Sydney throws paralympian homecoming
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Celebration time: Green and gold confetti bursts from a canon at Sydney's Town Hall. (ABC News : Bill Keates )
Australia's paralympic team has been welcomed home by hundreds of people at a ceremony at Town Hall in central Sydney.
The crowd waved flags and cheered as about 30 members of the team came on stage, including sprinter Evan O'Hanlon who won three gold medals.
"The only thing that made that better was to come home here and see the great support that we've had Australia," he said.
After an Aboriginal welcoming ceremony, Lord Mayor Clover Moore presented the team with the keys to the city, before green and gold confetti burst out of a canon above their heads.
Blind cyclist Lindy Hou spoke on behalf of the team.
"We are no different to our Olympic counterparts. We try just as hard as they do," she said.
"The only difference is we have a little bit more challenges than they have to overcome."
New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees and Ms Moore congratulated the team, who won 79 medals, 23 of them gold, in Beijing to claim fifth place on the medal tally.
George Street in the CBD was blocked off to traffic for the event.
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