Just when you thought Sydney had hit peak Sydney, it does the most Sydney thing possible and out-Sydneys itself in a fresh blaze of glory.
The Bondi Lines Instagram page, which has 110,000 followers, has rented a helicopter for Anzac Day to broadcast just how long you’re likely to wait to get into venues across the Eastern Suburbs and beyond.
By midmorning, dozens of clips emerged showing thousands of punters waiting in line to snag some precious standing room at various packed pubs and clubs on the sunny public holiday.
Those of us thinking we drew the short straw working today can extract a bit of solace knowing we aren’t twiddling thumbs in a line for hours waiting to buy a $70 round of pints.
Bondi Lines posted a clip of Marrickville’s Vic On The Park inundated with people, saying it was “cooked already” by 11am.
Shots from the sky showed the Clovelly Hotel with “not an inch empty” around 1pm. An earlier clip showed a line of eagerly awaiting punters stacked down the road towards the beach even before its 9am opening time.
Similar shots of the Harbord Hotel in Freshwater showed lines wrapping around the street while the venue was already packed to the brim.
Both the Dicks and Sackville Hotels in Balmain were also reported to be at capacity by midday.
Some pubs including the Royal Paddington had estimated queue times of more than 90 minutes, but people were still waiting patiently for their chance.
A Bondi Lines spokesman said popular venues in the city’s CBD typically hit capacity from about 11am, so its wise to check their site for updates on where there is still room.
The helicopter departed from Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport at 11:30am and will circle Sydney’s skies in the east, city and inner-west suburbs throughout the morning and early afternoon.
They are also hosting a 2-Up boat party on the Harbour from 1pm – 5pm.
Bondi Lines co-founder Callum Weatherall said last year they had over 1 million people turn to them for up to date information on the day.
“We thought we’d take it a step further by chartering the chopper for our Sydney audience on our most in-demand day of the year,” he said.