1791 in Australia
See also: 1790 in Australia other events of 1791, 1792 in Australia and the Timeline of Australian history.
Leaders
- Governor of New South Wales - Captain Arthur Phillip
- Lieutenant-Governor of Norfolk Island - Philip Gidley King
- Commanding officer of the colony's marine presence - Major Robert Ross (marine)
- Commanding officer of the New South Wales Corps - Captain William Paterson
Events
- February 22 - The first land grant in Australia is made to ex-convict James Ruse.
- March - Philip Gidley King returns to Norfolk Island from Britain and resumes command from Robert Ross (marine).
- August - The Third Fleet begins to arrive with convicts and supplies.
- October - The last ship of the Third Fleet arrives, with Captain William Paterson of the New South Wales Corps onboard.
- October 24 - The HMS Britannia and HMS William Ann set out on Australia's first whaling expedition.
- November 1 - A party of twenty-one convicts escape from Port Jackson and (with an obviously limited knowledge of Australian geography) attempt to walk to China. Some die in the wilderness, while others are recaptured.
- December - Ross returns to Port Jackson from Norfolk Island. His marines, having been displaced by the newly arrived New South Wales Corps, frequently drunk and rowdy. On December 17, he and most of his marines returned to England on the HMS Gorgon.