Melbourne rocked as two men are attacked by machete-wielding gang on bustling strip amid New Year's Eve crackdown on Aussies behaving badly - with almost 40 people arrested in just one city
A group of men are on the run after a suspected machete attack outside a restaurant on a famous late-night strip in Melbourne.
A group of men are on the run after a suspected machete attack outside a restaurant on one of Melbourne's famous late-night strips.
It's believed a group of about seven men armed with knives and machetes attacked two men on Lygon Street in Carlton before fleeing in cars on New Year's Eve.
The victims, a 20-year-old Heidelberg West man and an 18-year-old NSW man, sustained serious injuries and were transported to hospital.
Emergency services were called to the Universal Restaurant about 11.45pm after receiving reports of a stabbing from panicked revellers.
An area outside the restaurant remains cordoned-off as investigations continue.
It comes as dozens of Aussies spent the first few hours of 2026 in custody after a record number of police were deployed to New Year's Eve celebrations.
NSW Police arrested 38 people overnight in Greater Sydney, including more than nine in the CBD and foreshore areas for various offences including assaults, affray, assault police and offensive conduct.
More than 2,500 officers were deployed across the Harbour City to ensure the community felt safe in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack.
It's believed a group of about seven men armed with knives and machetes attacked two men outside a restaurant in Lygon Street in Carlton before fleeing in cars on New Year's Eve
Police were kept busy across the country, pictured here in Sydney
Long-arm weapons were also carried by specialist police in the hopes of providing a sense of security to crowds.
A 19-year-old man was arrested in Dover Heights, in the city's eastern suburbs, following reports he was carrying a weapon.
Officers found the man sitting with a shisha pipe that allegedly resembled a replica firearm.
He was charged with behaving in an offensive manner near a public place or school and granted conditional bail to appear in court on January 30.
Emergency services were called to Bright Park in Guildford, in Sydney's west, around 9.30pm following reports a large crowd were setting off fireworks.
A 12-year-old girl and a 14-year-old girl were treated for non-life-threatening injuries and taken to The Children's Hospital at Westmead.
Four people were arrested for allegedly throwing fireworks as investigations continue.
In Brisbane, seven people were arrested on 10 offences including drug possession, with scissors, a knife and a box cutter seized by police.
Uniformed and plain clothes officers patrolled the streets of Sydney on New Year's Eve
Tens of thousands of people descended on vantage points around the Sydney harbour