By William Ton

Another year is coming to an end and Australians are set to farewell 2024 with their usual style and fanfare.

But as festivities fire up and the alcohol flows, doctors are urging revellers not to start the new year in an emergency room.

Hospitals experience an influx of presentations during the new year period, but most cases are preventable with common sense, the Rural Doctors Association of Australia says.

“Unsurprisingly, over-indulging in alcohol is one of the biggest reasons why patients come to the hospital over the festive season,” president Raymond Lewandowski said.

“The moral to the story. Take extra care when doing activities you normally wouldn’t be doing outside the festive season, and don’t use that very moment to act the fool in front of family and friends – it may just become your reality.”

Illegally setting off fireworks on New Year’s Eve could also cost people more than their life and property, with heavy penalties across the nation.

“The few moments of entertainment they provide is simply not worth the potential catastrophic consequences,” WorkSafe Victoria’s Sam Jenkins said.

In his new year message, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said 2025 was an opportunity for Australia to get “back on track” as the federal election loomed.

“Australians have become worse off, and our nation has gone backwards,” Mr Dutton said.

“Families are hurting, with everything costing more. Australia has taken a turn for the worse.”

In his New Year’s message, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wished Australians well and thanked those who worked through the holiday period.

“We live in the greatest country in the world, and in the year ahead – with new determination and renewed optimism – we can build an even stronger Australia together,” Mr Albanese said.

Sydney’s famous fireworks will dazzle more than a million revellers flocking to the iconic harbour to ring in 2025.

The city will set the tone with 20 minutes of pyrotechnics in two displays, eight water-based firework platforms and new animal-based designs shooting from the top of the Sydney Opera House sails.

More than half a million revellers are set to converge in Melbourne to witness one of the city’s biggest and best New Year’s Eve shows, with fireworks set to light up the sky from 27 points along with 60 laser projections.

“We’ve got more lasers than a Star Wars movie,” Lord Mayor Nick Reece said.

Fireworks will also explode across Brisbane’s skyline, as well as up and down Gold and Sunshine coasts to ring in 2025.

About 80,000 individual fireworks are set to fire from four barges along the Brisbane River with creative shapes including the hibiscus, hydrangea, and dragon cakes effects.

In Adelaide, fireworks, food trucks and live music are set to lure about 25,000 to the Torrens Riverbank with more than 400,000 people expected to visit the city on New Year’s Eve.

Perth will be treated to two explosive displays, one at 8.30pm from a barge on the Swan River and a second midnight display to announce the arrival of 2025.

In Tasmania, Launceston will combine fireworks with a festival to showcase more than 40 of the island state’s fine food and drink producers at the seventh annual BeerFest in Royal Park on New Year’s Eve.

The weather heading into the celebrations will be almost perfect with top temperatures across the nation on Tuesday ranging from a mild 22C in Hobart to a hot 37C in Perth.