Magnificent seven make magic on the harbour A hundred years ago they emerged from the mist. The entry on October 4, 1913 of the first Australian naval fleet was greeted by crowds of sightseers on the foreshore. On Friday the International Fleet Review celebrated that date under skies that were almost cloudless, a welcome change from the rain and hail that greeted the tall ships on Thursday to herald the event. But the crowds were just the same, albeit with an armada of small boats, ferries and charter vessels on the water, and all the best vantage points filled up as the morning wore on. At 6am the honour of first ship through the heads went to the Chinese with the destroyer Qingdao. Chinese naval officers dressed in white lined the deck as they, presumably, kept eyes to the front despite the temptation to take in their first view of Sydney. They led the first division, which included ships from Singapore and Malaysia. Police inflatables and even police on wetbikes bobbed around and made sure the big guys had a clear passage. Division two was led soon after by the seafaring Brits with their futuristic-looking HMS Daring, an impressive guided missile destroyer. New Zealand followed with a frigate and India with a guided missile frigate - and a brass band. But the real magic came with the arrival of what can fairly be described as the magnificent seven - Australia's seven ships representing the seven that made the original entry 100 years ago. Back then they were led by HMAS Australia, but the honour this time went to HMAS Sydney, with no Australia in the fleet at present. On board with a good view of proceedings were Premier Barry O'Farrell and Lord Mayor Clover Moore - the review had after all been organised not only by the navy but also the state of NSW and the City of Sydney. As they progressed down the harbour each ship turned to port before approaching Bradleys Head and heading towards Sydney Harbour Bridge to present an impressive line-up of military muscle. "225 years ago Arthur Phillip described Sydney Harbour as the finest harbour in the world and on a morning such as today we can see why," Mr O'Farrell said. The sight of so many vessels in Sydney Harbour and the fireworks and lightshow extravaganza tomorrow night will be something that won't be forgotten by the hundreds of thousands of people who are lucky enough to witness it. At 10am the 21-gun salute sounded from Garden Island and was witnessed from Bradleys Head by Governor-General Quentin Bryce, who will tour all the ships on the harbour on Saturday as the Queen's representative to take the royal salute. One creature seemed oblivious of all the fuss and the passage of military hardware, however: a seal that lay basking on its back in the sunshine as HMAS Darwin steamed past. So it continued, the magnificent seven passing under the Harbour Bridge, providing the picture everyone wanted. Then the biggest of them all, the American USS Chosin, a guided-missile cruiser, arrived with other ships from Japan, Nigeria, Indonesia, France, Brunei and Spain. Saturday should be even bigger and busier with the ceremonial fleet review, flypasts and demonstrations by helicopters, historic aircraft and military bands. Then there's the showstopper, the Fireworks and Lightshow Spectacular. More information at www.navy.gov.au.