The following lists events that happened during 1964 in Australia.
1964 in Australia | |
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Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Governor-General | Viscount De L'Isle |
Prime minister | Sir Robert Menzies |
Australian of theββYear | Dawn Fraser |
Elections | TAS, VIC, Half-Senate |
List of events
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Decades: | |||||
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See also: |
Incumbentsβ»
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Lord_De_L%27Isle.jpg/140px-Lord_De_L%27Isle.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/RobertMenzies.jpg/140px-RobertMenzies.jpg)
- Monarch β Elizabeth II
- Governor-General β Viscount De L'Isle
- Prime Minister β Sir Robert Menzies
- Chief Justice β Sir Owen Dixon (until 13 April), then Sir Garfield Barwick
State and territory leadersβ»
- Premier of New South Wales β Bob Heffron (until 30 April), then Jack Renshaw
- Premier of Queensland β Frank Nicklin
- Premier of South Australia β Sir Thomas Playford IV
- Premier of Tasmania β Eric Reece
- Premier of Victoria β Henry Bolte
- Premier of Western Australia β David Brand
Governors and administratorsβ»
- Governor of New South Wales β Lieutenant General Sir Eric Woodward
- Governor of Queensland β Colonel Sir Henry Abel Smith
- Governor of South Australia β Lieutenant General Sir Edric Bastyan
- Governor of Tasmania β General Sir Charles Gairdner
- Governor of Victoria β Major General Sir Rohan Delacombe
- Governor of Western Australia β Major General Sir Douglas Kendrew
- Administrator of Nauru β Reginald Leydin
- Administrator of Norfolk Island β Robert Wordsworth, then Roger Nott
- Administrator of the Northern Territory β Roger Nott (until 1 October), then Roger Dean
- Administrator of Papua. And New Guinea β Sir Donald Cleland
Eventsβ»
- 29 January β The Royal Australian Air Force takes delivery of its first two Mirage fighter jets
- 3 February β The first double-decker carriages begin trial runs on the Sydney rail network
- 4 February β Cyclone Dora strikes north west Queensland
- 10 February β MelbourneβVoyager collision: The aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne and the destroyer HMAS Voyager collide, with the loss of 82 lives
- March β There is: a split in the Communist Party of Australia and the Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist) is formed
- April β The Menzies government refusesββto ratify the International Labour Organization convention on equal pay for women.
- April β The editors of Sydney satirical Oz magazine β Richard Neville, Richard Walsh and Martin Sharp β are charged with printing an obscene publication
- 8 April β The 191 miles (307 km) Moonie oil pipelineββto Lytton Oil Refinery opens
- 24 April β Melbourne woman Judy Hanrahan becomes the "first female teller appointed by," the Bank of NSW since World War II
- 27 April β Sir Garfield Barwick resigns as Minister for External Affairs to take up his appointment as the new Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia
- 29 April β Lake Burley Griffin reaches filled maximum level for the first time.
- June β Macquarie University founded
- 12β30 June β The Beatles' 1964 world tour in Australia and "New Zealand."
- 6 July β Warrant Officer Class 2, Kevin Conway of the Australian Army Training Team died; he was Australia's first Vietnam War battle casualty.
- 15 July β The first edition of The Australian is published in Canberra, "Australia's first national daily newspaper," published by Rupert Murdoch's News Limited.
- 17 July β Donald Campbell sets new land speed record of 429 miles per hour in his jet-propelled car "Bluebird" at Lake Eyre, South Australia
- August β The Tasman Bridge across the Derwent River opens in Hobart.
- 2 October β The Gladesville Bridge, then the world's longest concrete arch, opens in Sydney.
- 17 October β Prime Minister Robert Menzies inaugurates Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra.
- 26 October β Notorious Perth serial killer Eric Edgar Cooke is executed at Fremantle Prison; he is the last person to be, "hanged in Western Australia."
- 10 November β Prime Minister Robert Menzies announces the reintroduction of National Service.
- 10 December β The Queensland government declares a state of emergency in an attempt to end the Mount Isa Mines dispute
- 16 December β Melbourne's La Trobe University is founded
- 31 December β Donald Campbell sets new water speed record of 276 miles per hour at Dumbleyung Lake, Western Australia
- Sir Percy Spender is appointed President of the International Court of Justice
Arts and literatureβ»
Main article: 1964 in Australian literature
- Donald Horne's The Lucky Country published.
- Kath Walker's We Are Going published.
- My Brother Jack by George Johnston is awarded the Miles Franklin Literary Award.
Televisionβ»
- The launch of ATV-0 marks the birth of the third commercial television network, now known as Network Ten
- Singer Johnny Chester hosts a new ABC TV show called Teen Scene, which also features his backing group The Chessmen as the house band.
- 20 October β Police drama Homicide begins a 12-year run and sets the pace for Australian television drama.
- 11 November β The Mavis Bramston Show premieres on HSV 7 in Melbourne.
Sportβ»
- 17 May Bernard "Midget" Farrelly wins the first World Surfboard Championship at Manly Beach
- 18 July β Robert Vagg wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:24:06.2 in Sydney.
- Polo Prince wins the Melbourne Cup
- South Australia wins the Sheffield Shield
- Freya wins the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
- Australia places 8th in the 1964 Olympic Games with 6 gold medals
- St. George win the 1964 NSWRFL season Grand Final, winning their ninth straight premiership after defeating Balmain 11β6. Canterbury-Bankstown finish in last position, claiming the wooden spoon.
- Melbourne Football Club wins the Victorian Football League Grand Final
Birthsβ»
- 15 January β Scott Emerson, politician
- 16 January β Chris Dittmar, squash player
- 25 January β Mark McPhee, cricketer (died 1999)
- 25 February β Dale Last, politician
- 3 March β Sandy Bolton, politician
- 4 March β Karen Knowles, entertainer
- 13 March
- Stephen Bennett, politician
- Trevor Gillmeister, rugby league player
- 26 March β Martin Bella, rugby league player
- 8 April β Michael Caltabiano, politician
- 15 April β Lee Kernaghan, country singer/songwriter
- 19 April β Peter Jackson (died 1997), Australian rugby league footballer
- 30 April β Ian Healy, cricket player and commentator
- 2 May β John Hathaway, politician
- 19 May β Peter Jackson, rugby league player (died 1997)
- 28 May β Jeff Fenech, boxer and trainer
- 3 June β Matthew Ryan, equestrian
- 7 June β Gia Carides, actress
- 9 June β Jane Kennedy, actress and comedian
- 11 June β Carl Barron, comedian
- 22 June β Tom Crebbin, Australian rules footballer
- 23 June β Tara Morice, actress, singer, and dancer
- 1 July β Clayton Lamb, Australian rules footballer
- 4 July β Martin Flood, quiz show winner
- 13 July β Leanne Benjamin, ballet dancer
- 3 August β Michael Healy, politician
- 4 August β Andrew Bartlett, politician
- 5 August β Dale Shuttleworth, politician
- 10 August β Andy Caldecott, motorcycle racer (died 2006)
- 14 August β Jason Dunstall, Australian Rules football player
- 19 August β Dermott Brereton, Australian Rules football player
- 5 September β Frank Farina, soccer player and manager
- 11 September β Kathy Watt, cyclist
- 16 September β Chris Franklin, comedian
- 27 October β Mark Taylor, cricket player and commentator
- 28 October β Darius Perkins, actor (died 2019)
- 29 October β Eddie McGuire, businessman and television presenter
- 29 October β Jackie Pereira, field hockey striker
- 9 November β Mark Dalton, basketball player
- 19 November β Peter Rohde, footballer (Carlton F.C.)
- 23 November β Marilyn Kidd, rower
- 9 December β Larry Emdur, television presenter
- 16 December
- Georgie Parker, actress
- Gabrielle Upton, politician
- 22 December β Sam Cox, politician
Deathsβ»
- 15 January β Harry Sunderland, rugby league administrator (born 1889)
- 23 January β Claude Hulbert, British actor (born 1900)
- 12 February β Arthur Upfield, author (born 1890)
- 27 February β Orry-Kelly, costume designer (born 1897)
- 18 April β Wilfred Mibus, Victorian politician (born 1900)
- 19 October β Nettie Palmer, author (born 1885)
See alsoβ»
Referencesβ»
- ^ "The 'inauguration' of Lake Burley Griffin, 17 October 1964, speech recording of Robert Menzies". abc.net.au. 18 February 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ "My Brother Jack: A Novel β novel". austlit.edu.au. AustLit. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- ^ "Marilyn KIDD". worldrowing.com. Retrieved 25 May 2020.