List of Disasters in Australia By Death Toll - Significant Incidents Resulting in Fewer Than 10 Deaths

Significant Incidents Resulting in Fewer Than 10 Deaths

Disaster Location Deaths Date Notes
Rail accident Violet Town, Victoria 9 7 February 1969 Violet Town railway disaster. Head on collision after driver died at controls.
Landslide Gracetown, Western Australia 9 27 September 1996 5 adults and 4 children died when a cliff face collapsed at Cowaramup Bay near Gracetown (Margaret River)
Air accident Williamtown, NSW-Lord Howe Island 9 2 October 1994 Seaview Air Aero Commander 690 crashes between Williamtown, NSW and Lord Howe Island.
Bushfire Eyre Peninsula, South Australia 9 11 January 2005 Eyre Peninsula Bushfire.
Fire Kings Cross, New South Wales 9 August 1981 Rembrandt Apartments Hostel Fire. Fire.
Air accident Snowy Mountains, New South Wales 8 21 March 1931 Southern Cloud
Bushfire Wandilo, South Australia 8 April 1958 8 firefighters died
Bushfire Western Victoria 8 February 1977 Around Streatham was the worst affected area.
Air accident Off Whyalla, South Australia 8 31 May 2000 Whyalla Airlines Disaster. All on board drowned, Chris Schuppan's body was never recovered
Explosion Off Dampier, Western Australia 8 18 November 2001 Nigo Kim cargo ship explosion.
Flood Canberra 7 26 January 1971 1971 Canberra flood. Seven motorists were killed when their cars were swept into a creek.
Fire Sydney 7 9 June 1979 Fire engulfs the Ghost Train ride at Luna Park Sydney. May have been arson.
Massacre Melbourne 7 8 December 1987 Queen Street massacre. Shooting massacre
Serial killing Near Berrima, New South Wales 7+ 1989–1994 Backpacker Murders. The remains of seven backpackers found in the Belanglo State Forest; the killer remains the prime suspect for another 16 unsolved murders and is a person of interest for another 14. There is evidence he may not have acted alone.
Serial killing Near Truro, South Australia 7 1976–1977 Truro murders. Remains of seven young women found in bushland.
Massacre Milperra, New South Wales 7 1984 Milperra massacre. Shooting massacre
Massacre Clifton Hill, Victoria 7 1987 Hoddle Street massacre. Shooting massacre
Massacre Terrigal, Central Coast NSW 7 1992 Central Coast Massacre. Shooting massacre
Flood Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria 7 1990 Nyngan and Charleville Flood. More than a million square kilometres of flooding.
Massacre Strathfield, New South Wales 7 1991 Strathfield Massacre
Cyclone Around Cairns, Queensland 7 March 1997 Cyclone Justin. 1 death from landslide. There were also 26 deaths from the same cyclone in Papua New Guinea.
Rail accident Glenbrook, New South Wales 7 December 1999 Glenbrook train disaster. Collision by a CityRail Intercity train into the rear wagon of an Indian Pacific train after "Stop and Proceed".
Heatwave around Adelaide, South Australia 7 February 2000
Rail accident Waterfall, New South Wales 7 January 2003 Waterfall train disaster. Excessive speed resulting in derailment after driver died at the controls and 'dead man' safety device failed to function.
Serial killing Tynong North and Frankston, Victoria 6 December 1980 Remains found in bushland. Investigation still open.
Flood Kempsey, Macleay Vallie 6 Friday, 26 August 1949 Six people died in the flood, five in Kempsey. A 13-year-old boy at Smithtown
Industrial accident Spotswood, Victoria 6 1895 Spotswood Sewer Disaster. The drilling of an underground sewer in Melbourne went too close to the Yarra River.
Landslide Between Blackwood, South Australia and Belair, South Australia 6 31 January 1928 Hills Railway line disaster. Railway embankment collapsed during tunnel demolition.
Flood Sydney and Penrith, New South Wales 6 February to March 1978
Flood Hawkesbury, New South Wales 6 August 1986 Hawkesbury and Georges River Flood.
Air accident Essendon, Victoria 6 10 July 1978 Aircraft with a crew of two and one passenger crashed into houses shortly after take off from Essendon Airport. 6 members of one family were killed.
Air accident Essendon, Victoria 6 3 September 1986 Air Ambulance Cessna (call signal RED) crashed on take off from Essendon Airport after single engine failure.
Flood/cyclone Southern Queensland and northern New South Wales 6 February 1990 Drowning deaths caused by Cyclone Nancy
Rail accident Brooklyn, New South Wales 6 6 May 1990 Commuter train crashed into a stalled chartered steam train.
Maritime accident Tasman Sea 6 1998 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. 5 boats sank and 6 people died.
Battle Broken Hill, New South Wales 6 1 January 1915 Battle of Broken Hill. Two Turkish immigrants open fire on a train carrying picnickers.
Road accident Cardross, near Mildura, Victoria 6 18 February 2006 Cardross road accident. Car ploughs into group of teenagers, driver flees
Fire Kings Cross, New South Wales 6 17 September 1989 Downunder Hostel Fire. Arson attack.
Sinking Sydney Harbour 6 1 May 2008 6 killed and 9 injured when two boats collided.
Road accident Penshurst 6 11 November 2011 A car and truck collided and subsequently caught fire at an intersection near Penshurst. Four occupants of the car died at the scene, along with the truck driver, and a fifth occupant of the car died later in hospital.
Air accident Near Gympie, Queensland 6 1 October 2012 De Havilland DH84 Dragon crashed in dense bushland, killing all six on board.
Massacre North Epping, New South Wales 5 18 July 2009 Family slain at home
Air accident Willowbank, Queensland 5 2 January 2006 Skydiving Cessna 206 plane crash.
Air accident Off East Sale, Victoria 5 29 October 1991 RAAF Boeing 707 crash.
Mass Murder Inland Motel at the base of Uluru 5 18 August 1983 Douglas Crabbe rammed his 25-ton Mack truck through the wall of the motel's bar.
Sinking North of Bermagui, New South Wales 5 9 October 1880 Mystery Bay disappearance. Crew of 5 men in a small boat disappears off the NSW south coast. Boat found at Mutton Fish Point (now Mystery Bay) with some of the crews belongings.
Landslide Cairns, Queensland 5 31 May 1900 Riverstone landslide. Tramway cutting caves in on workers
Rail accident Sydenham, New South Wales 5 1953 Sydenham Rail Disaster. Wrong side failure causes rear end collision of two trains
Heatwave Southern South Australia and northern Victoria 5+ January 1990 Likelihood of additional unreported deaths.
Heatwave Townsville region 5 January 1994
Bushfire Linton, Victoria 5 1998 Linton bushfire. Wildfire engulfs five volunteer firefighters.
Rail accident Salisbury railway station, Adelaide 4 24 October 2002 The Ghan passenger train hit a car and a bus at a busy level crossing at Salisbury, in Adelaide's north.
Sinking Cairns, Queensland 4 13 September 1947 HMAS Warrnambool. Sunk while clearing minefields after World War II.
Flood/cyclone North and Central Coast, Queensland 4-5 December 1990 and January 1991 Extensive damage from flooding caused by Cyclone Joy
Heatwave Melbourne 4+ December 1990 Likelihood of additional unreported deaths
Bushfire Eastern Seaboard, New South Wales 4 January 1994 Over 800 bushfires. 3 of the dead were firefighters
Flood Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales 4 May 1996
Sinking Sydney Harbour 4 28 March 2007 HarbourCat ferry Pam Burridge collides with pleasure cruiser Merinda.
Landslide Cradle Mountain National Park 4 18 February 2001 4 people died when landslide causes a bus to fall into a ravine
Air accident Toowoomba, Queensland 4 27 November 2001 Plane hit powerlines
Bushfire Canberra 4 18 January 2003 2003 Canberra bushfires. Bushfire reaches capital city suburbs
Fire Indian Ocean 4 5 May 1998 HMAS Westralia. Unsuitable fuel hose in engine room bursts, spraying diesel which ignites, creating a fireball below deck.
Air accident Newman, Western Australia 4 26 January 2001 Fuel starvation on Western Australia Police aircraft.
Mining accident Parkes, New South Wales 4 25 November 1999 A gust of air made its way along the access tunnel causing a truck to roll over two, while falling rocks killed the other pair.
Air accident Maroochydore, Queensland 3 30 December 1950 A routine shark patrol during the Christmas holidays, crashed into a crowded beach killing 3 children and injuring 14 others.
Bushfire Boorabbin National Park, Western Australia 3 27 December 2009 Three men were killed and one man injured when a bushfire in the Boorabbin National Park rapidly changed direction while their trucks were attempting to pass the blaze.
Road accident/fire Melbourne 3 23 March 2007 Burnley Tunnel Fire. Traffic accident resulting in explosion and fire.
Air accident Tambo, Queensland 3 24 March 1927 Qantas de Havilland DH-9C crash
Terrorism Sydney 3 13 February 1978 Sydney Hilton bombing. Bomb explosion outside Sydney Hilton Hotel during the CHOGRM
Cyclone south of Innisfail, Queensland 3 February 1986 Category 3 Cyclone Winifred in region from Cairns to Ingham.
Cyclone Townsville, Queensland 3 December 1971 Cyclone Althea. Cyclone and storm surge.
Flood Katherine, Northern Territory 3 January 1998 Flooding cause by ex-tropical cyclone Les.
Bushfire Ferny Creek, Victoria, 3 21 January 1997 3 dead in bushfire lit by arsonist.
Severe storm Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Sydney and central western regions 3 November 2001
Fire/ explosion Port Adelaide, South Australia 3 26 April 1924 Three firemen died after the SS City of Singapore, fully loaded with flammable cargo, caught fire and exploded. 10 other people were injured.
Rail Accident Trawalla, Victoria 2 28 April 2006 2 people killed in level-crossing train accident at Trawalla, near Beaufort, Victoria
Bushfire Grampians, Victoria 2 22 January 2006 A father and son died in a bushfire in Victoria's west.
Air Accident Ararat, Victoria 2 1 April 2012 A glider crashed at the Ararat Aerodrome soon after being disconnected from its tug plane, killing the 21-year old female trainee pilot and the 50-year old male instructor.
Air Accident Cootamundra, New South Wales 2 7 April 2012 An ultralight crashed and caught fire at a property near Cootamundra, killing two people.
Industrial Explosion Longford, Victoria 2 25 September 1998 a large explosion at an Esso operated oil and natural gas processing plant was responsible for an almost complete shutdown of Victoria's natural gas supply for weeks thereafter. At 12:25pm 25 September 1998 the weld on GP905 cracked and the exchanger failed catastrophically instantly killing two people.
Flood Mackay, Queensland 1 16 February 2008 Multiple storm cells resulted in flash flooding in the city of Mackay on 15 February 2008. The flooding caused millions of dollars of damage, with one person dying due to drowning.
Hailstorm Sydney, New South Wales 1 14 April 1999 1999 Sydney hailstorm; most costly single natural disaster in Australia's history, with A$1.7 billion in insured damages and approximately A$2.3 billion total (1999 values).
Mine disaster Beaconsfield, Tasmania 1 25 April 2006 Beaconsfield Mine collapse

  • The Canberra bushfires of 2003 claimed 4 lives.

  • Roadside memorials at Cardross, Victoria, where 6 teenagers lost their lives in a hit-and-run accident on 18 February 2006.

  • The crash of the Southern Cloud in 1931 claimed 8 lives.

Read more about this topic:  List Of Disasters In Australia By Death Toll

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