This series consists of black and white aerial photographs of locations throughout Tasmania, along with other documentation relating to the arrangements for the aerial photography including flights plans and papers dealing with the subsequent preparation of the soil maps and charts.  The photographs were created by the Tasmanian Government Lands Department who sold subsequent copies to interested parties.  Staff of the CSIRO Division of Soils, Tasmanian Regional Centre, would trace sketches of terrain from these photographs to assist in the production of charts and maps depicting the result of soil studies in Tasmania.

As the records do not appear to have been imposed with a distinguishable system of arrangement and control, Australian Archives have arranged the records alphabetically by the name of the area depicted in each photograph.  

The Division of Soils operated continuously in Tasmania from the inception of the CSIRO Tasmanian Regional Laboratory in 1947 until the mid 1960's when the Tasmanian Regional Centre was closed and a majority of the records created sent to the Division of Soils in Adelaide.  Records considered to be of further use in Tasmania were held by Dr John Beattie who, following closure of the regional centre, continued to perform soil investigations in his new role at the University of Tasmania.  Dr Beattie continued to obtain photographs from the Lands Department in his new role and these are contained in the collection.