1958 in Australia
The following lists events that happened during 1958 in Australia.
| 1958 in Australia | |
|---|---|
| Monarchy | Elizabeth II |
| Governor-General | William Slim |
| Prime minister | Robert Menzies |
| Population | 9,842,333 |
| Elections | Federal, VIC |
| |||||
| Decades: |
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| See also: | |||||
Incumbents
- Monarch – Elizabeth II
- Governor-General – Sir William Slim
- Prime Minister – Robert Menzies
- Chief Justice – Sir Owen Dixon
State premiers
State governors
- Governor of New South Wales – Sir Eric Woodward
- Governor of Queensland – Sir Henry Abel Smith (from 18 March)
- Governor of South Australia – Sir Robert George
- Governor of Tasmania – Sir Ronald Cross, 1st Baronet (until 4 June)
- Governor of Victoria – Sir Dallas Brooks
- Governor of Western Australia – Sir Charles Gairdner
Events
- 14 January – Qantas Airways introduces a round-the-world air service from Australia to London.
- 20 January – The Royal Australian Naval College is moved back to Jervis Bay Territory from Flinders Naval Depot in Victoria.
- 28 January to 11 February – Harold Macmillan visits Australia, the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to do so while in office.
- 14 February to 7 March – Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother visits Australia for the second time.
- 21 March – John McEwen replaces Arthur Fadden as federal leader of the Country Party.
- 24 March – The Cahill Expressway in Sydney opens, the first true freeway in Australia.
- 3 April – A cyclone destroys most of the town of Bowen in Queensland.
- 15 April – Monash University is founded in Melbourne, Victoria.
- 11 May – Construction of Australia's largest man-made lake, Lake Eucumbene on the Eucumbene River in the Snowy Mountains, is completed.
- 31 May – Henry Bolte's Liberal government is re-elected in Victoria.
- 19 July – The last tram service runs in Perth.
- 26 August – Robert Cosgrove retires as Premier of Tasmania, and is replaced by Eric Reece.
- 30 September – The ANZAC Day Act 1958 receives Royal Assent, making ANZAC Day (25 April) a national public holiday in Australia.
- 26 October – The wreckage of the Australian National Airways Avro 10 aircraft, VH-UMF Southern Cloud, is found. The aircraft had been missing since 1931.
- 22 November – A federal election is held. The Liberal-Country coalition led by Robert Menzies defeats H. V. Evatt's Australian Labor Party with 74 seats to 45 in the House of Representatives, a majority unprecedented since Federation, gained from preferences from the Democratic Labor Party.
Unknown dates
- Aquila Shoes, a shoe manufacturing company, founded.
- Johnny O'Keefe has his first hit with Wild One.
- Radio station 2UE publishes the first Australian Top 40.
Science and technology
- 26 January – The HIFAR nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights goes critical for the first time.
Unknown dates
- Australian engineer Dr. David Warren of Melbourne's Aeronautical Research Laboratories constructs the world's first flight recorder ("black box").
Arts and literature
- 11 December – The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) opens in Sydney.
- William Edwin Pidgeon wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of journalist Ray Walker
- Eric Smith wins the Blake Prize for Religious Art with his work The Moment Christ Died
- Randolph Stow wins the Miles Franklin Award for To the Islands
- Russel Ward releases The Australian Legend
Film
- 8 March - The film Bridge on the River Kwai was released in Sydney.
Television
- October - Autumn Affair, first television soap opera produced in Australia debuts
- 1 November – The first episode of Bandstand goes to air on TCN-9, hosted by Brian Henderson.
- 22 November – The 1958 Australian federal election is the first to be televised.
Sport
- Athletics
- 23 March – John Russell wins his second men's national marathon title, clocking 2:40:30 in Sydney
- 6 August – Herb Elliott sets a world record for the one-mile dash (3:54.5) at Morton Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.
- Cricket
- New South Wales wins the Sheffield Shield
- Football
- Brisbane Rugby League premiership: Brothers defeated Valleys 22-7
- New South Wales Rugby League premiership: St. George defeated Western Suburbs 20-9
- WAFL East Perth defeated East Fremantle 65 - 63
- South Australian National Football League premiership: won by Port Adelaide
- Victorian Football League premiership: Collingwood defeated Melbourne 82-64
- Golf
- Australian Open: won by Gary Player
- Horse Racing
- Sir Blink wins the Caulfield Cup
- Yeman wins the Cox Plate
- Skyline wins the Golden Slipper
- Baystone wins the Melbourne Cup
- Motor Racing
- The Australian Grand Prix was held at Bathurst and won by Lex Davison driving a Ferrari
- Tennis
- Australian Open men's singles: Ashley Cooper defeats Malcolm Anderson 7–5 6–3 6–4
- Australian Open women's singles: Angela Mortimer defeats Lorraine Coghlan 6–3 6–4
- Davis Cup: Australia is defeated by the United States 3–2 in the 1958 Davis Cup final
- Yachting
- Solo takes line honours and Siandra wins on handicap in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
Births
- 3 January – Kerry Armstrong, actress
- 5 January – Penny Whetton, climatologist (died 2019)
- 6 February – Simon Baker, race walker
- 10 February – Phil Weightman, politician
- 15 February – Steve Bredhauer, politician
- 22 February – Bill Feldman, politician
- 28 February – Neil Bennett, politician
- 20 March – Phil Anderson, cyclist
- 29 March – Geoff Provest, politician
- 11 April – Mark Furner, politician
- 12 April
- Glenn Patching, swimmer
- Jim Madden, politician
- 19 April – Bill Byrne, politician
- 5 May – Robert DiPierdomenico, footballer and media personality
- 7 May – Alan John, composer
- 11 May – Peter Antonie, rower
- 11 May – Phil Smyth, basketball player
- 3 July – Gary Buckenara, Australian Rules footballer
- 6 July – Gary Humphries, politician
- 13 July – Richard Glover, journalist, author and radio personality
- 15 July – Phil Gould, rugby league identity
- 12 August – Grace Grace, politician
- 22 August – Jo-Ann Miller, politician
- 30 September – Rod Welford, politician
- October - Garry Pankhurst, former child actor
- 13 October – Jim Krakouer, Australian Rules footballer
- 22 October – Jan Jarratt, politician
- 3 November – Ted Radke, politician
- 15 November – Lewis Fitz-Gerald, actor and director
- 24 November – Alex Douglas, politician
- 26 November – Terry Rogers, politician
- 27 November – Linda Lavarch, politician
- 12 December – Monica Attard, journalist
- 31 December – Geoff Marsh, cricketer
Deaths
- 24 January – William Roy Hodgson (born 1892), public servant
- 8 April – Ethel Turner (born 1872), writer
- 13 September – Russell Mockridge (born 1928), cyclist
- 14 October – Douglas Mawson (born 1882), polar explorer
- 30 November – Hubert Wilkins (born 1888), polar explorer
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References
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