An uproarious ovation shook Sydney's inner-west when Anthony Albanese took to the stage for his victory speech on Saturday night.
"This is a time of profound opportunity for our nation," he said.
"We have everything we need to seize this opportunity and make it our own."
Tears burst from the party faithful when, barely two hours into the east coast vote count, the election was called for Labor.
The result made Mr Albanese one of the first prime ministers in recent history to win back-to-back elections.
Most supporters could not believe their eyes with shouts of "this is crazy" and "this is wild" spreading through the crowd at the Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL.
For 42-year-old William Woods, who has been part of Mr Albanese's Labor branch for two decades, the victory pave the way open the doors for a new era.
"This is like a fairytale," he told AAP.
A particularly pointed sense of schadenfreude was reserved for Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who became the third federal party leader in Australian history to lose his seat.
Jeers coursed through the room as Mr Dutton appeared on screen to give his concession speech.
And when some supporters tried to boo his name during Mr Albanese's victory speech, the election winner scolded the crowd.
Mr Dutton's Labor replacement Ali France was an inspiration to 53-year-old nurse Sabrina Sharp.
"This is the best day of my life," she told AAP.
With pollsters tipping in Labor's favour, many supporters went into the evening with a cautious sense of optimism.
But as the night wore on, the mood and the seats shifted slowly and then all at once.
Oliver Wild, who started the night a ball of nerves, could not wipe the smile off his face.
"This is the most overstimulated I've felt my entire life," the 17-year-old told AAP.
The prime minister watched the results roll in from Kirribilli House with his partner Jodie Haydon and son Nathan, who joined him on stage.
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