Fed: Australians prepare to celbrate New year's Eve

AAP General News (Australia)
12-31-2009
Fed: Australians prepare to celbrate New year's Eve

SYDNEY, Dec 31 AAP - Australia's New Year's Eve revellers will be out in force with
few deterred by scorching weather or persistent rain.

While rain is forecast in Queensland's southeast, organisers of Brisbane's fireworks
say it would take a cyclone to stop their display.

After Melbourne experienced a scorcher of a day, showers and possible storms are forecast
for the evening, but Acting Premier Rob Hulls said he expected the $264,000 fireworks
will go ahead.

While drizzle and grey clouds were hovering over Sydney on Thursday, weather forecasters
expect the evening will be mostly fine.

NSW premier Kristina Keneally says footage of the city's celebrations will be picked
up by 90 per cent of the world's broadcasters and watched by a potential global audience
of up to 1 billion people.

Packages of the celebrations, the centre-piece of which is a 12 minute fireworks display
at midnight, are being made available across the globe in 30 second, 60 second and five
minute packages.

The midnight fireworks display will also be beamed live to 47 Asian countries.

Thousands of the 1.5 million people expected to witness the celebrations first-hand
have been staking their claim to some of the best vantage points throughout the day.

Others camped out overnight to ensure good viewpoints.

Revellers are being encouraged to wear blue, in keeping with the celebration's title;
Awaken the Spirit, placing an emphasis on the "soul and renewal".

Many of the fireworks will be blue - despite it being one of the hardest colours to
recreate in pyrotechnics.

White will be the colour of choice in Melbourne for those attending Etihad Stadium
which is hosting Australia's largest New Year's Eve party for at least 30,000 people.

They are all due to be dressed in white and with an ocean-themed dance floor of jellyfish
and mermaids.

Despite warnings earlier this week that the fireworks centred on the Yarra River banks
would be cancelled if there was lightning, Mr Hulls expected them to go ahead.

Showers are forecast for the southeast Queensland but organisers of Brisbane's fireworks
say it would take a cyclone to stop their display.

South Bank Corporation spokeswoman Susie Johnson said laser lights would be incorporated
into the shows for the first time and would be beamed from CBD office buildings.

"It will be an absolute first," Ms Johnson told AAP.

Crews have been working for six months on the shows, which start at 8.30pm and midnight (AEST).

On the Gold Coast, fireworks displays will be held at Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise
in four shows worth $100,000.

AAP mss/mo

KEYWORD: EVE NATIONAL WRAP

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