If there is one thing Sydney loves to do, it’s shooting tons of colourful explosives into the night sky. Any occasion will do, really… and hardly a summer weekend passes without a flash and bang over the harbor. Of course, these are all just practice runs for the main event, the premiere pyrotechnic extravaganza of the year, New Year’s Eve! Arguably the first major city to great the new year (sorry kiwis), the fine citizens of Sydney have seen it fit to do things on a grand scale!
Fortunately, we had VIP seats to the main event thanks to my boss, Dave. He and his wife, Karen, have a place along the water Cremorne Point, one of the bests spots from which to watch the show. Even better, their windows face directly out onto the harbor, which meant we didn’t have to arrive in the wee hours to reserve a spot on the lawn like the crowds above. And as a bonus, we were able to crash on their couches, because post-NYE traffic is a total nightmare, especially if you need to get to the other side of the harbor like us.
The events began with a 9PM family fireworks display. If this was the “preview”, then we couldn’t imagine what was in store for the main event. There were multiple barges situated throughout the expanse of Sydney Harbor so that no matter where you were, you were getting the same sets of explosions. And they were all perfectly timed. They event had streamers shooting off the rooftops of the buildings in the CBD! The family funtime lasted about 10 min.. quite a feat for the kiddie show.
In between the outbursts I took long exposures of the city lights cast over the harbor (surely you’ve noticed the new masthead). Hundreds of boats were out on the water… party boats of all sizes and styles, each decked out with lights. It really was quite a sight.
As the clock approached midnight, warning sentinels were shot into the sky to build anticipation… and at the stroke of twelve, BOOM! The bridge basically exploded in a technicolor freakshow. Bombs were bursting in air left and right, cascades of fire poured from the bridge, bedlam abounds! Near on 15 minutes of pyrotechnic brilliance. Then it was done, smoke filled the sky, and the lumbering crowds began their long, slow, journeys home. We, however, laid on the couch and drifted off to sleep.
Welcome 2012: A New Year in a New World!
