The air-to-air seaplane footage was complimented with images from lipstick cameras inside the leading plane. Robyn Moore provided live coverage of the shoot via top rating radio station HOFM in Hobart. This coverage started 05.25am, 2 minutes ahead from the sunlight seen atop Mt Wellington.To compliment the video production, a giant poster was printed featuring a stunning centre image of the millennium sunrise surrounded by 28 time-printed photographs. The images represent all major towns and cities photographed during a six-hour flight around Tasmania. The poster was designed to include the majority of Tasmania's populated areas. Including the video, and on 8 January 2000, the production was available in all newsagents across Tasmania.
The 60min video version opens with an aerial shoot of the last sunset of 1999 filmed over the far NW coast of Tasmania. The production continues with 100 years of Tasmanian history and concludes with footage of the Millennium sunrise taken near Tasman Island with a 360-degree tour of Tasmania filmed that day. Written and performed by Dianne Hammond, a specially written song titled ‘Stand Up Stand Up Tasmania’ supports the sunrise footage.
Millennium Dawn – world exclusive footage of the Australian millennium sunrise
Newspapers and TV stations around the globe spent millions of dollars securing a location from where to record the first sunrays of the new millennium. In Australia, and at 5.27am from Mt Wellington in Hobart, the millennium sunrise was to be relayed to 43 TV Networks across the world.
Although Australia had spent $12 Billion in Y2K preparation, it was clear no flights would depart for or from Hobart before 5.30am, January 1 2000. Considering Y2K issues, the Christmas break, New Year celebrations and distribution of logistics, the film project, conceived over a cup of coffee on 8 December 1999, was originally coined ‘Mission Impossible’. On the other hand, many people believed for the project to be so outrageous that it could possibly work. It was assumed for helicopters, normally used for aerial footage, would remain on the tarmac. Radio personality and voice of Australia, Robyn Moore and Miss Australia, Tasmanian Kathryn Hay, represented Australia as passengers in the leading aircraft. The camera crew and photographer in the trailing craft captured the sunrise some two minutes earlier than was possible from Mt Wellington.
