1889 in Australia

The following lists events that happened during 1889 in Australia.

Incumbents

 * Monarch - Victoria

Premiers

 * Premier of New South Wales – Henry Parkes until 16 January, then George Dibbs 17 January-7 March, then Henry Parkes
 * Premier of Queensland – Boyd Dunlop Morehead
 * Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford II until 27 June, then John Cockburn
 * Premier of Tasmania – Philip Fysh
 * Premier of Victoria – Duncan Gillies

Governors

 * Governor of New South Wales – Lord Carrington
 * Governor of Queensland – Henry Wylie Norman
 * Governor of South Australia – Sir William Robinson until 5 March, then 9th Earl of Kintore
 * Governor of Tasmania – Sir Robert Hamilton
 * Governor of Victoria – Lord Loch
 * Governor of Western Australia – Sir Frederick Broome

Arts and literature

 * 17 August – The 9 by 5 Impression Exhibition, featuring works by Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton and Charles Conder, was opened in Melbourne.
 * 21 December – The poem "Clancy of the Overflow", by Banjo Paterson, is first published in The Bulletin magazine.

Sport

 * 5 October – ' defeat ' by 2 goals to win the 1889 SAFA Grand Final, the first Grand Final in Australian rules football.
 * November – Bravo wins the Melbourne Cup

Births

 * 23 February – Lucy Godiva Woodcock, pacifist, schoolteacher, trade union official and women's activist (died 1968)
 * 6 March – William Douglas Francis, botanist (died 1959)
 * 18 April – Jessie Street, feminist and suffragette (died 1970)
 * 20 April – Cuthbert Butler, politician (died 1950)
 * 2 June – Margaret Theadora Allan, community worker (died 1968)
 * 18 September – Doris Blackburn, politician (died 1970)
 * 27 October – Fanny Durack, swimmer (died 1956)
 * 23 November – Harry Sunderland, rugby league administrator (died 1964)

Deaths

 * 9 February – Peter Lalor, Eureka Stockade leader (born 1827)
 * 5 November – Peter Warburton, explorer (born 1813)