[2] The importance of British records in documenting the history and development of Australia was recognised by historians in the late nineteenth century.
[3] The Historical Records of New South Wales (HRNSW) came about because most of the sources of Australian history after settlement, its maritime exploration and colonisation were located in the United Kingdom.
[4] The volumes include relevant information from official documents from the time of James Cook, Philip Gidley King, Major Grose and Captain Paterson, John Hunter, William Bligh and Lachlan Macquarie.
James Bonwick began transcribing Australian documents in 1887 and with funding from colonial governments, persevered with this work for 17 years.
[5] These transcripts and publications had great value for researchers, students and general readers who had no chance of seeing the original documents in Britain.