1909 in Australia

The following lists events that happened during 1909 in the Commonwealth of Australia.

Decades:

1909 in Australia
Monarch	Edward VII
Governor-General	William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley
Prime minister	Alfred Deakin
Population	4,272,439
Elections	Queensland, Tasmania

Incumbents

Governor of New South Wales â Admiral Sir Harry Rawson (until 24 March), then Frederic Thesiger, 3rd Baron Chelmsford (from 28 May)
Governor of South Australia â Sir George Le Hunte (until 2 January), then Sir Day Bosanquet (from 29 March)
Governor of Queensland â Frederic Thesiger, 3rd Baron Chelmsford (until 26 May), then Sir William MacGregor (from 2 December)
Governor of Tasmania â Sir Gerald Strickland (until 20 May), then Sir Harry Barron (from 29 September)
Governor of Western Australia â Admiral Sir Frederick Bedford (until 23 April), then Sir Gerald Strickland (from 31 May)
Governor of Victoria â Sir Thomas Gibson-Carmichael

8 January â Sir Thomas Bent retires as Premier of Victoria, and is replaced by John Murray.
9 March â Electric trams begin operation in Adelaide.
31 March â Victoria is the last Australian state to grant women's suffrage.
30 April â Tasmania begins to use the Hare-Clark single transferable vote method in the 1909 general election.
26 May â The Protectionist Party and the Free Trade Party merge to form the Fusion Party, led by Alfred Deakin.
2 June â The Labor government of Andrew Fisher is ousted from office by Alfred Deakin's Fusion Party, and Deakin becomes Prime Minister for the third time.
5 June â Steam trams begin operation in Rockhampton, Queensland.
18 to 21 August â Disastrous floods strike Victoria.
6 October â Martha Rendell becomes the last woman to be hanged in Western Australia.
9 October â John Earle becomes Premier of Tasmania, leading Tasmania's first Labor government, however Earle's minority government only lasts a week.
6 December - the NewcastleâBolgart Railway was opened.
10 December â The University of Queensland is established.
14 December â New South Wales passes law ceding land to the Commonwealth for construction of the national capital, Canberra.
21 December â British Field Marshal Lord Kitchener arrives in Darwin after an invitation from Alfred Deakin to review Australia's military and defence plans.
24 December â Former Prime Minister Sir George Reid resigns from Parliament to become Australia's first High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

29 January â New South Wales wins the Sheffield Shield
15 June â Representatives from England, Australia and South Africa meet at Lord's and form the Imperial Cricket Conference.
21 August â Andrew Wood wins the inaugural men's national marathon title, clocking 2:59:15 in Brisbane. Though billed as the Australasian Championships, the Australian Athletic Union did not consider it to be the official championship.
31 August â The first interstate ice hockey competition is held in Melbourne.
14 September - The 1909 NSWRFL season culminates in the grand final which was forfeited by Balmain to make South Sydney back-to-back premiers
29 October â The South Melbourne Swans defeat the Carlton Blues 4.14 (38) to 4.12 (36) in the 1909 VFL Grand Final.
2 November â Prince Foote wins the Melbourne Cup.

19 January â Leon Goldsworthy, explosives expert (died 1994)
8 February â Elisabeth Murdoch, philanthropist (died 2012)
13 February â Reg Ansett, businessman and aviator (died 1981)
2 March â Percival Bazeley, scientist (died 1991)
19 March â Nell Hall Hopman, tennis player (died 1968)
26 March â Chips Rafferty, actor (died 1971)^[1]
9 April â Robert Helpmann, dancer and choreographer (died 1986)
23 May â William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle, Governor General of Australia (died 1991)
15 June â Cyril Walsh, High Court judge (died 1973)
20 June â Errol Flynn, Australian actor (died 1959)
23 June â Keith Virtue, aviator (died 1980)
26 June â Mavis Thorpe Clark, novelist, writer (died 1999)
6 July â Eric Reece, Premier of Tasmania (died 1999)
13 August â Brian Lawrance, bandleader (died 1983)^[2]
9 September â Decima Norman, athlete (died 1983)
10 September â Dorothy Hill, geologist (died 1998)
3 December â Stanley Burbury, Governor of Tasmania (died 1995)

9 February â Charles Conder, artist (born and died in the United Kingdom) (b. 1868)
4 March â Max Hirsch, Victorian politician, businessman and economist (born in Prussia and died in Russia) (b. 1852)
14 March â William Charles Kernot, engineer (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1845)
6 April â Sir Julian Salomons, 5th Chief Justice of New South Wales (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1835)
18 April â William Saumarez Smith, Anglican archbishop (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1836)
28 April â Henry D'Esterre Taylor, banker and federationist (b. 1853)
23 May â Elias Solomon, Western Australian politician (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1839)
31 May â Thomas Price, 24th Premier of South Australia (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1852)
29 June â Sir George Shenton, Western Australian politician (died in the United Kingdom) (b. 1842)
4 July â Alfred Compigne, Queensland politician (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1818)
23 July â Sir Frederick Holder, 19th Premier of South Australia (b. 1850)
8 August â Mary MacKillop, religious sister (b. 1842)
18 September â Mary Lee, suffragette and social reformer (born in Ireland) (b. 1821)
6 October â Martha Rendell, convicted murderer (b. 1871)
10 November â George Essex Evans, poet (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1863)
6 December â Sir William Henry Bundey, South Australian politician and judge (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1838)