Thematic displays of Sydney New Year’s Eve

Sydney is rightfully known as the New Year’s Eve capital of the world, with its spectacular fireworks that surpass all of its kind in the rest of world and the thematic lighting and fireworks that leave the world gasping in wonder!

On the Eve, the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, the cruises that participate in the Harbour of Light Parade and each and every nook, corner and crevice around the Sydney Harbour is decorated with lights. Every year, the lighting on the bridge has a new thematic display. The cruises that join the parade also are decorated according to a theme chosen months before. The synchronised fireworks set off from barges, buildings and different locations on the bridge with wondrous precision also display a specific message every year. The message or the theme displayed by the lighting and fireworks on the bridge has been colloquially called the ‘bridge effect’ by the Sydneysiders.

The most famous bridge effects in the past years have been the ‘Smiley’ in 1998, ‘Eternity’ in copperplate writing in 1999, the ‘Dove of Peace’ in 2002, the ‘Love Heart’ in 2005, the ‘Coathanger’ and the ‘Diamond’ in 2006, the ‘Sand Timer’ in 2007 and ‘the Sun’ in 2008.

Every year, the framework for the effect is visible months before the event which leaves the public wondering and speculating on what that year’s would be.

As the day nears, the excitement, the anticipation and the suspense builds up as the world awaits the event with bated breath!

Sydney Harbour cruise - A Sydney Showboat experience

Being in Sydney and not being to Sydney Harbour or on a harbour cruise is a sheer waste of a vacation for the Sydney tourist and an injustice to oneself, if one is a Sydneysider. A cruise around the beautiful harbour past the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House is in itself an experience of a lifetime.


Cruises around Sydney Harbour are available aplenty – Matilda Cruises, Magistic Cruises and many more t o mention. Magistic Cruises - are known for their superior ambience, fine quality dining experience and personal attention to guests.

However, cruises like those on the Sydney Showboats provide not only superior dining quality and ambience, but also live entertainment such as cabaret, DJ music and dance, and magic! Sydney Showboats are also known for the attention and care rendered by their staff to the guests. Right from the moment they are welcomed aboard, through the entire course of the cruise till they are returned ashore, the visitors receive fabulous treatment!

Add to all this the sheer exhilaration of sailing, and one would find a Sydney Showboat cruise a unique, incredible experience! They offer special cruises in December for celebrating Christmas and New Year's Eve. There are cruises with spectacular cabaret shows and live jazz bands! So hurry up and book your seats lest you should be late and have to wait another year for this fantastic experience!

Hopping islands and walking bridges

How would you like to hop a few islands just for the heck of it? If you are game, October is the time and Sydney is the place for it. This is just one of the incredible and amusing events that are part of Crave Sydney. Sydney Harbour Island Hopping is an event where a hopper ferry will take you visiting several islands around Sydney Harbour in one day. The islands too gear up to match the occasion and the mood. While Fort Denison presents you with an array of delicious food, Clark Island gives you a taste of its art and culture and Garden Island lets you a glimpse into their naval history. Shark Island takes the form of a land of wonder and fantasy - a world of unrestrained imagination! Rodd Island will have fabulous music playing in its dance hall where you can dance away a few hours with your partners and friends at the Tea Dance. And then when you stop to rest your tired feet, you can have a light-hearted chat or a tete-a-tete over a cup of tea. For more of cruising fun, go for the cruises around Sydney Harbour that serve you food and wine, and loads of entertainment full of music, dance and magic.

Or are you the outdoors kind? The kind who can make your own fun? Then go for the Perfect Picnic at Clark Island and enjoy the day your own way! The Seven Bridges Walk is yet another option if you are the rugged, sporting kind. This is a community walking event that takes place on October 25, a Sunday, involving the famous bridges of Sydney, and the participants can choose their own start and finish time anywhere between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. from any of the seven villages along the course of the walk. The funds raised from this healthy endeavour goes to charities that support health causes, such as beyondblue, Diabetes Australia NSW, Cancer Council and the Heart Foundation NSW.