Millions of Australians have turned out to kiss goodbye to a year marked by a cost-of-living crisis, natural disasters and a divisive referendum.

Spectacular fireworks displays lit up cities across the country, raising people’s spirits and fresh hopes for 2024.

In Sydney, crowds were abuzz and at maximum capacity as revellers crammed picnic rugs together to watch the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge display.

More than 8.5 tonnes of fireworks went up in smoke alongside 80,000 pyrotechnic effects and the sounds of jubilant cheers.

For some, it was a 17-hour wait after queuing from the early hours of the morning to snag a premium spot.

But it was worth it as the clock struck 12 for the families, friends, world travellers and locals alike who enjoyed the front-row display of pyrotechnics, a smoking ceremony, AI-driven projections onto the harbour bridge and illuminated boats on the water.

Smaller groups were seen dancing on the pylons of the Harbour Bridge while children looked on in wonder.

By 5pm most major vantage points around the foreshore had already reached capacity with the Sydney Opera House full by 11.30am.

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Melbourne was treated to a non-stop and vibrant fireworks display alongside a far-reaching laser show that ignited the city’s skyline from across 27 rooftops.

Cheers reverberated through the city after the 12pm show, with hoards of people shuffling out of designated celebration zones after witnessing the three semi-trailer loads of pyrotechnics.

Crowds of more than 400,000 gathered in the city centre to ring in the new year, many vying for a spot at the Docklands’ waterfront.

Outside Flinders Street Station was choked with people as security officers diverted pedestrian traffic and hoards of revellers flanked either side of the Yarra River.

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Similar scenes were happening or about to happen in other state capitals.

Thunderstorms brought torrential rain to the storm-battered Gold Coast during the night but didn’t stop an early fireworks display at Surfer’s Paradise before that area was hit by a deluge.

Hopes for 2024

The night’s festivities over, another year of uncertainty has dawned with hangovers from 2023 of extreme weather, cost-of-living woes, unaffordable housing and sovereignty conflicts.

But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has at least said he was “hopeful and optimistic” about Australia’s economic conditions in 2024.

He pointed to falling inflation, jobs growth and wages increasing, and he flagged further cost of living relief measures for lower and middle income earners in the new year.

NYE tragedies

Police were called to some terrible tragedies on New Year’s Eve.

Two young children, both aged under 10, died after they were found floating in Perth’s Swan River on New Year’s Eve.

The boy and girl were spotted at Burswood near Perth Stadium about 5.25pm on Sunday.

They were pulled from the water by members of the public but were unresponsive by the time offices arrived on the scene, WA Police said.

Both children were provided CPR but were unable to be revived.

Eight ambulances arrived on the scene while police cordoned off the area.

The incident happened near where revellers had gathered for New Year’s Eve celebrations and close to a children’s playground.

The children had been taken to Perth Children’s Hospital in a critical condition.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

In another awful accident, two train drivers died after their locomotive derailed in a horror crash at a level crossing near the South Australia-NSW border.

A truck driver was arrested following the fatal crash involving a Pacific National freight train at Bindarrah near the New South Wales (NSW) border on Sunday.

“The impact of the crash caused the locomotive to catch fire and several train carriages to derail, blocking the entire highway,” SA police said.

The two drivers, a 47-year-old man and a 57-year-old man, both from Port Augusta, died at the scene.

The truck driver, a 75-year-old Queensland man, was taken to Broken Hill Hospital with minor injuries.

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A Pacific National spokesperson said the company takes the safety of its employees very seriously and had notified regulators.

“This incident is having a profound impact across the organisation, and our first priority is to ensure the highest level of care to the families of our drivers who have tragically died,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it had commenced an investigation into the incident and was deploying Adelaide-based transport safety investigators with experience in train and railway operations to the scene.

A report detailing the investigation’s findings will be released to the public at its conclusion.

Rainy start to 2024

Heavy rainfall is expected to batter parts of Australia’s east coast on New Year’s Day, with flood-ravaged communities bracing for more potential flash flooding.

Residents of Queensland’s far southeast including the Gold Coast, Coolangatta, Tamborine Mountain and Springbrook were on high alert on Sunday night with a severe weather warning forecasting locally intense rainfall.

The downpour was predicted to affect the region overnight on New Year’s Eve and persist through Monday, with three to six-hourly rainfall totals between 80 mm and 160 mm possible, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

Total 24-hour rainfall totals could exceed 200mm in some areas, more likely around the ranges.

However, particularly intense rainfall of up to 250mm over six hours could lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding, the bureau warned.

“Heavy rainfall will be associated with shower and thunderstorm activity, which is likely to be hit-and-miss in nature across the warning area,” the bureau said in an alert.

“There is significant uncertainty in the movement and timing of features, but at this stage the heavy rainfall risk may persist into Tuesday morning.”

A severe weather warning for damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall was also in place on New Year’s Eve for people in parts of the Central Coast, Whitsundays, Central Highlands, Coalfields, Maranoa, Warrego, Darling Downs and Granite Belt forecast districts.

The bureau warned of possible flash flooding over several hours from about 10.40pm, after Carmila in the Isaac region recorded 99mm of rainfall between about 7.30pm and 8.30pm on Sunday.

An earlier weather warning for the Northern Goldfields and upper Flinders districts was cancelled as of Sunday evening.

In NSW, a high pressure system moving into the Tasman Sea was directing persistent and humid easterly winds over parts of the state’s northeast late on Sunday night.

Possible heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding was predicted for the northern rivers, parts of the mid-north coast and northern tablelands overnight on New Year’s Eve and on Monday.

Three to six-hourly rainfall totals of up to 160mm and 24-hourly totals of more than 250mm were possible, the bureau said.

“Localised intense rainfall is possible under areas of persistent heavy thunderstorms,” it said.

Coffs Harbour Airport recorded more than 188mm in the three hours to 2.50pm on Sunday.

Heat wave

Meanwhile large swathes of northern Australia are set for a sweltering start to the new year.

The Bureau of Meteorology had put in place heatwave warnings for parts of Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, where temperatures are expected to soar into the 40s on Monday.

The western Kimberley in WA, including the Dampier Peninsula, was forecast to be the worst hit, with the mercury expected to touch 46C at Marble Bar.

The town’s heat gauge has been showing scorching temperatures higher than the bureau’s official readings in recent days, with thermometers at the local RSL registering 51C.

Extreme heatwave warnings were also in place for parts of far northern Queensland and the Tiwi Islands in the NT.

Severe heatwave conditions were expected for the Top End, while a low-intensity heatwave would extend throughout much of the nation’s interior, including into South Australia and western NSW.

While Queensland’s northern interior was due to face severe heatwave conditions, parts of the state were also bracing for potentially damaging thunderstorms.

Charters Towers in the state’s north was expecting a double whammy of severe thunderstorms temperatures reaching 36C.

Conditions were expected to begin cooling slightly over the next week but severe and low-intensity heatwaves were still forecast for much of Australia’s north.

Mild conditions were forecast for Queensland’s southeast and further down the east coast.

Temperatures of 26C were expected in Sydney while Melbourne could expect a maximum of 25C on Monday.

-with AAP