29 Moments Every Australian '00s Kid Remembers

Remember "Strawberry Kisses"?

1. Nikki Webster at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Gabriel Bouys / Getty Images

She was the little girl who wowed us all, singing at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She later went on to release numerous albums. Who could forget the memorable "Strawberry Kisses"?!

2. The birth of Popstars and Bardot.

Channel Seven

Wikipedia.org / Creative Commons

Popstars was the first Australian reality talent show, and produced bands such as Bardot and Scandal'Us. Iconic.

3. Madison Avenue's bizarre performance at the 2000 ARIAs.

youtube.com

youtube.com

Musical duo Madison Avenue, famous for songs like "Who The Hell Are You" and "Don't Call me Baby" performed at the 2000 ARIA awards. Halfway through the song medley, lead singer Cheyne Coates beckoned for a glass of water, then awkwardly danced around it, obviously yearning for it, but never having a chance to take that sip mid-dance routine.

4. Looking for Alibrandi.

Roadshow Entertainment

The iconic book by Melina Marchetta was made into a movie, and we all fell in love with Pia Miranda and Kick Gurry.

5. Kath and Kim.

ABC

Premiering in 2002, Kath and Kim took Australia by storm. The show centred arounda mother-daughter duo and was filled with a quirky humour and awesome one-liners. It was noice, it was different, it was unusual.

6. The Weakest Link and it's one quotable line.

Channel Seven

OK so it was kinda boring to watch, but basically every kid walked around their house or at school yelling "You are the Weakest Link... GOODBYE!" in their best Cornelia Frances impression at some stage.

7. Rabbit-Proof Fence.

Miramax Films

The 2002 Australian film is adapted from the book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington Garimara, and tells the story of the author's mother Molly and two other mixed-race Aboriginal girls who ran away to return to their Aboriginal families. The film was highly praised and won many awards including best film at the Australian Film Institute Awards.

8. Steven Bradbury's gold medal win at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Youtube: Olympics

Who could forget Aussie Steven Bradbury's incredibly gold medal victory at the 2002 Winter Olympics? In a jaw-dropping moment, the rest of the competitors fell down and Bradbury, who was coming last at the time, drifted over the line to claim first place

9. Australian Idol and Guy Sebastian.

Channel 10

Channel 10

Australian Idol... those were the days. There was the winning combination of James Matheson and Andrew G (now Osher Gunsberg), the ~controversial~ Dicko comments, the super weird Mark Holden and the ever-smiling Marcia Hines. And Guy Sebastian winning the first series was a magical moment, there's no denying it.

10. Paris and Millsy's ~scandalous~ hook-up.

Lucas Dawson / Getty Images

wikipedia.org / Creative Commons

The year was 2003, and Rob "Millsy" Mills, fresh out of Australian Idol fame, met a certain heiress at the Melbourne Cup. The two did a ~duet~ of sorts that night, and Millsy has not heard the end of it since.

11. Delta Goodrem's rise to fame...

Sony Music / Via wikipedia.org / Creative Commons

The newest Aussie singing sweetheart, Delta stole our hearts as Nina Tucker on Neighbours and impressed us with her pipes on her single "Born To Try." Her debut album Innocent Eyes sold over 1 million copies in Australia alone, and 4.5 million worldwide.

12. ...and cancer diagnosis.

Channel Ten

Australia was shocked and saddened when 18-year-old Delta announced her cancer diagnosis just months after the release of Innocent Eyes. Diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, the singer had to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatment, announcing in late December 2003 that she was in remission.

13. Darren Hayes singing "Lost Without You".

Channel Nine

And who could forget Darren Hayes' beautiful cover of Delta's hit single "Lost Without You" at the 2003 ARIA awards?

14. The end of Cheez TV.

Channel Ten

In 2004 we said goodbye to our childhood memories. Cheez TV officially came to an end.

15. Merlin's eviction on Big Brother, 2004.

Channel Ten

Merlin was evicted from the house in 2004, promptly sat on the lounge with Gretel Killeen and held up his "Free Th(e) Refugees" sign, refusing to say a word.

16. The Big Brother proposal.

Jonathon Wood / Getty Images

Trevor was the winner of Big Brother 2004, and also winner of the biggest cash prize in the history of the Australian series. Trevor left the house $1 million richer and with a brand new fiancée, using the stage to propose to his girlfriend Breea.

17. The romance of Bec Cartwright and Lleyton Hewitt.

Kristian Dowling / Getty Images

2005 was the year of Australia's newest golden couple - former Home and Away star Bec Cartwright and famous tennis player Lleyton Hewitt. A whirlwind romance saw the couple engaged in January 2005 after six weeks of dating, the announcement of their first child in May, a wedding in July and the birth of their daughter Mia in November.

18. Wolf Creek.

Roadshow Entertainment

While '90s kids scared themselves silly with movies like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, this Aussie horror movie put them to shame. The story revolves around three backpackers who find themselves held captive and hunted by Mick in the Australian outback, and very loosely based on "true events." John Jarrat played the role of serial killer Mick perfectly.

19. The Summer Bay Stalker.

backtothebay.net

Any Home and Away fan remembers the tense year of 2005, when an unknown stalker caused havoc in the Bay. The Summer Bay Stalker started bushfires, switched hospital test results, planted bombs and caused plane crashes (this stalker had some serious power). Ultimately it turned out to be number two in the suspect list (above) Zoe McCallister aka Eve Jacobson. Her revenge motive? Her crazy lover Sarah Lewis (who had held up the bay the year before) was killed and she was out to get those "responsible".

20. The turkey slapping incident.

Channel Ten

Channel Ten

Controversy brewed in 2006, when two Big Brother contestants were ejected from the show after an alleged sexual assault. One housemate Michael Bric held down Camilla Severi on her bed while the other, Michael Cox, pushed his crotch into her face. The incident sparked calls for the cancellation of the series, however in the end no charges were pursued.

21. Chris Hemsworth on Dancing With The Stars.

Channel Seven

Channel Seven

In 2006, Chris Hemsworth shook what his mama gave him for Dancing With The Stars. At the time he was just another Home and Away contestant on the show, but now considering Chris is one of Hollywood's biggest stars, it's a great trip down nostalgia lane.

22. The tragic death of Steve Irwin.

wikipedia.org / Creative Commons

September 2006 saw the shocking and tragic death of the much-loved wildlife expert Steve Irwin. Irwin was killed while snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef. He was in the area filming a documentary, and decided to film some shallow water shots. Irwin approached a stingray, who struck him several hundred times in the body with its tail spine, piercing his heart. He is survived by his wife Terri, daughter Bindi and son Bob who continue his wildlife work.

23. The end of Blue Heelers and All Saints.

Channel Seven

Channel Seven

Blue Heelers and All Saints were two iconic, long-lasting shows, that all Aussie '90s and '00s kids remember fondly. Blue Heelers came to an end in 2006, where we bid a farewell the beloved Mt Thomas and hospital drama All Saints said goodbye to our TV screens in 2009.

24. Kevin '07.

Sergio Dionisio / Getty Images

The year was 2007 and change was in the air. The Labor party, led by Rudd, won overwhelming in the 2007 election, defeating John Howard and his 11-year run as Prime Minister of Australia.

25. Axle Whitehead's "flash" at the ARIAs.

Dani Abramowicz / FilmMagic / Via Getty

The crowd at the 2006 ARIA awards got a little more than what they bargained for, when former Australian Idol contestant and Video Hits host Axle Whitehead took to the stage to present an award... with his fly unzipped and privates exposed.

26. Summer Heights High.

ABC / Via amazon.com

The Australian mockumentary by Chris Lilley showed the high-school life experience of three students from the outer-suburbs of Sydney and was a massive ratings success. The three characters, all played by Lilley, comprised of school teacher Mr G, former private-school student and popular girl Ja'mie King and vulgar Tongan student Jonah Takalua.

27. The introduction of the Bra Boys.

imdb.com

The Bra Boys became a household name in 2007 with the release of a documentary titled Bra Boys: Blood is Thicker than Water. The Bra Boys themselves are a surf culture gang with criminal ties, founded and based in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. After the release of the documentary, The Bra Boys had numerous pop culture references - being made the subject of satire by The Chaser's War on Everything with Home and Away also taking inspiration, introducing a fictional storyline based on The River Boys.

28. The 2008 apology to Indigenous Australians.

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In 2008, then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd became the first Australian Prime Minister to publicly apologise to the Stolen Generations on behalf of the government. With most schools and workplaces stopping to listen to the speech, it's an iconic moment many young Aussies remember.

29. Karl Stefanovic drunk on the Today show, after the Logies.

Channel Nine

"Let us look at the weather. It's going to be fine in most parts, including Queensland... New South Wales...you know what... who cares."