What a year! Lots of editing of Wikipaedia by me.
Incumbents
- Monarch – George VI (until 6 February), then Elizabeth II
- Governor-General – Sir William McKell
- Prime Minister – Robert Menzies
State Premiers[edit]
- Premier of New South Wales – James McGirr (until 2 April), then Joseph Cahill
State Governors
Events
- 20 January – The first express trains run between Melbourne and Adelaide, following the completion of a railway between the two cities.
- 14–18 June – Disastrous floods in the southeast corner leave 600 homeless and render a major rail line near Moss Vale unusable throughout the winter[1]
- 1 September – Qantas Empire Airways commences the first air service between Australia and South Africa.
- 30 November – Lang Hancock discovers the world's largest deposit of iron ore in the Hamersley Range of Western Australia's Pilbara region.
Science and technology
- 3 October – The first British nuclear test in Australia, Operation Hurricane, commences on the Monte Bello Islands with the detonation of an atomic bomb of 25 kilotons yield.
Arts and literature
- 28 April – Joan Sutherland makes her debut at Covent Garden
- William Dargie wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Essington Lewis
- Frank Hinder wins the Blake Prize for Religious Art with his work Flight into Egypt
Sport[edit]
- Athletics
- Olympics: Marjorie Jackson wins gold medals in the Women's 100m and 200m
- Olympics: Shirley Strickland wins the gold medal in the 80m Hurdles
- Golf
- Horse Racing
- Peshawar wins the Caulfield Cup
- Hydrogen wins the Cox Plate
- Dalray wins the Melbourne Cup
- Motor Racing
- The Australian Grand Prix was held at Bathurst and won by Doug Whiteford driving a Talbot-Lago
- Swimming
- Olympics: John Davies wins the gold medal in the Men's 200m breaststroke
- Tennis
- Wimbledon: Ken McGregor and Frank Sedgman win the Men's Doubles
- Wimbledon: Frank Sedgman wins the Men's Singles
- BIRTHS
- 2 January – Graham Strachan (died 2001), singer
- 1 March – Leigh Matthews, Australian Rules football player and coach
- 6 March – Ian Cooke, field hockey player
- 12 April – Mike Munro, journalist
- 6 June – Ross Stretton (died 2005), ballet dancer
- 15 June – Clare Martin, Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
- 26 June – Peter Farmer, hammer thrower
- 28 July – Glenn A. Baker, music historian
- 5 August - DEB a first grandchild, takes her first breath
- 7 October – Graham Yallop, cricketer
- 4 September – Tom Maher, basketball coach
- 21 October – Trevor Chappell, cricketer
- 22 October – John Howard (Australian actor), stage and screen actor
- 18 November – Peter Beattie, Premier of Queensland
- 6 December – Ric Charlesworth, sportsman
- 18 December – Frank Holden, entertainer
Deaths[edit]
- 6 February – George VI (born 1895), King
- 12 June – Harry Lawson (born 1875), Premier of Victoria
- 22 July – James Vinton Smith (born 1897), politician
- 14 September – John McPhee (born 1878), Premier of Tasmania
- 4 October – Keith Murdoch (born 1886), journalist
- 28 October – Billy Hughes (born 1862), Prime Minister of Australia
- 30 November – Elizabeth Kenny (born 1880), nurse
DEB
