1839 in Australia

• Monarch - Victoria

Governors of the Australian colonies:

• Governor of New South Wales - Sir George Gipps^[1]
• Governor of South Australia - Lieutenant Colonel George Gawler
• Governor of Tasmania - Sir John Franklin
• Governor of Western Australia - Captain James Stirling then John Hutt

• 3 January - John Hutt becomes Governor of Western Australia
• 15 January - The first US consul, J. H. Williams, takes residence in Sydney
• 6 February - The Port Phillip Patriot and Melbourne Advertiser are published for the first time by John Pascoe Fawkner
• 16 February - Kiama is proclaimed a town
• 19 March - Settlement begins at Port Lincoln
• 3 April - William Light is replaced by Charles Sturt as Surveyor-General of South Australia
• 13 April - Albury is proclaimed a village
• 24 April - Braidwood is proclaimed a town
• 1 May - Edward John Eyre explores the area north of Adelaide until 29 June, during the expedition he discovers Lake Torrens
• June - Up to 40 Aboriginals as killed in the Campaspe Plains massacre, which was a reprisal raid against Aboriginal resistance to the invasion and occupation of the Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung lands.
• 20 June - A settlement is founded at Victor Harbor
• 27 July - The Adelaide River is discovered
• 9 September - Port Darwin is named by John Lort Stokes on HMS Beagle
• Undated (mid 1939) - 35 to 40 Aboriginals of the Tarnbeere Gundidj clan of the Djargurd Wurrung are killed in the Murdering Gully massacre.
• Undated - An unknown number of Aboriginals are killed in the Blood Hole massacre

• Edward John Eyre explores areas to the far north and west of Adelaide during his two expeditions.

• Alberton, South Australia
• Albury, New South Wales
• Balhannah, South Australia
• Blakiston, South Australia
• Brunswick East, Victoria
• Burnside, South Australia
• Carcoar, New South Wales
• Findon, South Australia
• Gumeracha, South Australia
• Hahndorf, South Australia
• Hope Valley, South Australia
• Mandurama, New South Wales
• Mount Barker, South Australia
• Nairne, South Australia
• Penwortham, South Australia
• Seymour, Victoria
• St Kilda, Victoria
• Strathalbyn, South Australia
• Tusmore, South Australia

• First mechanics' institute was founded at Melbourne

• 14 March – George Adams, publican and lottery promoter (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1904)
• 18 April – Henry Kendall, author and bush poet (d. 1882)
• 30 April – Sir Francis Suttor, New South Wales politician and pastoralist (d. 1915)
• 10 May – Thomas Joseph Carr, Catholic archbishop (born in Ireland) (d. 1917)
• 29 May – Ned Gregory, cricketer (d. 1899)
• 19 June – Howard Willoughby, journalist and war correspondent (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1908)
• 1 July – William George Lawes, minister, missionary and public lecturer (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1907)
• 2 September – Elias Solomon, Western Australian politician (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1909)
• 9 December – Norman Selfe, civil engineer (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1911)
• 19 December – Charles Dempster, Western Australian politician and explorer (d. 1907)
• Unknown – George Rignold, actor (born in the United Kingdom) (d. 1912)

• 6 May – John Batman, explorer, grazier and entrepreneur (b. 1801)^[2]
• 27 June – Allan Cunningham (botanist), botanist and explorer (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1791)
• 24 July – Sir Richard Spencer, naval officer and settler (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1779)
• 6 October – William Light, military officer and surveyor (born in Malaysia) (b. 1786)
• 9 October – James Oatley, watchmaker and convict (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1769)

• Barker, Anthony (1996). What Happened When. St Leonards: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86373-9866.