But on the roads, police were continuing their plea for drivers to keep safety in mind on Monday as the long-weekend drew to an end and the final hours of double demerit penalties played out last night.

Police said a man was charged after being pulled over at Rutherford for speeding on Saturday afternoon with unrestrained children in the car.

Officers who approached the vehicle allegedly found three children in the back seat of the vehicle - a nine-year-old not wearing a seat belt, a four-year-old in a booster seat with no seat belt fitted and a one-year-old in a baby capsule that was not fixed to the car in any way.

Police said the man produced an international driver's licence, but it was soon discovered that he had been refused a NSW learner's licence last month because he had accrued too many demerit points. The man received 24 demerit points for the stop on Saturday.

Newcastle police told the Herald there were no major incidents in the city's licensed venues, community spaces or at homes during Australia Day events, describing it as "a run of the mill Sunday".

And there appeared to be no reports of major incidents across the broader Hunter Region either, as of Monday.

At a state level, police commended the behaviour of crowds at Australia Day events.

During the weekend's high visibility operation, 26 people were arrested and charged throughout NSW for a range of offences including affray, drink-driving, possessing a prohibited drug and malicious damage.

"The state-wide operation saw police in the air, on our roads, and on the water with the public's safety being our top priority," said Assistant Commissioner Karen Webb, who was the operation commander.

"While there were a number of incidents that police responded to across the state, the majority of people were well behaved and enjoyed their celebrations safely and responsibly.

"The main problem for police was anti-social and dangerous behaviour, with officers attending to intoxicated and aggressive people right across the event footprint - from the state's Central Coast, to the Northern Beaches and Sydney's south."

Meanwhile, double demerit penalties ran until 11.59pm last night.

As of Monday afternoon, police across the state had conducted 141,974 breath tests, handed out 214 drink-driving charges and caught more than 3100 motorists speeding. The road toll stood at two, while 217 major crashes had been recorded in NSW.

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