A Look Back At

Born in 1958

What Was Life Like in 1958?

Who Was in Charge?

Prime Minister

Robert Menzies

Monarch

Queen Elizabeth II

What Things Cost

Petrol (per litre)

$0.04

Loaf of Bread

$0.12

Average House

$5,000

Weekly Wage

$12.50

Events of 1958 in Australia

A selection from Wikipedia's '1958 in Australia'. Not a complete list.

  • 14 January – Qantas Airways introduces a round-the-world air service from Australia to London.
  • 14 February – to 7 March – Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother visits Australia for the second time.
  • 24 March – Two 18-year-old men and a 19-year-old man attempt to disrupt the official opening of Sydney's new Circular Quay overhead roadway.
  • 15 April – Monash University is founded in Melbourne, Victoria.
  • 31 May – Henry Bolte's Liberal government is re-elected in Victoria.
  • 15 June – Two 14-year-old Blacktown Boys High School students are found alive after becoming lost in the Jamison Valley in the Blue Mountains and then spending a night in freezing conditions. They are treated at Katoomba Hospital for frostbite, exposure and shock.
  • 19 July – The last tram service runs in Perth.
  • 22 November – A federal election is held. The Liberal-Country coalition led by Robert Menzies defeats H. V. Evatt's Australian Labor Party with 74 seats to 45 in the House of Representatives, a majority unprecedented since Federation, gained from preferences from the Democratic Labor Party.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Popular Toys & Games

  • Hula Hoop
  • Lego Bricks
  • Barbie (prototype)

Australian No. 1 (Kent retrospective) on 1 January 1958

Diana

Paul Anka

This chart was compiled later by David Kent from radio station charts.