1962 in Australia

[edit] Incumbents

The Australian Ballet is founded
The Cahill Expressway opens in Sydney
The Red Sales aerobatic team, flying Vampire jets, crashes in practice, killing 6

The toilets of St Brigid's; the reason for the 1962 School Strike and the beginning of State Aid to non-Government schools

16 July - An education strike in Goulburn, New South Wales, where, in response to a demand for the installation of three extra toilets at a local Catholic Primary School, the local community closed down these schools and sent the children to the Government schools. The Catholic church declared they had no money to install the extra toilets. Nearly 1,000 children turned up to be enrolled locally and the state schools were unable to accommodate them. In 1963, Menzies made State aid for science blocks part of his party's platform in response to the public debate engendered by the Goulburn strike.
September 28 - One fifth of the Brisbane tram fleet is destroyed when the Paddington tram depot is burnt down in suspicious circumstances. 65 trams are destroyed.

2 November - The first performance of the Australian Ballet Company in Sydney was of Swan Lake.

Even Stevens wins the Melbourne Cup
New South Wales wins the Sheffield Shield
Solo wins the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games is held in Perth
Heather Blundell wins the British Open Squash Championship.
Gretel makes Australias first challenge for the America's Cup, losing 4-1 to the American opponent Weatherly.
Australia defeats Mexico 5-0 in the Davis Cup final