Ending 2012 and starting 2013 in Australia was a first for both of us and it was certainly a memorable experience. Although Sydney is stereotypically the place to be to celebrate the New Year in Oz, we were based in Brisbane and without a doubt “the Brisbanites” know how to party to bring in the New Year Down Under!
The evening was planned to have a firework display at both 8:00PM and Midnight and our intentions were to be at present at both. I have seen spectacular firework displays in England and the Australians certainly live up to their reputations of trying to outdo everyone else with their amazing spectacles.
Heading up Queen Street toward the Victoria Bridge around 7:45PM we were soon engulfed in the thousands of people flocking to get the perfect vantage point. Many had camped out for several hours on the South Bank shoreline of the Brisbane River as this has always been renowned as the “perfect” spot to see the impressive firework displays.
As we slowly moved on to the Victoria Bridge we decided that this was a pretty good spot to see the displays especially given that people were hardly moving. There was a slight delay of about 30 minutes before the fireworks began and at first we were unsure as to how impressive the show was going to be.
Gradually the firework extravaganza picked up and some of the most spectacular fireworks were those that appeared to come directly out of the river. The fireworks and pyrotechnics used by Brisbane worked well and they really saved the best until the finale when a combination of everything was released into the beautiful New Year’s Eve night sky.
Whenever you are from a country in the Northern Hemisphere, the New Year is generally celebrated in cold, crisp Winter weather so being part of an atmosphere on a glorious Summer evening is such a pleasant experience.
I would certainly recommend anyone experiencing New Year in Australia, not only to enjoy the warm climate but also to see how the Land of Oz says goodbye to one year and welcomes in the next one. If you are looking to set yourself a late New Year’s Resolution, why not consider visiting Australia at the end of 2013 and bringing in 2014?