SA Weekend 10 Year Special: Google trends for South Australia over the last decade
We know what you’ve been searching, South Australia. From tennis to terror, pandemics to power blackouts, these are the stories that caught South Aussies’ attention over the past decade … at least according to Google.
SA Weekend
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA Weekend. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- SA Weekend: South Australia’s best stories
- SA Weekend: A decade of news in South Australia, and abroad
- SA Weekend: Politics in Australia? It’s no party
- SA Weekend: Adelaide was the city hungry for change
We know what you’ve been searching, South Australia.
From tennis to terror, pandemics to power blackouts, these are the stories that caught South Aussies’ attention over the past decade … at least according to Google.
2009
The Twilight Saga film releases
You either loved it or you hated it, but the teen vampire saga Twilight enchanted South Australian teenagers and created an army of clashing Team Jacob and Team Edward fans arguing over who would make the better supernatural boyfriend. People tuned in online when movie two, New Moon, was released in November 2009.
Black Saturday bushfires
South Australians watched on more than most of the country as one of Australia’s worst bushfire disasters in history, Black Saturday, engulfed Victoria taking the lives of 173 people and injuring 414 others.
Swine Flu
It was the first flu pandemic to hit the world in 41 years and it created global panic. Official figures say there were 37,500 confirmed cases of Swine Flu in Australia with 191 deaths, although 2012 US research suggests 1600 deaths could be more realistic. The virus was first detected at a Mexican pig farm in April, then quickly spread.
2010
Tony Abbott’s election campaign
The pollie in budgie smugglers attracted plenty of attention for all the wrong reasons during the 2010 election campaign. South Australians couldn’t resist searching online for latest blunders and beach fashion choices. He lost the vote but was elected in 2013.
Julia Gillard’s takeover
The Adelaide-raised politician was voted in as Australia’s first female prime minister in August, just two months after betraying former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and taking the top seat. South Australians were more interested to find out about the takeover than her win, according to the trends data.
2011
Earthquakes
Three earthquakes caught our attention in 2011. The first was in February in Christchurch, New Zealand, when the South Island city was hit for the second time in six months by a huge quake. Weeks later attention turned to Japan when a powerful earthquake caused a tsunami that led to the nuclear power disaster at Fukushima. The third incident may be more difficult to recall in years to come. It occurred on October 19 when Adelaideans woke in the early hours to a brief 3.3 magnitude rumble, triggering a surge of media attention and We Will Rebuild memes.
Osama bin Laden’s death
After years on the run as the mastermind behind the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, bin Laden was declared dead by President Barack Obama on May 1. The news triggered raw emotions across the world, particularly in the US, as many remembered the 3000 killed.
2012
Lance Armstrong’s cycling ban
Stripped of seven Tour de France titles, Lance Armstrong suffered his downfall after he was found to be using performance enhancing drugs. He remained the centre of attention of online searches for most of the year, but the peak was in June after Armstrong had been charged with doping and was suspended from competing.
The London Summer Olympics
South Aussies got more into the spirit of the Olympic Games than most, showing 13 per cent more interest than the average Australian. Only Tasmania surpassed us.
Syrian Civil War
The uprising against president Bashar al-Assad escalated into a civil war in May. Fighting reached the capital Damascus and Aleppo that year and by mid-2013 the United Nations reported 90,000 people had been killed in the conflict. Revised death tolls in 2016 reported 400,000 Syrian deaths since the conflict began in 2011.
2013
The Ashes loss
South Australians’ love of cricket was tested by the Australia v England 2013 Ashes series, which ended in a painful 3-0 loss.
Breaking Bad final season airs
The human fascination for disaster and destruction led to a huge following for Breaking Bad, the US crime drama following the downfall of Walter White. SA interest in the five-season series peaked in 2013 with the airing of the finale.
2014
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 goes missing
The tragedy of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 still baffles to this day, because — apart from some small bits of debris — the wreckage has not been found. There were 239 people on board the aircraft, which vanished on March 8.
Death at the Show
The 2014 Royal Adelaide Show was plagued with sorrow after eight-year-old Adelene Leong was thrown from a ride during a family holiday with her mother. The ride owners were convicted of health and safety failures and fined while charges against a safety engineer were abandoned amid a failed SafeWork SA inquiry.
Schapelle Corby’s release on parole
After spending nine years in prison for bringing 4.1kg of marijuana into Bali, Gold Coast woman Schapelle Corby was released on parole. The case attracted fierce media attention over her continued denial the drugs belonged to her. She was deported to Australia in 2017, pleading for privacy.
2015
Netflix comes to Australia
It’s hard to imagine life without Netflix now, but the US-based movie and series streaming platform only launched in Australia in March 2015. The thriving company has branched out to feature its own high quality movies and shows: Netflix Originals.
Two Bali Nine drug smugglers executed
The 10-year battle of the Bali Nine “ringleaders” Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran to return home to Australia ended as they faced the firing squad in Bali. The group attempted to smuggle 8kg of heroin out of Indonesia in 2005. Five members remain in a Balinese prison with life sentences, after one died from cancer last June and the only female member, Renae Lawrence, was released in November last year.
Phil Walsh’s death
It was a dark day for South Australia and the AFL community when Crows coach Phil Walsh was killed by his son at the family home in July. Cy Walsh was found to be mentally incompetent and detained in a psychiatric facility. He was given supervised medical released last May after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
2016
Rio Summer Olympics
Amid the excitement of another Olympic Games was concern the Games would financially ruin Brazil and the city of Rio de Janeiro. The Games organisers owed creditors about $40 million and Brazil’s economy is still in crisis.
Power outages
When the entire state was left in the dark after severe storms in September, South Australians were constantly checking online to find out when they would get their power back and how the State Government would reduce the chance of power failures in the future. Only three months later — on December 27 when fridges and freezers were full of Christmas Day leftovers — the state endured more outages, with many remaining without power for days.
2017
Roger Federer’s unforgettable win
Popular Swiss tennis star Roger Federer recorded an incredible 2017 season after returning from six months off with an injury. His memorable win against Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open in January thrilled even those who weren’t keen tennis fans, because at 35 years old and with his last major title win five years earlier, he proved hard work and determination pays off.
South Rd
Adelaide mourned as a Plympton industrial worker employed on the South Rd works was killed after becoming caught under a crane in June. It prompted a major investigation and union concerns about the safety of construction workers at night time.
2018
Meghan Markle
Popular Suits actress Meghan Markle walked down the aisle to wed Prince Harry in May, following months of controversy and interest around a possible feud with future sister-in-law Kate, Duchess of Cambridge. With the birth of Meghan and Harry’s first child expected in April there’s bound to be a lot media attention for the royal family this year.
Fortnite
If you have children or are around them a lot (particularly boys) it’s almost guaranteed you’ve heard them talk about Fortnite. Between concerned parents looking up game reviews and kids searching how to do the “Fortnite dance” otherwise known as the “floss dance”, the computer and console game came out as a top online search trend in South Australia this year. If you haven’t heard of the dance, you need to head over to YouTube and watch it.
Donald Trump
Some say his facial expressions and awkward speeches make Tony Abbott appear charismatic, yet US president Donald Trump is still standing strong in his presidency. Many shake their heads at the mention of his name, worried he could start a global war any day. His name was a consistently popular search term for South Australians throughout 2018.
Source: Google Trend data retrieved January 16, 2019, and limited to searches within SA.
Excludes generic or recurring topics such as Australia, news and Adelaide.
Adelaide’s pioneering bid to end homelessness in the CBD
A new move to learn the names and stories of the homeless is driving a bid to cut Adelaide’s rough sleeper numbers to effectively zero. Roy Eccleston reports.
From YouTube to big screen: Adelaide’s car prankster’s directorial debut
They are the Adelaide brothers who became billion-view YouTube stars after an underwater car stunt gone wrong. Now the RackaRacka duo's debut feature film is about to hit the big screen at a gala event. Read their incredible back-story.