New Year's in Sydney

We went to Australia for six weeks so that Jonnene could spend some real time with her family and have her first Christmas with them in five years. We had a great time and I'll write more about that later on. One of the highlights was getting the opportunity to spend New Year's in Sydney. I've always enjoyed seeing the fireworks display on the Sydney Harbour Bridge on TV and it made sense to see it in person if we were going to be in Oz anyway.

We were lucky enough to get an invite to a party given by a friend of one of Jonnene's cousins, who had an apartment on the 27th floor of a high-rise with an unobstructed view of the bridge and the Opera House about a mile away. He had two balconies from his living room and bedroom, both of which were crowded with partiers during the display (it actually made me a little nervous with all those folks out there). But it was a great time with great people and great food. Here's some of the pics we got.

 Boats in the harbor waiting for the evenings' fireworks.

 Overview of the harbor from the 27th floor of Bill's apartment. The bridge is in the center and the Opera House can be identified as the triangular yellowish shapes at center.

 View of Sydney at night before the fireworks.

Some of the party goers on the balcony overlooking the city.

 Looking almost straight down from the balcony.

A group poses for a picture on the living room balcony...on the 27th floor!

And the fireworks begin!

Both balconies got a little crowded with everyone wanting a good...er, great...view of the show!

Smoke begins to drift over the harbor and the city towards the end of the show.

Both of us after the show ended. A nice way to end a trip to Australia!