1808 in Australia
The following lists events that happened during 1808 in Australia.
Incumbents
- Monarch - George III
Governors
Governors of the Australian colonies:- Governor of New South Wales – Captain William Bligh, then Major George Johnston, then Major Joseph Foveaux
- Lieutenant-Governor of Southern Van Diemen's Land – David Collins
- Lieutenant-Governor of Northern Van Diemen's Land – William Paterson
Events
- 26 January – John Macarthur is arrested sparking the Rum Rebellion. Military officers supporting Macarthur arrest Governor Bligh.
- 2 February – William Paterson sails to Sydney from Port Dalrymple, Van Diemen's Land to take over the administration of New South Wales following the removal of Bligh.
Exploration and settlement
- First settlement at Kingston, Van Diemen's Land.
Births
- 23 September – William Henty, one of the Henty brothers : he took a leading part in the legal disputes over the settlement.
Deaths
- 19 June – Alexander Dalrymple, who had strongly opposed the establishment of New South Wales in A Serious Admonition to the Public on the Intended Thief-Colony at Botany Bay.
- 3 September – Philip Gidley King, third Governor of New South Wales.