There was a moment I recognised what it meant to be Australian.

And although I was too young to fully understand the depth of feelings, I knew it was different, a special moment that was unlikely to happen again.

It was September 27, 1983 at 7.21am (5.21pm on September 26 New York time). As seven and nine-year-olds my brother and I were awoken from slumber by our father. The early morning calls would soon become the norm when sporting events such as Association Football, the Cricket World Cup, or the Ashes were held in the northern hemisphere, however, this was the first courtesy call I remember.

As young Australians we were beginning to develop a love of sport. We had received our first soccer ball; a secondhand leather and easily waterlogged size 5, which was quickly considered the bees knees. We had also fallen in love with our first cricket bats, fashioned from marine ply that had once housed large machinery to be transported from overseas.

Without notice and with that long-forgotten childhood ability to quickly wake from deep sleep with a bounce, we were called into action for a yacht race.

A documentary new to the streaming service, Netflix, reinforced my memories of this time.

The Race of the Century tells the story of Australia II winning the iconic America's Cup yacht race in 1983. The America's Cup was the most famous of all 12-metre races, held every four years, and up until 1983 the silverware colloquially known as the "Auld Mug" had been in the possession of the US for 132 years.

For those like me who have never had anything to do with boats, yacht racing is complex. And the America's Cup is next level - history, pageantry and tradition. Yet Dennis Connor, John Bertrand, and Prime Minister Bob Hawke made duelling yachts accessible to the masses. And it was Australia's passion for sport and winning that underpinned this newfound appreciation.

The race first took place in 1851 but a long way away from Newport, Rhode Island. "The trophy's roots date back to when a syndicate of businessmen from New York sailed the schooner America across the Atlantic Ocean for the World's Fair in England.

The schooner (America of the New York Yacht Club) won a race around the Isle of Wight against a fleet of British yachts to claim the £100 Cup," the official America's Cup website tells us. The British, who were the world's naval superpower, were defeated and the US sailors returned home to a heroes' welcome.

For the next 132 years 24 challengers went head-to-head with the Americans and lost. And then came Australia II.

By 1970 the race had grown in popularity and accessibility with the pursuit of winning backed by significant amounts of money.

In fact, the race had become such a drawcard that pre-races were introduced to whittle down a challenger which would race against the New York Yacht Club (1844).

In the 1983 version of the race Australia II won 44 of 55 yachting duels before taking on Dennis Connor's Liberty for the America's Cup.

The rules during this period stated that the challenger boat must be designed and built in the challenger's country, and that is where the Australians found a unique and quirky advantage.

Australia II was skippered by John Bertrand, a tactical genius and master sailor who had presented a university thesis focusing on the aerodynamics of America's Cup yacht sails.

The adored then admonished property mogul, the late Alan Bond and Bertrand partnered with genius and took a risk with the late Ben Lexcen (Robert Clyde Miller) who, incredibly, had only completed formal schooling from 9-12 years of age. They had previously worked together on unsuccessful challenges to dislodge the "Auld Mug" from the New York Yacht Club. Bond provided the considerable investment required to compete.

Throw in a come-from-behind victory, a band and a song - Men at Work's Down Under, sung by a Scotsman, which became the anthem of the challenge and the victory, the symbolism of a boxing kangaroo flag, and a prime minister, the late Bob Hawke, who recognised the spirit, importance, and opportunity of the moment and you have a classic Australian yarn that inspired a generation.

The story of overcoming adversity, the brashness, cockiness, and ego required to defeat the most powerful country in the world and the ingenuity of a poorly educated yacht designer who invented the legendary winged keel quickly became Australian folklore.

There is something brilliant about being Australian. It is the ability to believe in yourself and your team no matter how dire the circumstances, the never-say-die attitude, and the ability to unite and showcase prowess across the world. It is the quintessential chip on the shoulder to prove doubters wrong, which is even more keenly felt in Tasmania.

The America's Cup victory of 1983 defined a changing nation. It defined our ability to think differently, innovate, overcome, and, best of all, to maintain a larrikin sense of humour that drove the Americans batty.