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1860 Sunday, June 11

Royal Commission on harbour improvements and a River and Harbour Trust established.

1860 Sunday, August 20

Burke and Wills, explorers, start from Melbourne for Carpentaria.

1860 Monday, September 18

Legislation passed through the Council to prohibit gatherings of 50 or more people within a "half mile block" of Parliament House. This was in response to a riot weeks earlier by people protesting against unfair land ownership by squatters. Rioters smashed windows in both houses and generally threatened Parliamentarians and police alike. Another consequence of the riot were two gun emplacements built into the new west facade of the Parliament building.

1860 Wednesday, September 20

Royal Commission on the defences of the colony - appointed to consider the best mode of carrying out the recommendations of the Defences Commission of 1858 presented its final report to Parliament. (Exact date/year uncertain.)

1860 Friday, November 10

Royal Commission on harbour improvements and a River and Harbour Trust presented its final report to Parliament.

1860 Monday, November 20

Opening of Second Session of Second Parliament of Victoria.

1860 Sunday, November 26

Premier of Victoria, William Nicholson, retired from office, having served 397 days.

Richard Heales assumed office as Premier of Victoria.

1861 Friday, February 11

Robert Burke and William Wills reach mangroves, which they take to be the coast, on their journey from Melbourne to Gulf of Carpentaria

1861 Monday, February 21

Victorian Premier George Alexander Elmslie was born.

1861 Sunday, June 11

Sir Alexander James Peacock Victorian politician and Premier was born at Creswick.

1861 Thursday, June 29

Burke and Wills died at Cooper's Creek.

1861 Tuesday, July 11

Dissolution of the 2nd Victorian Parliament.

1861 Wednesday, August 2

A general election was held in Victoria.

1861 Sunday, August 20

The current Parliamentary Library in Parliament House was opened.

1861 Wednesday, August 30

The Opening of the 3rd Victorian Parliament was celebrated.

1861 Tuesday, November 7

The first Melbourne Cup was run at Flemington racecourse (the race was won by 'Archer').

1861 Sunday, November 12

Royal Commission appointed to enquire into and report upon the circumstances connected with the sufferings and death of Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills, the Victorian explorers.

1861 Tuesday, November 14

John O'Shanassy assumed office for his third term as Premier of Victoria.

Premier of Victoria, Richard Heales, retired from office, having served 354 days.

1861 Sunday, December 24

The first English cricket team, led by H.H. Stephenson visited the colonies and arrived in the 'Great Britain' at Sandridge (Port Melbourne) to an overwhelming welcome.

1862 Monday, January 31

Royal Commission into the circumstances connected with the sufferings and death of Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills, the Victorian explorers, presented its final report to Parliament.

1862 Monday, April 10

The railway from Geelong to Ballarat was opened by the Governor, Sir Henry Barkly, and celebrated with a banquet for 500 guests and Members of Parliament.

1862 Saturday, July 8

Royal Commission appointed to enquire into the conditions and prospects of the gold fields of Victoria.

1862 Friday, September 22

George Coppin opened his new Haymarket Theatre in Bourke Street, Melbourne.

1862 Tuesday, November 7

Opening of Second Session of Third Parliament of Victoria.

1863 Wednesday, January 12

Royal Commission appointed to enquire into the origin and nature of the cattle disease known as pleuro-pneumonia.

1863 Friday, January 21

Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills laid together at rest in the Melbourne General Cemetery. Parliament adjourned for the day, and members joined the funeral procession.

1863 Wednesday, February 2

James Smith appointed Parliamentary Librarian; he held the position until February 1869.

1863 Tuesday, June 27

James McCulloch assumed office as Premier of Victoria.

Premier of Victoria, John O'Shanassy, retired from office, having served 591 days.

1863 Sunday, August 13

Royal Commission into the conditions and prospects of the gold fields of Victoria presented its final report to Parliament. (Exact date uncertain.)

1863 Saturday, September 2

The Victorian Government passed the Local Government Act 1863 which enabled the setting up of Road Districts and Shires in the Colony.

1863 Sunday, September 10

Sir Henry Barkly, K.C.B. retired as Governor of Victoria.

1863 Monday, September 11

Sir Charles Henry Darling, K.C.B. was sworn in as Governor of Victoria

1863 Saturday, November 11

Elizabeth Scott was the first woman to be executed in Victoria. She was hanged for the murder of her husband (refer to Hansard on this day).

1864 Monday, June 19

Former Victorian Premier Richard Heales died.

1864 Friday, August 25

Dissolution of 3rd Victorian Parliament.

1864 Thursday, October 5

A general election was held in Victoria.

1864 Saturday, October 21

A general election was held in Victoria.

1864 Friday, November 3

A general election was held in Victoria.

1864 Tuesday, November 28

Opening of 4th Parliament. McCulloch takes office with increased majority.

1865 Saturday, February 19

The tender was issued for work on Parliament House for the construction of the Legislative Council foundations.

1865 Monday, February 21

Royal Commission into the origin and nature of the cattle disease known as pleuro-pneumonia presented its third and final report to Parliament.

1865 Friday, March 10

William Nicholson, Melbourne merchant, politician and Premier of Victoria from 1859-60, died at St Kilda.

1865 Thursday, May 18

The explorer, Angus McMillan, died, as the result of an accident, at an inn at Iguana Creek in Gippsland.

1865 Friday, June 23

Parliament created its own debate reporting department. J. J. Casey in his speech to Parliament noted "in the opinion of this house, provision should be made to secure an accurate report of the debates in Parliament in the form of Hansard". Parliamentary reporting had previously been undertaken by journalists from The Argus newspaper.

1865 Tuesday, November 28

Prorogation of First Session of Fourth Parliament of Victoria.

1865 Monday, December 11

Dissolution of 4th Victorian Parliament.

1865 Saturday, December 30

A general election was held in Victoria.

1866 Saturday, January 15

A general election was held in Victoria.

1866 Saturday, January 29

A general election was held in Victoria.

1866 Thursday, February 3

Former Victorian Premier William Haines died.

1866 Saturday, February 12

The Opening of the 5th Victorian Parliament was celebrated.

1866 Sunday, February 13

The mace that was later stolen in 1891 was first used in the Legislative Assembly.

The Legislative Assembly replaced the mace carried by the Serjeant-At-Arms with a new one made in London of silver overlaid with gold and weighing 270 ounces.

1866 Monday, March 27

John Allan, politician and Premier of Victoria from 1924 to 1927 was born at Chintin near Lancefield, Victoria.

1866 Sunday, May 7

Sir Charles Henry Darling, K.C.B. retired as Governor of Victoria.

1866 Thursday, June 15

Royal Commission appointed to enquire into uncollected customs duties.

1866 Sunday, June 25

Royal Commission appointed to enquire into and report upon the operation and effect of the Wine and Spirits Sales Statute.

1866 Tuesday, August 15

The Hon. Sir John Henry Thomas Manners-Sutton, K.C.B. (Subsequently,the Right Honourable Viscount Canterbury), K.C.B.,) was sworn in as Governor of Victoria

1866 Monday, September 4

Royal Commission appointed to enquire into and report upon the operation of the system of public education.

1867 Monday, January 17

Royal Commission into uncollected customs duties presented its final report to Parliament.

1867 Wednesday, January 26

Royal Commission into the operation of the system of public education presented its final report to Parliament.

1867 Tuesday, February 22

Royal Commission into the best means of clearing the Murray River presented its final report to Parliament.

1867 Monday, March 27

Royal Commission appointed to enquire into and report upon applications made for authority to mine within and under certain reserved lands at Ballarat.

1867 Monday, May 15

Royal Commission into the operation and effect of the Wine and Spirits Sales Statute presented its final report to Parliament.

1867 Sunday, June 25

Royal Commission into applications made for authority to mine within and under certain reserved lands at Ballarat presented its final report to Parliament.

1867 Wednesday, November 8

Prorogation of Fourth Session of Fifth Parliament of Victoria.

1867 Monday, December 4

Victorian Premier Sir Stanley Seymour Argyle was born.

1867 Saturday, December 30

Dissolution of 5th Victorian Parliament.

1868 Friday, January 21

Elections were held for the Legislative Assembly.

1868 Monday, February 7

A general election was held in Victoria.

1868 Saturday, February 12

Parliament created Department of Hansard with three staff recruited from the Argus Newspaper. The printed volumes were entitled Parliamentary Debates but continued to be known as Hansard.

1868 Sunday, February 20

A general election was held in Victoria.

1868 Sunday, March 12

Henry James O'Farrell attempted to assassinate Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh at a gathering at Clontarf in Sydney. The Prince escaped serious injury.

1868 Monday, March 13

The Opening of the 6th Victorian Parliament was celebrated.

1868 Saturday, May 6

Charles Sladen assumed office as Premier of Victoria. A period of instability and tension between the two houses of Parliament resulted in a government being formed from the Upper House. Charles Sladen formed government despite having a minority in the Legislative Assembly. This was the first and only time this situation occurred in the history of Victoria.

Premier of Victoria, James McCulloch, retired from office, having served 1776 days.

1868 Tuesday, July 11

James McCulloch assumed office for his second term as Premier of Victoria.

Premier of Victoria, Charles Sladen, retired from office, having served 67 days.

1868 Monday, November 27

Royal Commission appointed ... to enquire and report generally on the practice of paying or compensating members of the legislature in all countries where the practice prevails, and with a special view of ascertaining in each case the rate of payment or compensation, the conditions or limitations (if any) under which it is made, and the form or legislative enactment by which it has been authorized.

1868 Wednesday, December 6

Sir John Gladstone Black McDonald, Victorian fruitgrower, Country Party politician and Premier was born at Falkirk in Scotland.

1869 Sunday, January 9

The fast clipper ship, 'Thermopylae', reached Melbourne after a record 60 days sailing from London.

1869 Saturday, February 5

The 'Welcome Stranger' gold nugget, yielding 69.92 kg of pure gold, was discovered at Moliagul, Victoria.

1869 Tuesday, February 8

Royal Commission on the practice of paying or compensating members of the legislature in all countries where the practice prevails, and with a special view of ascertaining in each case the rate of payment or compensation, the conditions or limitations (if any) under which it is made, and the form or legislative enactment by which it has been authorized presented its final report to Parliament.

1869 Wednesday, March 1

The Duke of Edinburgh visited Melbourne.

1869 Friday, June 16

Charles Sturt, noted Australian explorer, died in Cheltenham in England, aged 74.

1869 Monday, September 4

Death of John Pascoe Fawkner, founder of the Colony of Victoria.

1869 Wednesday, September 20

At 35 years and 11 months, John Alexander MacPherson became Victoria's youngest Premier.

Premier of Victoria, James McCulloch, retired from office, having served 437 days.

1869 Saturday, November 11

Parliament passes the Aboriginal Protection Act 1869 to establish the Aboriginal Protection Board, making Victoria the first Colony to enact a comprehensive scheme to regulate the lives of Aboriginal people.

1870 Sunday, April 9

Sir James McCulloch assumed office for his third term as Premier of Victoria.

Premier of Victoria, John Alexander MacPherson, retired from office, having served 202 days.

1870 Tuesday, June 27

Royal Commission on noxious trades, etc. established.

1870 Saturday, July 8

Victorian Parliament voted to abolish State aid to religion, phasing out payments over the next five years, to cease by 1875.

1870 Tuesday, August 1

Royal Commission appointed to enquire into the conditions and management of the charitable institutions of the Colony, and generally into all matters connected therewith.

1870 Tuesday, August 8

Royal Commission appointed to inquire into the state of the Public Service and working of the Civil Service Act.

1870 Wednesday, August 9

Melbourne Town Hall was opened.

1870 Saturday, August 26

Royal Commission on intercolonial legislation and a Court of Appeal established.

1870 Tuesday, August 29

Royal Commission appointed to consider and report upon the necessity of a Federal Union of the Australian Colonies for legislative purposes and the best means of accomplishing such a Union.

1870 Tuesday, October 3

Royal Commission into the necessity of a Federal Union of the Australian Colonies for legislative purposes and the best means of accomplishing such a Union presented its final report to Parliament.

1870 Friday, October 27

The Hon. Sir William Henry Fancourt Mitchell became Victoria's second President of the Legislative Council.

1870 Thursday, December 21

Victorian MPs voted to be paid 300 pounds a year after a bill passed through the Legislative Council allowing for a three year trial period of such payment.

1870 Friday, December 29

Payment of Members Act assented to. Victoria became the first of the Australian colonies to introduce payments of Members of Parliament.