Qld aviators fulfill childhood dreams of flying in dazzling Riverfire event on banks of Brisbane river

As thousands lined the banks of the Brisbane River for the spectacular Riverfire event, this year’s Super Hornet flypast was marked by a touching detail.

Hundreds of thousands of people lined the banks of the Brisbane River for this year’s spectacular Riverfire event, which culminated in an exhilarating fireworks display that lit up the River City skyline.

The annual event marks the start of the Brisbane Festival, one of the country’s leading arts and culture festivals supporting the work of thousands of artists.

Photos: Brisbane Riverfire 2024

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Riverfire’s spectacular fireworks display marked the official opening of the festival, encompassing more than a dozen locations along the river.

Attendees at the newly-opened $3.8 billion Queen’s Wharf Complex and The Star Grand got a front row seat to the dazzling display in the night.

The fireworks even spilled from the bridge into the river. Picture: NewsWire/ Richard Gosling

As they have each year, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) also took part, with C17 and ARH Tiger Helicopters and a F/A-18F Super Hornet practice runs taking place over Brisbane.

In a touching detail, two southeast Queensland-based aviators - Flight Lieutenant Nick, who is originally from Brisbane, and Flight Lieutenant Slade from the Gold Coast - fulfilled their childhood dreams of flying the Hornet in the iconic Brisbane event.

Aviators from 1 Squadron, Flight Lieutenants Nick and Slade, conducted the flypast in the F/A-18F Super Hornet for Riverfire. Picture: Supplied / Corporal Brett Sherriff

“Having grown up in South East Queensland, both Slade and I watched lots of Riverfire events over the years,” Flight Lieutenant Nick said.

“As kids, we watched the famous F-111 dump and burn which would light up the Brisbane CBD.

“As we became high school students we transitioned to watching the F/A-18F Super Hornets perform the sunset display and hoped one day we would be the ones lighting the afterburners through the Brisbane CBD.”

The ADF has a long history of taking part in Riverfire. Pictured is the F/A-18F Super Hornet flown by Flight Lieutenants Nick and Slade. Picture: NewsWire/ Richard Gosling

The Riverfire crowd of more than 450,000 endured soaring temperatures, with Brisbane reaching 32.9C.

Saturday was Queensland’s hottest August day in history, with the outback town of Camooweal reaching 38.4C, cooler temperatures are on the way.

While Riverfire itself appeared to be a huge success, there were complaints about getting home after, when the train network saw delays up to 30 minutes.

Thousands of people lined the restaurants, bars and lookouts along the riverbank including at Howard Smith Wharves. Picture: NewsWire/ Richard Gosling



Samantha and Lee Wheeler at Riverfire. Picture: NewsWire/ Richard Gosling

Originally published as Qld aviators fulfill childhood dreams of flying in dazzling Riverfire event on banks of Brisbane river