Significant Dates for Indigenous Australians in July

Each month, Mainie shares significant events in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history to deepen understanding of the world’s oldest continuing cultures and support the continuing work of truth-telling, recognition and justice.

July brings moments of celebration, achievement, resistance and remembrance. Together, these stories reveal the strength of First Nations peoples, the injustices they have endured and the cultures, knowledge and leadership that continue to shape Australia.

July 1843 – Warrigal Creek Massacre, Gippsland

In July 1843, Brataualung people of the Gunaikurnai Nation were massacred by an armed party of colonists at Warrigal Creek in Gippsland, Victoria.

The massacre was part of a wider campaign of violence that accompanied the invasion and occupation of Gunaikurnai Country.

Following the killing of pastoralist Ronald Macalister near Port Albert, Angus McMillan reportedly assembled an armed group of approximately 20 horsemen known as the “Highland Brigade”.

Rather than pursuing only those accused of Macalister’s death, the group attacked Aboriginal families at Warrigal Creek and other locations, including Freshwater Creek, Gammon Creek and Red Hill.

At Warrigal Creek, settlers surrounded families gathered near a waterhole and opened fire. The victims included men, women and children.

No exact death toll survives. Historical estimates range from at least 25 people at Warrigal Creek itself to between 60 and 150 across the connected attacks.

The uncertainty reflects the secrecy surrounding frontier killings, the lack of official investigation and the deliberate concealment of evidence. No member of the armed party was prosecuted.

For generations, Angus McMillan was publicly celebrated as an explorer and pioneer. Roads, parks, monuments and a former federal electorate carried his name, while the experiences of the Gunaikurnai people were largely excluded.

Truth-telling does not erase history. It reveals the history that was hidden-whose Country was taken, who profited and who paid the price.

The names of those killed at Warrigal Creek were not preserved in colonial records. They were family members, knowledge holders and custodians of Country.

Despite massacre, dispossession and government control, the Gunaikurnai people survived. They continue to care for Country, maintain culture and assert their rights as the Traditional Owners of Gippsland.

In July, we remember the Brataualung people whose lives were taken and honour the strength, survival and continuing sovereignty of the Gunaikurnai Nation.

28 July 1902 – Albert Namatjira Born

On 28 July 1902, celebrated Western Arrernte artist Albert Namatjira was born at Ntaria, then known as Hermannsburg Mission, west of Mparntwe-Alice Springs.

His luminous watercolours of Central Australia transformed Australian art and made him the first Aboriginal visual artist to achieve widespread recognition among non-Indigenous audiences.

Namatjira learned European watercolour techniques from artist Rex Battarbee during the 1930s, but developed a style grounded in his own knowledge of Western Arrernte Country.

His paintings of mountain ranges, riverbeds, gorges and ghost gums were not simply scenic landscapes. They depicted Ancestral Country-places shaped by culture, family, law and belonging.

For many years, critics dismissed his work as an imitation of European art. This ignored the cultural knowledge within the paintings and the fact that Namatjira was portraying Country to which he held profound responsibilities.

His first solo exhibition in 1938 sold out, and he quickly became one of Australia’s best-known artists.

Yet fame did not bring equality.

While celebrated nationally and internationally, Namatjira remained subject to discriminatory laws controlling Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory. He struggled to obtain suitable land for a family home and lived in poor conditions despite earning considerable income.

In 1957, Albert and his wife Rubina received an exemption from restrictive welfare laws. This was often described as granting “citizenship”, although Aboriginal people were already Australian citizens. The exemption simply removed some of the controls applied to them because they were Aboriginal.

Their relatives remained subject to those laws, placing Namatjira in an impossible position. He was later convicted of supplying alcohol to another Aboriginal man and imprisoned.

The case exposed the cruelty and absurdity of a system that celebrated Namatjira as a national treasure while denying him rights available to non-Indigenous Australians.

He died in 1959 at the age of 57.

Namatjira inspired the Hermannsburg School of watercolour painting, continued today by artists from his family and community. After a long campaign, the copyright in his work was returned to his family in 2017.

His paintings changed how Australians saw Central Australia. His life changed how many Australians saw the injustice of their country’s laws.

1 July 1953 – David Gulpilil Born

David Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu AM was a celebrated Yolŋu actor, ceremonial dancer, storyteller, musician and artist who transformed the representation of Aboriginal people in Australian cinema.

His birth was recorded by missionaries as 1 July 1953, although Gulpilil later said he did not know his precise birth date. A Mandhalpuyngu man raised near Maningrida in Arnhem Land, he grew up with the laws, languages, ceremonies and cultural traditions of his people.

Already an accomplished hunter, tracker and dancer, Gulpilil was about 16 when filmmaker Nicolas Roeg cast him in Walkabout. Released in 1971, the film launched an extraordinary career spanning five decades.

His major films included Storm Boy, The Last Wave, Crocodile Dundee, Rabbit-Proof Fence, The Tracker, Ten Canoes, Australia and Charlie’s Country.

Gulpilil was far more than an actor. He brought cultural authority, humour and humanity to the screen and used film, theatre, dance, painting and storytelling to share Aboriginal perspectives with audiences around the world.

He helped inspire Ten Canoes, a groundbreaking film featuring Aboriginal actors speaking their own languages and later co-wrote and starred in Charlie’s Country. His performance earned him Best Actor in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.

His honours included appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia, two AFI/AACTA Best Actor awards, the Australia Council’s Red Ochre Award, the NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award and the AACTA Longford Lyell Award.

David Gulpilil passed away on 29 November 2021. His return to Country for his Bäpurru, or funeral ceremony, was documented in the award-winning 2025 film Journey Home, David Gulpilil.

His legacy reaches far beyond his filmography. He challenged stereotypes, opened doors for generations of First Nations filmmakers and carried Yolŋu culture and storytelling onto the world stage.

9 July 1971 – The Aboriginal Flag First Flown

On 9 July 1971, the Australian Aboriginal Flag was raised publicly for the first time at a land rights rally in Victoria Square-Tarntanyangga-in Adelaide.

In 2026, Australia marks the 55th anniversary of this historic occasion.

Designed by Luritja artist Harold Thomas, the flag emerged from the Aboriginal land rights movement and demands for justice, equality and self-determination.

Its symbolism is powerful:

• Black represents the Aboriginal peoples of Australia.
• Red represents the earth, red ochre and spiritual connection to Country.
• Yellow represents the sun, the giver of life and protector.

The flag quickly became a symbol of protest and resistance. It was later adopted by activists connected with the Aboriginal Tent Embassy and has since been carried in campaigns for land rights, treaty, justice, reconciliation and an end to Aboriginal deaths in custody.

At the 1994 Commonwealth Games, Cathy Freeman carried both the Aboriginal and Australian flags after winning gold, despite criticism from officials. Her gesture became one of the most memorable declarations of Aboriginal pride in Australian sporting history.

In 1995, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags were proclaimed official Flags of Australia. Their authority, however, did not come from government recognition. They had already been embraced by the people they represented.

In 2022, the Commonwealth acquired the copyright to the Aboriginal Flag, allowing it to be reproduced freely provided it is treated with respect and dignity.

Today, the flag flies at parliaments, schools, councils, cultural institutions and community organisations across Australia.

Yet it is more than a national emblem. It was created by an Aboriginal artist for Aboriginal people during a struggle for land, rights and freedom.

Its continued power comes from what it represents: survival, identity, unity, resistance, cultural strength and hope for justice.

14 July 1972 – Deborah Mailman Born

On 14 July 1972, acclaimed actor, writer and cultural trailblazer Deborah Mailman AM was born in Mount Isa, Queensland.

A proud Bidjara, Ngāti Porou and Te Arawa woman, Mailman has become one of Australia’s most respected performers and an important advocate for First Nations storytelling.

Her career began in theatre. One of her defining early works was The Seven Stages of Grieving, co-created with Wesley Enoch. The landmark production explored Aboriginal identity, grief, family, survival and the continuing effects of colonisation.

Mailman made her feature-film debut in Rachel Perkins’ Radiance in 1998. Her performance earned her the AFI Award for Best Actress, making her the first Aboriginal actor to win the award in a leading role.

Her major screen credits include Rabbit-Proof Fence, The Sapphires, Bran Nue Dae, Offspring, Redfern Now, Mabo, Mystery Road and Total Control.

In Rabbit-Proof Fence, she helped bring the history of the Stolen Generations to international audiences. In The Sapphires, she portrayed a strong and complex Aboriginal woman navigating family, racism and ambition.

Her role as Alex Irving in Total Control offered one of Australian television’s most compelling portrayals of an Aboriginal woman confronting racism, political power and institutional manipulation.

Mailman’s characters are not stereotypes. They are funny, ambitious, flawed, loving, vulnerable and powerful.

Her success has helped transform expectations of who can lead Australian theatre, film and television. In 2017, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia, and in 2024 she joined Creative Australia’s inaugural First Nations Board.

Deborah Mailman’s career is part of a broader movement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to control their own stories and be represented with complexity, dignity and truth.

6 July 2019 – Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List

On 6 July 2019, the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape on Gunditjmara Country in south-western Victoria was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

It became the first Australian place to receive World Heritage recognition exclusively for its Aboriginal cultural significance.

Budj Bim contains one of the oldest and most extensive known aquaculture systems in the world.

For thousands of years, Gunditjmara people engineered channels, weirs, dams and ponds to control water and trap, store and harvest kooyang, or short-finned eels.

Some parts of this system have been dated to at least 6,600 years ago. The landscape also contains stone house foundations, smoking places and evidence of permanent or semi-permanent settlements.

These structures challenge the colonial myth that Aboriginal people lived only as nomadic hunters and gatherers. They demonstrate sophisticated engineering, environmental management, food production and economic organisation.

Budj Bim is both a place and an Ancestral Creation Being. Gunditjmara knowledge tells how Budj Bim revealed himself through a volcanic eruption, creating the lava flows, wetlands and waterways that shaped the aquaculture landscape.

The World Heritage property includes three connected components: Budj Bim, Kurtonitj and Tyrendarra. Tae Rak-Lake Condah-is also a place of profound cultural importance.

European invasion brought conflict, massacre, displacement and the establishment of the Lake Condah Mission. Gunditjmara people resisted colonisation during the Eumeralla Wars and continued fighting for the return and protection of their Country.

The World Heritage inscription followed decades of advocacy by Gunditjmara Traditional Owners.

Budj Bim is not a relic of the past. It is a living cultural landscape where knowledge of water, kooyang, ceremony, food preparation and caring for Country continues to pass between generations.

Its recognition corrected a major omission from Australian history and affirmed what Gunditjmara people had always known: this landscape carries ancient knowledge, ingenuity and an unbroken relationship between people and Country.

30 July 2022 – Archie Roach Passed Away

On 30 July 2022, beloved singer, songwriter, storyteller and activist Uncle Archie Roach AC passed away at Warrnambool Base Hospital. He was 66.

A proud Gunditjmara and Bundjalung man, Archie used music to tell stories of removal, grief, family, survival and healing.

At around two or three years old, Archie and his siblings were forcibly removed from their family by government authorities. He was one of the thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children now known as the Stolen Generations.

At 15, he learned from his biological sister that their mother had recently died. The news sent him on a long search for family, identity and belonging.

During a period of homelessness, he met Ngarrindjeri and Kokatha singer Ruby Hunter, who had also been removed from her family. They became life partners, parents and one of the most important creative partnerships in Australian music.

Archie’s landmark song, “Took the Children Away,” told the story of forced removal from the perspective of those who experienced it.

Released on his 1990 debut album, Charcoal Lane, the song helped bring the truth of the Stolen Generations into public consciousness before the release of the Bringing Them Home report or the National Apology.

The song carried grief and anger, but also survival and return. It became one of the most important recordings in Australian music history.

Across more than three decades, Archie released acclaimed albums including Looking for Butter Boy, Into the Bloodstream, Let Love Rule and Tell Me Why.

His music spoke difficult truths without abandoning compassion. He understood that healing did not come from forgetting the past, but from acknowledging it.

Archie also worked with young people in prisons and detention centres. In 2014, he established the Archie Roach Foundation to support First Nations young people through music, culture and the arts.

His honours included the Red Ochre Award, induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame, appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia and, after his death, Companion of the Order of Australia.

Archie Roach gave voice to experiences that Australia had too often denied. He showed that truth could be carried through music with tenderness, dignity and hope.

His songs remain part of Australia’s cultural memory and continue to guide new generations.

1 July 2026 – Coming of the Light Festival

Each year on 1 July, Torres Strait Islander communities celebrate the Coming of the Light, one of the most important cultural and religious observances in the Torres Strait.

The day commemorates the arrival of representatives of the London Missionary Society and Pacific Islander Christian teachers at Kemus Beach on Erub-Darnley Island-on 1 July 1871.

When the schooner Surprise arrived, Erub Elder Dabad welcomed the visitors and introduced them to Amani and the wider community. His diplomacy helped establish the first Christian mission in the Torres Strait.

The role of the Pacific Islander teachers is central to this history. Christianity was not brought solely by European missionaries; men and women from the Loyalty Islands played an important part in building relationships and sharing the Christian faith.

The phrase “Coming of the Light” refers to the arrival and adoption of Christianity. It must not be interpreted as suggesting that Torres Strait Islander people previously lived without spirituality, law or moral knowledge.

Long before 1871, Torres Strait Islander societies possessed complex spiritual traditions, languages, kinship systems, ceremonies and profound relationships with land, sea, sky and ancestors.

Over time, Torres Strait Islander people incorporated Christianity into their own cultural frameworks. This blending of faith with Ailan Kastom, or Island Custom, remains central to community life.

Celebrations may include church services, hymns, dancing, re-enactments, feasting, storytelling and family gatherings. On Erub, the meeting between Dabad and the visitors may be re-enacted at Kemus Beach.

The Coming of the Light is both a celebration of faith and an opportunity to recognise the distinct histories, cultures and identities of Torres Strait Islander peoples.

5–12 July 2026 – National NAIDOC Week

National NAIDOC Week will be celebrated from Sunday 5 July to Sunday 12 July 2026.

The 2026 theme, “50 Years of Deadly,” celebrates five decades since NAIDOC became a week-long national observance.

In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, “deadly” commonly means excellent, impressive or powerful. The theme honours the Elders, activists, artists, organisers and communities who built and sustained the NAIDOC movement.

NAIDOC Week celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, knowledge and achievements. It is also grounded in protest, truth-telling and the continuing struggle for justice.

Its origins can be traced to First Nations political organising during the 1920s and 1930s.

On 26 January 1938, while Australia celebrated the 150th anniversary of British occupation, Aboriginal activists gathered in Sydney for the Day of Mourning and Protest.

Leaders including William Cooper, Jack Patten, William Ferguson, Margaret Tucker, Sir Douglas Nicholls and Pearl Gibbs challenged dispossession, discriminatory laws and the denial of citizenship rights.

The observance later became Aborigines Day and moved to July. In 1975, it expanded into a full week. In 1991, Torres Strait Islander peoples were formally recognised in the name NAIDOC-the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee.

The 2026 theme looks back at 50 years of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership while celebrating the generations carrying culture, language, activism and creativity forward.

The official 2026 poster, Paralpi, was created by Yankunytjatjara artist and musician Zaachariaha Fielding. It reflects movement, memory, language and the strength of culture across generations.

NAIDOC Week events may include marches, flag-raising ceremonies, cultural festivals, dance, music, art exhibitions, storytelling, sporting events and truth-telling forums.

Meaningful participation goes beyond displaying a poster. It means listening to First Nations voices, attending community-led events, supporting Indigenous artists and businesses and building respectful relationships throughout the year.

NAIDOC is a celebration-but it is also a reminder that many demands remain unfinished: protection and return of Country, truth-telling, treaty, self-determination, justice for deaths in custody and stronger support for First Nations languages, communities and cultures.

Why Truth-Telling Matters

These July anniversaries reveal an Australian history far richer and more complex than the version traditionally taught.

They tell of ancient engineering and living cultural knowledge. They honour artists who changed how Australia saw itself. They celebrate protest movements, symbols of resistance and communities that transformed imposed institutions into expressions of their own identity.

They also confront massacre, dispossession, forced removal, discriminatory laws and the silencing of First Nations voices.

Truth-telling is not about dividing Australians or dwelling only on the past.

It is about acknowledging what happened, honouring those who endured it and understanding how history continues to shape the present.

There can be no meaningful reconciliation without truth.

By listening to First Nations voices, learning the histories of the Country on which we live and recognising both injustice and survival, we take an essential step towards a more honest and just Australia.