Australia Day… We headed for Sydney’s Darling Harbour, arriving after seven to find it already thronged with revellers.

It was very much a family occasion with children skipping excitedly along the pavements, waving flashing, twirly gizmos.

We were booked into Crinitis, an Italian restaurant overlooking the harbour.

There were eight of us and we opted for the fixed menu meal for seven.

Through the windows we could see a monster screen towering above the harbour and showing the ceremonials.

On the back wall there was a screening of Federer and Nadal battling to get into the Australian Open Tennis final.

We made the mistake of allowing the waitress to take away all our menus and none of us had closely studied what we had ordered.

Had we done so, we might have paced ourselves on the opening course of breads.

Helpings at Crinitis are generous.

The breads were followed by two dishes piled high with pastas and one with risotto.

The gusto with which we’d started now was just “Oh!”

When we’d eaten as much of the pasta as we could, our plates were replaced with fresh ones, accompanied by bowls of salad. Ominously, there were also three cylindrical racks ranged across the table.

It turned out that they were supports for a pizza which could have been used as a body board.

The portions we took barely made a dent in this monster.

It took three boxes to hold the remains for us to take home.

While we enjoyed the food, no matter how huge the portions, the “music” was another matter.

I don’t know if there was a melody track being piped off to some other sound system, but all we got was thumping bass – “boom, boom, boom” – blending none too well with what was coming from the speakers outside.

Conversations were brief, shouted exchanges along the lines of “Look! Fireworks!”… “I’m going out to the balcony!”… “Okay!”

The fireworks were indeed spectacular, rising to ever-mounting climaxes of exploding rocketry. In between, lasers drew a sinuous symphony of light patterns on the waters of the harbour to the accompaniment of portentously droning music.

Just when you thought it was all dying down – blam! – the fireworks blasted off again.

Eventually it did all come to an end in a welter of explosions it would have been ridiculous to attempt to top.

At home, the BBC occasionally gives us a tantalising glimpse of Sydney’s fireworks displays.

It was thrilling to be there in person and experience it.