1957 in Australia
| 1957 in Australia | |
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| Monarchy | Elizabeth II |
| Governor-General | William Slim |
| Prime minister | Robert Menzies |
| Population | 9,640,138 |
| Elections | QLD |
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Incumbents
- Monarch – Elizabeth II
- Governor-General – Sir William Slim
- Prime Minister – Robert Menzies
State Premiers
- Premier of New South Wales – Joseph Cahill
- Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford IV
- Premier of Queensland – Vince Gair (until 12 August), then Frank Nicklin
- Premier of Tasmania – Robert Cosgrove
- Premier of Western Australia – Albert Hawke
- Premier of Victoria – Henry Bolte
State Governors
- Governor of New South Wales – Sir John Northcott (until 3 July), then Sir Eric Woodward (from 1 August)
- Governor of Queensland – Sir John Lavarack (until 4 December)
- Governor of South Australia – Sir Robert George
- Governor of Tasmania – Sir Ronald Cross, 1st Baronet
- Governor of Victoria – Sir Dallas Brooks
- Governor of Western Australia – Sir Charles Gairdner
Events
- 19 January – The last edition of The Argus newspaper is published.
- 15 September – Hobart has its wettest day on record with 156.2 millimetres as a result of a slow-moving low pressure system redeveloping over the Tasman Sea[1]
- 3 October – Australian National Airways (ANA) is merged with Ansett to form Ansett-ANA.
- Slim Dusty wins his first gold record for A Pub With No Beer.
Science and technology
The CSIRO develop radar and microwave navigation systems for aircraft.
Arts and literature
- Architect Jørn Utzon wins the design competition for the Sydney Opera House
- Ivor Hele wins the Archibald Prize with his Self Portrait
- Elwynn Lynn wins the Blake Prize for Religious Art with his work Betrayal
- Voss by Patrick White wins the inaugural Miles Franklin Literary Award
Film
- Robbery Under Arms, film adaptation of the novel of the same name (see Robbery Under Arms at the Internet Movie Database).
- Three in One, a film of three short stories about life in Australia in the 1950s (see Three in One at the Internet Movie Database).
Television
- 19 January – GTV-9 television station is officially opened in Melbourne.
- 7 May – In Melbourne Tonight, TV-Series 1957–1970 (GTV-9's first major production).
- Pick-A-Box, TV-Series 1957–1971 (first broadcast as a radio program in 1948)
- The Tarax Show, TV-Series 1957–1970 (sponsored by Tarax, a soft drink bottling company from Melbourne.
Sport
- Cricket
- New South Wales wins the Sheffield Shield
- Football
- South Australian National Football League premiership: won by Port Adelaide
- Victorian Football League premiership: Melbourne defeated Essendon 116-55
- Rugby league
- Brisbane Rugby League premiership: Valleys defeated Brothers 18-17
- New South Wales Rugby League premiership: St. George defeated Manly-Warringah 31-9
- Australia hosted and won the 1957 Rugby League World Cup tournament
- Rugby union
- Bledisloe Cup: won by the All Blacks
- Golf
- Australian Open: won by Frank Phillips
- Australian PGA Championship: won by Gary Player
- Horse Racing
- Tulloch wins the Caulfield Cup
- Red Craze wins the Cox Plate
- Todman wins the inaugural Golden Slipper
- Straight Draw wins the Melbourne Cup
- Motor Racing
- The Australian Grand Prix was held at Caversham and won by Lex Davison and Bill Patterson driving a Ferrari
- Tennis
- Australian Open men's singles: Ashley Cooper defeats Neale Fraser 6-3 9-11 6-4 6-2
- Australian Open women's singles: Shirley Fry defeats Althea Gibson 6-3 6-4
- Davis Cup: Australia defeats the United States 3-2 in the 1957 Davis Cup final
- Wimbledon: Lew Hoad wins the Men's Singles
- Yachting
- Kurrewa IV takes line honours and Anitra V wins on handicap in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
Births
- 27 February – Robert de Castella, marathon runner
- 20 March – David Foster, axeman
- 30 March – Debra Byrne, entertainer
- 30 March – Alan Fletcher, Australian actor
- 9 April – Jamie Redfern, singer
- 13 April – Mark Tonelli, swimmer
- 18 April – Ian Campbell, long and triple jumper
- 22 May – Gary Sweet, actor
- 13 July – Penny Cook, actress
- 26 July – Wayne Grady, golfer
- 14 August – Peter Costello, politician
- 16 August – Peter Van Miltenburg, track and field sprinter
- 21 September – Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister of Australia (2007–2010)
- 22 September – Nick Cave, musician
- 30 December – Simon Madden, Australian Rules footballer
Deaths
- 11 January – Sir Robert Garran (born 1867), Solicitor-General of Australia
- 31 January – John Marshall (born 1930), freestyle swimmer
- 4 August – John Cain I (born 1882), Premier of Victoria
- 27 October – James McGirr (born 1890), Premier of New South Wales
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