New Year's Eve 2015 in Bendigo

​1am: Well, that's us all tuckered out for the night. Check back in with us tomorrow morning for more news.

12.45am: For a full list of outages across Bendigo click here.

12.35am: Powercor is estimating homes affected along the Calder Highway at Marong and McIvor Highway at Junortoun will have power returned by 7.30am.

12.30am: More homes are without power across greater Bendigo.

Power outages are affecting the following amount of people in the following suburbs:

ARNOLD 41

ARNOLD WEST 15

AXEDALE 271

BRIDGEWATER 46

CAMPBELLS FOREST 1 

DERBY 27 

EAST BENDIGO 3 

EPPALOCK 169 

GLENHOPE 2 

GOLDEN SQUARE 2 

JUNORTOUN 290 

KENNINGTON 121 

KIMBOLTON 72 

KNOWSLEY 17 

LAKE EPPALOCK 2 

LEICHARDT 45 

LLANELLY 40 

LONG GULLY 76 

LONGLEA 171 

LYAL 4 

MAIDEN GULLY 1 

MARONG 94 

MIA MIA 109 

MURPHYS CREEK 22 

NEWBRIDGE 156 

QUARRY HILL 9 

REDESDALE 196 

SHELBOURNE 21 

SPRING GULLY 1 

SPRING GULLY 1 

SPRING GULLY 106

STRATHDALE 29 

TARNAGULLA 8 

WILSONS HILL 37 

WOODSTOCK ON LODDON 17 

WOODSTOCK WEST 4 

12.20am: About 500 residents are without power after a fault on the Calder Highway in Marong. A further 150 residents are also without power in other suburbs in Bendigo. Powercor is estimating power will be returned in the early hours of this morning.

12.15am: We're hearing a lot of reports that power is out in some areas of Bendigo. Are you affected?

12.12am: So what did you think?

12.03am: The fireworks are in full swing in the Bendigo CBD.

12am: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

And what a way to see in 2015 - lovebirds Jeremy Burgin and Maddie Moore have got it covered! We here at the Addy hope 2015 is full of love for everyone! 

And don't forget to send us pics of you and your mates celebrating the new year - share them below and we'll add them to our mega New Year gallery.

11.52pm: Hundreds of people are waiting for the fireworks to start in Rosiland Park.

Only minutes away from the new year, happiness is the resounding feeling.

11.47pm: And here's our top ten videos for the year.

11.45pm: The crowd is growing at Rosalind Park as the clock ticks down to midnight.  

11.40pm: A huge thanks to all our loyal readers for such support over the past 12 months. We hope you've had a great 2014, and if not, that 2015 will bring a better year for you. Take a look back at the top 20 stories that have kept you entertained, informed and in the know.

11.34pm: Not long to go now... For those of you waiting patiently for the Bendigo fireworks, here's a video to keep you entertained...

11.25pm: Feeling alert? Take a look back at 2014 with our quirky Bendigo quiz here.

11pm: Only one hour left of 2014... And what better way to reminisce than have a read of the things we got stuck in our bodies in 2014... errrrr... Yuck!

10.52pm: And here's another New Year's resolution... Have you made one?

10.35pm: Sandra is enjoying her night at "the lovely Loddon river at Bridgewater". "The new caravan park is the place to be," she says.

10.30pm: And the fireworks have started in Sydney...

10.30pm: This New Year’s Eve will mark 16 years that Peter Daley and Bendigo Fireworks have been lighting up the city’s year end celebrations.

The company has crews providing displays all across Victoria at what is naturally a busy time for pyrotechnicians, but Mr Daley said he always took pleasure in serving his home town.

“I love doing the local shows, we always put a bit more in, look after our town,” he said.

Mr Daley said the process involved roughly 200 kilograms of fireworks and began about three months in advance.

“It doesn’t sound a lot but it is a lot of product to get up in the air," he said.

“The guys have put about 20 hours into it so far, we’ve been wiring for two weeks and then the last couple of days just finalising, checking everything, getting the programs into the computer – it’s all fired electronically now .”

Mr Daley said the show, which starts at midnight and lasts for approximately 15 minutes, would feature some all new elements.

“Tonight we’ll be loading every tube individually, we’re not allowed to transport them loaded, so big job in front of us for the next five or six hours loading everything," he said.

"We'll check all the circuitry, double, triple check all our circuits, all our programs, then come midnight push the button and sit back and enjoy."

Mr Daley said his job involved a lot of hard work but was still always fun.

“The rewards are great, we get to work with fireworks."

The car park off View Street will be closed from 6am, Wednesday, December 31, 2014, until approximately 9am, Thursday, January 1, 2015.

10.24pm: More and more families are starting to descend on Rosalind Park in anticipation of the midnight fireworks.

People from far and wide have gathered throughout Bendigo to celebrate the year that was 2014.

Rosalind Park, Rocks on Rosalind, The Wine Bank and The Rife Brigade Hotel are abuzz with new year anticipation.

The Davis family moved from Sydney to Sedgwick a couple of years ago. 

Robin Davis said it was much easier to get a seat at the Bendigo fireworks than the Sydney event.

Adrian and Lian Perry said they ended up at Rosalind Park because they ran out of things to do.

Mr Perry said he was pretty pleased with how the evening had turned out.

"We couldn't be bothered paying for an expensive dinner so we brought our own," he said.

Jeff and Catherine Pethybridge joined with friends Graham Gregurek, Glenn Osborne and Tracy Perkins to celebrate at Rocks on Rosalind.

Mr Gregurek said his New Year's resolution for 2015 was to get married.

Djeri Balint and Nora Garlik from Wedderburn met relatives Anne, David and Eric Kovac at Rosalind Park to see in the new year.

Mr Balint said he travelled to Bendigo each year for the fireworks tradition.

And what about New Year's Eve resolutions? Whether you love 'em or hate 'em, everyone will end up talking about them at some point within the next 24 hours. Here's one we prepared earlier...

Anyone else glad they're not at the Sydney Opera House?

The new year is only hours away. How exciting!

How will you and your mates celebrate? Are you dressing up or are you having a quiet one at the pub?

Don't fret if you haven't made any plans yet - here are some cracking ways to welcome in 2015 throughout central Victoria.

And if you're in Bendigo, don't forget the fireworks at the poppet head in Rosalind Park between midnight and 12.15am!

But no matter what you're doing, we want to hear from you! Send us your selfies or New Year's resolutions to addynews@fairfaxmedia.com.au or via the HELLO 2015! My New Year's Eve assignment on the Addy app, tweet us @BgoAddy or contact us on Facebook, we are only a click away.

Are you all tuckered out after a big night?

For a taxi head to the rank on Queen Street, Bridge Street or call 131 008.

Central Victoria is bursting with New Years Eve events:

- The Hanging Rock Reserve will host New Years Day races tomorrow, for more information, call 5422 1866.

- In Daylesford there is a New Year's Eve Gala on Vincent Street from 6.30pm to 9.30pm with the parade beginning at 8pm.

- In Maldon a Masquerade Party will light up the Crowded House Cafe from 8pm.

Bendigo Advertiser journalist Jason Walls spoke to people about their new year resolutions. Read more here.

Are you desperate to know what to expect for the coming year in Victoria? 

Have a read of this guide:

1. Public transport costs up for some, down for others

Tram travel in the CBD and Docklands will be free from January 1, 2015.

The new free-tram zone encompasses the Queen Victoria Market, to Victoria Harbour, Spring Street and Flinders Street station.

Zone 1 commuters will be slugged with a 4.8 per cent fare rise, while commuters travelling in both zone 1 and zone 2 will be afforded a fare decrease.

The cost of travelling across zones 1 and 2 will be capped at the new zone 1 price, meaning a daily full fare ticket costing $12.12 will fall to $7.52. Those travelling in zone 1 will have to pay an extra 36 cents.

Free early bird travel will remain.

2. Tan ban win

Melburnians who want a tan will have to use the old-fashioned method as a ban on solariums comes into force.

Legislation outlawing the use of commercial tanning units was passed, after pressure from doctors, dermatologists and cancer campaigners.

The most recent Cancer Council Victoria figures show solariums cause an estimated 281 melanoma cases and 43 deaths in Australia each year.

3. Retirees to lose out

Thousands of seniors face losing their entitlements as Centrelink income testing tightens.

Deemed income on allocated pensions will be used to assess eligibility for low-income health cards, seniors cards, aged care fee help and aged pensions.

4. Raw milk given nasty tasting additive

The death of a three-year-old boy on the Mornington Peninsula, has prompted the introduction of regulation making the addition of a gag-inducing chemical to raw milk sold in Victoria compulsory.

Consumer Affairs Minister Jane Garrett will introduce a requirement to use the agent, commonly found in anti-freeze, to make the unpasteurised milk unpalatable.

Producers face a fine of up to $17,000 and having their licence revoked for breaching the new regulation.

5. Thousands face fines if they use their wireless microphones

Schools and churches using wireless microphones in the 700 MHz spectrum will be liable for steep fines or jail time as they become illegal in the new year.

The spectrum, privately owned by Telstra and Optus, is worth billions in airspace used for next-generation 4G wireless broadband networks.

Users of the estimated 150,000 devices in that range will be required to upgrade.

6. ALF ticket prices to drop

Football fans will have plenty to cheer about with a raft of initiatives including free Sunday games for children aged under 15.

General admission tickets will be available forhome-and-away matches, bar the Anzac Day blockbuster.

There will also be a price freeze on general admission tickets - $25 for adults, $17 for concession and $5 for children - and reduced online ticket transaction fees for Etihad Stadium matches from $7 to $2.50.

7.  Doping in sport tackled

The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority's efforts to curb the sports' drugs market will step up a gear with amendments to the ASADA act.

Sportspeople will be forbidden from associating with anyone in a professional capacity who has been banned, criminally convicted or disciplined by any doping body.

ASADA chief executive Ben McDevitt will also maintain a publicly available "violations list" of people who commit doping offences.

ASADA will also become responsible for the prosecution of offenders, because the previous system of having individual sports target doping cheats was found to be too cumbersome.

8. Foreign lovers to cost

Australians who marry or fall in love with a foreigner will have to pay up to $6865, up from $4575 in 2014, for the right for them to live and work legally in the country.

The move is expected to bring in $373.6 million in revenue over the next four years.

9. People with disabilities to have their holidays cut short

People with disabilities will have the amount of time they are able to travel overseas before being kicked off their payments cut.

People on the disability support pension will be able to leave Australia for only four weeks instead of six.

Students and apprentices will no longer be eligible for government payments while overseas, unless they are undertaking an approved activity.

Meanwhile, seniors health card holders will be able to spend up to 19 weeks overseas, up from six weeks, before their entitlements are cancelled.

10. Students encouraged to move to regional areas

City-dwelling students on government payments will receive a relocation scholarship only if they move to a regional area.   

Their country cousins, however, will still be eligible for the annual lump sum payment.

with Eryk Bagshaw