New Year starts with a bang
Thousands descended on Northbridge and the Mandurah foreshore last night to start their new year with a bang.
Families, couples and young people lined the Mandurah foreshore for two spectacular fireworks displays, while others crowded on to balconies with prime waterfront views.
Others could be seen watching the fireworks from boats which crowded the marina.
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Organisers believe that about 30,000 people watched the 9pm family show, which was followed by another show at midnight.
Gavin Paterson travelled from Perth to see the fireworks.
"It's family friendly and was a great show," he said. "It's great that there are two shows - one for children and one later."
There was a strong police presence on the foreshore, with 62 officers on duty.
But by 12.30am the celebrations seemed to have passed relatively trouble free.
Police did arrest two people before midnight - one for possession of a knife and another for disorderly conduct. They also issued eight move-on notices.
In Northbridge, the streets and restaurants were teeming with people by 9.30pm as venues experienced one of their biggest nights of the year.
Swing singer Harry Deluxe kept the crowd entertained at the Northbridge Piazza while an eclectic mix of buskers plied their trade along James Street.
Families were contained mostly to the piazza by 11pm, when the signs of intoxication started to show on the streets.
A young woman was in a shocking state in the St John Ambulance first aid tent and had to be taken away in an ambulance as her friends watched on.
Acting Commissioner Stephen Brown said numbers were noticeably down in Northbridge compared with previous years, with celebrations spread out across the metropolitan area.
He said revellers had been "generally very well-behaved" but at least three people had overdosed on drugs, including two at the Origin New Year's Eve festival in the city.
"Sadly, we've seen a number of drug overdoses tonight," he said.
There were also reports of revellers needing medical attention in Dunsborough as the result of taking drugs.
