The following lists events that happened during 1808 in Australia.

Incumbents

*Monarch -

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

Governors

Governors of the Australian colonies: * Governor of New South Wales –

Captain William Bligh Vice-admiral (Royal Navy), Vice-Admiral William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was an officer of the Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. The Mutiny on the Bounty, mutiny on the HMS ''Bounty'' occurred in 1789 when the ship ...

(until 26 January by no coincidence), then Major George Johnston (until 28 July), then Major Joseph Foveaux * Lieutenant-Governor of Southern Van Diemen's Land – David Collins * Lieutenant-Governor of Northern Van Diemen's Land – William Paterson (until 24 March)

Events

*26 January – John Macarthur is arrested sparking the

Rum Rebellion 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, the name derives fr ...

. Military officers supporting Macarthur arrest Governor Bligh. *2 February – William Paterson sails to Sydney from Port Dalrymple, Van Diemen's Land to take over the administration of New South Wales following the removal of Bligh.

Exploration and settlement

* First settlement at Kingston, Van Diemen's Land.

Births

*23 September –

William Henty William Henty (born 23 September 1808 in West Tarring, Sussex, England). He moved to Tasmania in 1837 and for over 20 years practised as a solicitor. In 1857 he was elected a member of the legislative council for Tamar and was colonial secretary ...

, one of the Henty brothers (although the only brother not to set foot in

Portland, Victoria Portland is a city in Victoria, Australia, and is the oldest European settlement in the state. It is also the main urban centre in the Shire of Glenelg and is located on Portland Bay. As of the 2021 census the population was 10,016, increasin ...

): he took a leading part in the legal disputes over the settlement.

Deaths

*19 June –

Alexander Dalrymple Alexander Dalrymple FRS (24 July 1737 – 19 June 1808) was a Scottish geographer and the first Hydrographer of the British Admiralty. He was the main proponent of the theory that there existed a vast undiscovered continent in the South P ...

, who had strongly opposed the establishment of New South Wales in ''A Serious Admonition to the Public on the Intended Thief-Colony at Botany Bay'' (London, 1786). *3 September –

Philip Gidley King Captain Philip Gidley King (23 April 1758 – 3 September 1808) was a British politician who was the third Governor of New South Wales. When the First Fleet arrived in January 1788, King was detailed to colonise Norfolk Island for defence ...

, third Governor of New South Wales.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1808 in Australia Australia Years of the 19th century in Australia