Finding Information Online

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Here is a compilation of additional free online websites to keep busy minds active and engaged.

Click on each category to expand and discover these resources.

Books and reading

Fantastic Fiction

Information on over 200,000 books and bibliographies of over 10,000 authors.

 

Gnooks

Search your favourite author and discover thousands of others.

 

Good Reads

One of the world's largest sites for readers to help people find and share books they love.

 

Literature Map

Search your favourite author and create a map of similar authors.

 

What should I read next?

Enter a book you like to get book recommendations and suggestions for what to read next.

 

Which Book

Use whichbook's unique mood and emotion search to find great books with exactly the flavour you've asked for.

Business, community and consumer information

Better Health Channel

Online health and medical information that is quality assured, reliable, up-to-date, easy to understand, and locally relevant. Fully funded by the Victorian government.

 

Careers and employment

Australian Apprenticeship Pathways

Australian Apprenticeships Pathways provides information about apprenticeships and traineeships career pathways.

 

Career FAQs

Career FAQs offers an extensive range of online career resources including over 100 free sample resumes and matching cover letters; education and employment news, interview tips and advice.

 

Job Jumpstart

An Australian Government website providing employment planning support to young people. Tips and ideas about careers and jobs in the one spot. 

 

Job Outlook

A careers and labour market research information site to help you decide on your future career. Job Outlook provides data on employment characteristics, trends and prospects for around 350 individual occupations.

 

JobSearch

The JobSearch website is an ideal place to look for jobs, apply for jobs, search for apprenticeships and traineeships, and find your local employment services provider.

 

Myfuture

Myfuture is Australia's national online career information and exploration service that assists career planning, career pathways and work transitions.

 

MySkills

MySkills is the national directory of vocational education and training (VET) organisations and courses. It is a federal government initiative to enable consumers to search for, and compare, VET courses and training providers.

Online learning

Coursera

An education platform that partners with top universities and organizations worldwide to offer free online courses for anyone to take. Includes courses from the University of Melbourne, University of NSW and University of WA.

 

Ergo 

Explore Victoria's social, political & cultural development with original documents and images. These pages provide a glimpse of the variety of historical resources that you can find in the State Library's collections - both onsite & online. With learning support to develop research skills, study skills and essay writing skills.

 

Future Learn

Learn online with world-class universities and industry experts. Develop your career, learn a new skill, or pursue your hobbies with flexible online courses. Includes courses from Monash University and Deakin University.

 

GCFLearnFree.org

For more than a decade, the GCFLearnFree.org program has helped millions around the world learn the essential skills they need to live and work in the 21st century. From Microsoft Office and email to reading, math, and more, GCFLearnFree.org offers more than 180 topics, including more than 2,000 lessons, 800 videos, and 55 interactives and games, completely free.

 

Go Digi Learning Guides

Go Digi is a national digital literacy program with the goal of supporting more than 300,000 Australians to improve their digital skills. Learn about the Internet and all the things you can do online.

 

Hume U3A

U3A stands for University of the Third Age. A U3A is a university in the original sense of the word: a community of people devoted to learning. We are a volunteer co-operative of older people who share many educational, creative and leisure activities. Although it is called a "university", being in your Third Age is the only qualification needed to participate in our U3A. Members welcomed.

 

Tech Savvy Seniors

Live a life of continuous learning and realise your online potential with Tech Savvy Seniors.

 

Techboomers

Techboomers.com is a free educational website that teaches older adults and other inexperienced Internet users with basic computer skills about websites that can help improve their quality of life. Learn how to use popular and trusted websites and Internet-based applications.

Online references

Atlas of Living Australia

The Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) is a collaborative, digital, open infrastructure that pulls together Australian biodiversity data from multiple sources, making it accessible and reusable.

 

Law Handbook

Online A legal resource designed to help people access to the law. It covers all the day to day matters which affect people’s lives such as buying a house, neighborhood disputes, fines, social security, family law, drugs, and debt.

 

People Australia

People Australia is a quick reference service that searches the National Centre of Biography's websites Australian Dictionary of Biography, Obituaries Australia, Women Australia and Labour Australia.

 

Research Guides

Find books, pictures, maps, documents, newspapers and online tools and resources to help with your research.

 

The Conversation

The Conversation provides independent in-depth analysis, research, news and ideas from leading academics and researchers.

 

Trove

Online discovery experience focused on Australia and Australians with reliable information from Australia's memory institutions, for general interest, researching in the fields of the social sciences, literature, local history or family history, or for school assignments. Includes documents, newspapers, images, videos, maps and more.

Family history

CoraWeb

A website to help you research your family history in Australia and beyond. Includes websites, organised in categories, as well as help sheets. CoraWeb was established in 1997 and is internationally recognised. It attracts thousands of visitors each day.

 

Cyndi’s List

Links to genealogical research websites and databases on the Internet - a one stop shop. 

 

Family Search

Bring to life your family’s history by exploring the lives of those that came before you.

 

Our Public Records

A compilation of family record resources and information for more than 45 different countries in Europe.

Local history

Broadmeadows Historical Society

The Society has been in existence since 1975 and since then has managed to gather from a wide range of services a large assortment of photos depicting people and events covering the period from when we were a Roads Broad District (1858) then a Shire (1871), then the City of Broadmeadows (1956) and finally the City of Hume. You can support the society by becoming a member.

 

Hume Civic Collection

Hume City Council acknowledges the importance of its cultural heritage and maintains a growing collection of artworks and historical items that reflect the artistic, social and political aspirations of the local community. Within this, The George Evans Heritage Collection constitutes over 5000 items, including records, objects and photographs that focus on the history of the wider Sunbury and Bulla region.

Australian Heritage

An online blog with various articles discussing the heritage and history of Australia. 

 

Victorian Collections 

Victorian Collections is a digital archive where you can search thousands of items held by galleries, museums, libraries, archives, historical societies and cultural collections across the state of Victoria, Australia. Victorian Collections is also a free collection management system with training available for organisations to help catalogue, digitise and upload records

 

Ergo

Explore Victoria's social, political & cultural development with original documents and images. These pages provide a glimpse of the variety of historical resources that you can find in the State Library's collections - both onsite & online. With learning support to develop research skills, study skills and essay writing skills.

 

Picture Victoria 

This project aims to increase the accessibility of the local history collections held by Victorian public libraries, in particular through the development of a digitisation strategy. This site provides a single portal for access to pictorial and photographic collections held in Victoria's Public Libraries. This site aims to complement existing portals such as the State Library of Victoria's Picture Collection

 

Public Records Office of Victoria

The archives of the State Government of Victoria holding around 100kms of records dating from 1830s right up to the present day. This collection includes records of immigration and shipping, criminal trials and prisons, premiers and governors, royal commissions, boards of inquiry, wills and probates and much more. These records hold stories of the key events and decisions that have shaped the history of the State of Victoria.

 

National Archives of Australia

The National Archives of Australia holds the memory of our nation and keeps vital Australian Government records safe. This allows everyone to access evidence of government decisions and actions, making them transparent and accountable. Their records connect you with the stories and people that define our past, shape our future and help safeguard our democracy.

 

Trove

Online discovery experience focused on Australia and Australians with reliable information from Australia's memory institutions, for general interest, researching in the fields of the social sciences, literature, local history or family history, or for school assignments. Includes documents, newspapers, images, videos, maps and more.

 

The State Library of Victoria Genealogy Centre

This collection brings together key Australian and international materials relating to genealogy. It is the starting point for all genealogical research at the State Library of Victoria, providing the means to locate individuals - from all levels of society - in a particular place, at a particular time.

Homework help

Khan Academy

Free online learning for anyone, anywhere. Select from an extensive library of content, including interactive challenges, assessments, and videos. Covers maths from Grade 3, science, economics, finance and history.


Spark Notes

Free online study guides for students.