1880: Elizabeth Kenny, Australian pioneer of physiotherapy for polio patients, was born. She was a self-taught Australian bush nurse who developed a treatment for polio that was promoted internationally in Australia, Europe and the United States. In Townsville, in 1949 the Sister Kenny Memorial and Children's Playground was unveiled to commemorate her life.


1963: Scrivener Dam was completed and Prime Minister Robert Menzies officially filled the lake on 17 October 1964. The completion of the dam made Lake Burley Griffin the centerpiece of Australia's capital, Canberra. The dam wall is located on Lady Denman Drive, adjacent to the viewing areas of the National Zoo and Aquarium and the Australian Governor's Residence.


1975: Thirteen miners were killed in an underground explosion at the Kianga mine in Moora, Queensland. The mine was sealed, but the bodies were not recovered. The investigation found that the explosion was caused by "a spontaneous ignition source igniting flammable gasses and spreading them through coal dust."


2020: A 73-year-old hiker who spent three nights in the wilderness of Queensland's Fraser Island has been found safe and sound. Madeleine Nowak disappeared after becoming separated from a tour group on the island's Great Walk. After spending three nights sleeping rough in the heat, she emerged from the bush onto Eastern Beach and approached the camper, who reported the incident to police.


2023: The Premier has released the Victorian Government's housing statement, declaring it the most significant "reform" to housing policy in decades. The statement revealed the government's plans to speed up development approval times, redevelop the state's aging social housing towers and unlock land in existing suburbs to build 800,000 new homes over the next decade. Also included a number of measures to protect renters' rights, as well as a first-in-Australia levy on short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb.