Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1941
The Japanese bomb Townsville - a strategic centre for defence, with a major base for US and Aus-
tralian military forces.
1962
Indigenous Australians gain the right to vote in federal elections - but they have to wait until 1967 to
receive full citizenship.
1965
Merle Thornton and Rosalie Bogner chain themselves to a Brisbane bar to protest public bars being
open to men only. Their action marks the beginnings of the feminist movement in Australia.
1968
Setting the political scene in Queensland for the next 19 years, Joh Bjelke-Petersen becomes premier.
His political agenda was widely described as development at any price.
1970s
Inflation, soaring interest rates and rising unemployment bring the golden postwar days to an end.
As house prices skyrocket, home ownership slips out of reach for many.
1974
The audacious Beerburrum mail robbery is pulled off in southeast Queensland - the most lucrative
mail robbery in Australian history at the time.
1975
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is proclaimed, protecting 2000km of reef - the most extensive
reef system in the world.
1980
Queensland wins the first of the annual all-star 'State of Origin' rugby league series against southern
rivals New South Wales. As of 2013, the ledger stands at 20 wins to Queensland, 12 to NSW, with
two drawn series.
1981
The Great Barrier Reef becomes a Unesco World Heritage Site, a move furiously opposed by Queens-
land Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen, who intended to do exploratory mining for oil on the reef.
