1961 in Australia

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