While the world looks to 2019 as celebrations continue to follow the midnight wave around the world, our neighbours across the ditch started the new year with a major blunder.
A projection onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge displayed the wrong year – turning back time to 2018 – in front of a million revellers.
But the embarrassing gaffe was partially overshadowed by a spectacular, soul-tinged fireworks celebration.
One of the most complex displays in Australia's history included gold, purple and silver fireworks pulsating to the tune of (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, made famous by Aretha Franklin, who died in August. The show used 8.5 tonnes of fireworks and featured more than 100,000 pyrotechnic effects.
Earlier, a thunderstorm drenched tens of thousands of people as they gathered for the traditional display, creating a show of its own with dozens of lightning strikes.
In Melbourne, 14 tonnes of fireworks deployed on the ground and on roofs of 22 buildings produced special effects including flying dragons.
In Brisbane, people watched as fireworks exploded from five barges moored on the Brisbane River.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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