Without a doubt one of the highlights of the Sydney Mardi Gras festivities is the sell--out party down at the harbour... the stunning backdrop of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and Sydney's skyline makes it an incredible experience as the sun sets and the city lights up.

The weather was fantastic... blue skies for the afternoon, with patchy cloud cover giving us occasional, welcome breaks from the heat of the sun. The music was fantastic - with Scott Pullen, GI Jode, Kate Monrie, Alex Taylor and Jayson Forbes dishing it out like there was no tomorrow (which, for me anyway, there wasn't!), along with live PA from Peyton who seriously rocked the party... I won't be able to listen to Higher Place again without a tingle going down my spine and a smile appearing on my face...

As if all that wasn't enough - as we danced our way through the sunset and into the night we also got to watch two of the world's most famous cruise ships passing in front of us. The QE2 and the last ever voyage of the Queen Victoria. Stunning.

This year's event was, for the first time, a production by the Mardi Gras organisation itself, and was supremely well organised. There were some lovely touches such as flower leis being put on everyone as they arrived and volunteers roaming the park looking out for anyone who might be in trouble and to make sure that the event was safe and successful - which by all accounts it most certainly was.

When I told my friends that this would be my last Sydney Mardi Gras...