1889 in Australia

Incumbents

• Monarch - Victoria

Premiers

• Premier of New South Wales – Henry Parkes until 16 January, then George Dibbs 17 January-7 March, then Henry Parkes
• Premier of Queensland – Boyd Dunlop Morehead
• Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford II until 27 June, then John Cockburn
• Premier of Tasmania – Philip Fysh
• Premier of Victoria – Duncan Gillies

Governors

• Governor of New South Wales – Lord Carrington
• Governor of Queensland – Henry Wylie Norman
• Governor of South Australia – Sir William Robinson until 5 March, then 9th Earl of Kintore
• Governor of Tasmania – Sir Robert Hamilton
• Governor of Victoria – Lord Loch
• Governor of Western Australia – Sir Frederick Broome

Arts and literature

• 17 August – The 9 by 5 Impression Exhibition, featuring works by Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton and Charles Conder, was opened in Melbourne.
• 21 December – The poem "Clancy of the Overflow", by Banjo Paterson, is first published in The Bulletin magazine.

Sport

• 5 October – ' defeat ' by 2 goals to win the 1889 SAFA Grand Final, the first Grand Final in Australian rules football.
• November – Bravo wins the Melbourne Cup

Births

• 23 February – Lucy Godiva Woodcock, pacifist, schoolteacher, trade union official and women's activist
• 6 March – William Douglas Francis, botanist
• 4 April – Jack Cato, photographer
• 18 April – Jessie Street, feminist and suffragette
• 20 April – Cuthbert Butler, politician
• 2 June – Margaret Theadora Allan, community worker
• 18 September – Doris Blackburn, politician
• 27 October – Fanny Durack, swimmer
• 23 November – Harry Sunderland, rugby league administrator

Deaths

• 9 February – Peter Lalor, Eureka Stockade leader
• 5 November – Peter Warburton, explorer