NYE Sydney 2006

NYE Sydney 2006
Monday 1 January, 2006

Sydney knows how to celebrate and there really is no better way to see in the New Year than to see the fireworks on Sydney Harbour. I was fortunate enough to receive an invite to a friend's family home in Dover Heights that had sensational, uninterrupted views through to the Harbour Bridge. The minute we stepped out onto the enormous balcony all I could think was 'WOW!'

I know I am bias but we really do live in the best city in the world - Sydney Harbour is magnificent. We watched the boats fill the Harbour from 5pm onwards and as the sun set we were in awe - the Harbour came alive with large sailing boats, yachts, ferries, cruisers etc - it was just magical and as the lights sparkled we sat down to enjoy our NYE feast.

First up were calamari rings char-grilled on the BBQ and prawn skewers served with lime & coriander mayonnaise - delicious.

The 9pm fireworks commenced and the theme was listed as 'A Diamond night in the Emerald City'. None of us really knew what the theme was about so just took it all in and tried to piece it together as the night wore on. There was a question mark, the coat hanger to represent the 75th anniversary and the diamond on the bridge. A few days earlier a young friend had shared with me that the Emerald City was in the Wizard of Oz i.e. OZ as in Australia. Tonight another friend divulged that she had never known that the coat hanger was the affectionate term for the Harbour bridge - it was night of fun facts!

After the 9pm fireworks we started cooking the main course - BBQ chicken & vegetable skewers and sausages, we also had a lovely green salad and plenty of champagne, wine & a mystery punch. As we sat back enjoying the view our gracious host surprised us all with individual chocolate souffles and double cream plus a fruit platter - YUM!

The midnight fireworks were colourful, engaging and bigger & better than the 9pm fireworks - the accompanying soundtrack was also interesting with a mix of old & new songs that we had belting out from the stereo. The most impressive sight was the green fireworks/ emeralds lining the foreshore under the Bridge - it was absolutely stunning.

What a great night - we had great food, wine and company and we staggered home in the early hours of 2007.

With a sore head after the NYE celebrations I got online and looked up the City of Sydney website to find out what the theme was really all about - here's the blurb:

Last New Year’s Eve we proved that Sydney was a city of Great Heart. In 2006 it’s time for the city to shine as we celebrate A Diamond Night in Emerald City. The diamond, of course, refers to the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and on New Year’s Eve we usher in the great coat-hanger’s diamond jubilee year.

Emerald City derives from David Williamson’s 1985 play of the same title, which itself borrowed its imagery from the children’s classic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and compared Sydney to the glittering, seductive city at the heart of the Oz books and films.

So what will 2006 New Year’s Eve bring? What will the Bridge Effect be? Well, we’ll give you a hint…

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The celebrations will also comprise the return of last year’s successful innovation: Every Hour on the Hour. Devised as a giant Countdown for the crowds assembling around the Harbour from early afternoon, the action begins at 1pm with the firing of the Harbour cannon on Fort Denison and provides punctuation - on the hour, every hour: usually aerial – as we move through the afternoon to the evening’s big events: the 9pm Family Fireworks & the Harbour of Light Parade, the 10pm & 11pm Warming Up of the Bridge, and the piece de resistance, the world-renowned Midnight Fireworks.

Our theme allows us to ‘paint the town green’ for one night only and to prove to Sydney-siders, as they watch the magnificent fireworks, lighting and music spectacular, that ‘there’s no place like home.’ And we’re sure the millions of viewers watching from around the nation and overseas will concur: as far as New Year’s Eve is concerned, ‘There’s no place like Sydney’.

I have a great feeling about 2007 - it's going to be a cracker of a year!