The following lists events that happened during 1939 in Australia .
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13 January – The bushfires of Black Friday kill 70 people in Victoria.
27 March – The first CAC Wirraway training aircraft, A20-3, takes to the air at Fishermans Bend, Victoria .
7 April – Prime Minister Joseph Lyons dies of a sudden heart attack, the first Prime Minister to die in office. Sir Earle Page , the leader of the Country Party is appointed caretaker Prime Minister until the United Australia Party can elect a new leader.
26 April – Robert Menzies is elected leader of the United Australia Party , and is sworn in as Prime Minister.
10 June – Premier of Tasmania Albert Ogilvie dies in office. Edmund Dwyer-Gray acts as Premier until he is officially elected as leader of the Labor Party in Tasmania on 6 July.
3 September – World War II begins. Australia declares war on Germany, following the United Kingdom and British Dominions ' declaration of same, after the German invasion of Poland .
15 September – Robert Menzies announces a new War Cabinet .
1 December – Australia agrees to take 15,000 Jewish refugees fleeing Europe , following the German occupation of Austria and Czechoslovakia .
18 December – Edmund Dwyer-Gray steps aside as Premier of Tasmania , by prior arrangement with Robert Cosgrove to assume the premiership.
January
Murray Rose
Germaine Greer
3 January – Janice Crosio , New South Wales politician
4 January – J. S. Harry , poet (d. 2015 )
6 January
9 January
10 January – Jill Kitson , radio broadcaster and literary journalist (d. 2013 )
12 January – John Gregg , actor (d. 2021 )
15 January – Ken Doolan , rear admiral and author
20 January – Paul Braddy , 28th Deputy Premier of Queensland
23 January – Peter Richardson , Western Australian politician
29 January – Germaine Greer , academic and feminist
30 January – Dale Baker , 34th South Australian Leader of the Opposition (d. 2012 )
31 January – Paddy Guinane , Australian rules footballer (Richmond ) (d. 2019 )
February
Andrew Peacock
1 February – John Haslem , Australian Capitol Territory politician
5 February – Ian Norman , businessman and retail executive (d. 2014 )
7 February
11 February – Gary Hooper , Paralympian athlete
12 February – Nita Cunningham , Queensland politician (d. 2015 )
13 February – Andrew Peacock , 22nd Federal Leader of the Opposition (d. 2021 )
16 February – Peter Heerey , Federal Court judge (d. 2021 )
19 February – Beatrice Faust , co-founder of Women's Electoral Lobby and author (d. 2019 )
23 February – Elaine Lee , actress (born in South Africa ) (d. 2014 )
25 February – Gerald Murnane , writer
27 February – Harry Roberts , rugby union player
28 February – Ron Leeson , Western Australian politician
June
Elaine Schreiber
Gordon Bilney
1 June – Ernie Tuck , mathematician (d. 2009 )
3 June – Colin Youren , Australian rules footballer (Hawthorn ) (d. 2015 )
4 June – Elaine Schreiber , Paralympian athlete (d. 2017 )
5 June – Ron Baensch , racing cyclist (d. 2017 )
6 June – John Oswald , South Australian politician
10 June
20 June – Rodger Head , Australian rules footballer (St Kilda ) (d. 2012 )
21 June
22 June – Paul Winkler , film director (born in Germany )
23 June – David Hannay , film producer (born in New Zealand ) (d. 2014 )
24 June – Annette Andre , actress
25 June
27 June – Neil Hawke , test cricketer and Australian rules footballer (Port Adelaide ) (d. 2000 )
29 June – Alan Connolly , cricketer
September
George Lazenby
Mike Dancis
3 September – John Langmore , Australian Capitol Territory politician
4 September – Richard Lewis , Western Australian politician (d. 2019 )
5 September – George Lazenby , actor
7 September – John McGrath , Victorian politician (d. 2021 )
8 September – Lew Mander , organic chemist (born in New Zealand ) (d. 2020 )
9 September
10 September – Mike Dancis , basketball player (born in Latvia ) (d. 2020 )
13 September – Kevin Rozzoli , New South Wales politician
15 September – Ron Walker , businessman, former Lord Mayor of Melbourne (d. 2018 )
18 September – Gerry Harvey , entrepreneur
19 September – Jim Lisle , rugby union and rugby league player (d. 2003 )
24 September – Tony Messner , South Australian politician and former Administrator of Norfolk Island
October
Paul Hogan
Nick Dondas
1 October – Philip Cox , architect
3 October – Dave Barsley , rugby league player (d. 2021 )
4 October – Ivan Mauger , motorcycle speedway racer (born in New Zealand ) (d. 2018 )
5 October – Scott Ashenden , South Australian politician
7 October – Clive James , writer and broadcaster (d. 2019 )
8 October
9 October – John Pilger , journalist and filmmaker (d. 2023 )
12 October – Michael Clyne , linguist, academic, and intellectual (d. 2010 )
25 October – Terry Gill , actor (born in the United Kingdom ) (d. 2015 )
26 October
27 October – Hurtle Lupton , Victorian politician
Joseph Lyons
14 February – James Webb , New South Wales politician (b. 1887 )
9 March – Edwin Greenslade Murphy , journalist and poet (b. 1866 )
11 March – William Miller , athlete (born in the United Kingdom and died in the United States ) (b. 1846 )
7 April – Joseph Lyons , 10th Prime Minister of Australia and 26th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1879 )
25 April – Sir Charles Powers , High Court judge (b. 1853 )
18 May – Francis Clarke , New South Wales politician (b. 1857 )
10 June – Albert Ogilvie , 28th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1890 )
13 June – Arthur Coningham , cricketer (b. 1863 )
6 August – James MacCallum Smith , Western Australian politician (born in the United Kingdom ) (b. 1868 )
11 August – Margaret Windeyer , librarian and feminist (b. 1866 )
30 August – Edward Sydney Simpson , mineralogist and geochemist (b. 1875 )
3 October – Henry Augustus Ellis , physician and federalist (born in Ireland and died in the United Kingdom ) (b. 1861 )
22 October – Sir Langdon Bonython , South Australian politician and journalist (born in the United Kingdom ) (b. 1848 )
15 November – William Hill , Victorian politician (b. 1866 )
6 December – Sir Ernest Scott , historian (born in the United Kingdom ) (b. 1867 )