How Sydney celebrated Australia Day 2025: Picture special
Picture special: Sydneysiders are celebrating Australia Day out and about at pubs, community events and beaches. Some got more creative, with a slip and slide made epic with a little help from firefighters.
NSW
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As more and more Aussies support celebrating Australia Day on January 26, Sydneysiders spent Sunday enjoying the public holiday together and embracing the sun and sights of our spectacular coastline.
Giant fighting kangaroos, an infestation of beach cabanas at North Narrabeen, and an incredible slip and slide at Freshwater – made better with an intervention by Fire and Rescue NSW – were some of the quirkier sights.
Thousands of families gathered along the Sydney Harbour shoreline where they were treated to a stunning show, including a flyover by six Royal Australian Air Force planes in formation and a thunderous 21-gun salute under the bridge by the Australian Defence Force. Four ferries then competed in a race known as the “ferrython”, which was won by Emerald-class ferry the May Gibbs, named after the author of Aussie children’s book series Snugglepot and Cuddlepie.
Many punters were dressed up in green and gold, or blue, white and red, including Vietnamese-Australian couple Ngoc Dung Tu and Van Tran Tu, who found a new home in Australia after Saigon fell to communist forces in 1975.
“My father was a veteran in the South Vietnamese army, so we had to leave – at that time my wife and I were just married one year, we were 20 years old,” Mr Tu said.
“Australia is the best country, we created our family in Australia, my son and my daughter went into business.”
Canley Vale was illuminated by stunning fireworks at Adams Park later on Sunday.
This year’s celebrations come in the wake of a recent poll showing 69 per cent of Aussies think the date for Australia Day should remain on January 26.
Thousands also descended on Bondi and Cronulla beaches to enjoy the sunshine on the special day.
Pubs were also popular and packed, including The Rocks’ Fortune of War, which was founded in 1828 and said to be the city’s oldest drinking hole.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined families from countries including Nigeria and Sri Lanka as they became Aussie citizens at a ceremony in Canberra, telling them: “Whether we are born Australian, or we choose to become Australian, citizenship is a commitment that all of us make to each other.
“Today, your talent and skill, your enterprise and drive, your hopes for the future join this great national endeavour.
“On Australia Day, let us celebrate the privilege we have to live in the greatest country on Earth.
“And together let us seize the opportunity to make it even better in the future.”
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said in a video posted online “we shouldn’t be afraid of celebrating” Australia Day.
“A defining achievement has been the weaving together of the Indigenous, British and migrant threads of our story,” he said. “Being an Australian is a celebration of our shared values.”
Premier Chris Minns, who attended a citizenship ceremony at West Ryde, called Australia Day “hugely important” to our country.
“I do acknowledge the difficulties some people have with Australia Day, but it’s my strong view that successful countries need national days – it’s intrinsic to being successful because it means you’ve got a shared sense about what is possible and a shared sense of the future,” he said.
“I’m a big supporter and a big fan of Australia Day and I think it is too important to set aside.”
The Premier said more than 4100 migrants became new Australians in citizenship ceremonies across NSW yesterday.
“If there is a sense that we forget how great Australia is, go and speak to a new migrant, go and speak to a person who has become an Australian citizen,” he said.
“They will universally tell you how great this country is, how lucky they are to be here with their family and how excited they are about the future of the country and their contribution to it.”
Among the more than 4000 new citizens across the state today are young parents Karin, 32 and Hennie Prinsloo, 33.
The young couple migrated to Australia in 2019 from South Africa, and both gained their citizenship at Ryde on Sunday.
Their 11-month-old son Henri, who was already a citizen due to being born in Australia watched on as his parents became the newest Australians.
Mr Prinsloo said the couple first arrived in Australia with the intention of only staying a couple of years for work. They decided to stay after falling in love with the country.
“We were stuck here during covid but it was the best thing that ever happened to us. We just became part of the community,” he said.
“It’s a great country for foreigners because it is so diverse.
Ms Prinsloo said the couple felt their lives were much better in Sydney, especially for raising a young son.
“We realised the quality of our life is much better than it was in Johannesburg,” she said
“We get out more - we’re a lot more active and we enjoy what is around us - going to the beaches and the parks.
“It’s easy to feel at home here.”
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Originally published as How Sydney celebrated Australia Day 2025: Picture special
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