1846:Explorer Thomas Mitchell discovered and named many of the rivers in western Queensland. He discovered and named the Barcoo River on 15 September 1846, and the expedition also discovered the Barone, Cargoa and Belliando rivers, which mostly flowed southwestward into the Darling River. Although the land was not as fertile as the land he had discovered in Victoria on his third expedition, it proved to be excellent pasture.


1870:Construction of the Australian Overland Telegraph Line began, stretching across the continent from Adelaide to Darwin. The Overland Telegraph Line was a major engineering feat that connected Australia to the rest of the world via a single wire. The overland telegraph line was completed in 1872. It was an extraordinary feat, crossing the Australian desert in sweltering heat, and six workers died during construction.


2000:The opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games was held. This was the second time the Summer Olympics have been held in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere, the first being in Melbourne in 1956. The 2000 Olympics were met with universal acclaim, with organizers, volunteers, sportsmanship and the Australian public all praised by the international media.


2011:Australian researchers have announced the discovery of a previously unknown species of bottlenose dolphin. For many years it was believed that there were only two types of bottlenose dolphins: the common bottlenose dolphin and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin. This time a third bottlenose dolphin has been discovered. Kate Charlton-Robb, a researcher at Australia's Monash University, named the new species "Tursiops australis."


2018:The Queensland government was offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of anyone responsible for the mass contamination of strawberries using needles. About 200 more similar incidents were reported in six states and two continents, with needles and pins found in other fruits as the contamination scare spread. Picking supervisor My Ut Trinh, 50, was later arrested and the court heard she had tainted the fruit in retaliation for workplace dissatisfaction.