- 1834 – The Battle of Pinjarra occurs in the Swan River Colony in present-day Pinjarra, Western Australia. Between 14–40 Aborigines are killed by British colonists.
- 1855 – Francis James Gillen, an early anthropologist who studied Indigenous culture was born.
- 1886 – William Bede Dalley, Australia's first member of the Privy Council, dies in Sydney.
- 1916 – The first plebiscite on the issue of military conscription was held; it was defeated.
- 1952 – Death of Billy Hughes, the seventh Prime Minister of Australia, aged 90.
- 1969 – Christo and Jeanne-Claude complete the Wrapped Coast, using 9,300 m² synthetic fabric and 56 km rope to wrap Little Bay, New South Wales.
- 1971 – The British satellite Prospero X-3 was launched into space from Woomera, South Australia, making Britain the seventh country with a satellite.