1952

• October 4: Britain's first nuclear bomb explodes in the Monte Bello Islands off the coast of Western Australia. A thick cloud can be seen 10,000 feet high and 1 mile wide over the islands.
• November 15: The Melbourne 'Argus' becomes the first newspaper in the world to publish colour photographs in a daily paper.
• December 1: A rotary driven lawn mower is introduced by Mervyn Victor Richardson, after refining a prototype built from billycart wheels and a peach tin.

1954

• February 19: The Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions establish a meteorological and research base in the Australian Antarctic. The base is named after Sir Douglas Mawson, the Australian explorer and geologist.

1956

• October 1: Australia Post introduces certified mail.
• November 5: ABN-2 in Sydney transmits Australia's first national television service.
• November 22: The Olympic Games officially opens in Melbourne. Australia finishes the games with 13 gold, 8 silver and 14 bronze medals - placed third in the overall medal count, behind Russia and America.