WA families gather along the river to get a prime spot for the fireworks and to toast in the new year

Families packed out Elizabeth Quay from Wednesday afternoon in a bid to grab a good vantage spot to watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks and toast the start of 2026.

Revellers were determined to celebrate the year that was, and the new year to come, with smiles, laughter and plenty of fun, enjoying the family-friendly entertainment on offer.

The City of Perth expects about 120,000 people to attend major events in the CBD, including the double fireworks extravaganza, circus performances and free carnival.

Many in Perth began their New Year’s Eve heading to beaches and the riverfront, which were overflowing with revellers starting their celebrations early.

Sophie Amos, 26, was at Floreat Beach enjoying the heat after moving back to Perth from Melbourne recently.

“It’s great getting back to the sun and the beach,” she said.

“It’s the best time to be with friends in the warm weather.”

Sophie headed to a friend’s house party in Scarborough to celebrate, but didn’t have a resolution ready as the clock struck midnight.

For 10-year-old Hudson Walsh and brother Bailey, 11, New Year’s Eve started with a trip to Floreat Beach and mum Carin said she might even let them stay up until midnight.

“We’re going to a friend’s for a barbecue tonight,” Carin said on Wednesday afternoon.

“We try to spend New Year’s Eve with the kids, and we’ll be back down here (at the beach) in the morning.

“We’re in the area every day, they’re always boogie boarding and surfing.”

Despite the revelry, this year’s festivities came with a tinge of sadness and increased security efforts around the country in the wake of the Bondi massacre.

WA Police, and interstate counterparts, made sure there were extra security measures in place as celebrations ramped up.

WA Police commander Jason Longhorn said officers were deployed at all major events across the State and some would be carrying rifles.

“These high-visibility patrols are a deliberate and proportionate measure designed to ensure WA police are well positioned to respond quickly and effectively to an emerging threat,” he said.

NSW Police carrying Colt M4 carbines were deployed at Bondi Beach and other locations after the Bondi Beach terror Chanukah attack which left 15 innocent people dead.

Premier Chris Minns earlier said the sight of heavily armed police would be confronting but was likely here to stay.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, he said Sydney residents should “be respectful to one another and have some joy and enjoy yourself”.

“We can’t be in a situation where this horrible criminal terrorist event changes the way we live in our beautiful city,” he said.

Police in Perth used edged-weapon scanning and wand devices and charged anyone caught carrying a weapon.

But the measures didn’t dampen spirits.

The City of Perth started the party early with roving performers, a live DJ and food trucks at Elizabeth Quay, free carnival rides were on offer in Supreme Court Gardens and Grammy-award winning producer and DJ Kaytranada headlining an open-air festival in Langley Park.

Yagan Square also proved to be popular, with performers, DJs, and lip-sync battles ahead of a countdown to midnight on the digital tower.

The City of Rockingham’s New Year’s Eve fireworks were scheduled to go ahead, despite calls from some community members to cancel the display because of local fires, which had been burning in the area since Monday.

Fireworks were also on the cards for Gloucester Park, Claremont Showground, Breakwater Marina at Mindarie, Halls Head, and HBF Arena at Joondalup.

Regionally, the skies were set to light up with fireworks in Kalgoorlie, over the Hanover Bay jetty in Albany and on the Cocos Islands.

For the Thornton family the early fireworks display was a great way for the whole family to celebrate.

After spending the afternoon paddleboarding on the Swan before heading home to Wembley for dinner mum Briony said her children would get to stay up for the early show at 8.30pm.

On the other side of the country, huge crowds descended on to Sydney’s streets for their early display, too.

Defiantly packing out the harbour — following a devastating few weeks for the city — revellers arrived early to nab some of the best spots to see the city’s world-famous fireworks display.

More than 2500 police officers — a record number — patrolled the city’s streets after the terror attack at Bondi Beach that claimed the lives of 15 people on December 14.

Despite heightened community fears in the wake the worst act of terror on Australian soil, there were massive queues outside Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden.

To get the best spot harbourside hundreds of eager revellers even spent the night before sleeping in tents on the banks of the river.

At 11pm, the Harbour Bridge was set to be flooded in white lights, and a menorah projected onto the pylons as a precursor to the traditional fireworks display at midnight.

Weaved into the show were illuminated native flora and fauna like koalas, cockatoos, bottlebrush and waratah.

A minute’s silence was held for the victims of the Bondi attack — marked by three bells at its beginning and end.

South of Sydney, in NSW’s third-largest city, Wollongong, fireworks were cancelled because of dangerous swells affecting the harbour.

The council said the decision was not taken lightly and that members of the community would be “deeply disappointed”.

In Melbourne, more than half a million revellers hit the city’s CBD, which Lord Mayor Nick Reece described as the “best organised” new year’s the city had put on.

Four designated celebration zones were created across Melbourne City, including the Kings Domain, Flagstaff Gardens, Treasury Gardens and Victoria Promenade.