Ashes joy after the sweetest victory

As the sun started to set on an all-but deserted WACA Ground last night, Australia's Ashes heroes emerged from their change rooms - with drinks in hand and John Williamson's True Blue blaring from a speaker - for one more moment of joy in the middle.

After striding out to the pitch where they had created history hours earlier, jubilant teammates and support staff put their arms around each other, spraying whatever they weren't drinking into the air and singing.

First it was True Blue, the classic folk song former captain Steve Waugh made synonymous with Australian cricket, then Nathan Lyon stepped into the middle and led his teammates in a rousing rendition of the team's victory song Under the Southern Cross I Stand.

With yet another round of congratulatory hugs out of the way, the players used a beer bottle to re-enact a catch, before leaving the ground together for what was likely to be a long night of celebrations.

Earlier, jubilant captain Michael Clarke launched himself over the railing outside the players' rooms and into his wife's arms straight after he and his teammates were cheered off the ground.

"I'm elated," Kyly Clarke said.

"You see the ups and downs that they go through and all the hard work and blood, sweat and tears, and it's finally paid off.

"We most definitely will be celebrating tonight."

Clarke then embraced his father Les, who had been "feeling sick to the stomach" with nerves all morning.

"I generally just get it when Michael bats but I felt crook walking into the match today and felt it all day," he said.

"I'm much better now. I'm looking forward to having a few drinks with my son and a chat."

There was one man the vocal WACA crowd was hoping would clinch victory yesterday, and as Mitchell Johnson ran down the pitch amid a huge roar, the fairytale finish seemed inevitable.

The crowd erupted, drowning out the Barmy Army, as the resurgent WA bowler took the final wicket. Watching on was his proud wife Jess Bratich-Johnson.

"I'm thrilled. It's definitely tough over the years and this is the first Ashes win that Mitch's been involved in so it's just amazing," she said.

"Everyone was so pumped. It's so nice to have people supporting him and cheering him on."

David Warner's partner, ironwoman Candice Falzon, said the atmosphere of the crowd had been "incredible".

"I'm elated for the team and for Australia. To win three in a row is just incredible," she said.

"The Australian public has really got behind the boys and got them across the line."

She later posted a picture of the couple in the players' rooms on Twitter.

Jubilation among Australian fans yesterday was mixed with confusion over the future of Test matches at the WACA Ground.

Although many cricket lovers acknowledged the ground's facilities needed an upgrade, few liked the idea of cricket moving to a new home.