Australia welcomes 2023 with bumper crowds

Rachael Ward and Peter Bodkin | January 1, 2023

Australians marked New Year’s Eve with a bang as millions of people joined the country’s first end-of-year celebration free of restrictions since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

An estimated one million-plus people flocked around Sydney’s centre to watch a breathtaking show along the harbour in one of the world’s first major events to see in the new year.

Police across the country praised the well-behaved revellers as they gathered at events in state and regional capitals.

Sydney’s reputation for hosting one of the best New Year’s Eve parties on earth lived up to the hype as more than eight tonnes of fireworks were launched from landmarks.

Rainbow sparks cascaded down from the Harbour Bridge as the city prepared to host WorldPride 2023 in February.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said Sydney had cemented its reputation as the “new year’s capital of the world” after the challenges of the recent COVID-affected years.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cooke said only a few people behaved badly as officers made 83 arrests in Sydney’s CBD and laid 25 charges for assault, drug offences and offensive behaviour.

In Melbourne, an estimated 450,000 people went into the CBD to watch a fireworks display set off from a record 30 rooftops in the biggest celebration since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Revellers packed into the city, riverside spots, bridges and celebration zones to watch a spectacular show that cost about $4 million.

Queensland grandmother Louise Arthy, who travelled from Caboolture to Victoria to spend New Year’s Eve with her family, told AAP the atmosphere was “pumping” and she was hoping for a better year ahead.

Victoria Police deployed thousands of officers and reported 49 arrests statewide during its New Year’s Eve operation.

Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent said overwhelmingly police saw good behaviour from crowds in Melbourne and other regional celebrations.

About 60,000 people watched the fireworks at Brisbane’s South Bank as thousands more people attended sites on the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Townsville.

There were only 50 arrests across the Brisbane region and low arrest numbers elsewhere in Queensland during what police described as one of the “best-behaved years”.

“Generally the crowds are very well behaved, and talking to my colleagues across the state they are very, very pleased,” Acting Chief Superintendent Chris Stream told reporters on Sunday.

For the first time, family-friendly fireworks were set off in Perth before the main event along the Swan River as the clock struck 12.

Adelaide and Hobart also welcomed the new year with two dazzling fireworks displays but public celebrations and fireworks in Darwin were cancelled for safety reasons due to a monsoon.

In South Australia, many people headed to the coast to enjoy the warm weather in what was a largely uneventful night for police.

Police said 89 people were arrested statewide, while hundreds more were fined for traffic, drug and alcohol offences.

Tasmanian police also praised a mostly well-behaved crowd as revellers lined Hobart’s waterfront.

Some 18 people were arrested in the state’s south for anti-social behaviour and other alcohol-related offences.

The weather remained dry and in the low 20s at midnight in most capital cities, however rising floodwaters overshadowed events in Western Australia’s central Kimberley region and in Menindee in far-west NSW.