Australia Maps Available from Ball State University Libraries

Maps in the News: Queensland, Australia

Widespread flooding in Queensland and parts of New South Wales has put Australia in the world news. The map of Queensland (above) shows the areas near the city of Rockhampton and the Fitzroy River and Burnett River where some of the flooding has occurred. Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library has a large collection of maps of Australia for researchers or others interested in the country.

The collection includes hundreds of topographic and thematic maps of the nation as a whole. Topographic maps of Australia include sets at scales of 1 to 50,000; 100,000; and 250,000. The GRMC also has ortho-photo topographic maps and aerial photography of New South Wales from as recent as 2002. A complete set of aerial photography of South Australia is also available. These maps were used by Ball State students studying at the Australia Center for the completion of class projects.

Thematic maps, including land-use maps, tourist and travel maps, and soils and vegetation maps are available for all the states and territories of Australia: Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Tasmania, Queensland, Victoria, and the Northern Territory. There is also a large collection of Australia city maps, including architecture guides and city plans. The GRMC also has a set of maps called the Atlas of Australian Resources, which includes maps of mineral deposits, drainage systems, rainfall, temperatures, population density, health services, underground water, forest resources, sheep and wool, and power and fuel.

The maps of Australia have not been cataloged and will not appear in the University Libraries’ CardCat system, so please contact or visit the GRMC to see the complete collection of maps. These maps can be circulated for two weeks or longer.

The GRMC is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 5:00, and the phone number is 765-285-1097.