Australia’s best photos of July 2026 capture a range of moments from politics, sports, culture, and everyday life across the country. The month began with former Victorian premier Jacinta Allan walking out of Labor’s caucus meeting after Ben Carroll was elected to replace her (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images).
Night Glow and Fire Shows
Hot air balloons lit up for the Night Glow event to launch the 2026 Balloons over Mildura festival (Sam Guo/Global Ballooning Australia). A fire show performer entertained crowds as part of the Winter in the City event in Canberra (Xinhua/Shutterstock).
Portraits and Personalities
Rachel Menzies and her father Ross Menzies, both psychologists and authors, were photographed in Sydney (Blake Sharp-Wiggins/The Guardian). Climate advocate Ann Liao, one of Australia’s more than 680,000 Mandarin speakers, was also featured (Penny Stephens/The Guardian). Lawyer Marziyah Razi, who expressed concern about recent political rhetoric from Pauline Hanson, was photographed (Christopher Hopkins/The Guardian).
ABC presenter and journalist Lisa Millar was captured at Sandridge Beach near Port Melbourne (Eugene Hyland/The Guardian). Jahari sang during the Sunday service at the Baptist church in Armidale, New South Wales (Blake Sharp-Wiggins/The Guardian). April Long was photographed with their son Kai; the 2026 census introduces non-gendered terms to questions on household and family relationships, among other changes (Dean Sewell/The Guardian). Joanna Wood and Bruce Hart were pictured; she was at first unwilling to reveal she takes a GLP-1 drug, but when he found out he was unfazed (Christopher Hopkins/The Guardian).
Sports Highlights
NSW Blues head coach Laurie Daley was doused with ice water by Stephen Crichton after their State of Origin series win (Dave Hunt/AAP). Melbourne’s Max Gawn and Richmond’s Toby Nankervis competed in the ruck during an AFL match at the MCG (Josh Chadwick/AFL Photos/via Getty Images). Football fans reacted as a flare was set off at Sydney’s Tumbalong Park during a watch party for the Fifa World Cup match between Australia and Egypt (Sitthixay Ditthavong/AAP). The Fiji Pearls and the Papua New Guinea Pepes competed in the inaugural Spirit Series at Sydney’s Netball Central (Mark Evans/AAP). Wests Tigers player Emily Bass was tackled during an NRLW match against the Parramatta Eels at CommBank Stadium in Sydney (Matt King/Getty Images). Juan Diego Pinilla Garcia of Colombia crashed during the 2026 BMX Racing World Championships in Brisbane (Albert Perez/Getty Images). Hungary’s Zsombor Vismeg competed with Australia’s Nicolas Constantin-Bicari during the Water Polo World Cup finals in Sydney (David Gray/AFP/Getty Images).
Cultural Events and Fashion
Models Cassie Black and Sebina Durrurrnga participated in East Arnhem Land’s inaugural fashion week (Alana Holmberg/The Guardian). The installation Fracture by Australian artist Chris Petridis was displayed at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens during Illuminate Adelaide (Tracey Nearmy/The Guardian). Bangarra Dance Theatre dancers Daniel Mateo and Chantelle Lee Lockhart performed at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane (Darren England/AAP). A model competed in the bridal hair competition during the Hair Festival in Sydney (Jessica Hromas/The Guardian).
Other Notable Images
Crews painted over the Pam the Bird graffiti on Melbourne’s Bolte Bridge (Christopher Hopkins/AAP). India’s prime minister Narendra Modi spoke during a press conference in Melbourne (Hollie Adams/Reuters).
