During the early months of 2005 I rented an apartment overlooking Hyde Park in central Sydney, Australia. Those months were spent enjoying everything Sydney had to offer me and also going to celebrations, festivals and concerts around the city. It seemed as though there was something always going on and I didn't want to miss a thing.
Australia Day

After breakfast it was off to join in the festivities, setting off along the road down to the harbour looking at the cars that their owners took great pride in. There were cars from all eras and though I'm no fanatic, it was hard not to appreciate their owner's joy in their history.
At the harbour I took my place to watch the Ferrython, a race between the gold and green ferries that would normally move people across the water. They race between Circular Quay and Shark Island before returning to the finish line under the famous Harbour Bridge.
In the evening, Darling Harbour was full of people each vying for the best spot to watch the fireworks show, along with a huge video screen in the middle of the water. For me the show seemed to go on for hours and I didn't want the celebrations to end.
Tropfest

I'd managed to secure a spot near the stage next to a small area which I soon realised was a VIP area, as I ended up stood next to Superman director Bryan Singer, who was one of the judges on the day. He was joined on the judges panel by Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush who unfortunately I only saw on stage.
The day was spent watching the 16 finalists, some comedic and some dramatic but all of which had to incorprate an umbrella in some way. The highlight though was when out of a small tent near where I were standing came the late Heath Ledger who went on to present an award.
The winner in 2005 was Australian Summer.
MTV Australian Video Music Awards

As I walked through the park a small group were walking towards me and on closer inspection the person at the centre was Bryan Adams. Before cameras could be whipped out from my bag he'd disappeared through a side door. However the disappointment didn't last long as I soon bumped into Daniel McPherson, Ja Rule and XZibit.
As the rain began to fall, celebrities began the walk down the red carpet with their own personal umbrella assistants. In the UK this would have been rammed with teenagers screaming out their lungs, but this was a more quiet affair as I leaned on the railings watching as Carmen Electra, Green Day, Dannii Minogue, Natalie Imbruglia and The Osbournes all casually walked past.
Have you joined in with Australia Day, experienced Tropfest in Sydney or celeb-spotted around the world?