1879 in Australia
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The following lists events that happened during 1879 in Australia.
Incumbents
Governors
Governors of the Australian colonies:
- Governor of New South Wales – Sir Hercules Robinson (until 19 March), then Sir Augustus Loftus
- Sir Arthur Kennedy
- Governor of South Australia – Sir William Jervois
- Governor of Tasmania – Frederick Weld
- Governor of Victoria – Sir George Bowen (until 22 February), then George Phipps, 2nd Marquess of Normanby
- Governor of Western Australia – Major General The Hon. Sir Harry Ord GCMG CB RE
Premiers
Premiers of the Australian colonies
:
- Premier of New South Wales – Sir Henry Parkes
- Premier of Queensland – John Douglas (until 21 January), then Thomas McIlwraith
- Premier of South Australia – William Morgan
- Premier of Tasmania – William Crowther (until 30 October), then William Giblin
- Premier of Victoria – Graham Berry
Events
- 8 February – Bushranger Jerilderie, New South Wales, locking up the town's two policemen, stealing their uniforms, cutting the telegraph lines and robbing the bank. Kelly also pens the famous Jerilderie Letter.
- 19 February – The foundation stone is laid and construction begins on the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton, Victoria.
- 6 March – The town of Cleve, South Australia is officially gazetted.
- 17 March – The Municipality of Canterburyis proclaimed.
- 14 April – The first use of a parachute in Australia occurs when Henri L 'Estrange's balloon ruptures above Melbourne's Agricultural Showgrounds.
- 21 April – From 1879 the eight-hour day was a public holiday in Victoria; it celebrated the stonemasons' strike in 1856.
- 26 April – Seventy square kilometres of land in Sydney's Sutherland Shire is proclaimed The National Park (later the Royal National Park).
- 1 July – Sydney.
- 17 September – The Sydney International Exhibition opens at the Garden Palace.
- 13 November – Bushranger Gundagai, New South Wales. A shoot-out with police ensues, resulting in the death of a policeman and two members of Moonlite's gang.
Exploration and settlement
- 1 August – Queensland annexes the Torres Strait Islands.
- 3 September – The town of Cobb & Costagecoaches.
Arts and literature
- Australian bushranger The Jerilderie Letter.
Sport
- 8 February – A controversial umpiring decision at an international cricket match results in the Sydney Riot of 1879.
- 4 November – Darriwell wins the Melbourne Cup.
Births
- 22 February – Norman Lindsay (died 1969), artist and writer
- 10 May – James Alexander Allan (died 1967), poet
- 22 May – Warwick Armstrong (died 1947), cricketer
- 19 June – James Muir Auld (died 1942), artist
- 26 June – Charles Leslie Barrett (died 1959), naturalist, journalist, author and ornithologist
- 24 July – Robert Clyde Packer (died 1934), founder of the Packer media dynasty
- 15 September – Joseph Lyons (died 1939), Premier of Tasmania and 10th Prime Minister of Australia[1]
- 14 October – Miles Franklin (died 1954), writer
- 18 November – CE.W. Bean (died 1968), war journalist
- 26 November – Denis Lutge (died 1953), rugby footballer
- 27 November – Chris McKivat (died 1941), rugby footballer and coach
Deaths
- 15 May – George Fife Angas, Businessman and politician (b. 1789)
- 21 November – Sir Archibald Burt, first Chief Justice of Western Australia (b. 1810)
References
- ^ Hart, P. R.; Lloyd, C. J. "Lyons, Joseph Aloysius (Joe) (1879–1939)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
