Sydney Harbour lit up with 8.5 tonnes of fireworks as the clock ticked over to midnight on New Year's Eve, with thousands sticking out an evening downpour to secure prime vantage points for the spectacle.

Key points: Evening thunderstorms had no impact on Sydney's fireworks, despite a deluge falling over the harbour

Evening thunderstorms had no impact on Sydney's fireworks, despite a deluge falling over the harbour Early pyrotechnic displays drew large crowds across the country

Early pyrotechnic displays drew large crowds across the country Extra police were deployed in party hotspots to keep revellers safe

The children's 9:00pm fireworks event went off without a hitch in the city, unaffected by the unfavourable weather.

Parts of Sydney were hit earlier by severe thunderstorms, with heavy rainfall over the harbour.

There were no delays to the fireworks, but there were reports of trains heading into the city being delayed by up to an hour.

Thousands of people lined the banks of the Brisbane River as the fireworks lit up Queensland's capital at 8:30pm (local time).

The display was the result of four months of planning, with 18 pyrotechnic computer controllers coordinating the show.

Sydney Harbour lit up as the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve. ( ABC: Brooke Wylie )

Meanwhile, in Canberra, revellers were in awe of the early fireworks display.

Around 12,000 individual pyrotechnics were fired over the country's capital, with the light show proving to be worth the wait.

Some people turned out more than five hours early to secure a view.

Loading

It began to rain just before the fireworks started but that did not dampen the mood, and the rain dissipated shortly after.

The crowd thinned out after the early display was done, with many families opting to go home while the older crowd stayed for the midnight show.

Canberra's 9:00pm fireworks lit up Civic Square. ( ABC News: Nick Haggarty )

Unlike Sydney, Hobart enjoyed clear summer skies on the final night of 2018 as a tonne of fireworks lit up the night sky.

An estimated 4,500 partygoers flocked to Hobart's waterfront to kiss 2018 farewell and ring in the new year, with children and families lining the waterfront for the early display held at 9:30pm.

Revellers at the waterfront caught a glimpse of the biggest fireworks display the city had ever seen.

The display, was worth $70,000, included two 12-inch shells in bright new colours making their debut.

Apart from Sydney, Hobart is only city with a harbour big enough to safely set off the massive shells.

Hobart's dazzling fireworks display. ( ABC News: David Hudspeth )

Snagging a spot

Thousands of people laid out their rugs in Sydney's Royal Botanic Garden hours before the New Year's Eve celebrations, with some even camping overnight to nab the best spots.

Up to 1.5 million people were expected to crowd the harbour foreshore to watch the city's world-renowned pyrotechnic display.

Sorry, this video has expired Crowds begin to gather ahead of Sydney's New Year's Eve celebrations

After the gates opened at about 10:00am, many people bolted the one kilometre from the New South Wales Art Gallery to Mrs Macquarie's Chair in order to secure their favoured spot.

There were 18 launch computers linked by 60 kilometres of wire and cables, which allowed the show to be synchronised to music.

At the Royal Botanic Garden, the oldest resident of the pop-up community there was Shih-Yinu Chen, who lined up for a staggering 50 hours.

A stunning fireworks display cast striking colours into the sky over Sydney Harbour. ( AAP: Brendan Esposito )

She is from Taiwan and on a working holiday in Australia with her friends.

"I want to see a better view for fireworks, because the Sydney fireworks is very famous," she told the ABC.

Peter is a Taiwanese student living in Australia and lined up for more than 24 hours.

"I know so many people wait here, and so that's why I came early, two days ago," he said.

"It's just like camping, meet new guys, new friends."

The celebrations incorporated a new Indigenous element, called Calling Country, created to kick off 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages.

Sorry, this video has expired Crowds gather around Sydney Harbour for Sydney fireworks

Organisers coordinated a display of animated birds and fish to project on to the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons, accompanied by violins and singing in Gadigal language.

Aretha Franklin — who died in August — was also honoured at the event, with performers singing her song (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.

Calls for responsible fun

Paramedics urged revellers across the country to drink responsibly, avoid drugs and "look after mates".

Queensland senior advanced care paramedic Stephen Turner said emergency workers had prepared for a busy night, with an additional 65 staff members rostered to work in Brisbane and more than 100 across the state.

Canberra's New Year's Eve celebrations were family friendly. ( ABC News )

"We'd really like everyone to drink responsibly … drink to your limits," he said.

"We want to see everyone get home safe … please establish a designated driver, catch a taxi, public transport."

He also warned partygoers to steer clear of drugs following the recent death of a young man at Lost Paradise music festival, north of Sydney.

"We really don't know what's in them, and time and again we've seen the death of young people as a result of some of these substances," he said.

"Look after your mates."

Some dressed up their outfits with accessories worthy of the occasion. ( ABC News: David Hudspeth )

Police out in full force

Police in all major city centres were out in full force, with uniformed and plain clothes officers carrying out extra patrols through the night to target anti-social behaviour, violence and drink and drug driving.

Road closures, barriers, bag checks and CCTV cameras were among the security measures in place across the country's capital cities.

Security guards checked revellers' bags at a temporary gated entrance in Brisbane. ( ABC News )

In Adelaide, police reminded revellers that in the CBD and at beachside Glenelg, officers had the power to use metal detectors to search people and direct people to leave and stay out of certain areas.

"Last year, we had a total of 44 evictions from declared public precincts," Assistant Commissioner Scott Duval said.

"Ten people were barred from those areas and six people were searched using the metal-detection wands."

The national terror threat level was listed as "probable", which meant that intelligence agencies believed individuals or groups "possess the intent and capability to conduct a terrorist attack".

Police will be carrying out extra patrols across major city centres. ( ABC News )

Revellers were told to exercise caution and report any suspicious incidents to the National Security Hotline by calling 1800 123 400.

Meanwhile, authorities emphasised that life-threatening situations should be reported to the police by calling triple zero.

Revellers in Adelaide settled in for a long wait by Torrens Lake ahead of the evening's fireworks displays. ( ABC News )

As for Hobart, police were out in force on both the waterfront and on the harbour targeting alcohol-fuelled violence.

But Hobart's Acting Inspector Darren Latham said crowds were far better behaved than last year.

"I can tell you last year at this point we'd had quite a number of arrests around the waterfront so actually the crowds really well behaved and quite jovial [this year]," he said.

He said no arrests had been made before midnight.



