1863 in Australia

The following lists events that happened during 1863 in Australia.

Incumbents

 * Monarch - Victoria

Governors
Governors of the Australian colonies:
 * Governor of New South Wales – John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar
 * Governor of Queensland – Sir George Bowen
 * Governor of South Australia – Sir Dominick Daly
 * Governor of Tasmania – Colonel Thomas Browne
 * Governor of Victoria – Sir Henry Barkly until 10 September, then Sir Charles Darling
 * Governor of Western Australia – Dr John Hampton.

Premiers
Premiers of the Australian colonies:
 * Premier of New South Wales – Charles Cowper until 15 October, then James Martin
 * Premier of Queensland – Robert Herbert
 * Premier of South Australia – George Waterhouse until 4 July, then Francis Dutton until 15 July, then Henry Ayers
 * Premier of Tasmania – Thomas Chapman until 20 January, then James Whyte
 * Premier of Victoria – John O'Shanassy until 27 June, then James McCulloch

Events

 * 1 January – The Torrens title system is introduced in New South Wales with the commencement of the Real Property Act 1862.
 * 7 February – The Sydney-based Royal Navy corvette HMS Orpheus sinks off the coast of New Zealand claiming 189 lives.
 * 21 February – James Cockle is appointed the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland.
 * 14 March – Queen Victoria issues Letters Patent granting Goulburn, New South Wales city status, making it Australia's first inland city.
 * 6 July – Queen Victoria issues Letters Patent annexing to South Australia the part of the colony of New South Wales that would later become the Northern Territory.
 * 11 November – Elizabeth Scott is hanged for the murder of her husband, making her the first woman to be executed in Victoria.

Non-specific dates

 * South Sea Islanders are brought into Queensland to work as indentured labourers in the colony's sugar industry.
 * Over 2,400 volunteers are recruited to fight in the New Zealand Wars.

Exploration and settlement

 * 17 January – Explorer John McKinlay returns home to Gawler, South Australia after an unsuccessful two-year search for the missing Burke and Wills expedition.
 * 28 April – Brewarrina, New South Wales proclaimed a township.

Sport

 * 3 November – Banker wins the Melbourne Cup, in the smallest field in Cup history of six horses.

Births

 * 26 January – Sir Charles Wade, 17th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1922)
 * 26 March – George Philip Barber, Queensland politician (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1938)
 * 28 April – Josiah Thomas, New South Wales politician (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1933)
 * 20 June – James Fowler, Western Australian politician (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1940)
 * 21 June – Bill Wilks, New South Wales politician (d. 1940)
 * 14 July – Arthur Coningham, cricketer (d. 1939)
 * 16 July – Anderson Dawson, 14th Premier of Queensland (d. 1910)
 * 26 October
 * Sir Neville Howse, New South Wales politician, military officer and first Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1930)
 * John Henry Michell, mathematician (d. 1940)
 * 29 November – Sir Adrian Knox, 2nd Chief Justice of Australia (d. 1932)
 * Unknown – Francis McLean, New South Wales politician (d. 1926)

Deaths

 * 5 February – John Wroe, evangelist (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1782).    Hannan Henry o William (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1721)
 * 8 March – Samuel Stocks, businessman (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1786)
 * 26 March – James Drummond, botanist and naturalist (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1786)
 * 28 April – James Dickson, New South Wales politician (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1813)
 * 5 July – Thomas Brown, Western Australian politician and explorer (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1803)
 * 26 October – Gotthard Fritzsche, Lutheran pastor (born in the Electorate of Saxony) (b. 1797)