See also: 1937 in Australia, other events of 1938, 1939 in Australia and the Timeline of Australian history. [edit] Incumbents [edit] State Premiers [edit] State Governors [edit] Events - January 26 – Australia officially celebrates its sesquicentennial, the 150th anniversary of European settlement. Unofficially, it is a Day of Mourning for Indigenous Australians.
- February 6 – Three hundred beachgoers are dragged out to sea when three freak waves strike Bondi Beach in Sydney in an event known as "Black Sunday". A team of eighty surf lifesavers manage to rescue all but five people.
- February 13 – Nineteen people die when Sydney ferry the Rodney, carrying 150 passengers, capsizes in Sydney Harbour while farewelling US Navy cruiser USS Louisville.
- April 1 – New monthly newspaper Abo Call begins publication in Sydney, focusing on issues of Aboriginal rights and edited by activist Jack Patten.
- May 11 – Two jockeys are killed and two are injured in a horse racing accident at Morphetville Racecourse in Adelaide, South Australia.
- October 25 – Eighteen people die in Australia's worst air disaster, when an Australian National Airways Douglas DC-2 crashes in the Dandenong Ranges in heavy fog.
- November 15 – Waterside workers at Port Kembla, New South Wales refuse to load a consignment of scrap iron destined for Japan, arguing that it would be used for munitions. Attorney-General Robert Menzies attempts to force the loading of the cargo, earning himself the nickname "Pig Iron Bob".
- December 21 – A direct radio-telephone link is established between Canberra and Washington D.C.
- December 28 – The Sydney Mail ceases publication.
[edit] Arts and literature [edit] Births - January 12 – Lewis Fiander, actor
- January 12 – Noel McNamara, crime victims supporter
- January 13 – Daevid Allen, musician (Soft Machine)
- January 17 – David Theile, backstroke swimmer
- February 25 – Herb Elliott, athlete
- February 28 – Dennis Olsen, pianist, actor and director
- March 1 – Henry Reynolds, historian
- March 5 – Mike Walsh, television presenter
- March 25 – Anthony Carwardine, naval officer
- April 13 – Col Joye, entertainer
- April 20 – Betty Cuthbert, athlete
- June 5 – Roy Higgins, jockey
- June 18 – Kevin Murray, Australian rules footballer (Fitzroy)
- June 20 – Joan Kirner, Premier of Victoria (1990–1992)
- July 13 – Ian Macphee, politician, Minister for Immigration
- July 23 – Bert Newton, television performer
- July 28 – Robert Hughes, art critic
- August 9 – Rodney Laver, tennis player
- August 22 – Roger Gyles, lawyer and judge
- August 30 – Murray Gleeson, High Court judge
- September 6 – Ernie Sigley, entertainer
- October 8 – Fred Stolle, tennis player
- October 17 – Les Murray, poet
- October 30 – Morris Lurie, writer
- November 8 – Bob Skilton, Australian rules footballer (South Melbourne)
- November 26 – Rodney Jory, physicist
- December 11 – Reg Livermore, actor, singer and television presenter
- December 21 – Frank Moorhouse, writer
[edit] Deaths - January 6 – John Gavin (b. 1875), film director
- January 15 – Paul Raphael Montford (b. 1868), sculptor
- January 21 – Will Dyson (b. 1880), cartoonist
- January 31 – John Barnes (b. 1868), politician
- February 16 – Thomas Molloy (b. 1852), WA politician
- April 21 – Sir Talbot Hobbs (b. 1864), architect
- May 11 – Lawrence Wells (b. 1860), explorer
- May 17 – Nora Clench (b. 1867), Canadian violinist
- June 17 – Ranji Hordern (b. 1883), cricketer
- June 19 – Jack Hides (b. 1906), explorer
- June 22 – C. J. Dennis (b. 1876), poet
- June 29 – Sir Colin Mackenzie (b. 1877), anatomist and museum administrator
- August 30 – Evelyn Marsden (b. 1883), survivor of the Titanic
- September 11 – Sir Philip Whistler Street (b. 1863), NSW Supreme Court judge
- October 12 – Hugh Massie (b. 1854), cricketer
- October 25 – Charles Hawker (b. 1884), politician
- November 29 – John Sandes (b. 1863), journalist and author
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