1871 in Australia

Incumbents

Governors

• Governor of New South Wales – Somerset Lowry-Corry, 4th Earl Belmore
• Governor of Queensland – George Phipps, 2nd Marquess of Normanby
• Governor of South Australia – Sir James Fergusson
• Governor of Tasmania – Charles Du Cane
• Governor of Victoria – John Manners-Sutton, 3rd Viscount Canterbury
• Governor of Western Australia - The Hon. Sir Frederick Weld GCMG.

Premiers

• Premier of New South Wales – Sir James Martin
• Premier of Queensland – Arthur Hunter Palmer
• Premier of South Australia – John Hart until 10 November, then Arthur Blyth
• Premier of Tasmania – James Milne Wilson
• Premier of Victoria – Sir James McCulloch until 19 June, then Charles Gavan Duffy

Events

• 15 March – Australia's first synagogue opens in Adelaide, South Australia.
• 5 May – The Prince Alfred Hospital opens in Melbourne.
• 19 June – Charles Gavan Duffy assumes office as Premier of Victoria.
• 24 September – Mother Mary MacKillop is excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church after refusing to disband the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart order.
• 20 November – Initial operation of the Java telegraph cable, landed at Darwin, linking Australia to the UK.

Exploration and settlement

• March – Explorer John Ross is the first European to explore and name the Todd River.

Sport

• The South Australian Cricket Association is founded.
• 7 November – The Pearl wins the Melbourne Cup

Births

• 10 January – Miles Evergood, artist
• 24 January – Oscar Asche, actor and director
• 17 February – Florence Anderson, first female trade union secretary in Victoria
• 22 February – Hayden Starke, High Court judge
• 3 April – John Wren, businessman
• 20 August – Sydney Long, artist
• 23 November – William Watt, 24th Premier of Victoria

Deaths

• 2 January – Sir Samuel Blackall, Governor of Queensland
• 19 January – Sir William Denison, Governor of Van Diemen's Land and New South Wales
• 23 April – James Frederick Palmer, Victorian politician