Aussies greet new year with a bang

The last dregs of champagne have been drained, the fireworks are forged in the
memory and those New Year resolutions have probably already been broken.
As many Australians woke on Friday morning some could reflect, possibly somewhat
hazily, on a night of celebrations that rounded off a topsy-turvy 12 months and
kicked off a year many hope will offer brighter prospects.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd described 2009 as a difficult year for Australians whose
lives were darkened by the Black Saturday bushfires and the global financial crisis.
But speaking in his new year's message he said people would come together to meet
common challenges in 2010.
Sydney was among the first places in the world to usher in the new year.
It did so amid claims its 9pm "children's" fireworks were timed to trump Auckland's
own spectacular pyrotechnics and grab global media attention.
London's The Times newspaper took the cynical view that Sydney used its early round
of fireworks to steal Auckland's thunder.
Sydney New Year's Eve creative director, Rhoda Roberts denied that was the case but
refused to shift the timing - even slightly - to avoid future clashes.
"We wouldn't want to steal anyone's thunder, not the great white cloud over there,
indeed not," she told reporters on Friday.
Asked if she would consider 8.30pm (AEDT) for the earlier fireworks in future, Ms
Roberts replied: "It's the light, we need to have it dark".
Asked about 9.30pm (AEDT), she said: "It's too late. You don't have children do you?"
In response, Auckland city councillor Aaron Bhatnagar boasted to AAP that "sticklers
for tradition" should choose Auckland over Sydney as the place to celebrate the new
year first at the "correct time".
NSW Premier Kristina Keneally and Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore lauded the city's
$5 million New Year's Eve celebrations, which attracted 1.5 million people, as
successful and safe.
They hoped the evening's theme - Awaken the Spirit - would inspire people.
Elsewhere, around 450 revellers onboard a Qantas A380 Airbus enjoyed one of the more
unique new year experiences.
Taking off from Melbourne, they flew over Antarctica accompanied by a jazz band and
taking in a view of ice floes, giant glaciers and craggy snow-covered mountains.
The sightseeing flight was the third over Antarctica for 77-year-old Neil Ross from
Port Macquarie in NSW.
"It's absolutely sensational. I'm quite happy to have a party in the sky at
midnight. There's nothing better than the landscape and it keeps changing."
The sun did not set during the entire journey.
A late-night thunderstorm doused Melbourne's CBD before midnight and appeared to
shrink the crowd from an anticipated 500,000 to a much quieter 150,000 people.
At Federation Square, thousands braved the wet weather to see a fireworks show that
soared from the tops of Melbourne skyscrapers.
"The fireworks were not as mighty as they might have been on a clear night, but the
crowd showed the resilience of Melbourne people," said Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert
Doyle, who promised next year's show would be even bigger and better.
Police in Perth dealt with almost 2,000 incidents during the celebrations and made
more than 250 arrests in one of the city's rowdiest New Year's eves on record.
Much of the city's Northbridge area had been closed to traffic, and a large TV
screen and two DJs provided entertainment for what was promoted as a family-friendly
celebration.
A rookie police constable was among nine people charged with drink-driving on New
Year's Eve in Brisbane, where authorities say crowds were generally well-behaved.
On the Gold Coast, about 45,000 people gathered at Surfers Paradise, down 8,000 from
last year, while 40,000 revellers saw in the new year at South Bank in Brisbane.
In Canberra, up to 20,000 people gathered in the city centre and were generally well
behaved, police said.
At least 130 people were arrested in Sydney, of whom 117 were charged.
"To nearly one million Sydneysiders that came into Sydney to celebrate, well done,"
Assistant Commissioner Dave Owens told reporters.
"It was one of the most enjoyable New Year's Eve that the police have had to go
through."
In one of the more serious incidents, public order and riot squad officers were
pelted with illegal fireworks at Auburn in Sydney's west.