Hello,

My grandmother - Hazel Victoria WOODHOUSE - was adopted at a very young age by William Campbell WOODHOUSE and Jessie (nee DUTNEY), and grew up in Maryborough, QLD.

She passed away a little over 2 years ago. On her death certificate her birthplace is given as Brisbane. We were always told that she was born on 29 October 1923, and I have no reason to doubt this. There is a rumour that her birth name was McDONALD but I have no proof of that.

I guess I have a couple of basic questions to get me started:

1 - Can I, as a granddaughter, get a copy of her birth certificate? How do I do this if I am not in Australia? (I am an Australian, though, if that makes any difference.)

2 - Assuming, as I have heard, that her birth certificate lists her adoptive parents, what other records are available to me?

3 - Where else can I look?

Sorry if these are silly questions, I just thought a couple of good tips might save me a whole lot of floundering.

Cheers, and thanks very much in advance to anyone who might be able to give me some pointers.