The noise and light served its purpose – to ward off Nian​, the beast of Chinese mythology who seeks to attack people, especially, children. He was nowhere to be seen.

New Year is the biggest day of the year at the sumptuous Springvale Road temple, and a feast for the senses.

Visitors placed offerings of fruit and cake at tables all over the sprawling complex. Inside, they knelt to pray at pink pews in front of three giant gold Buddhas.

People wore red for the life force, yellow for humility, and white for purity. They threw coins into the fountain that surrounded a large statue of Guanyin​, goddess of compassion and mercy.

The air was heavy with smoke from dozens of incense receptacles. There were shrines to different Buddhas devoted to healing, ancestors and fertility. Little children sat on parents' shoulders to hang ribbons on a wishing tree.

Young men from the Kuan Yee Lion Dance Association steered ceremonial lions through the crowds.

Friends wished one another in Mandarin "gong xi fa cai" – "I wish you joy and wealth".

Taiwanese immigrant Pody Tung, 55, of Mulgrave, prayed that her younger son Mark, 15, a talented soccer player, will not get injured and will in future play for Melbourne Victory. Older son Jonathan, 25, with her at the temple, is a tax consultant with a law degree. He does voluntary work for refugees. What more could she wish for him?

"She wants grandkids," Jonathan says, grinning. She doesn't deny it: "In some ways I am still quite traditional," she says.

On Sunday night, Ms Tung cooked a lucky 10 dishes, including noodles symbolising long life, and a lucky white radish soup. She left the lights on all night and on Monday chose a lucky time to open all the doors.

At the temple, she offered the Buddhas peaches, a pineapple, grapes, apples, rice cake and orchids.

Ms Tung, a Chinese Museum financial officer, says the New Year means "last year's bad luck is gone". She attributes woes in 2015 to it being the Year of the Goat, and her being born in a Year of the Cow. Another driver crashed into her car, so she had to take the train to work. Then she injured her leg falling down the Parliament station stairs.

In this Year of the Monkey, it's the turn of people born in the years of the monkey, tiger, snake and pig to be wary. She says they must go to temple more often to ward off bad luck and ensure good health.