1957 in Australia


The following lists events that happened during 1957 in Australia.

Incumbents

State Premiers

State Governors

Events

  • 19 January – The last edition of The Argus newspaper is published.
  • 29 July – The Bega bombing occurs in Bega, New South Wales when Senior Constable Kenneth Desmond Coussens, his wife Elizabeth and 7-month-old son Bruce are instantly killed by a bomb placed on their home's veranda. The house was demolished by the explosion at about 2 AM. 8-year-old Roger McCampbell, Coussens step-son, survived. A six-gallon metal cream container filled with 240 sticks of gelignite, stolen from a mine, was placed there by Myron Bertram Kelly. Coussens dealt with Kelly regarding traffic offences and issued him several traffic fines. Kelly appears to have become angered because Coussens issued further fines and defect notices regarding Kelly's tractor and rotary hoe. On 6 December 1957 Justice McClemens sentenced Kelly to life imprisonment for the 3 murders.
  • 27 August – The Democratic Labor Party DLP votes at its national conference to reject the White Australia policy. Becoming the largest party in Australia to oppose the policy at that time.
  • 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
  • 3 October – Australian National Airways 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

Film

  • Robbery Under Arms, film adaptation of the novel of the same name.
  • Three in One, a television show of three short stories about life in Australia in the 1950s.

Television

Sport

Cricket

Births

Deaths