To wrap up Janice's visit we decided to catch the new years eve fireworks display from my favourite spot, Blues Point Reserve, in North Sydney. It's a great vantage point behind the harbour bridge that's real close to the the bridge and a barge on the river. When the fireworks go off you are literally surrounded by fireworks and the sound of explosions. The area is regulated so there is no byo alcohol and it is closed when it reaches capacity so there is no over crowding. People are generally friendly and courteous of each other and the atmosphere with people cheering all around is great. You can literally feel the sound through your body as the explosions go off and the fireworks are so close it feels as though they are raining down on you. The long wait from morning to night can get a bit boring and tiresome, I actually managed to sleep (and snore) for a bit during the early afternoon. But in the end it's worth it. The crazy public transport is part and parcel of the night, without it the night just wouldn't feel the same. All in all a great fun time and something worth doing if you haven't yet bothered or simply if you haven't done this in a few years. The last time I caught the fireworks was in 2003 so it's a good time to be going again.

Some interesting things to note on this particular day was that we saw a strange boat going around spraying the harbour with jets of water. Didn't seem to do much and seemed to be totally pointless (why spray water... with water?) Jesus came to preach to the crowd! I couldn't quite hear what he was talking about as his amp wasn't turned up very high but he seemed like a genuine guy. There was a charity selling food and drinks (the only people selling food and drinks) and they ripped us off. I paid $3 for a can of coke... nuts! They also charged $5 for a sausage and a slice of bread with sauce! And the vintage plane fly by's during the day were mostly boring except for the three tiger moths that did manage to fly quite low.

A tip for those trying to photograph the fireworks, make sure you meter for the explosion of light rather than the darkness of night.