Best vantage points for
New Year's Eve fireworks
Hotels with rooms ideal for viewing the fireworks
There are vantage points for watching the fireworks the whole of the way around the harbour.
Locals know the good spots and they sneak away to small coves and hideaways in the Sydney Harbour National Park or on the higher points of Vaucluse and Watsons Bay.
For visitors to the city, the Opera House promenade and the area near the Botanic Gardens are the most popular vantage points, but to claim a spot you have to arrive early in the day and be prepared to squat for hours.
Below are the main points around Sydney Harbour and surrounds from which locals view the spectacular New Year's Eve fireworks displays. These locations have varying accessibility: some are free while others charge a fee. To get to most locations it is advisable to use public transport as free parking is hard to come by on the evening.
| Vantage Point | Vantage Point |
|---|---|
| Balls Head Reserve, Waverton | Blues Point Reserve, McMahons Point |
| Bradley's Head | Bradfield Park, Milsons Point |
| Christison Park, Vaucluse | Clarke's Point, Hunters Hill |
| Clark Island | Cremorne Point Reserve, Cremorne Pt |
| Darling Harbour | Dawes Point Park |
| East Circular Quay | Embarkation Park |
| Fort Denison | Goat Island |
| Illoura Reserve (Peacock Point, Balmain) | Kurraba Point Reserve (Neutral Bay) |
| Manns Point, Greenwich | Middle Head |
| Mrs Macquaries Point | Nielsen Park, Vaucluse |
| North Head | Point Piper |
| Pyrmont Point Park | Pyrmont Bay Park |
| The Rocks | Royal Botanic Gardens |
| Shark Island | Simmons Point (Balmain) |
| Sydney Opera House | Tarpeian Precinct (Macquarie Street Lawns) |
| Yurulbin Park, Birchgrove |
Food and beverage can range from BYO to limited purchase of alcohol on site. Alcohol can be consumed and/or purchased at most locations, but not all. Glass is banned at most locations. Check local council restrictions prior to attending.
If you are planning to book a hotel room from which you can watch the harbour fireworks, these hotels all have rooms with harbour views. These hotel rooms are highly sought after and may book out earlier in the year, so if you are intent on seeing the fireworks in this way you should book as early as possible.
Sydney Harbour fireworks January 1, 2005. Picture: Kavasir/Wikimedia Commons
The harbour is bathed in pink and blue in this scene.