Australia rings in New Year with heat
Published: Dec. 31, 2007 at 2:13 PM
SYDNEY, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Hundreds of thousands of Australians braved the sweltering heat to attend New Year's festivities around the country.
The cities of Adelaide and Melbourne experienced near-record temperatures of 104 degrees but the heat didn't deter residents from leaving their homes to mark the New Year with fireworks and parties, The Australian reported.
Meanwhile, more than 1 million people came out to see the annual fireworks in Sydney, the Sydney Daily Telegraph reported. The city's Harbour Bridge was decorated to resemble a giant neon hourglass to match the evening's theme: "Time of Our Lives."
Wayne Harrison, creative director for the city, said both the 9 p.m. and midnight fireworks displays were shorter than usual.
"You get the same amount of fireworks but you get them in a slightly shorter amount of time," Harrison told the Daily Telegraph. "They're more layered and you get more opportunity to do what we like to do, which is sensory overload."
"Time is the whole theme and the hourglass is the oldest timepiece known to humankind but it's also the most contemporary because you see it on the computer every day and even on mobile phones," he said.
The cities of Adelaide and Melbourne experienced near-record temperatures of 104 degrees but the heat didn't deter residents from leaving their homes to mark the New Year with fireworks and parties, The Australian reported.
Meanwhile, more than 1 million people came out to see the annual fireworks in Sydney, the Sydney Daily Telegraph reported. The city's Harbour Bridge was decorated to resemble a giant neon hourglass to match the evening's theme: "Time of Our Lives."
Wayne Harrison, creative director for the city, said both the 9 p.m. and midnight fireworks displays were shorter than usual.
"You get the same amount of fireworks but you get them in a slightly shorter amount of time," Harrison told the Daily Telegraph. "They're more layered and you get more opportunity to do what we like to do, which is sensory overload."
"Time is the whole theme and the hourglass is the oldest timepiece known to humankind but it's also the most contemporary because you see it on the computer every day and even on mobile phones," he said.
© 2007 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
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