Goodbye 2009, The Adopted Version

Published on Jan. 1, 2010 in Australia

Yan-Shih and I have always been very lucky for New Year's Eve here in Sydney. The first year we luckily had a friend who owned an apartment in one of the piers running just next to the Harbour Bridge. The views were spectacular. Last year we decided to be a tad creative and board the train we estimated to cross the bridge right as the fireworks were going off - and it worked great. However, we decided to do something a little different this year, and we ended up being very, very lucky.

Our two friends from Vienna are on a Pacific trip, so they naturally came to Sydney for NYE to visit us. I have always been under the impression that the parks filled up very quickly, so we arrived North Sydney station by noon, bought food for the day, and left to reserve a spot at Blues Point Reserve.

Blues Point Reserve

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I have to concede this point: I think I encouraged us to arrive a little too early. We started walking behind a set of people that looked as though they knew what they were doing. I joked that they were either going to the Point, or home. Right on cue they turned the corner into their apartment, and left us guide-less. We reached the end of the road, but a problem presented itself: there wasn't a path down.

After looking around we realised this was actually a great spot - we could see the harbour bridge, the piers, and it was just big enough for the four of us. And there was a picnic bench. We sat town.

Current time: 12:15pm.

After maybe 30 minutes we heard a door open behind us - the home owner walked out and asked if we were going to stay there to watch the fireworks. We mentioned that was our plan, and she kindly asked us if we would like to use the loo. Having just realised that we overlooked this crucial detail in our NYE plan, we took up the offer. She next showed us the view from her balcony, and told a story of the Sydney Olympics whereas the only clear view of the closing ceremony was shot from her roof.

We thanked her for letting us use the toilet, and resumed our wait on the park bench.

Current time: 12:45pm.

Maybe 15 minutes later she walked out again and said: "I've called my husband, and we wouldn't mind if you came onto our balcony, and you can use our loo whenever you like." I think for Juliene and Yan-Shih the ability to use the bathroom was a gift from the heavens, and the access to a table perked up my spirits. We started playing cards.

After several hours of the weather unable to decide if it wanted to rain or shine, and after finishing our cheese, crackers, and cookies, we retired next to the pool. Although none of us had swimming suits, we still appreciated the opportunity to get under the shade and dip our feet in the water. I had (naturally!) risen at 5:45am that morning, and the heat had worn all of us out. We sprawled out and started napping. Current time: 4:30pm.

The daughters (about our age) had a few friends over, and about 5:30pm they came down and offered us some cheese. Although we had already consumed nearly 300g, we still ate more. They next mentioned that their small dog, "Piggy", had managed to claw through two bags and eat our bread; we were offered beer, and the conversations started.

Up until this point we had tried to stay out of the way, however, I've reached a point in my life where I think I have an interesting story to tell - who I am and why I'm in Australia. I'm also equally interested in the stories other people have to tell, and I was especially interested in the stories of our hosts whom kindly let us borrow a slice of their balcony. The best balcony in Sydney to view the fireworks.

The BBQ was scrubbed and covered in meat, and we were able to talk to the husband. One thing that immediately struck me was his curiosity of who we are. And this wasn't a superficial curiosity, nor the beginnings of basic small talk. It felt to me the curiosity was to add to his collective information about the world; he discussed with Yan-Shih specific historical events that influence her field of study, and would respond "oh, that's a good company" when Christian mentioned where he worked in Vienna.

We helped bring the food upstairs, and everybody started eating dinner. We were given a few glasses of wine, and then were invited to do a walk around Blues Point. The crowds had already thickened significantly, and the police were out in full force. Directly at the entrance was the Riot Squad, and shortly below them about 30 NSW police. Around the corner (hidden from the view of the crowd, but visible from our vantage point on the balcony) were two police buses. And these weren't the little "drunk tanks" that normally drive around - these were complete full-size buses.

We entered the swarm of scantily clad teenage girls and pubescent boys, and my nightmares of 15,000 drunk highschoolers became a reality. Although this was a "no BYO zone", there were cans of beer everywhere, and a plethora of teens in "gladiator shoes" slumped over in the fields. We somehow did a circle around the point, and arrived at the bathrooms. If you're ever going to come down to Blues Point Reserve for NYE, a word of advice: bring a bucket. The queue for the female bathroom must have been at least 30 minutes; there wasn't a queue for the male's bathroom. Recalling this observation illuminates another realisation and bit of advice: I wouldn't lean against any trees in the Point during NYE.

The last observation, and something I've never before in Sydney, was the line at the beer garden, or more accurately, the lack of a line. This wasn't apparent to just me, but our humble tourguides, and was quickly deduced to the fact that we were standing at ground zero of a 15,000 student High School. After reiterating our appreciation for providing us with queue-free loo access, we escaped through the gates and returned to eat desert.

I dutifully retold the story of how Pavlova was named, or at least my version of the story. At 9:00pm the "kiddie fireworks" started, and our friends stated their awe that the "kiddie fireworks" in Sydney were bigger than the midnight fireworks in Vienna. Everybody started to temporarily retire, until just before midnight when the "adult fireworks" started.

The fireworks this year appeared to be bigger, higher, and brighter than the previous two years, but this may have just been because we could see five of the six barges launching fireworks. After maybe 15 minutes, and constant photos, the fireworks ended. Hello 2010.

One thing we learned from previous years is the logistics of getting 1.5m people out of the CBD. Last year we couldn't even get into the station at Milson's Point, so we walked up to North Sydney. Even North Sydney was packed with people, and the entrance was heavily regulated; drunken people were continually getting on fights on the train, breaking the train windows, and throwing up everywhere. Our friends needed to be at the airport by 8:00am in the morning, so getting a few hours of sleep was all we could think about.

Because we were a little higher than the rest of the crowd we were luckily able to leave directly after the fireworks ended, and briskly walked to the station. There was no line, and within 5 minutes our train arrived and we were heading home. Current time: 12:27pm.

Blurry Thumbs Up at North Sydney Station

Tagged as: fireworks | nye | sydney

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