On This Day
On this day: World’s oldest captive animal dies
A giant Galapagos tortosie that was once the pet of Charles Darwin died on this day, aged 176, in 2006.
Category: On This Day
On This Day
On this day: Sydney gets electricity
On 8 July 1904 Sydney’s power supply was switched on for the first time.
On This Day
On this day: Thredbo landslide
On 30 July 1997, one life was saved and 18 were lost when part of Thredbo, NSW, was buried by a landslide.
On This Day
On this day: Yirrkala bark petitions before Parliament
The bark paintings marked the first traditional campaign in the fight for Aboriginal land rights.
On This Day
On this day: Wave Hill indigenous protest
After a nine-year protest started in 1966, the Gurindji became the first Aboriginal people to reclaim their land.
On This Day
On this day: Compact Array unveiled
One of the world’s most sophisticated radio telescopes was opened in New South Wales.
On This Day
On this day: Aboriginal Australians get Uluru back
It was 25 years ago that Uluru was officially returned to its Aboriginal traditional owners.
On This Day
On this day: Lake Burley Griffin begins to fill
In 1963, 50 years after the construction of Canberra began, its central lake received its first drops of water.
On This Day
On this day: The birth of Royal Australian Navy
On 4 October 1913 Australia asserted its independence from Britain by forming its own naval force.
On This Day
On this day: Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme
One of the largest engineering feats in Australian history also encouraged early immigration.