We have observed the immediate vicinity of the Galactic Centre at optical and infrared wavelengths, and present images at 1.0, 1.2 and 2.2 µm. We also give a detailed map of the Brackett γ emission in the region, and some measurements of the CO absorption at 2.3 µm. By relating all positional measurements to the Perth catalogue, we locate the optical, infrared and radio data to a relative accuracy of 0.4 arcsec. The following results emerge: (1) The infrared source IRS 16 is resolved into three components, roughly aligned along the Galactic plane. The outer two components are H II regions, probably excited by embedded hot stars, although they lack cool dust. The third component, IRS 16 centre, has the greatest concentration of late-type stars, and is probably the dynamical nucleus of the Galaxy. (2) The non-thermal radio source in Sgr A west can probably be identified with IRS 16 centre. (3) We see no Bγ emission association with IRS 16 centre; we argue that this is due to a paucity of gas there. If the non-thermal radio source lies here and is a black hole accreting gas to provide the X-ray energy, it can be fed by mass loss from the giant stars in its immediate vicinity, but the resulting Bγ emission would lie below our detection threshold. (4) The infrared source IRS 1 is resolved into two components. The western of these is an H II region and is much the redder of the two. Bγ emission is also seen in IRS 13. (5) The faint sources recently detected at 0.9 µm CCD images of the region are continuum objects, and are much less reddened than the infrared sources associated with the Galactic Centre. They are thus presumably foreground objects. On a CCD image at 1.0 µm we may have detected IRS 7 and one of the components of IRS 16.