1890 in Australia

Incumbents

Premiers

• Premier of New South Wales – Henry Parkes
• Premier of South Australia – John Cockburn until 19 August, then Thomas Playford II
• Premier of Queensland – Boyd Dunlop Morehead until 12 August, then Samuel Griffith
• Premier of Tasmania – Philip Fysh
• Premier of Western Australia – established from 29 December, John Forrest
• Premier of Victoria – Duncan Gillies until 5 November, then James Munro

  Governors

• Governor of New South Wales – Victor Child Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey
• Governor of Queensland – Henry Wylie Norman
• Governor of South Australia – Algernon Keith-Falconer, 9th Earl of Kintore
• Governor of Tasmania – Robert Hamilton
• Governor of Victoria – John Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow
• Governor of Western Australia – William C. F. Robinson

  Events

• 1 January – The University of Tasmania opens
• 28 February – The steamship RMS Quetta sinks off Cape York Peninsula, killing 133
• 29 December – Sir John Forrest becomes the Premier of Western Australia and the first Premier in Australia.

  Arts and literature

• 26 April – Banjo Paterson's The Man from Snowy River is published.
• May – Tom Roberts' Shearing the Rams is first exhibited

  Sport

• 31 May - The first Australian Championships in Athletics are held under the name Inter Colonial Meet. The men's competition is staged at the Moore Park in Sydney.
• November – Carbine wins the Melbourne Cup

  Births

• 2 March – Sir Malcolm Barclay-Harvey, Governor of South Australia 1939-1944
• 10 March – Albert Ogilvie, Premier of Tasmania
• 18 July – Frank Forde, 15th Prime Minister of Australia
• 29 August – Richard Gardiner Casey, Governor General of Australia
• 10 September – Robert Heffron, Premier of New South Wales
• 31 December – Daryl Lindsay, artist

  Deaths

• 9 November - James Boag I, brewer
• 8 January - , Inventor