Australian trivia: Inhabitants of the New South Wales District of Port Phillip city of Melbourne learned of their independence by reading a copy of the Times, delivered by ship on Nov 11th, 1850.
The Australian Colonies Government Act required NSW to cede its rich southern pasturelands to a new colony named Victoria, which would be ruled from Melbourne.
The news was contained in a small article on page 5, nestled between notice of an amendment to the Dog Act and an advert for an impotence cure.