Australia timeline
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Christmas Island Discovered
British and Dutch navigators first included the island on their charts in the early seventeenth century, and Captain William Mynors of the British... Read more
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Sinking of the Cataraqui
The vessel was commanded by C. Finlay and carried a crew of 44. By early August the Cataraqui was approaching Bass Strait and on the night of the... Read more
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Sinking of the RMS Tayleur
This elegant sailing ship was the largest merchant vessel of her day but she was wrecked on her maiden voyage with the loss of 372 lives. Built... Read more
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Wreck of the SS Admella
The wreck of the SS Admella in the early hours of August 6th 1859 was only the beginning of a horrific week for survivors who remained on board, in... Read more
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Sinking of HMS Orpheus
Orpheus left Sydney, Australia, on 31 January 1863. Her approach to Manukau Harbour on 7 February ran near Whatipu beach, through a series of... Read more
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Wreck of the SS Gothenburg
She left Port Darwin for Melbourne on the 14th with 88 passengers and a crew of 38, reaching Somerset via Albany Pass, on the 19th. The passengers... Read more
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Sunshine Rail Disaster
The most terrible accident that the state has yet encountered occurred at Sunshine Station (formally known as Braybrook), on Monday night, when the... Read more
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Houdini Achieves First Powered Flight Over Australia
In 1909, Houdini became fascinated with aviation. That same year, he purchased a French Voisin biplane for $5000 and hired a full-time mechanic,... Read more
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Sinking of the SS Yongala
On the morning of 23 March, Yongala steamed into Mackay to drop off and receive passengers and discharge 50 tons of cargo, leaving 617 tons in the... Read more
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Battle of Bita Paka
The Battle of Bita Paka was fought at Bita Paka (also spelled Bitapaka), south of Kabakaul, on the island of New Britain, on 11 September 1914 and... Read more
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Murulla Rail Accident
On 13 September at Murulla, near Murrurundi, twenty-seven people were killed and thirty-seven injured in what the Bulletin described as 'the most... Read more
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Australian National Airways Southern Cloud Crashes into Snowy Moutains, Killing 8
On 21 March 1931, the Southern Cloud departed at 8:10 AM from Sydney for Melbourne. Onboard were six passengers and two crewmembers, including... Read more
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Kyeema Crash
The 1938 Kyeema crash occurred on the western face of Mount Corhanwarrabul, just south of Mount Dandenong, Victoria, Australia. On 25 October 1938,... Read more
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Battle of Gemas
The Battle of Gemas—part of the wider Battle of Muar—during the invasion of Malaya in the Pacific Campaign of the Second World War. The action... Read more
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Battle of Muar Begins
The Battle of Muar was the last major battle of the Malayan campaign. It took place from 14–22 January 1942 around Gemensah Bridge and on the Muar... Read more
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Battle of Rabaul (1942)
The Battle of Rabaul (Operation R), on the island of New Britain, in the Australian Territory of New Guinea, in January and February 1942,... Read more
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Parit Sulong Massacre
On January 23, 1942, the Parit Sulong Massacre was committed against Allied soldiers by members of the Imperial Guards Division of the Imperial... Read more
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Battle of Ambon
From 6 January onwards, Ambon was attacked by Japanese aircraft. Allied aircraft made some sorties against the approaching Japanese fleet, with... Read more
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Battle of Sarimbun Beach
The Battle of Sarimbun Beach was the first stage of the Japanese assault on Singapore in February 1942, during World War II. Sarimbun, in the west... Read more
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Battle of Kranji
The Battle of Kranji was the second stage of the Japanese plan for the invasion of Singapore during the Second World War. On 9 February 1942 the... Read more
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Japanese Forces Invade Portuguese Timor
During the night of 19–20 February, 1,500 troops from the Imperial Japanese Army's 228th Regimental Group, 38th Division, XVI Army, under the... Read more
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Battle of Sunda Strait
The Battle of Sunda Strait was a naval battle which occurred during World War II. On the night of February 28 – March 1, 1942, the United States... Read more
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Imperial Japanese Navy Begins Sustained Attacks on Allied Forces in the Indian Ocean
Following the destruction of the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command forces in the battles around Java in February and March, the Japanese... Read more
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Remaining Australian Forces Evacuated from Portuguese Timor Leaving Japanese to Occupy the Island
By the end of 1942, the chances of the Allies re-taking Timor were remote, as there were now 12,000 Japanese troops on the island and the commandos... Read more