TENS of thousands of people across the country continued to celebrate the end of 2008 long past dawn yesterday, flocking to Australia’s famous beaches or gathering in parks and hotels to keep the party spirit alive.

From Bondi Beach in Sydney to Cottesloe Beach in Perth, and at thousands of locations in between, the country’s most committed revellers greeted the first sunrise of 2009 with varying degrees of enthusiasm after a night of fun.

But there were also plenty of people who woke refreshed and ready to take on the new year.

Escaping the stifling heat yesterday, Sarsha and Randal Huntington stole a moment together to reflect on resolutions on the Kangaroo Point cliffs in Brisbane.

It is an annual pilgrimage for the couple, each of whom owns their own companies and rides mountain bikes for Australia.

For Ms Huntington, eating healthily and being patient with her husband’s children were high on her list.

And Mr Huntington’s aim was to build the couple’s dream home they had been planning for years.

“It’s a good feeling to be able to come here each year, reflect, tick off last year’s resolutions and think of some new ones,” Ms Huntington said.

The first day of the year offered up a mixed bag, with Perth sweltering through temperatures of 37C — its hottest New Year’s Day in 11 years — while snow fell in the Tasmanian mountains and the state shivered through temperatures significantly below average.

Fashionistas, serious punters and others who were just after a good time braved hangovers and soaring temperatures yesterday to take part in the first major racing event of the year, the Perth Cup.

An abundance of hats, cleavage and fake tans was on show when at least 22,000 punters packed into Ascot racecourse to enjoy a day of frivolity, with perhaps a bit of betting on the side.

Annemiek Munro matched her outfit to a pink and black parasol, which she said kept her cool in the sweltering conditions.

“I came prepared,” she said.

Victorians and South Australians also experienced cooler weather yesterday, with tops of 20C in Melbourne and 24C in Adelaide. But both cities can look forward to warmer days, joining Perth with 30C-plus temperatures by the weekend.

For hundreds of revellers facing the harsh light of day yesterday morning, their hangovers were worsened by police charges.

While authorities in all states praised the public for their good behaviour on New Year’s Eve, arrest figures were high, reflecting a more hardline approach against anti-social behaviour from police.

In NSW, senior police said the majority of partygoers had behaved responsibly, but more than 70 people were charged with offences including drug possession, offensive conduct, assaulting police, resisting arrest and possessing illegal fireworks.

Authorities estimated that as many as 1.5 million people lined Sydney Harbour to watch the fireworks display.

Assistant Commissioner Catherine Burn said: “The arrest figures are a positive result when you consider the numbers of people celebrating the New Year in Sydney’s CBD, as well as in suburbs throughout the metro area.”

Queensland police said crowds were generally well-behaved. However, scores of people were arrested and a teenager was allegedly gang-raped. The 17-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by four men about 8.30pm near the hub of Brisbane’s celebrations in South Bank, where up to 90,000 people had gathered.

Victoria welcomed the new year with a policing paradox — double the number of offences yet no trouble to speak of.

Assistant Commissioner Gary Jamieson said that, in contrast to previous years, there had not been “a single incident of note of riotous behaviour” in the state.

This was despite an estimated 500,000 people lining the Yarra for the midnight fireworks show.

“It was the quietest New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day celebrations on record,” Mr Jamieson said.

In Western Australia, Acting Inspector Graham Clifford said there were no major problems with violence or anti-social behaviour.

In South Australia, unseasonably cool temperatures kept a lid on outdoor celebrations, which attracted about 100,000 people.

For more pictures of New Year celebrations, go to www.theaustralian.com.au

Credit: John Stapleton, Sarah Elks, Additional reporting: Debbie Guest, Nicolas Perpitch, Chip Le Grand and Jamie Walker