The following lists events that happened during 1955 in Australia.

Incumbents

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

–

Sir William Slim Field Marshal William Joseph Slim, 1st Viscount Slim, (6 August 1891 – 14 December 1970), usually known as Bill Slim, was a British military commander and the 13th Governor-General of Australia. Slim saw active service in both the First an ...

* Prime Minister –

Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...

* Chief Justice –

Sir Owen Dixon Sir Owen Dixon (28 April 1886 – 7 July 1972) was an Australian judge and diplomat who served as the sixth Chief Justice of Australia. A judge of the High Court for thirty-five years, Dixon was one of the leading jurists in the Englis ...

State Premiers

* Premier of New South Wales – Joseph Cahill * Premier of Queensland – Vince Gair * Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford IV * Premier of Tasmania – Robert Cosgrove * Premier of Victoria – John Cain I (until 7 June), then Henry Bolte * Premier of Western Australia –

Albert Hawke Albert Redvers George Hawke (3 December 1900 – 14 February 1986) was the 18th Premier of Western Australia. He served from 23 February 1953 to 2 April 1959, and represented the Labor Party. Hawke was born in South Australia, and began ...

State Governors

Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the viceregal representative of the Australian monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governors of the ...

– Sir John Northcott * Governor of Queensland – Sir John Lavarack *

Governor of South Australia The governor of South Australia is the representative in South Australia of the Monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. The governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the governor-gene ...

– Sir Robert George * Governor of Tasmania – Sir Ronald Cross, 1st Baronet * Governor of Victoria –

Sir Dallas Brooks General Sir Reginald Alexander Dallas Brooks, (22 August 1896 – 22 March 1966) was a British military commander who went on to become the 19th and longest-serving governor of Victoria, Australia. Early life Brooks was born on 22 August 1896 a ...

* Governor of Western Australia –

Sir Charles Gairdner Lieutenant General Sir Charles Henry Gairdner, (20 March 1898 – 22 February 1983) was a senior British Army officer who later occupied two viceregal positions in Australia. Born in Batavia (now Jakarta) in the Dutch East Indies, he was brough ...

Events

* 19 February – The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) is established at a meeting in Bangkok. * 22–28 February –

1955 Hunter Valley floods The Hunter Valley Floods (also known as the Maitland Flood) of 23 February 1955 was a major flood on the Hunter River in New South Wales, Australia. They were one of the most devastating natural disasters in Australia's history. The flood over ...

: Enormous flooding of the Hunter River and adjacent areas of the Murray–Darling basin causes loss of life and set many rainfall and streamflow records. * 19 April – Australian Labor Party split of 1955. Expelled members form the Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist), predecessor of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP). * 28 May – A state election is held in Victoria.

John Cain John Cain may refer to: *John Cain (34th Premier of Victoria) (1882–1957), Australian politician *John Cain (41st Premier of Victoria) (1931–2019), Australian politician, son of the above *John Cain (lawyer), Victorian Government Solicitor (200 ...

's Labor government is defeated by the Liberal and Country Party, led by Henry Bolte. * August – Widespread floods and exceedingly persistent rainfall effect the southern fringe of the continent. * 12 August – The

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

HMAS ''Vengeance'' is returned to the British Royal Navy. * 21 August – The Consolidated Zinc Corporation announced it has discovered bauxite at Weipa, Queensland. * 28 October – The aircraft carrier is commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy. * 6 November – The 1955 Queensland Road Racing Championship is held at Southport.Alf Cummings, Grand Prix win at 22, Modern Motor (magazine), January 1956, pages 22, 23 & 84 * 16 November – The Adelaide suburb of Elizabeth, South Australia is established. * 23 November – The Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean are transferred from British to Australian control. * 10 December –

Federal election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

: The incumbent Liberal Party led by Prime Minister

with

coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...

partner the Country Party led by Arthur Fadden defeat the Labor Party led by H. V. Evatt. Malcolm Fraser first enters Parliament as Liberal member for

Wannon The Division of Wannon is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. History The division was proclaimed in 1900, and was one of the original 65 divisions to be contested at the first Federal election. The division was name ...

Science and technology

* The Guthega power station becomes the first to generate electricity in the Snowy Mountains Scheme

Arts and literature

* 28 November – Ray Lawler's '' Summer of the Seventeenth Doll'' receives its stage premiere by the

Union Theatre Repertory Company The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1953 as the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Union Theatre at the University of Melbourne, it is the oldest professional theatre compa ...

in Melbourne with the playwright in a leading role; this is influential as the first authentically naturalistic modern drama in the theatre of Australia * 19 December – Dame Edna Everage makes her first stage appearance, in Melbourne * John Brack paints '' The Car'' and ''

Collins St., 5 pm ''Collins St., 5 pm'' is a 1955 painting by Australian artist John Brack. The painting depicts office workers walking along busy Collins Street in Melbourne after finishing work for the day"Blank-faced office workers hurry by like sleep-walker ...

'' in Oakleigh, Victoria * Ivor Hele wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of '' Robert Campbell Esq.'' * Donald Friend wins the Blake Prize for Religious Art with his work ''St John and Scenes from the Apocalypse'' *

Patrick White Patrick Victor Martindale White (28 May 1912 – 30 September 1990) was a British-born Australian writer who published 12 novels, three short-story collections, and eight plays, from 1935 to 1987. White's fiction employs humour, florid prose, ...

's novel ''

The Tree of Man ''The Tree of Man'' is the fourth published novel by the Australian novelist and 1973 Nobel Prize-winner, Patrick White. It is a domestic drama chronicling the lives of the Parker family and their changing fortunes over many decades. It is ste ...

'' is published * Alan Marshall's childhood autobiography ''I Can Jump Puddles'' is published

Film

* '' Jedda'', a film by Charles Chauvel, is released

Sport and recreation

* Board games * 19 January – Australian debut of Scrabble * Cricket ** New South Wales wins the Sheffield Shield ** England defeats

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

3–1 in The Ashes * Football ** South Australian National Football League premiership: won by

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...

** Victorian Football League premiership: Melbourne defeated Collingwood 64–36 * Rugby ** Bledisloe Cup: won by the All Blacks **

Brisbane Rugby League premiership The Brisbane Rugby League is a rugby league football competition in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was first held in 1922 and for every year until 1997. The competition was reinstated in 2001, known as the FOGS premiership under the Quee ...

: Valleys defeat Brothers 17–7 **

New South Wales Rugby League premiership The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia and contributor to today's National Rugby League. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League (initially named the New Sout ...

: South Sydney defeat Newtown 12–11 * Golf **

Australian Open The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...

: won by Bobby Locke ** Australian PGA Championship: won by

Ossie Pickworth Horace Henry Alfred "Ossie" Pickworth (17 January 1918 – 23 September 1969) was a leading Australian professional golfer of the 1940s and 1950s, winner of three successive Australian Open titles from 1946 to 1948, the last of which came in ...

* Horse racing ** '' Rising Fast'' wins the Caulfield Cup ** ''Kingster'' wins the Cox Plate ** ''Toparoa'' wins the Melbourne Cup * Motor racing ** The

Australian Grand Prix The Australian Grand Prix is an annual motor racing event which is under contract to host Formula One until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Grand Prix has moved frequently with 23 different venu ...

is held at

Port Wakefield Port Wakefield may refer to. Australia *Port Wakefield, South Australia, a town and locality * Port Wakefield railway line, part of the now-closed Balaklava-Moonta railway line in South Australia * Port Wakefield Circuit, a former motor racing cir ...

and won by Jack Brabham driving a Cooper Bristol * Tennis ** Australian Open men's singles: Ken Rosewall defeats Lew Hoad 9–7 6–4 6–4 ** Australian Open women's singles: Beryl Penrose Collier defeats Thelma Coyne Long 6–4 6–3 **

Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organis ...

defeats the United States 5–0 in the

1955 Davis Cup The 1955 Davis Cup was the 44th edition of the Davis Cup, the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. 24 teams entered the Europe Zone, 7 teams entered the America Zone, and 3 teams entered the newly reinstated Eastern Zo ...

final **

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

: Rex Hartwig and Lew Hoad win the Gentlemen's Doubles * Yachting ** ''Even'' takes line honours and ''Moonbi'' wins on handicap in the

Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is an annual event hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, New South Wales, on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart, Tasmania. The race distance is approximately . The race is run i ...

Births

* 1 January – Mario Andreacchio, film director * 6 January – Graham Murray (died 2013), rugby league footballer and coach * 13 January – Paul Kelly, rock musician * 10 February – Greg Norman, golfer * 4 March – Tim Costello, Baptist minister and CEO of World Vision * 6 April - Ray Blacklock (died 2020), rugby league footballer * 23 April – Judy Davis, actress * 3 May – David Hookes (died 2004), cricketer * 31 May – Tommy Emmanuel, guitarist * 23 June –

Alan J. Gow Alan James Gow (born 23 June 1955) is the chief executive of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) and president of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) Touring Car Commission. He was born in Melbourne, Australia and lives ...

, motorsport executive * 5 July – Peter McNamara, tennis player * 24 July – David Smith, race walker * 26 July –

Ron Peno Ronald "Ron" Stephen Peno (born mid 1950s), who also performed as Ronnie Pop, is an Australian rock singer, he fronted Died Pretty, from 1984 to 2002, he was a member of early punk band the Hellcats (1976–77), and followed with the 31st (in B ...

(died 2023), rock singer/songwriter * 27 July – Allan Border, cricketer * 5 August –

Robert Flower Robert Alan Flower (5 August 1955 – 2 October 2014) was an Australian rules footballer with Melbourne Football Club. His first game was against Geelong in 1973 and he captained the team from 1981 until his final game in 1987. He held the ...

(died 2014), footballer * 19 August – Mary-Anne Fahey, actress and comedian * 18 September - Jim Saleam, far right activist * 5 October – Wilbur Wilde, saxophonist * 8 October – Paul Lennon, Premier of Tasmania * 24 October –

Katherine Knight Katherine Mary Knight (born 24 October 1955) is an Australian murderer and the first woman in the country's history to be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. She was convicted for the murder of her partner, John Charles Thomas Price, ...

, murderer * 30 November – Deborra-Lee Furness, actress and producer * 11 December – David Atkins, actor and dancer * 19 December– Lincoln Hall (died 2012), mountain climber

Deaths

10 May Events Pre-1600 *28 BC – A sunspot is observed by Han dynasty astronomers during the reign of Emperor Cheng of Han, one of the earliest dated sunspot observations in China. *1291 – Scottish nobles recognize the authority of Edward ...

– John Radecki, stained-glass artist (born in Poland) (b.

1865 Events January–March * January 4 – The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters at Broad Street (Manhattan), 10-12 Broad near Wall Street, in New York City. * January 13 – American Civil War : Sec ...

) * 6 June – Max Meldrum, artist (born in the United Kingdom) (b.

1875 Events January–March * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the ...

) *

1 August Events Pre-1600 * 30 BC – Octavian (later known as Augustus) enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Republic. *AD 69 – Batavian rebellion: The Batavians in Germania Inferior (Netherlands) revolt under ...

– Charles Shaw, journalist and novelist (b.

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...

) *

26 August Events Pre-1600 * 683 – Yazid I's army kills 11,000 people of Medina including notable Sahabas in Battle of al-Harrah. *1071 – The Seljuq Turks defeat the Byzantine army at the Battle of Manzikert, and soon gain control of most o ...

–

P.C. Anderson Peter Corsar Anderson CBE (17 February 1871 – 26 August 1955) was an influential educator and golfer in Western Australia. Tournament wins ''this list is incomplete'' *1893 The Amateur Championship *1898 Surrey Hills Gentlemen's Championsh ...

, golfer and educator (born in the United Kingdom) (b.

1871 Events January–March * January 3 – Franco-Prussian War – Battle of Bapaume: Prussians win a strategic victory. * January 18 – Proclamation of the German Empire: The member states of the North German Confederation and the sout ...

) *

5 September Events Pre-1600 * 917 – Liu Yan declares himself emperor, establishing the Southern Han state in southern China, at his capital of Panyu. *1367 – Swa Saw Ke becomes king of Ava *1590 – Alexander Farnese's army forces Henr ...

–

Haydn Bunton Sr. Haydn William Bunton (5 July 1911 – 5 September 1955) was an Australian rules footballer who represented in the Victorian Football League (VFL), in the West Australian Football League (WAFL), and in the South Australian National Football Le ...

, Australian rules footballer ( Fitzroy) (b.

1911 A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...

) *

11 November Events Pre-1600 * 308 – At Carnuntum, Emperor ''emeritus'' Diocletian confers with Galerius, ''Augustus'' of the East, and Maximianus, the recently returned former ''Augustus'' of the West, in an attempt to end the civil wars of the ...

– Harry Cobby, military aviator (b.

1894 Events January–March * January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire. * January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United S ...

) *

19 December Events Pre-1600 *1154 – Henry II of England is crowned at Westminster Abbey. *1187 – Pope Clement III is elected. *1490 – Anne, Duchess of Brittany, is married to Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor by proxy. *1562 – T ...

– Sir Keith Smith, aviator (b.

1890 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa. ** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River. * January 2 ** The steamship ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1955 in Australia

Years of the 20th century in Australia