# 1839 in Australia

"none" is preferred when the title alone is adequate; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
The following lists events that happened during 1839 in Australia.

## Incumbents

* Monarch - Victoria

### Governors

Governors of the Australian colonies:
* Governor of New South Wales - Sir George Gipps
* Governor of South Australia - Lieutenant Colonel George Gawler
* Governor of Tasmania - Sir John Franklin
* Governor of Western Australia - Captain James Stirling then John Hutt

## Events

* 3 January - John Hutt becomes Governor of Western Australia
* 15 January - The first US consul, J. H. Williams, takes residence in Sydney
* 6 February - The Port Phillip Patriot and Melbourne Advertiser are published for the first time by John Pascoe Fawkner
* 16 February - Kiama is proclaimed a town
* 19 March - Settlement begins at Port Lincoln
* 3 April - William Light is replaced by Charles Sturt as Surveyor-General of South Australia
* 13 April - Albury is proclaimed a village
* 24 April - Braidwood is proclaimed a town
* 1 May - Edward John Eyre explores the area north of Adelaide until 29 June, during the expedition he discovers Lake Torrens
* June - Up to 40 Aboriginals are killed in the Campaspe Plains massacre, which was a reprisal raid against Aboriginal resistance to the invasion and occupation of the Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung lands.
* 20 June - A settlement is founded at Victor Harbor
* 27 July - The Adelaide River is discovered
* 9 September - Port Darwin is named by John Lort Stokes on HMS Beagle
* Undated (mid 1939) - 35 to 40 Aboriginals of the Tarnbeere Gundidj clan of the Djargurd Wurrung are killed in the Murdering Gully massacre.
* Undated - An unknown number of Aboriginals are killed in the Blood Hole massacre

## Exploration and settlement

* Edward John Eyre explores areas to the far north and west of Adelaide during his two expeditions.

### Settlements

* Alberton, South Australia
* Albury, New South Wales
* Balhannah, South Australia
* Blakiston, South Australia
* Brunswick East, Victoria
* Burnside, South Australia
* Carcoar, New South Wales
* Findon, South Australia
* Gumeracha, South Australia
* Hahndorf, South Australia
* Hope Valley, South Australia
* Mandurama, New South Wales
* Mount Barker, South Australia
* Nairne, South Australia
* Penwortham, South Australia
* Seymour, Victoria
* St Kilda, Victoria
* Strathalbyn, South Australia
* Tusmore, South Australia

## Arts and literature

* First mechanics' institute was founded at Melbourne

## Births

* 14 March – George Adams, publican and lottery promoter (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1904)
* 18 April – Henry Kendall, author and bush poet (d. 1882)
* 30 April – Sir Francis Suttor, New South Wales politician and pastoralist (d. 1915)
* 10 May – Thomas Joseph Carr, Catholic archbishop (born in Ireland) (d. 1917)
* 29 May – Ned Gregory, cricketer (d. 1899)
* 19 June – Howard Willoughby, journalist and war correspondent (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1908)
* 1 July – William George Lawes, minister, missionary and public lecturer (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1907)
* 2 September – Elias Solomon, Western Australian politician (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1909)
* 9 December – Norman Selfe, civil engineer (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1911)
* 19 December – Charles Dempster, Western Australian politician and explorer (d. 1907)
* Unknown – George Rignold, actor (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1912)

## Deaths

* 6 May – John Batman, explorer, grazier and entrepreneur (b. 1801)
* 27 June – Allan Cunningham (botanist), botanist and explorer (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1791)
* 24 July – Sir Richard Spencer, naval officer and settler (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1779)
* 6 October – William Light, military officer and surveyor (born in Malaysia) (b. 1786)
* 9 October – James Oatley, watchmaker and convict (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1769)