1964 in Australia

The following lists events that happened during 1964 in Australia.

← 1963 1962 1961 1964 in Australia → 1965 1966 1967
Decades:	1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s
See also:	Other events of 1964 Timeline of Australian history

Incumbents

• Monarch – Elizabeth II
• Governor-General – Viscount De L'Isle
• Prime Minister – Sir Robert Menzies
  • Opposition Leader – Arthur Calwell
• Chief Justice – Sir Owen Dixon (until 13 April), then Sir Garfield Barwick

State and territory leaders

• Premier of New South Wales – Bob Heffron (until 30 April), then Jack Renshaw
  • Opposition Leader – Robert Askin
• Premier of Queensland – Frank Nicklin
  • Opposition Leader – Jack Duggan
• Premier of South Australia – Sir Thomas Playford IV
  • Opposition Leader – Frank Walsh
• Premier of Tasmania – Eric Reece
  • Opposition Leader – Angus Bethune
• Premier of Victoria – Henry Bolte
  • Opposition Leader – Clive Stoneham
• Premier of Western Australia – David Brand
  • Opposition Leader – Albert Hawke

Governors and administrators

• Governor of New South Wales – Lieutenant General Sir Eric Woodward
• Governor of Queensland – Colonel Sir Henry Abel Smith
• Governor of South Australia – Lieutenant General Sir Edric Bastyan
• Governor of Tasmania – General Sir Charles Gairdner
• Governor of Victoria – Major General Sir Rohan Delacombe
• Governor of Western Australia – Major General Sir Douglas Kendrew
• Administrator of Nauru – Reginald Leydin
• Administrator of Norfolk Island – Robert Wordsworth, then Roger Nott
• Administrator of the Northern Territory – Roger Nott (until 1 October), then Roger Dean
• Administrator of Papua and New Guinea – Sir Donald Cleland

Events

• 29 January – The Royal Australian Air Force takes delivery of its first two Mirage fighter jets
• 3 February – The first double-decker carriages begin trial runs on the Sydney rail network
• 4 February – Cyclone Dora strikes north west Queensland
• 10 February – Melbourne–Voyager collision: The aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne and the destroyer HMAS Voyager collide, with the loss of 82 lives
• March – There is a split in the Communist Party of Australia and the Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist) is formed
• April – The Menzies government refuses to ratify the International Labour Organization convention on equal pay for women.
• April – The editors of Sydney satirical Oz magazine – Richard Neville, Richard Walsh and Martin Sharp – are charged with printing an obscene publication
• 8 April – The 191 miles (307 km) Moonie oil pipeline to Lytton Oil Refinery opens
• 24 April – Melbourne woman Judy Hanrahan becomes the first female teller appointed by the Bank of NSW since World War II
• 27 April — 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 — Lake Burley Griffin reaches filled maximum level for the first time.
• June – Macquarie University founded
• 12–30 June – The Beatles' 1964 world tour in Australia and New Zealand.
• 6 July – Warrant Officer Class 2, Kevin Conway of the Australian Army Training Team died; he was Australia's first Vietnam War battle casualty.
• 15 July – 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 – Donald Campbell sets new land speed record of 429 miles per hour in his jet-propelled car "Bluebird" at Lake Eyre, South Australia
• August – The Tasman Bridge across the Derwent River opens in Hobart.
• 17 October — Prime Minister Robert Menzies inaugurates Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra.^[1]
• 26 October – 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 – Prime Minister Robert Menzies announces the reintroduction of National Service.
• 10 December – The Queensland government declares a state of emergency in an attempt to end the Mount Isa Mines dispute
• 16 December – Melbourne's La Trobe University is founded
• 31 December – Donald Campbell sets new water speed record of 276 miles per hour at Dumbleyung Lake, Western Australia
• The Beatles tour Australia
• Sir Percy Spender is appointed President of the International Court of Justice
• Swimmer Dawn Fraser is named Australian of the Year

Science and technology

• 2 October – Gladesville Bridge opened – the world's longest concrete arch at the time.

Arts and 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.^[2]

Television

• 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 – Police drama Homicide begins a 12-year run and sets the pace for Australian television drama.
• 11 November – The Mavis Bramston Show premieres on HSV 7 in Melbourne.

Sport

• 17 May Bernard "Midget" Farrelly wins the first World Surfboard Championship at Manly Beach
• 18 July – 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 11–6. Canterbury-Bankstown finish in last position, claiming the wooden spoon.
• Melbourne Football Club wins the Victorian Football League Grand Final

Births

• 15 January – Scott Emerson, politician
• 16 January – Chris Dittmar, squash player
• 25 January – Mark McPhee, cricketer (died 1999)
• 25 February – Dale Last, politician
• 3 March – Sandy Bolton, politician
• 4 March – Karen Knowles, entertainer
• 13 March
  • Stephen Bennett, politician
  • Trevor Gillmeister, rugby league player
• 26 March – Martin Bella, rugby league player
• 8 April – Michael Caltabiano, politician
• 15 April – Lee Kernaghan, country singer/songwriter
• 19 April – Peter Jackson (died 1997), Australian rugby league footballer
• 30 April – Ian Healy, cricket player and commentator
• 2 May – John Hathaway, politician
• 19 May – Peter Jackson, rugby league player (died 1997)
• 28 May – Jeff Fenech, boxer and trainer
• 3 June – Matthew Ryan, equestrian
• 7 June – Gia Carides, actress
• 9 June – Jane Kennedy, actress and comedian
• 11 June – Carl Barron, comedian
• 22 June – Tom Crebbin, Australian rules footballer
• 23 June – Tara Morice, actress, singer, and dancer
• 1 July – Clayton Lamb, Australian rules footballer
• 4 July – Martin Flood, quiz show winner
• 13 July – Leanne Benjamin, ballet dancer
• 3 August – Michael Healy, politician
• 4 August – Andrew Bartlett, politician
• 5 August – Dale Shuttleworth, politician
• 10 August – Andy Caldecott, motorcycle racer (died 2006)
• 14 August – Jason Dunstall, Australian Rules football player
• 19 August – Dermott Brereton, Australian Rules football player
• 5 September – Frank Farina, soccer player and manager
• 11 September – Kathy Watt, cyclist
• 16 September – Chris Franklin, comedian
• 27 October – Mark Taylor, cricket player and commentator
• 28 October – Darius Perkins, actor (died 2019)
• 29 October – Eddie McGuire, businessman and television presenter
• 29 October – Jackie Pereira, field hockey striker
• 9 November – Mark Dalton, basketball player
• 19 November – Peter Rohde, footballer (Carlton F.C.)
• 23 November – Marilyn Kidd, rower^[3]
• 9 December – Larry Emdur, television presenter
• 16 December
  • Georgie Parker, actress
  • Gabrielle Upton, politician
• 22 December – Sam Cox, politician

Deaths

• 15 January – Harry Sunderland, rugby league administrator (born 1889)
• 23 January – Claude Hulbert, British actor (born 1900)
• 12 February – Arthur Upfield, author (born 1890)
• 27 February – Orry-Kelly, costume designer (born 1897)
• 18 April – Wilfred Mibus, Victorian politician (born 1900)
• 19 October – Nettie Palmer, author (born 1885)

See also

• List of Australian films of the 1960s

References

This page was last edited on 4 February 2024, at 23:45