Australia make a stunning entrance at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony - but viewers down under are NOT happy

It took a while, but the Australian team have made their debut at the Paris Olympics in stunning style, ignoring the rain as they celebrated on board a boat down the city's famous River Seine.

Wet weather saw athletes from other countries cover up for the unique start to the Games, but the Aussies left their raincoats back at the athletes village as flagbearers Jess Fox and Eddie Ockenden stood out from the crowd.

Channel Nine's coverage only showed the green and gold team very briefly after viewers were left angry and confused by the competitors' late arrival in Paris.

Many Aussies expected their heroes to be among the first nations to make their way down the Seine, but Olympic protocol dictates that nations which are due to host the games are held back until near the end of the parade - meaning the team were third-last to appear, with Brisbane hosting the Games in 2032. 

Some members of the team were lucky enough to meet Queen Mary of Denmark, who showed she's still an Aussie at heart when she conducted a meet-and-greet with them in the athletes village prior to the ceremony.

Fox, Ockenden and the rest of the 460-odd members of the Aussie team made their entrance in front of around 320,000 watching 85 boats make the journey along the river.

However, many viewers weren't happy with the uniforms the team wore, branding them basic and boring.

'I'm sorry, but the US, Australia, France & Bulgaria uniforms don't deserve to be here - I mean, look at them! I'm no fashion expert but even I know they're basic,' one viewer wrote.  

'The moment I saw Australia with those basic ass uniforms I knew the list was gonna be dogs**t,' another commented.

'Australia in navy blazers, white shirts with yellow and green piping ... Little underwhelming,' wrote a third.

'Australia oi aueee what are those uniforms,' asked another viewer.

The Aussies' blazers are actually dark green, but the soaking they got from the rain in Paris made the shade look like navy on TV. 

The carefully choreographed open-air parade kicked off at 3.30am AEST, with an incredible performance from American superstar Lady Gaga who wowed crowds as she performed a stunning Folie Bergiere entirely in French. 

Meteorologists who predicted the unusual rainy July weather would be a 'disaster' for the outdoor ceremony appeared to have been proved right, as the heavy showers drowned out the music for those watching at home.

Meanwhile, the screen at the Trocadéro where thousands of spectators are gathered appeared to suffer a blackout as a result of the dreary weather.

Instead of crowds wearing shorts and T-shirts to soak up the Parisian sun, streets were lined with umbrellas and spectators - including celebrities - turning to ponchos to protect from the rain.

The ceremony kicked off with a short film starring French football legend Zinedine Zidane carrying the Olympic torch before he passed it to local children who emerged on the river banks.

Those watching from the banks of the famous river - as well as from their armchairs all over the world - were then treated to a quintessential Parisian performance of the Can-can dance with dancers dressed in pink lighting up the grey sky.

The ceremony has dwelled on many aspects of the city's history. The flame passed through the workshop of world-renowned French bag designer Louis Vuitton before a dance made reference to the rebuilding of the Notre Dame fire of 2019.

A heavy metal band burst into song in reference to the violence of the French Revolution, while an ode was paid to Victor Hugo's novel Les Miserables and a 'headless' Marie Antoinette was seen along the route.