Seeing in the New Year

As 2017 came to a close and 2018 crept its way into our lives people all over the world celebrated  in different ways (and some countries are still to celebrate). We celebrated with the usual "last sunset for the year" photo

followed by a BBQ dinner with friends. 

After dinner the kids had fun with sparklers creating the 2018 symbol before running a muck in the back yard.

For the first time in many years the club across the road from our friends house had fireworks at 9.pm and again at midnight. I must admit the 9pm fireworks were much better than the midnight ones.

While we were celebrating with friends on the ground here in Pittsworth, passengers where circling over Antarctica at 4000 feet on the annual Antarctica flight which departs Melbourne on New Year's Eve. The 13 hour flight, operated by Qantas using a 747-438, departed Melbourne at 6.15pm local time, flew down over Hobart and continued on to Antarctica. There it descended to 4,000 feet and did circuits for the next few hours. It then made its way back to Melbourne dropping back its excited but probably tired passengers an hour ahead of schedule at 6.30am. 

A friend of mine was in Melbourne and sent me through a few photos of the actual aircraft departing Melbourne. Thank you James S for the photos and for the letting me use them on this post.

In closing my thoughts go out to the families and friends that lost loved ones yesterday in the Sydney Sea plane accident, and of course the staff of Sydney Sea Planes. Their New Years Eve will never be the same again.