1864 in Australia

Governors of the Australian colonies:

• Governor of New South Wales – John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar
• Governor of Queensland – Sir George Bowen
• Governor of South Australia – Sir Dominick Daly
• Governor of Tasmania – Colonel Thomas Browne
• Governor of Victoria – Sir Charles Darling
• Governor of Western Australia – Dr John Hampton

Premiers of the Australian colonies:

• Premier of New South Wales – James Martin
• Premier of Queensland – Robert Herbert
• Premier of South Australia – Henry Ayers until 4 August, then Arthur Blyth
• Premier of Tasmania – James Whyte
• Premier of Victoria – James McCulloch

• Twofold Bay Waltzes by Georgina Isabella O'Sullivan née Keon (1841-1927 daughter of George Plunkett Keon JP, niece of John PlunkettQC)

• 1 January – The Queensland Police Force is established and begins operations with approximately 143 employees.^[2]
• 4 May – The first trout hatchery in the southern hemisphere is established at Plenty, Tasmania.
• 14 May – Bushranger Frank Gardiner is sentenced to 32 years in prison, although he is later pardoned by Henry Parkes in 1874.
• 20 May – Bushranger Ben Hall and his gang escape from a shootout with police after attempting to rob the Bang Bang Hotel in Koorawatha, New South Wales.
• 2 June – The schooner Waratah disappears between Sydney and Newcastle, claiming seven lives.
• 1 October – The Australasian (later to be known as Australasian Post) is first published in Melbourne.
• 1 December – Great Fire of Brisbane

• 1 January – The All-England Eleven cricket team defeats the Victorian XXII at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
• Lantern wins the Melbourne Cup.
• Carlton FC was founded

• 17 February – Banjo Paterson, bush poet, journalist and author (d. 1941)
• 7 April – Alfred Conroy, New South Wales politician (d. 1920)
• 18 April – Rose Summerfield, feminist and labour activist (d. 1922)
• 10 July – Sir Austin Chapman, New South Wales politician (d. 1926)
• 21 August – David O'Keefe, Tasmanian politician (d. 1943)
• 21 December – Sir James McCay, Victorian politician and soldier (born in Ireland) (d. 1930)
• 25 December – Joe Quinn, baseball player (d. 1940)

• 15 January – Isaac Nathan, composer, musicologist, and journalist (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1791)
• 6 March – Peter Miller Cunningham, naval surgeon and author (born and died in the United Kingdom) (b. 1789)
• 25 May – John Joseph Therry, Catholic priest (born in Ireland) (b. 1790)
• 19 June – Richard Heales, 4th Premier of Victoria (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1822)
• 24 November – Edward Buckley Wynyard, New South Wales politician and military officer (born and died in the United Kingdom) (b. 1788)