As 2011 draws to a close, and 2012 is only a few weeks away, the Unlock the Past team are needing to finalise the content that will be in the next edition of their “History and Genealogy 2012″ Handbook. December 15th is the cut-off date for articles to be submitted, while December 31st is the final date for adverts and vouchers, and any Directory updates.

If you have a passion for history and/or genealogy in Australia or New Zealand, grab a copy of Inside History Magazine Issue 7 (Nov-Dec 2011). This is a magazine you will read from cover-to-cover. With articles such as preservation, cemetery flowers, apps, key events in history, and Maria Island as a start …

For a highlight this week we’ve chosen to highlight a book that has just been released, which tells the story of the men and women from Kapunda, South Australia who volunteered for the Australian Army in World War I. ‘Storm’ is very timely with Remembrance Day later this week.

Let me tell you, spending 8 hours in a vehicle driving back from Geelong (Victoria) to Adelaide (South Australia), is the perfect time to catch up on reading. And at last week’s Unlock The Past Victorian Expo I was so excited to see Issue 6 of the Inside History Magazine available, hot off the press, and even before it’s made it to the shops.

Highlights from our New South Wales Genealogy & History range of books, maps, CDs & Scrapbooking. Remember our great heritage with these.

‘Shipping Arrivals and Departures South Australia 1627-1850′ is a guide for genealogists and maritime historians wanting to know more about the movement of vessels. Covering the period 1627 -1850 it lists the arrivals and departures of ships of all kinds – explorers, sealers, whale ships, intercolonial and overseas traders, emigrant ships, naval ships, pleasure boats, fishing boats …

If you are an individual, society, archive, library, or an organisation interested in either history or genealogy, you will want this “History and Genealogy 2011″ in your collection. This is not a HOW-TO book, but rather a collection of articles on a whole range of topics relating to Australia and New Zealand history and genealogy.

Did your family arrive in New South Wales in the early 1800s? Have you looked for them on the Census? This really is an important record for anyone who had family in New South Wales in 1828 or earlier, as this is the ONLY surviving census for New South Wales. It is not widely known that the original ‘household returns’ survive for a quarter of the population in the New South Wales 1828 census.

Into Australian history or Australian genealogy? If you answered Yes, to either of those, you should be reading this magazine. The July-August edition (issue 5) of this bi-monthly magazine has just been released. In it you’ll find the following: articles about dating old photos, tips for tracing Chinese ancestors, Friendly Societies, and as our Australian Census is coming up in August, a Census special.

Society journals are a fabulous source of historical information. Not only do they have articles on family histories, and local history, but also photographs, book reviews, shipping lists, cemetery records, news about the Society, as members interest lists and so much more. Archive Digital Books Australasia have digitised a number of journals from Australian Genealogy and Historical Societies …

Published in 1943 during WWII, the ‘Australian Soldiers’ Pocket Book’ this pocket-sized, and designed to be carried everywhere, it provided Australian soldiers with a wide range of useful information. Arabic and Japanese words, first aid for gas injuries, signaling, conduct overseas …

Highlights from our Victorian Genealogy & History range of books, maps, CDs & Scrapbooking. Remember our great heritage with these.

It’s been a busy time recently for Unlock the Past, and their publications list continues to grow. This month we’ve already seen the release of three new titles added to the Unlock the Past range … Scottish, German and Australian military are all covered.