List of disasters in Australia by death toll
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of disasters in Australia by death toll.
100 or more deaths
| Disaster | Location | Deaths | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pandemic | Australia-wide | 19,265[1] | 2020 Jan – 2023 May | COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, part of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Pandemic | Australia-wide | 12,000+ | 1918–1920 | 1918 flu pandemic.[2] |
| Epidemic | Australia-wide | 8,000+ | 1875–1876 | Scarlet fever epidemic.[3] |
| Volcanic eruption | Territory of Papua and New Guinea [a] | 2,942 | 1951 Jan | 1951 eruption of Mount Lamington.[4] |
| Industrial | Wittenoom | 2,000+ | 1940s–1960s | Environmental and public health catastrophe. It involved the mining of blue asbestos at Wittenoom Gorge from the 1940s to the 1960s. Due to inadequate safety measures, workers and residents were exposed to asbestos fibres, leading to widespread cases of asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. It is known as the worst industrial catastrophe in Australian history. |
| Epidemic | Western Australia | 2,000+ | 1891–1910 | Australia's worst typhoid epidemic. Worst-affected areas were the WA Goldfields where overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions were rife. Official death toll was close to 2,000 but actual toll much higher.[5][6] |
| Epidemic | Australia-wide | 1,013 | 1946–1955 | Polio epidemic.[7] |
| Epidemic | New South Wales | 750 to 2,600 | 1789 | Smallpox epidemic among Aboriginal peoples[8] |
| Epidemic | Sydney, New South Wales | 748 | 1867 Feb–June | Measles epidemic in Sydney city & inner suburbs. Most of the victims were children under the age of 4.[9] |
| Epidemic | Australia-wide | 535 | 1900–1925 | Bubonic plague.[10] |
| Bushfires | Australia-wide | 479 | 2019–2020 | The Black Summer bushfires killed 479 people; 34 people from flames, and 445 people from smoke exposure. Future deaths from cardiovascular conditions and cancer are predicted. |
| Heat wave | Victoria | 438 | 1938 Dec – 1939 Feb | Heat wave killed 438 and sparked the Black Friday bushfires (see below).[11] |
| Heat wave | South-eastern Australia | 437 | 1895 Dec – 1896 Jan | Widespread heat wave killed 437, including 47 in Bourke, New South Wales.[12] |
| Cyclone | Bathurst Bay, Queensland | 410 | 1899 Mar 4 | Cyclone Mahina; estimated toll.[13] |
| Shipwreck | King Island, Tasmania | 406 | 1845 Aug 4 | The Cataraqui was wrecked when it crashed into rocks off the coast of King Island in stormy weather at 4:30 in the morning on 4 August.[14][15] With 400 dead (another source states 406), it was Australia's worst civil maritime disaster.[16][15] |
| Heat wave | South-eastern Australia | 374 | 2009 Jan 25 – 9 Feb | A nine-day heat wave in early 2009 in which Adelaide recorded six consecutive days over 40 °C (104 °F), a high of 45.7 °C (114.3 °F) and a record overnight minimum of 33.9 °C (93.0 °F) on 28 January.[17][18] Sparked the Black Saturday bushfires (see below). Health authorities attribute 374 deaths to the heat wave.[19] |
| Massacre | Gippsland Victoria | 300+ | 1840–1850 | Gippsland massacres – The Aboriginal people of East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, known as the Gunai/Kurnai people, fought against the European colonisation of their traditional hunting grounds. Estimated 300 people were killed. |
| Shipwreck | coast near Murchison River, Western Australia | 286 | 1712 Jun | Sinking of Dutch ship Zuytdorp, which was wrecked off the coast near Kalbarri.[20] There has been speculation that there were survivors, who may have been assisted by local Aboriginal Australians.[21][22] |
| Sinking | Off North Stradbroke Island, Queensland | 268 | 1943 May 14 |  The Centaur memorial, in Point Danger, Coolangatta, Queensland, commemorates the sinking of the hospital ship AHS Centaur in 1943, which claimed 268 lives. |
| Heat wave | Southern states | 246 | 1907 Dec – 1908 Jan | There were 105 deaths in South Australia alone (between 7 December 1907 and 8 February 1908).[24] |
| Air raids | Darwin, Northern Territory | 243 | 1942 Feb 19 |  |
| Prison break | Cowra, New South Wales | 235–238 | 1944 Aug 5 | Cowra breakout. Japanese prisoners of war practise baseball on the sports ground near their quarters, several weeks before the 1944 Cowra breakout, in which at least 235 people died |
| Pandemic | Australia-wide | 234 | 1890 | 1889-90 flu pandemic[28] |
| Shipwreck | King Island, Tasmania | 224 | 1835 May 13 | The convict ship the Neva, was wrecked on Navarine Reef near King Island in the early hours of 13 May 1835.[29][30][31] |
| Shipwreck | Western Australia | 212 | 1726 | Aagtekerke. Possibly WA, but there is some doubt on this.[32] |
| Massacre | Coniston Station, Northern Territory | 200 | 1928 Aug 14 – Oct 14 | Coniston massacre |
| Pandemic | Australia-wide | 191 | 2009 | 2009 flu pandemic in Australia. 191 confirmed deaths. Death toll possibly as high as 1600. |
| Shipwreck | Ledge Point, Western Australia | 186 | 1656 Apr 28 | The Vergulde Draeck bound for Batavia, was wrecked near Ledge Point on 28 April 1656.[33][34] |
| Bushfires | Victoria | 173 | 2009 Feb 7 | The Black Saturday bushfires broke out on 7 February 2009, strong winds gusted up to 100 km/h, allowing the fires to spread quickly.[35] The final death toll was 173, with over 2000 houses destroyed.[35][36] |
| Cyclone/sinking | Western Australia | 150+ | 1912 Mar 21–22 | The SS Koombana was lost in a cyclone between Port Hedland and Broome during a cyclone with all on board (around 158 people).[37][38] The cyclone crossed the Western Australia coast around Mbalabala, early on 22nd.[39] Several other ships and vessels were also wrecked in the cyclone, claiming another 15 lives.[40] |
| Heat waves | Australia-wide | 147 | 1920–1921 | [41] |
| Heat waves | Australia-wide | 143 + | 1911–1912 | [42] |
| Cyclone | Broome, Western Australia | 141 | 1935 Mar 26 | Pearling fleet devastated.[43] |
| Cyclone | Eighty Mile Beach, Western Australia | 140 | 1884 | Pearling fleet sunk.[44] |
| Cyclone | Eighty Mile Beach]], [[Western Australia | 140 | 1887 Apr 22 | A late season cyclone hit the Eighty Mile Beach area (then known as Ninety Mile Beach), devastating the pearling fleet there, killing 140 people and around 20 boats lost.[43][45] |
| Shipwreck | D'Entrecasteaux Channel, Tasmania | 133 | 1835 Apr 12 | George III[46] |
| Shipwreck | Cape York, Queensland | 133 | 1890 Feb 28 | The RMS Quetta, sank in around 3 minutes, with the loss of 134 of her 292 passengers and crew.[47] |
| Heat wave | Southern states | 130 | 1926 Dec – 1927 Jan | [48] |
| Shipwreck/mutiny/ massacre | Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia | 125+ | 1629 Jun – Jul | The Dutch ship Batavia was wrecked in the Abrolhos Islands early on 4 June 1629.[49] After some of the crew left for help, mutineers murdered at least 125 of the survivors, while 40 drowned when the wreck broke up.[49][50] This toll does not include the mutineers, seven of whom were hanged and two cast away after the remaining passengers had been rescued. Most of the remaining mutineers were later executed.[50] |
| Heat wave | Australia-wide | 122 + | 1913–1914 | [51] |
| Cyclone/sinking | North-eastern Queensland | 122 | 1911 Mar 16 | SS Yongala[52] |
| Shipwreck | Sydney | 121 | 1857 Aug 20 | Dunbar. 1 survivor.[53] |
| Heat wave | Australia-wide | 112 | 1939–1940 | [54] |
| Heat wave | Australia-wide | 109 | 1909 Dec – 1910 Feb | [55] |
| Heat wave | Southern regions, Australia | 105 + | 1959 Jan – Feb | Some sources puts the death toll at 145.[56][57][58][59] |
| Cyclone/sinking | Ayr, Queensland | 102–112 | 1875 Feb 24 | SS Gothenburg. Records of passengers vary.[60][61][62] |
50 to 99 deaths
| Disaster | Location | Deaths | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat wave | Southern regions Australia | 99 | 1972 Dec – 1973 Feb | [63] |
| Cyclone | Northern Queensland | 99 | 1934 Mar 12 | A tropical cyclone crossed the North Queensland coast around Cape Tribulation, which generated a 9.1 storm surge.[64] A pearling fleet off the coast was damaged, with 75 people reported lost (one source says 99).[60][64] |
| Explosion | Mount Kembla, New South Wales | 96 | 1902 Jul 31 | Mount Kembla Mine disaster. Coal mine gas explosion[65] |
| Shipwreck | Montebello Islands, Western Australia | 93 | 1622 May 24 | Tryall. Earliest recorded Australian shipwreck.[66] |
| Flood | Gundagai, New South Wales | 89 | 1852 Jun 24–25 | A severe flash flood destroyed the town of Gundagai, which resulted in 89 deaths.[67][68] |
| Shipwreck | Near Carpenter Rocks, in South East South Australia | 89 | 1859 Aug 6 | SS Admella.[69] South Australia's worst loss of life. |
| Air raid | Broome, Western Australia | 88 | 1942 Mar 3 | Air raid on Broome. Japanese fighter planes strafed the town. Official toll; may not include some refugees from the Dutch East Indies. |
| Rail accident | Sydney | 84 | 1977 Jan 18 | Granville railway disaster. Derailment followed by bridge collapse. |
| Sinking | Twenty miles south-east of Jervis Bay, New South Wales | 82 | 1964 Feb 10 | Melbourne–Voyager collision – HMAS Voyager sank after collision with HMAS Melbourne. |
| Explosion | Bulli, New South Wales | 81 | 1887 Mar 23 | Bulli Colliery coal mine gas explosion.[70] |
| Shipwreck | King Island, Tasmania | 79 | 1874 May 23 | British Admiral[71] |
| Cyclone | Queensland coast, particularly Innisfail | 77+ | 1918 Mar 10 | Cyclone and storm surge with death toll estimated between 77 and 100.[72] |
| Storms | New South Wales between Port Stephens and Sydney | 77 | 1866 Jul 12 | 60 lives lost on SS Cawarra alone.[73] |
| Explosion | Mount Mulligan, Queensland | 75 | 1921 Sep 19 | Mount Mulligan mine disaster caused by coal dust explosion.[74] |
| Bushfire | Victoria and South Australia | 75 | 1983 Feb 16 | Ash Wednesday bushfires[75] |
| Shipwreck | Green Cape, New South Wales | 71 | 1886 May 30 | The steamship Ly-Ee-Moon was wrecked during a violent gale on 30 May 1886 near Green Cape, resulting in around 71 deaths.[76][77] |
| Bushfire | Victoria | 71 | 1939 Jan 13 | Black Friday bushfires. |
| Cyclone | Darwin | 71 | 1974 Dec 25 | Cyclone Tracy destroys the city of Darwin on Christmas Day 1974. Top wind gust recorded was 217 kilometres per hour (135 mph).[78] On 17 March 2005, a Northern Territory Coroner's Inquest outcome increased the official death toll from 65 to 71.[79] |
| Flood | Clermont, Queensland | 65 | 1916 Dec 27 | [80] |
| Bushfire | Tasmania | 64 | 1967 Feb 7 | Now known as Black Tuesday, 64 people died, and 7,000 left homeless as over a hundred fires burned in southern Tasmania.[81][82] |
| Cyclone | Near Roebourne and Geraldton, Western Australia | 61–71 | 1894 Jan | Estimated toll includes those lost at sea and those killed in flooding at Geraldton.[83] |
| Shipwreck | Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia | 60 | 1727 | Zeewyk. Approximate death toll[84] |
| Shipwreck | Newcastle, New South Wales | 60 | 1866 Jul 12 | The paddle steamer SS Cawarra sank during a storm in Newcastle Harbour, there was only one survivor.[85] |
| Bushfire | Victoria | 60 | 1926 Feb–Mar | The worst fires occurred on 14 February (Black Sunday) in the Gippsland region and other areas, where 31 people died at Warburton, Victoria.[86] Houses and buildings were destroyed in many places including Erica and Belgrave.[87] The town of Noojee was destroyed, with only the hotel left standing.[88][89] In all, over the two-month period, 60 people died and 1,000 buildings were destroyed.[90][91] |
| Cyclone | Exmouth Gulf, Western Australia | 59–69 | 1875 Dec – 1876 Jan | Most casualties were at sea.[92][93] |
| Shipwreck | Mutton Bird Island, off the Shipwreck Coast of Victoria | 53 | 1878 Jun 1 | Loch Ard. Sources vary on exact death toll (2 survivors).[94][95] |
| Epidemic | Southern States | 51 | 1881–1885 | Smallpox epidemic.[96] |
| Bushfire | Victoria | 51 | 1943 Dec 22 – 1944 Feb 15 | Bushfires broke out in various parts of Victoria from late December 1943 to mid February 1944, resulting in 51 deaths, and destroying 500 buildings.[97][98] |
| Shipwreck | Brisbane, Queensland | 50 | 1896 Feb 13 | Capsize of the ferry Pearl[99] |
| Cyclone | Around Broome, Western Australia | 50 | 1908 Apr 26–27 | A tropical cyclone impacted the Broome region, which wrecked the pearling fleet in the area, and resulted in the loss of 50 lives.[100][101] |
20 to 49 deaths
| Disaster | Location | Deaths | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shipwreck | Christmas Island | 48 | 2010 Dec 15 | 2010 Christmas Island boat disaster |
| Cyclone/Flood | Cairns and Cardwell, Queensland | 47 | 1927 Feb 9 | This tropical cyclone crossed the coast north of Cairns, which weakened into a rain depression, causing extensive flooding, resulting in a total 47 deaths throughout parts of Northern Queensland[102] |
| Cyclonic effects | New South Wales, North Coast | 46 | 1923 | [103] |
| Rail accident | Sunshine, Victoria | 44 | 1908 Apr 20 | Sunshine rail disaster. A passenger train ran into the back of stationary train at Sunshine, near Melbourne; resulting in 44 people dead and 413 people were injured[104][105] |
| Fire | Queenstown, Tasmania | 42+ | 1912 Oct 12 | 1912 North Mount Lyell Disaster. Mine fire. True toll may be higher due to subsequent deaths from the effects of the fire[106] |
| Sinking | Sydney | 40–42 | 1927 Nov 3 | Greycliffe disaster[107][108] |
| Shipwreck | Near Edithburgh, South Australia | 40 | 1909 Jan 31 | SS Clan Ranald[109][110] |
| Cyclone | Broome, Western Australia | 40 | 1910 Nov 19 | This tropical cyclone was probably Broome's most destructive, with maximum wind gusts estimated to be 175 kilometres per hour (109 mph). There were 40 deaths, and 34 pearling luggers lost with severe damage in the Broome area.[43][111] |
| Air disaster | Near Mackay, Queensland | 40 | 1943 Jun 14 | Bakers Creek air crash. USAAF B-17 Flying Fortress crashes shortly after take-off[112] |
| Flooding | Queensland | 38 | 2010 Dec – 2011 Jan | 2010–11 Queensland floods. 38 confirmed deaths plus 6 people missing (presumed dead) |
| Shipwreck | Cardwell, Queensland | 36 | 1872 | Shipwreck Maria. Some of the survivors were killed by Aboriginal people, other survivors were helped by Aboriginal people[113][114] |
| Sinking | Woolgoolga, New South Wales | 35–48 | 1886 Dec 8 | Solitary Islands, Keilawarra - Helen Nicoll collision[115] |
| Shipwreck | Jervis Bay, New South Wales | 35 | 1876 Sep 1 | The steamer Dandenong lost during severe storm[116] |
| Shipwreck | Cheviot Beach, Victoria | 35 | 1887 Oct 20 | SS Cheviot |
| Flood | Melbourne suburbs and southern Victoria | 35 | 1934 Nov 29 – 1 Dec | Torrential rainfall of up to 350 millimetres (14 in). Yarra River becomes raging torrent. Extensive damage with 35 dead, 250 injured, and 3,000 homeless[117][118] |
| Bridge collapse | Melbourne | 35 | 1970 Oct 15 | West Gate Bridge. 35 construction workers died due to a collapse during construction. Australia's worst industrial accident.[119][120] |
| Road accident | Kempsey, New South Wales | 35 | 1989 Dec 22 | Kempsey bus crash[121] |
| Shooting | Port Arthur, Tasmania | 35 | 1996 Apr 28 | Port Arthur massacre |
| Bushfire | Australia-wide | 34 | 2019 Oct – 2020 Jan | 2019-20 Australian bushfire season.[122] Death toll included 3 US fire-fighters. |
| Shipwreck | Near Southend, South Australia | 31 | 1876 Jun 14 | Geltwood. Wreck not found for two weeks. No survivors.[123][124][125][126] |
| Shipwreck | Off Wilsons Promontory in Bass Strait, Victoria | 31 | 1935 Dec 1 | SS Paringa Sunk during storm while towing another vessel. All officers and crew lost.[127][128] |
| Air accident | Canal Creek, Queensland | 31 | 1943 19 Dec | Canal Creek air crash of Dakota C-47 of the 22d Troop Carrier Squadron, all on board killed.[129] |
| Insurrection | Castle Hill, New South Wales | 30* | 1804 Mar 4–5 | Castle Hill convict rebellion. An additional nine convicts were later executed for participating in the rebellion. *Exact death toll unknown, likely to be higher.[130] Memorial at Castle Hill gives a figure of 45 lives lost.[131] |
| Cyclone | Queensland coast, particularly Mackay | 30 | 1918 Jan | Mackay Cyclone[72][132] |
| Fire | Melbourne | 30 | 1966 Aug 13 | William Booth Memorial Home fire – Australia's deadliest building fire. Salvation Army home for destitute men.[133] |
| Air accident | Near York, east of Perth, Western Australia | 29 | 1950 Jun 26 | The 1950 Australian National Airways Douglas DC-4 crash.[134] The plane crashed in bushland near York, burning on impact, with 28 people dying instantly (there was 1 survivor who later died from his injuries.[135] |
| Air accident | Mackay, Queensland | 29 | 1960 Jun 10 | Trans Australia Airlines Flight 538 crashed into sea. |
| Cyclone/sinking. | Western Australia | 29 | 1991 Apr 17–20 | Tropical Cyclone Fifi. 27 were lost in shipwreck of Mineral Diamond, off the Western Australia coastline.[136][137] |
| Massacre | Myall Creek, near Inverell, New South Wales | 28 | 1838 Jun 9 | Myall Creek massacre. 28 Aboriginal people killed by white stockmen[138] |
| Riot and insurrection | Ballarat, Victoria | 28 | 1854 Dec 3 | Eureka Stockade. 28 confirmed, exact death toll remains unknown, could possibly be as high as 80. |
| Cyclone | Darwin, Northern Territory | 28 | 1897 Jan | 1897 Darwin cyclone[139][140] |
| Shipwreck | Kangaroo Island, South Australia | 27 | 1905 Sep | Loch Vennachar[141] |
| Rail accident | Murulla, New South Wales | 27 | 1926 Sep 13 | The Murulla rail accident. The North West Mail train collided with five runaway wagons at Murulla, near Murrurundi, which resulted in 27 deaths.[142][143] |
| Sea battle | Port Jackson, New South Wales | 27 | 1942 May 31 – 1 Jun | Attack on Sydney Harbour. Japanese submarine attack on allied shipping. Death toll includes attackers. |
| Air accident | Cleveland Bay, Townsville, Queensland | 27 | 1943 Aug 7 | C-47 Dakota plane crash. Plane crashed after takeoff.[144] |
| Shipwreck/massacre | Coorong, South Australia | 26 | 1840 | Maria. Survivors murdered.[145][146] Brutal punitive expedition ordered by Governor Gawler. |
| Explosion | Wagga Wagga, New South Wales | 26 | 1945 May 21 | Kapooka Army Base soldiers received instruction of demolition work in a bunker which was 3 metres (9.8 ft) below the ground when an explosion took place which resulted in Australia's largest military funeral.[147][148] |
| Cyclone | Gold Coast and northern New South Wales | 26–30 | 1954 Feb 20–21 | A tropical cyclone (known as The Gold Coast Cyclone) crossed the coast late evening on 20 February 1954 at Coolangatta.[149][150] Extreme rainfall associated with the cyclone produced record totals, including 900mm at Springbrook, Queensland in the 24 hours crossing and 809mm at Dorrigo, New South Wales in 24 hours to 9 am on 21st.[150] There was widespread severe flooding over many areas of NSW and between 26 and 30 people died in the event.[151] |
| Air accident | Port Hedland, Western Australia | 26 | 1968 Dec 31 | In-flight break up of MacRobertson Miller Airlines Flight 1750 (Vickers Viscount)[152] |
| Rail accident | Wodonga, Victoria | 25 | 1943 | Wodonga level crossing accident. Passenger steam train collided with a bus carrying thirty-four army personnel[153] |
| Air accident | Seven-Mile Beach, near Hobart, Tasmania | 25 | 1946 Mar | 1946 Australian National Airways DC-3 crashed into the sea.[56] |
| Flood | Hunter Valley, New South Wales | 25 | 1955 Feb | 1955 Hunter Valley floods. Most deaths were around Singleton and Maitland, but most other river systems in the state were also in flood.[154][155] |
| Shipwreck | Gosford, New South Wales | 24 | 1898 May 6 | Maitland[156] |
| Cyclone | Onslow, Western Australia | 24 | 1909 Apr 5–6 | A tropical cyclone crossed the coast near Onslow, causing extensive damage in the town, with the tramline partly washed away.[157][158] Four luggers and 24–25 crew were lost during the cyclone.[157][159][160] |
| Air accident | Winton, Queensland | 24 | 1966 Sep 22 | Ansett-ANA Viscount disaster. Flight 149 en route Mount Isa – Longreach.[161] |
| Air accident | Kudjeru Gap, in the Australian Territory of Papua and New Guinea [b] | 24 | 1972 Aug | RAAF Caribou aircraft crashes in rugged mountainous country en route from Lae to Port Moresby, killing 24 of the 28 people on board. |
| Bushfire | Southern regions of Victoria | 23 | 1969 Jan | 280 fires. 17 casualties at Lara[162] |
| Mine disaster | Creswick, Victoria | 22 | 1882 Dec 12 | New Australasia gold mine. 44 miners trapped when a flooded mine shaft is breached. 22 men drown.[163] |
| Flood | Northern Tasmania | 22 | 1929 Apr | Eight drowned when truck ploughed into river and 14 died when dam collapsed and wall swept into town.[164] |
| Heat wave | South-east Queensland | 22 | 2000 Jan | [165] |
| Flood | Queensland and New South Wales | 22 | 2022 Feb – Mar | 2022 eastern Australia floods. Severe flooding across South East Queensland and Northern Rivers in New South Wales resulted in 22 deaths.[166] |
| Shipwreck | Off Gabo Island, Victoria | 21 | 1901 Mar 1 | SS Federal vanished without trace. All crewmembers lost.[167][168] |
| Air accident | Coolangatta, Queensland | 21 | 1949 Mar 10 | 1949 Queensland Airlines Lockheed Lodestar crash – aircraft crashed shortly after take-off due to incorrect loading.[169] |
| Shipwreck | Smokey Cape, New South Wales | 21 | 1969 Aug 25 | The Noongah sank. |
| Road accident | Grafton, New South Wales | 21 | 1989 Oct 20 | Grafton bus crash. A head-on collision between a tourist coach and a truck.[170] |
Between 10 and 20
| Disaster | Location | Deaths | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air accident | Mossman, Queensland | 20 | 1944 Sep 7 | Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force Douglas C-47 Dakota crashes en route between Merauke, Dutch East Indies and Cairns |
| Shipwreck | Trial Bay, New South Wales | 19–21 | 1816 Sep | [171] |
| Fire | Kings Cross, New South Wales | 19 | 1981 Aug 25 | Rembrandt Hotel[172] |
| Air accident | Rewan, south of Rolleston, Queensland | 19 | 1943 Nov 16 | Rewan air crash of Dakota C-47 of the 21st Troop Carrier Squadron crashed, all killed[173] |
| Shipwreck | Sydney Harbour, New South Wales | 19 | 1938 Feb 13 | Capsize of launch Rodney[174] |
| Shipwreck | Port Willunga, South Australia | 18 | 1888 Jul 13 | Star of Greece was driven aground in a storm 200 yards from the beach at Port Willunga, ten survivors[175] |
| Air accident | Dandenong Ranges, Victoria | 18 | 1938 Oct 25 | 1938 Kyeema crash |
| Air accident | Perth Airport, Western Australia | 18 | 1949 Jul 2 | 1949 MacRobertson Miller Aviation DC-3 crash – aircraft crashed a minute after take-off, killing all 18 people on board[176] |
| Road accident | Tumut Pond Dam, New South Wales | 18 | 1973 Sep 1 | Brake failure caused bus to plummet into reservoir[177] |
| Air accident | Townsville, Queensland | 18 | 1996 Jun 12 | Two Army Blackhawk helicopters collided[178] |
| Landslide | Thredbo, New South Wales | 18 | 1997 Jul 30 | 1997 Thredbo landslide |
| Rail accident | Brooklyn, New South Wales | 17 | 1944 Jan 20 | A mail train ploughed into a bus at Brooklyn Railway Station[179] |
| Rail accident | Wasleys Crossing, near Gawler, South Australia | 17 | 1970 Apr 12 | Wasleys Crossing (Gawler) disaster. Bus collided with a passenger train[180] |
| Explosion | Ipswich, Queensland | 17 | 1972 Jul 31 | Mine gas explosion in the Box Flat Colliery[181] |
| Heat wave | South-eastern regions | 17 | 1993 Feb 1 – 10 | Possibility of additional unreported deaths[182] |
| Shipwreck | Bass Strait, Victoria | 16 | 1934 Nov 29 | SS Coramba left Warrnambool for Melbourne and was never seen again. Believed lost during storm[183][184] |
| Rail accident | Camp Mountain, Queensland | 16 | 1947 May 5 | Camp Mountain train disaster. A crowded picnic train derailed on bend |
| Fire | Sylvania Heights, New South Wales | 16 | 1981 Apr 29 | Pacific Nursing Home fire[185] |
| Massacre | Bondi Beach, New South Wales | 16 | 2025 Dec 14 | 2025 Bondi Beach shooting[186] |
| Boating accident | Territory of Papua and New Guinea [c] | 15+ | 1959 July 15 | The Muniara, owned by Steamships Trading Company, capsized after repeated requests for repairs had been ignored and overloading of timber had been reported, killing 14 crew and an unknown number of passengers.[187] |
| Boating accident | Mornington Peninsula, Victoria | 15 | 1892 May 21 | 15 members of Mornington football team returning from match in Mordialloc in small fishing vessel Process were lost when their boat sank in bad weather. Only 4 bodies were recovered[188] |
| Shipwreck | Near Cape Schanck, Victoria | 15 | 1893 Dec 28 | SS Alert |
| Boat accident | Sydney Harbour | 15 | 1909 Jan | HMS Encounter v Dunmore[189] |
| Bombings | Kalgoorlie | 15 | 1942 Feb 1 | Pero Raecivich threw gelinite into a house and a hotel[190] |
| Air accident | Botany Bay, New South Wales | 15 | 1961 Nov 30 | Ansett-ANA Flight 325 – Vickers Viscount aeroplane crash. All on board died[191] |
| Fire | Fortitude Valley, Queensland | 15 | 1973 Mar 8 | Whiskey Au Go Go fire, caused by arson |
| Fire | Kings Cross, New South Wales | 15 | 1975 Dec 25 | Savoy Hotel fire caused by arson[192] |
| Cyclone/sinking | Near Carnarvon, Western Australia | 15 | 1979 | Cyclone Hazel[193] |
| Heat wave | South-eastern region | 15 | 1981 Feb | [194] |
| Fire | Childers, Queensland | 15 | 2000 Jun | Childers Palace Backpackers Hostel fire, caused by arson[195][196] |
| Air accident | Lockhart River, Queensland | 15 | 2005 May 7 | In the Lockhart River air disaster an aeroplane crashed on approach to land, killing all on board[197] |
| Cyclone | Townsville and Charters Towers, Queensland | 14 | 1903 Mar 9 | Cyclone Leonta killed 12 people in Townsville and 2 in Charters Towers and caused massive property damage across North Queensland[198] |
| Bushfire | Dandenong Ranges and Lara, Victoria | 14* | 1962 Jan 14 – 16 | Casualty numbers vary between 9,14, and 32[56][199][200][162][201] |
| Bushfires | Sydney, Blue Mountains and Illawarra, New South Wales | 14* | 1968 Jan | *Sources vary on death toll but most say 14[56] |
| Cyclone | Whitsunday Islands, Queensland | 14 | 1970 Jan 17 – 18 | Tropical Cyclone Ada passed over the Whitsunday Islands from late 17th to early 18 January, crossing the Queensland coastline around Shute Harbour early that morning. 14 people perished in the cyclone[60][202] |
| Cyclone | Brisbane, Queensland | 14 | 1974 Jan 27 | 1974 Brisbane flood. Cyclone Wanda[203] |
| Explosion | Appin, New South Wales | 14 | 1979 Jul 24 | Appin Colliery Gas Explosion during a planned ventilation change[204] |
| Cyclone/flood | Queensland and New South Wales | 14 | 2017 Mar 27 – Apr 1 | Cyclone Debbie causes severe flooding throughout Queensland and New South Wales, with resultant severe damage[205] |
| Explosion | Wonthaggi, Victoria | 13 | 1937 Feb 15 | Dalyson Colliery[206] |
| Boating accident | Grafton, New South Wales | 13 | 1943 Dec 11 | 13 Cub scouts drowned crossing the Clarence River when their punt capsized.[207] |
| Air accident | Nundle, New South Wales | 13 | 1948 Sep | DC3 Lutana near Tamworth[208] |
| Explosion | Kianga, near Moura, Queensland | 13 | 1975 Sep 20 | Kianga Mine explosion[209] |
| Air accident | Sydney Airport, New South Wales | 13 | 1980 Feb 21 | Light aircraft suffers engine failure[210] |
| Air accident | Near Alice Springs, Northern Territory | 13 | 1989 Aug 13 | 1989 Alice Springs hot air balloon crash[211] |
| Earthquake | Newcastle, New South Wales | 13 | 1989 Dec 28 | 1989 Newcastle earthquake |
| Bushfire | Portland, Plenty Ranges, Westernport Wimmera and Dandenong districts, Victoria | 12* | 1851 Feb 6 | "Black Thursday" bushfires. *Approximately 12 fatalities, one million sheep, thousands of cattle, 50,000 square kilometres (12,000,000 acres; 5,000,000 ha) burnt[212] |
| Boating accident | Hawkesbury River, New South Wales | 12 | 1936 Oct 18 | Wedding party boat foundered during wind squall[213] |
| Flood | Windsor, New South Wales | 12 | 1867 Jun 21 | The Eather family swept away in flood[214] |
| Shipwreck | Calgardup Bay, Western Australia | 12 | 1876 Dec 1 | SS Georgette[215] |
| Shipwreck | Wollongong, New South Wales | 12 | 1949 Feb 22 | SS Bombo[216] |
| Bushfire | Gippsland, Victoria | 12 | 1898 Feb 1 | "Red Tuesday" bushfires. 2,600 square kilometres (640,000 acres) burnt, 12 people killed, 2,000 buildings destroyed[212] |
| Bridge collapse | Hobart, Tasmania | 12 | 1975 Jan 5 | Tasman Bridge disaster. The bulk ore carrier Lake Illawarra collided with the bridge, causing a section to fall onto the vessel. Seven crewmen died as the ship sank. Five people perished as their cars plummeted off the edge. |
| Air accident | Adavale, Queensland | 12 | 1983 Aug 28 | A charter flight from Windorah to Toowoomba broke up in flight and crashed on the evening of 28 August 1983, near Adavale[217] |
| Explosion | Moura, Queensland | 12 | 1986 Jul 16 | Explosion in Moura No 4 Mine[218] |
| Fire | Dungog, New South Wales | 12 | 1991 Aug 2 | Palm Grove Hostel fire[219] |
| Serial killing | Snowtown, South Australia | 12 | 1992–1999 | Snowtown murders[220] |
| Road accident | Boondall, Queensland | 12 | 1994 Oct 24 | Boondall bus crash[221] |
| Shipwreck | Fraser Island, Queensland | 11 | 1864 Mar 19 | The Panama was driven onto sand on the western coast of Fraser Island, near Sandy Cape during a cyclone early on 19 March. The death toll was 11 or 12 (sources vary)[222][223][224] |
| Rail accident | Near Horsham, Victoria | 11 | 1951 Feb 24 | A train collides with a bus at a level crossing[225] |
| Road accident | Near Laverton, Western Australia | 11 | 1985 Dec 16 | Eight indigenous men and three indigenous women aged between 16 and 40 died when their station wagon collided with a sedan near Laverton, WA.[226] |
| Air accident | Cairns, Queensland | 11 | 1975 Oct 23 | A de Havilland Heron DH114 aircraft crash landed near Cairns Airport on the night of 23 October, killing all eleven occupants[227] |
| Air accident | Mount Emerald, Queensland | 11 | 1990 May 11 | Cessna 500 jet aircraft collided with terrain 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of Mareeba Airfield[228] |
| Road accident | Tamborine Mountain, Queensland | 11 | 1990 Sep 25 | Bus carrying mostly senior citizens from Newcastle, New South Wales overturned and rolled down mountain slope[229][230] |
| Explosion | Moura, Queensland | 11 | 1994 Aug 7 | Explosion in Moura No 2 Mine[231] |
| Rail accident | Near Kerang, Victoria | 11 | 2007 Jun 5 | Kerang train crash. A V/Line train collides with a truck at a level crossing[225] |
| Fire | Slacks Creek, Queensland | 11 | 2011 Aug 24 | House fire[232] |
| Fire | Quakers Hill, New South Wales | 11* | 2011 Nov 18 | Quakers Hill Nursing Home fire. As of 9 January 2012[update], NSW health officials claimed a total of 21 out of 96 residents died but police could only conclusively prove 11 perished directly as a result of the fire.[233][234] |
| Shipwreck | Warrnambool, Victoria | 10 | 1921 Jan 9 | Motorlaunch Nestor sinks in the Hopkins River, ten minutes into a pleasure cruise. Of the eighty on board ten were drowned. Victoria's worst ferry disaster |
| Rail accident | Near Traveston railway station, Queensland | 10 | 1925 Jun 9 | 10 died and 48 injured when a passenger carriage and luggage van of the Rockhampton Mail plunged off a high trestle bridge[235] |
| Rail accident | Near Boronia, Victoria | 10 | 1926 Apr 26 | A train collides with a van at a level crossing[236] |
| Air accident | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | 10 | 1940 Aug 13 | Senior War Cabinet Ministers, Chief of Staff, and others killed when their plane crashed in fine weather |
| Air accident | Near Redesdale, Victoria | 10 | 1945 Jan 31 | Crash of Stinson Tokana caused by fatigue crack in wing spar |
| Massacre | South Australia | 10 | 1971 Sep 6 | Clifford Bartholomew kills ten members of his family[237] |
| Road accident | Merredin, Western Australia | 10 | 1982 Sep 18 | Ten people died (one adult, nine children) and 8 injured (four seriously) returning from a football trip to Perth when their bus crashed into a tree.[238] |
| Air accident | Near Leonora, Western Australia | 10 | 1988 Dec 16 | Mitsubishi MU-2 accident[239] |
| Road accident | Wangaratta, Victoria | 10 | 1993 Nov 2 | Crash between a semi-trailer truck and a bus on Melbourne Cup Day 1993. Ten members of the Anglo-Indian Association died when their bus heading to Corowa for a Melbourne Cup outing collided with a car-carrier semi trailer |
| Heat wave | Eastern and southern regions | 10+ | 1997 Jan 1 – 2 | Strong likelihood of additional unreported deaths[240] |
| Storm/flood | Hunter and Central Coast regions, New South Wales | 10 | 2007 Jun 8 – 11 | Storm and flooding[241] |
| Road accident | Greta, New South Wales | 10 | 2023 Jun 11 | Greta bus crash[242] |
Gallery
The Port Arthur massacre claimed 35 lives in 1996 when Martin Bryant opened fire in the former penal colony.
Two Australian Army S-70A Blackhawk helicopters, similar to the one pictured, crashed in 1996 near Townsville, killing 18 Australian soldiers.
A memorial stone to some of those who died during the Eureka Stockade in 1854.
The 1950 Australian National Airways Douglas DC-4 crash claimed 29 lives.
The 1946 Australian National Airways DC-3 crash claimed 25 lives.
Significant incidents resulting in fewer than 10 deaths
| Disaster | Location | Deaths | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rail accident | Richmond railway station, Melbourne | 9 | 1910 Jul 1 | Brighton train collided with stationary train at platform.[243] |
| Bushfire | Gippsland, Victoria | 9 | 1932 Feb 4 | Locations affected included Gilderoy, Noojee and Erica in North Gippsland. Worst incident was at Erica where six people were killed.[244] |
| Rail accident | Boronia, Victoria | 9 | 1951 Jun 1 | Bus collided with suburban train.[243] |
| Bushfire | Longwood, Victoria | 9 | 1965 Jan 17–19 | Death toll included seven members of one family who were lost when their car crashed and was engulfed in the fires.[245] |
| Rail accident | Violet Town, Victoria | 9 | 1969 Feb 7 | Violet Town rail accident. Head-on collision after driver died at controls.[246] |
| Fire | Kings Cross, New South Wales | 9 | 1981 Aug | Rembrandt Apartments Hostel Fire. Fire.[247] |
| Massacre | Melbourne, Victoria | 9 | 1987 Dec 8 | Queen Street massacre. Shooting massacre |
| Air accident | Newcastle–Lord Howe Island | 9 | 1994 Oct 2 | Seaview Air Aero Commander 690 crashes between Williamtown, NSW and Lord Howe Island.[248] |
| Fire | Kew, Victoria | 9 | 1996 Apr 8 | Kew Cottages fire. Fire at a Melbourne home for disabled people kills nine men. Coronial inquest in 1997 finds there was no proper fire safety system in place at the time of the fire. |
| Landslide | Gracetown, Western Australia | 9 | 1996 Sep 27 | 5 adults and 4 children died when a cliff face collapsed at Cowaramup Bay near Gracetown (Margaret River)[249][250] |
| Bushfire | Eyre Peninsula, South Australia | 9 | 2005 Jan 11 | Eyre Peninsula bushfire.[251] |
| Storm | Melbourne, Victoria | 9 | 2016 Nov 21 | Nine people died of thunderstorm asthma and approximately 8,500 sought hospital treatment after a storm hit Melbourne.[252][253] |
| Insurrection | Norfolk Island | 8 | 1834 Jan 15 | Convict mutiny. Six convicts and two guards killed. 11 convicts were later executed.[254] |
| Civil unrest | Broome, Western Australia | 8 | 1920 Dec 23–26 | Broome Race Riots. Brawling and rioting between Japanese and Koepanger (Malay & Timorese) pearl divers.[255] |
| Air accident | Snowy Mountains, New South Wales | 8 | 1931 Mar 21 | Southern Cloud |
| Air accident | Jervis Bay, New South Wales | 8 | 1943 Apr 14 | Two RAAF Bristol Beauforts collided whilst performing demonstration flight for war correspondents on board a naval vessel.[256] |
| Bushfire | Wandilo, South Australia | 8 | 1958 Apr | 8 firefighters died[257] |
| Air accident | Golden Grove, South Australia | 8 | 1972 Jul 13 | Piper PA-31-310 Navajo plane crash[258] |
| Explosion | Sandy Bay, Tasmania | 8 | 1974 Sep 5 | 8 died when newly installed boiler at Mt. St. Canice laundry breached after "gags" were not removed from safety valves and boiler was subsequently fired until it exploded whilst commissioning.[259] |
| Bushfire | Western Victoria | 8 | 1977 Feb | Around Streatham was the worst affected area.[260] |
| Road accident | Near Gordonvale, Queensland | 8 | 1987 Feb 4 | Bus returning from school camp veered off-road. All of those lost were students of Cairns State High School aged 15–17. 12 more people were seriously injured. Subsequent inquests ruled that faulty brakes on the vehicle were the cause of the accident.[261] |
| Cyclone | Onslow & Carnarvon, Western Australia | 8 | 1995 Feb 24–26 | Cyclone Bobby. Seven of the deaths occurred when two fishing trawlers sank near Onslow. |
| Air accident | Off Whyalla, South Australia | 8 | 2000 May 31 | Whyalla Airlines Disaster. All on board drowned, one body was never recovered. |
| Explosion | Off Dampier, Western Australia | 8 | 2001 Nov 18 | Nigo Kim cargo ship explosion.[262] |
| Massacre | Manoora, Cairns, Queensland | 8 | 2014 Dec 19 | Cairns child killings. Eight children were fatally stabbed in a Murray Street residence.[263] |
| Serial killing | Near Berrima, New South Wales | 7+ | 1989–1994 | Backpacker murders. The remains of seven backpackers found in the Belanglo State Forest; the killer remains the prime suspect for another 16 unsolved murders and is a person of interest for another 14. There is evidence he may not have acted alone. |
| Rail accident | Cootamundra, New South Wales | 7 | 1885 Jan 25 | Derailment when Salt Clay Creek flooded, destroying culvert |
| Mine disaster | Collinsville, Queensland | 7 | 1954 Oct 13 | On 13 October 1954, seven men were killed in the deepest part of the Collinsville State Coal Mine about 1.5 kilometres from the entrance of the No. 1 tunnel, when an outburst dislodged 900 tonnes of earth.[264] The Collinsville mine disaster was the largest loss of life in a Queensland mine since the Mount Mulligan mine disaster in 1921.[265] |
| Boating accident | Wilson Inlet, Western Australia | 7 | 1911 Nov 5 | Seven members of the same family drowned when a small yacht Little Wonder was hit by a squall.[266] |
| Boating accident | Lake Hume, New South Wales | 7 | 1963 Aug 15 | Canoeists on Outward Bound outdoor education trip drowned when their canoes capsized in rough weather and in cold waters.[261] |
| Flood | Canberra | 7 | 1971 Jan 26 | 1971 Canberra flood. Seven motorists were killed when their cars were swept into a creek.[267] |
| Air accident | Near Alice Springs, Northern Territory | 7 | 1972 Jan 20 | Beechcraft 65-80 Queen Air accident.[268] |
| Serial killing | Near Truro, South Australia | 7 | 1976–1977 | Truro murders. Remains of seven young women found in bushland. |
| Fire | Milsons Point, New South Wales | 7 | 1979 Jun 9 | Fire engulfs the Ghost Train ride at Luna Park Sydney. May have been arson.[269] |
| Air accident | Near Charleville, Queensland | 7 | 1981 Sep 19 | Cessna U206 accident.[270] |
| Massacre | Milperra, New South Wales | 7 | 1984 Sep 2 | Milperra massacre. Shooting massacre |
| Massacre | Clifton Hill, Victoria | 7 | 1987 Aug 9 | Hoddle Street massacre. Shooting massacre |
| Flood | Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria | 7 | 1990 | Nyngan and Charleville Flood. More than a million square kilometres of flooding.[271] |
| Air accident | South Stradbroke Island, Queensland | 7 | 1991 Mar 3 | Sea World helicopter accident.[272] |
| Massacre | Strathfield, New South Wales | 7 | 1991 Aug 17 | Strathfield massacre. Shooting massacre |
| Massacre | Terrigal, New South Wales | 7 | 1992 Oct 27 | Central Coast massacre. Shooting massacre |
| Air accident | Young, New South Wales | 7 | 1993 Jun 11 | Piper PA-31-350 Chieftain plane crash.[273] |
| Massacre | Hillcrest, Queensland | 7 | 1996 Jan 25 | Peter May killed his estranged wife, three children and parents-in-law before committing suicide.[274] |
| Cyclone | Around Cairns, Queensland | 7 | 1997 Mar | Cyclone Justin. 1 death from landslide. There were also 26 deaths from the same cyclone in Papua New Guinea.[275] |
| Rail accident | Glenbrook, New South Wales | 7 | 1999 Dec | Glenbrook train disaster. Collision by a CityRail Intercity train into the rear wagon of an Indian Pacific train after "Stop and Proceed". |
| Heat wave | Around Adelaide, South Australia | 7 | 2000 Feb | [276] |
| Rail accident | Waterfall, New South Wales | 7 | 2003 Jan | Waterfall rail accident. Excessive speed resulting in derailment after driver died at the controls and 'dead man' safety device failed to function.[277] |
| Massacre | Osmington, Western Australia | 7 | 2018 May 11 | Osmington shooting. Three adults and four children were shot dead in an alleged murder-suicide on a rural property.[278] |
| Massacre | Bondi Junction, New South Wales | 7 | 2024 Apr 13 | 2024 Westfield Bondi Junction stabbings. A mass stabbing resulted in the deaths of six people before the assailant was shot dead by police.[279] |
| Industrial accident | Spotswood, Victoria | 6 | 1895 | Spotswood Sewer Disaster. The drilling of an underground sewer in Melbourne went too close to the Yarra River.[280] |
| Massacre | Alligator Creek near Mackay, Queensland | 6 | 1911 Nov 17 | A mother and five children were murdered in their home.[281] |
| Battle | Broken Hill, New South Wales | 6 | 1915 Jan 1 | Battle of Broken Hill. Two Indian immigrants open fire on a train carrying picnickers.[282] |
| Landslide | Between Blackwood, South Australia and Belair, South Australia | 6 | 1928 Jan 31 | Hills Railway line disaster. A railway embankment collapsed during tunnel demolition, entombing 6 railway workers.[283][284] |
| Air Accident | Near Port Pirie, South Australia | 6 | 1943 Aug 27 | Two RAAF Fairey Battle aircraft on a training flight collided in mid-air.[285] |
| Air Raid | Drysdale Mission, Northern Territory | 6 | 1943 Sep 26 | Missionary Priest & five Aboriginal children killed in Japanese bombing raid on RAAF aerodrome located beside the Mission.[286] |
| Flood | Kempsey, Macleay Valley | 6 | 1949 Aug 26–27 | Six people died in the flood, five in Kempsey.[287] The Kempsey Traffic Bridge reached a peak height of 8.42m on the afternoon of 27 August.[288] |
| Air accident | East Sale, Victoria | 6 | 1962 Aug 15 | Four RAAF Vampire jets crashed in a military gunnery range area during rehearsals for a low-level aerobatic display. Four pilots and two passengers killed.[289] |
| Air accident | 18 km south of Wilkurra Homestead, New South Wales | 6 | 1974 Apr 2 | Cessna 310H accident.[290] |
| Air accident | Near Merimbula, New South Wales | 6 | 1976 Feb 29 | Piper PA-32 accident.[291] |
| Air accident | Near Kingscote Airport, Kangaroo Island, South Australia | 6 | 1977 May 15 | Cessna 210K accident.[292] |
| Flood | Sydney and Penrith, New South Wales | 6 | 1978 Feb–Mar | [293] |
| Air accident | Norseman Airport, Norseman, Western Australia | 6 | 1978 Jun 11 | Beechcraft D-55 Baron accident.[294] |
| Air accident | Essendon, Victoria | 6 | 1978 Jul 10 | Aircraft with a crew of two and one passenger crashed into houses shortly after takeoff from Essendon Airport. 6 members of one family were killed.[295] |
| Air accident | Near Shepparton, Victoria | 6 | 1979 Aug 30 | Cessna P206C accident.[296] |
| Serial killing | Tynong North and Frankston, Victoria | 6 | 1980 Dec | Remains found in bushland. Investigation still open.[297][298] |
| Air accident | Koolan Island, Western Australia | 6 | 1984 Dec 23 | Cessna 210L accident.[299] |
| Air accident | Near Bankstown Airport, New South Wales | 6 | 1985 Jun 7 | Cessna 210N accident.[300] |
| Flood | Hawkesbury, New South Wales | 6 | 1986 Aug | Hawkesbury and Georges River Flood.[301] |
| Air accident | Essendon, Victoria | 6 | 1986 Sep 3 | Air Ambulance Cessna (call signal RED) crashed on takeoff from Essendon Airport after single engine failure.[302] |
| Massacre | Canley Vale, New South Wales | 6 | 1987 Oct 10 | John Tran killed five members of the Huynh family before committing suicide.[303] |
| Fire | Kings Cross, New South Wales | 6 | 1989 Sep 17 | Downunder Hostel fire. Arson attack.[304] |
| Flood/cyclone | Southern Queensland and northern New South Wales | 6 | 1990 Feb 3–7 | Tropical Cyclone Nancy crossed the coast near Byron Bay, then moving back out to sea. It brought extremely heavy rain which led to flash flooding, with 6 lives lost to drowning.[60][305] |
| Rail accident | Brooklyn, New South Wales | 6 | 1990 May 6 | Commuter train crashed into a stalled chartered steam train.[306] |
| Air accident | Tarago, New South Wales | 6 | 1992 Jun 19 | Beechcraft Baron accident.[307] |
| Air accident | Geraldton, Western Australia | 6 | 1992 Aug 25 | Beechcraft Baron accident.[308] |
| Air accident | Launceston, Tasmania | 6 | 1993 Sep 17 | A Piper PA-31-350 Chieftain collided with powerlines and crashed near Launceston Airport, killing six of the ten people on board.[309] |
| Air accident | Weipa Airport, Weipa, Queensland | 6 | 1994 Mar 21 | Britten-Norman BN-2A-21 Islander accident.[310] |
| Maritime accident | Tasman Sea | 6 | 1998 | 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. 5 boats sank and 6 people died. |
| Air accident | Hamilton Island, Queensland | 6 | 2002 Sep 27 | Piper Cherokee Six aircraft crashed shortly after take-off. All six occupants, five of which were foreign nationals, perished.[311] |
| Road crash | Cardross, near Mildura, Victoria | 6 | 2006 Feb 18 | Cardross road crash. Car ploughs into group of teenagers, driver flees. |
| Sinking | Sydney Harbour, New South Wales | 6 | 2008 May 1 | 6 killed and 9 injured when two boats collided.[312] |
| Road accident | Penshurst, Victoria | 6 | 2011 Nov 11 | A car and truck collided and subsequently caught fire at an intersection near Penshurst. Four occupants of the car died at the scene, along with the truck driver, and a fifth occupant of the car died later in hospital.[313] |
| Air accident | Near Gympie, Queensland | 6 | 2012 Oct 1 | De Havilland DH84 Dragon crashed in dense bushland, killing all six on board.[314] |
| Flood | Tasmania, ACT & New South Wales | 6 | 2016 Jun 5–8 | Three deaths occurred in Tasmania at Latrobe, Ouse and Evandale.[315] One death occurred at Cotter Dam in the ACT. Two deaths occurred in NSW, one near Bowral, the other in Leppington.[316] |
| Vehicle attack | Melbourne, Victoria | 6 | 2017 Jan 20 | January 2017 Melbourne car attack |
| Sinking | Near 1770, Queensland | 6 | 2017 Oct 16 | Sinking of the FV Dianne[317] |
| Air accident | Cottage Point, New South Wales | 6 | 2017 Dec 31 | 2017 Sydney Seaplanes crash. A de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver seaplane crashed in Jerusalem Bay, killing all 6 people on board including Richard Cousins, CEO of British foodservice company, Compass Group.[318] |
| Recreation accident | Devonport, Tasmania | 6 | 2021 Dec 16 | An inflatable castle that was being used for a year-end celebration at Hillcrest Primary School became airborne, resulting in the deaths of six students. A further three students were seriously injured.[319][320] |
| Police siege | Glenrowan, Victoria | 5 | 1880 Jun 28 | Planned ambush of police train by outlaw Ned Kelly and his gang was thwarted and instead became a hostage situation at Glenrowan hotel. Three gang members and two hostages were killed.[321] |
| Sinking | North of Bermagui, New South Wales | 5 | 1880 Oct 9 | Mystery Bay disappearance. Crew of 5 men in a small boat disappears off the NSW south coast. Boat found at Mutton Fish Point (now Mystery Bay) with some of the crews belongings. |
| Landslide | Cairns, Queensland | 5 | 1900 May 31 | Riverstone landslide. A tramway cutting caves in on workers, at Gordonvale.[322] |
| Storm | Sydney, New South Wales | 5 | 1937 Jan 25 | A tornadic thunderstorm moved through Sydney on the afternoon of 25 January. Five people died.[323] |
| Air accident | Lamington National Park, New South Wales | 5 | 1937 Feb 19–20 | Crash of Australian National Airways Stinson Model A VH-UHH Brisbane. Four men died in initial crash, fifth man killed in accidental fall the following day whilst trying to reach help. Two survivors rescued nine days later.[324] |
| Drowning | Bondi Beach, Sydney, New South Wales | 5 | 1938 Feb 6 | 'Black Sunday'- Approximately 200 swimmers were dragged out by severe undertow caused by three freak waves. Surf Lifesavers were credited with saving at least 180 people.[325] |
| Air accident | Nhill, Victoria | 5 | 1943 May 13 | Avro Anson During a training mission from Mt Gambier to Nhill crashed in fog just 8 miles north east of Nhill.[326] |
| Rail accident | Sydenham, New South Wales | 5 | 1953 | Sydenham rail disaster. Wrong-side failure causes rear-end collision of two trains |
| Air accident | Near Gove Airport, East Arnhem Region, Northern Territory | 5 | 1969 Dec 22 | Cessna 402 accident.[327] |
| Air accident | Moorabbin, Victoria | 5 | 1970 Oct 19 | Airborne collision between a Beechcraft D-50 Twin Bonanza and a Bell 47G helicopter.[328] |
| Air accident | Parafield Airport, Parafield, South Australia | 5 | 1975 Mar 3 | Beechcraft D-55 Baron accident.[329] |
| Air accident | Fitzroy Station, Northern Territory | 5 | 1975 Mar 13 | A Cessna 310N collided with a radio mast and subsequently crashed.[330] |
| Air accident | Parafield Airport, Parafield, South Australia | 5 | 1976 Feb 1 | Airborne collision between a Rossair Cessna 172M and a Piper PA-28 Cherokee.[331] |
| Air accident | Near Cloncurry, Queensland | 5 | 1976 Jun 11 | Cessna 210 accident.[332] |
| Suicide air attack | Alice Springs Airport, Alice Springs, Northern Territory | 5 | 1977 Jan 5 | Connellan air disaster A disgruntled ex-employee deliberately flew light aircraft into Connellan Airways building. Roger Connellan, son of the company's founder, was among those killed. |
| Air accident | Mount Cataract, Queensland | 5 | 1977 May 26 | Cessna 310R accident.[333] |
| Air accident | Near Moorooduc, Victoria | 5 | 1980 Sep 28 | Airborne collision between a Cessna 172N and a glider.[334] |
| Presumed air accident | Barrington Tops National Park, New South Wales | 5 | 1981 Aug 9 | VH-MDX disappeared |
| Air accident | Archerfield, Queensland | 5 | 1982 Jan 5 | A Cessna 411A crashed into an annex, killing the pilot and four people on the ground.[335] |
| Air accident | Near Lang Lang, Victoria | 5 | 1982 Jan 7 | Bell 206B accident.[336] |
| Air accident | Near Cairns, Queensland | 5 | 1982 Sep 30 | Cessna 210 accident.[337] |
| Massacre | Inland Motel at the base of Uluru, Northern Territory | 5 | 1983 Aug 18 | Douglas Crabbe rammed his 25-ton Mack truck through the wall of the motel's bar.[338] |
| Massacre | Wahroonga, New South Wales | 5 | 1984 Apr | John Brandon murdered his wife, three children and mother before committing suicide.[339] |
| Air accident | 33 km West of Peterborough, South Australia | 5 | 1985 Oct 22 | Piper PA-32 accident.[340] |
| Air accident | Chipping Norton, New South Wales | 5 | 1986 Aug 17 | A Piper PA-32 crashed into the roof of a factory, killing five of the six occupants on board.[341] |
| Riot | Pentridge Prison, Melbourne, Victoria | 5 | 1987 Oct 29 | Five prisoners die in fire in Jika Jika Maximum Security Wing. Fire was started by inmates as a protest.[342] |
| Massacre | Near Gunbalanya, Northern Territory | 5 | 1988 Sep 25 | Dennis Rostron fatally shot five members of his family.[343] |
| Air accident | Cravens Peak Station, Queensland | 5 | 1989 Apr 7 | Cessna 172 accident.[344] |
| Air accident | Near Roma, Queensland | 5 | 1989 Sep 28 | Beechcraft Baron accident.[345] |
| Heat wave | Southern South Australia and northern Victoria | 5+ | 1990 Jan | Likelihood of additional unreported deaths.[346] |
| Air accident | Wondai, Queensland | 5 | 1990 Jul 26 | Beechcraft King Air accident.[347] |
| Massacre | Surry Hills, New South Wales | 5 | 1990 Aug 30 | Paul Anthony Evers fatally shot five people in a unit block.[348] |
| Air accident | Off East Sale, Victoria | 5 | 1991 Oct 29 | 1991 RAAF Boeing 707 crash.[349] |
| Air accident | Moormbool West, Victoria | 5 | 1992 Jun 12 | Piper PA-32R accident.[350][351] |
| Siege | Cangai, New South Wales | 5 | 1993 Mar | 1993 Cangai siege |
| Heat wave | Townsville region | 5 | 1994 Jan | [352] |
| Flood | Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales | 5 | 1996 May | Heavy flooding in Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales, with areas west of Brisbane and the Grafton area worst affected.[353] |
| Massacre | Richmond, Tasmania | 5 | 1997 Jul 28 | Peter Shoobridge murdered his four daughters before taking his own life.[354] |
| Air accident | Near Katherine, Northern Territory | 5 | 1997 Aug 14 | Cessna 210M accident.[355] |
| Bushfire | Linton, Victoria | 5 | 1998 | Linton bushfire. Wildfire engulfs five volunteer firefighters.[356] |
| Air accident | Marlborough, Queensland | 5 | 2000 Jul 24 | Five people were killed when the Capricorn Helicopter Rescue Service helicopter crashed in a paddock while attempting to land in thick fog[357] |
| Air accident | Willowbank, Queensland | 5 | 2006 Jan 2 | Skydiving Cessna 206 plane crash.[358] |
| Massacre | North Epping, New South Wales | 5 | 2009 Jul 18 | Lin family murders |
| Air accident | Caboolture Airfield, Caboolture, Queensland | 5 | 2014 Mar 22 | Skydiving Cessna 206 plane crash.[359] |
| Massacre | Lockhart, New South Wales | 5 | 2014 Sep | Geoff Hunt fatally shot his wife and three children on the family property before committing suicide in a dam.[360] |
| Flood | Caboolture, Queensland | 5 | 2015 May 2 | Cars were swept off roads by floodwaters in Caboolture.[361] |
| Air accident | Essendon, Victoria | 5 | 2017 Feb 21 | 2017 Essendon Airport Beechcraft King Air crash |
| Massacre | Bedford, Western Australia | 5 | 2018 Sep 9 | Anthony Harvey killed his three daughters, wife and mother-in-law.[362] |
| Air accident | Anna Bay, New South Wales | 5 | 2019 Sep 6 | Civil-owned Bell UH-1 Helicopter en route from Brisbane to Bankstown went missing off NSW coast.[363] |
| Massacre | Camp Hill, Queensland | 5 | 2020 Feb 19 | Murder of Hannah Clarke. Former New Zealand Warriors player Rowan Baxter deliberately set fire to a vehicle in which his estranged wife and three children were occupants. Rowan and his three children died at the scene, whereas his wife was critically injured and died several hours later in hospital.[364] |
| Air accident | Lockhart River, Queensland | 5 | 2020 Mar 11 | Cessna 404 Titan accident.[365] |
| Air accident | Mount Disappointment, Victoria | 5 | 2022 Mar 31 | A helicopter operating on a private charter flight with another helicopter impacted terrain at Mount Disappointment.[366] |
| Flood/cyclone | North and Central Coast, Queensland | 4–5 | 1990 Dec & 1991 Jan | Extensive damage from flooding caused by Cyclone Joy[367][368] |
| Heat wave | Melbourne, Victoria | 4+ | 1990 Dec | Likelihood of additional unreported deaths[369] |
| Insurrection | Norfolk Island | 4 | 1846 Jul 1 | Cooking pot uprising. One overseer and three constables murdered. 17 convicts were later executed, with many wounded in battle.[370] |
| Drowning | Coogee Beach, Sydney, New South Wales | 4 | 1911 Jan 28 | Approximately 13 swimmers were dragged out to sea by the rip tide while regular surf lifesavers were at the lifesaving carnival at Manly. Harald Baker (brother of Snowy Baker) and James Clarken saved many lives.[371] |
| Air accident | Lady Julia Percy Island, Victoria | 4 | 1944 Feb 15 | RAAF Avro Anson crashed on island near Western Victorian coast. Crew had become disorientated in darkness, mistaking island for the nearby mainland.[372] |
| Sinking | Cairns, Queensland | 4 | 1947 Sep 13 | HMAS Warrnambool. Sunk while clearing minefields after World War II.[373] |
| Landslide | Steavenson Falls, Victoria | 4 | 1968 Jan 9 | Four teenage bushwalkers killed when section of cliff broke away and rolled downhill to group's location. Three others survived with injuries.[261] |
| Air accident | Burrendong Dam, New South Wales | 4 | 1969 Jul 31 | Cessna 182K accident.[374] |
| Air accident | Yendon, Victoria | 4 | 1970 Oct 31 | Cessna 210A accident.[375] |
| Air accident | Near Mount Buller, Victoria | 4 | 1971 May 29 | Cessna 172F accident.[376] |
| Air accident | Near Wellington, New South Wales | 4 | 1971 May 31 | Beechcraft Bonanza accident.[377] |
| Air accident | Near Narromine, New South Wales | 4 | 1971 Nov 14 | Piper PA-28 Cherokee accident.[378] |
| Air accident | Moomba Adelaide Pipeline System, near Leigh Creek, South Australia | 4 | 1972 Jan 25 | Beechcraft Bonanza accident.[379] |
| Air accident | Barkly Downs Homestead, Queensland | 4 | 1974 Jan 4 | Beechcraft Debonair accident.[380] |
| Air accident | Bankstown Airport, Bankstown, New South Wales | 4 | 1974 Mar 13 | Airborne collision between a de Havilland DH.104 Dove and a Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche.[381] |
| Air accident | Mount Dom Dom, Victoria | 4 | 1974 Jun 18 | Cessna 210H accident.[382] |
| Air accident | Near Rankins Springs, New South Wales | 4 | 1976 Jul 30 | Cessna 182G accident.[383] |
| Road accident | Lamington National Park, Queensland | 4 | 1979 Apr 21 | Brisbane Girls Grammar school bus crash.[261] |
| Air accident | Clermont, Queensland | 4 | 1983 Oct 24 | Four Rockhampton-based ABC staff members were killed when the Cessna (being piloted by the ABC's regional manager) crashed while attempting to land on a property near Clermont.[384] |
| Boating accident | Lake Alexandrina, South Australia | 4 | 1987 Aug 22 | Canoeists on Scout excursion lost when their canoes capsized in rough weather and in cold waters. Two scouts and two adult supervisors drowned.[261] |
| Massacre | Greenough, Western Australia | 4 | 1993 Feb 21 | Greenough family massacre |
| Bushfire | Eastern Seaboard, New South Wales | 4 | 1994 Jan | Over 800 bushfires. 4 of the dead were firefighters[385] |
| Road/sport accident | Stuart Highway, Northern Territory | 4 | 1994 May 24 | 2 checkpoint officials and 2 occupants killed when a competing car lost control at high-speed and ploughed into a checkpoint.[386] |
| Fire | Indian Ocean | 4 | 1998 May 5 | HMAS Westralia. Unsuitable fuel hose in engine room bursts, spraying diesel which ignites, creating a fireball below deck.[387] |
| Mining accident | Parkes, New South Wales | 4 | 1999 Nov 25 | A gust of air made its way along the access tunnel causing a truck to roll over two, while falling rocks killed the other pair. |
| Air accident | Newman, Western Australia | 4 | 2001 Jan 26 | Fuel starvation on Western Australia Police aircraft.[388] |
| Landslide | Cradle Mountain National Park, Tasmania | 4 | 2001 Feb 18 | 4 people died when landslide causes a bus to fall into a ravine[389] |
| Air accident | Toowoomba, Queensland | 4 | 2001 Nov 27 | Plane hit powerlines[390] |
| Rail accident | Salisbury Railway Station, Salisbury, South Australia | 4 | 2002 Oct 24 | The Ghan passenger train hit a car and a bus at a busy level crossing at Salisbury, in Adelaide's north.[391] |
| Bushfire | Canberra | 4 | 2003 Jan 18 | 2003 Canberra bushfires. Bushfire reaches capital city suburbs[392] |
| Drowning | Mackenzie Falls, Grampians National Park, Victoria | 4 | 2004 Dec 25 | Four relatives lost on Christmas Day outing.[393] |
| Sinking | Sydney Harbour, New South Wales | 4 | 2007 Mar 28 | HarbourCat ferry Pam Burridge collides with pleasure cruiser Merinda.[394][395] |
| Flood | Sydney, Hunter Valley and Central Coast, New South Wales | 4* | 2015 Apr 21–24 | Flood deaths occurred in Maitland and Dungog. *An additional four deaths occurred in NSW as a result of vehicle accidents on wet roads.[396] |
| Bushfire | Esperance, Western Australia | 4 | 2015 Nov 17 | Three of the dead were foreign nationals.[397] |
| Air accident | Barwon Heads, Victoria | 4 | 2016 Jan 29 | Light aircraft en route to King Island crashed into ocean near Victorian coast.[398] |
| Amusement park accident | Coomera, Queensland | 4 | 2016 Oct 25 | Thunder River Rapids Ride accident at Dreamworld.[399] |
| Massacre | Darwin, Northern Territory | 4 | 2019 Jun 4 | 2019 Darwin shooting. |
| Road accident | Oatlands, New South Wales | 4 | 2020 Feb 1 | Four child pedestrians struck and killed by vehicle[400] |
| Air accident | Mangalore, Victoria | 4 | 2020 Feb 19 | A midair collision between a Piper PA-44 Seminole and a Beechcraft D95A killed the two occupants of both aircraft.[401] |
| Road accident | Kew East, Victoria | 4 | 2020 Apr 22 | 2020 Eastern Freeway truck crash. The loss of control of a refrigerated truck resulted in a multiple vehicle crash that killed four Victoria Police officers who were attending to a motorist for speeding on the Eastern Freeway. The accident is the highest single loss of life in Victoria Police history.[402] |
| Air accident | Deception Bay, near Rothwell, Queensland | 4 | 2021 Dec 19 | Rockwell Commander 114 accident.[403] |
| Air accident | Gold Coast Seaway, near Main Beach, Queensland | 4 | 2023 Jan 2 | 2023 Gold Coast helicopter crash. Midair collision involving two Sea World helicopters. |
| Air accident | Near Lindeman Island, Whitsunday Islands, Queensland | 4 | 2023 Jul 28 | Australian Army MRH90 helicopter crash during Exercise Talisman Sabre.[404] |
| Air accident | Gundaroo, New South Wales | 4 | 2023 Oct 6 | Cirrus SR22 accident.[405] |
| Drowning | Phillip Island, Victoria | 4 | 2024 Jan 24 | Three people drowned at an unpatrolled beach. A fourth person was taken to hospital in a critical condition where they died the following day.[406] |
| Massacre | Lake Cargelligo, New South Wales | 4 | 2026 Jan 22 | 2026 Lake Cargelligo shootings. The victims include three adults and one unborn child. |
| Massacre | Mosman Park, Western Australia | 4 | 2026 Jan | Goasdoue Clune family murders.[407] |
| Massacre | Stringybark Creek, near Tolmie, Victoria | 3 | 1878 Oct 26 | Three policemen murdered by outlaw Ned Kelly and his gang.[408] |
| Civil unrest | Melbourne CBD, Victoria | 3 | 1923 Nov 2–4 | Victorian Police Strike. This event prompted widespread looting and rioting in central Melbourne.[409] |
| Fire/explosion | Port Adelaide, South Australia | 3 | 1924 Apr 26 | Three firemen died after the SS City of Singapore, fully loaded with flammable cargo, caught fire and exploded. 10 other people were injured.[410] |
| Air accident | Tambo, Queensland | 3 | 1927 Mar 24 | Qantas de Havilland DH-9C crash[411] |
| Motorsport accident | Penrith, New South Wales | 3 | 1938 Jun 13 | During 10-mile car race at Penrith Speedway, the lead car lost control and swerved into spectators.[412] |
| Serial killing | Melbourne | 3 | 1942 May | Three Australian women were murdered in Melbourne between 3 and 18 May 1942 by US soldier Eddie Leonski who was convicted and executed in November that year.[413] |
| Air accident | Maroochydore, Queensland | 3 | 1950 Dec 30 | A routine shark patrol during the Christmas holidays, crashed into a crowded beach killing 3 children and injuring 14 others. |
| Air accident | Near Sandy Hollow, New South Wales | 3 | 1952 Jan 26 | An Auster aircraft crashes four miles from Sandy Hollow, killing three.[414] |
| Cyclone | Townsville, Queensland | 3 | 1971 Dec | Cyclone Althea. Cyclone and storm surge.[56] |
| Explosion | Near Taroom, Queensland | 3 | 1972 Aug 30 | Three people were killed when a burning truck carrying ammonium nitrate exploded on the Fitzroy Developmental Road at Stonecroft Station, north of Taroom.[415] |
| Terrorism | Sydney | 3 | 1978 Feb 13 | Sydney Hilton bombing. Bomb explosion outside Sydney Hilton Hotel during the CHOGRM[416] |
| Cyclone | south of Innisfail, Queensland | 3 | 1986 Feb | Category 3 Cyclone Winifred in region from Cairns to Ingham.[56][417] |
| Construction Accident | Brisbane, Queensland | 3 | 1988 Aug 4 | Concrete slab fell from crane at Commonwealth Bank building construction site, crushing pedestrians.[418] |
| Drowning | Mount Field National Park, Tasmania | 3 | 1990 Jul 3 | School outdoor excursion. Two students and one teacher drowned whilst crossing creek.[261] |
| Bushfire | Ferny Creek, Victoria | 3 | 1997 Jan 21 | 3 dead in bushfire lit by arsonist. |
| Drowning | Sandbar Beach, Pacific Palms, New South Wales | 3 | 1998 Dec 15 | Young Christian group on beach trip, three drowned when caught in rip current.[261] |
| Flood | Katherine, Northern Territory | 3 | 1998 Jan | Flooding cause by ex-tropical Cyclone Les.[56] |
| Severe storm | Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Sydney and central western regions | 3 | 2001 Nov | [419] |
| Air accident | Near Hamilton Island, Queensland | 3 | 2003 Oct 17 | CQ Rescue Bell 407 Helicopter on a medical retrieval flight crashed into sea en route to Hamilton Island.[420] |
| Explosion | Near Gladstone, South Australia | 3 | 2006 May 9 | Three people killed and two injured when a massive explosion occurred at a munitions factory in the Mid North of South Australia. The blast radius was 100 metres and the explosion was heard up to 70 km away.[421] |
| Road accident/fire | Melbourne | 3 | 2007 Mar 23 | Burnley Tunnel Fire. Traffic accident resulting in explosion and fire.[422] |
| Bushfire | Boorabbin National Park, Western Australia | 3 | 2007 Dec 27 | Three men were killed and one man injured when a bushfire in the Boorabbin National Park rapidly changed direction while their trucks were attempting to pass the blaze. |
| Air accident | Lake Eyre, South Australia | 3 | 2011 Aug 19 | Three men, including journalist Paul Lockyer, were killed when an ABC helicopter crashed whilst filming a documentary on un-usual flooding occurring at Lake Eyre.[423] |
| Wall Collapse | Melbourne, Victoria | 3 | 2013 Mar 28 | Three pedestrians killed when a brick wall collapsed in Swanston St in the CBD of Melbourne.[424] |
| Terrorism | Sydney | 3 | 2014 Dec 15–16 | Lindt Cafe siege, also known as the 2014 Sydney hostage crisis: The hostage-taker and two hostages were killed.[425] |
| Workplace accident | Oolong, New South Wales | 3 | 2017 Feb 16 | Three people died of carbon monoxide poisoning while cleaning the interior of a water tank on a rural property.[426] |
| Fire | Footscray, Victoria | 3 | 2017 Mar 1 | Three homeless people died in a fire in a dis-used factory.[427] |
| Air accident | Renmark, South Australia | 3 | 2017 May 30 | Three killed in light aircraft crash.[428] |
| Air accident | Mission Beach, Queensland | 3 | 2017 Oct 13 | Three skydivers killed.[429] |
| Flood | Townsville, Queensland | 3* | 2019 Feb 4–8 | 2019 Townsville flood[430][431] *At least one additional death occurred after the floods due to flood-borne disease. |
| Storm | Victoria | 3 | 2020 Aug 27 | Winds reaching 158 km/h cause severe damage across Victoria, killing 3 people including a 4-year-old boy. Over 120,000 houses lost power[432] and 101 suburbs were placed under a boil water advisory that was lifted 4 days later.[433] |
| Air accident | Rottnest Island, Western Australia | 3 | 2025 Jan 7 | Cessna 208 Caravan accident.[434] |
| Air accident | Shellharbour Airport, Albion Park Rail, New South Wales | 3 | 2025 Oct 11 | Piper PA-32R accident.[435] |
| Air accident | Long Bay, Goolwa South, South Australia | 3 | 2026 Feb 6 | Cessna 210 Centurion accident.[436] |
| Riot | Young, New South Wales | 2* | 1861 Jun 30 | Lambing Flat riots. Over 3,000 European gold diggers attacked Chinese settlement on gold-fields. *Official death toll was two Chinese killed, but eyewitness accounts claimed that actual death toll possibly as high as 40.[437] |
| Air accident | North Melbourne | 2 | 1943 Sep 4 | An RAAF Vultee Vengeance crashed near Macaulay railway station after giving aerial demonstration over Flemington Racecourse. Both crew on board were killed.[438] |
| Air accident | Bluff Downs, Queensland | 2 | 1984 Apr 9 | Two RAAF Mirage fighter jets collided in mid-air.[439] |
| Landslide | Coledale, New South Wales | 2 | 1988 Apr 30 | 20-metre railway embankment collapsed after being undermined by blocked drains following heavy rainfall, destroying a house located below, killing both occupants.[440] |
| Industrial explosion | Longford, Victoria | 2 | 1998 Sep 25 | a large explosion at an Esso operated oil and natural gas processing plant was responsible for an almost complete shutdown of Victoria's natural gas supply for weeks thereafter. At 12:25 pm 25 September 1998 the weld on GP905 cracked and the exchanger failed catastrophically instantly killing two people.[441] |
| Road accident | Longwood exit, Hume Highway, Victoria | 2 | 2001 Dec 10 | A trio of students from Walla Walla, New South Wales, stole a car and planned to drive to Melbourne. The group were sighted by police near Benalla and were pursued. The vehicle reached speeds of 200 km/h before crashing into an embankment; Tristram Rich and Joshua French were killed, while Jason Spalding survived.[442] In adulthood, Spalding is a senior information technology manager at Glenunga International High School. |
| Bushfire | Grampians, Victoria | 2 | 2006 Jan 22 | A father and son died in a bushfire in Victoria's west |
| Rail accident | Trawalla, Victoria | 2 | 2006 Apr 28 | 2 people killed in level-crossing train accident at Trawalla, near Beaufort, Victoria[443] |
| Electrocution | Rainbow, Victoria | 2 | 2010 Mar 16 | Father and son killed on their farm whilst moving a windmill which touched overhead power lines. Two other people badly injured.[444] |
| Bushfire | Blue Mountains, New South Wales | 2 | 2013 Oct 17 | A 43-year-old father water-bomber pilot and a 63-year-old man |
| Avalanche | Mount Bogong, Victoria | 2 | 2014 Jul 10 | Two snowboarders buried in avalanche.[445] |
| Workplace accident | Wetherill Park, New South Wales | 2 | 2015 Apr 23 | Two workers crushed by falling timber inside a shipping container at a truck body manufacturing centre.[446] |
| Bushfire | Yarloop, Western Australia | 2 | 2016 Jan 8 | [447] |
| Air accident | Wilton, New South Wales | 2 | 2017 Jul 15 | Two skydivers killed.[448] |
| Air Accident | Leigh Creek, South Australia | 2 | 2019 Jul 6 | Light aircraft crash.[449] |
| Riot | Brisbane, Queensland | 1 | 1942 Nov 26–27 | Battle of Brisbane. Street brawling and rioting between Australian and US military personnel. One Australian soldier was killed, over 20 Australian and US soldiers badly injured.[450] |
| Gas Explosion | Cairns, Queensland | 1 | 1987 Aug 17 | 40,000-litre LPG storage unit at Cairns gas works exploded, resulting in a BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion). Australia's largest ever LPG explosion.[451] |
| Building implosion | Canberra, ACT. | 1 | 1997 Jul 13 | Royal Canberra Hospital implosion. Spectator killed by falling debris.[452] |
| Hailstorm | Sydney | 1 | 1999 Apr 14 | 1999 Sydney hailstorm; most costly single natural disaster in Australia's history, with A$1.7 billion in insured damages and approximately A$2.3 billion total (1999 values). |
| Asphyxiation | Sydney, New South Wales | 1 | 2001 Jan 26 | Big Day Out Concert. Teenage girl crushed in mosh pit.[453] |
| Cyclone | Queensland | 1 | 2006 Mar 20 | Severe Tropical Cyclone Larry |
| Mine disaster | Beaconsfield, Tasmania | 1 | 2006 Apr 25 | Beaconsfield Mine collapse |
| Flood | Mackay, Queensland | 1 | 2008 Feb 16 | Multiple storm cells resulted in flash flooding in the city of Mackay on 15 February 2008. The flooding caused millions of dollars of damage, with one person dying due to drowning.[citation needed] |
| Cyclone | Queensland | 1 | 2011 Feb 3 | Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi |
The Canberra bushfires of 2003 claimed 4 lives.
Roadside memorials at Cardross, Victoria, where 6 teenagers died in a hit-and-run accident on 18 February 2006.
The crash of the Southern Cloud in 1931 claimed 8 lives.
Significant incidents of Australians being killed outside Australia
Excludes deaths attributable to war.
| Disaster | Location | Deaths | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terrorism | Kuta, Bali, Indonesia | 88 | 2002 Oct 12 | 2002 Bali bombings |
| Pandemic | Worldwide | 54 | 2020-21 | COVID-19 pandemic (overseas Australian deaths as of August 2021)[454] |
| Missile strike | Hrabove, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine | 38 | 2014 Jul 17 | Malaysia Airlines Flight 17[455][456] |
| Tsunami | Thailand and Sri Lanka | 26 | 2004 Dec 26 | 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake |
| Air accident | Denpasar, Indonesia | 16 | 1974 Apr 22 | Pan Am Flight 812 crashes into a mountain, a total of 107 people were killed.[457] |
| Flood | Saxeten, Switzerland | 14 | 1999 Jul 28 | Flash flood hits canyoning expedition |
| Volcanic eruption | Whakaari/White Island, New Zealand | 14 | 2019 Dec 9 | 2019 Whakaari/White Island eruption |
| Terrorism | New York City and Arlington County, United States | 11 | 2001 Sep 11 | 11 September 2001 attacks. |
| Air accident | Nias Island, Indonesia | 9 | 2005 Apr 2 | 2005 Nias Island Sea King crash crashes while providing relief services to victims of the 2005 Nias–Simeulue earthquake |
| Air accident | near Isurava, Papua New Guinea | 9 | 2009 Aug 12 | Airlines PNG Flight 4684 |
| Road accident | near Cairo, Egypt | 6 | 2006 Jan 10 | Tourist bus crash[458] |
| Air accident | Republic of the Congo | 6 | 2010 Jun 20 | 2010 Cameroon Aéro Service CASA C-212 Aviocar crash |
| Air accident | Pakse, Laos | 6 | 2013 Oct 16 | Lao Airlines Flight 301 |
| Air accident | Southern Indian Ocean (presumed) | 6 | 2014 Mar 8 | Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 |
| Road accident | Yamuna Highway, Northern India | 6 | 2016 Jan 10 | Five members of an Indian-Australian family killed in car accident while travelling between Delhi and Agra, sixth member later died in hospital.[459][460] |
| Massacre | Balibo, East Timor | 5 | 1975 Oct 16 | Balibo Five. Five Australian journalists murdered by Indonesian troops. The Indonesian government claimed that the men were unintentionally killed in a cross-fire but a 2007 inquest ruled that the journalists were deliberately murdered.[461] |
| Air accident | Yogyakarta, Indonesia | 5 | 2007 Mar 7 | Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 |
| Tsunami | Samoa | 5 | 2009 Sep 30 | 2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami |
| Sinking | North Atlantic Ocean | 4 | 1912 Apr 15 | Sinking of RMS Titanic. Two other Australians survived.[462] |
| Missile strike | Sea of Japan | 4 | 1983 Sep 1 | Korean Air Lines Flight 007 |
| Air accident | near San Francisco | 4+ | 1953 Oct 29 | British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines Flight 304 crashes on approach to San Francisco. |
| Massacre | Waco, Texas | 4 | 1993 Feb 28 – 19 Apr | Waco Siege.[463] At least two other Australians were among the small number of survivors. A child belonging to one of the Australian victims was also lost but was listed as a US citizen. |
| Bridge collapse | Ramat Gan, Israel | 4 | 1997 Jul 14 | Maccabiah bridge collapse |
| Terrorism | Jimbaran and Kuta, Bali, Indonesia | 4 | 2005 Oct 1 | 2005 Bali bombings |
| Air accident | Tanjung Kupang, Johor, Malaysia | 3 | 1977 Dec 4 | Malaysian Airline System Flight 653 |
| Fire | Manoharpur, Odisha, India | 3 | 1999 Jan 22 | Australian missionary Graham Staines and sons killed in arson attack |
| Terrorism | Jakarta, Indonesia | 3 | 2009 Jul 17 | JW Marriott/Ritz-Carlton hotel bombing |
| Air accident | Misima Island, Papua New Guinea | 3 | 2010 Aug 31 | Cessna Citation crashed on landing. One New Zealander also killed.[464] |
| Earthquake | Turkey and Syria | 3 | 2023 Feb 6 | 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake[465] |
| Air accident | Weybridge, United Kingdom | 2 | 1922 Apr 13 | Vickers Viking, piloted by Captain Ross Macpherson Smith, crashed on test flight |
| Air accident | Bay of Bengal | 2 | 1935 Nov 8 | Lady Southern Cross, piloted by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, crashes en route between Allahabad, India and Singapore |
| Air accident | London, United Kingdom | 2 | 1967 Nov 4 | Iberia Airlines Flight 062 crashed while landing at Heathrow Airport |
| Air accident | Los Rodeos, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain | 2 | 1977 Mar 27 | KLM and Pan Am jumbos collide on runway (Tenerife airport disaster) |
| Air accident | off Mauritius | 2 | 1987 Nov 28 | South African Airways Flight 295 |
| Air accident | Near Hawaii, United States | 2 | 1989 Feb 24 | United Airlines Flight 811 between Honolulu and Auckland experiences explosive decompression |
| Terrorism | Roermond, Netherlands | 2 | 1990 May 27 | Australian tourists shot by the Provisional IRA, in the mistaken belief they are British military personnel |
| Terrorism | Mumbai, India | 2 | 2008 Nov 26 | 2008 Mumbai attacks[469] |
| Air accident | near Qazvin, Iran | 2 | 2009 Jul 15 | Caspian Airlines Flight 7908 |
| Typhoon | The Philippines | 2 | 2013 Nov 8 | Typhoon Haiyan[470] |
| Road accident | Narok, Kenya | 2 | 2014 Sep 7 | Tourist bus crash.[471] |
| Air accident | Southern Alps, France | 2 | 2015 Mar 24 | Germanwings Flight 9525[472] |
| Murder | Sinaloa, Mexico | 2 | 2015 Nov 20–21 | Two Australian surfers murdered.[473] |
| Terrorism | London, Great Britain | 2 | 2017 Jun 3 | 2017 London Bridge attack[474] |
| Fire | North Kensington, London, United Kingdom | 2 | 2017 Jun 14 | Grenfell Tower fire[475] |
| Road accident | Near Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe | 2 | 2017 Dec 23 | Two Australian tourists killed in car crash.[476] |
| Crowd crush | Itaewon, Seoul, South Korea | 2 | 2022 Oct 29 | Seoul Halloween crowd crush[477][478] |
| Sinking | Zeebrugge, Belgium | 1 | 1987 Mar 6 | Herald of Free Enterprise disaster.[479] |
| Terrorism | Lockerbie, Scotland | 1 | 1988 Dec 21 | Pan Am Flight 103. Although a resident of South Africa, the victim was an Australian national.[480] |
| Terrorism | Nairobi, Kenya | 1 | 2013 Sep 21-24 | Westgate shopping mall attack.[481] |
| Avalanche | Mount Everest, Himalayas | 1 | 2013 Oct 16 | Australian tourist killed in avalanche.[482] |
| Terrorism | Tunis, Tunisia | 1 | 2015 Mar 18 | Bardo National Museum attack[483] |
| Earthquake | Nepal | 1 | 2015 Apr 25 | April 2015 Nepal earthquake. Australian killed below Mt Everest in avalanche triggered by quake.[484] |
| Shooting | Minneapolis, United States | 1 | 2017 Jul 15 | Australian murdered by US police officer.[485] |
| Terrorism | Barcelona, Spain | 1 | 2017 Aug 17 | 2017 Barcelona attacks[486] |
| Avalanche | Tyrol, Austria | 1 | 2019 Jan 10 | Teenage boy killed in avalanche in Austrian Alps while skiing.[487] |
| Explosion | Beirut, Lebanon | 1 | 2020 Aug 4 | 2020 Beirut explosion[488] |
| Air accident | Near Pokhara International Airport, Pokhara, Nepal | 1 | 2023 Jan 15 | Yeti Airlines Flight 691 |
| Landslide | Jatiluwih, Bali, Indonesia | 1 | 2024 March 14 | Tourist killed in landslide triggered by heavy rainfall[489] |
See also
- Lists of shipwrecks
- Timeline of major crimes in Australia
- List of mass shootings in Australia
- List of massacres of Indigenous Australians
- List of natural disasters in Australia
- List of disasters in Antarctica by death toll
- List of disasters in Canada by death toll
- List of disasters in Croatia by death toll
- List of disasters in Great Britain and Ireland by death toll
- List of disasters in New Zealand by death toll
- List of disasters in Poland by death toll
- List of disasters in Sweden by death toll
- List of disasters in the United States by death toll
Notes
- Now located in the Papua-New Guinea, back then it was part of Australia.
- Now located in the Papua-New Guinea, back then it was part of Australia.
- Now located in the Papua-New Guinea, back then it was part of Australia.