1909 in Australia

Updated on Sep 30, 2024

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Decades: 1880s1890s1900s1910s1920s See also: Other events of 1909Timeline of Australian history

The following lists events that happened during 1909 in the Commonwealth of Australia.

Incumbents

Monarch – Edward VII

Governor-General – William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley

Prime Minister – Andrew Fisher (until 2 June), then Alfred Deakin

State premiers

Premier of New South Wales – Charles Wade

Premier of South Australia – Thomas Price (until 5 June), then Archibald Peake

Premier of Queensland – William Kidston

Premier of Tasmania – John Evans (until 19 June), then Sir Elliott Lewis (until 20 October), then John Earle (until 27 October), then Sir Elliott Lewis

Premier of Western Australia – Sir Newton Moore

Premier of Victoria – Sir Thomas Bent (until 8 January), then John Murray

State governors

Governor of New South Wales – Admiral Sir Harry Rawson (until 24 March), then Frederic Thesiger, 3rd Baron Chelmsford (from 28 May)

Governor of South Australia – Sir George Le Hunte (until 2 January), then Sir Day Bosanquet (from 29 March)

Governor of Queensland – Frederic Thesiger, 3rd Baron Chelmsford (until 26 May), then Sir William MacGregor (from 2 December)

Governor of Tasmania – Sir Gerald Strickland (until 20 May), then Sir Harry Barron (from 29 September)

Governor of Western Australia – Admiral Sir Frederick Bedford (until 23 April), then Sir Gerald Strickland (from 31 May)

Governor of Victoria – Sir Thomas Gibson-Carmichael

Events

8 January – Sir Thomas Bent retires as Premier of Victoria, and is replaced by John Murray.

9 March – Electric trams begin operation in Adelaide.

31 March – Victoria is the last Australian state to grant women's suffrage.

30 April – Tasmania begins to use the Hare-Clark single transferable vote method in the 1909 general election.

26 May – The Protectionist Party and the Free Trade Party merge to form the Fusion Party), led by Alfred Deakin.

2 June – The Labor government of Andrew Fisher is ousted from office by Alfred Deakin's Fusion Party, and Deakin becomes Prime Minister for the third time.

5 June – Steam trams begin operation in Rockhampton, Queensland.

18 to 21 August – Disastrous floods strike Victoria.

6 October – Martha Rendell becomes the last woman to be hanged in Western Australia.

9 October – John Earle becomes Premier of Tasmania, leading Tasmania's first Labor government, however Earle's minority government only lasts a week.

6 December - the Newcastle–Bolgart Railway was opened.

10 December – The University of Queensland is established.

14 December – New South Wales passes law ceding land to the Commonwealth for construction of the national capital, Canberra.

21 December – British Field Marshal Lord Kitchener arrives in Darwin after an invitation from Alfred Deakin to review Australia's military and defence plans.

24 December – Former Prime Minister Sir George Reid resigns from Parliament to become Australia's first High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

Science and technology

16 July – The first powered aeroplane flight in Australia is made.

Sport

29 January – New South Wales wins the Sheffield Shield

15 June – Representatives from England, Australia and South Africa meet at Lord's and form the Imperial Cricket Conference.

21 August – Andrew Wood wins the inaugural men's national marathon title, clocking 2:59:15 in Brisbane. Though billed as the Australasian Championships, the Australian Athletic Union did not consider it to be the official championship.

31 August – The first interstate ice hockey competition is held in Melbourne.

14 September - The 1909 NSWRFL season culminates in the grand final which was forfeited by Balmain to make South Sydney back-to-back premiers

29 October – The South Melbourne Swans defeat the Carlton Blues 4.14 (38) to 4.12 (36) in the 1909 VFL Grand Final.

2 November – Prince Foote wins the Melbourne Cup.

Births

19 January – Leon Goldsworthy, explosives expert (died 1994)

8 February – Elisabeth Murdoch, philanthropist

13 February – Reginald Ansett, businessman and aviator (died 1981)

2 March – Percival Bazeley, scientist (died 1991)

19 March – Nell Hall Hopman, tennis player (died 1968)

26 March – Chips Rafferty, actor (died 1971)

9 April – Robert Helpmann, dancer and choreographer (died 1986)

23 May – William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle, Governor General of Australia (died 1991)

15 June – Cyril Walsh, High Court judge (died 1973)

20 June – Errol Flynn, Australian actor (died 1959)

23 June – Keith Virtue, aviator (died 1980)

6 July – Eric Reece, Premier of Tasmania (died 1999)

9 September – Decima Norman, athlete (died 1983)

10 September – Dorothy Hill, geologist (died 1998)

3 December – Stanley Burbury, Governor of Tasmania (died 1995)

Deaths

9 February – Charles Conder, artist (born 1868)

4 March – Max Hirsch, economist (born 1852)

14 March – William Charles Kernot, engineer (born 1845)

6 April – Sir Julian Salomons, chief justice and politician (born 1836)

18 April – William Saumarez Smith, Anglican archbishop (born 1836)

28 April – Henry D'Esterre Taylor, banker and Federationist (born 1853)

31 May – Thomas Price, Premier of South Australia (born 1852)

29 June – Sir George Shenton, first Mayor of Perth (born 1842)

23 July – Sir Frederick Holder, Premier of South Australia (born 1850)

8 August – Mary MacKillop, Australian nun (born 1842)

18 September – Mary Lee, suffragette and social reformer (born 1821)

6 October – Martha Rendell, last woman to be hanged in WA (born 1871)

10 November – George Essex Evans, poet (born 1863)

6 December – Sir William Henry Bundey, judge and politician (born 1838)

References

1909 in Australia Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

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