Sydney’s New Year’s Eve revellers continue party on Bondi Beach
Sydney’s NYE revellers continued to party as dawn broke across Bondi Beach this morning, while others rested their sore heads on the sand. See all the fireworks and morning-after photos here.
NSW
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As the sun rose on a New Year, hungover revellers rested their sore heads on the sand at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach, while several others kept the party going as the sun rose.
When the sun peeked through the clouds at about 5.30am, people flocked to take pictures of the year’s first sunrise.
Others stripped down to take their first swim of 2024, kicking off their year with a fresh start.
Those who didn’t quite make it to the sunrise slept on the sand and nearby benches.
But all of the highs were inevitably followed by the lows with many heads in hands as Sydney’s New Year’s Eve hangover set in.
The wild scenes come after thousands of Sydneysiders stepped out in style on Sunday filling pubs, clubs and streets across the city.
SYDNEY RINGS IN NEW YEAR IN STYLE
Sydney consigned the cost of living crisis to history – at least for one night – and welcomed in 2024 with a spectacular $6.2 million bang over the Harbour last night.
More than a million people packed into 49 vantage spots around the Harbour to watch more than 8.5 tonnes of fireworks light up the overcast sky.
The 12-minute display—which erupted from eight barges placed across the harbour, on the Bridge itself and from the tops of the Crown Sydney, the Four Seasons hotel, Grosvenor Place and Salesforce Tower — was watched by an estimated 425 million people around the globe as Sydney led the world in welcoming in the New Year.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s message to the nation celebrated the Australian spirit after what had been “a challenging year” globally, sheeting home our financial hardship to the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
“In these times of global uncertainty, it’s worth reflecting on what we have as a nation,’’ he said. “We are a people of optimism, determination and, above all, fairness. That is the Australian spirit.”
Sydney’s New Year’s Eve spectacular was the biggest in years after NSW Premier Chris Minns delivered on an election promise to make the fireworks display free.
There were 38 free vantage points for the show, including the Cahill Expressway, Clark Island, Goat Island and Shark Island, where places had been allocated by ballot to control the crowds.
Last year, a ticket on the western boardwalk of the Opera House cost a whopping $850 but this year the price of entry was getting up early to secure a spot.
Revellers were more than happy to pay the price, with hundreds arriving before dawn.
Prime spots at the Royal Botanic Garden, the Opera House and Mrs Macquarie’s Chair were declared full before midday.
All ticketed viewing spots for the fireworks were full by 4pm, with hundreds of thousands of revellers pouring into vantage points across the harbour, and by 7pm, Sydney had turned out in such force that police were urging revellers who weren’t already in the CBD to stay home and celebrate locally.
Mr Minns said the people of NSW had plenty of reasons to be optimistic in 2024 after “a difficult few years of bushfires, floods and Covid”.
“While so many families and households have done it tough this year, what has shone through is the generosity of the people of our state, coming together to support each other. With so many exciting changes coming to NSW ... I couldn’t be more optimistic about the future of our great state,” Mr Minns said.
Sydney’s biggest event of the year – until Taylor Swift arrives next month – was not dampened by an overcast sky with a top temperature of just 24C, with partygoers spared a wet start to 2024 despite the Bureau of Meteorology warning of showers at any moment.
The party of the year stretched right across the city, with revellers gathering in their thousands at Parramatta, Liverpool and Penrith.
Tourists from Japan, China, Brazil, France and Spain were turned away from packed-out vantage points close to the Bridge and Opera House, with one even trying to claim she had left her baby inside the closed-off area in a bid to gain access. But a security guard called her bluff, telling her: “There are no pass outs.”
From 8.30pm, the Harbour Bridge’s pylons lit up with a variety of projections then, at 9pm, revellers watched the sky in awe as the eight-minute family fireworks show lit up the harbour and surrounds ahead of the main event at midnight.
Family members Crawford Timms, Issy Baines and Alison, George and Ruby Wilkinson had been waiting for over 13 hours at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair to see the 9pm fireworks. But despite the long wait, the family was well and truly wowed.
“There’s just nothing else like this, we had to make the trek in,” Ms Wilkinson said.
“It just felt like something we had to do and we just lucked out with the spot.”
George Wilkinson had been skeptical waiting for the 9pm fireworks but was impressed when they finally arrived.
“It’s the best show in the world … we were hoping for a warmer New Years though.”
“It’s taken a while to pass the time … a lot of games and drinking mostly.”
The family were staying through to midnight at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair, before moving on to a bar after midnight.
As they looked out on the cannon-shot volume fireworks over the harbour, Ruby Wilkinson thought it was the best way to come into a new year.
“It’s not a bad show,” she remarked.
NSW Police had a high presence around the foreshore with Operation New Year’s Eve 2023 Commander Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cooke having warned revellers to behave at “one of the largest (New Year’s Eve celebrations) we have seen.’’
Countdown begins as harbour abuzz for New Year’s Eve
It comes as more then 10 New Years viewing sites around Sydney Harbour reached full capacity by mid-afternoon including Circular Quay and the Royal Botanic garden.
Spots were filling up quickly by mid-afternoon with the 10 viewing sites reaching full capacity by 4pm.
The Sydney Opera House forecourt, all three sites at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Circular Quay, Campbell’s Cove, Blues Point in North Sydney and Hickson’s road reserve are all full.
Almost 80,000 people were squashed into the at-capacity ticketed areas by 4pm with many more expected before midnight.
Those attending have been advised to take a jacket with temperatures topping out at 24C and cooling to 19C in the evening.
Families travelled from across Australia to see Sydney put on a show. Gurtej and Renvir Tejay travelled from Melbourne with their two kids Sartaj, 9 and Sehjal, 5 to see the New Years Eve fireworks.
“We thought we just had to show the kids the fireworks over the Opera House and Harbour bridge,” Ms Tejay said.
“We’ve seen the fireworks in Melbourne but Sydney Harbour is just so special.”
Scoring a spot next to the Harbour Bridge, friends Millar Kay-Kneebone, Danielle Ewer and Julia Forner had travelled from Canberra to see the festivities.
Students at Australian National University, the friends were keen to celebrate the end of what was a difficult and expensive year.
“It was a year full of highs and lows,” Ms Forner said.
“It can be tough as a student, life is expensive.”
Celebrating with the Canberra friends is Hills resident, Tahlisha Lombardo.
“I graduated this year, which was a high but it’s been tough to find a job post study… I’m optimistic something will come up in the new year”.
The Popovic family are in Sydney from Serbia on holiday, and had been queuing since 8am at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair.
Voice actor Natasha Popovic said that the journey in had been “organised chaos”.
“We wanted to be here on six, but we ended up coming around eight, and the line was all the way back around,” she said.
“People started really piling up after two hours and the queue started like moving and that was it.
“It’s cool because it’s something I’m never going to see in my life again.”
Without the expected New Year’s summer sun, partygoers prepared with layers, and by 3pm many chose to take a quick nap to make it through the later half of the night.
Anna Popovic however, did not mind the cold.
“It’s great because in my country right now it is winter, so I’m not really concerned with this.
“I’m in my element with this weather.”
Melissa Moffett, Holly Evans and Grace Kyne had packed heavy, knowing they would be waiting all day to see the fireworks, but were missing the sunny weather.
“It’s fine because we don’t want to get sunburned,” Ms Evans said.
“I was hoping for it to be very hot.
“We brought all of our camping chairs; we got a couple of eskies, our blankets and everything.”
A crochet of picnic blankets covered much of the green, with small pockets clustering at the best breaks in the brush.
Daniella Patridge and Elisa Ollson had been queuing since 8.30am but still did not have a good spot to see the fireworks.
“We were stressed that we would not get in, so I’m happy we’re not queuing anymore,” Ms Patridge said.
“All day we’ve been eating.”
Events kick off with a smoking ceremony at 7.30pm before the eastern side of the pylons on the Harbour Bridge are lit up with projections and lighting effects an hour later. At 9pm the first fireworks display, produced by indigenous group We Are Warriors, will light up the Harbour ahead of the main display at midnight. The soundtrack for the fireworks will play on KIIS 1065.
Authorities have advised anyone attending the event to take public transport with roads including the Cahill Expressway, Macquarie Street north of Bridge Street and those in The Domain and Royal Botanic Garden already closed.
Trains will also not stop at Circular Quay after 3pm and at Milsons Point after 6pm. Some entrances at Wynyard and Central will be closed with crowds managed by NSW Police.
Operation New Year’s Eve 2023 Commander, Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cooke said NSW Police would have a high visibility presence around the harbour to keep people safe.
“There will be both uniformed and plain-clothed police targeting those engaging in dangerous and anti-social behaviour throughout the night,” he said.
“This New Year’s Eve celebration is expected to be one of the largest we have seen. with free entry allowing more people from across Sydney to come to the city and have a good time; it also means there will be more police then ever out across Sydney looking after the public and responding to emergencies,” Assistant Commissioner Cooke said.
Hundreds of boats are also expected to crowd onto the Harbour to watch the fireworks. Assistant Commissioner Cooke said: “Specialist police will also be out on the water conducting drug and alcohol testing, as well as compliance checks on vessels, so please be smart and look after each other.”
CROWDS GATHER AROUND SYDNEY HARBOUR
By 10am, blockades had been established around Mrs Macquarie’s Point, the Royal Botanic Garden, and the Domain with workers in hi-vis attempting to herd hundreds of tourists to other locations.
“Please get off the road,” they repeated in exasperation, as one worker behind temporary gates tried to individually reason with each member of the public.
Of the 49 vantage points on offer, all 11 that were subject to a ballot draw to control crowd numbers were sold out. The Daily Telegraph witnessed members of the public insisting they had “tickets” to the Domain.
More than one million people are expected to gather on Sunday, after the state government scrapped the ticketing system to allow free entry to most harbour venues for the first time in years.
Just past 10am, a gaggle of 50-odd tourists were taking turns trying to talk their way past the small security team, with one woman even saying her baby had been left inside.
“There are no pass outs,” the security woman explained. For each person that was turned away from the gates, another five joined the back of the crowd— at this time, with more than 12 hours to go until the fireworks.
Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks are a global tourist attraction and “bucket list” activity and this was reflected in the early morning hordes. While tourists from Japan, China, Brazil, France, and Spain queued up, there didn’t appear to be any locals willing to brave the chaos.
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