A confronting story about a child porn sex ring was among news.com.au’s best read in 2016.

Tragedy and terror were also on the list, but so were opposing sporting moments — the history-making Melbourne Cup win by Almandin and the split between the AFL Footy Show’s Garry Lyon and Bill Brownless.

Readers jumped online to follow the count during the elections in July and November. The election of Donald Trump in America was the second most read story of the year, only topped by the Australia federal election.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in his office after winning the 2016 election. Picture: Gary RamageSource:News Corp Australia

2016 AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL ELECTION

In the early hours of July 3, Malcolm Turnbull made an announcement Australians had eagerly anticipated.

“I can report that, based on the advice I have from the party officials, we can have every confidence that we will form a Coalition majority government in the next Parliament,” he said.

The prospect of a hung parliament was a real possibility during counting in one of the closest elections in recent history.

Readers turned to news.com.au for this story more than any other story in 2016.

Donald Trump was a big part of 2016 and will be even bigger next year. Picture: Mark Wilson/Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images

US LIVE BLOG/RESULTS

Just behind the Australian federal election was the hype about the Donald Trump presidency.

It became clear shortly after voting began that a Trump win was not only was it possible but fast becoming probable. What some thought was impossible had happened.

There was devastation among Hillary Clinton supporters and elation for the Trump camp, but around the world there was also fallout.

In New York City, outside Trump headquarters, news.com.au’s Charlotte Willis covered the events of an incredible 24 hours, all the way up until 3am.

It looks like 2017 will be an interesting year.

A ‘smile for the camera’ behind police tape at Dreamworld. Picture: Jono SearleSource:News Corp Australia

TRAGEDY STRIKES AT DREAMWORLD

The deaths of four people at Gold Coast theme park Dreamworld on October 25 will be remembered as one of the saddest moments of the year.

Kate Goodchild, 32, Luke Dorsett, 35, Roozi Araghi, 38, and Cindy Low, 42, died when the Thunder River Rapids ride malfunctioned.

The park was closed to visitors and an investigation began in an attempt to determine exactly what went wrong.

Dreamworld reopened in December but the Thunder River Rapids ride was decommissioned and several significant changes were made to the way the park operates.

Porn victim Sarah trusted a guy when she was 14 and sent him images. He then shared them around school. Now her underage photos are all over the porn website. Picture: Chris PavlichSource:News Corp Australia

SCHOOL PORN RING UNCOVERED

A news.com.au exclusive revealed in August that students at more than 70 Australian schools were being targeted by a pornography ring of teen boys.

More than 2000 graphic sexual images of female students and nonconsenting women were swapped and shared on a site that began operating in December 2015.

Some high school girls are pictured performing sexual acts while wearing their school uniform. The site has been reported numerous times to police for child pornography, but at the time police said they were unable to act because the site was hosted overseas.

The full list of schools was published online. Every major Australian news outlet followed the story.

The bullet-riddled truck that caused so much destruction in Nice earlier this year. Picture: Boris Horvat/AFPSource:AFP

TRUCK CRASHES THROUGH CROWD IN NICE, FRANCE

On July 14, a cargo truck driven by Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, 31, ploughed through crowds in the popular French city of Nice.

The Bastille Day act of terror lead to the deaths of 86 people and left a nation in mourning.

The dual Tunisian-French national who lived in Nice was identified after his ID card was left in the truck. He was later shot and killed by police.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack and French President Francois Hollande announced a state of emergency.

Strikingly similar scenes unfolded in Berlin this week when a another truck drove straight through crowds at Christmas markets.

STORMS BATTER AUSTRALIA’S EAST COAST

This year saw its share of big weather events, including a monster storm that smashed into Sydney’s coastline and ripped up beaches north of the city.

One of the most memorable images from that storm, in June, was of a Collaroy swimming pool that had collapsed after the beach eroded beneath it.

But it was the supercell that hit South Australia, Victoria, NSW and Tasmania that drew more readers to news.com.au than other weather-related story.

The September storm brought down the entire power network, leaving Adelaide in darkness as night fell. More than 20,000 customers were left without electricity.

Kerrin McEvoy (left) rides Almandin to victory ahead of Heartbreak City. Picture: Julian Smith/AAPSource:AAP

LIVE MELBOURNE CUP LIVE UPDATES

There was no girl in the blue dress in 2016 but the interest in the race that stops a nation was as great as ever.

News.com.au’s live blog following the events of the first Tuesday in November was the most read sport story of the year.

There were plenty of winners around the country who backed the outsider Almandin but none bigger than jockey Kerrin McEvoy and owner Lloyd Williams.

Sanaya Sahib’s mother pushing an empty pram. Picture: Channel 7Source:Channel 7

SANAYA SAHIB WAS SMOTHERED, EMPTY PRAM

CCTV footage of Sofina Nikat pushing an empty pram away from a creek gripped Australia.

The images showed Nikat entering Olympic Park, in the Victorian suburb of Heidelberg West, where her 14-month-old daughter Sanaya’s body was later found.

A post-mortem examination showed baby Sanaya died from smothering. Nikat was arrested and faced an out-of-session court hearing where police said she confessed to killing her daughter.

She was pictured arriving at that hearing covering her face with a copy of the Koran while sitting between two detectives.

Garry Lyon and Billy Brownless.Source:News Limited

BROWNLESS, LYON FALLOUT OVER RELATIONSHIP WITH EX

The public split between long time friends and Footy Show hosts Billy Brownless and Garry Lyon became public when Lyon admitted he was battling with a mental health condition.

The Sunday Herald Sun reported Lyon was battling depression after being confronted by Brownless about the former Melbourne Demons player’s relationship with his ex-wife, Nicky.

AFL champion Jonathan Brown, a former colleague of Lyon and Brownless’s at Channel 9, said he noticed no tension between the duo during a touring show late last year.

“I was out on the road with the boys in November as part of a bit of stage show I did,” Brown said on Nova 100’s Chrissie, Sam & Browny. “Everything was going well then.”

He labelled what Lyon has been accused of as the “ultimate betrayal”.