Countdown at Sydney

One of the reasons why I'm staying all the way in Australia till so late is because of the New Year's Eve (NYE) celebrations in Sydney, which promises spectacular fireworks that last seemingly infinitely. However, me being myself, I kinda neglected the detailed planning until now.

So first, quite a change of plan, though not necessarily for the worse. Initially I was thinking of catching a coach to Sydney (one way only costs A$15 if booked early... meaning I would be getting the A$26 ones) and staying over at the YHA hostels over a few days, but all the accommodations are wiped out. Even if I were to go there on NYE afternoon and get the first coach out the next day, I still have to find something to do for the night, which is quite a problem to me since almost all of the night activities available in the city is not my cup of tea.

However, I realised that it might be cheaper to rent a car and drive there with a couple of friends. Furthermore, there will be no worries on what to do that night, for I will be driving back. Of course, then again, most people would already have plans for their NYE, either to work (coz on such holidays the pay is like, what, A$40 an hour?) or have fun. So I may not be able to get the desired maximum number of travellers along with me.

And then now, I've received advice from a friend that if I want the key vantage points like Sydney Opera House, I have to be there very early. Like around noon. The official NYE website is also pretty frank: "You can have a fantastic New Year’s Eve and a front row seat for the fireworks at home." They're quite humourous as well: "Eat well throughout the day and evening, drink plenty of water and limit your alcohol intake to ensure you make it to midnight."

Needless to say, the entire CBD and northern shore will be shut down to traffic. That's fine with me... having to park far away and walk in. So all seems well, but knowing things, something will go wrong somewhere. Hopefully, it doesn't turn out to be too huge a spoiler.