A "devoted" father who drowned saving his 11-year-old daughter from a popular New South Wales beach has been remembered as a hero.

Irish man Paul Doran was with his wife and three children at Seven Mile Beach at Lennox Head on January 18 when his daughter was swept out to sea.

Brother-in-law Brendan McDonnell said the water conditions quickly changed and the family got into some difficulty.

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Both Doran and his wife, Simonne, got the children back to the shore, but he drowned during the rescue.

"We lost Paul when he drowned, while together with his wife, bravely saving their children," McDonnell said.

"It is hard to believe that we have lost Paul, and under such traumatic circumstances."

The 45-year-old moved to Australia from Ireland in July last year with his wife and three children.

He has been described as someone who only wanted the "best" for his family.

He was so looking forward to the future and had so many plans for his family. If you are a parent, or have children in your life, then you know exactly what we mean when we say Paul wanted the best for his kids," Doran's family said in a statement.

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"He valued their education, playing sports and being involved in different activities, but also spending time together as a family.

"Which is exactly what they were doing that evening when he lost his life saving them."

No trains will be running on Saturday, the transport organisation said.

From bathing at the beaches to protesting on the streets, millions of Australians are again marking January 26 in different ways.

Temperatures have soared for most of the country above 30C, except for Melbourne and Hobart, meaning Aussies have flocked to the beach to soak up the sun.

Australia Day remains a divided public holiday, with some calling for the date to be changed and demanding this through protests while others hit up a park for a barbecue to mark the day with friends and family.

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Here is how Australians across the country spent the day.

Sydney

Sydneysiders saw two different ways of marking the day from thousands attending the Invasion Day march between Belmore Park and Victoria Park.

Others flocked to popular beaches like iconic Bondi where there was barely a free speck of sand.

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The annual Ferrython took to the harbour with flecks of white racing through the blue ocean, the Tall Ships race with old boats and then the harbour parade.

A live concert will be held this evening.

Earlier in the day, the sails of the Sydney Opera House were illuminated with artwork depicting and honouring stories of the Gadigal women of the Eora nation.

After first light, both the Australian and Aboriginal flag were raised together on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Kamilaroi woman and artist Rhonda Sampson from western Sydney was commissioned to create the artwork Diyan Warrane for the display on the Opera House sails.

The artwork represents the important role of First Nations' women around the waters of Warrane (Sydney Harbour).

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The artwork honours four celebrated women of the Gadigal people, Boorong, Patygerang, Daringa, and Barangaroo, who were all very skilled fisherwomen with their own unique individual stories and contributions.

"The harbour has always been integral to the everyday lives of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation and it's important we continue to share their stories. It is important will listen," Sampson said.

Melbourne

In Melbourne, meanwhile, the city had a more subdued marking of the national day.

Police set up surveillance cameras around a statue in St Kilda of James Cook, who charted and claimed Australia's eastern seaboard for Britain in 1770.

Last year, the memorial was vandalised with red paint.

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An Invasion Day protest marched through the streets of Melbourne, where there a 21-gun salute was also held alongside entertainment at Federation Square.

Thousands attended the Invasion Day March in Melbourne.

Canberra

In the country's capital, Canberrans also took to the streets for an Invasion Day protest.

Canberra hosted a community BBQ at Regatta Point and official ceremonies like the National Citizenship and Flag Raising ceremony.

Brisbane

Brisbane's Australia Day began with a candlelight dawn service in Musgrave Park followed by a flag raising at Jagera Hall.

There was also an Invasion Day march from Queens Park through the city.

Beaches were bustling on the Gold Coast as the mercury rose well above 30C.

There were boat parties with dozens piled on the tiny vessels and jetskis shooting through the water.

Adelaide

South Australia's main celebration was an annual concert, firework display and parade held last night on January 25.

The state is the first to hold official events on January 25 as a sign of solidarity to make a day for those on each side of the divide.

A firework display will also be held tonight in Adelaide.

Like many other states and territories, a citizenship ceremony was held at Adelaide Town Hall where 80 people from dozens of different countries became citizens.

https://twitter.com/inglis_cam/status/1618394793213849600

Other ways to mark the day included the Jetty to Jetty swim, a 2.2km dash at Grange Jetty, and the Respecting Country Parade at Elder Park from 6pm.

Perth

In Perth, some residents headed to the beach to enjoy the warm weather.

Celebrations at Swan River will kick off at 3pm AWST with amusements and a sideshow alley.

An invasion day protest will begin simultaneously as celebrations at 3pm.

There will be fireworks and a drone show at the Swan River foreshore from 8.15pm.

A body has been pulled from the Clutha River.

Two people were taken to Southland Hospital from the scene.

A three-metre crocodile was on the loose in a Western Australia town after receding floodwaters left it stranded.

Police and park rangers attempted to wrangle the huge freshwater croc with nothing but a wet towel after it was first spotted in Fitzroy Crossing, about 400km from Broome, at 2am today.

Local Jaye Bedford contacted police after seeing the large reptile on the pavement while on a walk, which led to an hours-long operation to remove it. 

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The wet towel operation, filmed by Bedford, was not successful. 

The "active" croc snapped up the towel from over its head and whipped it around the air with its mouth, the police officer standing by slowly backing away.

Authorities then tried using equipment meant for catching stray dogs but it slithered out.

They even got so desperate they googled 'how to catch a crocodile' and watched tutorials on YouTube.

The sun had risen before local wildlife expert Tamela from Wild Life West Inc managed to tranquilise the crocodile.

"Tamela cares for injured animals and without her assistance, it is believed there would have been no way to safely relocate the crocodile without officers or the crocodile itself being harmed," WA Police said.

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"Once safe to do so, the crocodile was secured and transported to a river system where it would normally live.

"The crocodile was monitored as it recovered from being tranquilised and was observed to return to its natural habitat."

Had this of been a saltwater crocodile, which can be larger and more aggressive, it would've been moved to a crocodile park.

Stray crocodiles are common in the town after flooding as they swim into swollen rivers and become stranded as water levels recede. 

Local radio station Wangi Yupurnanupurru said they usually "make their way through town," but this croc got stuck in a run-off drain after flooding swept it away from the river.

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Its alleged the 31-year-old has also pinched thousands of dollars worth of grocery items.

A man accused of kidnapping has had a bail bid knocked back as police allege evidence of planning in the disappearance of his mother.

Wheelchair-bound with visible marks to his head, Slade Murdok sat quietly for the majority of his bail application in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday.

The 30-year-old was on bail for unrelated offences when he was arrested and charged in relation to the disappearance of his mother, Wendy Sleeman, the court heard.

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There are concerns for the 61-year-old woman's welfare and an extensive search continues across the Gold Coast, Logan and Brisbane.

A crime scene was declared at an Elanora home earlier in the week after a large amount of blood was found at the property.

But Murdok's lawyer Rodney Keyte said the case against his client was weak despite the seriousness of the charges, which included various domestic violence-related charges and criminal counts of kidnapping, assault, stalking and attempted arson.

Based on the circumstantial evidence, Keyte said he highly doubted the case would make it past the committal stage and questioned what tied his client to the scene.

In opposing bail, police prosecutors argued they had a "very strong and very powerful" case against Murdok.

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Officers found a pool of blood on the bathroom floor and drag marks along the floor, indicating the victim was bleeding heavily and unconscious, prosecutors said in court.

Sleeman feared for her own safety and believed Murdok might try to kill her as recently as January 23, the court heard.

Meanwhile, police are concentrating on the search for a blue Honda Jazz hatchback with no registration plates linked to Sleeman's disappearance.

The car was last seen at 5.50pm on Tuesday at the intersection of Paradise Road and Kingston Road in Logan Central.

"If someone sees a blue Jazz with no number plates, ring," Detective Superintendent Brendan Smith said on Thursday.

"We've got to find Wendy before it's too late."

Evidence gathered so far point to the events at the property being planned, Smith claimed to reporters.

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Sleeman had called police after discovering a disturbance at her home on Tuesday afternoon.

"She came home from work, and the house had been given some forced entry, and she noticed some damage," Smith said.

By the time police arrived 30 minutes later, Sleeman was missing.

Officers were unable to intercept a vehicle that was leaving the property at speed and went back to the property where they could smell petrol and see smoke, the court was told.

Police claimed that the scene indicated there had been violence involved in the disappearance, while and that there was also evidence of a fire that had started but was extinguished.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

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