Portal:Australia/Anniversaries/January/January 17
- 1899 – Novelist Nevil Shute is born in Ealing, London.
- 1922 – The first Archibald Prize for portraiture is won by William McInnes.
- 1944 – Meat rationing began in Australia.
- 1970 – Cyclone Ada hits Central Queensland, killing 14.
- 1972 – A tent embassy is set up in Canberra outside Parliament House, protesting land rights.