Sydney NYE fireworks: remote vantage points [updated 2026]

Sydney has to be the most popular New Year destination in the world. First of all, it's warm - you can hang out on the beach, play tennis and then immediately get pissed at local pub. And this is in January when most of the world are freezing their bums off. This fact alone attracts a lot of tourists from around the globe, especially Northern Hemisphere.

And second of all, it's FIREWORKS TIME!!!

The iconic Sydney New Year's Eve show takes place in Sydney CBD (mostly at Harbour Bridge as a main focal point) precisely at midnight of January 1st every year. Fireworks coupled with light show create a stunning spectacle above Darling Harbour. Add to that an extremely loud shouting of drunken excited crowd, and it will force you to say goodbye to an old year and embrace the beginning of what feels like a new era. Depending on your mental state, it might even feel like a new chapter of your life is about to start. Even if you're hesitant about what's coming, you won't be able to resist this feeling in a moment. And this is what draws large numbers of people from across the world to attend this rithual of an event every year. This is what we had in 2026, for instance:

In total, an estimated 1 million people were at various sites around the harbour for the 12-minute display.

Everyone who lives in Sydney or ever attempted to see fireworks from a close-to-harbour location knows what kind of challenge it presents. The whole CBD gets extremely overcrowded making it borderline impossible to secure a semi-decent spot unless you arrive early morning at 31st of December:

“It’s really like the Hunger Games,” said one person among the early crowds that had prepared with snacks, drinks and entertainment to pass the time.

The prize <...> was “the best view in the world”.

Same article states that some people arrive to their vantage points 2 days in advance - all to watch a 12-minute show! A spectacular show? Yes. But it's only bloody 12 minutes! And you're waiting for 24+ hours! How do they sleep, eat, and most importanly, go to the toilet? I don't wanna know.

This kind of experience is certainly not for everybody. I consider myself a very stubborn and persistent person, but even for me it's too much determination. Nobody from my circle in their right mind would willingly endure these monstrous gatherings of people just to see several minutes of fireworks from a close point.

So what do you suggest? - a reader might ask, - stay home and watch it on TV? Or just forget about it and go to bed like normal people? How do we then experience a magic moment of truth described earlier? Where do we find these emotions to kickstart a new year? Between you and me, the TV option is not so bad, especially if you have enough drinks a nice group of people to hang out with and set the mood. Just make sure you're watching a real firework stream, not an AI-generated crap like what happened to my friend recently:

Didn't take them long to realise what just happened:

Whoever streamed those AI-crafted fireworks must be pissing himself laughing about how he managed to fool so many people. But then I thought to myself: if the AI-generated crap stream does the job for so many around the planet, bringing them a bit of fun, then maybe it's not such a bad thing? If this resonates with you, then discard this article and go live your life.

However, if you're a stubborn donkey romantic soul like me who wants an authentic experience of seeing the NYE show with your very eyes, but unwilling to go through the hussle of getting in and out of crowded areas within CBD, then this page if is for you. We'll explore interesting remote vantage points across Northern Sydney, Lower North Shore, Inner West and even look into relatively relaxed spots within 5-km-radius of Sydney CBD that boast a great view of fireworks, while providing an easy access even if you rock up at 23:55.

I'll tell you about great places that I visited myself on NYE, but will also touch on several interesting spots that I found online or heard of from someone else.

Northern Sydney

First of all let's not confuse North Sydney with Northern Sydney. First one is a suburb, while latter one is a bigger area that embraces multiple districts located north from Harbour Bridge. And this is where we're going to start our quest of finding a good remote angle for NYE fireworks.

North Sydney / Kirribilli / Neutral Bay

Looking at the map, first option that comes to mind is North Sydney. No wonder: that's as close as it gets to Harbour Bridge apart from Sydney CBD. Problem is that waterfront spots in that area that provide a great view of the bridge (particularly, Milson's Point), get so crowded that at some stage police won't let anyone in there. Which takes us back to the very same thing we're trying to avoid: large numbers of people cramped into a tight space.

However, if you wander around the streets of the said suburb, you might find multiple smaller spots that provide a somewhat decent view of the bridge, like this one for instance:

I know it looks pretty packed, but that's because everyone pushed forward as the countdown began. It actually looks more like this:

The view of fireworks is somewhat obstructed by a building on the right, but if you are a parkour enthusiast who can climb on the roof arrive a bit earlier you can secure a pretty good spot at the front which will let you see the whole bridge (and maybe even an Opera House). I arrived well after 23:00 and managed to get a somewhat decent view:

A very cozy spot for what it is. Makes a perfect choice if you'd like to avoid large crowds and spend quality time in the area which has plenty of pubs within walking distance - both quiet ones and loud ones depending on your preference.

The area has multiple parks in case you drank too much wanna sit down and stare at the waterfront view. Speaking of which, many years ago I had a great NYE at Anderson Park in Neutral Bay, just next door from North Sydney:

This park unfortunately does not provide a good view of fireworks, so we had to embark on a short walk up the hill - towards neighboring streets where a glimpse of NYE show can be cought:

If you're catching train when the show is over - Milson's Point train station is just around the corner. It did get pretty crowded which made me think I'll get stuck there forever. Surprisingly, it only took about 5 minutes to get to the platform and hop on a train. All thanks to a well-organised evacuation plan crowd control. However, if you want to escape the swarm at Milson's Point - take a 15-minute walk to North Sydney station. Not nearly as busy.

Pennant Hills

If you live in western part of Sydney and often drive up north along the coast without getting ripped off going through toll roads, then you probably went through Pennant Hills on multiple occasions. And if you haven't - don't get upset and take a look at the map:

This place seems so distant from the city that I don't understand why you would even consider it. Dumbass!

- a polite reader might add. There is, however, a secret spot right at the very heart of Pennant Hills Park that not many people know about:

If you look carefully, you might spot a large chunk of Harbour Bridge on the left, as well as several buildings around Darling Harbour that are used as secondary focal points for the fireworks. One must note that this picture is slightly zoomed in while the actual view looks more like this:

Still, seems like a good deal. Maybe bring your binoculars in a quantity of 10 or more pieces, so you can sell it on the spot to whoever shows up for NYE (which will mostly be locals because who wants to watch fireworks from 20 km away if they travelled from Europe or China just to see the goddamn thing?) And if you sell enough of them, you might be able to buy granny flat at the back of Pennant Hills by the end of 2040, isn't it great?

Having said that, I didn't have pleasure to use this magnificent spot as a vantage point, but the view looks very promising and is definitely on my list.

Lower North Shore / Inner West

Parramatta River, being Sydney's major artery when it comes to waterways, has multiple scenic viewpoints along its banks. But what about fireworks? Unsurprisingly, many of those spots boast a good view of Sydney city skyline and even Harbour Bridge which is exactly what wer're looking for.

Hunter's Hill

Hunter's Hill situated on a small peninsula that separates the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers.

This peninsula extends far enough into Port Jackson's waters to provide a relatively unobstructed view of Darling Harbour. The most obvious vantage point in this area would be the easternmost part of peninsula called Woolwich. What do we have here?

As a firework-remote-vantage-point-detective, I can assert that the Woolwich side of peninsula contains multiple potential candidates and is a very interesting piece of evidence. For instance, Clarke's Point Reserve seems to be the among the busiest spots in the area:

We have other valid pieces of evidence just around the corner: Kelly's Bush and a ferry wharf, both providing a beautiful city view.

Moving west from Woolwich:

Gladesville Bridge is another great spot according to locals:

Unfortunately I can't tell how crowded these places get on NYE because I never went there. Meanwhile, Hunter's Hill Council uploaded an interesting photo on December 29th:

So the horror movie scenes described at the beginning of this article not only happen in the city, but also in suburbs of Inner West and Lower North Shore. Turns out people are willing to camp as far west as Hunter's Hill just to able to see the fireworks from a relatively non-impressive angle (compared to the CBD). Of course, it's reasonable to assume that this area won't be nearly as packed as the city, but who knows? One way to find out is to head there on NYE and have a look, which one day I will certainly do and, of course, report back.

If you do pick this area as your vantage point, more useful information can be found on coucil's website: parking restrictions, where to watch, how to get there and how to behave yourself to avoid being kicked out. However, if that seems too much to handle - let's look at some nearby, quiter and more remote spots.

Drummoyne

What's the fastest way to get to Inner West from Lower North Shore area? The answer is our old friend - Gladesville Bridge. South-east from the bridge lies a lovely suburb of Drummoyne which has a wide selection of little parks and reserves along the shore of Fern Bay. All of which are facing Sydney CBD and Darling Harbour, providing somewhat obstructed, but nevertheless magnificent city views:

Longueville / Lane Cove

Hunter's Hill feels too crowded? A more quiet Longueville next door is not a bad option either:

There are several places in Lane Cove, Longueville and Greenwich to see the fireworks. Any side street off Kenneth Street in Longueville facing the harbour is ideal.

And some good news if you're an introvert:

Many families go to the 9 pm fireworks and then go home.

Now let's take a virtual walk through Kenneth Street:

Looks pretty decent if you ask me. Useful advice from an article above which can be used as a general rule for any semi-popular spot on NYE:

<...> parking in Lane Cove and walking to Longueville is highly recommended.  If you drive into Longueville, you will spend at least an hour after the fireworks trying to leave Longueville.

Which is exactly what we're trying to avoid. Do follow this advice, dear reader! And speaking of Lane Cove, there's a local website called In The Cove which is both a cozy blog and an informative newsletter. Even despite some naughty-boy tricks which they use to confuse an online detective like me slightly bloat the amount of content with minimum effort:

Greenwich

One of the most popular firework-gazing spots in Lower North Shore area is Mann's Point in Greenwich:

Obviously, with a view like this it will get pretty busy. Probably much busier that Longueville. And don't even dare driving there:

You will need to be at Manns Point before the RMS road closures are in effect.

Linley Point

Linley Point is a small peninsular suburb <...> situated between the peninsula of Hunters Hill and Woolwich to the south, and Lane Cove to the north.

As we established in this article, being a peninsular suburb of Lower North Shore often equates to being a good spot for NYE fireworks. Linley Point, situated in an immediate vicinity of Longueville and Hunter's Hill, is not an exception:

The shot looks amazing, but I have to come clear: according to a video linked in the same article, this looks like aliexpress version 9 pm fireworks, not the midnight ones.

Hold on, - a reader might say, - are you telling me I outsmarted everybody by running away from the crowded city streets towards North Shore, feeling so good about myself, just to see the cheaper version of same thing? What will I say to my mates?! Unacceptable! Unable to find any pics of the mainstage fireworks made from this angle, I managed to google some pretty delightful pics of the same place in broad daylight:

That looks very promising. If you're trying to avoid much busier spots in the area (like Mann's Point or Clarke's Point or [insert_random_word] Point), this is definitely worth a shot.

Inner South

There aren't many good view points in this area that I'm familiar with. But the one I know is pretty darn good, I promise you.

Alexandria

Alexandria is a decent suburb located within walking distance from Sydney CBD. Despite its close proximity to infamous Suicide Towers in Redfern and alcohol-soaked streets of Newtown, it's relatively friendly and wealthy (source: lived there for several years). In contrast to Northern Sydney suburbs, it's mostly flat terrain without drastic uphills or downhills as you walk/drive from one part of suburb to another - normal Inner South Sydney landscape.

That changes if we turn our heads towards one of the most famous parks of Sydney:

This spot boasts a great view of the city, and despite not having a good angle of Harbour Bridge, it provides a great vantage point for NYE fireworks:

I wanted to use my own shots of fireworks made on the spot, but they are pretty low-quality because I was tipsy and couldn't hold a camera properly my camera is bad at night shots. How crowded? Roughly 5/10: fireworks began as we were walking into a park, and we still managed to get a very decent spot high up on the hill without having to jam our way through.

If you want to see the show as close as possible without going to the city - this is one of your best options.

Epilogue

There are many-many more potentially great remote spots suitable to watch those magical 12 minutes of NYE fireworks. Some are better, some are worse. Some are crowded, some are quiet. Others lie in the middle of the bush while somehow offering a great view of Harbour Bridge. With this little article I've only scratched the surface of what Sydney has to offer in terms of quieter spots for the main show of the year. A huge and beautiful city like that has millions of secrets to uncover, which unfortunately won't fit on a single page of my shitty blog.

So that's enough for today. If any places mentioned in this article seem interesting or even fascinating, don't hesitate to visit and explore them even on a normal day. Except for spending quality time outdoors, it will also give you more information on how to use them as vantage points on NYE if that's your ultimate goal. If it sounds like too much work, you might as well stick to true and trusted options, just beware of crowds. In any case, you can always kick back at home while watching AI-generated crap fireworks on youtube - not the worst option if you ask me.

Feature image source: noentropy.