See also: 1864 in Australia, other events of 1865, 1866 in Australia and the Timeline of Australian history.

Incumbents

Governors

Governors of the Australian colonies:

• Governor of New South Wales - Sir John Young, Bt
• Governor of Queensland - Sir George Bowen
• Governor of South Australia - Sir Dominick Daly
• Governor of Tasmania - Colonel Thomas Browne
• Governor of Victoria - Sir Charles Darling

Premiers

Premiers of the Australian colonies:

• Premier of New South Wales - James Martin until 3 February, then Charles Cowper
• Premier of Queensland - Robert Herbert
• Premier of South Australia - Arthur Blyth until 22 March, then Francis Dutton until 20 September, then Henry Ayers until 23 October, then John Hart, snr.
• Premier of Tasmania - James Whyte
• Premier of Victoria - James McCulloch

Events

• January 26 - Bushrangers Ben Hall, Johnny Gilbert and John Dunn hold up Kimberley's Inn in the town of Collector, New South Wales. Dunn shoots and kills the local police officer, Constable Samuel Nelson.^[1]
• February 21 - A Royal Commission into the origin and nature of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (a cattle disease) presents its third and final report to the Parliament of Victoria.
• April 8 - Bushranger Dan Morgan is shot dead by a stockman during a police siege at Wangaratta, Victoria.
• May 5 - Bushranger Ben Hall is shot dead by police at Goobang Creek in New South Wales.
• May 13 - Bushranger Johnny Gilbert is shot dead by police at Binalong, New South Wales.
• July 1 - Stamp duty is introduced in New South Wales with the Stamp Duties Act of 1865.
• July 17 - The wooden barquentine Ada collides with the RMS Jeddo and sinks in Sydney Harbour.
• July 31 - Queensland Railways opens the first section of track from Ipswich to Bigge's Camp, the first narrow gauge mainline railway in the world.^[2]
• December 30 - A general election is held in Victoria.

Unknown dates

• Arnott's Biscuits is founded by Scottish baker William Arnott.

Sport

• Toryboy wins the Melbourne Cup. A trophy is awarded for the first time.^[3]

Births

• March 4 - Edward Dyson, poet and novelist (d. 1931)
• March 12 - E. Phillips Fox, naturalist painter (d. 1915)
• March 25 - Ernest Gaunt, Royal Navy admiral (d. 1940)
• April 16 - Harry Chauvel, soldier (d. 1945)
• May 2 - Jens Jensen, politician (d. 1936)
• May 4 - David John Gordon, South Australian politician (d. 1946)
• June 27 - John Monash, soldier (d. 1931)
• July 18 - Dowell Philip O'Reilly, writer (d. 1923)
• August 16 - Mary Gilmore, socialist poet and journalist (d. 1962)
• August 18 - Frank Anstey, politician (d. 1940)
• September 14 - John Northmore, chief justice of Western Australia (d. 1958)
• September 17 - William Murray McPherson, premier of Victoria (d. 1932)
• November 27 - Walter Frederick Gale, banker and astronomer (d. 1945)

Deaths

• March 10 - William Nicholson, mayor of Melbourne and premier of Victoria (b. 1816)
• April 8 - Dan Morgan, bushranger (b. 1930)
• May 5 - Ben Hall, bushranger (b. 1837)
• May 13 - John Gilbert, bushranger (b. 1842)
• May 18 - Angus McMillan, explorer (b. 1810)
• September 28 - Edward Wise, NSW Supreme Court judge (b. 1818)
• October 21 - Francis Tuckfield, missionary (b. 1808)

See also

• 1865
• 1860s

References