New South Wales & ACT
United Grand Lodge of NSW & ACT
The sovereign Craft authority for New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, with local Lodge and joining directories.
Visit the official site ↗Country guide / Australia
One country.
Six jurisdictions.
Australian Craft Freemasonry is organised state by state. Six sovereign Grand Lodges govern local Lodges, while routes beyond the Craft differ across their jurisdictions.
01 / Start with geography
Think state
by state.
Australia has six principal regular Craft Grand Lodges. New South Wales also covers the Australian Capital Territory, while South Australia also covers the Northern Territory.
The rule to remember
Join and verify recognition through the Grand Lodge responsible for the state or territory where the Lodge meets. There is no single national Craft authority.
02 / Connection map
Explore Australia's jurisdictional pathways
Australian Freemasonry is organised mainly by state and territory. This chart separates Craft jurisdictions from optional routes available locally.
Foundation or authorityOrder, route or jurisdictionChristian qualification
Educational overview only. Recognition, eligibility and progression vary by jurisdiction. Always confirm current requirements with the relevant official body.
Visual orientation
State by state,
State by state,
then beyond.
Australian Masonic routes often begin with state Craft jurisdictions, then branch into Mark, Royal Arch, Scottish Rite and chivalric bodies whose details vary locally.
03 / The Craft jurisdictions
Six sovereign
Grand Lodges.
Each body governs its own constituent Lodges, joining process, ritual practice and recognition relationships.
Queensland
United Grand Lodge of Queensland
Governs nearly 300 Lodges across Queensland and presents Freemasonry as a tradition of self-improvement and service.
Visit the official site ↗
South Australia & NT
Grand Lodge of South Australia & Northern Territory
Governs constituent Lodges across South Australia and the Northern Territory and provides a direct membership enquiry route.
Visit the official site ↗
Tasmania
Grand Lodge of Tasmania
The Tasmanian Craft jurisdiction, founded in 1890, with public information, a Lodge finder and membership guidance.
Visit the official site ↗
Victoria
United Grand Lodge of Victoria
Freemasons Victoria is the representative and administrative body for regular recognised Craft Freemasonry in Victoria.
Visit the official site ↗
Western Australia
Grand Lodge of Western Australia
The principal Western Australian Craft jurisdiction, with public information about its Lodges, community work and joining route.
Visit the official site ↗04 / Beyond the Craft
Familiar names.
Local systems.
Australia has Royal Arch, Mark, chivalric and higher-degree traditions, but their administration and prerequisites are not identical in every state.
Mark & Royal Arch
Royal Arch and Mark Masonry are prominent throughout Australia, but the sequence and governing body differ by jurisdiction. Start with your state Grand Chapter or recognised directory.
NSW & ACT example ↗Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite
The Supreme Council for Australia describes the Rite as a national Masonic body, offering a system of instruction in philosophy, ethics, morality, logic and rhetoric.
Visit the Supreme Council ↗Knights Templar & Malta
Templar and Malta bodies operate through state or regional Great Priories. Christian profession and other prerequisites depend on the governing jurisdiction.
NSW & ACT example ↗05 / What changes by state
Shared roots.
Different routes.
Craft authority
Your state Grand Lodge controls Craft membership, Lodges and recognition in its jurisdiction.
Mark sequence
The place of the Mark degree within the route to Royal Arch varies across Australia.
Joining rules
Residence, waiting periods, good-standing requirements and enquiries are set locally.
Wider bodies
Some orders are national; many others retain state-based or constitution-specific authorities.
06 / Taking a first step
Find your
jurisdiction.
- 01Start with your state or territory
Use the appropriate Grand Lodge above rather than a generic national enquiry.
- 02Find a recognised local Lodge
Use the Grand Lodge's own Lodge finder or membership contact route.
- 03Meet locally
Expect informal conversations and local eligibility checks before any formal petition.
- 04Verify every further order
Ask your Lodge or the relevant governing body which pathway and prerequisites apply in your state.
Detailed resources
Explore every
order and body.
Each guide contains more than 1,000 words covering history, eligibility, structure, meetings, costs, identity, misconceptions and official sources.
Craft jurisdictionFreemasonry in New South Wales and the ACT
The sovereign Craft jurisdiction governed by the United Grand Lodge of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
Read the complete guide →Craft jurisdictionFreemasonry in Queensland
The state Craft jurisdiction governed by the United Grand Lodge of Queensland.
Read the complete guide →Craft jurisdictionFreemasonry in South Australia and the Northern Territory
The Craft jurisdiction serving South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Read the complete guide →Craft jurisdictionFreemasonry in Tasmania
The sovereign Tasmanian Craft jurisdiction, governed by the Grand Lodge of Tasmania.
Read the complete guide →Craft jurisdictionFreemasonry in Victoria
The Victorian Craft jurisdiction represented by Freemasons Victoria.
Read the complete guide →Craft jurisdictionFreemasonry in Western Australia
The sovereign Craft jurisdiction governed by the Grand Lodge of Western Australia.
Read the complete guide →MM / RAState-governed further-degree systemsMark and Royal Arch Masonry in Australia
A guide to Australia’s state-governed Mark and Royal Arch systems, using Queensland as a documented example rather than implying one federal authority.
Read the complete guide →
Parallel Supreme Council constitutionsAncient and Accepted Scottish Rite in Australia
A guide to the sovereign Australian Supreme Council and the continuing Scottish Constitution presence in Australia.
Read the complete guide →
State-governed Christian chivalric routesKnights Templar and Malta in Australia
A guide to Masonic Templary under Australia’s state Great Priories, with NSW & ACT and Queensland treated as distinct authorities.
Read the complete guide →07 / Verified starting points
Official Australian
sources.
01Freemasons NSW & ACTCraft authority and Lodge finder ↗
02Freemasons QueenslandUnited Grand Lodge of Queensland ↗
03Freemasons SA & NTGrand Lodge and joining guidance ↗
04Freemasons TasmaniaGrand Lodge and Lodge finder ↗
05Freemasons VictoriaUnited Grand Lodge of Victoria ↗
06Freemasons Western AustraliaGrand Lodge and public information ↗
07Scottish Rite for AustraliaNational Supreme Council ↗
08Royal Arch QueenslandExample of a state-based system ↗