Monarch – Elizabeth II
Prime Minister – Robert Menzies
Governor General – William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle
Premier of New South Wales – Robert Heffron
Premier of Queensland – Frank Nicklin
Premier of South Australia – Sir Thomas Playford
Premier of Tasmania – Eric Reece
Premier of Western Australia – David Brand
Premier of Victoria – Henry Bolte
Governor of New South Wales – Sir Eric Woodward
Governor of Queensland – Sir Henry Abel Smith
Governor of South Australia – Sir Edric Bastyan
Governor of Tasmania – Thomas Corbett, 2nd Baron Rowallan
Governor of Western Australia – Sir Charles Gairdner
Governor of Victoria – Sir Dallas Brooks
The Australian Ballet is founded.
1 March – The final section of the Cahill Expressway opens in Sydney.
16 July – An education strike in Goulburn, New South Wales, where, in response to a demand for the installation of three extra toilets at a local Catholic Primary School, the local community closed down these schools and sent the children to the Government schools. The Catholic Church declared they had no money to install the extra toilets. Nearly 1,000 children turned up to be enrolled locally and the state schools were unable to accommodate them. In 1963, Menzies made State aid for science blocks part of his party's platform in response to the public debate engendered by the Goulburn strike.
15 August – The Red Sales aerobatic team, flying Vampire jets, crashes in practice, killing six people.
28 September – Paddington tram depot fire: One fifth of the Brisbane tram fleet is destroyed when the Paddington tram depot is burnt down in suspicious circumstances. 65 trams are destroyed.
Arts and literature
2 November – The first performance of the Australian Ballet Company in Sydney was of Swan Lake.
The Well Dressed Explorer by Thea Astley and The Cupboard Under the Stairs by George Turner are jointly awarded the Miles Franklin Literary Award
4 March – NBN Television opens in Newcastle, New South Wales as NBN-3.
18 March – WIN Television opens in Wollongong, New South Wales as WIN-4.
26 May - Southern Cross Television opens in Launceston, Tasmania as TNT-9
General
Australia wins 38 gold medals at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, held in Perth
Athletics
11 August – Keith Ollerenshaw wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:26:24.2 in Perth.
Cricket
New South Wales wins the Sheffield Shield
Football
Bledisloe Cup: retained by the All Blacks
Brisbane Rugby League premiership: Norths defeated Valleys 22 – 0
New South Wales Rugby League premiership: St. George defeated Wests 9-6
South Australian National Football League premiership: won by Port Adelaide
Victorian Football League premiership: Essendon defeated Carlton 90-58
Golf
Australian Open: won by Gary Player
Australian PGA Championship: won by Bill Dunk
Horse Racing
Indian Summer wins the AJC Oaks
Even Stevens wins the Caulfield Cup
Aquanita wins the Cox Plate
Birthday Card wins the Golden Slipper
Even Stevens wins the Melbourne Cup
Motor Racing
The Australian Grand Prix was held at Caversham and won by Bruce McLaren driving a Cooper-Climax
The Armstrong 500 was held at Phillip Island, and was won by Harry Firth and Bob Jane driving an XL Falcon
Squash
Heather Blundell wins the Women's Championship at the British Open Squash Championships
Tennis
Australian Open men's singles: Rod Laver defeats Roy Emerson 8-6 0–6 6-4 6-4
Australian Open women's singles: Margaret Court defeats Jan Lehane O'Neill 6-0 6-2
Davis Cup: Australia defeats Mexico 5-0 in the 1962 Davis Cup final
French Open: Rod Laver wins the Men's Singles
French Open: Margaret Court wins the Women's Singles
French Open: Roy Emerson and Neale Fraser win the Men's Doubles
US Open: Rod Laver wins the Men's Singles
US Open: Margaret Court wins the Women's Singles
Wimbledon: Rod Laver wins the Men's Singles
Wimbledon: Bob Hewitt and Fred Stolle win the Men's Doubles
Yachting
Gretel makes Australias first challenge for the America's Cup, losing 4–1 to the American opponent Weatherly
Ondine takes line honours and Solo wins on handicap in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
22 February – Steve Irwin, wildlife expert and media personality (died 2006)
13 April – Andrew Jachno, race walker
24 April – Steve "Blocker" Roach, rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 1990s
13 May – Paul McDermott, comedian and singer
15 July – Michelle Ford, swimmer
18 July – Shaun Micallef, comedian
6 August – Steven Lee, alpine skier
17 September – Baz Luhrmann, film director and producer
26 September – Steve Moneghetti, long distance runner
10 November – Bob Lindner, rugby league footballer and coach
11 November – James Morrison – jazz musician
5 December – Michael Harvey, racewalker
8 December – Steve Elkington, golfer
17 January – Frank Hurley (born 1885), film maker and photographer
3 December – Mary Gilmore (born 1865), poet and journalist
1962 in Australia Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA
