Portal:Australia/Anniversaries/February/February 8

George Coulthard, whose umpiring decision to give out Billy Murdoch led to the riot.

• 1807 – Thomas Laycock discovers the Clyde River in Van Diemen's Land.
• 1879 – A controversial umpiring decision at an international cricket match results in the Sydney Riot of 1879.
• 1950 – Petrol rationing ends following World War II.
• 1983 – A huge dust storm originating in the Mallee area of Victoria covers Melbourne.
• 2004 – Peter Beattie leads the Australian Labor Party to a landslide victory in the Queensland state election.