The following lists events that happened during 1897 in Australia.

• Premier of New South Wales - George Reid
• Premier of South Australia - Charles Kingston
• Premier of Queensland - Hugh Nelson
• Premier of Tasmania - Edward Braddon
• Premier of Western Australia - John Forrest
• Premier of Victoria - George Turner

• Governor of New South Wales – Henry Brand, 2nd Viscount Hampden
• Governor of Queensland – Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington
• Governor of South Australia – Sir Thomas Buxton, 3rd Baronet
• Governor of Tasmania – Jenico Preston, 14th Viscount Gormanston
• Governor of Victoria – Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey
• Governor of Western Australia – Gerard Smith

• 7 January - Darwin has its highest ever daily rainfall with 296.1 millimetres from its most severe cyclone until Tracy.^[1]
• 22 June - The second Victoria Bridge is opened in Brisbane by the Governor of Queensland, Lord Lamington. The previous bridge was destroyed by floodwaters
• 2 October - The first issue of the radical paper Tocsin is published.
• 27 October - St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne is consecrated

• Walter Withers wins the inaugural Wynne Prize for landscape painting or figure sculpture for his landscape The Storm

Queensland Braille Writing Association was formed in Brisbane - later became Braille House

• 4 September - Essendon wins the first Victorian Football League premiership.
• 8 October - The Australasian Athletic Union is established in Sydney.
• Gaulus wins the Melbourne Cup
• New South Wales wins the Sheffield Shield

• 10 February - Judith Anderson (died 1992), actress
• 6 July - Frank Walsh (died 1968), Premier of South Australia
• 9 July - Enid Lyons (died 1981), politician
• 28 July - James Fairbairn (died 1940), politician
• 6 August - William Slim (died 1970), Governor General of Australia
• 5 October - Percy Spender (died 1985), politician and diplomat
• 7 October - Charles Chauvel (died 1959), film maker

• 11 June - Henry Ayers (born 1821), Premier of South Australia
• 11 July - Patrick Jennings (born 1831), Premier of New South Wales
• 15 August - Lily Poulett-Harris (born 1873), founder of women's cricket in Australia
• 15 November - Alfred Kennerley (born 1810), Premier of Tasmania
• 20 November - Ernest Giles (born 1835), explorer