Australians gathered across the country last night for the Matildas' historic semifinal against England, showing off their green and gold.

In the cities and in the country, nerves were jangling in the lead-up to kick-off.

It all ended in heartbreak, but one pub in regional New South Wales had something to celebrate.

After accidentally playing the wrong match on Saturday — with former deputy prime minister and New England local Barnaby Joyce in attendance – Publican Christian Schmidt found the right channel to watch the game at the Commercial Hotel in Walcha.

"It took me a couple of days to realise what had happened, but we're all having a good laugh about it now," Mr Schmidt said.

"They were all enjoying themselves, good company, good beer, good food.

At the beach and out west

In beachside Kiama, hundreds of people turned out to a live viewing site in Hindmarsh Park, the first time it has ever been done for a sports event.

Local businesses donated the equipment, and cafes and restaurants stayed open to cater.

About 1,000 kilometres west at the Mundi Mundi Bash near Broken Hill, music lovers watched on a big screen and rode every shot at goal.

"It was disappointing the Matilda's didn't take out the win, but it was still awesome to be able to follow their journey tonight and our festival-goers loved coming together to cheer them on," said festival founder Greg Donovan.

The Sunraysia community, in Victoria's north-west, also banded together last night to support the Matildas.

The Mildura Rural City Council brought out a big screen at the Mildura Sporting Precinct, where approximately 250 people rugged up in green and gold.

Cowra cheers for Carpenter

At the former primary school of Matildas defender Ellie Carpenter in Cowra, New South Wales, students erected displays across the school to celebrate the national women's soccer team.

"We're taking photos and videos that we'll send to Ellie showing the students screaming and yelling and wishing the Matildas all the best," Mulyan Public School principal Cath Briggs said.

Families at the Darwin Waterfront

Matildas fever also reached the Top End, with fans gathering at the Darwin Waterfront to watch the game under the northern sky.

Young girls in particular were thrilled to see women in sport being celebrated on the big screen, including Lani, Savannah, Mia and Beatrice.

"Girls are not really seen as they can do it as good as the boys, so now that girls are becoming more common in sports, it's really cool to see," Savannah said.

"Knowing that they can do it, we can do it. So, it just brings us more confidence," Mia added.

Aussies watched on from overseas

They may have been watching from enemy territory, but it was a sea of green and gold in one London pub.

In the middle of the work day, hundreds of Australia fans packed into a pub in Vauxhall and the beers were flowing.

The pub manager said it was a bigger crowd than they got for the men's world cup last year.

City dwellers packed in

Tens of thousands of people across Australia's capital cities converged on parks and stadiums to watch the game.

In Melbourne, fans watching at Federation Square went wild when Sam Kerr put Australia back on level terms in the second half.

The site was at capacity, and flares were lit in the crowd.

In anticipation of outsized crowds compared to earlier matches, Adelaide added an another viewing site to complement the official fan festival.