It was a new year, a new century and a new millennium but, as former deputy Prime Minister John Anderson remembers, it "began with a whimper".
Fears of widespread computer malfunctions as the clock ticked over to January 1, 2001 thankfully didn't eventuate.
"Remember Y2K? I woke with fear and trembling and was due to fly to Canberra," Mr Anderson said today.
"All the stories were going around, would the plane get there? And it was a fizzer."
Almost 250 cabinet papers from 2000 were released today, offering an insight into how the nation was faring about halfway through John Howard's term as Prime Minister.
The papers show it was a time of national pride as Australia looked forward to the Sydney Olympics. Security preparations for the games were extensive as authorities prepared for the threat of terror attacks and even the possibility of biological or chemical weapons.
"The effort that went into trying to make sure there were no incidences on Australian soil were massive," Mr Anderson said at release of the cabinet papers.
Meanwhile, Chelsea Clinton's security detail applied to be granted an exemption from Australian laws.
The guards wanted to carry their weapons into our country during the then US President's daughter's visit to the Sydney Games, the cabinet papers show.
The games were ultimately declared a success, but things weren't as straight forward when it came to the implementation of the GST on June 30, 2000.
It was a long-debated tax which often proved difficult to understand.
"The complexity and the detail of it was just unbelievable," then Treasurer Peter Costello told Nine.
"As the the second hand ticked over the midnight on June 30, we changed three billion prices."
"I thought the only way to get over the GST was to implement it, we just had to do it to get it off the agenda."
The cabinet papers released today can be viewed here.
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