Year in Search: The moments that defined 2017 in Australia

From slime to sport, covfefe to cryptocurrency and hurricanes to hot cross buns – Aussies searched for an eclectic bunch of topics this year.

’Tis that time of year again, to look back at the moments that had us fascinated, dumbfounded and over the moon in 2017. It was the year we pined for slime, whirled fidget spinners and were hungry Shepherd's pie. We celebrated sport, looked into bitcoin and mourned senseless tragedies. From cyclones to tofu to covfefe, this year’s trending searches are mix of obvious, surprising, intriguing – and downright confusing – queries.

To rediscover the events, people and topics that defined 2017 around the world, watch our video here.

Here's a wrap-up of six topics that caught Aussies' attention and brought us together in Search in 2017:

Fun, games and fidget spinners 

Sayonara stress balls! Fidgets spinners were the toy craze of 2017. ‘Fidget spinner’ appeared on three of the top trending lists, as Aussies asked what they are and even how to DIY. We also had a quirky obsession with slime and became quite the connoisseurs – searching for fluffy, borax-free and glue-free alternatives.

On the sports field, Aussies cheered on the tennis, horse racing, boxing, AFL, cricket and rugby. We searched on the sidelines of the Australian Open and Wimbledon and placed our bets for Melbourne Cup (which landed the top three trending searches overall).

Aussie, Kiwi and International Figures 

In Australia, Sophie Monk found true love on The Bachelorette, and first place on the list of trending searches for Aussie people. As we searched for people around the world, we danced with Ed Sheeran, hailed Wonder Woman and said goodbye to Hugh Hefner. We also bid farewell to legends of music, comedy and sport – including Chris Cornell, John Clarke and Malcolm Young.

Customs and traditions

‘How to…?’ searches show Aussies were keen to have their say on the same sex marriage vote. And in light of the change the date debate, we also asked why Australia Day is on January 26. We also wondered why our Anzac Day pub tradition, Two Up, is illegal.

The tough times 

We often turned to search in to find answers when we were lost for words. We navigated natural disasters, watching Cyclone Debbie, Hurricane Irma and Bali’s volcano. And in the wake of attacks, we showed our support through search for London, Las Vegas and Manchester.

Big questions, complex topics 

Aussies sunk their teeth into some serious subject matter in 2017. We grappled political tension in our searches for North Korea, we wrapped our heads around bitcoin – and looked to learn about Sharia Law. We also asked what DACA is (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) – and as we followed Trump’s feeds, we just had to know... what is covfefe!?

Quiche, Cod and Kimchi
It seems Aussie palettes have embraced the 80’s, as the top trending recipes included Beef Stroganoff, Chicken Cacciatore and Quiche Lorraine. Interestingly, contemporary ingredients and flavours feature across top trending lists for ‘How to make…?’ and ‘What is…?” – including eggplant, salmon, smoked cod, lentils, fennel and kimchi. Aussies also showed their health consciousness, asking what MSG is and why it is bad. And that’s just a preview.

To dive into the top trending terms of the year, check out Australia's full trending lists*:

Overall

1. Australian Open 2017 
2. Melbourne Cup 2017 
3. Wimbledon 2017 
4. Fidget spinner 
5. Cyclone Debbie 
6. iPhone 8 
7. North Korea 
8. Chris Cornell 
9. iPhone X 
10. Amazon Australia site 

News 

1. Cyclone Debbie 
2. North Korea 
3. Amazon Australia site 
4. Hurricane Irma 
5. Bali volcano 
6. London 
7. Las Vegas 
8. Manchester 
9. UK election 
10. Schapelle Corby 

Global people 

1. Harvey Weinstein 
2. Ed Sheeran 
3. Kevin Spacey 
4. Gal Gadot 
5. Floyd Mayweather 
6. Jake Paul 
7. Post Malone 
8. Pippa Middleton 
9. Boy George 
10. Macklemore 

Aussies 

1. Sophie Monk 
2. Kate Fischer 
3. Schapelle Corby 
4. Ben McCormack 
5. Dustin Martin 
6. Cassie Sainsbury 
7. Lisa Wilkinson 
8. Paul Hogan 
9. Katherine Langford 
10. Amber Sherlock 

Loss 

1. Chris Cornell 
2. Hugh Hefner 
3. Chester Bennington 
4. Tom Petty 
5. Bill Paxton 
6. David Cassidy 
7. Nicky Hayden 
8. John Clarke 
9. Rich Piana 
10. Malcolm Young 

Sporting events 

1. Australian Open 2017 
2. Melbourne Cup 2017 
3. Wimbledon 2017 
4. Mayweather McGregor fight 
5. AFL Grand Final 2017 
6. US Open 2017 Tennis 
7. Mundine vs Green 2 
8. ICC Champions Trophy 2017 
9. AFL Fixtures 2017 
10. Rugby League World Cup 2017 

How to....? 

1. How to make slime 
2. How to make a fidget spinner 
3. How to make fluffy slime 
4. How to watch Mayweather vs McGregor 
5. How to buy Bitcoin 
6. How to make slime without borax 
7. How to use Snapchat map 
8. How to unblock people on Instagram 
9. How to make slime without glue 
10. How to vote for gay marriage 

What is…?

1. What is MSG 
2. What is Bitcoin 
3. What is kimchi 
4. What is a publican 
5. What is covfefe 
6. What is a fidget spinner 
7. What is MSG and why is it bad 
8. What is Sharia law 
9. What is DACA 
10. What is good friday 

Why is…? 

1. Why is Pandora shutting down 
2. Why is Club Penguin shutting down 
3. Why is Australia Day on 26 January 
4. Why is it called Good Friday 
5. Why is Nathan Lyon Garry 
6. Why is my poop green 
7. Why is Messenger crashing 
8. Why is Snapchat down 
9. Why is two up illegal 
10. Why is my internet so slow 

Recipes

1. Beef Stroganoff 
2. Hot cross bun 
3. Hollandaise sauce 
4. Chilli con carne 
5. Chicken Cacciatore 
6. Bechamel sauce 
7. Chicken parmigiana 
8. Shepherd's pie 
9. Beef Bourguignon 
10. Quiche Lorraine 

How to cook…?

1. How to cook tofu 
2. How to cook eggplant 
3. How to cook pasta 
4. How to cook rice in microwave 
5. How to cook smoked cod 
6. How to cook silverside 
7. How to cook lentils 
8. How to cook salmon fillets 
9. How to cook fennel 
10. How to cook rhubarb 

* Trending Searches: What was hot in 2017? The "trending" queries are the searches that had the highest spike in traffic over a sustained period in 2017 as compared to 2016.