See also: 1875 in Australia, other events of 1856, 1877 in Australia and the Timeline of Australian history.

Events

• February 20 - Submarine cable between New South Wales and New Zealand completed.
• March 21 - J.V. Mulligan finds gold on the Hodgkinson River in Queensland.
• March 28 - Classes commence at the University of Adelaide.
• March 18 - Luigi d'Albertis leaves Australia to explore New Guinea.
• June 5 - George Thorn becomes Premier of Queensland.
• June 6 - John Colton becomes Premier of South Australia.
• July 5 - The completion of a railway bridge across the Brisbane River links Brisbane and Ipswich, Queensland.
• July 20 - Thomas Reibey becomes Premier of Tasmania
• September 11 - SS Dandenong sinks; 40 lives are lost.
• November 27 - Legislation is enacted in Queensland creating the first public fire service in Australia.
• December 2 - SS Georgette runs aground near Busselton, Western Australia; Grace Bussell becomes famous for helping to rescue the passengers.

Births

• September 7 - C. J. Dennis
• September 10 - Hugh D. McIntosh
• September 18 - James Scullin
• September 23 - Cyril Brundell White
• October 4 - Hugh McCrae
• November 24 - Walter Burley Griffin
• December 21 - J. T. Lang

Deaths

• January 22 - George Dalrymple
• March 8 - Truganini
• May 24 - Henry Kingsley
• August 29 - John Skinner Prout

References

• Barker, Anthony (1996). What Happened When. St Leonards: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86373-986.