Canberra SkyFire21 2009

I had such a lovely time tonight at the Canberra SkyFire! SkyFire is an annual event organised by FM 104.7, a massive show of fireworks even bigger than the one at New Years Eve and it’s held at the centre basin of Lake Burley Griffin. It’s a great picturesque setting for the event. Imagine the serene shores of a manmade lake surrounded by green slopes and national monuments on each side.

What's a description without photos to add to the imagination? I took some pictures before the sun set.

Old Parliament House with the current Parliament House in the background

Federation Place with its slopes filling up with party goers

Another side of Lake Burley Griffin with Australian War Memorial in the background. See the little people dotting the shoreline?

There was a short aerial show while we waited for the sun to go down and the show to begin.

Parachutists displaying their aerial skills with colored gas tanks

Helicopter ala 'Air Wolf'

We got to our chosen location at 5.30pm and we could see that all sides of the lake were jam packed with people bar our side. Hallelujah! I was told people had started arriving to secure a good vantage point as early as 12 noon and the show was only to start at 8.30pm! We quickly secured a good spot and plonked our picnic ware on a tarp on the ground. Alex and I recently invested in some outdoor foldable seats for occasions like these and they sure were comfy.

Our blue tarp with a flowery centre mat

Our comfy green seats - comes with a cup holder.. and only for AUD 8 each!!

We were about to sit down when two lovely ladies in red outfits came up to us and offered to take a photo of us for free. They were sponsored by good ol' McDonalds and with the free photo came a voucher for buy one get one free breakfast at McD. Freebies always make my day!

Two red ladies armed with SLR

Our complimentary shot

I took the shot below after the sun set. Federation Place has a lake side front with some world flags lining the walk. The night breeze was blowing nicely, making the flags look rather majestic against the dark skies. And of course, the seeing the Malaysian flag flying high sealed the shot.

The first of the fireworks

Second shot

The show this year was fantastic. I recorded the whole event to share it with you guys. Do click pause after clicking on the link to allow for the entire clip to load before you watch the video. Do look for the short appearance of boxes and hearts midway through the show. I thought that was such a surprise. And I love the finale best. Enjoy!

cheryl