1839 in Australia

The following lists events that happened during 1839 in Australia.

Decades:

Incumbents

3 January â John Hutt becomes Governor of Western Australia
15 January â The first US consul, J. H. Williams, takes residence in Sydney
6 February â The Port Phillip Patriot and Melbourne Advertiser are published for the first time by John Pascoe Fawkner
16 February â Kiama is proclaimed a town
19 March â Settlement begins at Port Lincoln
3 April â William Light is replaced by Charles Sturt as Surveyor-General of South Australia
13 April â Albury is proclaimed a village
24 April â Braidwood is proclaimed a town
1 May â Edward John Eyre explores the area north of Adelaide until 29 June, during the expedition he discovers Lake Torrens
June â Up to 40 Aboriginals are killed in the Campaspe Plains massacre, which was a reprisal raid against Aboriginal resistance to the invasion and occupation of the Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung lands.
20 June â A settlement is founded at Victor Harbor
27 July â The Adelaide River is discovered
9 September â Port Darwin is named by John Lort Stokes on HMS Beagle
Undated (mid 1939) â 35 to 40 Aboriginals of the Tarnbeere Gundidj clan of the Djargurd Wurrung are killed in the Murdering Gully massacre.
Undated â An unknown number of Aboriginals are killed in the Blood Hole massacre

Edward John Eyre explores areas to the far north and west of Adelaide during his two expeditions.

14 March â George Adams, publican and lottery promoter (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1904)
18 April â Henry Kendall, author and bush poet (d. 1882)
30 April â Sir Francis Suttor, New South Wales politician and pastoralist (d. 1915)
10 May â Thomas Joseph Carr, Catholic archbishop (born in Ireland) (d. 1917)
29 May â Ned Gregory, cricketer (d. 1899)
19 June â Howard Willoughby, journalist and war correspondent (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1908)
1 July â William George Lawes, minister, missionary and public lecturer (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1907)
2 September â Elias Solomon, Western Australian politician (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1909)
9 December â Norman Selfe, civil engineer (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1911)
19 December â Charles Dempster, Western Australian politician and explorer (d. 1907)
Unknown â George Rignold, actor (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1912)

6 May â John Batman, explorer, grazier and entrepreneur (b. 1801)^[2]
27 June â Allan Cunningham (botanist), botanist and explorer (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1791)
24 July â Sir Richard Spencer, naval officer and settler (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1779)
6 October â William Light, military officer and surveyor (born in Malaysia) (b. 1786)
9 October â James Oatley, watchmaker and convict (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1769)