Australians turned out in their millions to ring in 2023 with celebrations across the nation all the merrier for the spectre of COVID being left behind.

It was the first end-of-year celebration in three years without COVID-19 restrictions, including no limitations on tourists travelling interstate or overseas.

An estimated million-plus people flocked around Sydney’s centre to watch a breathtaking show along the harbour.

The city’s reputation for hosting one of the best New Year’s Eve parties on earth lived up to the hype as more than eight tonnes of fireworks were launched from landmarks.

Rainbow sparks cascaded down from the Harbour Bridge as the city prepared to host WorldPride 2023 in February.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said Sydney had shown once again why it was the best place in the world to celebrate New Year’s Eve.

Sydney is back!

“After the challenges of the last few years, last night’s unforgettable show not only rung in a New Year – it signalled to the world that Sydney is well and truly back,” she said.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cooke said most people were well-behaved, with a few exceptions, as officers made 83 arrests in Sydney’s CBD and laid 25 charges for assault, drug offences and offensive behaviour.

In Melbourne, an estimated 450,000 revellers went into the CBD to watch a fireworks display set off from a record 30 rooftops in the biggest celebration since the outbreak of the pandemic.

People packed into the city, riverside spots, bridges and celebration zones to watch a spectacular show that cost about $4 million.

Queensland grandmother Louise Arthy, who travelled from Caboolture to Victoria to spend New Year’s Eve with her family, said the atmosphere was “pumping”.

“Fireworks, family, food, good times celebrating the new year. Hopefully a better year ahead,” she told AAP.

About 60,000 people watched the fireworks at Brisbane’s South Bank as thousands more people attended sites on the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Townsville.

There were only 50 arrests across the Brisbane region and low arrest numbers elsewhere in Queensland during what police described as one of the “best-behaved years”.

Well behaved crowds

“Generally the crowds are very well behaved, and talking to my colleagues across the state they are very, very pleased … across the evening with the crowd behaviour,” Acting Chief Superintendent Chris Stream told reporters on Sunday.

For the first time, family-friendly fireworks were set off in Perth before the main event along the Swan River as the clock struck 12.

It was a night for families in Melbourne, where 450,000 gathered for the show. Photo: AAP

Adelaide and Hobart also welcomed the new year with two dazzling fireworks displays but public celebrations and fireworks in Darwin were cancelled for safety reasons due to a monsoon.

In South Australia, many people headed to the coast to enjoy the warm weather in what was a largely uneventful night for police.

Police said 89 people were arrested statewide, while hundreds more were fined for traffic, drug and alcohol offences.

Tasmanian police praised a mostly well-behaved crowd as revellers flocked to the Hobart waterfront.

Some 18 people were arrested in the state’s south for anti-social behaviour and other alcohol-related offences, while several people in the west were charged with drink-driving.

The weather remained dry and in the low 20s at midnight in most capital cities, however rising floodwaters overshadowed events in Western Australia’s central Kimberley region and in Menindee in far-west NSW.

-AAP