From welcoming the Royal Baby to bidding goodbye to Paul Walker, customising Bitstrips to finding Timbuktu, Google’s annual Zeitgeist has revealed what captivated Aussies in 2013.

Trending Searches

Paul Walker‘s sudden passing made him Australia’s top trending search (the search terms that have seen the largest increase in search volume over the year) for 2013, followed in second by former Glee star Cory Monteith. The Royal Baby, Prince George of Cambridge, now third in succession for the British throne, similarly came in at number three on this year’s overall top trending list.

Also making the top 10 were searches about North Korea, information about how to stay safe from fires with the RFS, and registering to vote with the AEC. Three Australian reality TV shows, The Block, My Kitchen Rules, and House Rules also made the year’s top trending list.

Top Trending Searches for 2013

1. Paul Walker
2. Cory Monteith
3. Royal Baby
4. iPhone 5s
5. North Korea
6. RFS
7. AEC
8. The Block
9. My Kitchen Rules
10. House Rules

Google spokesperson Shane Treeves says, “Google’s year-end Zeitgeist is a cultural barometer that provides a snapshot of the year’s big events, memorable moments and growing trends in Australia.

“Google is often the first place Australians turn to find out more about our heroes, learn new skills, fact-check the news, and settle dinner table disputes between friends. And just as often, we go to Google to help us answer everyday questions like whether we’ll need an umbrella tomorrow, when the next train leaves for Bondi, or how many calories are in an avocado.”

How to…

Australians were feeling particularly arty in 2013, with how to draw topping this year’s ‘how to’ searches. Creative Aussies continued their fascination with DIY crafts by wanting to learn how to crochet, how to knit and how to make other homemade tidbits too. Romeos and Juliets across the nation looked for tips about how to kiss to win over their Capulets and Montagues.

What is…?

While advanced dancers were looking to master the intricacies of Miley Cyrus’ new moves, most of us first needed to ask what is twerking — making it our most searched ‘what is’ query this year. We also delved deeper into life and relationships this year to ask what is love and what is anxiety. To stay up to date with the latest tech lingo, we asked what is Instagram and what is Tumblr and searched for more information about Bitstrips, Snapchat and Bitcoins.

Trending news

Major news searches about people included interest in the Royal Baby’s name and Angelina Jolie’s mastectomy, and we were also searching for Boston bombing, Typhoon Haiyan, Oklahoma tornado and Russian meteor. The US government shutdown, Costa Concordia situation and news about North Korea also piqued Aussie’s interest.

People

Miranda Kerr beat out Michelle Bridges and Tom Waterhouse to take out the title of Australia’s most-searched celebrity. Paul Walker, Cory Monteith Nelson Mandela, Tony Abbott and Oscar Pistorius were the top five trending people from around the world.

Politics

In this election year, how to vote made it into the top 10 ‘how to’ list. Voters jumped online to find out more information about prospective candidates, with Tony Abbott, Kevin Rudd and Clive Palmer our top three trending politicians.

Sports

Sonny Bill Williams took out the title as the most-searched athlete, with Federer and Lebron James taking out the silver and bronze. Local sports teams Sydney Swans and Essendon Football Club were outplayed by Chelsea to take out the most-searched sports team of 2013.

The big questions

This year Australians also turned to Google to ask some tough questions including who is God, did dragons exist and where is Timbuktu.