1959 in Australia

The following lists events that happened during 1959 in Australia.

Incumbents

26 January – Darwin was granted city status
12 February – The Melbourne outdoor performance venue the Sidney Myer Music Bowl is officially opened by Prime Minister Robert Menzies.
15 February – American evangelist Billy Graham begins a tour of Australia.
February – major floods in Queensland
March – formal construction of the Sydney Opera House began
4 June – the Soviet embassy in Canberra was reopened. It had been closed since 29 April 1954 as a result of the Petrov Affair
July - Westfield open its first location. Westfield Plaza in Blacktown. With 12 shops, 2 department stores and a supermarket, people flocked to see the plaza which newspapers of the day described as 'the most modern American-type combined retail centre'. By year-end Westfield Plaza was established as Blacktown's commercial hub.
29 July – Qantas launched its first jet service from Sydney to San Francisco via Nadi and Honolulu.
August and September – Princess Alexandra toured Australia
September – Australian National University building an "Atom Smasher"
23 September the M/S Princess of Tasmania Australia's first passenger Roll-on/roll-off diesel ferry makes maiden voyage across Bass Strait.
November – Donald Bradman batted for 15 minutes in a demonstration. He retired from cricket.

On the Beach starring Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner was shot around Melbourne. The film was based on the novel by Nevil Shute.

Six O'Clock Rock screened on the Australian Broadcasting Commission's channel. It was compered by Johnny O'Keefe and was the ABC's response to Bandstand on Channel Nine.
Adelaide's first television station, NWS-9, begins broadcasting on 5 September

Cricket

2 January – William Douglas Francis b. 1889), botanist
22 February – Harold Hardwick, freestyle swimmer
20 June – Sir Ian Clunies Ross, scientist
21 July – Lydia Abell, military nurse, recipient of Royal Red Cross
3 August – Herb Byrne, Australian rules footballer
8 August – Albert Namatjira, Aboriginal artist
11 August – Marjorie Margaret Conley, operatic soprano
19 September – Arthur Hennessy, Australia's first rugby league captain
14 October – Errol Flynn, actor
14 October – Jack Davey, radio comedian and quiz show host
22 October – Joseph Cahill, Premier of New South Wales
2 November – Michael Considine, politician
11 November – Charles Chauvel, filmmaker
24 November – Dally Messenger, rugby union and league footballer
18 December – Edouard Borovansky, Czech born ballet dancer and choreographer; founder of the Borovansky Australian Ballet