Governors of the Australian colonies:
Governor of New South Wales — John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar
Governor of Queensland — Sir George Bowen
Governor of South Australia — Sir Dominick Daly
Governor of Tasmania — Colonel Thomas Browne
Governor of Victoria — Sir Henry Barkly until 10 September, then Sir Charles Darling
Premiers of the Australian colonies:
Premier of New South Wales — Charles Cowper until 15 October, then James Martin
Premier of Queensland — Robert Herbert
Premier of South Australia — George Waterhouse until 4 July, then Francis Dutton until 15 July, then Henry Ayers
Premier of Tasmania — Thomas Chapman until 20 January, then James Whyte
Premier of Victoria — John O'Shanassy until 27 June, then James McCulloch
1 January — The Torrens title system is introduced in New South Wales with the commencement of the Real Property Act 1862.
7 February — The Sydney-based Royal Navy corvette HMS Orpheus sinks off the coast of New Zealand claiming 189 lives.
21 February — James Cockle is appointed the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland.
14 March — Queen Victoria issues Letters Patent granting Goulburn, New South Wales city status, making it Australia's first inland city.
6 July — Queen Victoria issues Letters Patent annexing to South Australia the part of the colony of New South Wales that would later become the Northern Territory.
11 November — Elizabeth Scott is hanged for the murder of her husband, making her the first woman to be executed in Victoria.
South Sea Islanders are brought into Queensland to work as indentured labourers in the colony's sugar industry.
Over 2,400 volunteers are recruited to fight in the New Zealand land wars.
Exploration and settlement
17 January — Explorer John McKinlay returns home to Gawler, South Australia after an unsuccessful two-year search for the missing Burke and Wills expedition.
28 April — Brewarrina, New South Wales proclaimed a township.
3 November — Banker wins the Melbourne Cup, in the smallest field in Cup history of six horses.
26 January — Charles Wade, Premier of New South Wales (died 1922)
14 July — Arthur Coningham, cricketer (died 1939)
16 July — Anderson Dawson, Premier of Queensland (died 1910)
26 October — Neville Howse, first Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross (died 1930)
26 October — John Henry Michell, mathematician (died 1940)
29 November — Adrian Knox, second Chief Justice of the High Court (died 1932)
5 February — John Wroe (born 1782), British evangelist, founder of the Christian Israelite Church
8 March – Samuel Stocks, South Australian businessman (b. c. 1786)
26 March — James Drummond (born 1786 or 1787), botanist
28 April — James Dickson (born 1913), New South Wales politician
5 July — Thomas Brown (born 1803), Western Australian politician
26 October — Gotthard Fritzsche (born 1797), Lutheran pastor
