This is a series of folders containing drawings, both original tracings and sets of contract drawings relating to construction works undertaken for Commonwealth agencies as well as early drawings prepared by the Colonial Architect's office and the Department of Public Works of the Colony of Victoria.

A vast range of works are covered by these drawings which include: defence installations, customs houses, post offices, telephone exchanges, aerodromes, hospitals, lighthouse stations, migrant hostels, explosives factories, banks, wireless stations, small arms ammunition factories, CSIRO laboratories, hangars, drill halls and gunnery ranges etc.

The original tracings in the folders are mainly architectural, and it is believed that the series was originally intended only for architectural tracings. Some of the plans are beautifully detailed and in water colour.

When contract sets of drawings were returned to the plan room they were placed in the folder for works carried out at that site.

Occasionally engineering drawings have been placed in the folders, but these are thought to have been added later, after the original registration system and original arrangement had been forgotten.

After c.1948 original architectural tracings were held in registration order by plan size, however, sets of contract drawings continued to be placed in the folders on a regular basis until c.1965. Attempts were made to group plans by client departments. Consequently, as the number of plans relating to works undertaken for a client grew, there was a need to relocate plans. This led to the re-numbering of folders and drawings as they were moved from drawer to drawer.

Not all the items in this series are originals or tracings of architectural drawings. Other items include: either blue, brown or black reproductions; contour maps; parish maps; site maps and charts of calulations or survey measurements. Some drawings are stamped on the back with 'original'. The folders were numbered by their position within the drawer of the plan cabinet in which they were placed and the drawers in turn were numbered from drawer 1 to drawer 322. This numbering system has remained the system of arrangement. The folders are titled with the project heading and the drawer and folder number. The drawer and folder number appear on most of the drawings in various ways, including: stamped in purple ink, stamped in black ink, handwritten in red or blue pencil. Generally, plan numbers appear in the bottom right-hand corner, the folder number below the drawer number. Sometimes a unique plan number is added below the folder number. This plan number in some cases correspondences with the entry on the nominal index cards (CRS B3739).

Some drawings have a panel usually in the bottom right hand corner recording a selection of the following details: plan title or description; scales; sheet number; plan number; drawn by; drawer; section; date; traced; checker; passed and approved etc.

As the contents of this series extend over a wide span of time and given that the draughting techniques and material used over this time developed, this series contains various, material including types of tracing paper, drawing paper and drawing paper with a fabric, possibly linen, backing.

Some of the drawings were transferred to Archives in their original arrangement as registered and many, were also photographed or microfilmed prior to transfer. The half-plate negatives (CRS B2588 [Subject to further research]) and aperture cards (CRS B2619 [Subject to further research]) are held in the original drawing registration system order. B3739, Name index cards to architectural (including foreign) drawings and specifications, record the site names of the drawings in this series.

The plans in archival custody are extant from drawer 1 folder 10 (1/10) to drawer 322 folder 1 part 3 (322/1 pt3), however an entry on the index cards was found for drawer 493. In June 1995 the decision was made that the whole series was open for public access but some conservation conditions apply to use of the plans. There is an intercept code for these items as special handling is required.

Quantity in agency custody

?m :held by CA3531, Department of Housing and Construction III Regional Administration, Victorian Division, as at 1983