Timeline of Australian history

Year	Date	Event
c. 48,000–63,000 BC	–	The ancestors ofAboriginal Australians began arriving from south-east Asia 50,000 to 65,000 years ago, during thelast glacial period.^[1]^[2] Arriving by sea, they settled the continent and had formed approximately 250 distinct language groups by the time of European settlement, maintaining some of the longest known continuingartistic andreligious traditions in the world.^[3]
c. 2000 BC	–	TheTorres Strait Islander people first settledTorres Strait Islands around 4000 years ago.^[4] Culturally and linguistically distinct frommainland Aboriginal peoples, they were seafarers and obtained their livelihood from seasonal horticulture and the resources of their reefs and seas.^[5]
–	–	In 1944, nine coins were found onMarchinbar Island, the largestisland in theWessel Islands of theNorthern Territory of Australia. While four coins were identified as Dutchduits dating from 1690 to the 1780s, five with Arabic inscriptions were identified as being from theKilwa Sultanate.^[6] The coins are now held by the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia.^[7] In 2018 another coin, also thought to be from Kilwa, was found on a beach onElcho Island, another of theWessel Islands.^[8]

Year

Date

Event

–

The ancestors ofAboriginal Australians began arriving from south-east Asia 50,000 to 65,000 years ago, during thelast glacial period.^[1]^[2] Arriving by sea, they settled the continent and had formed approximately 250 distinct language groups by the time of European settlement, maintaining some of the longest known continuingartistic andreligious traditions in the world.^[3]

c. 2000 BC

–

TheTorres Strait Islander people first settledTorres Strait Islands around 4000 years ago.^[4] Culturally and linguistically distinct frommainland Aboriginal peoples, they were seafarers and obtained their livelihood from seasonal horticulture and the resources of their reefs and seas.^[5]

–

In 1944, nine coins were found onMarchinbar Island, the largestisland in theWessel Islands of theNorthern Territory of Australia. While four coins were identified as Dutchduits dating from 1690 to the 1780s, five with Arabic inscriptions were identified as being from theKilwa Sultanate.^[6] The coins are now held by the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia.^[7] In 2018 another coin, also thought to be from Kilwa, was found on a beach onElcho Island, another of theWessel Islands.^[8]

Year	Date	Event
1521		Several writers have argued thatPortuguese expeditions visited Australia at this time.^[9]^[10] However, historians generally disagree and the evidence remains contentious.^[11]^[12] (to 1522)

Year

Date

Event

1521

Several writers have argued thatPortuguese expeditions visited Australia at this time.^[9]^[10] However, historians generally disagree and the evidence remains contentious.^[11]^[12] (to 1522)

Year	Date	Event
1606	February/March	TheDutch East India Company (VOC) shipDuyfken, under CaptainWillem Janszoon, explored the western coast ofCape York Peninsula, near what is nowWeipa. This was the first recorded landfall by a European on Australian soil.
August	Spanish seamanLuís Vaz de Torres sailed through theTorres Strait, between Australia andNew 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 captainDirk Hartog in theEendracht made the second recorded landfall by a European, atDirk Hartog Island on the western coast of Australia. He left a commemorative plate, theHartog Plate.
1618	July	VOC shipMauritius under command ofSupercargo Willem Janszoon, landed nearNorth West Cape, near the modern town ofExmouth, and namedWillem's River, later renamedAshburton River.
1622	1 May	The English shipTryall sightedPoint Cloates on the west coast of Australia.^[13]
25 May	TheTryall was wrecked onTryal Rocks, northwest of theMontebello Islands, crew spent seven days ashore before sailing a longboat toBantam in Java – this was the first recorded shipwreck in Australian waters and first extended stay in Australia by Europeans.^[13]
1623		Dutch captainJan Carstensz navigated theGulf of Carpentaria aboard thePera andArnhem. TheArnhem crossed the Gulf to reach and nameGroote Eylandt.
1623		First white child in Australia was Born. Seebaer van Nieuwelant (born 27 July 1623), son of Willemtgen and Willem Janszoon, was born south of Dirk Hartog Island, in present-day Western Australia.
1629	4 June	VOC shipBatavia wrecked onHoutman Abrolhos, offGeraldton. Mutiny ensued and at least 110 men, women and children were murdered. First European structure in Australia –Wiebbe Hayes Stone Fort onWest Wallabi Island.
1642		Dutch explorerAbel Tasman explored the west coast ofTasmania, landed on its east coast and named the islandAnthoonij van Diemenslandt.
1656	28 April	In 1656 the Vergulde Draeck struck a submerged coral reef midway between what are now the coastal towns of Seabird and Ledge Point, Western Australia. On board were 193 crew, eight boxes of silver coins worth 78,600 guilders and trade goods to the value of 106,400 guilders. Of the 193 crew, 118 are believed to have perished. The initial 75 survivors, including the ship's captain Pieter Albertszoon, and the under steersman, made it to shore. They had with them the ship's boat, a schuyt, along with a small amount of provisions and stores washed on shore. A number of rescue attempts was conducted by the Dutch East India Company once the loss was reported.
1681		English navigatorJohn Daniel on theNew London charted the west coast of Australia, includingRottnest Island and theWallabi Group of theHoutman Abrolhos.
1688		English explorerWilliam Dampier explored the west coast of Australia.
1696		Dutch explorerWillem de Vlamingh charted the southwestern coast of Australia, making a landfall atRottnest Island and the site of the present-day city ofPerth.

Year

Date

Event

1606

February/March

TheDutch East India Company (VOC) shipDuyfken, under CaptainWillem Janszoon, explored the western coast ofCape York Peninsula, near what is nowWeipa. This was the first recorded landfall by a European on Australian soil.

August

Spanish seamanLuís Vaz de Torres sailed through theTorres Strait, between Australia andNew 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 captainDirk Hartog in theEendracht made the second recorded landfall by a European, atDirk Hartog Island on the western coast of Australia. He left a commemorative plate, theHartog Plate.

1618

July

VOC shipMauritius under command ofSupercargo Willem Janszoon, landed nearNorth West Cape, near the modern town ofExmouth, and namedWillem's River, later renamedAshburton River.

1622

1 May

The English shipTryall sightedPoint Cloates on the west coast of Australia.^[13]

25 May

TheTryall was wrecked onTryal Rocks, northwest of theMontebello Islands, crew spent seven days ashore before sailing a longboat toBantam in Java – this was the first recorded shipwreck in Australian waters and first extended stay in Australia by Europeans.^[13]

1623

Dutch captainJan Carstensz navigated theGulf of Carpentaria aboard thePera andArnhem. TheArnhem crossed the Gulf to reach and nameGroote Eylandt.

1623

First white child in Australia was Born. Seebaer van Nieuwelant (born 27 July 1623), son of Willemtgen and Willem Janszoon, was born south of Dirk Hartog Island, in present-day Western Australia.

1629

4 June

VOC shipBatavia wrecked onHoutman Abrolhos, offGeraldton. Mutiny ensued and at least 110 men, women and children were murdered. First European structure in Australia –Wiebbe Hayes Stone Fort onWest Wallabi Island.

1642

Dutch explorerAbel Tasman explored the west coast ofTasmania, landed on its east coast and named the islandAnthoonij van Diemenslandt.

1656

28 April

In 1656 the Vergulde Draeck struck a submerged coral reef midway between what are now the coastal towns of Seabird and Ledge Point, Western Australia. On board were 193 crew, eight boxes of silver coins worth 78,600 guilders and trade goods to the value of 106,400 guilders. Of the 193 crew, 118 are believed to have perished. The initial 75 survivors, including the ship's captain Pieter Albertszoon, and the under steersman, made it to shore. They had with them the ship's boat, a schuyt, along with a small amount of provisions and stores washed on shore. A number of rescue attempts was conducted by the Dutch East India Company once the loss was reported.

1681

English navigatorJohn Daniel on theNew London charted the west coast of Australia, includingRottnest Island and theWallabi Group of theHoutman Abrolhos.

1688

English explorerWilliam Dampier explored the west coast of Australia.

1696

Dutch explorerWillem de Vlamingh charted the southwestern coast of Australia, making a landfall atRottnest Island and the site of the present-day city ofPerth.

Year	Date	Event
Since middle of 18th century	–	Makassar people from the region ofSulawesi inIndonesia began visiting the coast ofNorthern Australia sometime around the middle of the 18th century, first in theKimberley region, and some decades later inArnhem Land.^[14]^[15]^[16]
1770		English LieutenantJames Cook's expedition inHMS Endeavour charted the eastern coast, and claimed it for theBritish Crown. Australia was dubbed "terra nullius"^[17] i.e., according to the European legal precepts of the era, it was unclaimed by any sovereign nation.
1787	13 May	TheFirst Fleet of 11 ships, led byGovernor Arthur Phillip, departed from Great Britain for Australia to begin European colonisation.^[18]
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 ofVan Diemen's Land.
18 January	At 2:15 pm, the brigHMS Supply anchored on the northern side ofBotany Bay. He began exploring the surrounding countryside and made contact with theAboriginal Australians.
19 January	In the morning, the transportsAlexander,Friendship andScarborough arrived at Botany Bay, watched by a large number of Indigenous Australians who gathered onPoint Solander.
20 January	The remaining seven ships of theFirst Fleet, led byHMS Sirius, anchored in Botany Bay.
21 January	Deciding thatBotany 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 toLord Sydney, BritishSecretary of State; "We got intoPort 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 itSydney Cove.
24 January	The French shipsBoussole andAstrolabe commanded byJean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse appeared offBotany Bay.
25 January	Captain Phillip sailed out of Botany Bay aboard theSupply and reached Sydney Cove in the evening.
26 January	Early in the morning, Captain Phillip took a party ashore at Sydney Cove, raised the British colours and formally proclaimed British sovereignty overNew South Wales. This day is now celebrated asAustralia 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 fromPrince 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 was a violent thunderstorm.
7 February	The whole party assembled on the west side of Sydney Cove, where the deputy judge-advocateDavid Collins read the King's commission establishing Phillip's governorship over the colony and theletters 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, inSupply to found a settlement onNorfolk Island, where native flax was to be harvested and others grown.
17 February	Rev. Johnson celebratedHoly Communion for the first time in the colony, according to the rites of theChurch of England (seeBook of Common Prayer (1662)). The Communion took place in the tent of Lt.Ralph Clark. Lt.Henry Ball, commander of theSupply on its way to Norfolk Island, discoveredan island that he named afterAdmiral 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 become public executioner.
2 March	Phillip set out to exploreBroken Bay. On this trip he visited and namedPittwater.
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 nearSanta 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 intoSydney Cove.
26 April	An exploring party led by Phillip sighted and named theBlue Mountains.
6 May	Following an outbreak ofscurvy,HMS Supply sailed forLord Howe Island to catch turtles to supplement the settlement's meat supply. Having failed to catch any, it returned on 25 May.
21 May	Aboriginal peoples killed a convict and seriously injured another.
30 May	The bodies of tworushcutters, William Okey and Samuel Davis, were found pierced with spears and beaten, evidently on reprisal for stealing a canoe belonging to Aboriginals. 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 pints of pease,^[a] 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 inHMSBounty, en route toTahiti, anchored atAdventure 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 sendHMS Sirius toCape Town for urgently needed food supplies.
September	The last remaining cow was killed.
2 November	A party of marines from theNew South Wales Marine Corps and 10 convicts left to establish a farming settlement atRose Hill (Later calledParramatta).
19 November	The last two ships of theFirst Fleet,Golden Grove andFishburn, sailed for England with despatches and reports.
11 December	Phillip set out to exploreBotany 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 namedArabanoo 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 beleagueredSecond Fleet arrived. The colony was gripped by a food crisis.
1791	9 July	The first ship of theThird Fleet arrived at Sydney Cove.
1792	–	Two French ships,Recherche andEspérance, anchor atRecherche Bay, near the southernmost point ofTasmania.
–	Governor Philip returned to England, accompanied byBennelong, who became the first Australian-born person to sail to Europe.
1797	–	Sydney Cove was wrecked and some survivors travelled fromBass Strait to Port Jackson, enabling the rescue of others. This also furthered knowledge of the geography of Australia.
1798	–	George Bass andMatthew Flinders sailed from Sydney and circumnavigated Tasmania, thus proving it to be an island. (to 1799)

Year

Date

Event

Since middle of 18th century

–

Makassar people from the region ofSulawesi inIndonesia began visiting the coast ofNorthern Australia sometime around the middle of the 18th century, first in theKimberley region, and some decades later inArnhem Land.^[14]^[15]^[16]

1770

English LieutenantJames Cook's expedition inHMS Endeavour charted the eastern coast, and claimed it for theBritish Crown. Australia was dubbed "terra nullius"^[17] i.e., according to the European legal precepts of the era, it was unclaimed by any sovereign nation.

1787

13 May

TheFirst Fleet of 11 ships, led byGovernor Arthur Phillip, departed from Great Britain for Australia to begin European colonisation.^[18]

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 ofVan Diemen's Land.

18 January

At 2:15 pm, the brigHMS Supply anchored on the northern side ofBotany Bay. He began exploring the surrounding countryside and made contact with theAboriginal Australians.

19 January

In the morning, the transportsAlexander,Friendship andScarborough arrived at Botany Bay, watched by a large number of Indigenous Australians who gathered onPoint Solander.

20 January

The remaining seven ships of theFirst Fleet, led byHMS Sirius, anchored in Botany Bay.

21 January

Deciding thatBotany 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 toLord Sydney, BritishSecretary of State; "We got intoPort 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 itSydney Cove.

24 January

The French shipsBoussole andAstrolabe commanded byJean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse appeared offBotany Bay.

25 January

Captain Phillip sailed out of Botany Bay aboard theSupply and reached Sydney Cove in the evening.

26 January

Early in the morning, Captain Phillip took a party ashore at Sydney Cove, raised the British colours and formally proclaimed British sovereignty overNew South Wales. This day is now celebrated asAustralia 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 fromPrince 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 was a violent thunderstorm.

7 February

The whole party assembled on the west side of Sydney Cove, where the deputy judge-advocateDavid Collins read the King's commission establishing Phillip's governorship over the colony and theletters 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, inSupply to found a settlement onNorfolk Island, where native flax was to be harvested and others grown.

17 February

Rev. Johnson celebratedHoly Communion for the first time in the colony, according to the rites of theChurch of England (seeBook of Common Prayer (1662)). The Communion took place in the tent of Lt.Ralph Clark. Lt.Henry Ball, commander of theSupply on its way to Norfolk Island, discoveredan island that he named afterAdmiral 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 become public executioner.

2 March

Phillip set out to exploreBroken Bay. On this trip he visited and namedPittwater.

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 nearSanta 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 intoSydney Cove.

26 April

An exploring party led by Phillip sighted and named theBlue Mountains.

6 May

Following an outbreak ofscurvy,HMS Supply sailed forLord Howe Island to catch turtles to supplement the settlement's meat supply. Having failed to catch any, it returned on 25 May.

21 May

Aboriginal peoples killed a convict and seriously injured another.

30 May

The bodies of tworushcutters, William Okey and Samuel Davis, were found pierced with spears and beaten, evidently on reprisal for stealing a canoe belonging to Aboriginals. 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 pints of pease,^[a] 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 inHMSBounty, en route toTahiti, anchored atAdventure 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 sendHMS Sirius toCape Town for urgently needed food supplies.

September

The last remaining cow was killed.

2 November

A party of marines from theNew South Wales Marine Corps and 10 convicts left to establish a farming settlement atRose Hill (Later calledParramatta).

19 November

The last two ships of theFirst Fleet,Golden Grove andFishburn, sailed for England with despatches and reports.

11 December

Phillip set out to exploreBotany 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 namedArabanoo 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 beleagueredSecond Fleet arrived. The colony was gripped by a food crisis.

1791

9 July

The first ship of theThird Fleet arrived at Sydney Cove.

1792

–

Two French ships,Recherche andEspérance, anchor atRecherche Bay, near the southernmost point ofTasmania.

–

Governor Philip returned to England, accompanied byBennelong, who became the first Australian-born person to sail to Europe.

1797

–

Sydney Cove was wrecked and some survivors travelled fromBass Strait to Port Jackson, enabling the rescue of others. This also furthered knowledge of the geography of Australia.

1798

–

George Bass andMatthew Flinders sailed from Sydney and circumnavigated Tasmania, thus proving it to be an island. (to 1799)

Year	Date
1803		Matthew Flinders completed the firstcircumnavigation of the continent
1804		A settlement was founded atRisdon on theDerwent River in Van Diemen's Land
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 (nowHobart) by ColonelDavid Collins.
1808		TheRum Rebellion
1813		Blaxland,Lawson andWentworth crossed theBlue Mountains.
	Matthew Flinders referred to New South Wales by the name "Australia".
1817		John Oxley charts theLachlan River
	Australia's first bank, theBank of New South Wales, opened in Macquarie Place, Sydney. (The bank becameWestpac in 1982).
	GovernorLachlan Macquarie petitioned the British Admiralty to use the name "Australia" instead of "New Holland"
1818		Oxley charted theMacquarie River.
1824		A penal colony was founded atMoreton Bay, now the city ofBrisbane.
	Bathurst andMelville Islands were annexed.
	Permission was granted to change the name of the continent from "New Holland" to "Australia"
	TheHume and Hovell expedition travelled overland to Port Phillip Bay and encountered theMurray River
1825		TheNew South Wales western border was extended to 129° E.Van Diemen's Land was proclaimed.
1826	26 December	New South Wales established first settlement inWestern Australia atKing George Sound as a convict-supported military garrison, named Frederick Town but renamedAlbany in 1832
1827	21 January	The whole of Australia was claimed as British territory whenMajor Edmund Lockyer formally annexed the western portion in a ceremony at King George Sound.^[19]^[20]
1829		Charles Sturt charted theDarling River.
	2 May	Captain Charles Fremantle took possession of the western side of Australia for theBritish crown.
	12 August	The settlement ofPerth was founded.
1830		Sturt arrived atGoolwa, having charted the Murray River.
	7 October	The Black Line, a huge six-week military offensive, is launched, using moving cordons to drive allAboriginal Tasmanians from the colony's settled districts to theTasman Peninsula.
1831	7 March	Administration of King George Sound passes to Swan River Colony, convicts returned to New South Wales.^[19]
18 April	The Sydney Herald (later to becomeThe Sydney Morning Herald) was first published.
1832		Swan River Colony had its name changed to Western Australia.
1833		The penal settlement ofPort Arthur was founded in Van Diemen's Land.
1834		TheTolpuddle Martyrs are transported to Sydney and Hobart.
1835	30 August	John Batman andJohn Pascoe Fawkner established a settlement atPort Phillip, now the city of Melbourne.
	William Wentworth establishedAustralian Patriotic Association, Australia's first political party, to demand democracy for New South Wales.
1836	28 December	Province of South Australiaproclaimed with its western border at 132° E.
1838		FirstPrussian 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	HMSBeagle sailed into Darwin Harbour during its surveying of the area.John Clements Wickham named the areaPort Darwin in honour of their former shipmateCharles Darwin. The settlement became the town ofPalmerston in 1869 and was renamed Darwin in 1911.
1840		Australia's first municipal authority, theCity of Adelaide, was established, followed bySydney City Council.
1841	1 July	New Zealand was proclaimed as aseparate colony, no longer part of New South Wales.
1842		Copper was discovered atKapunda in South Australia.
1843		Australia's first parliamentary elections was held for theNew South Wales Legislative Council (though voting rights are restricted to males of certain wealth or property).
1845	4 August	The shipCataraqui was wrecked offKing Island inBass Strait. It is Australia's worst civil maritime disaster, with 406 lives lost.
	Copper was discovered atBurra 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, theUniversity of Sydney, was founded.
1851	1 July	Victoria separated from New South Wales.
	TheVictorian gold rush started when gold was found at Summerhill Creek andBallarat.
15 December	Forest Creek Monster Meeting of miners at Chewton nearCastlemaine
1852		Francis Cadell, in preparation for the launch of his steamer service, explored theMurray River in a canvas boat, travelling 1,300 miles (2,100 km) downstream fromSwan Hill.^[21]
1853		Firstpaddle steamers onMurray River on the spring flood. FromSouth Australia, theLady Augusta captained byFrancis Cadell, reachedSwan Hill whileMary Ann captained byWilliam Randell, made it as far asMoama (nearEchuca).^[22]
	Bendigo Petition andRed Ribbon Rebellion atBendigo
1854	3 December	TheEureka Stockade
1855		The transportation of convicts toNorfolk 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 toTasmania.
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 byelectric 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-fatedBurke and Wills expedition occurred.
	Skiing in Australia introduced by Norwegians in theSnowy Mountains goldrush town ofKiandra.
1862		Stuart reachedPort Darwin, founding a settlement there. Queensland's western border was moved to 139° E.
1863		South Australia took control of theNorthern Territory which was previously part of the colony of New South Wales.
1864		Great Fire of Brisbane
1867		Gold was discovered atGympie, Queensland.
	Saint Mary MacKillop foundedSisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart.
1868		Thetransportation 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 theStolen Generation.
1872	22 August	TheOverland Telegraph Line linkingDarwin andAdelaide opened.
1873		Uluru was first sighted by Europeans, and named Ayers Rock.
1875	24 February	SS Gothenburg strikes Old Reef offBowen, 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 inAdelaide.
1877	15–19 March	The first internationally recognised game of Test Cricket is played between Australia and England at theMelbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
1879		The first congress of trade unions was held.
1880	11 November	Thebushranger 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 inAdelaide.
1883		The opening of the Sydney–Melbourne railway.
	Silver was discovered atBroken Hill

	The first direct Inter-colonial passenger trains began running betweenAdelaide and Melbourne.
	Gold was discovered atSouthern Cross, Western Australia.
1888		Louisa Lawson establishedThe Dawn: A Journal for Australian Women.
1889		The completion of the railway network betweenAdelaide,Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
24 October	Sir Henry Parkes delivered theTenterfield 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 aconstitution.
	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		TheCorowa 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 grantwomen the right to vote, as well the first Parliament in the world to allow women to stand for office with theConstitutional Amendment (Adult Suffrage) Act 1894.
1895		The premiers, except for those of Queensland and Western Australia, agreed to implement the Corowa proposals.
	"Waltzing Matilda" was first sung in public, inWinton, Queensland
1896		TheBathurst 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.
1899		The decision was made to site thenational capital in New South Wales, but not within 100 miles of Sydney.
22 September	Queensland's offer of troops for theSecond Boer War is accepted by the Imperial Government.
4 November	TheNew South Wales Lancers arrived in Cape Town from London to begin Australia's participation in the Second Boer War.
6 November	The Australian contingent to the Boer War departs Albany on theMedic.
1–7 December	TheAustralian Labor Party held office for a few days in Queensland, becoming the first trade union party to do so anywhere in the world.
22 December	Western Australia enacted fullwomen's suffrage.
1900		Several delegates visited London to resist proposed changes to the agreed-upon constitution.
	The constitution was passed by theParliament of the United Kingdom as a schedule to theCommonwealth of Australia Constitution Act, and was given royal assent

Year

Date

1803

Matthew Flinders completed the firstcircumnavigation of the continent

1804

A settlement was founded atRisdon on theDerwent River in Van Diemen's Land

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 (nowHobart) by ColonelDavid Collins.

1808

TheRum Rebellion

1813

Blaxland,Lawson andWentworth crossed theBlue Mountains.

Matthew Flinders referred to New South Wales by the name "Australia".

1817

John Oxley charts theLachlan River

Australia's first bank, theBank of New South Wales, opened in Macquarie Place, Sydney. (The bank becameWestpac in 1982).

GovernorLachlan Macquarie petitioned the British Admiralty to use the name "Australia" instead of "New Holland"

1818

Oxley charted theMacquarie River.

1824

A penal colony was founded atMoreton Bay, now the city ofBrisbane.

Bathurst andMelville Islands were annexed.

Permission was granted to change the name of the continent from "New Holland" to "Australia"

TheHume and Hovell expedition travelled overland to Port Phillip Bay and encountered theMurray River

1825

TheNew South Wales western border was extended to 129° E.Van Diemen's Land was proclaimed.

1826

26 December

New South Wales established first settlement inWestern Australia atKing George Sound as a convict-supported military garrison, named Frederick Town but renamedAlbany in 1832

1827

21 January

The whole of Australia was claimed as British territory whenMajor Edmund Lockyer formally annexed the western portion in a ceremony at King George Sound.^[19]^[20]

1829

Charles Sturt charted theDarling River.

2 May

Captain Charles Fremantle took possession of the western side of Australia for theBritish crown.

12 August

The settlement ofPerth was founded.

1830

Sturt arrived atGoolwa, having charted the Murray River.

7 October

The Black Line, a huge six-week military offensive, is launched, using moving cordons to drive allAboriginal Tasmanians from the colony's settled districts to theTasman Peninsula.

1831

7 March

Administration of King George Sound passes to Swan River Colony, convicts returned to New South Wales.^[19]

18 April

The Sydney Herald (later to becomeThe Sydney Morning Herald) was first published.

1832

Swan River Colony had its name changed to Western Australia.

1833

The penal settlement ofPort Arthur was founded in Van Diemen's Land.

1834

TheTolpuddle Martyrs are transported to Sydney and Hobart.

1835

30 August

John Batman andJohn Pascoe Fawkner established a settlement atPort Phillip, now the city of Melbourne.

William Wentworth establishedAustralian Patriotic Association, Australia's first political party, to demand democracy for New South Wales.

1836

28 December

Province of South Australiaproclaimed with its western border at 132° E.

1838

FirstPrussian 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

HMSBeagle sailed into Darwin Harbour during its surveying of the area.John Clements Wickham named the areaPort Darwin in honour of their former shipmateCharles Darwin. The settlement became the town ofPalmerston in 1869 and was renamed Darwin in 1911.

1840

Australia's first municipal authority, theCity of Adelaide, was established, followed bySydney City Council.

1841

1 July

New Zealand was proclaimed as aseparate colony, no longer part of New South Wales.

1842

Copper was discovered atKapunda in South Australia.

1843

Australia's first parliamentary elections was held for theNew South Wales Legislative Council (though voting rights are restricted to males of certain wealth or property).

1845

4 August

The shipCataraqui was wrecked offKing Island inBass Strait. It is Australia's worst civil maritime disaster, with 406 lives lost.

Copper was discovered atBurra 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, theUniversity of Sydney, was founded.

1851

1 July

Victoria separated from New South Wales.

TheVictorian gold rush started when gold was found at Summerhill Creek andBallarat.

15 December

Forest Creek Monster Meeting of miners at Chewton nearCastlemaine

1852

Francis Cadell, in preparation for the launch of his steamer service, explored theMurray River in a canvas boat, travelling 1,300 miles (2,100 km) downstream fromSwan Hill.^[21]

1853

Firstpaddle steamers onMurray River on the spring flood. FromSouth Australia, theLady Augusta captained byFrancis Cadell, reachedSwan Hill whileMary Ann captained byWilliam Randell, made it as far asMoama (nearEchuca).^[22]

Bendigo Petition andRed Ribbon Rebellion atBendigo

1854

3 December

TheEureka Stockade

1855

The transportation of convicts toNorfolk 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 toTasmania.

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 byelectric 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-fatedBurke and Wills expedition occurred.

Skiing in Australia introduced by Norwegians in theSnowy Mountains goldrush town ofKiandra.

1862

Stuart reachedPort Darwin, founding a settlement there. Queensland's western border was moved to 139° E.

1863

South Australia took control of theNorthern Territory which was previously part of the colony of New South Wales.

1864

Great Fire of Brisbane

1867

Gold was discovered atGympie, Queensland.

Saint Mary MacKillop foundedSisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart.

1868

Thetransportation 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 theStolen Generation.

1872

22 August

TheOverland Telegraph Line linkingDarwin andAdelaide opened.

1873

Uluru was first sighted by Europeans, and named Ayers Rock.

1875

24 February

SS Gothenburg strikes Old Reef offBowen, 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 inAdelaide.

1877

15–19 March

The first internationally recognised game of Test Cricket is played between Australia and England at theMelbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

1879

The first congress of trade unions was held.

1880

11 November

Thebushranger 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 inAdelaide.

1883

The opening of the Sydney–Melbourne railway.

Silver was discovered atBroken Hill

The first direct Inter-colonial passenger trains began running betweenAdelaide and Melbourne.

Gold was discovered atSouthern Cross, Western Australia.

1888

Louisa Lawson establishedThe Dawn: A Journal for Australian Women.

1889

The completion of the railway network betweenAdelaide,Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

24 October

Sir Henry Parkes delivered theTenterfield 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 aconstitution.

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

TheCorowa 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 grantwomen the right to vote, as well the first Parliament in the world to allow women to stand for office with theConstitutional Amendment (Adult Suffrage) Act 1894.

1895

The premiers, except for those of Queensland and Western Australia, agreed to implement the Corowa proposals.

"Waltzing Matilda" was first sung in public, inWinton, Queensland

1896

TheBathurst 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.

1899

The decision was made to site thenational capital in New South Wales, but not within 100 miles of Sydney.

22 September

Queensland's offer of troops for theSecond Boer War is accepted by the Imperial Government.

4 November

TheNew South Wales Lancers arrived in Cape Town from London to begin Australia's participation in the Second Boer War.

6 November

The Australian contingent to the Boer War departs Albany on theMedic.

1–7 December

TheAustralian Labor Party held office for a few days in Queensland, becoming the first trade union party to do so anywhere in the world.

22 December

Western Australia enacted fullwomen's suffrage.

1900

Several delegates visited London to resist proposed changes to the agreed-upon constitution.

The constitution was passed by theParliament of the United Kingdom as a schedule to theCommonwealth of Australia Constitution Act, and was given royal assent

Year	Date	Event
1901	1 January	Australia becomes a federation.Edmund Barton becomes the 1stPrime Minister of Australia;the 7th Earl of Hopetoun becomesGovernor-General. Black death strikes Australia, just over 100 people killed in Sydney .
	The first parliament met inParliament House, Melbourne
	TheImmigration Restriction Act was introduced forming the basis of theWhite Australia policy
	TheAustralian National Flag was flown for the first time
1902		TheFranchise 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, includingAboriginal people, unless already registered to vote on State roles.
	KingEdward VII approved the design of theAustralian flag.
27 February	Breaker Morant is executed for having shot Boers who had surrendered
1903	25 August	TheHigh Court of Australia is established withSamuel Griffith as the firstChief Justice.
	TheDefence Act gives the federal government full control over theAustralian Army
16 December	1903 Australian federal election:Alfred Deakin is elected as the 2ndPrime Minister of Australia.
1904		A site atDalgety, New South Wales chosen for the new national capital
	Chris Watson forms the first federalLabor (minority) government
27 April	Deakin resigns andChris Watson assumes office as the 3rdPrime Minister of Australia.
18 August	George Reid becomes the 4thPrime Minister of Australia.
1905	5 July	Alfred Deakin returns to the position of prime minister.
1906		Australia takes control of south-easternNew Guinea
12 December	1906 Australian federal election:Alfred Deakin is reelected.
1908		Dorothea Mackellar publishesMy Country
	The Dalgety proposal for the national capital is revoked, andCanberra is chosen instead.
27 August	Birth ofDonald Bradman in Cootamundra, New South Wales.
	13 November	Andrew Fisher becomes 5thPrime Minister of Australia.
1909		The first powered aeroplane flight in Australia is made.
2 June	Alfred Deakin becomes prime minister.
1910		Andrew Fisher forms the first federal majority Labor government.
29 April	Andrew Fisher become prime minister.
1911		TheRoyal Australian Navy is founded
	TheNorthern 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 theOlympic Games for the first time
22 October	TheCentral Flying School RAAF, the foundation for theRoyal Australian Air Force, is founded
23 May	Walter Burley Griffin andMarion Mahony Griffin win the design competition for the new city ofCanberra
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	1913 Australian federal election:Joseph Cook elected as the 6thPrime 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 becomes prime minister.
1915	25 April	Australian soldiers land atANZAC Cove on theGallipoli 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 7thPrime 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 theWestern Front Battle of the Somme
	The Returned Sailors’ and Soldiers’ Imperial League of Australia, the forerunner to theReturned and Services League of Australia is founded
	The Labor government under Billy Hughes splits overconscription. First referendum on conscription is rejected
1917		Second referendum on conscription is rejected. Transcontinental railway linkingAdelaide toPerth is completed.
5 May	1917 Australian federal election:Billy Hughes reelected as prime minister.
31 October	Battle of Beersheba:Australian 4th Light Horse Brigade launches last cavalry charge in modern warfare to captureBeersheba from the Ottoman Turks.
1918		Battle of Amiens: Australian troops spearhead 8 August offensive againstHindenburg Line: the "black day of the German Army". On 12 August, Australian commander General SirJohn Monash is knighted in the field of battle byKing George V
11 November	First World War ends – 60,000 Australians dead.
17 December	TheDarwin Rebellion takes place, with 1,000 demonstrators demanding the resignation of theAdministrator of the Northern Territory,John A. Gilruth.
1919		Prime MinisterBilly Hughes signsTreaty of Versailles: the first signing of an international treaty by Australia. Australia obtainsLeague of Nations mandate overGerman New Guinea.
13 December	1919 Australian federal election:Billy Hughes reelected as prime minister.
1920		The airlineQantas is founded
1921	12 March	Edith Cowan becomes the first womanelected to an Australian parliament
1922		The Smith Family charity is founded in Sydney
2 September	Death ofHenry Lawson aged 55.
	16 December	1922 Australian federal election:Billy Hughes reelected as prime minister.
1923		Vegemite is first produced
9 February	Stanley Bruce became 8thPrime Minister of Australia.
	28 July	Construction begins on theSydney Harbour Bridge.
1925	16 December	1925 Australian federal election:Stanley Bruce reelected as prime minister.
1926		The firstMiss Australia contest is held
1927	9 May	The tenth parliament is formally opened inCanberra, 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 fromBritain to Australia, andCharles Kingsford Smith makes the first flight from the United States to Australia. TheShrine of Remembrance is built.
1929		Western Australia celebrates itscentenary
	Labor returns to office underJames Scullin. TheGreat Depression hits Australia.
1930	6 January	New South Wales batsmanDon Bradman scores a world recordfirst-class individual innings of 452 not out in aSheffield Shield match againstQueensland
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.
27 September	Sydney–Brisbane railway opens connecting New South Wales with Queensland by rail
	4 November	Phar Lap wins his onlyMelbourne Cup
1931		Sir Douglas Mawson charts 4,000 miles ofAntarctic coastline and claims 42% of the icy massfor Australia
	23 February	Death of DameNellie Melba aged 69.
1932	19 January	Construction on theSydney Harbour Bridge is completed.
1932	19 March	TheSydney Harbour Bridge opens.
	The Labor government falls andJoseph Lyons becomes prime minister.
1933	8 April	Western Australia votes at arerefendum tosecede from the Commonwealth, but the vote is ignored by both the Commonwealth and British governments.
1935	8 November	SirCharles Kingsford Smith disappears. He was 38.
1936		The lastthylacine dies.
1937		The radio seriesDad and Dave begins.
1938	5–12 February	Sydney hosts theEmpire Games, the forerunner to theCommonwealth Games.
1939	13 January	Victoria is devastated by theBlack Friday bushfires.
7 April	Prime MinisterJoseph Lyons dies in office and is replaced byRobert Menzies and the firstMenzies Government.
September	Australia enters theSecond World War following the GermanInvasion of Poland. The2nd Australian Imperial Force is raised.^[23]
	The first flight is made by an Australian-made warplane, theWirraway.
1940		A team of scientists, underHoward Florey, developspenicillin
	Fascist Italy enters war,Royal Australian Navy engagesItalian Navy in the early stages of theBattle of the Mediterranean.
1941		3 Divisions of the2nd 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.^[24]
	Apr–Aug, Australian garrison (Rats of Tobruk) halt advance of Hitler's panzers for the first time during theSiege of Tobruk.
	Menzies resigns andJohn Curtin becomes prime minister in theCurtin government of 1941–45.
1942	February	Singapore falls, 15,000 Australians becomePrisoners 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.
	TheRoyal Australian Navy and 6th and 7th Divisions of 2nd AIF are recalled from Mediterranean Theatre to participate in the anticipatedBattle for Australia.
	Sparrow Force engages in guerilla campaign inBattle of Timor (to 1943)
4 May – 8 May	Battle of the Coral Sea:United States andRoyal Australian Navy halt advance of the Japanese towardsPort Moresby (Australian Territory of Papua)
21 July – 16 November	Battle of Kokoda Trail: Australian soldiers halt Japanese march onPort Moresby
Aug–Sep	Australian forces inflict the first defeat on theImperial Japanese Army in theBattle of Milne Bay.^[25]
Jul–Nov	Australia's 9th Division plays crucial role in theFirst andSecond Battle of El Alamein, which turned theNorth Africa Campaign in favour of the Allies.^[26]
	Nationaldaylight saving is introduced as a war time measure.
9 October	The UKStatute 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 firstOscar, with cinematographerDamien Parer honoured forKokoda Front Line! documentary.
	2,815 Australian POWs die constructing Japan'sBurma-Thailand Railway^[27]
	Australian forces engage Japan in New Guinea, Wau, and the Huon peninsula.^[24] (to 1944)
1944	5 August	Cowra breakout, mass escape of Japanese prisoners of war occurs in NSW.
	Japanese inflictSandakan Death March on 2,000 Australian and British prisoners of war – only 6 survive. The single worst war crime perpetrated against Australians.^[28]
	Australian forces battle Japanese garrisons from Borneo to Bougainville.^[24]
	ThePharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is introduced, providing subsidised medicine to all Australians
1945		theLiberal Party of Australia is established withRobert Menzies as its first leader.
	Australian forces leadBattle of Borneo
7 May	Nazi Germany surrenders
July	Prime Minister Curtin dies and is replaced, briefly byFrank Forde, then byBen Chifley and theChifley Labor government
14 August	Japan surrenders
	Australia becomes a founding member of the United Nations
26 December 1945 – 3 January 1946	TheSydney to Hobart Yacht Race is held for thefirst time
1946		Minister for Immigration Arthur Calwell introduces the major post-war immigration scheme
	Norman Makin, is voted in as the firstPresident of theUnited Nations Security Council.
1948		Minister for External Affairs, Dr.H. V. Evatt is electedPresident of theUnited 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 theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights.
1949		All indigenous ex-servicemen and anyIndigenous 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 theSnowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme officially begins
10 December	1949 Australian federal election:Robert Menzies returns to power as leader of the new Liberal PartyMenzies Government.
1950		Australian troops are sent to theKorean War to assistSouth Korea. (to 1953)
1951		Voters reject areferendum to change the Constitution to allow the Menzies Government to ban theCommunist Party
1 September	Australia signs theANZUS treaty with the United States and New Zealand
1952	3 October	Operation Hurricane: Firstnuclear test conducted in Australian territory by the United Kingdom off the coast of Western Australia.
1954		Elizabeth II andPrince Philip make a royal visit; theSoviet diplomatVladimir Petrov defects, leading to thePetrov Affair and another split in the Labor Party
1955		Democratic Labor Party splits fromAustralian Labor Party over concerns of Communist influence in the labour movement
	Australia becomes involved inMalayan 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	The16th Summer Olympics is held in Melbourne
	Performing artistBarry Humphries introducesEdna Everage to theAustralian stage
1957		The song "Wild One" makesJohnny O'Keefe the first Australian rock'n'roller to reach the national charts.
	Slim Dusty'sAustralian 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 allIndigenous Australians should have the right to enrol and vote at federal elections, removing remaining restrictions applying in QLD, WA and NT.
16 April	Sydney–Melbourne rail corridor opens withSpirit of Progress connecting New South Wales to Victoria by rail
	Malayan Insurgency ends
1964	12–20 June	The Beatles' 1964 world tour reach Australia
10 February	82 sailors die whenHMAS Voyager sinksafter collision withHMAS Melbourne
	The editors ofOz magazine are charged with obscenity
	Prime Minister Robert Menzies announces the reintroduction of compulsory military service for men aged from 18 to 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 byHarold 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 theAustralian dollar replacing theAustralian pound.
1967	3 February	Ronald Ryan becomes the last person legallyexecuted in Australia.
7 February	Black Tuesday bushfires devastate large areas ofHobart and south-easternTasmania; 64 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 MinisterHarold Holt disappears while swimming atCheviot Beach, Victoria
19 December	Holt was officially presumed dead by the government. Governor-GeneralLord Casey sworeJohn McEwen in as prime minister, on an interim basis pending the Liberal Party electing its new leader
1968	10 January	John Gorton replacesJohn McEwen as Prime Minister
24 June	British comedianTony Hancock commits suicide in Sydney
1 July	Australia signs theTreaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
	Aboriginal boxing championLionel Rose defeats Masahiko "Fighting" Harada in Japan to become the world bantamweight champion
	Australia's firstliver transplant operation is performed in Sydney
1969		French conceptual artistChristo 'wraps'Little Bay in Sydney
November	Renowned author-artistsNorman Lindsay andMay Gibbs die
	The Australian production of the rock musicalHair premieres in Sydney
	Top pop groupsthe Easybeats andthe Twilights break up;Tim Burstall directs2000 Weeks, the first All-Australian feature released since Charles Chauvel'sJedda in 1958
25 October	1969 Australian federal election: John Gorton reelected as prime minister.
1970		More than 200,000 people participate in the largest demonstrations in Australian history, against theVietnam War
1971		Neville Bonner becomes the firstAborigine to become an Australian Member of Parliament;
10 March	John Gorton resigns as prime minister and is succeeded byWilliam McMahon
	The1971 South Africa rugby union tour of Australia sparks protest all throughout Australia. Premier of QueenslandJoh Bjelke-Petersen declares astate 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.^[29]
	Green Bans begin inHunters Hill, Sydney and spread across New South Wales.
1972		TheCommonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission rules that women doing the same job as men have the right to be paid the same wage.
	Queensland discontinuesDaylight Saving.^[29]
	Aboriginal Tent Embassy erected in response to the Coalition government's approval of exploration licences and mining tenements on reserves
July	Supersonic passenger planeConcorde lands in Darwin
2 December	1972 Australian federal election: The firstLabor government since 1949 is elected under the leadership ofGough Whitlam
	Australia recognises the People's Republic of China
1973	20 October	TheSydney Opera House formally opened byElizabeth 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 theNobel Prize in Literature
1974		"Advance Australia Fair" recognised as Australia's national song, but not asnational anthem.
24–25 December	Darwin is devastated byCyclone Tracy.
1975		ThePrivy Council (Appeals from the High Court) Act removes the right to appeal High Court decisions to the BritishPrivy Council. Appeals to the Privy Council direct from State Supreme Courts remain until 1988.
5 January	The Hobart Bridgecollapsed. 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.
17 September	Papua New Guinea gains independence from Australian rule
	South Australia becomes the first state in Australia to legalise homosexual acts 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.
	Aconstitutional crisis occurs whenMalcolm Fraser delays supply, threatening a government shutdown untilGovernor-General John Kerr dismisses Prime MinisterGough Whitlam on 11 November 1975. Kerr then appointedMalcolm Fraser, Leader of the Opposition, as caretaker prime minister.
13 December	1975 Australian federal election: Malcolm Fraser wins elections and becomes Prime Minister
1976		TheAustralian Capital Territory legalises homosexuality between consenting adults in private.
1977	18 January	Granville rail disaster killed eighty-three people
1978	24 June	FirstSydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
1979		Australian women win the right tomaternity leave
	Kakadu National Park and theGreat Barrier Reef Marine Park are both proclaimed.
1980	17 August	BabyAzaria Chamberlain disappears from a campsite atUluru (Ayers Rock), reportedly taken by a dingo.
18 October	1980 Australian federal election: The Coalition is elected.
1981		Areferendum is held in Tasmania to vote for whether or not theFranklin Dam should be built.
1982	30 September – 9 October	12th Commonwealth Games held in Brisbane.
	TheNational Gallery of Australia is opened.
1983	16 February	TheAsh Wednesday bushfires kill 71 people.
5 March	1983 Australian federal election:Bob Hawke defeats Fraser and leads Labor back to government.
14 – 26 September	Australia wins theAmerica's Cup
12 December	TheAustralian dollar isfloated.
1984	19 April	"Advance Australia Fair" is proclaimed as Australia's officialnational anthem.
1 February	Medicare is established.
14 May	Theone dollar coin is issued to replace theone dollar note.
1 December	1984 Australian federal election: Labor wins.
1985		The government grants the freehold title of a large area of land in central Australia, including prominent landmarksUluru andKata 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		TheAustralia 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	SirJoh 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 itsbicentenary, 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 hostsWorld Expo 88.
9 May	The newParliament House opens in Canberra.
1989		Newcastle earthquake kills 13 people. ACT gains self-Government. TheKempsey bus crash andGrafton bus crash kill a total of 56 people.
	Queensland commences three-year trial ofDaylight Saving.^[29]
	Rosemary Follett (Australian Labor Party) becomes the firstChief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory and the first woman to become head of government in anAustralian state or territory.
1990		Royal Australian Navy deployed in preparation for theFirst Gulf War.Carmen Lawrence becomes the first female premier of an Australian state. Labor wins the1990 federal election.
1991	4 July	Prominent heart surgeonVictor Chang is gunned down.
17 August	Seven people die in theStrathfield massacre.
21 August	TheCoode Island chemical storage facility in Melbourne explodes, leaving a toxic cloud hanging over the city for days.
2 September	Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation Act 1991 is passed;reconciliation in Australia policy established.
20 December	Paul Keating replacesBob Hawke to be the 24thPrime Minister of Australia.
1992		The High Court delivers theMabo Decision, which rules that indigenous native title does exist. This effectively extinguishes the concept ofterra nullius. New South Wales PremierNick Greiner resigns.
22 February	Queensland holds areferendum on daylight saving, which is defeated with a 54.5% 'no' vote.^[30]
1993	13 March	1993 Australian federal election: Keating defeatsJohn Hewson; theAustralian Greens stand candidates for the first time.
1995		TheNorthern Territory legalises voluntaryeuthanasia, but it is overruled by the federal government when Liberal MPKevin Andrews proposes theEuthanasia Laws Bill 1996
1996		The High Court hands down theWik Decision, which holds that indigenous native title can survive the granting of pastoral leases.
2 March	1996 Australian federal election: LiberalJohn Howard becomes prime minister, defeatingPaul 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 thePort Arthur massacre
1997		Expelled Liberal MPPauline Hanson forms theOne Nation Party
1 May	Tasmania legalises homosexuality
30 July	1997 Thredbo landslide: Eighteen people die when the Bimbadene and Carinya Lodges collapse atThredbo Alpine Village at 11.30 p.m.
	22 November	Michael Hutchence, lead singer ofINXS, is found dead in his hotel room.
1998		Amajor strike results whenPatrick Stevedores attempt to introduce non-union labour to reduce the influence of theMaritime Union of Australia
	TheAustralian Securities 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 aMotion of Reconciliation signifying both recognition of and regret at past mistreatment of indigenous Australians.
6 November	Areferendum on changing to a republic is unsuccessful
	Howard government deploys Australian forces toEast Timor to lead theINTERFET mission, following violence in wake of East Timorese vote for independence.
2000	1 July	Howard government introduces aGoods and Services Tax
15 September – 1 October	27th Summer Olympic Games held in Sydney.

Year

Date

Event

1901

1 January

Australia becomes a federation.Edmund Barton becomes the 1stPrime Minister of Australia;the 7th Earl of Hopetoun becomesGovernor-General.

Black death strikes Australia, just over 100 people killed in Sydney .

The first parliament met inParliament House, Melbourne

TheImmigration Restriction Act was introduced forming the basis of theWhite Australia policy

TheAustralian National Flag was flown for the first time

1902

TheFranchise 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, includingAboriginal people, unless already registered to vote on State roles.

KingEdward VII approved the design of theAustralian flag.

27 February

Breaker Morant is executed for having shot Boers who had surrendered

1903

25 August

TheHigh Court of Australia is established withSamuel Griffith as the firstChief Justice.

TheDefence Act gives the federal government full control over theAustralian Army

16 December

1903 Australian federal election:Alfred Deakin is elected as the 2ndPrime Minister of Australia.

1904

A site atDalgety, New South Wales chosen for the new national capital

Chris Watson forms the first federalLabor (minority) government

27 April

Deakin resigns andChris Watson assumes office as the 3rdPrime Minister of Australia.

18 August

George Reid becomes the 4thPrime Minister of Australia.

1905

5 July

Alfred Deakin returns to the position of prime minister.

1906

Australia takes control of south-easternNew Guinea

12 December

1906 Australian federal election:Alfred Deakin is reelected.

1908

Dorothea Mackellar publishesMy Country

The Dalgety proposal for the national capital is revoked, andCanberra is chosen instead.

27 August

Birth ofDonald Bradman in Cootamundra, New South Wales.

13 November

Andrew Fisher becomes 5thPrime Minister of Australia.

1909

The first powered aeroplane flight in Australia is made.

2 June

Alfred Deakin becomes prime minister.

1910

Andrew Fisher forms the first federal majority Labor government.

29 April

Andrew Fisher become prime minister.

1911

TheRoyal Australian Navy is founded

TheNorthern 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 theOlympic Games for the first time

22 October

TheCentral Flying School RAAF, the foundation for theRoyal Australian Air Force, is founded

23 May

Walter Burley Griffin andMarion Mahony Griffin win the design competition for the new city ofCanberra

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

1913 Australian federal election:Joseph Cook elected as the 6thPrime 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 becomes prime minister.

1915

25 April

Australian soldiers land atANZAC Cove on theGallipoli 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 7thPrime 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 theWestern Front Battle of the Somme

The Returned Sailors’ and Soldiers’ Imperial League of Australia, the forerunner to theReturned and Services League of Australia is founded

The Labor government under Billy Hughes splits overconscription. First referendum on conscription is rejected

1917

Second referendum on conscription is rejected. Transcontinental railway linkingAdelaide toPerth is completed.

5 May

1917 Australian federal election:Billy Hughes reelected as prime minister.

31 October

Battle of Beersheba:Australian 4th Light Horse Brigade launches last cavalry charge in modern warfare to captureBeersheba from the Ottoman Turks.

1918

Battle of Amiens: Australian troops spearhead 8 August offensive againstHindenburg Line: the "black day of the German Army". On 12 August, Australian commander General SirJohn Monash is knighted in the field of battle byKing George V

11 November

First World War ends – 60,000 Australians dead.

17 December

TheDarwin Rebellion takes place, with 1,000 demonstrators demanding the resignation of theAdministrator of the Northern Territory,John A. Gilruth.

1919

Prime MinisterBilly Hughes signsTreaty of Versailles: the first signing of an international treaty by Australia. Australia obtainsLeague of Nations mandate overGerman New Guinea.

13 December

1919 Australian federal election:Billy Hughes reelected as prime minister.

1920

The airlineQantas is founded

1921

12 March

Edith Cowan becomes the first womanelected to an Australian parliament

1922

The Smith Family charity is founded in Sydney

2 September

Death ofHenry Lawson aged 55.

16 December

1922 Australian federal election:Billy Hughes reelected as prime minister.

1923

Vegemite is first produced

9 February

Stanley Bruce became 8thPrime Minister of Australia.

28 July

Construction begins on theSydney Harbour Bridge.

1925

16 December

1925 Australian federal election:Stanley Bruce reelected as prime minister.

1926

The firstMiss Australia contest is held

1927

9 May

The tenth parliament is formally opened inCanberra, 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 fromBritain to Australia, andCharles Kingsford Smith makes the first flight from the United States to Australia. TheShrine of Remembrance is built.

1929

Western Australia celebrates itscentenary

Labor returns to office underJames Scullin. TheGreat Depression hits Australia.

1930

6 January

New South Wales batsmanDon Bradman scores a world recordfirst-class individual innings of 452 not out in aSheffield Shield match againstQueensland

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.

27 September

Sydney–Brisbane railway opens connecting New South Wales with Queensland by rail

4 November

Phar Lap wins his onlyMelbourne Cup

1931

Sir Douglas Mawson charts 4,000 miles ofAntarctic coastline and claims 42% of the icy massfor Australia

23 February

Death of DameNellie Melba aged 69.

1932

19 January

Construction on theSydney Harbour Bridge is completed.

1932

19 March

TheSydney Harbour Bridge opens.

The Labor government falls andJoseph Lyons becomes prime minister.

1933

8 April

Western Australia votes at arerefendum tosecede from the Commonwealth, but the vote is ignored by both the Commonwealth and British governments.

1935

8 November

SirCharles Kingsford Smith disappears. He was 38.

1936

The lastthylacine dies.

1937

The radio seriesDad and Dave begins.

1938

5–12 February

Sydney hosts theEmpire Games, the forerunner to theCommonwealth Games.

1939

13 January

Victoria is devastated by theBlack Friday bushfires.

7 April

Prime MinisterJoseph Lyons dies in office and is replaced byRobert Menzies and the firstMenzies Government.

September

Australia enters theSecond World War following the GermanInvasion of Poland. The2nd Australian Imperial Force is raised.^[23]

The first flight is made by an Australian-made warplane, theWirraway.

1940

A team of scientists, underHoward Florey, developspenicillin

Fascist Italy enters war,Royal Australian Navy engagesItalian Navy in the early stages of theBattle of the Mediterranean.

1941

3 Divisions of the2nd 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.^[24]

Apr–Aug, Australian garrison (Rats of Tobruk) halt advance of Hitler's panzers for the first time during theSiege of Tobruk.

Menzies resigns andJohn Curtin becomes prime minister in theCurtin government of 1941–45.

1942

February

Singapore falls, 15,000 Australians becomePrisoners 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.

TheRoyal Australian Navy and 6th and 7th Divisions of 2nd AIF are recalled from Mediterranean Theatre to participate in the anticipatedBattle for Australia.

Sparrow Force engages in guerilla campaign inBattle of Timor (to 1943)

4 May – 8 May

Battle of the Coral Sea:United States andRoyal Australian Navy halt advance of the Japanese towardsPort Moresby (Australian Territory of Papua)

21 July – 16 November

Battle of Kokoda Trail: Australian soldiers halt Japanese march onPort Moresby

Aug–Sep

Australian forces inflict the first defeat on theImperial Japanese Army in theBattle of Milne Bay.^[25]

Jul–Nov

Australia's 9th Division plays crucial role in theFirst andSecond Battle of El Alamein, which turned theNorth Africa Campaign in favour of the Allies.^[26]

Nationaldaylight saving is introduced as a war time measure.

9 October

The UKStatute 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 firstOscar, with cinematographerDamien Parer honoured forKokoda Front Line! documentary.

2,815 Australian POWs die constructing Japan'sBurma-Thailand Railway^[27]

Australian forces engage Japan in New Guinea, Wau, and the Huon peninsula.^[24] (to 1944)

1944

5 August

Cowra breakout, mass escape of Japanese prisoners of war occurs in NSW.

Japanese inflictSandakan Death March on 2,000 Australian and British prisoners of war – only 6 survive. The single worst war crime perpetrated against Australians.^[28]

Australian forces battle Japanese garrisons from Borneo to Bougainville.^[24]

ThePharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is introduced, providing subsidised medicine to all Australians

1945

theLiberal Party of Australia is established withRobert Menzies as its first leader.

Australian forces leadBattle of Borneo

7 May

Nazi Germany surrenders

July

Prime Minister Curtin dies and is replaced, briefly byFrank Forde, then byBen Chifley and theChifley Labor government

14 August

Japan surrenders

Australia becomes a founding member of the United Nations

26 December 1945 – 3 January 1946

TheSydney to Hobart Yacht Race is held for thefirst time

1946

Minister for Immigration Arthur Calwell introduces the major post-war immigration scheme

Norman Makin, is voted in as the firstPresident of theUnited Nations Security Council.

1948

Minister for External Affairs, Dr.H. V. Evatt is electedPresident of theUnited 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 theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights.

1949

All indigenous ex-servicemen and anyIndigenous 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 theSnowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme officially begins

10 December

1949 Australian federal election:Robert Menzies returns to power as leader of the new Liberal PartyMenzies Government.

1950

Australian troops are sent to theKorean War to assistSouth Korea. (to 1953)

1951

Voters reject areferendum to change the Constitution to allow the Menzies Government to ban theCommunist Party

1 September

Australia signs theANZUS treaty with the United States and New Zealand

1952

3 October

Operation Hurricane: Firstnuclear test conducted in Australian territory by the United Kingdom off the coast of Western Australia.

1954

Elizabeth II andPrince Philip make a royal visit; theSoviet diplomatVladimir Petrov defects, leading to thePetrov Affair and another split in the Labor Party

1955

Democratic Labor Party splits fromAustralian Labor Party over concerns of Communist influence in the labour movement

Australia becomes involved inMalayan 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

The16th Summer Olympics is held in Melbourne

Performing artistBarry Humphries introducesEdna Everage to theAustralian stage

1957

The song "Wild One" makesJohnny O'Keefe the first Australian rock'n'roller to reach the national charts.

Slim Dusty'sAustralian 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 allIndigenous Australians should have the right to enrol and vote at federal elections, removing remaining restrictions applying in QLD, WA and NT.

16 April

Sydney–Melbourne rail corridor opens withSpirit of Progress connecting New South Wales to Victoria by rail

Malayan Insurgency ends

1964

12–20 June

The Beatles' 1964 world tour reach Australia

10 February

82 sailors die whenHMAS Voyager sinksafter collision withHMAS Melbourne

The editors ofOz magazine are charged with obscenity

Prime Minister Robert Menzies announces the reintroduction of compulsory military service for men aged from 18 to 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 byHarold 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 theAustralian dollar replacing theAustralian pound.

1967

3 February

Ronald Ryan becomes the last person legallyexecuted in Australia.

7 February

Black Tuesday bushfires devastate large areas ofHobart and south-easternTasmania; 64 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 MinisterHarold Holt disappears while swimming atCheviot Beach, Victoria

19 December

Holt was officially presumed dead by the government. Governor-GeneralLord Casey sworeJohn McEwen in as prime minister, on an interim basis pending the Liberal Party electing its new leader

1968

10 January

John Gorton replacesJohn McEwen as Prime Minister

24 June

British comedianTony Hancock commits suicide in Sydney

1 July

Australia signs theTreaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

Aboriginal boxing championLionel Rose defeats Masahiko "Fighting" Harada in Japan to become the world bantamweight champion

Australia's firstliver transplant operation is performed in Sydney

1969

French conceptual artistChristo 'wraps'Little Bay in Sydney

November

Renowned author-artistsNorman Lindsay andMay Gibbs die

The Australian production of the rock musicalHair premieres in Sydney

Top pop groupsthe Easybeats andthe Twilights break up;Tim Burstall directs2000 Weeks, the first All-Australian feature released since Charles Chauvel'sJedda in 1958

25 October

1969 Australian federal election: John Gorton reelected as prime minister.

1970

More than 200,000 people participate in the largest demonstrations in Australian history, against theVietnam War

1971

Neville Bonner becomes the firstAborigine to become an Australian Member of Parliament;

10 March

John Gorton resigns as prime minister and is succeeded byWilliam McMahon

The1971 South Africa rugby union tour of Australia sparks protest all throughout Australia. Premier of QueenslandJoh Bjelke-Petersen declares astate 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.^[29]

Green Bans begin inHunters Hill, Sydney and spread across New South Wales.

1972

TheCommonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission rules that women doing the same job as men have the right to be paid the same wage.

Queensland discontinuesDaylight Saving.^[29]

Aboriginal Tent Embassy erected in response to the Coalition government's approval of exploration licences and mining tenements on reserves

July

Supersonic passenger planeConcorde lands in Darwin

2 December

1972 Australian federal election: The firstLabor government since 1949 is elected under the leadership ofGough Whitlam

Australia recognises the People's Republic of China

1973

20 October

TheSydney Opera House formally opened byElizabeth 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 theNobel Prize in Literature

1974

"Advance Australia Fair" recognised as Australia's national song, but not asnational anthem.

24–25 December

Darwin is devastated byCyclone Tracy.

1975

ThePrivy Council (Appeals from the High Court) Act removes the right to appeal High Court decisions to the BritishPrivy Council. Appeals to the Privy Council direct from State Supreme Courts remain until 1988.

5 January

The Hobart Bridgecollapsed. 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.

17 September

Papua New Guinea gains independence from Australian rule

South Australia becomes the first state in Australia to legalise homosexual acts 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.

Aconstitutional crisis occurs whenMalcolm Fraser delays supply, threatening a government shutdown untilGovernor-General John Kerr dismisses Prime MinisterGough Whitlam on 11 November 1975. Kerr then appointedMalcolm Fraser, Leader of the Opposition, as caretaker prime minister.

13 December

1975 Australian federal election: Malcolm Fraser wins elections and becomes Prime Minister

1976

TheAustralian Capital Territory legalises homosexuality between consenting adults in private.

1977

18 January

Granville rail disaster killed eighty-three people

1978

24 June

FirstSydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras

1979

Australian women win the right tomaternity leave

Kakadu National Park and theGreat Barrier Reef Marine Park are both proclaimed.

1980

17 August

BabyAzaria Chamberlain disappears from a campsite atUluru (Ayers Rock), reportedly taken by a dingo.

18 October

1980 Australian federal election: The Coalition is elected.

1981

Areferendum is held in Tasmania to vote for whether or not theFranklin Dam should be built.

1982

30 September – 9 October

12th Commonwealth Games held in Brisbane.

TheNational Gallery of Australia is opened.

1983

16 February

TheAsh Wednesday bushfires kill 71 people.

5 March

1983 Australian federal election:Bob Hawke defeats Fraser and leads Labor back to government.

14 – 26 September

Australia wins theAmerica's Cup

12 December

TheAustralian dollar isfloated.

1984

19 April

"Advance Australia Fair" is proclaimed as Australia's officialnational anthem.

1 February

Medicare is established.

14 May

Theone dollar coin is issued to replace theone dollar note.

1 December

1984 Australian federal election: Labor wins.

1985

The government grants the freehold title of a large area of land in central Australia, including prominent landmarksUluru andKata 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

TheAustralia 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

SirJoh 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 itsbicentenary, 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 hostsWorld Expo 88.

9 May

The newParliament House opens in Canberra.

1989

Newcastle earthquake kills 13 people. ACT gains self-Government. TheKempsey bus crash andGrafton bus crash kill a total of 56 people.

Queensland commences three-year trial ofDaylight Saving.^[29]

Rosemary Follett (Australian Labor Party) becomes the firstChief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory and the first woman to become head of government in anAustralian state or territory.

1990

Royal Australian Navy deployed in preparation for theFirst Gulf War.Carmen Lawrence becomes the first female premier of an Australian state. Labor wins the1990 federal election.

1991

4 July

Prominent heart surgeonVictor Chang is gunned down.

17 August

Seven people die in theStrathfield massacre.

21 August

TheCoode Island chemical storage facility in Melbourne explodes, leaving a toxic cloud hanging over the city for days.

2 September

Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation Act 1991 is passed;reconciliation in Australia policy established.

20 December

Paul Keating replacesBob Hawke to be the 24thPrime Minister of Australia.

1992

The High Court delivers theMabo Decision, which rules that indigenous native title does exist. This effectively extinguishes the concept ofterra nullius. New South Wales PremierNick Greiner resigns.

22 February

Queensland holds areferendum on daylight saving, which is defeated with a 54.5% 'no' vote.^[30]

1993

13 March

1993 Australian federal election: Keating defeatsJohn Hewson; theAustralian Greens stand candidates for the first time.

1995

TheNorthern Territory legalises voluntaryeuthanasia, but it is overruled by the federal government when Liberal MPKevin Andrews proposes theEuthanasia Laws Bill 1996

1996

The High Court hands down theWik Decision, which holds that indigenous native title can survive the granting of pastoral leases.

2 March

1996 Australian federal election: LiberalJohn Howard becomes prime minister, defeatingPaul 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 thePort Arthur massacre

1997

Expelled Liberal MPPauline Hanson forms theOne Nation Party

1 May

Tasmania legalises homosexuality

30 July

1997 Thredbo landslide: Eighteen people die when the Bimbadene and Carinya Lodges collapse atThredbo Alpine Village at 11.30 p.m.

22 November

Michael Hutchence, lead singer ofINXS, is found dead in his hotel room.

1998

Amajor strike results whenPatrick Stevedores attempt to introduce non-union labour to reduce the influence of theMaritime Union of Australia

TheAustralian Securities 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 aMotion of Reconciliation signifying both recognition of and regret at past mistreatment of indigenous Australians.

6 November

Areferendum on changing to a republic is unsuccessful

Howard government deploys Australian forces toEast Timor to lead theINTERFET mission, following violence in wake of East Timorese vote for independence.

2000

1 July

Howard government introduces aGoods and Services Tax

15 September – 1 October

27th Summer Olympic Games held in Sydney.

Year	Date	Event
2001		Australia celebrates centenary offederation.
25 February	Death of Donald Bradman, aged 92 inKensington Park, Adelaide, South Australia.
	Western Australia adopts a uniformage of consent of 16.
	Boat load of asylum seekers is rescued by Norwegian ship, leading to theTampa affair.
	Australian forces deployed toWar to toppleTaliban for supportingAl-Qaeda.
10 November	2001 Australian federal election: John Howard is reelected as prime minister.
2002	12 October	2002 Bali bombings, the deadliest act of terrorism in thehistory of Indonesia, killing 202 people (including 88 Australians).^[31]
2003		Australian military deployed toIraq War to oust theSaddam Hussein regime for serial non-compliance with the1991 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 theRugby World Cup, with the home side losing the final to England.
19 September	Country music singer and musicianSlim Dusty dies, aged 76.
2004	9 September	Abomb explodes outside the Australian embassy inJakarta, Indonesia.
9 October	2004 Australian federal election:Howard government (Liberal-National Coalition) wins fourth term and defeatsMark Latham ledAustralian Labor Party.
2005	December	Sydney beachside suburb ofCronulla sees a protest against the alleged bashing of a beach lifeguard, developing into an alcohol-fuelled, racially chargedriot.
2006	15–26 March	TheCommonwealth Games are held in Melbourne.
4 September	Wildlife conservationist and television personalitySteve Irwin dies, aged 44.
8 September	Motor racing driverPeter Brock dies, aged 61.
	Australian Forces are again deployed toEast Timor to help stabilize the country.
2007		Australia avoids recession amidst2008 financial crisis (to 2010).
24 November	2007 Australian federal election:Kevin Rudd (Australian Labor Party) defeatsJohn Howard (Liberal-National Coalition) to become the 26thPrime Minister of Australia.
2008	22 January	ActorHeath Ledger dies from an accidental prescription drug intoxication, aged 28.
13 February	Kevin Rudd leads bi-partisan Parliament toformally apologise for theStolen Generations.
	Longest heatwave for an Australian capital city recorded inAdelaide.
15–20 July	Sydney hostsCatholic World Youth Day.
5 September	Quentin Bryce assumes office, becoming the first femaleGovernor-General of Australia.
2009	7 February – 14 March	Black Saturday bushfires: Massive bushfires swept across Victoria, resulting in 173 fatalities.^[32]^[33]^[34]
2010	23–24 June	Julia Gillard challenged and replaced Kevin Rudd as leader of the Labor Party to become the 27th and first femalePrime Minister of Australia.
17 October	Mary MacKillop canonised as Australia's firstSaint of theRoman Catholic Church.^[35]
21 August	2010 Australian federal election: Election results inhung Parliament and narrow victory by Julia Gillard (ALP) overTony Abbott (Lib-Nat Coalition);Liberal Ken Wyatt becomes the first Aboriginal member elected to theAustralian House of Representatives.
2011		Queensland is affected bymajor flooding, followed byCyclone Yasi.
2012	1 July	Carbon price introduced by theGillard government.
2013	21 March	Julia Gillard apologises to victims offorced adoption practices for removal of babies from predominantly young single mothers.
26 June	Kevin Rudd defeats Julia Gillard in aleadership spill, 57 votes to 45. Gillard resigns from parliament, Rudd is again sworn in as prime minister.
7 September	2013 Australian federal election: Tony Abbott defeats Kevin Rudd to become the 28th Prime Minister of Australia.
2014	14 July	Carbon price is dropped by theAbbott government.
21 October	21st Prime Minister of AustraliaGough Whitlam dies, aged 98.
15–16 December	2014 Sydney hostage crisis.
2015	20 March	22nd Prime Minister of AustraliaMalcolm Fraser dies, aged 84.
15 September	Malcolm Turnbull defeats Tony Abbott in aleadership spill, 54 votes to 44. Turnbull is sworn in as the 29th Prime Minister of Australia.
	TheMatagurup Refugee Camp is founded in Perth to defend Aboriginal Rights.
2016	2 July	2016 Australian federal election: Malcolm Turnbull remains as Prime Minister of Australia.
21 November	AThunderstorm asthma event in Melbourne kills 10 people and sends thousands to emergency departments
2017	Late July	John Cameron sets off the chain of events that became the2017 Australian parliamentary eligibility crisis.
9 December	Same-sex marriage is legalised by theMarriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017.^[36]
2018	24 August	Following twoleadership spills,Scott Morrison succeeds Malcolm Turnbull as leader of theLiberal Party and is sworn in as the 30th Prime Minister of Australia.
2019	18 May	2019 Australian federal election: Scott Morrison remains as Prime Minister of Australia.
	Bushfires occur throughout late 2019 in every state and territory, destroying 2600 homes and killing 34 people.
2020	31 January	The ACT becomes the first Australian region to legalise recreationalcannabis.
	Australia suffers lockdowns and social restrictions due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
2021	15 September	TheAUKUS security partnership betweenAustralia, theUnited Kingdom, and theUnited States is announced after negotiations.
2022	23 February – 7 April	2022 eastern Australia floods
23 May	2022 Australian federal election:Anthony Albanese (Australian Labor Party) defeatsScott Morrison (Liberal-National Coalition) to become the 31stPrime Minister of Australia.
8 September	Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning Australian monarch in history, dies aged 96, after a reign of 70 years.Charles III becomes the new Australian monarch.
2023	14 October	TheAustralian Indigenous Voice referendum fails to pass, with 60% of Australians voting "No".
9 November	Tuvalu and Australia signed theFalepili Union
2024	14 January	Mary Donaldson becomes the first Australian-born queen consort of a European monarchy when she is proclaimedQueen of Denmark when her husbandFrederik X ascends the throne.
13 April	Bondi Junction stabbings kills 6 victims and injures 12
2025	3 May	2025 Australian federal election: Anthony Albanese remains as Prime Minister of Australia.
6 October	Papua New Guinea and Australia signed thePukpuk Treaty

Year

Date

Event

2001

Australia celebrates centenary offederation.

25 February

Death of Donald Bradman, aged 92 inKensington Park, Adelaide, South Australia.

Western Australia adopts a uniformage of consent of 16.

Boat load of asylum seekers is rescued by Norwegian ship, leading to theTampa affair.

Australian forces deployed toWar to toppleTaliban for supportingAl-Qaeda.

10 November

2001 Australian federal election: John Howard is reelected as prime minister.

2002

12 October

2002 Bali bombings, the deadliest act of terrorism in thehistory of Indonesia, killing 202 people (including 88 Australians).^[31]

2003

Australian military deployed toIraq War to oust theSaddam Hussein regime for serial non-compliance with the1991 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 theRugby World Cup, with the home side losing the final to England.

19 September

Country music singer and musicianSlim Dusty dies, aged 76.

2004

9 September

Abomb explodes outside the Australian embassy inJakarta, Indonesia.

9 October

2004 Australian federal election:Howard government (Liberal-National Coalition) wins fourth term and defeatsMark Latham ledAustralian Labor Party.

2005

December

Sydney beachside suburb ofCronulla sees a protest against the alleged bashing of a beach lifeguard, developing into an alcohol-fuelled, racially chargedriot.

2006

15–26 March

TheCommonwealth Games are held in Melbourne.

4 September

Wildlife conservationist and television personalitySteve Irwin dies, aged 44.

8 September

Motor racing driverPeter Brock dies, aged 61.

Australian Forces are again deployed toEast Timor to help stabilize the country.

2007

Australia avoids recession amidst2008 financial crisis (to 2010).

24 November

2007 Australian federal election:Kevin Rudd (Australian Labor Party) defeatsJohn Howard (Liberal-National Coalition) to become the 26thPrime Minister of Australia.

2008

22 January

ActorHeath Ledger dies from an accidental prescription drug intoxication, aged 28.

13 February

Kevin Rudd leads bi-partisan Parliament toformally apologise for theStolen Generations.

Longest heatwave for an Australian capital city recorded inAdelaide.

15–20 July

Sydney hostsCatholic World Youth Day.

5 September

Quentin Bryce assumes office, becoming the first femaleGovernor-General of Australia.

2009

7 February – 14 March

Black Saturday bushfires: Massive bushfires swept across Victoria, resulting in 173 fatalities.^[32]^[33]^[34]

2010

23–24 June

Julia Gillard challenged and replaced Kevin Rudd as leader of the Labor Party to become the 27th and first femalePrime Minister of Australia.

17 October

Mary MacKillop canonised as Australia's firstSaint of theRoman Catholic Church.^[35]

21 August

2010 Australian federal election: Election results inhung Parliament and narrow victory by Julia Gillard (ALP) overTony Abbott (Lib-Nat Coalition);Liberal Ken Wyatt becomes the first Aboriginal member elected to theAustralian House of Representatives.

2011

Queensland is affected bymajor flooding, followed byCyclone Yasi.

2012

1 July

Carbon price introduced by theGillard government.

2013

21 March

Julia Gillard apologises to victims offorced adoption practices for removal of babies from predominantly young single mothers.

26 June

Kevin Rudd defeats Julia Gillard in aleadership spill, 57 votes to 45. Gillard resigns from parliament, Rudd is again sworn in as prime minister.

7 September

2013 Australian federal election: Tony Abbott defeats Kevin Rudd to become the 28th Prime Minister of Australia.

2014

14 July

Carbon price is dropped by theAbbott government.

21 October

21st Prime Minister of AustraliaGough Whitlam dies, aged 98.

15–16 December

2014 Sydney hostage crisis.

2015

20 March

22nd Prime Minister of AustraliaMalcolm Fraser dies, aged 84.

15 September

Malcolm Turnbull defeats Tony Abbott in aleadership spill, 54 votes to 44. Turnbull is sworn in as the 29th Prime Minister of Australia.

TheMatagurup Refugee Camp is founded in Perth to defend Aboriginal Rights.

2016

2 July

2016 Australian federal election: Malcolm Turnbull remains as Prime Minister of Australia.

21 November

AThunderstorm asthma event in Melbourne kills 10 people and sends thousands to emergency departments

2017

Late July

John Cameron sets off the chain of events that became the2017 Australian parliamentary eligibility crisis.

9 December

Same-sex marriage is legalised by theMarriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017.^[36]

2018

24 August

Following twoleadership spills,Scott Morrison succeeds Malcolm Turnbull as leader of theLiberal Party and is sworn in as the 30th Prime Minister of Australia.

2019

18 May

2019 Australian federal election: Scott Morrison remains as Prime Minister of Australia.

Bushfires occur throughout late 2019 in every state and territory, destroying 2600 homes and killing 34 people.

2020

31 January

The ACT becomes the first Australian region to legalise recreationalcannabis.

Australia suffers lockdowns and social restrictions due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.

2021

15 September

TheAUKUS security partnership betweenAustralia, theUnited Kingdom, and theUnited States is announced after negotiations.

2022

23 February – 7 April

2022 eastern Australia floods

23 May

2022 Australian federal election:Anthony Albanese (Australian Labor Party) defeatsScott Morrison (Liberal-National Coalition) to become the 31stPrime Minister of Australia.

8 September

Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning Australian monarch in history, dies aged 96, after a reign of 70 years.Charles III becomes the new Australian monarch.

2023

14 October

TheAustralian Indigenous Voice referendum fails to pass, with 60% of Australians voting "No".

9 November

Tuvalu and Australia signed theFalepili Union

2024

14 January

Mary Donaldson becomes the first Australian-born queen consort of a European monarchy when she is proclaimedQueen of Denmark when her husbandFrederik X ascends the throne.

13 April

Bondi Junction stabbings kills 6 victims and injures 12

2025

3 May

2025 Australian federal election: Anthony Albanese remains as Prime Minister of Australia.

6 October

Papua New Guinea and Australia signed thePukpuk Treaty

v t e Years inAustralia (1788–present)
18th century	1788 1789 1790 1791 1792 1793 1794 1795 1796 1797 1798 1799 1800
19th century	1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900
20th century	1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
21st century	2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Timeline of Australian history

v t e Timeline of Oceanian history
Sovereign states	Australia Federated States of Micronesia Fiji Kiribati Marshall Islands Nauru New Zealand Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu
Associated states	Cook Islands Niue

Movatterモバイル変換

Timeline of Australian history

Pre-written history

16th century

17th century

18th century

Notes

19th century

20th century

21st century

See also

References

External links