New Years Eve 25 Years Ago: 1997

Above: Promotional poster featured in The Sunday Telegraph on 28 December 1997.

Saturday is New Year's Eve in Sydney, and it will feel well and truly back to normal this year. Last year would rank among the quieter New Year's Eves because of the spread of the Omicron Variant of COVID-19, which meant that many decided not to risk infection by staying home. On 31 December 2021, 22 577 people across NSW tested positive for COVID-19. A reported 30 000 gathered to watch the fireworks, but the figure would likely be higher given that those with views of Sydney Harbour would have been able to watch from their home.

The previous year (2020) saw access heavily restricted under the Zero Covid policy that NSW and the Commonwealth applied at the time. Key vantage points were closed to the public to avoid mass gatherings as the Northern Beaches experienced an outbreak. Those in the Northern Beaches were subjected to stay-at-home orders. 

It will be a quarter of a century before we explore 2020 and 2021, but let's wind back the clock a quarter of a century to 1997.

The story so far...

Sydney's New Year's Eve celebrations had their origins in 1989. Back then, it was a thirty-minute fireworks show held at 9pm, which continued each year. Midnight fireworks commenced at midnight on 1 January 1994, though confined to Sydney Tower and Darling Harbour. 

The midnight display was first screened on television on the Nine Network to usher in 1997 at midnight on 1 January 1997, while the 9pm show was first broadcast on 31 December 1994, though delayed until midnight. The first live broadcast of the 9pm show was on 31 December 1996.

What was new in 1997?

 

Source: Totaro, P. 1997. "$2m spectacular to welcome 1998". The Sydney Morning Herald, 4 December: 2. 

Sydney City Council's aim was to make the celebrations bigger for each year leading up to 1999, and they did not let people down:

• The introduction of the first bridge effect - a smiley face.
• Extended entertainment program - Children's concert began at 4pm at Hyde Park and a flotilla of boats shooting fireworks every four seconds from 8:30pm.
• A fireworks barge located west of the Sydney Harbour Bridge for the first time to "double the impact" of the fireworks.
• Fireworks were to be launched from Star City Casino alongside Sydney Tower at midnight.
• While the fireworks were directed by Ric Birch, two companies provided the fireworks - Syd Howard Fireworks International & Foti's.

Above: Vantage points to view the fireworks as published on Page 4 of The Daily Telegraph on 31 December 1997.

Compared with the previous year, a similar number of fireworks were to be released - 20 000 fireworks with five tonnes of explosives.

The projected cost of the festivities was $2 million, up from $1.5 million the previous year.

The Nine Network provided live coverage of the fireworks for a second year, with 2UE providing a simulcast of the soundtrack featured in the show.

Transport Arrangements

Below are the public transport arrangements for New Year's Eve 1997 as advertised in The Sunday Telegraph on 28 December 1997. By now, Sydney was mastering the art of transporting the hordes in and out of the city.

Driving was not recommended, given large sections of the Sydney CBD and The Rocks were closed to vehicular traffic. Despite the fireworks, several lanes of the Sydney Harbour Bridge remained open.

Fireworks Wrap Up

Below is coverage of the festivities from The Daily Telegraph and The Sydney Morning Herald on 1 January 1998.

The Sydney Morning Herald

The Daily Telegraph

A final word...

I wish each person a safe and enjoyable new year, regardless of how you want to mark it. 

Christmas Snapshot: 1997

Each year, it has become a Christmas custom for me to post an entry focusing on how Sydney marked Christmas 25 years earlier.

The year of focus is 1997.

I have decided to change focus to the actual celebration of Christmas and media coverage and dispense with the retail advertisements as I have done in previous years.

Above is a list of the services available for Christmas Day and Boxing Day as published in The Daily Telegraph on 25 December 1997. 

On Christmas Day, Hotels are still allowed to trade from noon to 10pm, but only dining areas and that alcohol can only be purchased with a meal.

Generally, there has been little or no change to the services provided. However, there have been changes such as Cinemas being permitted to trade longer hours or fast food outlets electing to open, particularly McDonalds.

Below is Page 4 from The Daily Telegraph (25 December 1997), containing a summary of Christmas Messages from Prime Minister John Howard and Church Leaders, and a typical summer weather forecast for the day with 26 degrees.

The Sydney Morning Herald has maintained a tradition of not publishing on Christmas Day. Below is coverage of Christmas Day as reported in its edition of 26 December 1997.

Below are two clippings relating to how the day was marked across the city, including the homeless and disadvantaged.

 

Source: Hill, K. 1997. "Day of giving: less holy but wholehearted". The Sydney Morning Herald, December 26: 4.

There was even a feature on church services attended by prominent Sydneysiders. 

 

Source: Pitt, H. 1997. "Jockey's lean days are over". The Sydney Morning Herald, December 26: 4. 

For the followers of consumerism, retailers were happy with sales in the leadup to Christmas. Given the headline spread across the page, there is also a photo of backpackers spending the day at Bondi Beach, a feature on seafarers marking Christmas and preferred destinations for the summer break by Sydneysiders.

Source: Cummins, C. & Jamal, N. 1997. "Retailers reap best harvest in years". The Sydney Morning Herald, December 26: 4. 

Finally, I would include a newspaper clipping of Carols in the Domain which was held on 20 December 1997. Sadly, I could not locate an article on it for 1997, but I can provide the finale which was uploaded to Youtube by Daniel Celeno.

Noni Hazelhurst & John Jarratt (Better Homes & Gardens, Seven Network) returned for a second straight year to compere the evening. Have fun identifying the stars, but I will mention that a young Hugh Jackman performed on the evening. 

That is our snapshot for Christmas 1997. I wish each person a very safe and wonderful Christmas.

Property Advert of the Week: Wattle Bowl Estate, Carlingford (1968)

This is our last Property Advert of the Week for 2022. Below is an advertisement for the Wattle Bowl Estate at Carlingford with six blocks on offer for $4000.

According to the RBA Inflation Calculator, this would equate to $52 208 in today's money.

Source: Parkes Developments Pty. Ltd. 1968. "Wattle Bowl Estate" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, June 1: 35. 

1984: The Conservation of the Plaza Theatre

 

Source: Anon. 1984. "Plaza's face saved". The Sydney Morning Herald, February 2: 16.

For nearly forty years, the the McDonalds Plaza restaurant (as it is known) has been located in the former Plaza Theatre in George Street, directly opposite Event Cinemas. McDonalds bought the building from the Hoyts Theatre organisation in 1981 and spent $2 million dollars converting the former theatre into a retail and commercial office building. The restored building was officially opened by NSW Premier Neville Wran in February 1984. The McDonalds restaurant opened in December 1983 and has traded there to this day. 

The building was also home to Planet Hollywood between 1996 and 2002 when finacial difficulties bought on its closure. The blue globe remains atop the building two decades later.

Property Advert of the Week: Wimbeldon Estate, Greystanes (1966)

Below is a 1966 newspaper advertisement promoting the Wimbeldon Estate at Greystanes, though it is advertised as Merrylands. Going by the map featured in the advertisement, the estate encompasses Bromwich Street, Hopman Street (part of) and Sedgman Street. The school featured in the map is Greystanes Public School.

 

Source: C. H. Degotardi Limited. 1966. Untitled (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, March 5: 53. 

1972: The Arrival of Sydney's S Set trains

Source: Anon. 1972. $17 m New Carriages". The Daily Telegraph, July 14: 3. 

1972 saw the delivery of the first carriages of the famous S set trains that would operate for 47 years on Sydney's rail network.

The new carriages were built to boost capacity on the rail network and allow more passengers to be accomodated on each service.

509 carriages were built by Comeng and later Goninan with the last carriages entering operation in 1980. Some carriages were built with an amended design.

Source: Anon. 1973. "New Carriages for City". The Sydney Morning Herald, November 20: 3.

Initially, driver cars were built with trailer cars added in future orders.

Trains promised to "increase capacity and comfort", yet they were not air-conditioned which caused discomfort either on cold winter days or hot summer days.

Tulloch trailer cars (carriages) were also used to form either four, six or eight car sets until 2004, when they were phased out ensuring that S-set trains comrpised of S set carriages only. 

The introduction of trains that were entirely double-decker marked the beginning of the end of single deck trains on the Sydney rail network as they gradually replaced the red rattler trains. By the end of 1993, the entire Sydney rail network comprised of double-decker carriages. The opening of the Sydney Metro (independent of the main rail network) marked the return of single decker trains.

During the 1990's the carriages were renovated as part of the Citydecker program with new windows and the installation of electronic destination boards on the driver cars.

The S Set trains were phased out from service between 2012 and 2019 as the Waratah Trains were introduced across the network (Excluding the T4 line). The last line that operated the S Sets was the T7 Olympic Park line. 

Property Advert of the Week: Plaza Apartments, Rockdale (1999)

Below is a 1999 newspaper advertisement promoting Stage 3 of apartment sales at the Plaza Apartments complex at Rockdale. Plaza Apartments was a three tower development built in the late 1990's atop the Rockdale Plaza Shopping Centre. 

Apartments in this release started at $250 000 for a 2 bedroom apartment.

Source: City Freeholds. 1999. "Plaza Apartments" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, June 5: 30RE (Real Estate Liftout).

Related Entries

Property Advert of the Week: Plaza Apartments, Rockdale (1997)

Property Advert of the Week: Plaza Apartments, Rockdale (1998)