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Published: January 8th 2012
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"Given that there's now around 7 tonne of dynamite strapped to the bridge, did you still want me to drive over it?" asked my brother-in-law as he gave us a ride into town. 'The bridge' was the Sydney Harbour bridge, and my sister and I had tickets for an event on my bucket list - a pole position view of the New Year's Eve fireworks display, with an afterparty of course. Unfortunately though, the pole position didn't come with somewhere to set up a tripod, so my photos were quite disappointing and definitely don't do the occasion justice.
The majority of streets in the CBD were closed to traffic until the early hours of the following morning, and the crowds of people starting to build were reminiscent of those seen in Auckland during the Rugby World Cup - with a similiar atmosphere of anticipation, only the colourful displays of national pride were missing. After making our way through back roads to the first of three checkpoints (all the while feeling as though we were under-dressed and gatecrashing an A list affair) we parted company with the A listers and arrived at the Opera Bar entrance.
Sydney was a great
place to be on NYE, and the view was worth the ticket price - especially as having a ticket meant no queueing from the early hours of the morning, and I could spend the day with family which was the other reason for going.
Despite having lived in Australia for seven years, I had only passed through Sydney twice, (both times only for half a day) and it was fun getting to know the area more.
And here's a tip for those of you planning on doing the tourist trail through the Blue Mountains (which makes a great day or overnight trip from central Sydney), try and fit in the Sublime Point lookout for sunset. You'll miss the crowds viewing the Three Sisters from the opposite side, and get a great view of the sun as it sinks. We could still see it when we pulled into the carpark, and ran down to the lookout - but just missed out.
Truth is, it isn't actually "Happy New Year from Sydney" as I'm already back in Auckland. And it was only minutes after landing that I learned of the demise of a Kiwi travel tradition - free tea
and coffee in the arrivals hall of Auckland International Airport.
"What's happened to the free tea and coffee?" I enquired of one of the security staff.
"You haven't travelled for a while, have you.....?" came the rhetorical reply. "At least the trolleys are still free though, and so is the friendliness" she said with, what else but a free friendly grin.
Yes, unusually for me, I only passed through an international terminal once this year - and even then it was within a few days of the year ending. Fortunately though, the next time is only three months away and one which I am very much looking forward to.
Wishing you all a healthy and happy 2012 - and may it involve some great travel adventures :-)
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The Travel Camel
Shane Dallas
The Best Place in the World To Experience New Year's Eve
Great photos and videos - they do convey what an amazing spectacle results from six million dollars worth of fireworks! I saw both 1999/2000 and 2000/2001 displays and they were both very memorable evenings.