The collection is composed of material created and amassed by Percy and Renate Cochrane, public servants who lived and worked in Papua New Guinea [PNG] from 1949 to 1966. The collection is a comprehensive document of Papua New Guinean cultural life, the work of the Territory Administration and the Catholic Missions in PNG and comprises the Cochranes' work for the Administration along with photographs; colour transparencies; publications; radio scripts; oral histories; filmscripts; periodicals; government publications and reports; physical articles such as musical instruments; musical recordings and district files. The Archives hold a detailed inventory of the collection.