Sydney rings in New Year 

Kate Aubusson 4:51 AM   Sydney's New Year's Eve celebrations have officially kicked off as a spectacular display of fireworks lit up the sky. 

Latest NSW news

The skill schoolchildren are losing

Kate Perry, and her children Sam, Nicky and Bella, and husband Luke.

Akansha Singh 12:09 PM   Australian parents are encouraging their children to write by hand at home, fearing technology is doing more harm than good.

New Year laws hit families and pensioners

Paper tickets for ferries, buses and trains to be phased out.

Michaela Whitbourn 12:15 AM   As the clock struck midnight a raft of legal changes kicked in – and many Sydneysiders will feel the pinch.

Up to 20 sharks close NSW beach

A school of sharks near Hyams Beach on Thursday. The Bendigo Aerial Patrol described the multiple sightings as an "interesting couple of days".

Kate Aubusson 6:51 PM   About 100 people have rushed from the water after a school of up to 20 sharks was spotted just metres from shore on the NSW south coast.

Bomb hoax and brawls mar celebrations

SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES - DECEMBER 31:  THE 9pm fireworks display lights up Sydney Harbour from Barangaroo Park during the New Year's Eve celebrations on December 31, 2015 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brook Mitchell/Fairfax Media)

Patrick Begley 9:56 AM   An alleged bomb hoax, a series of brawls and a cut to a police officer's face marred an otherwise peaceful night of New Year's celebrations in Sydney.

The most polluted suburbs in Sydney

Pollution concerns: latest data shows Sydney is hardly a pristine place to live.

Sydney Pead   Inner suburbs such as Rozelle and Earlwood were among the surprise parts of Sydney to experience spikes of air pollution during 2015, with levels soaring well above new national standards.

The reason pensioners won't quit paper tickets

The sale of most public transport tickets will cease in NSW on New Year's Day.

James Robertson   There are only months left for the last great rort on Sydney's mass transit system, one that has given potentially millions of thrifty pensioners the equivalent of a golden ticket.

Police concerned about 'floatie' party

Sunbathers at Gordons Bay in Sydney's east.

Sarah Muller 5:37 PM   Police are concerned about a potential New Year's Day gathering of thousands of people on blow-up "floaties" at Gordons Bay in Sydney's east.

Last day for sale of most paper tickets

Opal card.

Sarah Muller   Thursday will be the last day that people will be able to buy most paper tickets for NSW's public transport system, and commuters are being urged to get electronic Opal cards.

Tattoos identify body found in river

Fingerprinting later helped police positively identify the man as a 27-year-old from Auburn.

Ava Benny-Morrison and Megan Levy   The body of a man found floating in a river in Sydney's west has been identified after a friend recognised his tattoos.

'Don't be disgusting' this new year

Litter along NSW highways is not just bottles and food packets – large debris is also in the mix.

Lucy Cormack   Two sites along the Pacific Highway north of Sydney have been named as among the worst black spots in NSW for kerbside rubbish dumping.

Cashing in on New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve - Sydney Harbour should be offering ideal watching weather.

Rachel Browne   Restaurants in prime locations and Uber drivers are set to do well - but others will also reap the benefits.

Surprise suburbs that are liveable, affordable

An early learning centre in Lalor Park, near Blacktown in Sydney's western suburbs.

Michael Koziol   They are far from the CBD, removed from the tourist trail and unlikely to end up on a postcard. But these Sydney suburbs have been named as the cream of the affordable crop. 

'Too early' to renegotiate Gonski funding

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 15:  NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione (L) and NSW Premier Mike Baird talk to the media outside the Lindt Cafe in Martin Place on December 15, 2015 in Sydney, Australia. Today marks the first anniversary of the deaths Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson, who were were killed along with the gunman following a 17-hour siege at the cafe in 2014.  (Photo by Matt Blyth/Getty Images)

Matthew Knott   NSW schools will remain inequitable and under-resourced unless the Gonski school funding deals are delivered in full, the NSW government has warned.

Sydney fireworks countdown begins

Last year's fireworks extravaganza included a lightbulb centerpiece. There will be no central effect this year.

Daisy Dumas   How do you improve on a New Year's Eve display that each year promises to outdo anything Sydney has seen before? More fireworks, of course. 

Boys and girls of summer

Noel Crocker.

Damien Murphy   A near tragedy 55 years ago gave rise to our biggest youth movement, The Nippers.

Inside the drug house where police found boy

The trapdoor entrance to the buried shipping containers that allegedly stored 225 cannabis plants.

Dan Proudman   The eight-year-old  alleged to have been locked in a tiny room within an uninsulated shed told police he was first thrown into the room for being naughty.

Ad agency defends 'stoner sloth' campaign

The "Stoner Sloth" campaign has attracted attention around the world.

Eamonn Duff   "Stoner Sloth" is costing taxpayers half a million dollars, but his creators claim he is worth every cent.

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Children injured at trampoline parks

Beau Yates, 9, broke his arm at Sky Zone trampoline park. There has been a spike of injuries involving children at such parks, doctors say.

Harriet Alexander   As far as kids' activities go, the warning is about as ominous as they come with risks including serious injury and death.

Shortage of playing fields hits Saturday cricket

Youngsters start early at a holiday cricket camp run by Geoff Spotswood at Lindfield Oval.

Julie Power   There's nothing like the sound of leather on willow on a Saturday morning – players dressed in white, padded up and ready for an all-day session – to conjure up the past. But that's rapidly becoming history.

Catholics defend $55 million a year program

St Joseph's Primary reading recovery teacher Narelle Cartwright with a pupil.

Eryk Bagshaw, Alexandra Smith   One of the state's largest school networks has defended an under-fire program designed to help children with reading problems.

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Highlights

Where to see fireworks

There are plenty of outstanding locations to spend New Year's Eve under the glint of a fireworks display, and many are nowhere near the Harbour. 

What can you do with 5c?

It's a question that has troubled the most frugal among us. What does 5c buy you these days, and how can you put it to use?

Happy campers stake their claim on the best spots

It's a long wait for 20 minutes' worth of midnight New Year's Eve fireworks.

Play me a memory

John Watson has played piano at a Sydney bar every weekend since 1983. Peter Munro leans up against his baby grand for a chat.

'Something drastically had gone wrong'

Leaders have used their Christmas Day sermons to convey a message of compassion and hope.

'Usually cold and wet'

They would not be able to do it at home. They were certainly going to do it here.

VIDEO

NYE Above the Harbour: 'Better off staying home'

David Smith spent $500 for a VIP table at the Sydney NYE Above the Harbour event to find patrons leaving the venue for McDonalds due to the queues.

Sharks dangerously close to swimmers

Aerial patrols along the south coast of NSW have spotted sharks in shallows water, just metres away from beachgoers.

Happy New Year Sydney!

Sydney welcomes in 2016 with a spectacular fireworks display across the harbour. (Vision courtesy ABC News)