Year in Search: Here’s what Aussies searched for in 2022

As the year draws to a close, it’s time to look back on the moments that sparked our inspiration, made us wonder and scratch our heads.

2022 was a year of great change and new beginnings – a new government, a new monarch and a new phase of the pandemic. As Aussies grappled with extreme weather and world events, we looked for answers and to make sense of the world. We showed our care for Ukraine, followed the floods and questioned the price of lettuce.

And while we faced some tough times, we found fascination and fun through games, sport, craft and cooking. We cheered on Ash Barty, craved dahl, made pom poms… and searched for Wordle more than anything else.

Here’s a snapshot of five themes that defined the past year of Search in Australia:

Floods, disasters and crises

As many communities in Australia navigated devastating floods, our searches show we were seeking clarity, and looking for an end in sight. Australia was the top country in the world searching for ‘floods,’ ‘La Niña’ and ‘when will the rain stop’ in 2022 – and search interest for mould reached record levels. We felt the ripple effect of the Tonga volcano eruption and tsunami warnings, and wanted to know ‘why is Russia invading Ukraine?’. As we navigate the rising cost of living, the nation has been questioning why petrol, flights and lettuce are so expensive, while closely following the crash of crypto.

Keeping ourselves (and our canines) healthy

As we adjusted to new stages of the pandemic, our health consciousness came through in Search. While Monkeypox and Japanese encephalitis were new causes of concern, COVID-19 related topics remained top of mind in our searches. We were full of questions, asking ‘can you get COVID twice?,’ ‘how long does COVID last?’ and were curious to know ‘can dogs get COVID?’.

Our menus are a mixed bag

Our culinary cravings went global as we looked up recipes for dahl, drunken chicken and fish tacos. We whipped up Ezy-Sauce, while the quintessentially Aussie jaffle remained a fan favourite. We continued trying to master the classics like mashed potato and egg salad, with the more adventurous amongst us wondering how to cook tripe and bunya nuts.

We’re a crafty bunch

Aussies were passionate about paper art in 2022, looking to make everything from paper poppers and paper cranes, to paper flowers and paper mache. We got playful with pom poms, sentimental with friendship bracelets and showed our green thumbs by searching how to make terrariums at home.

Keeping score

From following the Australian Open, watching the World Cup to celebrating Dylan Alcott as Australian of the Year, we remain a nation of true blue sports fans. Tennis caused quite a racket as Djokovic, Nadal and Medvedev topped the global figures list, while Ash Barty broke records and became the top trending Australian individual in 2022. And our support for women in sport didn’t stop there, as AFL Women’s joined the top 10 trending sports for the first time.

Check out the full trending Search data for Australia in 2022:

Overall searches

1. Wordle
2. Australian Open
3. World Cup
4. Shane Warne
5. Ukraine
6. Novak Djokovic
7. Ashes
8. Ash Barty
9. Olivia Newton John
10. Betty White

News events

1. Ukraine
2. Election results
3. Omicron symptoms
4. Monkeypox
5. Tonga
6. Tsunami warning
7. Novavax Australia
8. Cassius Turvey
9. Covid update Perth
10. Japanese encephalitis

Aussies

1. Ash Barty
2. Nick Kyrgios
3. Anthony Albanese
4. Kokkinakis
5. Dylan Alcott
6. Brittany Higgins
7. Grace Tame
8. John Farnham
9. Alex de Minaur
10. Peter Dutton

Global figures

1. Novak Djokovic
2. Nadal
3. Medvedev
4. Amber Heard
5. Johnny Depp
6. Will Smith
7. Andrew Tate
8. Anna Delvey
9. King Charles
10. Danielle Collins

Loss

1. Shane Warne
2. Olivia Newton John
3. Betty White
4. Queen Elizabeth
5. Anne Heche
6. Andrew Symonds
7. Taylor Hawkins
8. Aaron Carter
9. Bob Saget
10. Paul Green

Sport

1. Australian Open
2. World Cup
3. Ashes
4. Winter Olympics
5. Rugby League World Cup
6. Indian Wells
7. Commonwealth Games
8. ATP Cup
9. AFLW
10. NBL

Recipe(s)

1. Dahl recipe
2. Ezy sauce recipe
3. Drunken chicken recipe
4. Mash potato recipe
5. Salmon patties recipe
6. Jaffle recipes
7. Fish tacos recipe
8. Egg salad recipe
9. Butter cream icing recipe
10. Lamb stew recipe

‘How to cook’

1. How to cook tripe
2. How to cook corn on the cob
3. How to cook bunya nuts
4. How to cook bok choy
5. How to cook broccoli
6. How to cook pearl couscous
7. How to cook dumplings
8. How to cook tomahawk steak
9. How to cook chicken schnitzel
10. How to cook squid

‘How to make…?’ DIY queries

1. How to make a paper popper
2. How to make pom poms
3. How to make friendship bracelets
4. How to make a ninja star
5. How to make a paper crane
6. How to make paper flowers
7. How to make a terrarium
8. How to make stickers
9. How to make paper mache
10. How to make candles at home

‘Why is…?’

1. Why is Russia invading Ukraine
2. Why is plain yoghurt good for females
3. Why is petrol so expensive
4. Why is lettuce so expensive
5. Why is there a lettuce shortage
6. Why is diesel so expensive
7. Why is crypto going down
8. Why is Camilla queen consort
9. Why is Australia not part of NATO
10. Why is Snapchat not working

COVID questions

1. Can you get COVID twice
2. How long does COVID last
3. Can dogs get COVID
4. How long is COVID contagious for
5. How long does it take to get COVID
6. How long do COVID symptoms last
7. Is vomiting a symptom of COVID
8. How long after COVID can I get a booster
9. How many people have died from COVID
10. What to do if COVID positive

Search trends related to rain and floods:

• Rain, flood, La Niña and mould have been searched at record levels in Australia in 2022.
• Australia was the top country in the world searching for floods and La Niña in 2022.
• The question ‘When will the rain stop?’ has been searched more than ever in Australia in 2022 and Australia was the top country in the world searching for the question this year.
• Search interest in floods in Australia has increased +200% compared to last year and search interest in La Niña has increased +80%.

*Trending Searches: What was hot in 2022? The "trending" queries are the searches that had the highest spike in traffic over a sustained period in 2022 as compared to 2021.