WITH Australia one of the first countries around the world to welcome in the New Year, all eyes were on Sydney as it set off its $6.6 million fireworks spectacular. Pop princess Kylie Minogue, the event’s creative ambassador who chose the theme of Embrace for the celebrations, started the midnight show with the press of a button. An estimated 1.5 million people crowded the harbour foreshore, as a giant set of red lips lit up on the Harbour Bridge. They were replaced with a butterfly as the fireworks lit up the sky. The display included 100,000 individual pyrotechnic creations, including brand new koala, octopus and hand images up in lights.
See our gallery of photos of the fireworks here.