Miss Australia is the title for the winner of the Miss Australia beauty contest, which was run for the Spastic Society since 1908 and until 2000, when the last Miss Australia was called.

The title of "Miss Australia" had existed since 1926, although it was not until 1954 that it became associated with the Spastic Centres of Australia. The Miss Australia Awards was sponsored and organised from 1954 until the early 1960s by the lingerie manufacturer, Hickory, until Dowd Associates transferred the ownership to the Australian Cerebral Palsy Association in 1963.

From 1926 the program operated under the name of "The Miss Australia Quest" until 1992 when it was changed to "The Miss Australia Awards" to reflect changing community attitudes.

Miss Australia raised money for the Spastic Society through her friends and family. She was judged on beauty and merit, as well as raising the most money.

There is another Miss Australia competition, which is part of the Miss Universe beauty contest, and like its world counterpart, is purely for beauty.

History of Miss Australia

• 1926 - Helen Wayth
• 1927 - Beryl Mills
• 1955 - Maureen Kistle
• 1959 - Joan Stanbury
• 1961 - Tania Verstak
• 1973 - Michelle Downs
• 1978 - Gloria Krope
• 1986 - Tracey Pearson
• 1998 - Suellen Fuller
• 1999 - Kathryn Hay
• 2000 - Christina Dogget

Miss Australia in the states

Famous Miss Australias

One of the most famous Miss Australias was a woman named Tania Verstak. She was born in China of Russian parents, and when she won Miss Australia in 1961, she was the first woman of immigrant background to win.

The first Aboriginal woman to win was Christina Dogget in 2000.

The role of volunteers in Miss Australia

Criticism and analysis of Miss Australia

Sources and further reading

• Miss Australia: A retrospective 1908-2000 Katherine Beard (Hindmarsh, S. Aust. : Crawford House Publishing, c2001)