1964 in Australia
The following lists events that happened during 1964 in Australia.
| 1964 in Australia | |
|---|---|
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor-General | Viscount De L'Isle |
| Prime minister | Sir Robert Menzies |
| Australian of the Year | Dawn Fraser |
| Elections | TAS, VIC, Half-Senate |
| |||||
| Decades: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| See also: | |||||
Incumbents[edit]
- Monarch – Elizabeth II
- Governor-General – Viscount De L'Isle
- Prime Minister – Sir Robert Menzies
- Chief Justice – Sir Owen Dixon (until 13 April), then Sir Garfield Barwick
State and territory leaders[edit]
- Premier of New South Wales – Bob Heffron (until 30 April), then Jack Renshaw
- Premier of Queensland – Frank Nicklin
- Premier of South Australia – Sir Thomas Playford IV
- Premier of Tasmania – Eric Reece
- Premier of Victoria – Henry Bolte
- Premier of Western Australia – David Brand
Governors and administrators[edit]
- Governor of New South Wales – Lieutenant General Sir Eric Woodward
- Governor of Queensland – Colonel Sir Henry Abel Smith
- Governor of South Australia – Lieutenant General Sir Edric Bastyan
- Governor of Tasmania – General Sir Charles Gairdner
- Governor of Victoria – Major General Sir Rohan Delacombe
- Governor of Western Australia – Major General Sir Douglas Kendrew
- Administrator of Nauru – Reginald Leydin
- Administrator of Norfolk Island – Robert Wordsworth, then Roger Nott
- Administrator of the Northern Territory – Roger Nott (until 1 October), then Roger Dean
- Administrator of Papua and New Guinea – Sir Donald Cleland
Events[edit]
- 29 January – The Royal Australian Air Force takes delivery of its first two Mirage fighter jets
- 3 February – The first double-decker carriages begin trial runs on the Sydney rail network
- 4 February – Cyclone Dora strikes north west Queensland
- 10 February – Melbourne–Voyager collision: The aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne and the destroyer HMAS Voyager collide, with the loss of 82 lives
- March – There is a split in the Communist Party of Australia and the Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist) is formed
- April – The Menzies government refuses to ratify the International Labour Organization convention on equal pay for women.
- April – The editors of Sydney satirical Oz magazine – Richard Neville, Richard Walsh and Martin Sharp – are charged with printing an obscene publication
- 8 April – The 191 miles (307 km) Moonie oil pipeline to Lytton Oil Refinery opens
- 24 April – Melbourne woman Judy Hanrahan becomes the first female teller appointed by the Bank of NSW since World War II
- 27 April — Sir Garfield Barwick resigns as Minister for External Affairs to take up his appointment as the new Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia
- 29 April — Lake Burley Griffin reaches filled maximum level for the first time.
- June – Macquarie University founded
- 12–30 June – The Beatles' 1964 world tour in Australia and New Zealand.
- 6 July – Warrant Officer Class 2, Kevin Conway of the Australian Army Training Team died; he was Australia's first Vietnam War battle casualty.
- 15 July – The first edition of The Australian is published in Canberra, Australia's first national daily newspaper, published by Rupert Murdoch's News Limited.
- 17 July – Donald Campbell sets new land speed record of 429 miles per hour in his jet-propelled car "Bluebird" at Lake Eyre, South Australia
- August – The Tasman Bridge across the Derwent River opens in Hobart.
- 17 October — Prime Minister Robert Menzies inaugurates Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra.[1]
- 26 October – Notorious Perth serial killer Eric Edgar Cooke is executed at Fremantle Prison; he is the last person to be hanged in Western Australia.
- 10 November – Prime Minister Robert Menzies announces the reintroduction of National Service.
- 10 December – The Queensland government declares a state of emergency in an attempt to end the Mount Isa Mines dispute
- 16 December – Melbourne's La Trobe University is founded
- 31 December – Donald Campbell sets new water speed record of 276 miles per hour at Dumbleyung Lake, Western Australia
- The Beatles tour Australia
- Sir Percy Spender is appointed President of the International Court of Justice
- Swimmer Dawn Fraser is named Australian of the Year
Science and technology[edit]
- 2 October – Gladesville Bridge opened – the world's longest concrete arch at the time.
Arts and literature[edit]
- Donald Horne's The Lucky Country published.
- Kath Walker's We Are Going published.
- My Brother Jack by George Johnston is awarded the Miles Franklin Literary Award.[2]
Television[edit]
- The launch of ATV-0 marks the birth of the third commercial television network, now known as Network Ten
- Singer Johnny Chester hosts a new ABC TV show called Teen Scene, which also features his backing group The Chessmen as the house band.
- 20 October – Police drama Homicide begins a 12-year run and sets the pace for Australian television drama.
- 11 November – The Mavis Bramston Show premieres on HSV 7 in Melbourne.
Sport[edit]
- 17 May Bernard "Midget" Farrelly wins the first World Surfboard Championship at Manly Beach
- 18 July – Robert Vagg wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:24:06.2 in Sydney.
- Polo Prince wins the Melbourne Cup
- South Australia wins the Sheffield Shield
- Freya wins the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
- Australia places 8th in the 1964 Olympic Games with 6 gold medals
- St. George win the 1964 NSWRFL season Grand Final, winning their ninth straight premiership after defeating Balmain 11–6. Canterbury-Bankstown finish in last position, claiming the wooden spoon.
- Melbourne Football Club wins the Victorian Football League Grand Final
Births[edit]
- 15 January – Scott Emerson, politician
- 16 January – Chris Dittmar, squash player
- 25 January – Mark McPhee, cricketer (died 1999)
- 25 February – Dale Last, politician
- 3 March – Sandy Bolton, politician
- 4 March – Karen Knowles, entertainer
- 13 March
- Stephen Bennett, politician
- Trevor Gillmeister, rugby league player
- 26 March – Martin Bella, rugby league player
- 8 April – Michael Caltabiano, politician
- 15 April – Lee Kernaghan, country singer/songwriter
- 19 April – Peter Jackson (died 1997), Australian rugby league footballer
- 30 April – Ian Healy, cricket player and commentator
- 2 May – John Hathaway, politician
- 19 May – Peter Jackson, rugby league player (died 1997)
- 28 May – Jeff Fenech, boxer and trainer
- 3 June – Matthew Ryan, equestrian
- 7 June – Gia Carides, actress
- 9 June – Jane Kennedy, actress and comedian
- 11 June – Carl Barron, comedian
- 22 June – Tom Crebbin, Australian rules footballer
- 23 June – Tara Morice, actress, singer, and dancer
- 1 July – Clayton Lamb, Australian rules footballer
- 4 July – Martin Flood, quiz show winner
- 13 July – Leanne Benjamin, ballet dancer
- 3 August – Michael Healy, politician
- 4 August – Andrew Bartlett, politician
- 5 August – Dale Shuttleworth, politician
- 10 August – Andy Caldecott, motorcycle racer (died 2006)
- 14 August – Jason Dunstall, Australian Rules football player
- 19 August – Dermott Brereton, Australian Rules football player
- 5 September – Frank Farina, soccer player and manager
- 11 September – Kathy Watt, cyclist
- 16 September – Chris Franklin, comedian
- 27 October – Mark Taylor, cricket player and commentator
- 28 October – Darius Perkins, actor (died 2019)
- 29 October – Eddie McGuire, businessman and television presenter
- 29 October – Jackie Pereira, field hockey striker
- 9 November – Mark Dalton, basketball player
- 19 November – Peter Rohde, footballer (Carlton F.C.)
- 23 November – Marilyn Kidd, rower[3]
- 9 December – Larry Emdur, television presenter
- 16 December
- Georgie Parker, actress
- Gabrielle Upton, politician
- 22 December – Sam Cox, politician
Deaths[edit]
- 15 January – Harry Sunderland, rugby league administrator (born 1889)
- 23 January – Claude Hulbert, British actor (born 1900)
- 12 February – Arthur Upfield, author (born 1890)
- 27 February – Orry-Kelly, costume designer (born 1897)
- 18 April – Wilfred Mibus, Victorian politician (born 1900)
- 19 October – Nettie Palmer, author (born 1885)
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "The 'inauguration' of Lake Burley Griffin, 17 October 1964, speech recording of Robert Menzies". abc.net.au. 18 February 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ "My Brother Jack: A Novel – novel". austlit.edu.au. AustLit. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- ^ "Marilyn KIDD". worldrowing.com. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
