A Sydney New Year has to be one of the best in the world. I was lucky enough to see in 2018 there along with more than one and a half million other people. Despite having visited this city many times over the years this was a first for me. I didn’t really know what I was in for but I was there and I wasn’t going to miss out on the celebrations!
A friend and I decided to do it together but neither of us really knew what we were doing so we decided to meet in the city at midday. We both did a bit of research beforehand and I found the official website really helpful. There were free and ticketed locations with most of the ticketed locations sold out. If you are planning a New Years in Sydney then do plan ahead. With the free locations, it is recommended that you get there early. I heard that some people set up camp the night before, at Blues Point Reserve, that is dedication! The best spots for the evening I think would have been on the harbor cruises but these are pricey averaging about $600 a ticket for 6-7 hours on the harbor. Not all but most were inclusive of food and beverages. So plenty of options to enjoy the celebrations.
Before getting to the city I checked out what was happening on the North side of the bridge. I got off the train at Milson’s Point and headed into Bradfield Park, one of the free locations that the city had to offer and very close to the harbour bridge. People had started setting up with small campsites, tents for shade and plenty of supplies. Most vantage points had alcohol bans and this was one of them so very family friendly. This would be a great location to spend the day and evening with a group as long as you didn’t leave it much past midday to get a good spot.
From Milson’s Point, I headed across the harbor by ferry to Circular Quay. It was here that I met my friend. By this time it was getting pretty busy with people everywhere. We headed towards the Opera House but there was such a long line waiting to get in. We thought it would be smarter to try getting into the Botanical Gardens somewhere. Not a good idea, we should have just jumped in the first line! We ended up joining a queue to get down to The Point by Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair and it took four hours to get in the gate. Thankfully it was not a hot day as there was no shade and even with sunscreen on I got a little sunburnt.
It was around 4.30pm when we got through the gates. Security was checking all bags and no liquids were allowed, even water had to be tipped out. And there were no water fountains, that we found. The gates were closed at this location once it hit capacity of about 14,500. This happened around 6pm. The best viewing spots were packed, but over the entire area there was plenty of room to move about.
We found our spot right down at the point and settled in for the evening. It turned out The Point was one of the only three locations selling alcohol, which we didn’t realise until we arrived, so we treated ourselves to a bottle of bubbles for AU$40. Beer and cider were about AU$8. There were plenty of food trucks but you were also allowed to bring in all the food you liked, just not any liquids. This was not a place full of families, hardly any kids about. It was more young people and hardly an Australian accent heard.
This park has trees everywhere so good viewing spots were very few. It turned out not too bad when it came to watching the fireworks it wasn’t too difficult to find a good standing spot and snuggle in with the crowd. There were some air displays before dark which were pretty cool and the first round of fireworks was at 9pm and went for 8 minutes. This display alone was pretty impressive! There were no fireworks from the bridge with this display but plenty all along the harbour either side of the bridge. It was surprising how fast time went and before long we were counting down to midnight. As well as the locations on the harbour the bridge was also going delighting us with bangs and sparkles. This display went on for nearly 12 minutes!
I am so glad I decided to brave the city for a Sydney New Year experience. The chaos and crowds I was prepared for but how this was managed exceeded my expectations. Sydney put on such a well-organised event. There were volunteer ambassadors everywhere ready to give advice and answer questions. Police presence was strong with cops on foot, bikes, horses, boats, and helicopters. The transport appeared to run smoothly and people showed patience and courtesy moving around the city.
Advice for a Sydney New Year:
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Plan ahead of time if you can. Tickets to some locations or cruises sell out fast.
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Take plenty of water, sunscreen, and shade just in case you get caught in the sun waiting to get into a venue.
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Make sure you know what the security restrictions will be for the venue you are planning on going to. Water or other liquids could be prohibited.
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Make sure you get to your location early. Once capacity has been reached location will close the gates and this could be in the afternoon. If you want the best seat get there before lunch.
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If you are going for a free location then check who it best caters for, eg family friendly, sells alcohol, etc…
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Use public transport, it is busy but well organised to run as smooth as possible
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Take a camera or a portable phone charger. You don’t want to get to midnight and have no battery to get photos of the fireworks!
