William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales, then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, made their first official tour of Australia with their son, George, in the April.

Their 10-day tour across NSW, to Brisbnae, Canberra, Uluru, and Adelaide. While in NSW, the couple visited Taronga Zoo, Sydney Royal Show, and the Blue Mountains.

Parents across the nation breathed a sigh of relief for the parent of Daniel Morcombe, the missing teenage boy from Queendland when Brett Peter Cowan was found guilty of murdering him in December 2003. Cowan was sentenced to life in jail with a minimum non-parole period of 20 years on March 14.

On July 18, Australians were shocked to learn 28 Australians were confirmed among the 300 people aboard Flight MH17 which crashed in Eastern Ukraine near the Russian boarder.

Tamworth residents joined the rest of the nation in paying tribute to former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, who died, aged 98, on October 21.

Among Mr Whitlam's achievements, he was credited with making Australia a more inclusive and compassionate society, and delivering free university education and universal healthcare.

In December, Sydney CBD went into lockdown when Man Haron Monis stormed into the Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Martin Place and took staff and customers hostage for two days. The siege ended with Monis and two hostages dead and four other injured