Drunken and loutish behaviour, particularly by groups of youths, marred a number of celebrations elsewhere.

At the Armidale Racecourse on Australia Day however, it was a great family day with no disruptions to the celebrations.

Chair of Armidale Dumaresq Council’s Australia Day committee, Councillor Col Gadd, said ‘everything ran smoothly, with no incidents involving drinking’.

Cr Gadd said the bar at the racecourse was open but ‘few people availed themselves of it’.

“They preferred to engage with the activities on the track and in front of the grandstand,” he said.

Cr Gadd said he was pleased with how the day had gone.

“The formal functions went extremely well and, while numbers were a bit down on last year, I think that can be attributed to the hot weather,” he said.

“We promote it as a mixture of the formal events - the awards and people taking citizenship - and family-oriented activities to celebrate being Australian.”

Entertainment and activities on the day are provided free and, while food is available for purchase, people are invited to bring their own picnic lunch.