greek and Roman literature, Australian history, labour history and religion. Also includes personal papers of Pearce and other Australian writers.

Recordings of the music of various language, nationality or region-based communities in Melbourne, 1975-1983, plus oral history interviews with people who lived in the Illawarra region from the 1920s to 1990s,  people involved with the 1989 Newcastle earthquake.

Personal papers including correspondence, manuscripts of books, newspaper articles, lectures and material concerning writers, artists and literary organisations as well as about 2500 books published 1900–60, many inscribed by the authors. 

About 1300 pamphlets and tracts published in Britain between 1829 and 1882.