Under a Blood Red Sky, The Crowd has gathered in Black and White

The Hyde Park Waterfall

New Years Eve has arrived at last; We walked through Hyde Park (Sydney) to get to the event.

Carmel and Liz in Hyde Park (Sydney) on the way to The New Yeras Eve Party

We have been so excited because Carmel had booked us an exclusive table in the Botanical Gardens area of the harbour. In the area called Mrs Macquarie’s Chair . There were tables laid out for just 1,000 people with a Champagne reception, a 3-course meal, a bar, a disco, and a midnight snack!! Right on the waterfront overlooking the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is estimated that over 1 million people descended on the centre of Sydney for this night’s event.

This is the view from our table!!!

We felt very VIP because we didn’t have to queue with all the hordes that were carrying their picnics, beers, children and grannies (everything but the kitchen sink was being wheeled and carried) into the park. We got there at 5.30 for doors at 6.30 but by this time the rest of the vantage points in the gardens were declared full and people were being turned away, some people had been down on the waterfront since dawn just to get a prime viewpoint!

Carmel and Liz havin a natter before the party started

As we entered the cordoned off area, there was a red carpet and free glasses of champagne and we were given vouchers for our 3 course meal, we could collect each course at the allotted times. Carmel was very excited when she discovered the chocolate dessert was gluten free and she somehow managed to blag a second portion. We had a great view of all the parties, which were going on on the hundreds of boats in the harbour. As its very environmentally friendly here, staff came around to your table clearing away debris every few minutes, there was even a 5 dollar deposit on the wine bottles so you were encouraged to take them back (we almost had enough deposit for a goodnight out when we’d finished!)

There was an amazing atmosphere; everyone was really friendly and chatty. We sat on a table next to a German couple who had flown in to Sydney for 1 night, just for this event and an Indian family behind us had brought lots of snacks which they insisted on sharing with us in return for chatting to us about all the places they had lived in around the world (including Birmingham!) I would have loved to have known everyone’s ‘story’ that night.

At 9pm they set off the children’s fireworks, which was a magnificent display and gave us a taste of what was to come. As we partied on the mood of the lighting changed through sunset and dusk and into nightfall.

Our view of the Opera House and Sydney Bridge

Carmel got her little note book out and we all had to say what our new years resolutions were, (hee hee) Keith was very reluctant but we finally persuaded him to join in and he eventually said he was going to stop drinking!! Then he quickly added that he was only going to stop drinking red wine, (I think he panicked).

New Years Resolutions

Everyone looked beautiful and most people were dancing, and after several bottles of wine we thought the disco was fab too as we were all dancing to “Come on Eileen”!!

The crowds of picnickers on the hill behind us were doing the Mexican wave and cheering all the time. Then at seconds to midnight everyone dutifully counted down to midnight and the fireworks started, which just took our breath away. In the paper this morning it said it was the biggest firework display Sydney had ever seen.

New Years Eve Fireworks

On the bus journey home (which was rammed) we had the statutory Irish lad leading the whole bus in sing-along. With very drunken renditions of…Danny Boy, Whiskey in the Jar and When Irish Eyes Are Smiling.

2008 has arrived and Everything had started looking blurred to Keith

When we got back to our apartment at 3am there was a party on our roof, which was in full swing and the dance party on Bondi Beach was still bouncing. The lift was swimming in lager when we got in to the building and lots of dead party poppers and champagne corks all over the area outside our apartment window, it looks like a proper new years eve celebration was had by one and all!

3am And the New Years Eve Party was still going strong on Bondi Beach

HAPPY 2008 TO YOU ALL!!!