1810 - The first public markets in Australia are opened in George-street South, Sydney.
1821 - Foundation stone of St. Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, is laid.
1828 - Hanged at Sydney, John Welsh, for the robbery and attempted murder of George Barber at Picton; Joseph Bradley and Patrick Troy, for forgery; Patrick Kegney (sometimes Stegney), Joseph (John) Spicer, and John (James) Tomlins, for putting in fear and robbery; James Henry, for the theft of a cow at Stone Quarry Creek; Samuel Clarke and Thomas Quigley, for putting in fear and burglary from the house of Stephen Hunter at Cornwallis.
1842 - The Sydney "Gazette" and "New South Wales Advertiser", ceases publication. It was first issued by George Howe appeared on 5 March 1803, in Sydney, and was the first newspaper published in Australia. Owing to lack of support, it suspended publication from 30 August 1807 until 15 May 1808, when it was revived. It was published on Sundays from April 1803 until February 1810, therefore also making it the first Sunday paper in Australia. George Howe remained in control till his death in 1821. The followed by his son, Robert Howe, till 1829, and Ralph Mansfield till 1832. During the remaining 10 years of the journal's existence there were several editors in charge.
1849 - The grand opening of the Grace Darling Hotel at Brighton, South Australia, takes place. The hotel was named after the British heroine who rescued survivors from the wreck of the steamship Forfarshire which ran on to rocks near the Longstone lighthouse on the Farne islands off the coast of Northumberland in England in September 1838.
1857 - Edward Deas Thompson's Select Committee recommends to the Legislative Assembly that delegates representing New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania meet to devise a plan for a general assembly for all the colonies.
1858 - Hanged at Geelong, Owen McQueeny, for the murder of Elizabeth Lowe near Meredith ("The Green Tent Murder"). At the execution a woman applied to have her hands "streaked over" with the hands of the dead man.
1860 - Terrific hailstorm in Brisbane.
1867 - James Nash discovers rich gold at Nash's Gully (afterwards called Gympie). Within six months 15,000 men were on the field.
1870 - The new buildings of St. Vincent's Hospital, Sydney are opened.
1875 - Sir Charles Cowper, first president and manager of the Sydney Tramway and Railway Company, five times Premier of New South Wales, and Agent-General for several years, died in London.
1879 - Railway extension to Yeulba opens.
1884 - Plans of new Town Hall for Brisbane adopted; estimated cost £71,306.
1886 - The first sods of the Great Southern Railway, Western Australia, is turned by Governor Sir Frederick Broome, at Albany, and on the same day Lady Broome, turned the first sod of the same railway at Beverley.
1892 - New fire station in South Brisbane opens.
1898 - Sir Henry Barkly, who was Governor of Victoria between 1855 and 1863, dies. Barkly Tableland is named after him.
1900 - New South Wales naval contingent enters Peking. New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia sent naval contingents as part of a British empire force deployed against anti-western Chinese secret societies.
1902 - Hanged at Melbourne Gaol, August Tisler, for the murder of Edward Sangal at Dandenong.
1903 - Sir Pope A. Cooper becomes Chief Justice of Queensland.
1909 - John Earle becomes the first Labor Premier of Tasmania, but only for one week.
1917 - The first train to complete the journey across the Trans-Australian line arrives in Western Australia.
1920 - First referendum on prohibition taken in Queensland; voting favoured continuance.
1925 - Queensland Legislative Assembly passed Bill abolishing Arbitration Court, and instituting a Board of Trade and Conciliation, with two laymen to assist the presiding judge.
1928 - Cole's Book Arcade, Collins-street, Melbourne, is sold for £54,000, an average of £2034/3/ a foot. The previous highest price per foot in Collins-street was £2533.
1973 - The Sydney Opera House is opened by Queen Elizabeth II.
1987 - The Black Monday stock-market crash causing the All Ordinaries Index to fall 25%, the single biggest one day drop in the market's history.
1989 - The Grafton bus crash occurs, with 21 people killed and 22 injured when a tourist bus collides with a semi-trailer on the Pacific Highway near Grafton, New South Wales.
* * * * *
Sources:
- Australian War Memorial
- Parliament of Tasmania
- This Day in History
- Anniversaries To-Day (1933, October 20). Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954), p. 10.
- Anniversaries To-Day (1934, October 20). Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954), p. 8.
- To-day's Yesterdays (1933, October 20). The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1931 - 1954), p. 8.
- Today's Yesterdays (1933, October 20). The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954), p. 6.
- To-day's Yesterdays (1934, October 20). The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954), p. 12.
- To-day's Anniversaries (1931, October 20). The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), p. 8.
- Anniversaries (1934, October 20). The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), p. 18.
- To-day's Anniversaries (1930, October 20). The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), p. 8 (5 O'CLOCK CITY EDITION).
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