Melbourne---Excited Australians partied and sang, with some dressed up in glittering costumes as they cheered on their wildcard entry to Eurovision Sunday despite the song contest airing in the early hours of the morning.
The country's love for the kitsch competition took on a patriotic bent this year as its entrant Guy Sebastian wowed audiences in Australia, with many delighted with his final fifth place ranking.
"Everyone was so happy that Guy was in the top five," said Kate Hansen, who organised an overnight Eurovision party in the western city of Perth for almost 50 people, with many donning costumes and drinking wine from sparkling glasses.
"That was amazing. There was a lot of noise whenever Guy was on and they mentioned Australia," Hansen, who wore a colourful, butterfly-themed costume to reflect the Malmo logo of the 2013 contest in Sweden, told AFP.
Dozens of fans braved the near freezing temperatures in the southern city of Melbourne, wearing beanies and scarves to dance and sing at an outdoor live screening of the musical spectacle in the heart of the city from 5:00am local time (1900 GMT).
Others watched the final -- which is marking its 60th anniversary -- from their bedrooms in pyjamas and dressing gowns, with Eurovision the top trending topic on Twitter in Australia as they took to the social media site to support Sebastian.
AFP
