This is a list of disasters in Australia sorted by death toll. It generally excludes incidents attributed to the impact of European colonisation on the indigenous population.

100 or more deaths

Disaster	Location	Deaths	Date	Notes
Epidemic	Australia-wide	12,000+	1918–1919	1918 Spanish Influenza epidemic; approximate death toll. Sydney was the worst affected area.
Epidemic	Australia-wide	1,013	1946–1955	Polio epidemic.
Sea battle	Indian Ocean, near Shark Bay	722	19 November 1941	Approximate total, in the battle between HMAS Sydney and the German raider Kormoran. Both ships sank; Sydney's entire crew of 645 were killed along with about 77 personnel from Kormoran.
Epidemic	Australia-wide	550	1900–1910	Bubonic plague.
Heat wave	Victoria	438	Dec 1938-Feb 1939	Heatwave killed 438 and sparked the Black Friday bushfires (see below).
Heat wave	South-eastern Australia	437	1895–1896	Widespread heatwave killed 437, including 47 in Bourke, New South Wales.
Cyclone	Bathurst Bay, Queensland	410	4 March 1889	Cyclone Mahina; estimated toll.
Shipwreck	King Island, Tasmania	406	1845	Cataraqui. Australia's worst maritime civil disaster incident.
Heatwave	South-eastern Australia	374	January 25 to February 9, 2009	2009 Southeastern Australia heat wave. A nine day heatwave with Adelaide recording a record six consecutive days over , a record high of and a record overnight minimum of on January 28. Sparked the Black Saturday bushfires (see below). Health authorities attribute 374 deaths to the Heatwave
Shipwreck	coast near Murchison River, Western Australia	286	April 1712	Sinking of Dutch ship Zuytdorp. There has been speculation that there were survivors, who may have been assisted by local Aborigines.
Sinking	Off North Stradbroke Island, Queensland	268	14 May 1943	Sinking of AHS Centaur. Hospital ship torpedoed by a Japanese submarine.
Heat wave	Southern states	246	December 1907-January 1908
Air raid	Darwin, Northern Territory	243	19 February 1942	First bombings of Darwin. The first Japanese air raids against Australia. The toll may have been higher, itinerants and Aboriginal persons may be under-represented in the official count.
Prison break	Cowra, New South Wales	235-238	5 August 1944	Cowra breakout. Escape by Japanese POWs.
Shipwreck	King Island, Tasmania	224	13 May 1835	Neva
Shipwreck	Perth, Western Australia	186	April 1656	Vergulde Draeck
Bushfires	Victoria	173	February 2009	Black Saturday bushfires
Cyclone/Sinking	Western Australia	149	1 March 1912	SS Koombana
Heatwaves	Australia-wide	147	1920–1921
Heatwaves	Australia-wide	143+	1911–1912
Cyclone	Broome, Western Australia	141	March 1935	Pearling fleet devastated
Cyclone	Eighty Mile Beach, Western Australia	140	1884	Pearling fleet sunk
Shipwreck	D'Entrecasteaux Channel, Tasmania	133	12 April 1835	George III
Shipwreck	Cape York, Queensland	133	28 February 1890	Quetta
Heatwave	Southern states	130	1926–1927
Shipwreck/mutiny/ massacre	Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia	125+	June-July 1629	Sinking of the Dutch ship Batavia, after which mutineers murdered 125 other passengers. The death toll of 125 does not include the mutineers, of whom seven were immediately hanged and two cast away when the passengers were rescued. Most of the remaining mutineers were later executed.
Heatwave	Australia-wide	122+	1913–1914
Cyclone/Sinking	North-eastern Queensland	122	16 March 1911	SS Yongala
Shipwreck	Sydney, New South Wales	121	20 August 1857	Dunbar. 1 survivor.
Heatwave	Australia-wide	112	1939–1940
Heatwave	Australia-wide	109	1909–1910
Heatwave	Southern regions, Australia	105+	1959	One source puts death toll at 145
Cyclone/sinking	Ayr, Queensland	102-112	24 February 1875	SS Gothenburg. Records of passengers vary

Image:AU AHS Centaur mem.jpg|The Centaur memorial, in Point Danger, Coolangatta, Queensland, commemorates the sinking of the hospital ship AHS Centaur in 1943, which claimed 268 lives.Image:Darwin 42.jpg|At least 243 people died in the Japanese air raids on Darwin in 1942.Image:Cowrapowcamp.jpg|Japanese prisoners of war practice baseball on the sports ground near their quarters, several weeks before the 1944 Cowra breakout, in which at least 235 people died.

50 to 99 deaths

Disaster	Location	Deaths	Date	Notes
Heatwave	Southern regions Australia	99	December 1972 to February 1973
Cyclone	Northern Queensland	99	March 1934	Cyclone and 9.1 m storm surge
Explosion	Mount Kembla, New South Wales	96	31 July 1902	Mount Kembla Colliery gas explosion. Coal mine gas explosion
Shipwreck	Monte Bello Islands, Western Australia	93	23 April 1622	Tryall. Earliest recorded Australian shipwreck
Flood	Gundagai, New South Wales	89	24 June 1852
Shipwreck	near Carpenter Rocks, in South East South Australia	89	6 August 6, 1859	SS Admella. South Australia's worst loss of life
Air raid	Broome, Western Australia	88	3 March 1942	Air raid on Broome. Japanese fighter planes strafed the town. Official toll; may not include some refugees from the Dutch East Indies.
Rail accident	Sydney, New South Wales	83	18 January 1977	Granville railway disaster. Derailment followed by bridge collapse
Sinking	twenty miles south-east of Jervis Bay, New South Wales	82	10 February 1964	Melbourne-Voyager collision - HMAS Voyager sank after collision with HMAS Melbourne
Explosion	Bulli, New South Wales	81	23 March 1887	Bulli Colliery coal mine gas explosion
Shipwreck	King Island, Tasmania	79	23 May 1874	British Admiral
Cyclone	Queensland coast, particularly Innisfail	77+	10 March 1918	Cyclone and storm surge with death toll estimated between 77 and 100.
Storms	New South Wales between Port Stephens and Sydney	77	12 July 1866	60 lives lost on SS Cawarra alone.
Explosion	Mount Mulligan, Queensland	76	16 September 1921	Mount Mulligan coal dust explosion
Bushfire	Victoria and South Australia	75	16 February 1983	Ash Wednesday fires
Shipwreck	Green Cape	71	31 May 1886	Ly-Ee-Moon
Bushfire	Victoria	71	13 January 1939	Black Friday bushfires
Cyclone	Darwin	71	24 December 1974	Cyclone Tracy destroys the city of Darwin. On 17 March 2005, a Northern Territory Coroner's Inquest outcome increased the official death toll from 65 to 71.
Flood	Clermont, Queensland	65	27 December 1916
Bushfire	Tasmania	62	1967	1967 Tasmanian fires
Cyclone	near Roebourne and Geraldton, Western Australia	61-71	1894	Estimated toll includes those lost at sea and those killed in flooding at Geraldton
Shipwreck	Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia	60	1727	Zeewyk. Approximate death toll
Shipwreck	Newcastle, New South Wales	60	12 July 1866	SS Cawarra;; sank during storm in Newcastle Harbour.
Bushfire	Victoria	60	February-March 1926
Cyclone	Exmouth Gulf, Western Australia	59-69	1875–1876	Most casualties were at sea
Shipwreck	Mutton Bird Island, off the Shipwreck Coast of Victoria	53	1 June 1878	Loch Ard. Sources vary on exact death toll (2 survivors).
Bushfire	Victoria	51	1943–1944
Shipwreck	Brisbane, Queensland	50	February 1896	Pearl
Cyclone	Around Broome, Western Australia	50	1908

Image:MountMulligan.jpg|Cable drums blown from their foundations after the 1921 Mount Mulligan mine disaster, which claimed 75 lives.

10 to 49 deaths

Disaster	Location	Deaths	Date	Notes
Cyclonic effects	North coast, New South Wales	46	1923
Rail accident	Sunshine, Victoria	44	1908	Sunshine train disaster. Rear end collision
Air Disaster	near Mackay, Queensland	40	14 June 1943	Bakers Creek air crash. USAAF B-17 Flying Fortress crashes shortly after take-off.
Fire	Queenstown, Tasmania	42+	1912	1912 North Mount Lyell Disaster. Mine fire. True toll may be higher due to subsequent deaths from the effects of the fire
Shipwreck	near Edithburgh, South Australia	40	31 January 1909	Clan Ranald
Sinking	Sydney	40-42	3 November 1927	Sydney ferry disaster
Shipwreck	Cardwell, Queensland	36	1872	Shipwreck Maria. Some of the survivors were killed by Aborigines although others were helped
Flood	Melbourne suburbs and Southern Victoria	35	29 November to 1 December 1934	Torrential rainfall of up to 350 mm. Yarra River becomes raging torrent. Extensive damage with 35 dead, 250 injured, and 3,000 homeless.
Massacre	Port Arthur, Tasmania	35	28 April 1996	Port Arthur massacre. Shooting massacre
Shipwreck	Jervis Bay, New South Wales,	35	1 September 1876	The steamer Dandenong lost during severe storm.
Shipwreck	Cheviot Beach, Victoria	35	20 October 1887	SS Cheviot
Bridge collapse	Melbourne	35	15 October 1970	West Gate Bridge. 35 construction workers died due to a collapse during construction
Road accident	Kempsey, New South Wales	35	22 December 1989	Kempsey bus crash . Two tourist coaches collided head-on
Cyclone	Queensland coast, particularly Mackay	30	January 1918	Mackay Cyclone
Shipwreck	near Southend, south east South Australia	31	14 June 1876	Geltwood. Wreck not found for two weeks. No survivors.
Shipwreck	off Wilsons Promontory in Bass Strait	31	1 December 1935	SS Paringa Sunk during storm while towing another vessel. All officers and crew lost.
Fire	Melbourne	30	13 August 1966	William Booth Memorial Hostel fire. Convalescent home for men
Air disaster	Mackay	29	10 June 1960	TAA Fokker Friendship disaster. Crashed into sea
Cyclone/sinking.	Western Australia	29	April 1991	Cyclone Fife. 27 lost in shipwreck of Mineral Diamond
Riot and insurrection	Ballarat, Victoria	28	3 December 1854	Eureka Stockade. Exact death toll remains unknown.
Massacre	Myall Creek, near Inverell, New South Wales	28	9 June 1838	Myall Creek massacre. 28 Aboriginal people killed by white stockmen
Cyclone	Darwin, Northern Territory	28	January 1897
Air accident	York near Perth	28	26 June 1950	ANA Skymaster Amana crash. 1 survivor
Shipwreck	Kangaroo Island, South Australia	27	September 1905	Loch Vennachar
Air accident	Cleveland Bay, Townsville, Queensland	27	7 August 1943	C-47 Dakota plane crash. Plane crashed after takeoff.
Shipwreck/Massacre	Coorong, South Australia	26	1840	Maria. Survivors murdered. Exactly what took place remains controversial.
Explosion	Wagga Wagga, New South Wales	26	21 May 1945	Kapooka Army Base soldiers received instruction of demolition work in a bunker which was below the ground when an explosion took place which resulted in Australia's largest military funeral.
Cyclone	Gold Coast and northern New South Wales	26	February 1954
Air accident	Port Hedland, Western Australia	26	31 December 1968	Port Hedland plane crash. In-flight break up
Flood	Hunter Valley, New South Wales	25	February 1955	1955 Hunter Valley floods. Most deaths were around Singleton and Maitland, but most other river systems in the state were also in flood.
Rail accident	Wodonga, Victoria	25	1943	Train hit bus carrying army personnel
Air accident	Seven Mile Beach, near Hobart	25	March 1946	Australian National Airways plane
Air accident	Winton, Queensland	24	22 September 1966	Ansett-ANA Viscount disaster. VH-RMI enroute Mount Isa - Longreach
Shipwreck	Gosford	24	6 May 1898	Maitland
Air accident	Kudjeru Gap, in the Australian territory of Papua New Guinea	24	August 1972	RAAF Caribou aircraft crashes in rugged mountainous country enroute from Lae to Port Moresby, killing 24 of the 28 people on board.
Bushfire	Southern regions of Victoria	23	January 1969	280 fires. 17 casualties at Lara
Mine disaster	Creswick, Central Victoria	22	12 December 12, 1882	New Australasia gold mine. 44 miners trapped when a flooded mine shaft is breached. 22 men drown.
Flood	Northern Tasmania	22	April 1929	Eight drowned when truck ploughed into river and 14 died when dam collapsed and wall swept into town
Heatwave	South-east Queensland	22	January 2000
Road accident	Grafton, New South Wales	21	20 October 1989	Grafton bus crash. A head-on collision between a tourist coach and a truck.
Air accident	Coolangatta, Queensland	21	10 March 1949	Queensland Airlines Lockheed Lodestar crashes shortly after take-off due to imbalanced load.
Shipwreck	Trial Bay, New South Wales	19-21	September 1816
Shipwreck	Smokey Cape, New South Wales	21	25 August 1969	Noongah sank
Shipwreck	off Gabo Island, Bass Strait	21	1 March 1901	SS Federal vanished without trace. All crewmembers lost.
Air accident	Mossman, Queensland	20	7 September 1944	Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force Douglas C-47 Dakota crashes en-route between Merauke, Dutch East Indies and Cairns.
Fire	Kings Cross, New South Wales	19	25 August 1981	Rembrant Hotel.
Shipwreck	Adelaide, South Australia	18+	13 July 1888	Star of Greece. Exact number of lives lost uncertain.
Road accident	Tumut Pond, New South Wales	18	1 September 1973	Brake failure caused bus to plummet into reservoir
Air accident	Townsville, Queensland	18	12 June 1996	Two Army Blackhawk helicopters collided
Landslide	Thredbo, New South Wales	18	1997	1997 Thredbo landslide
Air accident	Dandenongs, Victoria	18	1938	1938 Kyeema Crash
Rail accident	Brooklyn, New South Wales	17	1944	Train ploughed into bus at Hawksbury River station
Rail accident	Wasleys Crossing, near Gawler, South Australia	17	12 April 1970	Wasleys Crossing (Gawler) disaster. Bus collided with a passenger train
Explosion	Ipswich, Queensland	17	31 July 1972	Mine gas explosion in the Box Flat Colliery
Heatwave	South-Eastern regions, Australia	17	February 1993	Possibility of additional unreported deaths
Shipwreck	Bass Strait Victorian coast	16	29 November 1934	SS Coramba left Warrnambool for Melbourne and was never seen again. Believed lost during storm.
Rail accident	Camp Mountain, Queensland	16	5 May 1947	Camp Mountain train disaster. A crowded picnic train derailed on bend
Fire	Sylvania Heights, New South Wales	16	29 April 1981	Pacific Nursing Home fire.
Air accident	Botany Bay, New South Wales	15	30 November 1961	Ansett-ANA Viscount plane crash. All occupants (11 passengers and 4 crew) died.
Fire	Kings Cross, New South Wales	15	25 December 1975	Savoy Hotel Fire. Arson
Shipwreck	near Cape Schanck, Victoria	15	28 December 1893	SS Alert
Fire	Fortitude Valley, Queensland	15	8 March 1973	Whiskey Au Go Go fire. Arson
Cyclone/Sinking	near Carnarvon, Western Australia	15	1979	Cyclone Hazel
Heatwave	South-eastern regions of Australia	15	February 1981
Air accident	Lockhart River, Queensland	15	7 May 2005	Lockhart River plane crash
Fire	Childers, Queensland	15	June 2000	Robert Long received a life sentence for starting the fire at Childers Palace backpackers hostel
Bushfire	Dandenong Ranges and Lara, Victoria	14*	January 14 - January 16, 1962	Casualty numbers vary between 9, 14, and 32.
Bushfires	Sydney, Blue Mountains and Illawarra, New South Wales	14*	January 1968	*Sources vary on death toll but most say 14.
Cyclone	Whitsunday Islands, Queensland	14	January 1970	Cyclone Ada
Cyclone	Brisbane, Queensland	14	27 January 1974	1974 Brisbane flood. Cyclone Wanda
Explosion	Appin, New South Wales	14	24 July 1979	Appin Colliery Gas Explosion during a pre-planned ventilation change.
Explosion	Wonthaggi, Victoria	13	15 February 1937	Dalyson Colliery
Air accident	Tamworth, New South Wales	13	January 1960
Explosion	Kianga, near Moura, Queensland	13	20 September 1975	Kianga Mine explosion
Air accident	Sydney Airport	13	21 February 1980	Light aircraft suffers engine failure
Air accident	near Alice Springs, Northern Territory	13	13 August 1989	Collision between 2 hot air balloons
Earthquake	Newcastle, New South Wales	13	28 December 1989	1989 Newcastle earthquake
Flood	Windsor, New South Wales	12	21 June 1867	12 members of the Eather family swept away in flood.
Bushfire	Gippsland, Victoria	12	1 February 1898	"Red Tuesday" bushfires. 2,600 km² burnt, 12 people killed, 2,000 buildings destroyed.
Bushfire	Victoria – Portland, Plenty Ranges, Westernport, Wimmera and Dandenong districts	12*	6 February 1851	"Black Thursday" bushfires. *Approximately 12 fatalities, one million sheep, thousands of cattle, 50,000 km² burnt.
Shipwreck	Calgardup Bay, Western Australia	12	1 December 1876	SS Georgette
Bridge collapse	Hobart, Tasmania	12	5 January 1975	Tasman Bridge disaster. The bulk ore carrier Lake Illawarra collided with the bridge, causing a section to fall onto the vessel. 7 crewmen died as the ship sank. 5 people perished as their cars plummeted off the edge.
Explosion	Moura, Queensland	12	16 July 1986	Explosion in Moura No 4 Mine
Fire	Dungog, New South Wales	12	2 August 1991	Palm Grove Hostel fire
Rail accident	Near Kerang, Victoria	11	5 June 2007	Kerang train crash. A V/Line train collides with a truck at a level crossing.
Road accident	Boondall, Queensland	12	1 October 1994	Boondall bus crash
Rail accident	Near Horsham, Victoria	11	24 February 1951	A train collides with a bus at a level crossing.
Serial killing	Remains discovered in Snowtown, South Australia	11	1999	Snowtown murders.
Air accident	Mount Emerald, Queensland	11	11 May 1990
Bushfire	Victoria	10	January 1965
Air Accident	Canberra	10	13 August 1940	Senior War Cabinet Ministers, Chief of Staff and others killed when their plane crashed in fine weather.
Storm/Flood	Hunter and Central Coast regions, New South Wales	10	8 - 11 June 2007	Storm and flooding
Rail accident	Near Traveston railway station, Queensland	10	9 June 1925	10 died and 48 injured when a passenger carrige and luggage van of the Rockhampton Mail plunged off a high trestle bridge.
Massacre	South Australia	10	Sept 1971	Father kills 10 members of his family
Heatwave	Eastern and Southern regions Australia	10+	January-February 1997	Strong likelihood of additional unreported deaths

Image:Port arthur outside.jpg|The Port Arthur massacre claimed 35 lives in 1996 when Martin Bryant opened fire in the former penal colony.Image:AA Blackhawk A25-218jpg.jpg|Two Australian Army S-70A Blackhawk helicopters, similar to the one pictured, crashed in 1996 near Townsville, killing 18 Australian soldiers.Image:Eureka Stockade.jpg|A memorial stone to some of those who died during the Eureka Stockade in 1854.Image:SkymasterCrashFuselage.PNG|The ANA Skymaster Amana crash claimed 29 lives in 1950.Image:SevenMileBeach1946 2.png|The crash of an ANA aircraft near Seven Mile Beach in 1946 claimed 25 lives.

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.
Massacre	Melbourne	9	8 December 1987	Queen Street massacre. Shooting massacre
Air accident	Snowy Mountains, New South Wales	8	21 March 1931	Southern Cloud
Bushfire	Wandillo, 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.
Serial killing	Near Berrima, New South Wales	7+	1989-1994	Backpacker Murders. Remains of seven backpackers found in the Belanglo State Forest. The killer remains the Prime suspect for another 16 still 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	Central Sydney	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.
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.
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.
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.
Road accident/fire	Melbourne	3	23 March 2007	Burnley Tunnel Fire. Traffic accident resulting in explosion and fire.
Road accident	Armadale, Western Australia	3	27 October 2009	2 car head-on collision
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
Rail Accident	Trawalla, Victoria	2	28 April 2006	2 people killed in level-crossing train accident at Trawalla, near Beaufort, Victoria
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

Image:2003CanberraBushfires.jpg|The Canberra bushfires of 2003 claimed 4 lives.Image:Cardross memorial2.jpg|Roadside memorials at Cardross, Victoria, where 6 teenagers lost their lives in a hit-and-run accident on 18 February 2006.Image:SouthernCloudcrash2.png|The crash of the Southern Cloud in 1931 claimed 8 lives.

Significant incidents of Australians being killed overseas

Excludes deaths attributable to war.

Disaster	Location	Deaths	Date	Notes
Terrorism	Kuta, Bali, Indonesia	89	12 October 2002	2002 Bali Bombing
Tsunami	Thailand and Sri Lanka	26	26 December 2004	2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
Air accident	Denpasar, Indonesia	16	22 April 1974	Pan Am Boeing 707 crashes into a mountain, a total of 107 people were killed.
Flood	Interlaken, Switzerland	14	July 28, 1999	Flash flood hits canyoning expedition.
Terrorism	New York City and Arlington County, United States	11	11 September 2001	September 11, 2001 attacks.
Air accident	near Isurava, Papua New Guinea	9	12 August 2009	Airlines PNG Flight CG4684 - Airlines PNG De Havilland Twin Otter 300 crashes in mountainous terrain.
Air accident	Nias Island, Indonesia	9	2 April 2005	2005 Nias Island WS-61 Sea King crash crashes while providing relief services to victims of the 2005 Sumatra earthquake
Air accident	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	9	August 1974
Road accident	Outside Cairo, Egypt	6	11 January 2006	Bus swerves and flips on major highway
Air accident	Near Suva, Fiji	6	24 July 1999	Air Fiji Bandeirante hits mountain ridge
Poisoning	Balikpapan, Dutch East Indies	6	1945	Australian soldiers accidentally drink methyl alcohol from ruptured drums
Air accident	Yogyakarta, Indonesia	5	7 March 2007	Garuda Indonesia flight 200
Tsunami	Samoa	5	30 September 2009	2009 Samoa earthquake
Air accident	Kallang Airport, Singapore	5	13 March 1954	BOAC Lockheed Constellation flying from Sydney crashes on landing.
Road accident	Kota Tinggi, Malaysia	5	1993	Truck carrying Australian soldiers of 5th/7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment hit by a bus.
Air accident	near San Francisco	4+	29 October 1953	British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines Flight 304 crashes on approach to San Francisco.
Bridge collapse	Ramat Gan, Israel	4	14 July 1997	Maccabiah bridge collapse
Terrorism	Jimbaran and Kuta, Bali, Indonesia	4	1 October 2005	2005 Bali Bombings
Air accident	near Goroka, Papua New Guinea	4	17 June 1999	Airlink Embraer Bandeirante crashes on approach
Cyclone	Gulf of Thailand, Thailand	4	3 November 1989	Drilling Ship Seacrest capsized during Typhoon Gay.
Air accident	Tanjung Kupang, Johor, Malaysia	3	4 December 1977	Malaysia Airlines Flight 653.
Terrorism	Jakarta, Indonesia	3	17 July 2009	JW Marriott/Ritz-Carlton hotel bombing.
Fire	Manoharpur, Orissa, India	3	22 January 1999	Australian missionary and sons killed in arson attack.
Air accident	Lukla, Nepal	2	15 October 2008	Yeti Airlines Twin Otter aircraft crashes in fog.
Air accident	London, United Kingdom	2	4 November 1967	Iberia Airlines Flight 062 crashed while landing at Heathrow Airport.
Terrorism	Mumbai, India	2	November 2008	November 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Air accident	off Mauritius	2	28 November 1987	South African Airways Flight 295.
Air accident	near Qazvin, Iran	2	15 July 2009	Caspian Airlines Flight 7908
Air accident	Long Island Sound, United States	2	27 June 2005	Private light plane crash
Avalanche	Peru	2	2 August 2007	Avalanche in Huayhuash peaks in Bolognesi, Peru
Shootings	Balibo, Portuguese Timor	2	16 October 1975	Indonesian military shoot at journalists ("Balibo Five") during incursion into Portuguese Timor
Air accident	Near Hawaii, United States	2	24 February 1989	United Airlines Flight 811 between Honolulu and Auckland experiences explosive decompression
Air accident	Los Rodeos, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain	2	27 March 1977	KLM and Pan Am jumbos collide on runway (Tenerife disaster)
Terrorism	Roermond, Netherlands	2	27 May 1990	two Australian tourists shot by the Provisional IRA, in the mistaken belief they are British military personnel
Air accident	Bay of Bengal	2	8 November 1935	Lady Southern Cross, piloted by Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith, crashes en-route between Allahabad, India and Singapore.
Avalanche	Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand	2	31 December 2003	Avalanche hits party climbing Mount Tasman

See also

• List of shipwrecks
• Timeline of major crimes in Australia
• List of massacres of indigenous Australians
• List of Canadian disasters by death toll
• List of New Zealand disasters by death toll
• List of United Kingdom disasters by death toll

References

External links

• Emergency Management Australia Disasters Database
• Major bushfires in Victoria (PDF)