1964 in Australia.html



See also: 1963 in Australia, other events of 1964, 1965 in Australia and the Timeline of Australian history.

Incumbents

• Prime Minister - Robert Menzies
• Governor General - William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle
• Premier of New South Wales - Robert Heffron (til April 30), then Jack Renshaw
• Premier of South Australia - Sir Thomas Playford
• Premier of Queensland - Frank Nicklin
• Premier of Tasmania - Eric Reece
• Premier of Western Australia - David Brand
• Premier of Victoria - Henry Bolte

Events

• January 29 - The Royal Australian Air Force takes delivery of its first two Mirage fighter jets
• February 3 - The first double-decker carriages begin trial runs on the Sydney rail network
• February 4 - Cyclone Dora strikes north west Queensland
• February 10 - 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 Labor Organisation 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
• April 8 - The Jackson-Moonie-Brisbane oil pipeline opens
• April 24 - Melbourne woman Judy Hanrahan becomes the first female teller appointed by the Bank of NSW since WWII
• April 27 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
• June - Macquarie University is founded.
• July 6 - Warrant Officer Class 2, Kevin Conway of the Australian Army Training Team died; he was Australia's first Vietnam War battle casualty.
• July 15 - The first edition of The Australian is published in Canberra. It is Australia's first national daily newspaper, published by Rupert Murdoch's News Limited.
• July 17 - 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.
• October 26 - Notorious Perth serial killer Eric Edgar Cooke is executed at Fremantle Prison; he is the last person to be hanged in Western Australia
• November 10 - Prime Minister Robert Menzies announces the reintroduction of National Service
• December 10 - The Queensland government declares a state of emergency in an attempt to end the Mt Isa Mines dispute
• December 16 - Melbourne's La Trobe University is founded
• December 31 -- 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 & 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.
• George Johnston's My Brother Jack published.
• Kath Walker's We Are Going published.

Film

Television

• The launch of ATV-0 marks the birth of the third commercial television network
• Police drama Homicide begins a 12-year run and sets the pace for Australian television drama
• Singer Johnny Chester hosts a new ABC TV show called Teen Scene, which also features his backing group The Chessmen as the house band.
• The Mavis Bramston Show premieres on HSV 7 in Melbourne (November 11)

Sport

• May 17 Bernard "Midget" Farrelly wins the first World Surfboard Championship at Manly Beach
• July 18 - 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 Dragons win the Australian Rugby League Grand Final
• Melbourne Football Club wins the Victorian Football League Grand Final

Births

• January 16 – Chris Dittmar, squash player
• March 4 – Karen Knowles, entertainer
• April 15 – Lee Kernaghan, country singer/songwriter
• April 30 – Ian Healy, cricket player and commentator
• May 28 – Jeff Fenech, boxer and trainer
• June 3 — Matthew Ryan, equestrian
• June 7 – Gia Carides, actress
• June 9 – Jane Kennedy, actress and comedian
• August 4 – Andrew Bartlett, politician
• August 10 – Andy Caldecott, motorcycle racer (d. 2006)
• August 14 – Jason Dunstall, Australian Rules football player
• August 19 – Dermott Brereton, Australian Rules football player
• September 5 – Frank Farina, soccer player and manager
• September 11 – Kathy Watt, cyclist
• October 27 – Mark Taylor, cricket player and commentator
• October 29 – Eddie McGuire, businessman and television presenter
• October 29 – Jackie Pereira, field hockey striker
• December 9 – Larry Emdur, television presenter
• December 16 – Georgie Parker, actress

Deaths

• February 12 - Arthur Upfield, author (b. 1890)
• October 19 - Nettie Palmer, author (b. 1885)

See also

• 1964
• 1960s