It's hard to imagine a dimly lit shed bathed in silence as the source of all the noise and excitement of a New Year's Eve fireworks display.
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The only colour in the Fireworks Australia warehouse comes from the titles splashed across the hundreds of cardboard boxes stacked on top of the cement floor, names such as Swords of Fire and Da Big Box O' Bombs.
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Fireworks Australia director Martin Brady said the storage shed was packed to capacity a few weeks ago, but stock had been shipped out across the country in preparation for New Year's Eve celebrations in cities such as Sydney and Canberra.
''The Canberra show has involved some work since the middle of the year,'' he said. ''It's been a six-month project, on and off.''
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Located down a discreet gravel driveway about 40 minutes out of Canberra, the company imports, transports, modifies and demonstrates fireworks - everything but making the pyrotechnics themselves.
Mr Brady said the cost of creating fireworks meant the majority used in Australia were imported.
''The manufacturing of fireworks in Australia is diminishing quickly,'' he said. ''The whole world buys their fireworks from China.''
Mr Brady said importing fireworks was a niche market and his company was one of few stocking pieces that cost anywhere from 10 to a few hundred dollars.
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''It only comes from two or three sheds in Australia,'' he said.
''There are probably a few hundred people that do firework shows but only a couple of us that either make them or import them.''
This short supply of importers meant that Mr Brady and his team were responsible for New Year's Eve fireworks displays from Sydney to Wodonga. He said the fireworks for the ACT show would have been assembled at the headquarters before being trucked into Canberra yesterday. Once on-site, it would take a team of up to 10 people to put the show together.
''It's a second job for some people,'' he said.
''We've got all sorts of people who ... put the shows together.''
He said tonight's display would also showcase some new effects, such as the ''intertwining love heats'' and the ''lion face shells''.
Mr Brady said the team would keep the early showing as broad but child friendly as possible, knowing the diverse crowd of people that gathered by the shores for the display.
''But by midnight, we know it's an adult crowd so we are uber loud.''
However that may be just a warm up for the noise levels of their next event.
''We go straight into Summernats,'' he said.
This reporter is on Twitter: @stephanieando