1873 in Australia
The following lists events that happened during 1873 in Australia.
Incumbents
Governors
Governors of the Australian colonies:- Governor of New South Wales – Hercules Robinson, 1st Baron Rosmead
- Governor of Queensland – George Phipps, 2nd Marquess of Normanby
- Governor of South Australia – Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet, then Anthony Musgrave
- Governor of Tasmania – Charles Du Cane
- Governor of Victoria – John Manners-Sutton, 3rd Viscount Canterbury, then George Bowen
- Governor of Western Australia - The Hon. Sir Frederick Weld GCMG.
Premiers
Premiers of the Australian colonies:- Premier of New South Wales – Henry Parkes
- Premier of Queensland – Arthur Hunter Palmer
- Premier of South Australia – Henry Ayers, until 22 July then Arthur Blyth
- Premier of Tasmania – Frederick Innes, until 4 August then Alfred Kennerley
- Premier of Victoria – James Francis
Events
- 9 December – More than 1,000 striking gold miners attack police and Chinese workers brought in to Clunes, Victoria to break the strike.
- 30 December – Elizabeth Woolcock is hanged at the Adelaide Gaol, the only woman to be executed in South Australia.
Exploration and settlement
- 19 July – Surveyor William Gosse names "Ayers Rock" after the premier of South Australia Henry Ayers.
- 3 September – The town of Cooktown, Queensland is founded after gold is discovered at the Palmer River, sparking a gold rush.
Births
- 28 January - Monty Noble, cricketer
- 21 August - Fred Leist, artist
- 2 September - Lily Poulett-Harris, founder of women's cricket in Australia
Deaths
- 28 January - John Hart, 10th premier of South Australia
- 19 April - Hamilton Hume, explorer
- 30 May - Thomas Gilbert, South Australian pioneer
- 22 June - Terence Aubrey Murray, NSW politician
- 12 November - David Lennox, bridge-builder
- 11 December - John West, clergyman, writer and editor of The Sydney Morning Herald
- 24 December - Madame Rens, New South Wales settler and merchant