1934 in Australia

ANZAC War Memorial Sydney, built in 1934

Two fashionably-dressed women at the Warwick Farm racecourse in Australia, 1934.

See also: 1933 in Australia, other events of 1934, 1935 in Australia and the Timeline of Australian history.

Incumbents

• Monarch – King George V
• Governor-General – Sir Isaac Isaacs
• Prime Minister – Joseph Lyons

State Premiers

• Premier of New South Wales – Bertram Stevens
• Premier of Queensland – William Forgan Smith
• Premier of South Australia – Richard L. Butler
• Premier of Tasmania – John McPhee (until 15 March), then Walter Lee (until 22 June), then Albert Ogilvie
• Premier of Victoria – Sir Stanley Argyle
• Premier of Western Australia – Philip Collier

State Governors

• Governor of New South Wales – Sir Philip Game
• Governor of Queensland – Sir Leslie Orme Wilson
• Governor of South Australia – Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven (until 26 April), then Sir Winston Dugan (from 20 July)
• Governor of Tasmania – Sir Ernest Clark
• Governor of Victoria – William Vanneck, 5th Baron Huntingfield (from 14 May)
• Governor of Western Australia – none appointed

Events

• 18 January – Qantas and Imperial Airways join forces and establish Qantas Empire Airways.
• 12 March – An intense cyclone crosses the Queensland coast near Innisfail, 75 people were confirmed dead.
• 1 September – Body of the "Pyjama Girl" found in Albury, New South Wales.
• 15 September – A federal election is held. Joseph Lyons is returned as Prime Minister, leading a United Australia Party-Country Party coalition to victory over the Australian Labor Party.
• 3 October – Qantas de Havilland DH.50 Atalanta, registration VH-UHE, crashes near Winton, Queensland, killing the pilot and 2 passengers.
• 15 October – Captain Cook's cottage is opened to the public, after being dismantled in England, then shipped to Australia and reassembled in Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne.
• 18 October – Charles Prince of Morphettville is found guilty of fraud for the "ring in" of Redlock at the Murray Bridge Racing Club on 28 July.
• 24 October – C. W. A. Scott and Tom Campbell Black cross the finishing line and win the MacRobertson Air Race, flying from London to Melbourne in an elapsed time of 71 hours.
• 6 November – The Australian government attempts to stop left-wing writer Egon Erwin Kisch from entering the country, using the language provisions of the Immigration Restriction Act 1901 which allowed a test in any European language. The multi-lingual Kisch was tested in Scottish Gaelic, although the decision to block his entry was later overturned by the High Court.
• 11 November – The Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne is dedicated.
• 15 November – Qantas de Havilland DH86 crashes after departing from Longreach Airport during its delivery flight.

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Unknown dates

• The first ute is produced by Ford in Geelong

Science and technology

Arts and literature

• Henry Hanke wins the Archibald Prize with his self portrait
• Eleanor Dark's Prelude to Christopher is published. The author was later awarded the ALS Gold Medal.

Film

• Strike Me Lucky, starring Roy Rene and directed by Ken G. Hall, is released

Sport

• 8 September - The 1934 NSWRFL season culminates in Western Suburbs' victory against Eastern Suburbs in the final
• Peter Pan wins the Melbourne Cup
• Victoria wins the Sheffield Shield
• Australia defeats England 2-1 in The Ashes series, held in England

Births

• 6 January – Harry M. Miller, promoter and publicist
• 11 January – Peter Badcoe, soldier and Victoria Cross recipient (died 1967)
• 20 January – Barry Fisher, cricketer (died 1980)
• 26 January – Ruby Langford Ginibi, Indigenous author and historian
• 31 January – Gil Jamieson, painter (died 1992)
• 15 February – Graham Kennedy, entertainer (died 2005)
• 17 February – Barry Humphries, entertainer
• 20 March – David Malouf, writer
• 16 April – Barrie Unsworth, Premier of New South Wales
• 1 May – John Meillon, actor (died 1989)
• 5 May – Victor Garland, politician and high commissioner to the UK
• 6 May – Chris Wallace-Crabbe, poet and academic
• 2 June – Ian Brooker, botanist
• 17 August – Ben Humphreys, politician
• 15 September – Fred Nile, clergyman and politician
• 9 October – Jill Ker Conway, author
• 10 October – Julian Beale, politician
• 2 November – Ken Rosewall, tennis player
• 16 November – Peter Ross Sinclair, Governor of New South Wales (1990–1996)
• 24 December – Alan Beaumont, Chief of the Australian Defence Force (1993–1995, died 2004)

Deaths

• 1 January – Robert Gibson, businessman
• 22 January – Arthur Wilberforce Jose (born 1863), historian
• 30 January – Edward Heitmann (born 1878), WA politician
• 21 February – Sydney Smith (born 1856), NSW and federal politician
• 27 February – George Temple-Poole (born 1856), architect
• 17 March – Walter Rosenhain (born 1875), metallurgist
• 23 March – Thomas Brown (born 1861)
• 29 March – Josiah Symon (born 1846), Attorney-General of Australia
• 30 March – Ronald Munro-Ferguson, 1st Viscount Novar (born 1860), Governor General of Australia
• 12 April – Bertram Steele (born 1870), scientist
• 12 May – Agar Wynne (born 1850), politician
• 25 May – Percy Coleman (born 1892), union organiser and politician
• 6 June – William Holman (born 1871), Premier of New South Wales (1913–1920)
• 19 June – John McDonald (born 1868), WA politician
• 14 July – John Thomson (born 1862), politician
• 31 July – Charles McGrath (born 1872), politician
• 6 August – Alexander Leeper (born 1848), educationist
• 18 August – Sir John Sulman (born 1849), architect
• 27 August – Linda Agostini (born 1905), murder vicitm (the "Pyjama Girl")
• 28 August – T. W. Edgeworth David (born 1858), scientist
• 5 September – Sidney Myer (born 1878), businessman
• 7 October – William Sutherland Dun (born 1868), paleontologist and geologist
• 16 October – James Mathews (born 1865), politician
• 21 November – John Scaddan (born 1876), Premier of Western Australia (1911–1916)
• 3 December – Charles Ulm (born 1898), aviator

References

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