Sydney’s Diamond Jubilee
December 31
When New Years Eve finally arrived, we took an early train into Sydney and arrived at Macquarrie’s Point around 11AM (along with about 10,000 other people).
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| From Holidays in S… |
After standing in line for an hour and a half to get through the security checkpoint we finally reached the point and staked out our spot beneath a shady tree with a good view of the Sydney Bridge.
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Now all we had to do was wait. It actually wasn’t so bad; there were lots of interesting people to watch and we passed the hours by playing cards, reading and being silly.
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| From Holidays in S… |
All afternoon, there were hourly mini-events like sail pasts and aerobatic displays and the harbour filled with boats whose passengers had the best seat in the house for the NYE celebrations. After supper, we set up the laptop so the kids could watch a movie which ended just in time for the 9PM “Family Fireworks.” This show gave us a taste of what was to come at midnight and we also found out that everyone who didn’t have a good view of the bridge was now our new best friend and people were actually standing on our blanket in order to see.
After the Family Fireworks we tucked the kids into their sleep sacks and they managed to sleep through the growing mayhem until we woke them just before midnight.
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| From Holidays in S… |
We had to be very watchful of the less sober revelers around us as they barged carelessly through the crowd. At one point, two guys actually leaped right over our blanket and sleeping children before we could stop them. The people sitting around us started to get very protective of our kids and one guy actually told off a couple of drunkards who had stumbled to close to them. By 11:30, the excitement in the air was palpable as the well-lubricated crowd was beginning to press in once again and Claude had to use his body as a shield to keep the less stable partiers from crashing our party. This time I had to forcibly remind people that we had staked out this spot since lunchtime and they were welcome to watch the show from behind us. In the end, there were so many people around us that we put the kids on our shoulders so they could see the show.
And what a show it was! The fireworks started at the stroke of midnight and continued for almost twenty minutes (my shoulders got so sore I had to put Alexa down). This year was the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the theme was diamonds; a few moments into the fireworks, an enormous diamond appeared, suspended in the centre of the bridge, and actually sparkled for several minutes. The entire sky was filled with light as the fireworks shot from barges in the harbour, the bridge itself and even from the rooftops of surrounding skyscrapers. Just when it seemed to be over, another volley of light would burst into the sky and it would start all over again. The finale was so huge that the entire sky was awash in a sea of colour and the roar of the crowd was deafening. It was a sight that made the twelve hour wait worthwhile. (Sorry, none of our pictures turned out so you’ll just have to use your imagination)
After the fireworks, the crowd quickly dispersed and everyone headed for the nearest train station to catch a ride home.
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I was impressed with the police presence and the well-behaved crowd; we weren’t afraid at all and the kids seemed to be really enjoying themselves. Understandably, the trains were standing room only and we had to wait through a few before we could actually get on one. We were halfway home before a nice gentleman offered up his seat to my sleepy kids. Believe it or not, they didn’t complain once about the long walk or the 45 minute train ride, and even managed to stay awake the whole way home. It was almost 3AM before we finally got to bed and we all slept late the next morning. Alexa’s first task of the day was to was draw a detailed picture of her memories of the previous night’s celebrations, complete with the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House and, of course, fireworks.
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| From Holidays in S… |
This will certainly be a New Years Eve that none of us will ever forget.
To see the resy of our New Years photos, go to our web album:
Tags: Australia, Fireworks, New Years Eve, Sydney, Travel
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