Fly-Bys and Fireworks

Every year in September Brisbane city grinds to a halt for a few hours so that its citizens can enjoy the spectacle of low-flying aircraft and a half hour fireworks display impressive enough to rival any respectable New Year’s Eve celebration.

Last night was no different. There is little point in fighting for parking on this night of nights – public transport is the way to go. Some people make their way in early enough to claim a spot at South Bank or Kangaroo Point, spreading picnic blankets and setting up deck chairs and making a day of it.

Preferring a late start, we jostled the crowds at the Victoria Bridge for a view across the river to South Bank, right in front of the Casino. We may not have been able to see around the bend to Story Bridge, but the fireworks burst forth from not only barges on the river but the very buildings around us. Oooh, sparkles!

Fireworks are great. Even my on-the-fly photos look good, shot as they were with an archaic smartphone (in the world of smartphones, I reckon 4 years qualifies as archaic, don’t you?)

But the really cool stuff came before the fireworks.

First to appear was the big ol’ transport plane – a C-17 Globemaster, for those who like to know the details. It kind of ambled along the river, giving everyone plenty of time to focus their cameras before droning overhead, which was when you realized that ‘amble’ is probably not the right word for it.

That was the opening act.

The real excitement came next with an F-18 Super Hornet jet plane. We heard it first, spotted it, lost it behind the buildings in the river bend and then Whoa! It roared past and waggled its wings before turning around for another pass … and another … and another! So we got to take our photos and enjoy watching it not through a camera lens. It is hard to describe the bone-rattling, awe-inspiring rush of a fighter jet swooping the city centre for all the right reasons.

The helicopters that followed were a far more stately bunch, flying in formation and then each taking up a position along the river to give everyone a good view, although I’m pretty sure I saw some canon-waving, even from where I stood. The brightly-lit Wheel of Brisbane and cultural centre made a great backdrop as darkness fell.

And after the skies cleared and we had a half-hour breather, the jet reappeared with a deafening roar, tearing up into the night as the first of the fireworks erupted.

The kids loved it. Who am I kidding? We all did! Jets, fly-bys and fireworks – what’s not to love?

Well done Brisbane. We can’t wait ’til next year.