Main attractions of Australia Day in Sydney

January 26th is a special day for Aussies. It’s the National Day of Australia, celebrated with much fervour and energy throughout the country. The day marks the arrival of the first fleet of convict ships at Port Jackson and the raising of the British flag at what is now Sydney Harbour, in 1788. From then on there was no stopping this great nation, rising from strength to strength. The greatness culminates every year on the Australia Day celebrations, which have always been steeped in tradition, going back many years.

So what are the main events that highlight Australia Day in Sydney? The Harbour is one of the main stages for the activities that unfold as part of Australia Day celebrations. Some of the main highlights are the Ferrython, Tall Ships race, RAAF fly through, Wugulora Indigenous Morning ceremony to name a few. The evening is finished off by the spectacular Darling Harbour Australia Day fireworks. There are many venues from where you can get good views of the events but the best views are from the decks of any of the Australia Day cruises on Sydney Harbour. These special event cruises cover most of the popular Australia Day harbour events and offer a close view to all the action.

First started in 1837, the ship races have garnered intense participation and viewership, thus prompting the organisers to make it a yearly event. The races of the ferries and tall ships are an important part of Australia Day celebrations on the harbour. In olden days, spectators stood on the decks of ships to get the best views of the races. Now there are many Australia Day cruises on the Sydney Harbour offering the same, continuing the tradition.

Australia Day is also about celebrating the multi-culturalism of the country, with the population comprising of descendants from different races. The indigenous Australians have a rich culture of their own and that is showcased in the Wugulora Indigenous Morning Ceremony. Indigenous population of Australia form a key part of the demographics of the country and are honoured every year in Australia Day celebrations.

Australia Day special barbies or BBQs are organised and is a way of celebrating the national holiday with a get-together of family and friends. Many choose to celebrate the holiday by hanging out with loved ones. By choosing a special Australia Day cruise all action on Sydney Harbour can be viewed, while enjoying the company of your near and dear on an air-conditioned boat with good food.

Darling Harbour fireworks, the final part of the ensemble, is a visual pyrotechnic extravaganza to finish off Australia Day celebrations with a bang. There are also many Australia Day dinner cruises starting from Sydney Harbour that offer good views of the fireworks and delicious gourmet meals.

Australia Day is fully packed with action from morning till evening. With a variety of events to choose from, there will be something to catch your interest. So come and experience the rich tradition and culture of Australia!

Is what you do for a living tough to explain?

Aah a kindred soul, if you have acknowledged the title with a rapturous bid of head nodding! Welcome on board mate! You must have encountered this situation many a time at a family gathering or when you’re meeting people for the first time. It sure doesn’t help if your job title has some scary words like analytics, data mining or strategist. Hearing these words on their own is puzzling enough!

What I do for a living is simple to say in terms of job titles, ‘Content Writer’. Can’t get simpler than that, can it? If the conversation were to move onto another topic, things would be fine, but it rarely does! The next question that usually follows is: ‘What does a content writer do?’ Well, in actuality, I work in the online marketing division of a dining cruise company in Sydney that operates harbour lunch and dinner cruises departing from King St Wharf. I write marketing content (a broad-spectrum adjective for anything and everything that I write) for different dining and sightseeing cruise products on board different vessels ranging from paddlewheelers to luxury catamarans to glass boats that operate on Sydney Harbour. The cruise experience includes spectacular views of Sydney Harbour – be it picturesque day views or illuminated night views. Explaining all this to give more clarity on what I do is quite the existential crisis in the making!

So having committed numerous gaffes, I’ve finally fine-tuned the art of explaining what my job entails to the people who insist on getting into the specifics. The secret here is that there is no ‘single answer for all’ solution;give an answer that suits the one asking the questions. Didn’t get me, well read on, you will get the hang of it. 

Situation 1: When your elderly aunt or grandparents ask what you do for a living.

When answering the question, you should stick to the simplest terms possible and try to explain it as short as you can. All they really want to know is if you are doing okay in life and earning enough to support yourself. So keep your reply going in that direction and you should be fine. If they are pressing for more, briefly describe the end result of your job, using more of examples that they can relate to.  

Situation 2: When a spiteful person or someone you usually ignore descends upon you.

Flex your tongues and warm yourself up as it’s time to bring out the big words and abbreviations. The intent of these questions is not your goodwill but to learn more about you and how to use that information against you. So you should go on an all-out attack with the jargon and complicated terms so your audience will most likely head shake and agree with you, as they don’t want to look bad thinking they didn’t comprehend all the gibberish you said. 

Situation 3: When you meet a possible contact that will help you progress. 

You don’t know who you are going to meet at parties or events.Sometimes you can come across great people who can open doors for you, helping you out career-wise. When talking to them and explaining what you do, don’t just stick to your day-to-day responsibilities, but go beyond them and state your long term objectives and the important projects that you are working on or the ones you’ve just completed. Don’t hog too much of their time though and always have your business card handy as well. 

So there you have it, some of the tips that I learnt through trial and error. Hope they work for you!