As promised last time, here's finally my report about New Year's Eve, where I witnessed what was probably the world's largest New Year's celebration.

During my time in Ireland, I started thinking about how I'd celebrate New Year's in Australia. I came across a website that listed all the boats available for booking on New Year's Eve. I thought it would be a cool idea to spend New Year's Eve on a boat and enjoy the fireworks from the front row.

But then I saw the prices for such a trip. They ranged from $300 to $800 (approximately €650), so I decided to wait a bit. But I had already picked out a favorite—the Emerald Star.

I had been postponing the decision about whether to treat myself to this experience. A few days before New Year's Eve, with a bit of research, I found the official website for Sydney's New Year's Eve fireworks. Browsing through it, I realized just how massive this fireworks display would be, and that there would actually be two shows—one at 9 PM for families with children, and of course the big one at midnight. In the end, I decided to celebrate New Year's Eve on a boat.

So I pulled out the list of boats again and tried to get more information about where each vessel would be positioned during the fireworks. My favorite, the Emerald Star, would be too far from the action for my taste. I then looked into the Southern Cross. This ship was $100 more expensive, but the lady on the phone assured me that we would stay close to the Opera House—one of the best spots for both fireworks displays. That sounded good, so I decided to book it.

On New Year's Eve itself, I worked for an hour or two in the morning before making my way to the harbor much too early. Since I arrived at the closed port area without any problems or queuing, I now had a few hours to kill before the ship arrived. Since the Sealife Aquarium wasn't very busy, I spontaneously decided to visit. Thanks to my Merlin annual pass, I no longer had to pay for admission.

After spending my extra time there, I slowly made my way to the ship. By then, the weather had become even better and warmer. Each passenger was greeted with cold drinks, which we all appreciated. And then our journey began.

First, we cruised leisurely out of Darling Harbour and then headed west, away from the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, to watch the sunset. It was even more beautiful than usual. After that, we slowly made our way back so we would be in position on time for the first fireworks display. Along the way, I got involved in an interesting conversation about life and the world with two older gentlemen. Throughout our chat, a waiter regularly came by with various snacks, which were excellent.

A few minutes before the start of the first fireworks show, we finally reached our position. I can tell you, it really was front row. To be precise, not just front row but right in the middle of the fireworks. Directly in front of us was one of the seven firing platforms, with the Opera House and skyline in the background and a full view of the Harbour Bridge. Behind our ship were three other platforms from which fireworks would be launched.

The fireworks started punctually at 9 PM as planned. It was truly breathtakingly beautiful, especially since the ship was in an almost perfect location. Unfortunately, the wind was a bit stronger at the time, which pushed us off course, and the skipper had his work cut out keeping the boat in position. Still, we had a fantastic view of the fireworks. Here is my recording on YouTube.

After the fireworks ended and the restricted area around the platforms was reopened, some of the ships turned on their decorative lights and lined up for the light parade. Our ship also participated in this parade. We had yellow lighting with small flashing birds on the sides.

Meanwhile, the crew had set up a real gourmet buffet on the lower deck with pretty much everything you could wish for—from Indian curry to seafood to melon with ham. I have to mention again how delicious the food was. I grabbed a proper drink (whiskey and cola) and sat on the open back deck. I spent the rest of the time before midnight there, enjoying the view of Sydney and the thousands of boats on the water.

We made a large circle through the harbor and then circled countless times around one of the fireworks platforms before returning to the same position where we had watched the earlier display. This time the wind was completely different, and the boat remained steady.

The fireworks began slowly a few seconds before midnight. First, the last seconds of the old year were counted down, and then at midnight, the city literally exploded with fireworks and light. It was an absolute dream. I've seen quite a few fireworks displays before, but such a meticulously choreographed and synchronized show was new even to me. Just wow!! Here is my recording on YouTube.

It lasted almost 13 minutes and even included some of the skyscrapers in the city center. Unfortunately, after a few minutes, something went wrong on the firing platform right in front of us, as suddenly no more fireworks were being launched from there while all the others continued firing heavily. But they fixed the problem after about a minute and resumed firing. The bridge was also spectacular with fireworks. At one point, a curtain of golden sparks cascaded down from the bridge.

I have to say it again—it was just wow!!

After the fireworks, I had actually expected the thousands of ships to at least sound their horns in celebration, but nothing happened. Everyone just waited for the harbor to reopen so they could make their way back. The ship I was on didn't return to Darling Harbour but instead let us disembark between the Opera House and the bridge. This gave me a wonderfully relaxed walk right down the middle of the closed-off George Street (the main shopping street). What surprised me was that some shops were actually open. Not just food stalls, but also hairdressers and clothing stores. Not many, but still! Who goes shopping at 2 AM on January 1st? Strange people here.

Here's a non-shaky version of the midnight fireworks.