‘1st Responder Expo’ To Replace ‘Great Aussie BBQ’ In ‘Harbourfest’

A 1st Responder Expo is to replace the Great Aussie Barbeque (BBQ) as part of Australia Day In Sydney‘s Harbourfest.

After a lengthy absence, the return of The Great Aussie BBQ saw the multicultural diversity of Sydney come together at a sausage sizzle that let you taste test their interpretation of a sausage sanga (sandwich for international readers) among the others as well as the classical version (plus with onions).

Lambda Sydney presented a Greek gyros-style version while Mr & Mrs Pho crafted an authentic Vietnamese version & the team from Turbans 4 Australia offered a Tandoori-inspired vegan version. The snags (sausages) were provided by Our Cow & each purchase resulted in a 100% donation to Rural Aid that helped NSW’s farmers. It was held from 10am Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) whilst stocks lasted.

In the end, its return only lasted for that 1 edition last year. It is being replaced this year by a 1st Responders Expo to be held at Hickson Road Reserve, the location of last year’s Great Aussie BBQ, underneath the south-eastern pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The timing is a bit different to its predecessor with the Expo beginning at 12pm AEDT & lasting 4 hours.

The event name, timing & location are the only confirmed details of the Expo based on an Accessibility & Inclusion Sensory Map but a few other details can be gathered based on earlier Australia Day In Sydney announcements.

At approximately 11:38am AEDT, the 4 ferries participating in Harbourfest‘s Ferrython will do a pre-race lap of Circular Quay. The 4 ferries are the May Gibbs, Catherine Hamlin, Bungaree & Pemulwuy, each decorated themed to its name.

Onboard the ferries will be representatives of 4 emergency agencies, with 1 emergency agency per ferry to give the race more competition. The emergency agencies are:

• New South Wales (NSW) Police (Pemulwuy)
• Fire and Rescue NSW (Bungaree),
• Ambulance NSW (Catherine Hamlin) &
• the NSW State Emergency Service (May Gibbs).

It is likely these 4 emergency agencies will be represented at the Expo, the location of which is right beside the start line of the Ferrython: the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The actual race begins at 12:09pm AEDT, with the ferries heading out to Fort Denison in an anticlockwise direction before returning. They then repeat this path except instead of finishing at the Sydney Harbour Bridge, they will finish in-between 2 tugboats, the Engage Renegade & Engage Rascal, off the Sydney Opera House.

The Ferrython should conclude at around 12:22pm. The winning ferry will then do a lap of honour around Circular Quay, which should finish at approximately 12:29pm.

Other Harbourfest Entertainment

The Ferrython & 1st Responders Expo are a part of Harbourfest, which actually begins at 10:30am AEDT with the Mega Kidz Zone in the Arrivals Hall of the Overseas Passenger Terminal. Held in 45-minute sessions, the last session is held at 3pm. This is mainly an arcade with wheelchair basketball & a silent disco.

The main entertainment, the Salute, begins at 11:40am & concludes at 1:30pm. It begins with a smoking ceremony onboard the Wirwai. This vessel will enter Circular Quay at around 11:48am. At 11:56am, the Australian Army will then fire a 21-gun salute from Bradfield Park. At 12pm, the National Anthem will ring out in English & Eora across Circular Quay as jet-skiiers, each in alternate, holding the Australian National & Aboriginal Flags, circle it. The Anthem will conclude with the Royal Australian Air Force Roulettes doing a 13-minute display overhead. The Salute then concludes with a Royal Australian Navy Seahawk helicopter flying a giant Australian National Flag underneath from the Northern Beaches at 12:30pm, up Sydney Harbour to west of the Sydney Opera House at 1:30pm.

Other Harbourfest entertainment includes:

• Maritime Mayhem (12:05pm-12:25pm), a tugboat/jet-ski/flyboard show in Circular Quay.
• the Parade (12:39pm-2pm), a decorated boat parade from Kirribilli, around past the eastern edge of Goat Island then the Opera House & Mrs Macquarie’s Point before finishing at Athol Bay.
• the Tall Ships Race (1pm from Bradley’s Head to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, finishing at around 1:30pm) featuring the James Craig & Soren Larsen.
• the Working Vessel Display from 2pm at Campbell’s Cove & the Overseas Passenger Terminal featuring cleaning vessels, the Soren Larsen & the 2 tugboats that acted as the Ferrython finish line.

Australia Day In Sydney‘s Harbourfest is held on the 26th of January between 10:30am & 4pm AEDT. The 1st Responders Expo is held between 12pm & 4pm while the Ferrython is held from 12:09pm, finishing at around 12:22pm.