-
Period: to
what happened in the 1960's
what happened in the 1960's -
Arthur Calwell
7 March – Arthur Calwell becomes leader of the Australian Labor Party -
Warragamba Dam is opened
14 October – The Warragamba Dam is opened by the Premier of New South Wales. -
The Pill
2 January – Oral contraceptives are first sold in Australia -
Richmond Lion Fail
12 August – Richmond become the only team since 1922 to fail to score a goal in a VFL/AFL match. -
Botany Bay Plane Crash
30 November – Ansett-ANA Flight 325, a Vickers Viscount aircraft, crashes into Botany Bay shortly after takeoff, killing all 15 on board -
Australian Ballet
The Australian Ballet is founded. -
28 September – Paddington tram depot fire
28 September – Paddington tram depot fire: One fifth of the Brisbane tram fleet is destroyed when the Paddington tram depot is burnt down in suspicious circumstances. 65 trams are destroyed. -
Austrlian of the Year
John Carew Eccles is announced as the Australian of the Year -
1 November – Indigenous Australians could vote in federal elections
1 November – Indigenous Australians could vote in federal elections on the same basis as other electors when an amendment to the Commonwealth Electoral Act became law. -
4 February – Cyclone Dora strikes north west Queensland
4 February – Cyclone Dora strikes north west Queensland -
June – Macquarie University is founded.
June – Macquarie University is founded. -
31 December – Donald Campbell sets new water speed record
31 December – Donald Campbell sets new water speed record of 276 miles per hour at Dumbleyung Lake, Western Australia -
11 January – The bodies of two 15-year-old girls lost
11 January – The bodies of two 15-year-old girls, Christine Sharrock and Marianne Schmidt, are found at Wanda Beach in southern Sydney. Despite the offer of an unprecedented £10,000 reward, the murders are never solved. -
Feb Margaret Court wins the Australian open
Margaret Court wins the Australian women's tennis singles title for the sixth consecutive year -
13 November – Kevin Arthur Wheatley dies in Vietnam
13 November – Kevin Arthur Wheatley dies in Vietnam while defending a wounded comrade. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his gallantry. -
14 February: Decimalisation
14 February: Decimalisation; the Australian Dollar replaces the Australian pound -
23 August – two hundred people walk off Wave Hill Station
23 August – two hundred Gurindji people walk off Wave Hill Station in the Northern Territory in protest at low wages and poor conditions -
7 February – Black Tuesday in Tasmania
7 February – Black Tuesday in Tasmania – massive bushfires devastate much of the Tasmanian capital of Hobart and surrounding areas. -
1 July – Postcode System
1 July – The postcode system of postal address coding is introduced throughout Australia. -
4 January – The search for the body of Prime Minister
4 January – The search for the body of Prime Minister Harold Holt, who disappeared whilst swimming off Portsea, Victoria, is called off. -
20 August – The National Gallery of Victoria
20 August – The National Gallery of Victoria is opened in Melbourne. -
30 April – New Govenor General.
30 April – Sir Paul Hasluck becomes Governor-General of Australia after the retirement of Lord Casey. -
16 December – Withdrawal of Australian Army troops
16 December – Prime Minister John Gorton announces that a withdrawal of Australian Army troops from the Vietnam War would begin in 1970.
