With his daughter gone, her life snuffed out in the worst imaginable horror, Ken Boden told a stuffy London courtroom nothing would be the same again: "There's a hole in our heart that will never heal."

Key points: Eight people were killed and 48 injured in the attack on June 3, 2017

Eight people were killed and 48 injured in the attack on June 3, 2017 The inquest will determine the details of how each victim died, and the response from emergency services

The inquest will determine the details of how each victim died, and the response from emergency services The inquest will run until mid-July

Just 28 years old, Australian Kirsty Boden's life was brought to end on the night of June 3, 2017, along with seven others, the victims of a terrorist outrage.

Three men mowed down pedestrians on London Bridge and then stormed the popular Borough Market wielding kitchen knives they duct-taped to their wrists.

ISIS later claimed responsibility for the attack, which also left 48 people injured.

On Tuesday, a long-awaited inquest into the attack began at the Old Bailey court in London. It opened with the words of grieving families.

"We miss Kirsty every second of every day," Mr Boden told the inquest.

South Australian woman Kirsty Boden was killed in the London terrorist attack. ( Supplied: Metropolitan Police )

Ms Boden, a nurse from Loxton in South Australia, was stabbed to death as she went to the aid of others.

"Not a day goes by that we are not in awe of her bravery that night," her partner James Hodder said.

"She loved people and lived her life helping others. To Kirsty, her actions that night would have just been an extension of how she lived her life."

England's chief coroner, Judge Mark Lucraft QC, reminded a sombre courtroom that the events took place "in the heart of London … a short distance from this building".

"The lives of many people were torn apart in what took place in less than 10 minutes of high and terrible drama."

Only a short time into the proceedings, the judge paused the hearing and requested a minute's silence in remembrance for the dead: Xavier Thomas, 45, of France; Chrissy Archibald, 30, of Canada; Sara Zelenak, 21, of Brisbane; Sebastien Belanger, 36, of France; James McMullen, 32, a dual UK and Philippines citizen; Alexandre Pigeard, 26, of France; Ignacio Echeverria, 39, of Spain; and Ms Boden.

The court heard wrenching testimony from Mr Thomas' father Philippe Pesez, whose voice rose as he railed against the "barbarians who can, in no way, be described as humans [who] took his life".

"[They] destroyed [the] family, leaving his two children, his parents, his partner and her daughter in inconsolable despair," he said.

"We have been totally devastated by the way in which he was taken from us."

Ms Archibald's trip to London to see her fiancee Tyler Ferguson was the first solo overseas journey she had taken. And Mr Ferguson's statement to the court recalled their last intimate moment that night.

Tyler Ferguson spoke of his fiance Christine Archibald, who died in his arms. ( Facebook: Tyler Ferguson )

"We decided to walk over London Bridge. At one point she grabbed me, held me close and gave me a passionate kiss and told me she loved me," he recalled.

"Then the attack happened and Chrissy was killed."

The court also heard from Julie Wallace, whose 21-year-old daughter Sara Zelenak, an au pair from Brisbane, was another victim.

Sara Zelenak was one of two Australians killed in the London Bridge and Borough Market terrorist attack in 2017. ( Supplied: Wallace family )

Mother and daughter were planning a trip together in Paris, but it was never to be.

"On that fatal night, every sliding door slid for Sara to be in harm's way," Mrs Wallace said.

When she headed out to meet friends near the Borough Market, "she walked out into a terrorist attack and was stabbed to death".

Outside the court, Mrs Wallace revealed that when she jumped on a plane to come to London, Ms Zelenak was still considered a missing person.

It was only when she landed at her stopover point in Abu Dhabi that she received confirmation her daughter had died.

She said the inquest "just brings up raw emotions".

"It doesn't change the facts."

Mark and Julie Wallace outside the Old Bailey in London. ( ABC News: Tim Stevens )

The entire rampage was brought to an end after only eight minutes when armed police arrived and shot dead the three attackers: Khuram Butt, age 27, born in Pakistan but who lived in London most of his life; Rachid Radouane, age 30; and Youssef Zaghba, age 22, who were both originally from Morocco.

All three had taken steroids before the attack, taped 30-centimetre ceramic kitchen knives to their wrists and wore mock suicide belts.

One, Khuram Butt, had been under a "live investigation" by UK security services since 2015. In 2016, he appeared in a television documentary flourishing an ISIS flag.

The coroner said the inquest would not only determine the precise details of the manner in which each of the victims died, but also "the response of the emergency services and the actions of the armed officers in order to provide a full account of the events of the attack".

"It is important to acknowledge that many lives were saved by the rapid response of members of the public and by members of the emergency services."

The inquest will run until mid-July.