There are several helpful ways to search for images on the Internet, including two fairly recent Australian options - Picture Australia and Picture Queensland. In addition to these, is the ever-trusty Google search engine. You can search for just about anything including people, places, events, landmarks, and much more. I am sure that it will not just be students interested in these sites.

Be aware that in all three sites mentioned copyright of the images will most likely exist. However, generally, permission for use of the images is automatically granted to those using the images for research or study purposes, eg, students.

Picture Australia - http://www.pictureaustralia.gov.au
You are able to search through the online image collections of a variety of sources including various State and public libraries, government departments, museums, memorials, universities and more. The collection is managed by the National Library of Australia and contains approximately 630, 000 images. The collection is obviously focused on Australiana and depending upon what you are looking for, you may see artworks, photographs, pictures of objects, and black and white or colour images.

The Picture Australia web site has also helpfully included several Trails that you can follow to be shown the highlights of the collection on particular topics. Follow Trails on travel, Indigenous Australia, places, sport, the environment, and more.

Picture Queensland - http://www.pictureqld.slq.qld.gov.au
This is a service from the State Library of Queensland to provide access to the photographic record of Queensland. These images are held by the John Oxley Library (the part of the State Library devoted to Queensland history) and have been digitised and made available to the public from this web site.

You will find images relevant to Queensland people and places both past and present. When the Picture Queensland site was launched on 2 June 2003 it contained 6000 images. Of course this figure will grow as more images are digitised.

To find an image, search for the image directly by typing in a keyword or keywords. Alternatively, you are able to browse selected images from popularly requested topics.

Google Image Searching - http://images.google.com
Aside from the two great options mentioned previously, you are also able to utilise the Google search engine to search for images, Australian or otherwise. Just be aware that although the search is automatically filtered for adult content Google does not make a 100% guarantee. Ensure you are searching Google's image archives by making sure that the word "Images" above the search box is highlighted.

At present Google has over 425 million images available. It is a great way to search for images of Bundaberg, pictures of sunsets, famous people, and so on. For more information about Google's image search facility, click on the "Image Search Help" link located at the left-hand side of the search box.