Australian Sporting history

Boxing

Nov 17, 1952

Jimmy Carruthers became the first Australian to win a boxing World Championship.

Golf

Jul 9, 1954

Peter Thomson becoming the first Australian to win the British Open.

Olympics

Nov 22, 1956

Melbourne hosting the Olympics for the first time and Australia winning 13 gold medals.

Swimming

Oct 10, 1964

Dawn Fraser became the first swimmer to win three successive Olympic swimming gold medals in the same event by winning the Women’s 100-metre Freestyle.

Motor Racing

Oct 2, 1966

Jack Brabham became the first (and still only) driver to win the World Formula 1 Championship in a car of his own make.

Boxing

Feb 26, 1968

Lionel Rose defeating Japan's Fighting Harada in Tokyo to win the world bantamweight title. He made history by becoming the first indigenous Australian to be a world champion boxer.

Tennis

Sep 2, 1970

Margaret Court becoming the first woman during the open era.

Soccer

Jun 13, 1974

In 1974, Australia qualified for the World Cup finals in West Germany.Until that time, many Australians had considered soccer to be a marginal sport played only by migrants.

Netball

Dec 31, 1979

Australia's netball team won the world championships 3 times in the 1970's

Rugby Union

Mar 17, 1984

The 1984 Wallabies becoming the first team from Australia to achieve a Grand Slam by defeating all four Home Nations

Cricket

Nov 8, 1987

Australia defeating arch-rivals England to claim their first Cricket World Cup

Motorcycling

Nov 5, 1989

Wayne Gardner winning the inaugural 500cc Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island.

Rugby league

Nov 2, 1991

Australia winning the second Rugby World Cup, defeating England 12-6.

Cricket

Jun 3, 1993

Leg spin bowler Shane Warne bowling England's Mike Gatting with his first ball in the 1st Ashes Test. Described as "ball of the century

Athletics

Jul 19, 1996

Wheelchair racer Louise Sauvage winning four gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics.

Athletics

Sep 15, 2000

Cathy Freeman becoming Australia's first indigenous individual gold medalist by winning the Women’s 400-metre at the Sydney Olympics.

Water Polo

Sep 15, 2000

Australian women’s water polo team defying the odds to win the gold medal by defeating the United States at the Sydney Olympics.

Short track speed racing

Feb 8, 2002

At the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, Steven Bradbury becoming Australia's first Winter Olympics gold medallist

cycling

Jul 19, 2011

Cadel Evans becoming the first Australian to win the Tour de France.

golf

Apr 11, 2013

Adam Scott becoming the first Australian to win the US Masters, one of the four major golf tournaments.

Soccer

Jan 31, 2015

Socceroos defeating South Korea 2-1 to win the Asian Cup for the first time.