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Page Last Updated:
Wednesday, 19 October 2011 |
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Home>Records & Archives>Rate Books Online
| To minimise handling and in order to make these records accessible, the original volumes have been microfilmed (for preservation purposes) and digitised (for accessibility). The volumes have not been indexed and it may take some time to locate the information that you are after.
Although the original records have been transferred to the custody of the Public Record Office Victoria (PROV), a complete digital set of the books are available for access at the Historical Societies within the Shire: Boort Historical Society, East Loddon & District Historical Society, Inglewood District Historical Society, Korong Historical Society, Pyramid Hill & District Historical Society and Tarnagulla & District Historical Society. Their contact details are also available on our website.
What you will find in a Rate Book:
Rate Books typically list the owner’s full name, their occupation, the street address or location, a brief description of the dwelling, the rates to be paid (based on the property’s value), and sometimes the occupant’s name. The level of information provided varies from municipality to municipality. Estimates of Councils’ Receipts and Expenditure are often given.
How the Rate Books are generally arranged:
These records were created annually, and are often arranged by streets or locations within Council Wards and Ridings or alphabetically by surname of owner/occupier. In mostly rural areas it is generally the location that is listed eg Mitiamo or Calivil rather than a specific address.
Where street names are listed, they are sometimes arranged alphabetically, but more often than not they were arranged according to an established route taken by the Council’s Valuer. In the latter case, it is common for the entries for each property to be allocated a consecutive rate (or assessment) number which reflects the particular route taken. The rate numbers usually change each year due to the addition or removal of rateable properties along the route.
Format of the Rate Books:
The format of rate records has changed over the years. Initially the levying and payment of rates were recorded in volumes (known as Rate Books) until the introduction of cards (known as Rate Cards) from the 1930s. In the 1980's and 1990's automated systems have mostly been used. Printouts of the automated system are usually produced as the rate record (PROV catalogue, series description for rate records)
How to Use the Rate Books
1. Determine in which municipality or local government area your land or building was originally located, ie East Loddon, Gordon or Korong.
2. Search by either Owner’s name or location of the property. If you are uncertain as to the location of the land, it may be worthwhile searching the parish and township maps that are located on the Public Record Office Victoria website. There is a link to them under the Records and Archives heading.
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