# 1961 in Australia

"none" is preferred when the title alone is adequate; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
The following lists events that happened during 1961 in Australia.

## Incumbents

* Monarch – Elizabeth II
* Prime Minister – Robert Menzies
* Governor General – William Morrison, 1st Viscount Dunrossil (died in office 3 February), then William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle
* Chief Justice – Sir Owen Dixon

### State Premiers

* 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

### State Governors

* Governor of New South Wales – Sir Eric Woodward
* Governor of Queensland – Sir Henry Abel Smith
* Governor of South Australia – Sir Edric Bastyan (from 4 April)
* Governor of Tasmania – Thomas Corbett, 2nd Baron Rowallan
* Governor of Western Australia – Sir Charles Gairdner
* Governor of Victoria – Sir Dallas Brooks

## Events

* 2 January – Oral contraceptives are first sold in Australia
* 20 January to early March – Disastrous bushfires affect Western Australia, completely destroying a number of towns.
* 25 February – Last electric tram service runs in Sydney
* 23 June – Australia signed the Antarctic Treaty
* 12 August – Richmond become the only team since 1922 to fail to score a goal in a VFL/AFL match.
* 31 October – Parkes radiotelescope officially opened by the Governor General
* 30 November – Ansett-ANA Flight 325, a Vickers Viscount aircraft, crashes into Botany Bay shortly after takeoff, killing all 15 on board

## Arts and literature

* Dame Joan Sutherland is announced as Australian of the Year
* William Edwin Pidgeon wins the Archibald Prize
* The novel Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence is banned from sale
* Riders in the Chariot by Patrick White is awarded the Miles Franklin Literary Award

## Television

* 19 August – Four Corners TV current affairs program first screened on ABC TV
* 1 December - The first regional television station is launched in Traralgon, Victoria, as GLV-10 Gippsland and Latrobe Valley (Television) Victoria.

## Sport

* Cricket
** New South Wales wins the Sheffield Shield
** The Ashes: Australia defeats England 2-1 and retains The Ashes
* Football
** Brisbane Rugby League premiership: Norths defeated Valleys 29-5
** New South Wales Rugby League premiership: St. George defeated Western Suburbs 22-0
** South Australian National Football League premiership: won by West Adelaide
** Victorian Football League premiership: Hawthorn defeated Footscray 94-51
* Golf
** Australian Open: won by Frank Phillips
** Australian PGA Championship: won by Alan Murray (golfer)
* Horse racing
** Summer Fair wins the Caulfield Cup
** Dhaulagiri wins the Cox Plate
** Magic Night wins the Golden Slipper
** Lord Fury wins the Melbourne Cup
* Motor racing
** The Australian Grand Prix was held at Mallala and won by Lex Davison driving a Cooper Climax
* Tennis
** Australian Open men's singles: Roy Emerson defeats Rod Laver 1–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–4
** Australian Open women's singles: Margaret Court defeats Jan Lehane O'Neill 6–1, 6–4
** Davis Cup: Australia defeats Italy 5–0 in the 1961 Davis Cup final
** Wimbledon: Roy Emerson and Neale Fraser win the Men's Doubles
** Wimbledon: Rod Laver wins the Men's Singles
* Yachting
** Astor takes line honours and Rival wins on handicap in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

## Births

* 1 January – Sam Backo, Indigenous Australian rugby league footballer
* 7 January – Andrew Thomson, lawyer and politician
* 9 February – Alison Megarrity, politician
* 12 February – Di Farmer, politician
* 25 February – Trevor Strong, politician
* 28 February – Mark Latham, politician
* 2 March – Simone Young, conductor
* 4 March – Bart Bassett, politician
* 14 March – Garry Jack, rugby league footballer and coach
* 16 March – Brett Kenny, rugby league footballer
* 24 March – Dean Jones, cricketer, coach and commentator (died 2020)
* 26 March – Richard Torbay, politician
* 29 March – Gary Brabham, racing driver
* 12 April
** Magda Szubanski, actor and comedian
** Lisa Gerrard, singer
* 20 April – Frances Adamson, Australian public servant and diplomat, Australian Ambassador to China
* 2 May – Peter Doohan, tennis player
* 16 May – Gina Riley, actor and comedian
* 31 May – Justin Madden, Australian rules footballer
* 2 June – Kerry Saxby-Junna, racewalker
* 16 June – Peter Sterling, rugby league footballer
* 6 July - Rick Price, singer
* 18 July – Stephen Hodge, cyclist
* 21 July – Morris Iemma, 40th Premier of New South Wales
* 1 August – Peter Evans, swimmer
* 8 August – Tim Mander, politician and rugby league referee
* 12 August – Peter Dowling, politician
* 19 August – Frank Terenzini, politician
* 20 August – Greg Egan, science fiction author and mathematician
* 3 September – Andy Griffiths, author
* 15 September
** Terry Lamb, rugby league footballer and coach
** Joan Pease, politician
* 29 September – Julia Gillard, Welsh-Australian lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Australia
* 8 October – Simon Burke, actor
* 19 October – Cliff Lyons, rugby league footballer
* 23 October – Brett Dean, composer, conductor and violist
* 18 November – Anthony Warlow, entertainer
* 23 November – Merv Hughes, cricketer
* 4 December – Sonia Hornery, politician
* 17 December – Larry Anthony, politician
* 29 December – Mal Brough, politician

## Deaths

* 3 January – Auvergne Doherty, businesswoman (born 1896)
* 3 February – William Morrison (born 1893), Governor General of Australia
* 20 February – Percy Grainger (born 1882), pianist and composer
* 22 May – Lionel Lindsay (born 1874), artist
* 27 September – Peter Dawson (born 1882), singer
* 2 October – Essington Lewis (born 1881), industrialist
* 3 December – Pat O'Hara Wood (born 1891), tennis player
* 20 December – Earle Page (born 1880), Prime Minister of Australia
* 29 December – Sibyl Morrison (born 1895), first female barrister in New South Wales