Timeline of Australian history

This is a timeline of Australian history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Australia and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of Australia. See also the list of Prime Ministers of Australia.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

16th century

Year	Date	Event
1521		Several writers have argued that Portuguese expeditions visited Australia at this time. However, historians generally disagree and the evidence remains contentious. (to 1522)

17th century

Year	Date	Event
1606	February/March	The Dutch East India Company (VOC) ship Duyfken, under Captain Willem Janszoon, explored the western coast of Cape York Peninsula. This was the first recorded landfall by a European on Australian soil.
	May	Pedro Fernandes de Queirós believed that he had found the southern continent. He named it La Austrialia del Espiritu Santo, in honor of Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain. He was actually in Vanuatu.
	August	Portuguese or Spanish seaman Luís Vaz de Torres sailed through the Torres Strait, between Australia and New Guinea, along the latter's southern coast. Torres reported 'shoals', some of which may have been the northernmost atolls of the Great Barrier Reef.
1616	25 October	Dutch captain Dirk Hartog in the Eendracht made the second recorded landfall by a European, at Dirk Hartog Island on the western coast of Australia. He left behind a commemorative plate, the Hartog Plate.
1618	July	VOC ship Mauritius under command of Supercargo Willem Janszoon, landed near North West Cape, and named Willem's River, later renamed Ashburton River.
1622	1 May	The English ship Tryall sighted Point Cloates on the west coast of Australia.
	25 May	The Tryall was wrecked on Tryal Rocks, northwest of the Montebello Islands, crew spent seven days ashore before sailing a longboat to Bantam in Java - this was the first recorded shipwreck in Australian waters and first extended stay in Australia by Europeans.
1623		Dutch captain Jan Carstensz navigated the Gulf of Carpentaria aboard the Pera and Arnhem. The Arnhem crossed the Gulf to reach and name Groote Eylandt.
1629	4 June	VOC ship Batavia wrecked on Houtman Abrolhos, off Geraldton. Mutiny ensued and at least 110 men, women and children were murdered. First European structure in Australia - Wiebbe Hayes Stone Fort on West Wallabi Island.
1642		Dutch explorer Abel Tasman explored the west coast of Tasmania, landed on its east coast and named the island Anthoonij van Diemenslandt.
1681		English navigator John Daniel on the New London charted the west coast of Australia, including Rottnest Island and the Wallabi Group of the Houtman Abrolhos.
1688		English explorer William Dampier explored the west coast of Australia.
1696		Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh charted the southwestern coast of Australia, making a landfall at Rottnest Island and the site of the present-day city of Perth.

18th century

Year	Date	Event
1770		English Lieutenant James Cook's expedition in HMS Endeavour charted the eastern coast, and claimed it for the British Crown. Australia was dubbed "terra nullius" i.e., according to the European legal precepts of the era, it was "owned" by no-one.
1787	13 May	The First Fleet of 11 ships, led by Governor Arthur Phillip, departed from Great Britain for Australia to begin European colonisation.
1788	3 January	Captain Arthur Phillip of the First Fleet, having decided to sail ahead of the rest of the fleet to prepare for the new settlement, sighted the coast of Van Diemen's Land.
	18 January	At 2:15 pm, the brig HMS Supply anchored on the northern side of Botany Bay. He began exploring the surrounding countryside and made contact with the Aboriginal Australians.
	19 January	In the morning, the transports Alexander, Friendship and Scarborough arrived at Botany Bay, watched by a large number of Indigenous Australians who gathered on Point Solander.
	20 January	The remaining seven ships of the First Fleet, led by HMS Sirius, anchored in Botany Bay.
	21 January	Deciding that Botany Bay was unsuitable for settlement, Captain Arthur Phillip set out with a party in three open boats to seek out another site. He later reported to Lord Sydney, British Secretary of State; "We got into Port Jackson early in the Afternoon, and had the satisfaction of finding the finest harbour in the world, in which a thousand Sail of the line may ride in the most perfect security." He selected a cove with a stream and named it Sydney Cove.
	24 January	The French ships Boussole and Astrolabe commanded by Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse appeared off Botany Bay.
	25 January	Captain Phillip sailed out of Botany Bay aboard the Supply and reached Sydney Cove in the evening.
	26 January	Early in the morning, Captain Phillip took a party ashore Sydney Cove, raised the British colours and British sovereignty over New South Wales was formally proclaimed. This day is now celebrated as Australia Day. In a ceremony at sunset Phillip and the officers drank to the health of the king and the royal family, and success to the new colony. In the meantime, La Perouse entered Botany Bay as the remaining British ships prepared to leave.
	27 January	Convicts disembarked at Sydney Cove and helped clear the ground.
	28 January	17 Wives of marines and 14 children disembarked from the Prince of Wales. They were the first women and children to land. The first of the livestock was brought ashore.
	3 February	Rev. Richard Johnson held the colony’s first religious service ‘on the grass’.
	6 February	The women convicts came ashore. There followed a ‘scene of debauchery and riot’, accompanied by a violent thunderstorm.
	7 February	The whole party assembled on the west side of Sydney Cove, where the deputy judge-advocate David Collins read the King’s commission establishing Phillip’s governorship over the colony and the letters patent establishing civil and criminal courts. Phillip addressed the convicts, wishing them ‘reformation, happiness, and prosperity, in this new country'.
	11 February	At the first criminal court, Samuel Barnsley was sentenced to 150 lashes for assault and Thomas Hill to confinement in irons on a small rocky island at the head of the cove for stealing bread.
	14 February	Lt. Philip Gidley King sailed with a party of 23 including 15 convicts, in the Supply to found a settlement on Norfolk Island, where native flax was to be harvested and others grown.
	17 February	Rev. Johnson celebrated holy communion for the first time in the colony, according to the rites of the church of England. The ritual took place in the tent of Lt. Ralph Clark. Lt. Henry Ball, commander of the Supply on its way to Norfolk Island, discovered an island that he named after Admiral Lord Howe.
	27 February	Thomas Barratt was hanged for stealing in stores, the first execution.
	29 February	James Freeman was pardoned for stealing flour, on the condition that he became public executioner.
	2 March	Phillip set out to explore Broken Bay. On this trip he discovered and named Pittwater.
	6 March	Lt. King took possession of Norfolk Island. British settlement founded.
	10 March	The two French ships left Botany Bay, and were later wrecked near Santa Cruz (Solomon Islands).
	March	Phillip issued the first government conservation order: that no trees should be cut down within 50 feet (15 metres) of the stream that ran into Sydney Cove.
	26 April	An exploring party led by Phillip sighted and named the Blue Mountains.
	6 May	Following an outbreak of scurvy, the Supply sailed for Lord Howe Island to catch turtle to supplement the settlement's meat supply. Having failed to catch any, it returned on 25 May.
	21 May	A convict was killed and another seriously injured by Aboriginal Peoples.
	30 May	The bodies of two rushcutters, William Okey and Samuel Davis, were found pierced with spears and beaten, evidently on reprisal for stealing a canoe belonging to Indigenous Australians. The next day Phillip led a party to apprehend the murderers, but he was unable to identify them.
	June	Owing to the neglect of the convict who was supposed to look after them, two bulls and four cows strayed from the settlement and were lost.
	5 July	In a despatch to the under-secretary of state, Evan Nepean, Phillip recorded the rations for marines and male convicts. For seven days each received 7 pounds of bread or in lieu thereof 7 pounds of flour, 7 pounds of beef or in lieu thereof pork, 3 pins of pease, 6 ounces of butter, 1 pound of flour or in lieu thereof 12 pounds of rice. The women received two-thirds of this amount and the children generally had one-third although some received as much as the women.
	20 August	Lt. William Bligh in HMS Bounty, en route to Tahiti, anchored at Adventure Bay, Van Diemen's Land. The party planted apple trees, fruit stones and various vegetables before departing on 4 September.
	28 September	Phillip decided to send the Sirius to Cape Town for urgently needed food supplies.
	September	The last remaining cow was killed.
	2 November	A party of marines with 10 convicts left to establish a farming settlement at Rose Hill (Later called Parramatta).
	19 November	The last two ships of the first fleet, Golden Grove and Fishburn, sailed for England with despatches and reports.
	11 December	Phillip set out to explore Botany Bay, where he examined the Cook's, George's and Woronora Rivers.
	31 December	Because the Aboriginal Australians could not be coaxed into the settlement, one named Arabanoo was captured and held in confinement. Phillip hoped to learn his language and so to promote good relations between Aboriginal Australians and Europeans.
1790	3–28 June	5 of 6 ships of the beleaguered Second Fleet arrived. The colony was gripped by a food crisis.
1791	9 July	The first ship of the Third Fleet arrived at Sydney Cove.
1792		Two French ships, Recherche and Espérance, anchor at Recherche Bay, near the southernmost point of Tasmania.
		Governor Philip returned to England, accompanied by Bennelong, who became the first Australian-born person to sail to Europe.
1797		Sydney Cove was wrecked and some survivors travelled from Bass Strait to Port Jackson allowing for the rescue of others. This also furthered knowledge of the geography of Australia.
1798		George Bass and Matthew Flinders sailed from Sydney and circumnavigated Tasmania, thus proving it to be an island. (to 1799)

19th century

Year	Date
1803		Matthew Flinders completed the first circumnavigation of the continent (still known as "New Holland")
1804		A settlement was founded at Risdon on the Derwent River in Van Diemen's Land by Lt. John Bowen.
	4–5 March	Castle Hill convict rebellion, also known as the second Battle of Vinegar Hill, occurred in New South Wales.
	20 February	The Risdon settlement was moved to Sullivan's Cove (now Hobart) by Colonel David Collins.
1808		The Rum Rebellion
1813		Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth crossed the Blue Mountains.
		Matthew Flinders referred to New South Wales by the name "Australia".
1817		John Oxley charts the Lachlan River
		Australia's first bank, the Bank of New South Wales, opened in Macquarie Place, Sydney. (The bank became Westpac in 1982).
		Governor Lachlan Macquarie petitioned the British Admiralty to use the name "Australia" instead of "New Holland"
1818		Oxley charted the Macquarie River.
1824		A penal colony was founded at Moreton Bay, now the city of Brisbane.
		Bathurst and Melville Islands were annexed.
		Permission was granted to change the name of the continent from "New Holland" to "Australia"
		The Hume and Hovell expedition travelled overland to Port Phillip Bay and discovered the Murray River (to 1825)
1825		The New South Wales western border was extended to 129° E. Van Diemen's Land was proclaimed.
1826	26 December	New South Wales established first settlement in Western Australia at King George Sound as a convict-supported military garrison, named Frederick Town but renamed Albany in 1832
1827	21 January	The whole of Australia was claimed as British territory when Major Edmund Lockyer formally annexed the western portion in a ceremony at King George Sound.
1829		Charles Sturt charted the Darling River.
	2 May	Captain Charles Fremantle took possession of the western side of New Holland for the British crown.
	12 August	The settlement of Perth was founded.
1830		Sturt arrived at Goolwa, having charted the Murray River.
1831	7 March	Administration of King George Sound passes to Swan River Colony, convicts returned to New South Wales.
	18 April	The Sydney Herald (later to become The Sydney Morning Herald) was first published.
1832		Swan River Colony had its name changed to Western Australia.
1833		The penal settlement of Port Arthur was founded in Van Diemen's Land.
1835	30 August	John Batman and John Pascoe Fawkner established a settlement at Port Phillip, now the city of Melbourne.
		William Wentworth established Australian Patriotic Association, Australia's first political party, to demand democracy for New South Wales.
1836	28 December	Province of South Australia proclaimed with its western border at 132° E.
1838		First Prussian settlers arrived in South Australia; the largest group of non-British migrants in Australia at the time.
1839		Paul Edmund Strzelecki became the first European to ascend and name Australia's highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko.
	9 September	HMS Beagle sailed into Darwin Harbour during its surveying of the area. John Clements Wickham named the area Port Darwin in honour of their former shipmate Charles Darwin. The settlement became the town of Palmerston in 1869 and was renamed Darwin in 1911.
1840		Australia's first municipal authority, the City of Adelaide, was established, followed by Sydney City Council.
1841	1 July	New Zealand was proclaimed as a separate colony, no longer part of New South Wales.
1842		Copper was discovered at Kapunda in South Australia.
1843		Australia's first parliamentary elections was held for the New South Wales Legislative Council (though voting rights are restricted to males of certain wealth or property).
1845	4 August	The ship Cataraqui was wrecked off King Island in Bass Strait. It is Australia's worst civil maritime disaster, with 406 lives lost.
		Copper was discovered at Burra in South Australia.
1849	1 June	Western Australia became a penal colony.
1850		Australian Colonies Government Act [1850] granted representative constitutions to New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. These colonies set about writing constitutions which produced democratically progressive parliaments.
	1 October	Australia's first university, the University of Sydney, was founded.
1851	1 July	Victoria separated from New South Wales.
		The Victorian gold rush started when gold was found at Summerhill Creek and Ballarat.
	15 December	Forest Creek Monster Meeting of miners at Chewton near Castlemaine
1852		Francis Cadell, in preparation for the launch of his steamer service, explored the Murray River in a canvas boat, travelling 1,300 miles (2,100 km) downstream from Swan Hill.
1853		First paddle steamers on Murray River on the spring flood. From South Australia, the Lady Augusta captained by Francis Cadell, reached Swan Hill while Mary Ann captained by William Randell, made it as far as Moama (near Echuca).
		Bendigo Petition and Red Ribbon Rebellion at Bendigo
1854	3 December	The Eureka Stockade
1855		The transportation of convicts to Norfolk Island ceased.
		All men over 21 years of age obtained the right to vote in South Australia.
1856	1 January	Van Diemen's Land name changed to Tasmania.
1857		Victorian Committee reported that a 'federal union' would be in the interests of all the growing colonies. However, there was not enough interest in or enthusiasm for taking positive steps towards bringing the colonies together.
		Victorian men achieved the right to vote.
1858		Sydney and Melbourne linked by electric telegraph.
		New South Wales men achieved the right to vote.
1859	6 August	SS Admella wrecked off south-east coast of South Australia with the loss of 89 lives.
		Australian rules football codified, Melbourne Football Club founded
	6 June	Queensland separated from New South Wales with its western border at 141° E.
1860		John McDouall Stuart reached the centre of the continent. The South Australian border changed from 132° E to 129° E.
1861		The ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition occurred.
		Skiing in Australia introduced by Norwegians in the Snowy Mountains goldrush town of Kiandra.
1862		Stuart reached Port Darwin, founding a settlement there. Queensland's western border was moved to 139° E.
1863		South Australia took control of the Northern Territory which was previously part of the colony of New South Wales.
1864		Great Fire of Brisbane
1867		Gold was discovered at Gympie, Queensland.
		Saint Mary MacKillop founded Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart.
1868		The transportation of convicts to Western Australia ceased.
1869		Children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent are removed from their families by Australian and State government agencies. This practice lasted 100 years and is known as the Stolen Generation.
1872	22 August	The Overland Telegraph Line linking Darwin and Adelaide opened.
1873		Uluru was first sighted by Europeans, and named Ayers Rock.
1875	24 February	SS Gothenburg strikes Old Reef off Bowen, North Queensland and sank with the loss of approximately 102 lives.
	September	Adelaide Steamship Company was formed.
1878		First horse-drawn trams in Australia commenced operations in Adelaide.
1879		The first congress of trade unions was held.
1880	11 November	The bushranger Ned Kelly was hanged.
		Parliamentarians in Victoria became the first in Australia to be paid for their work.
1882		First water-borne sewerage service in Australia commenced operations in Adelaide.
1883		The opening of the Sydney–Melbourne railway.
		Silver was discovered at Broken Hill
1887	15–19 March	The first Test match is played between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
		The first direct Inter-colonial passenger trains began running between Adelaide and Melbourne.
		Gold was discovered at Southern Cross, Western Australia.
1888		Louisa Lawson established The Dawn: A Journal for Australian Women.
1889		The completion of the railway network between Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
	24 October	Sir Henry Parkes delivered the Tenterfield Oration.
1890		The Australian Federation Conference called a constitutional convention.
	26 April	Banjo Paterson published "The Man from Snowy River"
1891		A National Australasian Convention met and agreed on adopting the name "the Commonwealth of Australia," also drafting a constitution.
		The first attempt at a federal constitution was drafted.
		The Convention adopts the constitution, although it had no legal status
		A severe depression hit Australia
1893		The Corowa Conference (the "people's convention") called on the colonial parliaments to pass enabling acts, allowing the election of delegates to a new constitutional convention aimed at drafting a proposal and putting it to a referendum in each colony.
1894		South Australia became the first Australian colony, and the second place in the world, to grant women the right to vote, as well the first Parliament in the world to allow women to stand for office.
1895		The premiers, except for those of Queensland and Western Australia, agreed to implement the Corowa proposals.
		"Waltzing Matilda" was first sung in public, in Winton, Queensland
1896		The Bathurst Conference (the second "people's convention") met to discuss the 1891 draft constitution.
1897		In two sessions, the Second National Australasian Convention met (with representatives from all colonies except Queensland present). They agreed to adopt a constitution based on 1891 draft, and then revised and amended it later that year. Catherine Helen Spence became the first female political candidate for political office, standing for election as a representative for South Australia.
1898		The Convention agreed on a final draft to be put to the people.
		After much public debate, the Victorian, South Australian and Tasmanian referendums were successful; the New South Wales referendum narrowly failed. Later New South Wales voted "yes" in a second referendum, and Queensland and Western Australia also voted to join.
1899		The decision was made to site the national capital in New South Wales, but not within 100 miles of Sydney.
	1–7 December	The Australian Labor Party held office for a few days in Queensland, becoming the first trade union party to do so anywhere in the world.
		The first contingents from various Australian colonies were sent to South Africa to participate in the Second Boer War.
1900		Several delegates visited London to resist proposed changes to the agreed-upon constitution.
		The constitution was passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom as a schedule to the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act, and was given royal assent

20th century

Year	Date	Event
1901	1 January	Australia becomes a federation. Edmund Barton becomes the 1st Prime Minister of Australia; the 7th Earl of Hopetoun becomes Governor-General
		The first parliament met in Parliament House, Melbourne
		The Immigration Restriction Act was introduced forming the bases of the White Australia policy
		The Australian National Flag was flown for the first time
1902		The Franchise Act guarantees women the right to vote in federal elections (by this stage, most states had already done this). However, it excludes most non-European ethnic groups, including Aboriginal people, unless already registered to vote on State roles.
		King Edward VII approved the design of the Australian flag.
	27 February	Breaker Morant is executed for having shot Boers who had surrendered
1903	25 August	The High Court of Australia is established with Samuel Griffith as the first Chief Justice.
		The Defence Act gives the federal government full control over the Australian Army
	16 December	Australian federal election, 1903: Alfred Deakin is elected as the 2nd Prime Minister of Australia.
1904		A site at Dalgety, New South Wales chosen for the new national capital
		Chris Watson forms the first federal Labor (minority) government
	27 April	Deakin resign and Chris Watson assumes office as the 3rd Prime Minister of Australia.
	18 August	George Reid become 4th Prime Minister of Australia.
1905	5 July	Alfred Deakin return to the position of Prime Minister.
1906		Australia takes control of south-eastern New Guinea
	12 December	Australian federal election, 1906: Alfred Deakin was reelected.
1908		Dorothea Mackellar publishes My Country
		The Dalgety proposal for the national capital is revoked, and Canberra is chosen instead.
	27 August	Birth of Donald Bradman in Cootamundra, New South Wales.
	13 November	Andrew Fisher became 5th Prime Minister of Australia.
1909		The first powered aeroplane flight in Australia is made.
	2 June	Alfred Deakin become Prime Minister.
1910		Andrew Fisher forms the first federal majority Labor government.
	29 April	Andrew Fisher become Prime Minister.
1911		The Royal Australian Navy is founded
		The Northern Territory comes under Commonwealth control, being split off from South Australia
		The first national census is conducted.
		Australian Capital Territory proclaimed.
1912	July	Australia sends women to the Olympic Games for the first time
		Walter Burley Griffin wins a design competition for the new city of Canberra
1913	20 February	The foundation stone for the city of Canberra is put in place
	20 March	Canberra is officially named as the Capital of Australia.
	31 May	Australian federal election, 1913: Joseph Cook elected as the 6th Prime Minister of Australia.
1914		Australian soldiers are sent to the First World War. This was first time Australians had fought under the Australian flag, as opposed to that of Britain's.
	17 September	Andrew Fisher become Prime Minister.
1915	25 April	Australian soldiers land at ANZAC Cove on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey.
		Jervis Bay Territory comprising 6,677 hectares surrendered and becomes part of the Australia Capital Territory.
		Surfing is first introduced to Australia
	27 October	Billy Hughes became the 7th Prime Minister of Australia.
1916		Hotels are forced to close at 6 p.m., leading to the beginning of the "six o'clock swill"
		Australia suffers heavy casualties in the Western Front Battle of the Somme
		The Returned Sailors’ and Soldiers’ Imperial League of Australia, the forerunner to the Returned and Services League of Australia is founded
		The Labor government under Billy Hughes splits over conscription. First referendum on conscription is rejected
1917		Second referendum on conscription is rejected. Transcontinental railway linking Adelaide to Perth is completed.
	5 May	Australian federal election, 1917: Billy Hughes reelected as Prime Minister.
	31 October	Battle of Beersheba: Australian 4th Light Horse Brigade launches last cavalry charge in modern warfare to capture Beersheba from the Ottoman Turks.
1918		Battle of Amiens: Australian troops spearhead 8 August offensive against Hindenburg Line: the "black day of the German Army". On 12 August, Australian commander General Sir John Monash is knighted in the field of battle by King George V
	11 November	First World War ends – 60,000 Australians dead.
	17 December	The Darwin Rebellion takes place, with 1,000 demonstrators demanding the resignation of the Administrator of the Northern Territory, John A. Gilruth.
1919		Prime Minister Billy Hughes signs Treaty of Versailles: the first signing of an international treaty by Australia. Australia obtains League of Nations mandate over German New Guinea.
	13 December	Australian federal election, 1919: Billy Hughes reelected as Prime Minister.
1920		The airline Qantas is founded
1921	12 March	Edith Cowan becomes the first woman elected to an Australian parliament
1922		The Smith Family charity is founded in Sydney
	2 September	Death of Henry Lawson aged 55.
	16 December	Australian federal election, 1922: Billy Hughes reelected as Prime Minister.
1923		Vegemite is first produced
	9 February	Stanley Bruce became 8th Prime Minister of Australia.
	28 July	Construction begins on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
1925	16 December	Australian federal election, 1925: Stanley Bruce reelected as Prime Minister.
1926		The first Miss Australia contest is held
1927	9 May	The tenth parliament is formally opened in Canberra, finalising the move to the new capital.
	13 June	Slim Dusty (David Kirkpatrick), Country Music Singer and Musician is Born in Kempsey, New South Wales.
1928		Bert Hinkler makes the first successful flight from Britain to Australia, and Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first flight from the United States to Australia. The Shrine of Remembrance is built.
1929		Western Australia celebrates its centenary
		Labor returns to office under James Scullin. The Great Depression hits Australia.
1930	6 January	New South Wales batsman Don Bradman scores a world record first-class individual innings of 452 not out in a Sheffield Shield match against Queensland
	11 July	In the Third Test at Leeds against England, Don Bradman scored a Hundred before Tea, a Hundred before lunch, and a Hundred by the end of the day's play, 309 in Total. He went on to make 334. Altogether in his 52 Test career, Bradman scored 29 Hundreds, 12 Double Hundreds and 2 Triple Hundreds. This is therefore the fastest Triple Hundred in Test History.
	4 November	Phar Lap wins his only Melbourne Cup
1931		Sir Douglas Mawson charts 4,000 miles of Antarctic coastline and claims 42% of the icy mass for Australia
	23 February	Death of Dame Nellie Melba aged 69.
1932	19 January	Construction on the Sydney Harbour Bridge is completed.
1932	19 March	The Sydney Harbour Bridge opens
		The Labor government falls and Joseph Lyons becomes Prime Minister
1933	8 April	Western Australia votes at a rerefendum to secede from the Commonwealth, but the vote is ignored by both the Commonwealth and British governments
1935	8 November	Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith disappears. He was 38.
1936		The last thylacine dies
1937		The radio series Dad and Dave begins
1938	5–12 February	Sydney hosts the Empire Games, the forerunner to the Commonwealth Games
1939	13 January	Victoria is devastated by the Black Friday bushfires
	7 April	Prime Minister Joseph Lyons dies in office and is replaced by Robert Menzies and the first Menzies Government
	September	Australia enters the Second World War following the German Invasion of Poland. The 2nd Australian Imperial Force is raised.
		The first flight is made by an Australian-made warplane, the Wirraway
1940		A team of scientists, under Howard Florey, develops penicillin
		Fascist Italy enters war, Royal Australian Navy engages Italian Navy in the early stages of the Battle of the Mediterranean.
1941		3 Divisions of the 2nd Australian Imperial Force join operations in the Mediterranean. After initial successes against Italy, 2nd AIF suffered defeat against the Germans in Greece, Crete, and North Africa.
		Apr–Aug, Australian garrison (Rats of Tobruk) halt advance of Hitler's panzers for the first time during the Siege of Tobruk.
		Menzies resigns and John Curtin becomes Prime Minister in the Curtin Government of 1941–45.
1942	February	Singapore falls, 15,000 Australians become Prisoners of War of the Japanese
		Japanese air raids – almost 100 attacks against sites in the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland (to 1943). Bombing of Darwin sees largest attack on Australia by a foreign power.
		The Royal Australian Navy and 6th and 7th Divisions of 2nd AIF are recalled from Mediterranean Theatre to participate in the anticipated Battle for Australia.
		Sparrow Force engages in guerilla campaign in Battle of Timor (to 1943)
	4 May – 8 May	Battle of the Coral Sea: United States and Royal Australian Navy halt advance of the Japanese towards Port Moresby (Australian Territory of Papua)
	21 July – 16 November	Battle of Kokoda Trail: Australian soldiers halt Japanese march on Port Moresby
	Aug–Sep	Australian forces inflict the first defeat on the Imperial Japanese Army in the Battle of Milne Bay.
	Jul–Nov	Australia's 9th Division plays crucial role in the First and Second Battle of El Alamein, which turned the North Africa Campaign in favour of the Allies.
		National daylight saving is introduced as a war time measure.
		The UK Statute of Westminster is formally adopted by Australia. The Statute formally grants Australia the right to pass laws that conflict with UK laws.
1943	4 March	Australia wins its first Oscar, with cinematographer Damien Parer honoured for Kokoda Front Line! documentary.
		2,815 Australian POWs die constructing Japan's Burma-Thailand Railway
		Australian forces engage Japan in New Guinea, Wau, and the Huon peninsula. (to 1944)
1944	5 August	Cowra breakout, mass escape of Japanese prisoners of war occurs in NSW.
		Japanese inflict Sandakan Death March on 2,000 Australian and British prisoners of war – only 6 survive. The single worst war crime perpetrated against Australians.
		Australian forces battle Japanese garrisons from Borneo to Bougainville.
		The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is introduced, providing subsidised medicine to all Australians
1945		the Liberal Party of Australia is established with Robert Menzies as its first leader.
		Australian forces lead Battle of Borneo
	7 May	Nazi Germany surrenders
	July	Prime Minister Curtin dies and is replaced, briefly by Frank Forde, then by Ben Chifley and the Chifley Labor Government
	14 August	Japan surrenders
		Australia becomes a founding member of the United Nations
	26 December 1945 – 3 January 1946	The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is held for the first time
1946		Minister for Immigration Arthur Calwell introduces the major post-war immigration scheme
		Norman Makin, is voted in as the first President of the United Nations Security Council.
1948		Minister for External Affairs, Dr. H. V. Evatt is elected President of the United Nations General Assembly.
		Holden starts manufacturing its first Australian designed and built car. The First Model is the 48/215 followed by the FJ, FE, FC, FB, EK, EJ, EH, HD, HR, HK, HT, HQ, HJ, HX. The Holden Commodore was introduced in 1978 and started off with the VB, VH, VK, VL, VN, VT, VY, VZ, VE. Due to financial problems, Holden will no longer manufacture cars in Australia from 2017.
		Australia becomes a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
1949		All indigenous ex-servicemen and any Indigenous Australians who are eligible to vote in State Elections (NSW, VIC, SA and TAS) are given an unrestricted right to vote in federal elections.
	26 January	The Nationality and Citizenship Act is passed. Rather than being identified as subjects of Britain, the Act established Australian citizenship for people who met eligibility requirements.
	17 October	Construction of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme officially begins
	10 December	Australian federal election, 1949: Robert Menzies returns to power as leader of the new Liberal Party Menzies Government.
1950		Australian troops are sent to the Korean War to assist South Korea. (to 1953)
1951		Voters reject a referendum to change the Constitution to allow the Menzies Government to ban the Communist Party
	1 September	Australia signs the ANZUS treaty with the United States and New Zealand
1952	3 October	Operation Hurricane: First nuclear test conducted in Australian territory by the United Kingdom off the coast of Western Australia.
1954		Elizabeth II and Prince Philip make a royal visit; the Soviet diplomat Vladimir Petrov defects, leading to the Petrov Affair and another split in the Labor Party
1955		Democratic Labor Party splits from Australian Labor Party over concerns of Communist influence in the labour movement
		Australia becomes involved in Malayan Insurgency
		Hotels in New South Wales no longer have to close at 6 p.m., ending the "six o'clock swill"
1956	16 September	Television in Australia is launched.
	22 November – 8 December	The 16th Summer Olympics is held in Melbourne
		Performing artist Barry Humphries introduces Edna Everage to the Australian stage
1957		The song "Wild One" makes Johnny O'Keefe the first Australian rock'n'roller to reach the national charts.
		Slim Dusty's Australian country music hit "A Pub with No Beer" becomes the first Australian song to attain international chart success.
1959	1 March	Construction begins on the Sydney Opera House. It will eventually cost $102 Million.
1962		Robert Menzies' Commonwealth Electoral Act provided that all Indigenous Australians should have the right to enrol and vote at federal elections, removing remaining restrictions applying in QLD, WA and NT.
		Malayan Insurgency ends
1964	12–20 June	The Beatles' 1964 world tour reach Australia
	10 February	82 sailors die when HMAS Voyager sinks after collision with HMAS Melbourne
		The editors of Oz magazine are charged with obscenity
		Prime Minister Robert Menzies announces the reintroduction of compulsory military service for men aged from 18–25 years old
		First troops sent to Vietnam War.
1965		Indigenous Australians gain right to vote in state of Queensland
1966		The ban on the employment of married women in the Commonwealth Public Service is lifted
	26 January	Robert Menzies retire as Australia's longest-serving Prime Minister and is succeeded by Harold Holt.
	26 January	The Beaumont Children Jane (9), Arnna (7), and Grant (4) disappear from Glenelg Beach.
	14 February	Decimalisation; the Australian currency is changed to dollars and cents, with the Australian dollar replacing the Australian pound.
1967	3 February	Ronald Ryan becomes the last person legally executed in Australia.
	7 February	Black Tuesday bushfires devastate large areas of Hobart and south-eastern Tasmania; 62 people were killed.
	9 February	Gough Whitlam becomes leader of the Labor Party
	27 May	The constitution is changed to allow Aboriginal Australians to be included in the population count and for the federal government to legislate for them
		Sydney is rocked by a series of brutal underworld killings
		Talkback radio is introduced
	17 December	Prime Minister Harold Holt disappears while swimming at Cheviot Beach
	19 December	Holt was officially presumed dead by the government. Governor-General Lord Casey swore John McEwen in as Prime Minister, on an interim basis pending the Liberal Party electing its new leader
1968	10 January	John Gorton replaces John McEwen as Prime Minister
	24 June	British comedian Tony Hancock commits suicide in Sydney
	1 July	Australia signs the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
		Aboriginal boxing champion Lionel Rose defeats Masahiko "Fighting" Harada in Japan to become the world bantamweight champion
		Australia's first liver transplant operation is performed in Sydney
1969		French conceptual artist Christo 'wraps' Little Bay in Sydney
	November	Renowned author-artists Norman Lindsay and May Gibbs die
		The Australian production of the rock musical Hair premieres in Sydney
		Top pop groups the Easybeats and the Twilights break up; Tim Burstall directs 2000 Weeks, the first All-Australian feature released since Charles Chauvel's Jedda in 1958
	25 October	Australian federal election, 1969: John Gorton reelected as Prime Minister.
	1970	More than 200,000 people participate in the largest demonstrations in Australian history, against the Vietnam War
1971		Neville Bonner becomes the first Aborigine to become an Australian Member of Parliament;
	10 March	John Gorton resigns as Prime Minister and is succeeded by William McMahon
		The 1971 Springbok tour sparks protest all throughout Australia. Premier of Queensland Joh Bjelke-Petersen declares a state of emergency in QLD in response to escalating protest.
		Daylight saving is introduced to New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.
1972		The Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission rules that women doing the same job as men have the right to be paid the same wage.
		Aboriginal Tent Embassy erected in response to the Coalition government's approval of exploration licences and mining tenements on reserves
		Queensland abandons Daylight Saving.
	2 December	Australian federal election, 1972: The first Labor government since 1949 is elected under the leadership of Gough Whitlam
		Australia recognises the People's Republic of China
1973	20 October	The Sydney Opera House formally opened by Elizabeth II
		The White Australian Policy (established 1901) is officially dismantled
		Vietnam War ends
		The federal voting age is dropped from 21 to 18
		Unionists save the historic "The Rocks" area of Sydney from demolition by introducing "Green Bans"
		Patrick White becomes the first Australian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature
1974		"Advance Australia Fair" recognised as Australia's national song, but not as national anthem.
	24 – 25 December	Darwin is devastated by Cyclone Tracy.
1975		The Privy Council (Appeals from the High Court) Act removes the right to appeal High Court decisions to the British Privy Council. Appeals to the Privy Council direct from State Supreme Courts remain until 1988.
	January 5	The Hobart Bridge collapsed. A bulk ore carrier travelling on the Derwent River collided into several pylons of the Tasman Bridge killing a total of 12 people. These included 7 crew on board the ship and 5 people that were in 4 cars which drove 45m off the bridge into the Derwent River.
		South Australia becomes the first state in Australia to legalise homosexuality between consenting adults in private.
		Whitlam government introduced the Aboriginal Land (NT) Bill into Parliament. The bill proposed land rights in the Northern Territory based on land claimed on grounds of need as well as traditional affiliation and traditional landowners maintaining control over mining and development.
		A constitutional crisis occurs when Malcolm Fraser blocks supply, bringing the nation to a standstill until Governor-General John Kerr dismisses Prime Minister Gough Whitlam on 11 November 1975. Kerr then appointed Malcolm Fraser, Leader of the Opposition, as caretaker Prime Minister.
	13 December	Australian federal election, 1975: Malcolm Fraser wins elections and becomes Prime Minister
1976		The Australian Capital Territory legalises homosexuality between consenting adults in private.
1977	18 January	Granville rail disaster killed eighty-three people
1978	24 June	First Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
1979		Australian women win the right to maternity leave
		Kakadu National Park and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park are both proclaimed.
1980	17 August	Baby Azaria Chamberlain disappears from a campsite at Uluru (Ayers Rock), reportedly taken by a dingo.
	18 October	Australian federal election, 1980: The Coalition is elected.
1981		A referendum is held in Tasmania to vote for whether or not the Franklin Dam should be built.
1982	30 September – 9 October	12th Commonwealth Games held in Brisbane.
		The National Gallery of Australia is opened.
1983	16 February	The Ash Wednesday bushfires kill 71 people.
	5 March	Australian federal election, 1983: Bob Hawke defeats Fraser and leads Labor back to government.
	14 September – 26 September	Australia wins the America's Cup
	12 December	The Australian dollar is floated.
1984	19 April	"Advance Australia Fair" is proclaimed as Australia's official national anthem.
	1 February	Medicare is established.
	14 May	The one dollar coin is issued to replace the one dollar note.
	1 December	Australian federal election, 1984: Labor wins.
1985		The government grants the freehold title of a large area of land in central Australia, including prominent landmarks Uluru and Kata Tjuta, to the Mutitjulu people, who in turn give them a 99-year lease. The last state to do so (New South Wales) abolishes capital punishment.
1986		The Australia Act removes the right of appeal from State courts to the British Privy Council, making the High Court the final court of appeal in Australia. The Act also removes all remaining rights of the UK parliament to pass law for Australia.
	2 February	Murder of Anita Cobby in Sydney.
	27 March	Russell Street Bombing in Melbourne.
		Crocodile Dundee is released in Australia.
1987	9 August	Hoddle Street massacre kills 7 victims and injures 19
	1 December	Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen resigns as Premier of Queensland after 19 years at the top.
	8 December	Queen Street massacre kills 8 victims and injures 5.
1988	26 January	Australia celebrates its bicentenary, with large celebrations and major funding for capital works projects.
	3 September	Federal referendums on 4-year parliamentary terms, recognition of local government and other issues are defeated.
	30 April – 30 October	Brisbane hosts World Expo 88.
	9 May	The new Parliament House opens in Canberra.
1989		Newcastle earthquake kills 13 people. ACT gains self-Government. The Kempsey bus crash and Grafton bus crash kill a total of 56 people.
		Queensland commences three-year trial of Daylight Saving.
		Rosemary Follett (Australian Labor Party) becomes the first Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory and the first woman to become head of government in an Australian state or territory.
1990		Royal Australian Navy deployed in preparation for the First Gulf War. Carmen Lawrence becomes the first female premier of an Australian state. Labor wins the 1990 federal election.
1991	4 July	Prominent heart surgeon Victor Chang is gunned down.
	17 August	Seven people die in the Strathfield massacre.
	21 August	The Coode Island chemical storage facility in Melbourne explodes, leaving a toxic cloud hanging over the city for days.
	20 December	Paul Keating replace Bob Hawke to be the 24th Prime Minister of Australia.
1992		The High Court delivers the Mabo Decision, which rules that indigenous native title does exist. This effectively extinguishes the concept of terra nullius. New South Wales Premier Nick Greiner resigns.
	22 February	Queensland holds a referendum on daylight saving, which is defeated with a 54.5% 'no' vote.
	27 October	Marisa Lennie Born. Subiaco, Perth.
1993	13 March	Australian federal election, 1993: Keating defeats John Hewson; the Australian Greens stand candidates for the first time.
1995		The Northern Territory legalises voluntary euthanasia, but it is overruled by the federal government when Liberal MP Kevin Andrews proposes the Euthanasia Laws Bill 1996
1996		The High Court hands down the Wik Decision, which holds that indigenous native title can survive the granting of pastoral leases.
	2 March	Australian federal election, 1996: Liberal John Howard becomes Prime Minister, defeating Paul Keating after a record 13 years of Labor government
		Howard Government leads all Australian states and territories agree to introduce uniform gun laws following the deaths of 35 people in the Port Arthur massacre
1997		Expelled Liberal MP Pauline Hanson forms the One Nation Party
	1 May	Tasmania legalises homosexuality
	30 July	1997 Thredbo landslide: Eighteen people die when the Bimbadene and Carinya Lodges collapse at Thredbo Alpine Village at 11.30 p.m.
	22 November	Michael Hutchence, lead singer of INXS, is found dead in his hotel room.
1998		A major strike results when Patrick Stevedores attempt to introduce non-union labour to reduce the influence of the Maritime Union of Australia
		The Australian Stock Exchange is demutualized and floated as a public company, becoming the world's first stock exchange to be listed on an exchange.
1999	26 August	Both houses of the federal parliament pass a Motion of Reconciliation signifying both recognition of and regret at past mistreatment of indigenous Australians.
	6 November	A referendum on changing to a republic is unsuccessful
		Howard Government deploys Australian forces to East Timor to lead the INTERFET mission, following violence in wake of East Timorese vote for independence.
2000	1 July	Howard Government introduces a Goods and Services Tax
	15 September – 1 October	27th Summer Olympic Games held in Sydney.

21st century

Year	Date	Event
2001		Australia celebrates centenary of federation.
	25 February	Death of Donald Bradman aged 92 in Kensington Park, Adelaide, South Australia.
		Western Australia adopts a uniform Age of consent of 16.
		Boat load of asylum seekers is rescued by Norwegian ship, leading to the Tampa affair.
		Australian forces deployed to War to topple Taliban for supporting Al-Qaeda
	10 November	Australian federal election, 2001: John Howard is reelected as Prime Minister.
2002	12 October	2002 Bali bombings, the deadliest act of terrorism in the history of Indonesia, killing 202 people (including 88 Australians).
2003		Australian military deployed to Iraq War to oust the Saddam Hussein regime for serial non-compliance with the 1991 Gulf War Peace Treaty.
		Northern Territory introduces uniform Age of consent set at 16 for everyone.
		New South Wales becomes the last State to have a Uniform Age of Consent at 16 for everyone.
		Australia hosts the Rugby World Cup, with the home side losing the final to England.
	19 September	Slim Dusty, Country Music Singer and Musician Dies aged 76.
2004	9 September	A bomb explodes outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia.
	9 October	Australian federal election, 2004: Howard Government (Liberal-National Coalition) wins fourth term and defeats Mark Latham led Australian Labor Party.
2005	December	Sydney beachside suburb of Cronulla sees a protest against the alleged bashing of a beach lifeguard, developing into an alcohol-fuelled, racially charged riot.
2006	15 – 26 March	The Commonwealth Games are held in Melbourne.
	8 September	Death of Peter Brock, aged 61
		Australian Forces are again deployed to East Timor to help stabilize the country.
2007		Australia avoids recession amidst Global Financial Crisis (to 2010)
	24 November	Australian federal election, 2007: Kevin Rudd (Australian Labor Party) defeats John Howard (Liberal-National Coalition) to become the 26th Prime Minister of Australia.
2008	22 January	Heath Ledger Dies from an accidental prescription drug intoxication.
2008	13 February	Kevin Rudd leads bi-partisan Parliamentary to formally apologise for the Stolen Generations.
		Longest heatwave for an Australian capital city recorded in Adelaide.
	15–20 July	Sydney hosts Catholic World Youth Day
	5 September	Quentin Bryce assumed office as Governor-General of Australia, becoming the first female to do so.
2009	7 February – 14 March	Black Saturday bushfires: Massive bushfires swept across Victoria, resulting in 173 fatalities.
2010	23 – 24 June	Julia Gillard challenged and replaced Kevin Rudd as leader of the Labor Party to become the 27th and first female Prime Minister of Australia.
	17 October	Mary MacKillop canonised as Australia's first Saint of the Roman Catholic Church.
	21 August	Australian federal election, 2010: Election results in hung Parliament and narrow victory by Julia Gillard (ALP) over Tony Abbott (Lib-Nat Coalition); Liberal Ken Wyatt becomes the first Aboriginal elected to the Australian House of Representatives
2011		Queensland is affected by major flooding followed by Cyclone Yasi.
2012	1 July	Carbon price introduced by the Gillard Government.
2013	21 March	Julia Gillard apologises to victims of forced adoption practices for removal of babies from predominantly young single mothers
	26 June	Kevin Rudd defeats Julia Gillard in a leadership spill, 57 votes to 45. Gillard resigns from parliament, Rudd is sworn in as prime minister.
	7 September	Australian federal election, 2013: Tony Abbott defeats Kevin Rudd to become the 28th Prime Minister of Australia.
2014	14 July	Carbon price is dropped by the Abbott Government.
	21 October	Death of Gough Whitlam, 21st Prime Minister of Australia.
2015	20 March	Death of Malcolm Fraser, 22nd Prime Minister of Australia.
	15 September	Malcolm Turnbull defeats Tony Abbott to become the 29th Prime Minister of Australia.

See also

• Timeline of Adelaide
• Timeline of Brisbane
• Timeline of Darwin
• Timeline of Gold Coast, Queensland
• Timeline of Melbourne
• Timeline of Sydney