The residents of the low-income housing block, which is managed by the NSW government, realised many of the people watching the fireworks were tourists who had broken into the block, even jimmying the security lock on the ground floor.

This year, a sign in the Sirius' foyer from Housing NSW says the building will have a security guard from 5pm on New Year's Eve to 5am the following morning.

On the other side of the bridge at Kirribilli, Anne (who asked that her surname not be used) has a similar view and similar problems.

She has lived practically in the shadow of the bridge for more than 40 years, buying cheaply at a time when many people feared living close to the harbour after World War II.

Anne is so used to the traffic rumbling overhead, and the trains, that she does not even notice them any more. While her front windows have an uninterrupted view of the Opera House, Circular Quay and the Harbour Bridge, she often sits with her back to the view, so the light falls on her book or crossword.