Happy New Year! Let’s hear a rendition of Auld Lang Syne and drink merrily! Best wishes from Brisbane, Australia and to celebrate here are some photos I took of the Brisbane New Years fireworks spectacular – punctuated by additional celebrations as Queensland commemorates its 150th birthday this year (150 years of statehood).
The first batch of photos are from the vantage point we had this year. I think you’ll agree that it is a particularly fine position, with sweeping views of the entire city, South Bank (barely) and the Story bridge (a feature landmark).
The next two shots are of fireworks over South Bank where the majority of the city’s fireworks were visible from. Oddly, unlike in Sydney, the Story bridge (second photo above – a major landmark in Brisbane) did not feature in the fireworks show.
Lastly, a photo of the rare fireworks which were a little closer to our vantage point (opposite the city).
I’d like to “thank” the organisers of the 2008/09 New Years Eve fireworks for their stupidity in launching the majority of the city’s fireworks from South Bank. There *is* a reason that you don’t launch them all from the one, single, location: it’s called “smoke”.
Many of tonight’s fireworks were cloaked by the mass of smoke originating from the first few salvos of fireworks. From where we were located, we could only view about (at best) 50% of the entire show. The organisers didn’t use much of the city or the bridges which is a shame, because there is plenty of great sites to use.
Next year, hopefully, Brisbane will learn from the mastery of Sydney’s annual fireworks and perhaps try to do something a little better.
[Photo Technical Specs (For Camera Enthusiasts)]
Camera: Olympus E-500
Lens: (1) 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 SWD Super Telephoto Lens
ISO: 100/400
Focal Length: 64-200mm
F/Stop: f/2.8-6.3
Finally, and sincerely – my best wishes for a safe and prosperous new year in 2009. Hopefully it is a year for positive change amidst so much chaos and upheaval both internationally and nationally.
/R
[(1) http://www.olympus.com.au/component/option,com_product/id,281/task,detail/Itemid,69/ ]
