Rio's Olympic opening ceremony was the ultimate Aussie girls' night out.

Cyclist Anna Meares carried the Australian flag for a team led by Kitty Chiller, the nation's first female Chef de Mission, a team whose numbers were dominated for the first time ever by women.

The blokes were great, too. But Brazil's most watched public procession ever – with three billion pairs of eyes worldwide rendering a Carnivale-style sideshow - was a moment for the women to shine.

Helen Reddy could have provided the sound track: we are women, hear us roar in numbers too big to ignore.

They were the belles of the Rio ball, and not just because of pretty faces.

These women reminded us that strength - of body, mind and character - is not a masculine monopoly.

Take Meares, the flinty coal miner's daughter from rural Queensland who has redefined what it means to be tough. Not even a broken neck has been enough to derail her Olympic journey. She must be the finest product of Australia’s fossil fuel homeland.

Standing at the front of the pack was plenty of star girlpower; London 2012 silver medallist in canoe slalom, Jessica Fox, Beijing bronze medallist diver Melissa Wu, rookie shooter Aislin Jones and waterpolo vice captain Rowie Webster.

Female power seemed to be a recurring theme of the ceremony.

There was nothing like a dame when Judi Dench, via a recording, helped interpret a renowned Brazilian poem about hope for the future.

And there were few bigger cheers than that which greeted the global Brazilian classic The Girl From Ipanema, performed while ubermodel Gisele Bundchen strutted the length of the arena.

Soon it was the Girl From Ipanema meets the girl from Blackwater, when Anna Meares led the Australian team into Rio’s iconic Maracana stadium to a resounding cheer.

Meares personified the Aussie pride on show, a pride clearly felt through the team ranks from veterans like her to the cubs at their first Olympics.

Australia’s women especially were the roaring lionesses in the spotlight, and on this night it was their pride.

Doug Conway

olympics.com.au