Australia welcomes 2018 with spectacular fireworks in Sydney

Sydney: Australia rang in the New Year Sunday with a spectacular display of rainbow-coloured fireworks cascading from Sydney Harbour Bridge, as revellers marked the nation`s legalisation of gay marriage.

About 1.5 million people packed the city`s foreshore to watch the pyrotechnics light up the sky above the historic bridge and the iconic opera house, the first major celebrations worldwide after New Zealand.

"This is a fabulous way to see out 2017 - the year that four out of five Sydneysiders said a resounding `yes` to marriage equality," said Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore of the nationwide postal vote in support of change, AFP reported.

#WATCH Fireworks light Australia's Sydney Habour to welcome New Year 2018 pic.twitter.com/xb0JUZqEP0 — ANI (@ANI) December 31, 2017

#SydneyNYE #ByeBye2017 pic.twitter.com/elGhDIgbjw

— Angela (@angela_chen2018) December 31, 2017

To all of my amazing friends #HappyNewYear2018 from #SydneyNYE #partytime pic.twitter.com/f1gXcO1iNo — @knotts09 #CK (@Knotts09) December 31, 2017

Worlds best! Sydney welcoming 2018 in style! #SydneyNYE pic.twitter.com/p5K7yBZbol — Wanderstruck (@mrslazybones) December 31, 2017

#HappyNewYear  #Sydney #Australia #SydneyNYE #SydNEY ! #Tatiana pic.twitter.com/qZtQLSLSoB — Tatiana Wright (@twright55) December 31, 2017

HAPPY NEW YEAR! #SydneyNYE #NYEABC #HappyNewYear pic.twitter.com/CmtO6WHwlz — Mel (@TheOnlyMissMel) December 31, 2017

Happy 2018#HappyNewYear2018 #SydneyNYE #NYE2018 pic.twitter.com/rOrO3IezzY — Bushra (@BushraAslam) December 31, 2017

Thousands turned out earlier in New Zealand`s largest city Auckland for the annual New Year`s Eve street party, marked by a major fireworks display from the Sky Tower.Celebrations will move to Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and finally the Americas, with dazzling light shows bidding farewell to 2017.

Samoa was the first country in the world to welcome in 2018.

(With Agency inputs)