The Battle of Lone Pine Between 6-10 August 1915, The Battle of Lone Pine raged on Gallipoli. Seven Australians were awarded the Victoria Crosses for this battle. Lone Pine was planned as a diversion to keep Turkish reserves from the main Allied attack, an attempt to break out of the Anzac perimeter and capture the … Continue reading On This Day In Australia: In 1915, The Battle of Lone Pine began on Gallipoli
Category: Australian History
On This Day In Australia: In 1944, over 200 Japanese POWs died after a mass escape attempt in Cowra
Cowra POW Camp, 1 July 1944. Japanese POWs practicing baseball near their quarters, several weeks before the Cowra breakout. On 5 August 1944, at at least 545 Japanese prisoners of war attempted to escape from a camp in Cowra, and over 200 died. The Cowra breakout occurred when 1,104 Japanese prisoners of war attempted to escape from the prisoner of … Continue reading On This Day In Australia: In 1944, over 200 Japanese POWs died after a mass escape attempt in Cowra
On This Day In Australia: In 1914, Australia entered World War I
Australian Troops WWI On 4 August 1914, the British Empire declared war on Germany and her allies. The outbreak of war was greeted with great enthusiasm in Australia, which at the time was still a young nation, and the government of Prime Minister Andrew Fisher pledged his country’s full support to Britain, the mother country. … Continue reading On This Day In Australia: In 1914, Australia entered World War I
On This Day In Australia: In 1918, Australia House opened in London
Australia House in 1919 On 3 August 1918, Australia House opened in London. Australia House is the home of Australia in the UK. This extraordinary building has been the location of the Australian High Commission for over one hundred years. It is the oldest continually-occupied diplomatic building in London and it was the first major … Continue reading On This Day In Australia: In 1918, Australia House opened in London
On This Day In Australia: In 1851, the Victorian gold rush began near Ballarat
Gold Panners Near Ballarat On 2 August 1851, gold was first discovered near Ballarat, Victoria, leading to the Victorian gold rush. The discovery of gold in the 1850s and 60s was the most significant event in the evolution of the state of Victoria. Fuelled by extravagant stories of wealth gained at the 1849 Californian gold … Continue reading On This Day In Australia: In 1851, the Victorian gold rush began near Ballarat
On This Day In Australia: In 1902, New Idea magazine was first published
New Idea, October 1902 On 1 August 1902, the magazine New Idea was first published. It is a long-running Australian weekly magazine aimed at women that is published by Are Media. The magazine was first published in 1902 by Fitchett Bros. The founder was Thomas Shaw Fitchett. It was subtitled A Women's Home Journal for Australia. In 1911 the magazine … Continue reading On This Day In Australia: In 1902, New Idea magazine was first published
On This Day In Australia: In 1858, the first game of Australian Rules football was played
First Australian Rules Game in 1858 On 31 July 1858, the first 'trial' game of Australian Rules football was played between Melbourne Grammar School and Scotch College at the Richmond Paddock. There were about 40 players on each side. Pivotal moments in the early years of the game surround the names of William Hammersley, Tom … Continue reading On This Day In Australia: In 1858, the first game of Australian Rules football was played
On This Day In Australia: In 1997, the Thredbo landslide killed 18 people
Lone survivor Stuart Diver is carried to safety On 30 July 1997, in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, the four-storey Carinya ski lodge was hit by a landslide coming from the Alpine Way road. The building was dislodged by the fast-moving sludge and slid downhill towards the Bimbadeen lodge. The impact destroyed both … Continue reading On This Day In Australia: In 1997, the Thredbo landslide killed 18 people
On This Day in Australia: In 2001, Grant Hackett set a world record in the 1500 m freestyle
Grant Hackett On 29 July 2001, swimmer Grant Hackett set a world record in the 1500 metre freestyle at Fukuoka, Japan Grant George Hackett OAM was born on 9 May 1980 at Southport on the Gold Coast of Queensland. He is the son of a policeman and younger brother of a Surf Lifesaving champion. He attended Merrimac State High School. He is most … Continue reading On This Day in Australia: In 2001, Grant Hackett set a world record in the 1500 m freestyle
On This Day In Australia: In 1902, Indigenous Australian artist Albert Namatjira was born
Albert Namatjira Indigenous Australian artist Albert Namatjira was born near Alice Springs on 28 July 1902. Although not the first Aboriginal artist to work in a European style, Albert Namatjira is certainly the most famous. Ghost gums with luminous white trunks, palm-filled gorges and red mountain ranges turning purple at dusk are the hallmarks of … Continue reading On This Day In Australia: In 1902, Indigenous Australian artist Albert Namatjira was born
On This Day In Australia: In 1999, fourteen Australians were killed in the Swiss canyoning disaster
Saxetbach Gorge Tragedy Memorial On 27 July 1999, an accident occurred in Switzerland's Saxetbach Gorge (a gorge close to the village of Saxeten) in which 21 young people from Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa, and Switzerland died. Forty-eight people from two coach tour parties had elected an optional side event of canyoning. It was organized by Adventure World, a now defunct company … Continue reading On This Day In Australia: In 1999, fourteen Australians were killed in the Swiss canyoning disaster
On This Day In Australia: In 1950, Australia announced they would send troops to the Korean War
Third Royal Australian Regiment Only five years after the end of the Second World War, Australia became involved in the Korean War. Personnel from the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), and the Australian Regular Army (ARA) were committed soon after the war began and would serve for the next three years … Continue reading On This Day In Australia: In 1950, Australia announced they would send troops to the Korean War
On This Day In Australia: In 1956, the film ‘A Town Like Alice’ premiered in Alice Springs
Premiere of A Town Like Alice The world premiere of the movie A Town Like Alice was held at the Alice Springs open-air Pioneer Theatre (at what is now the YHA) on 24 July 1956. Donning coats, scarves and blankets as protection from the chilly desert night, the ‘bush’ premiere was reportedly a relaxed occasion. … Continue reading On This Day In Australia: In 1956, the film ‘A Town Like Alice’ premiered in Alice Springs
On This Day In Australia: In 1900, Neville Howse performed an act of heroism that earned him Australia’s first Victoria Cross
Sir Neville Howse On 24 July 1900, Neville Howse rescued a fallen ally under heavy fire during the Second Boer War, becoming the first Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross. Neville Howse was born on 26 October 1863 at Stogursey, Somerset, in England. He was educated at Fullard’s House School, Taunton, before studying medicine at … Continue reading On This Day In Australia: In 1900, Neville Howse performed an act of heroism that earned him Australia’s first Victoria Cross
On This Day In Australia: In 1995, Bob Hawke married Blanche d’Alpuget
Bob Hawke marries Blanche d'Alpuget It was April 1970 when Blanche d’Alpuget first met Bob Hawke. They were at a party in Jakarta, where the writer was living with her husband, Antony Pratt. As she sat on a swinging chair, answering the then-ACTU president’s questions about the city, she felt a connection between them. It wasn’t … Continue reading On This Day In Australia: In 1995, Bob Hawke married Blanche d’Alpuget
On This Day In Australia: In 1983, Dick Smith completed the first solo round the world helicopter flight
Dick Smith and His Helicopter On 22 July 1983, entrepreneur and founder of Australian Geographic Dick Smith completed his first solo around-the-world helicopter flight. The sojourn was also the first solo flight from the US to Australia by helicopter and the first solo helicopter flight across the Atlantic Ocean. For the ambitious journey, Dick flew his helicopter … Continue reading On This Day In Australia: In 1983, Dick Smith completed the first solo round the world helicopter flight
On This Day In Australia: In 1991, the largest oil spill in Australian waters occurred
The Greek Oil Tanker Kirki On 21 July 1991, the Greek tanker Kirki spilled 17,280 tonnes of crude oil off the coast of Western Australia, the biggest oil spill in Australian waters. The Kirki was a 210-metre-long Greek-registered oil tanker which caught fire in the early morning of 21 July 1991, 30 km west of … Continue reading On This Day In Australia: In 1991, the largest oil spill in Australian waters occurred
February 8, 1983 – Dust storm hits Melbourne, Australia, turning day to night
The 1983 Melbourne dust storm was a meteorological phenomenon that occurred during the afternoon of 8 February 1983, throughout much of Victoria, Australia and affected the capital, Melbourne. In late 1982 and early 1983, the El Niño weather cycle had brought record drought to almost all of eastern Australia, with Victoria's Mallee and northern Wimmera severely affected. During the morning of Tuesday 8 February 1983, a strong but dry cold front began to … Continue reading February 8, 1983 – Dust storm hits Melbourne, Australia, turning day to night
January 31, 1968 – Nauru gained independence from Australia.
Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru (Nauruan: Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kiribati, 300 km (190 mi) to the east. It further lies northwest of Tuvalu, 1,300 km (810 mi) northeast of the Solomon Islands, east-northeast of Papua New Guinea, southeast of the Federated States of Micronesia and south of the Marshall Islands. With only a 21 km2 (8.1 sq mi) … Continue reading January 31, 1968 – Nauru gained independence from Australia.
January 30, 1950 – Birth of Jack Newton, Australian golfer
Jack Newton OAM (born 30 January 1950) is an Australian former professional golfer. Newton was born in Cessnock, New South Wales. He was one of Australia's most successful golfers in the 1970s and early 1980s. He turned professional in 1971 and won his first professional tournament – the Dutch Open – in 1972. Newton notched up several victories over the next … Continue reading January 30, 1950 – Birth of Jack Newton, Australian golfer
January 29, 2015 – Death of Colleen McCullough, Australian neuroscientist, author, and academic
Colleen Margaretta McCullough AO (married name Robinson, previously Ion-Robinson; 1 June 1937 – 29 January 2015) was an Australian author known for her novels, her most well-known being The Thorn Birds and The Ladies of Missalonghi. McCullough was born in 1937 in Wellington, in the Central West region of New South Wales, to James and Laurie McCullough. Her father was of Irish descent and her mother was a … Continue reading January 29, 2015 – Death of Colleen McCullough, Australian neuroscientist, author, and academic
January 28, 1953 – Death of James Scullin, Australian journalist and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Australia
James Henry Scullin (18 September 1876 – 28 January 1953) was an Australian Labor Party politician and the ninth Prime Minister of Australia. Scullin led Labor to government at the 1929 election. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 transpired just two days after his swearing in, which would herald the beginning of the Great Depression in Australia. Scullin's administration would soon be overwhelmed by … Continue reading January 28, 1953 – Death of James Scullin, Australian journalist and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Australia
January 27, 1921 – Maurice Buckley, Australian soldier and winner of the Victoria Cross, dies at 29
Maurice Vincent Buckley, VC, DCM (13 April 1891 – 27 January 1921) was an Australian soldier serving under the pseudonym Gerald Sexton who was awarded the Victoria Cross during the First World War. This is the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Buckley was born at Upper Hawthorn, Melbourne, to Timothy Buckley, brickmaker, and his … Continue reading January 27, 1921 – Maurice Buckley, Australian soldier and winner of the Victoria Cross, dies at 29
January 26, 1808 – Rum Rebellion, the only successful armed takeover of the government in Australia
The Rum Rebellion of 1808 was a coup d'état in the then-British penal colony of New South Wales, staged by the New South Wales Corps in order to depose Governor William Bligh. Australia's first and only military coup, it is named after early Sydney's illicit rum trade, over which the Rum Corps, as it became known, … Continue reading January 26, 1808 – Rum Rebellion, the only successful armed takeover of the government in Australia
January 25, 1954 – Birth of Kay Cottee, Australian sailor
Kay Cottee AO (born 25 January 1954) is an Australian sailor, who was the first woman to perform a single-handed, non-stop and unassisted circumnavigation of the world. She performed this feat in 1988 in her 37 feet (11 m) yacht Blackmores First Lady, taking 189 days. Born Kay McLaren—the youngest of four daughters—in Sydney on 25 January 1954, Cottee grew up in … Continue reading January 25, 1954 – Birth of Kay Cottee, Australian sailor
Craig Hill 