The following lists events that happened during 1885 in Australia.

Incumbents

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 ...

– Lord Augustus Loftus (until 9 November), then

Lord Carrington Peter Alexander Rupert Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, Baron Carington of Upton, (6 June 1919 – 9July 2018), was a British Conservative Party politician and hereditary peer who served as Defence Secretary from 1970 to 1974, Foreign Secret ...

(from 12 December) *

Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor Governors of the Australian states, performs c ...

–

Sir Anthony Musgrave Sir Anthony Musgrave (31 August 1828 – 9 October 1888) was a Secretary of State for the Colonies, colonial administrator and governor. He died in office as Governor of Queensland in 1888. Early life He was born at St John's, Antigua, the t ...

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 William Cleaver Francis Robinson, GCMG * Governor of Tasmania – Major Sir George Strahan *

Governor of Victoria The governor of Victoria is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria. The governor is one of seven viceregal representatives in the country, analogous to the governors of the other states, and the ...

– Sir Henry Loch

Premiers

Premiers of the Australian colonies: *

Premier of New South Wales The premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature. ...

–

Alexander Stuart Alexander Stuart may refer to: *Alexander Stuart (scientist) (1673–1742), scientist, winner of the Copley Medal *Alexander Hugh Holmes Stuart (1807–1891), United States Secretary of the Interior between 1850 and 1853 *Alexander Stuart (Australi ...

(until 6 October), then George Dibbs (until 9 October), then

John Robertson John, Jon, or Jonathan Robertson may refer to: Politicians United Kingdom politicians * J. M. Robertson (John Mackinnon Robertson, 1856–1933), British journalist and Liberal MP for Tyneside 1906–1918 *John Robertson (Bothwell MP) (1867–1926) ...

(from 22 December) * Premier of Queensland – Samuel Griffith * Premier of South Australia –

John Colton John Colton may refer to: *John Colton (politician) (1823–1902), Australian politician, Premier of South Australia and philanthropist * John Colton (bishop) (c. 1320–1404), statesman and cleric in Ireland *John Colton (screenwriter) John Colt ...

(until 16 June), then John Downer *

Premier of Tasmania The premier of Tasmania is the head of the executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the leader of the party or political grouping which has majority support in the House of Assembly is invited by the governor of Ta ...

– Adye Douglas * Premier of Victoria –

James Service James Service (27 November 1823 – 12 April 1899), Australian colonial politician, was the 12th Premier of Victoria, Australia. Biography Service was born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland, the son of Robert Service. As a young man James wor ...

Events

* 3 March – The

New South Wales Contingent The New South Wales Contingent served in Sudan with British forces as part of the Suakin Expedition in 1885. Consisting of an infantry battalion, an artillery battery, and a small field ambulance detachment, it departed from Sydney on 3 March 18 ...

, consisting of an infantry battalion and an artillery battalion, leaves

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

to fight in the Sudan Campaign. * 28 March – HMQS ''Gayundah'' arrives in Brisbane. * 1 April – The Cabinet of South Australia meets to discuss the "Russian scare"—the fear that South Australia would come under attack from Russian warships should hostilities between Russia and Britain over Afghanistan result in war. * 10 August –

BHP BHP Group Limited (formerly known as BHP Billiton) is an Australian multinational mining, metals, natural gas petroleum public company that is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The Broken Hill Proprietary Company was founded ...

, later to become the world's largest mining company, is registered as a company in Victoria. * 4–7 October –

Third Intercolonial Trades Union Congress The Third Intercolonial Trades Union Congress was a meeting of trade union delegates held in Sydney, Australia in October 1885, succeeding congresses in 1879 and 1884. It was the first of these congresses to have representatives from every colo ...

held in Sydney. * The Geographical Society of Australasia sent an expedition to the Fly River region of

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

, naming and exploring the Strickland River.

Science and technology

*24 March – Hugh Victor McKay patents stripper-harvester.

Arts and literature

*Tom Roberts paintings: **'' Winter morning after rain, Gardiner's Creek'' **'' The Artists Camp''

Sport

*20 February – The

Richmond Football Club The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football team playing in the Australian Football League (AFL). Between its inception in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond in 1885 and 1907, the club competed in the Victo ...

is formed. *3 November –

Sheet Anchor __NOTOC__ M ...

wins the Melbourne Cup. *17 October – Caulfield Cup when 16 of the 44 horses competing fell, resulting in the death of 25-year-old jockey Donald Nicolson.

Births

*8 January – John Curtin (died 1945), Australian Prime Minister *26 January –

Michael Considine Michael Patrick Considine (c. 26 January 1885 – 2 November 1959) was an Irish-born Australian politician and unionist. He represented the seat of Barrier in the House of Representatives from 1917 to 1922. A controversial figure, Considine was ...

(died 1959), Australian politician *29 January –

Arthur Halloway Arthur 'Pony' Halloway (1885–1961), was a pioneering Australian rugby league footballer and coach. Born in Sydney, New South Wales he played for the Glebe Dirty Reds (1908), Balmain Tigers (1909–1911 and 1915–1920) and Eastern Suburbs (191 ...

(died 1961), rugby league footballer and coach *20 March –

Vernon Ransford Vernon Seymour Ransford (20 March 1885 – 19 March 1958) was an Australian cricketer who played in 20 Test matches between 1907 and 1912. Ransford was a smooth and stylish left-handed batsman who could score with ease all round the wicket or ...

(died 1958), cricketer *1 July –

Dorothea Mackellar Isobel Marion Dorothea Mackellar, (1 July 1885 – 14 January 1968) was an Australian poet and fiction writer. Her poem ''My Country'' is widely known in Australia, especially its second stanza, which begins: "''I love a sunburnt country/ ...

(died 1968), poet *12 August – Keith Murdoch (died 1952), journalist and newspaper publisher *15 August –

Beaumont Smith Frank Beaumont "Beau" Smith (15 August 1885 – 2 January 1950), was an Australian film director, producer and exhibitor, best known for making low-budget comedies. Smith made his first film in 1917, '' Our Friends, the Hayseeds''. He went on t ...

(died 1950), film director and producer *18 August **

Bede Fanning Lawrence Bede Fanning ISO (18 August 188514 August 1970) was a senior Australian public servant, best known for his time as Director-General of the Postmaster-General's Department The Postmaster-General's Department (PMG) was a department ...

(died 1970), public servant ** Nettie Palmer (died 1964), poet and literary critic (wife of Vance Palmer) *28 August – Vance Palmer (died 1959), novelist, essayist and critic (husband of Nettie Palmer) *22 September – Ben Chifley (died 1951), Australian Prime Minister *15 October – Frank Hurley (died 1962), photographer and adventurer *7 November –

Frank Cheadle Frank Cheadle (7 November 1885 – 12 May 1916) was an Australian pioneering rugby league footballer and AIF soldier who fell in World War I. A New South Wales interstate and Australian international representative centre, he was reputedly t ...

, rugby league footballer and World War I soldier (died 1916).

Deaths

*28 January –

Edward Davy Edward Davy (16 June 1806 – 26 January 1885) was an English physician, scientist, and inventor who played a prominent role in the development of telegraphy, and invented an electric relay. Davy was born in Ottery St Mary, Devonshire, England, ...

(born 1806), scientist

Notes

{{Oceania topic, 1885 in, countries_only=yes

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 ...

Years of the 19th century in Australia