New Year's Eve: 'Most technologically advanced' Sydney fireworks show wows 1 billion people worldwide

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Sorry, this video has expired Video: Fireworks wow Sydney crowds (ABC News)

With an estimated worldwide audience of 1 billion people, the Sydney fireworks spectacular wowed the crowds around the harbour which was jammed to capacity by midnight on Sunday.

About 1.6 million people attended the fireworks around the edge of Sydney Harbour where a rainbow waterfall off the Sydney Harbour Bridge celebrated the legalising of same-sex marriage.

Sydney's Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the spectacular display would reinforce the city's position as the New Year's Eve capital of the world.

"The most technologically advanced fireworks display I'm told," she said.

"It'll promote Sydney to the world. There'll be a billion viewers out there watching."

Fireworks barge catches fire

Thousands were forced to evacuate Terrigal beach, on the New South Wales central coast, after a barge caught fire during a New Year's Eve fireworks display.

Police say two men operating the fireworks suffered minor injuries, when the barge caught fire about 9:00pm sending a large amount of fireworks into the air all at once.

Police said the two men were taken via ambulance to a nearby hospital for treatment, and the incident will be investigated by Safe Work New South Wales.

Meanwhile, Melbourne put on its biggest show of the year in the CBD, with 14 tonnes of fireworks launched from the top of 22 city buildings for New Year's Eve festivities.

Pyrotechnician Rusty Johnston said Melbourne put on a bigger show than Sydney.

"We've got a higher tonnage because we have so many firing sites where Sydney is a smallish area," he said.

Despite the heightened security presence, which included the deployment of more than 2,000 police officers, at least 500,000 people brought in the new year in Victoria's capital.

In the two biggest cities alone, more than 2 million people gathered for festivities.

Security was also beefed up in Sydney with police officers on patrol on the ground, in the air and on the water.

Police were out in force targeting anti-social behaviour

In Brisbane, despite earlier storms, crowds gathered at some of the best vantage points across the city to view the fireworks at South Bank and Kangaroo Point.

Thousands of revellers swarmed in to Elder Park, which is again the centrepiece of New Year's Eve celebrations in Adelaide.

In Hobart, people gathered on the waterfront to enjoy the Taste of Tasmania, with a number of live music acts bringing in the new year, such as Aussie rock legends, the Whitlam's.

Festival director Brooke Webb said the vibe was great.

"It's a beautiful night and it's really exciting there's a real hum and people have really got into the theme [of] a Midsummer Night's Eve," she said.

Police said they will be out in force across the state and will be targeting anti-social behaviour off the back of two reports of sexual assault at Falls Festival at Marion Bay.

A massive fireworks display was launched from Sullivans Cove in Hobart — with about $65,000 worth of pyrotechnics fired from a barge across two shows.

In Canberra, more than 30,000 fireworks were launched from City Hill as Art Vs Science rings in the New Year.

In Perth, which was the last state to reach midnight, more than a thousand police officers were patrolling the streets.

Thousands of families gathered on the foreshore in Rockingham, south of the city, while others welcomed in 2018 at City Beach, overlooking the ocean.

Topics: arts-and-entertainment, events, australia, brisbane-4000, sydney-2000, melbourne-3000, perth-6000, hobart-7000, canberra-2600, darwin-0800

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