New Year's Eve Celebration At Sydney Harbour
Melbourne is almost 873 kilometers away from Sydney and a good 10 hours of leisure driving. One can take the Hume Highway, which is shorter and with wider lanes on both sides, or the Princes Highway, which is longer and narrower but provides a scenic view of the coastline and the towns that lie in the Sapphire Coast strip.
Our group decided to take the Hume Highway on our way to Sydney to watch the much ballyhooed New Year's Eve Celebration at the Sydney Harbour, which is annually watched by a million spectators at vantage points around the Harbour and also viewed on cable tv by billions all over the world.
We checked in at Holiday Inn at Rooty Hill, which had long been reserved by Melbourne residents Devie and Fe. Rooty Hill is still one train ride away from the Harbour and from the Central Business District. We left early the following day as we had to hook up with a Sydney couple, Len and Ghie, who would be our guides during our 5-day-stay in New South Wales.
We arrived at 2pm at the selected viewing site, Royal Botanic Gardens, which is adjacent to the Art Gallery of New South Wales. I was expecting things would be smooth and easy. But I was wrong. There was a long, long, long queue that extended up to the parks and other open fields. Just by looking at the situation, one would be discouraged and would back out. But, instead, we opted to join the long line as we wanted to experience this world- renowned spectacle. We decided to endure.
With the sun shining bright as December is summertime in Sydney, I quietly slipped away from the group as I calculated that it would take another two hours of lining up before we reach the entrance. I took shots after shots of beautiful paintings and other works of art at the Art Gallery before proceeding to beautiful Hyde Park across the street. There I waited as I changed memory card in preparation for the big event that night.
It was almost 5 pm when we gained entry to the botanic gardens and positioned ourselves at a place where both the famed Sydney Bridge and the Sydney Opera House could be seen. Sailboats, yachts and dinghys were either berthed or moving slowly as the sun was about to set. The place, one of about 42 viewing sites, was filled to capacity which was more or less 20,000.
Spectators were behaving properly. There was no horse playing, no unruly conduct. Beer and all kinds of liquor were allowed except the bottled ones. With only a few policemen on patrol, everything was under control. At 9 pm, the preliminary lighting of pyrotechnics began. It was some sort of an appetizer. A prelude to the main event. This perked up the enthusiasm of the thousands sitting on the vast manicured lawn.
And the countdown to the New Year had to come. Fireworks of different designs and sizes arranged on the railings of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and on many barges located at strategic areas started lighting up and shooting sparks across the sky. Some were like fountains showering bright colored flashes. It was beautiful. It was spectacular. Nothing could come close to such a grandiose fireworks display. Magnificent !!!
Now here's the rub. At the end of the show, more than a million started heading towards the nearest train stations as most revelers came by train. They walked and occupied the streets. There were no buses in sight as it was past 1am. Sounds of horses galloping could be heard as Sydney Mounted Police were trying to control the rushing crowd. And as expected, the train stations were congested. One man kept on pushing me back as I boarded the train's ramp. He, and some other visitors, were in a panicky mode.
Inside the train, we were packed like sardines. It was only when we disembarked at Mount Druitt station that we were able to heave a sigh of relief. Still and all, it was worth the time and the trouble watching what is widely regarded as the most spectacular fireworks display in the whole world costing a staggering 5 million Australian dollars.
- Konted
*Thanks to Devie & Rene; Fe & Robert
*Thanks also to Sydney's Len & Ghie; Vic & Wife
 |
| Melbourne is 873 kms away from Sydney via the Hume Highway |
 |
| Sydney-bound side of Hume Highway |
 |
| BP Petrol Station |
 |
| Taking photos of heavy-duty trucks |
 |
| Trucks and trailers take the Hume Highway to Sydney and other parts of Australia |
 |
| Mag wheels |
 |
| Camper is a common sight during the holidays |
 |
| Reloading at another BP station in New South Wales |
 |
| A vintage submarine on display at Holbrook, New South Wales |
 |
| Lead driver Robert with his family |
 |
| Another shooting opportunity |
 |
| Drivers of big trucks do not have helpers. |
 |
| Hume Highway in New South Wales |
 |
| Arriving at Rooty Hill at about 5 pm |
 |
| Front view of Holiday Inn at Rooty Hill |
 |
| Rooty Hill is a suburb of Sydney |
 |
| Casino adjacent to the hotel |
 |
| Unloading of baggages |
 |
| Pool at the back of the hotel |
 |
| Big and clean room |
 |
| With cable tv, ref and wifi |
 |
| Holiday Inn (Rooty Hill) is still 30 minutes away from Sydney's Central Business District |
 |
| With Melbourne resident Robert |
 |
| Train schedule |
 |
| Taking the train at Mount Druitt station on our way to the city proper for the New Year's Eve celebration |
 |
| Central Business District |
 |
| No traffic even if buses ply the major streets |
 |
| An old landmark |
 |
| Double-decker bus |
 |
| Another old landmark |
 |
| The State Library of New South Wales is only a few meters away from the site |
 |
| I thought it was a ball game with thousands of spectators. |
 |
| The long line extends near the back of the Cathedral |
 |
| The long wait |
 |
| Part of the long line in front of the Art Gallery of New South Wales |
 |
| Priceless paintings at the gallery |
 |
| Not the usual way |
 |
| Early tools of the natives |
 |
| Old, old artifacts |
 |
| A beautiful work of art with the city as background |
 |
| Hyde Park |
 |
| Hyde Park is only a few meters away from the site |
 |
| The Cathedral in front of Hyde Park |
 |
| A spent matchstick and an unused one |
 |
| Take note of the roller skates |
 |
| More people join the line |
 |
| Sunbathing while waiting for the line to move |
 |
| Signage at the main entrance of Royal Botanic Gardens |
 |
| Filled to capacity |
 |
| Crowd patiently waiting |
 |
| A good view of the harbour, Sydney Opera House, the historic Sydney Harbour bridge and the yachts.. Taken from a vantage point. |
 |
| Crowd is under control |
 |
| Very near the bridge |
 |
| Another good view of the harbour |
 |
| There are parties aboard private yachts. |
 |
| Still hours away |
 |
| Right side of the Botanic Gardens |
 |
| The Midnight Fireworks display begins |
 |
| Looking up to the sky |
 |
| Fireworks of different colors |
 |
| Like glittering stars |
 |
| Fireworks from the bridge |
 |
| The one-hour show about to end |
 |
| Sydney Harbour Bridge the morning after |
 |
| Pier near the Opera House |
 |
| Taken at the Sydney Opera House |
 |
| At the Sydney Opera House with the Central Business District in background |
 |
| Crawling up the stairs of the Sydney Opera House with feet first |
 |
| My turn |
 |
| Nice view of the CBD from the Opera House |
 |
| Cafe by the harbour |
 |
| Cruising beautiful Sydney Harbour |
 |
| Main ferry terminal at Circular Quay in Sydney |
 |
| Visitors line up for the Sydney Harbour cruise |
 |
| Bound for Manly Beach |
 |
| Resto at Manly Beach |
 |
| Coins pls. |
 |
| The popular Manly Beach |
 |
| Big crowd on New Year's Day |
 |
| Sydney Harbour National Park |
 |
| Waves pounding big rocks |
 |
| Bondi Beach |
 |
| Nice Nook at Ghie's place |
 |
Train Terminal at the city proper (file)
|
 |
| Sydney Mounted Police (file) |
