Dracula's castle is the place that nightmares are made of, as anyone who has read Bram Stoker's iconic 1897 gothic novel or seen a vampire flick knows. Nestled in the Carpathian mountains in the heart of Transylvania, it's also a place you can actually spend a night in. Well, it's a 14th century mountain-top manor that served as the inspiration for the creepy dwelling in the book, but you get the picture. Close enough, right? No, the fictional master of the undead isn't pulling his own What We Do in the Shadows-style caper; it's not a share house, and there won't be a doco crew there filming everything. And no, you don't have to willingly get lured in by a charismatic recluse who can turn into a bat, or turn up to help him with legal matters (but hey, if you want to pretend that you're Keanu Reeves in the 1992 movie, go for it). Instead, it's as simple as hitting up Airbnb to win a chance to stay at Bran Castle in Romania. The accommodation-sharing service has offered up shark tanks, van Gogh's bedroom, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' secret lair and an Abbey Road slumber party with Mark Ronson before, so you shouldn't be surprised. Now that's how you celebrate halloween. Plus, the evening will be hosted by the great grand-nephew of Bram Stoker himself, Dacre Stoker, who actually wrote a sequel to the bloodsucking classic in 2009. After riding in a horse-drawn carriage at sunset, probably seeing swooping bats and hearing howling wolves, he'll answer your knock at the door — and once he does, you're trapped until dawn. As an expert on Transylvanian lore, he'll guide you through lamp-lit corridors, creepy nooks, squeaky staircases and secret passages. There's 57 rooms in total, including lofty tower lookouts, deep dark crypts, a grand dining room perfect for an intimate candlelit dinner, and luxurious velvet-trimmed coffins to sleep in. Entrants must be 18 and over, and it goes without saying that anyone who is easily frightened shouldn't bother. For more information, visit the castle's listing on Airbnb.
Out in the California High Desert last month, people saw a mysterious apparition: a transparent log cabin named Lucid Stead, the latest installation by artist Phillip K Smith III. At first glance the structure doesn't look real. Is it a mirage, a vision, a portal to another world? The structure's Pre-Romanesque stripes are no hallucination: Smith achieved the optical illusion of transparency by inlaying lengths of mirror between the splintery old wood planks of a 70-year-old homesteader shack in Joshua Tree national park. When the artwork was unveiled, he was surprised by an influx over two days of 400 visitors who'd gotten word of the magical cabin. Search #lucidstead on Instagram and you'll see many photographic perspectives on what they saw. (And riddle me this: how come we can't see any trace of a photographer reflected in these images? Witchcraft.) Like Lucy Humphrey's Horizon in this year's Sculpture by the Sea, here is an artwork that uses its surrounding environment to fill its own canvas, seamlessly melding the natural and manmade. Smith likes to make artworks that appear to breathe and move, blurring the border between geometric rigidity and the organic; he says he is attracted to the idea of "something that you cannot hold on to... That slips between your fingers." As the day progresses, Lucid Stead's appearance changes completely, reflecting the different colours of dawn to dusk. After-hours, it takes on a new role, generating its own light rather than merely reflecting it; the windows become vivid, floating blocks of coloured LED illumination. In the pictures below you'll notice the LEDs brighten the surrounding shrubbery in an unearthly rainbow, not unlike the surrealist nighttime photography of Gregory Crewdson. These colours change, controlled by an Arduino computer system, in a continuous flow that's all part of making the viewer look twice. Smith explains: "The color of the door and window openings are set at a pace of change where one might question whether they are actually changing colors." Check out the video below to see a before-and-after view of the shack, and to hear Lucid Stead's creator talk about his interest in the basic elements of light and change. Images by Stephen King for Royale Projects. Story via Colossal.
If Audrey Horne, Lula Pace Fortune or Lady Jessica decided to head downtown for some yoga, David Lynch has them covered for threads. In one of the most unexpected endeavours from the director yet, Lynch has designed a brand new sportswear collection for women. Seems the man who recorded tunes with Karen O, opened his own whimsical Parisian nightclub and exhibits photographs of dissected chickens as art (among many other wonderful, weird and WTF Lynchian things), can still surprise us. A paired-down, monochrome collection of threads we'd absolutely prance to the gym in, Lynch's fitness line whips up floral geometric design (a collaboration with New York artist Jason Woodside), grey marle and flattering seams in a truly great assortment of basic gymwear. Lynch's activewear line includes corset and scoop bras, geometric leggings and bike shorts all sporting the special edition Lynch Floral print, going for around $100 — $200 a piece. There's more afoot than mere fashion here; Lynch is working in collaboration with Live the Process, an online hub self-described as "a guide to wellness and holistic health from a curated group of experts in beauty, fitness, meditation, nutrition, energy therapies and quantum physics, as seen through a modernist lens." It's a thing, quantum physics included. But fashion isn't where the collab ends for Lynch, really teaming up with Live the Process for a good cause — with some of the proceeds going to victims of abuse. Teaming up with Live the Process shouldn't come as a surprise for those in the Lynch-know. The Twin Peaks creator is a big meditator, having practiced for over 40 years. His method of choice, transcendental meditation, is his pet awareness project with his namesake charity, The David Lynch Foundation. He even penned a book about it. "I have experienced many benefits: more happiness within, more energy, more love of life, more understanding and more of a flow of ideas and intuition," he says. "I see people as friends not enemies. I feel and understand a bigger and bigger picture forming, and experience life as more of a great game than a great torment. For me, TM serves my work and life. It cleans the machine of garbage and brings in pure gold." Shop the David Lynch collection at Live the Process. Go for a scroll here: Via Dazed.
What features a bruised and bloody Man of Steel (David Corenswet, Lady in the Lake), plus his dog Krypto dragging him home? The first teaser trailer for Superman did when it dropped in December 2024. What builds upon that scene, showing how the superhero canine first wants to play, then takes his human companion back to the Fortress of Solitude? The new almost five-minute sneak peek at the film that initially premiered at CinemaCon 2025, and has now been released online by writer/director James Gunn. Gunn hasn't just penned, helmed and produced Superman. He's also overseeing the new DC Universe in his role as co-CEO and co-Chairman of DC Studios. His take on Krypton's most-famous figure is the debut film in the new franchise, and it has a date with cinemas in July 2025 — but you can now see a bit more of it in advance, before much of what was in the first teaser follows. Alongside Corenswet as the flick's eponymous character, Superman boasts Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs Maisel) as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult (Nosferatu) as Lex Luthor, plus Gunn regular Nathan Fillion (Deadpool & Wolverine) as Green Lantern and Anthony Carrigan (Barry) as Metamorpho. Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) also co-stars Supergirl, as part of a cast that spans Isabela Merced (Alien: Romulus), Frank Grillo (Tulsa King), Skyler Gisondo (The Righteous Gemstones) and Wendell Pierce (Elsbeth), too. As always in the Super, The Suicide Squad, and three-time Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker's work, Gunn's brother Sean (Creature Commandos) is among the ensemble as well. If it feels like Superman has been missing for cinemas for a while — well, in these superhero movie-heavy days, that is — that's because it's been eight years, since Justice League. That's when Zack Snyder's film initially arrived in its theatrical version (Zack Snyder's Justice League, aka the Snyder Cut, debuted on streaming in 2021). In the DC Universe, Superman will be followed by Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow in 2026, as directed by Dumb Money's Craig Gillespie. Clayface will also release in the same year, working with a script from Doctor Sleep and The Fall of the House of Usher's Mike Flanagan. As for Superman's story, the trailers aren't big on narrative detail, but Gunn's take on the character is set to be a superhero who believes in humanity's goodness — even if presumably Lex Luthor tests that idea. Check out the latest sneak peek at Superman below: Superman releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, July 10, 2025.
Keli Holiday — the solo project of Peking Duk's Adam Hyde — is set to play two special headline gigs in Melbourne and Sydney this November, giving fans the chance to experience the energy of his latest single 'Dancing2' live on stage. The shows are locked in for Melbourne's Howler on Thursday, November 14, and Sydney's Mary's Underground on Saturday, November 16. Both will see Holiday deliver his signature mix of raw emotion and euphoric sounds, with Hyde describing the sets as a chance to "share some joy together and let's sweat." Born during the creative standstill of the pandemic, Keli Holiday became Hyde's outlet for heartbreak, sonic experimentation and reinvention. Now, with 'Dancing2', he's channelling it all into a slow-burning, string-laced modern love story inspired by meeting his partner Abbie Chatfield. "This song is about meeting a love that seemed a world away," Hyde explained. "There's so much noise and distraction going on constantly … We were both just dancing through the show as we all are. There was a definitive moment when we decided to connect with each other on an unspoken battlefield and we have been dancing together ever since." 'Dancing2' has been climbing the ARIA charts, peaking at number one on the Top 20 Australian Singles list. It's also made its way onto Spotify's Daily Top Songs, cracked the Shazam Top 50, and hit number one on TikTok's Viral Chart. The track marks a bold step toward the next chapter for the 2025 Rolling Stone Australia Readers' Choice Award winner, following 2022's KELI and 2024's JESTERMAN EP. Tickets for Keli Holiday's Sydney and Melbourne shows are on sale now via the official website.
The next email you receive from Netflix mightn't be telling you what to watch. Instead, beginning Wednesday, May 24, the streaming platform is contacting all of its Australian customers about its new password sharing rules. Promised for a few years now, and originally expected to kick in by the end of March this year, the service is cracking down on letting people from different households use the same account — effective immediately. Accordingly, if you've been enjoying someone else's Netflix subscription to get your Stranger Things, Squid Game and Wednesday fix or work your way through its hefty slate of movies — or letting your mates or siblings use your logins — your current streaming situation is changing. The password-sharing functionality will still exist; however, it'll come at an extra cost, involving paying $7.99 per month to add an extra member to your account. Netflix now advises that "a Netflix account is meant to be shared by people living together in one household" — and you can set up and define your household in the platform's settings. If you don't set one yourself, it'll do so for you based on your IP address, device IDs and account activity, which is what it'll also use to monitor if someone is using your details from elsewhere. That said, for folks who don't actually watch Netflix via a TV, you won't need to worry about the household requirement, but the password-sharing change still applies. To add people outside your household to your account, you'll buy an extra member slot. The caveats: they have to be activated in the same country where the account owner created their account, and you can't add them to ad-supported plans (or Netflix-included packages or third-party billed accounts). So, if you've opted for the service's cheaper option since it rolled out in late 2022, your pals won't be able to share — but they can transfer their profile on your account to their own new account. That transferring functionality applies to everyone who decides to sign up themselves after sharing someone's password, and will port over recommendations, viewing history, My List, saved games and settings. Clearly, the main motivation is to increase subscriptions. The new password-sharing block was called "paid sharing" by Netflix in a letter to shareholders, after all. "Today's widespread account sharing (to 100 million-plus households) undermines our long-term ability to invest in and improve Netflix, as well as build our business," the company states in that shareholder letter, which is dated January 19, 2023. "While our terms of use limit use of Netflix to a household, we recognise this is a change for members who share their account more broadly. So we've worked hard to build additional new features that improve the Netflix experience, including the ability for members to review which devices are using their account and to transfer a profile to a new account. As we roll out paid sharing, members in many countries will also have the option to pay extra if they want to share Netflix with people they don't live with." Of course, logging into your Netflix account from a place outside of your own household doesn't automatically mean you're sharing your password. You might be travelling and still want to get your streaming fix. Initially, needing a temporary access code was floated — but at the time of writing, the platform simply says that you can still "use Netflix as usual to watch on your portable devices — like a tablet, laptop, or mobile phone — or sign into a new TV, like at a hotel or a holiday rental" without explaining if or how the new password rules will have an impact. The company does specify that if you have a second home or frequently travel to the same location, you'll need to connect to the internet and open the Netflix app on your mobile device in both the main spot you watch the service and in the second location Netflix's password-sharing crackdown is coming into effect in Australia from Wednesday, May 24. Head to Netflix for more details.
Stories about the world as humanity currently knows it ending, then those that remain endeavouring to cling to whatever life is left and make the most of it, aren't just stories of survival. As they fill screens big and small — be it in movies in the Mad Max and A Quiet Place franchises, or in TV shows like The Last of Us, Fallout, Station Eleven and Paradise, to name a mere few recent and diverse examples — they tell tales of needs, costs, threats, changes and choices. A sensation in the video-game domain since 2013, and as a HBO series from a decade later, The Last of Us knows that what it takes to endure, the price paid and the type of person that such an experience makes you all firmly beat at its heart. Adapted for television by Chernobyl's Craig Mazin, it's equally and just-as-acutely aware that the kind of new existence that should spring after apocalyptic horrors is as much its focus. There was no escaping those ideas in a TV smash that proved one of the best new shows of 2023 in its first season. There's no avoiding it in one of the biggest and most-anticipated small-screen returns of 2025, either (in a year that's been filled with huge comebacks so far, thanks also to Severance season two, the third seasons of The White Lotus and Yellowjackets, Hacks season four, plus Daredevil: Born Again as well). The Last of Us season two picks up five years after the events of season one, with Joel (Pedro Pascal, The Wild Robot) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget) engrained in the survivor community of Jackson, Wyoming — and with how to forge a path forward, and to create a better future for the younger generations navigating existence after the cordyceps infestation, as clear in its sights as a clicker spied through a rifle scope. For Gabriel Luna, season two is indeed a return. A star of Terminator: Dark Fate, True Detective, Agents of SHIELD, Matador and more before stepping into the shoes of Joel's younger brother Tommy, and seen in Fubar and heard in Secret Level since The Last of Us debuted its first season, he's back in a part that's stuck with him. "Even during hiatus, I never really felt completely removed from the flow of the story," he tells Concrete Playground. Accordingly, he's not new to pondering the show's depths, and also thinking about its true monsters — not clickers, aka the long-term infected after their exposure to the fungus that's largely wiped out the planet, but some of the people taking doing whatever is necessary to the extreme in the nightmarish situation that the likes of Joel, Ellie, Tommy and the latter's wife Maria (Rutina Wesley, Queen Sugar) have been weathering. As the second season unpacks Jackson's hard-earned new status quo — where post-pandemic normality is the aim, but guarded walls, patrol runs, trauma counselling, and other such security measures and coping tactics will never not be elements of the daily routine — Isabela Merced and Young Mazino are fresh to The Last of Us' realm. The former plays Dina and the latter is Jesse, both of whom will be familiar to anyone that's played The Last of Us Part II. Merced joins the series after 2024's Madame Web and Alien: Romulus, plus the movie adaptation of Dora the Explorer, featuring in Instant Family and Sicario: Day of the Soldado, and leading Nickelodeon TV series 100 Things to Do Before High School before that. Mazino's resume also spans back to 2013, as Merced's does, but he's best-known for Beef, which earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. [caption id="attachment_999544" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Scott Ehler, Max[/caption] As Dina and Jesse, Merced and Mazino find themselves thrust into season two's big schism, as Luna's Tommy also is. Gone is the surrogate father-daughter closeness that Joel and Ellie carved out in season one, with their relationship instead evolving into the frequent next step as children grow up: distance and rebellion, and a parent dismayed at their connection changing so drastically. Audiences know, of course, that's there's more to the tension between Joel and Ellie thanks to the events of the first season — thanks to decisions and actions that also link to fellow cast addition Kaitlyn Dever (Apple Cider Vinegar) as Abby. New faces (The Studio's Catherine O'Hara is another), both friends and foes; acrimony between a pair that earned their bond, and each other's trust, the hard way in season one; a love triangle; contemplating what type of community that Jackson wants to be; a quest for revenge; an early showdown with clickers: The Last of Us kicks off its seven-episode second season with all of the above. Before that even arrives, a third season was locked in, too. When Luna, Merced and Mazino travelled to Australia to help launch HBO's dedicated streaming platform Max Down Under — where you'll find The Last of Us season two streaming from Monday, April 14, dropping its instalments week by week — we chatted with the trio about where the new chapter takes the series, what excited Merced and Mazino about becoming a part of it, how Luna approached coming back, digging into those survivalist themes and facing down clickers, among other topics. On What Excited Merced and Mazino About Joining The Last of Us for Season Two — and the Unexpected Injuries That Came Along the Way Isabela: "Initially there's the pull of the massive, just enormous size of the show — and the amount of cast members, the amount of action scenes. That was the initial pull. And then with all of the writing, it's so deep and it's so much that you can chew on and really get yourself into and throw yourself into. I love how Craig writes his characters, so I was excited to just be one of those." Young: "Yeah, I second everything she just said. You can tell the writing's excellent in the first season, and so I was so excited to get to chew on those words. And it's fun. And the physicality of it, getting to do fun things like riding horses and shooting guns and running around fighting clickers." Isabela: "Oh that's right, you pulled a muscle." Young: "Yeah, yeah. My hamstring exploded in one scene and I think you can hear me going like 'aaaah' at the end of that — and I think they kept it in the episode, too. So good times, yeah." Gabriel: "I had almost pulled a quad, and then I remember, then I did pop my calf, I think. It's healed now." Young: "Yeah, you've got to warm up." Gabriel: "You've got to, but it's hard when it's so cold. I mean -20 degrees, it's hard to get warm." Young: "I'm just eating a sandwich on the steps of my trailer and they're like 'alright, you ready?' I'm like 'yeah'. And then next thing you know, I'm booking it like 15 times in a row." Isabela: "You're an athlete, too." On How Luna Approached Stepping Back Into Tommy's Shoes for the Second Time Gabriel: "Even during hiatus, I never really felt completely removed from the flow of the story. This just always — I just remained in contact with Craig and we'd talk a lot, and text about different things and ideas for the second season. And so even while off on other jobs, this job very much took up residence and has a lot of real estate in my heart and my mind, and I think about it a lot. So I went into it ready to get back to work. And I think some of that is being excited for what was to come. Knowing what happens in the second game as far as Tommy is concerned, it was all something that I had been champing at the bit to get back into anyway. We talked about all of our injuries, but just trying to stay as physically ready as I could, even though Craig was telling me 'you know what, you know you're 55 in this story, so you can't be in too good a shape'. I was like, 'well, that's where the acting will come in, because I don't want to die out there'. It was a lot, but I was, I felt, ready — and we were ready, and we got it done." On How Season Two's First Episode Sets the Scene for What's to Come Gabriel: "For Tommy, he is a new father. He's been forced to lock in — kind of a born to dilly-dally, forced-to-lock-in type of guy— but he's really taken on that role and those responsibilities willingly, with a lot of love and compassion for his family first, and then, of course, his community. So he's had to mature quite a bit. He and Maria have Benjamin [Ezra Benedict Agbonkhese, Snowpiercer], their son. And he's also a bit of the go-between and the mediator between a lot of elements of his family." Isabela: "[For Dina and Jesse] You kind of catch them in the middle of the love triangle. So yeah, you kind of feel that tension — and it's interesting because you leave the audience with a lot of questions, but they'll get answered." Young: "Yeah, you see the breadth of the aftermath of something that just happened, and we're stepping into this uncharted territory of what's to come." Isabela: "It was interesting as actors to sort of have to do that as a first scene together." Young: "Yeah, that's interesting — and it's clever, it's clever writing, too, to establish that so quickly, which I think people will see in the first episode." On Digging Into the Show's Themes, Including What It Means to Survive, What It Requires and Costs, and Building a New World Gabriel: "When preparing for the first season, I enlisted the help of my friend Jack Nevils, who trains army snipers, and he was our military consultant on Terminator: Dark Fate. And the one thing that he said to me very early in the process that stuck and resonated was 'you know, I've been in these places where when resources are low, people become monsters, and it happens very quickly — that descent happens swiftly'. And so it's kind of carrying that sense of the paranoia of a lot of the threats. The monsters are a known quantity; it's the people that you encounter, and their deception and their intentions and their designs, that you have to be wary of. I think I'm a very open person in my personal life, and very trusting and want to give people the benefit of the doubt, but I think within this world your senses are heightened and your awareness — I think it's important to open that awareness and to be able to clock the threats." Young: "I was just thinking, there's the world-building and the environment, but then I think it it's also important to look at the character. And I personally pull threads of very specific people that I know in my life, and kind of combine them to amalgamate into this character that I think would serve this story." Gabriel: "Yeah, and a good point — while they are the greatest threat, people, they're also the greatest resource. If you can find the right people and move together, yeah, that is how you survive." Young: "Community." On What Merced Draws Upon When Facing Clickers, Including in Season Two's First Big Showdown Accompanied by Bella Ramsey as Ellie Isabela: "That's kind of the first bit of clicker action we get in the series, is that — and I find it fascinating that I didn't know what to expect in the process, but I saw the clickers on that day for the first time, and the actors that are playing them are usually stunt people and they get them as close as possible to what you see on the show in the final result. So I got to see their real movements and their actions, and their general demeanour is so frightening, I think, because it's so unpredictable. They did a really good job choreographing them — and it's really, really fun. And as a fan of the game, just to see that in person, it's really cool. The Last of Us season two streams from Monday, April 14, 2025 Down Under, via Max in Australia and Neon in New Zealand. Read our review of the first season. Images: HBO.
When amateur photographer Alfred Elliott's glass plate slides were discovered under a Red Hill house in 1983, the world of turn-of-the-century Brisbane came vibrantly to life. Something of our own answer to Vivian Maier, Elliott had a knack for capturing the poetry of the mundane and the special moments in everyday life. Elliott’s work, spanning 50 years, is now accessible through this Museum of Brisbane exhibition. On show is not just the work, but the changing times — a period of explosive population growth was upon us, technological advances and the tumult of the World Wars. Distant and foreign, yet comforting and surprisingly relatable, Elliott also lets us into his personal life, offering snippets of family and home, altogether creating a wholesome and intriguing insight into the times. Make your way to the Museum of Brisbane for a rare glimpse at where we came from and how far we’ve come.
Stephen Hawking is an extraordinary individual. The problem with that — with all extraordinary individuals — is that over time they come to be viewed not as people but as the sum of their accomplishments. The greater the endeavour, the less we tend to know about the beating heart and restless mind behind it. Often it's not until they're visited by tragedy or professional disgrace that we're reminded of their humanity, and yet, in Hawking's case, not even the onset of motor neurone disease or an extramarital affair could detract from his almost super-human status. The Theory of Everything, then, serves as a fitting reminder that beyond the maths lies a man, brilliant — yes — but still just a man: mortal, flawed and confounded by love. Adapted from the book Travelling to Infinity: My Life With Stephen, The Theory of Everything offers us a portrait of Hawking from the perspective of his first wife, Jane (Felicity Jones), and it is, in effect, a love story. Two love stories, rather: the conventional tale between a pair of enamoured Cambridge students, and the stranger yet better known one of Stephen’s infatuation with the universe. Both are heartwarming, exhilarating and profoundly complicated. In the role of Hawking’s wife, Jones is sublime. Her performance is an accomplished blend of fierce determination to see her husband survive, and private frustration at the professional sacrifices that selflessness wrought. As for Redmayne, perhaps the most fitting compliment is that it is now impossible to look at him and not see the professor. It is an extraordinary example of transformation, both physical and performative. Redmayne, like the man he portrays, is robbed of that which most actors find essential: movement, first, then sound. Yes, there is the iconic digital voice to accompany the performance, but voiceover is no more useful to an actor at the time of recording than a ping pong ball affixed to a green screen to denote what will eventually come to be. With the disarming smile of Redford and the ‘everyman-ness’ of Hanks, Redmayne is the acting equivalent of an unputdownable book, almost daring you to try to look away. For a film entitled The Theory of Everything, the story is, in the end, almost infinitesimal. Ours is a galaxy of some 400 billion stars in a universe roughly 13.8 billion years old. On such a scale, humanity is scarcely perceptible, an insignificant evanescent blip of history in which a single, unsettled romance between two people is as close to nothing as science will permit. And yet it is also everything, because it contains within it some of the finest qualities that define the human existence — that showcase the unconquerable spirit and boundless possibilities of the mind. Hawking’s accomplishments almost defy belief, even if they’d been achieved without disability, and while they’re acknowledged in this film, the focus is not on the ‘what’, but the ‘who’ and the ‘how’. Moving, astounding and, perhaps most of all, enlightening, The Theory of Everything is a sensitive yet unsentimental engagement with genius and the actualities of love.
If you've ever landed overseas only to be slapped with eye-watering roaming charges, Holafly wants to make your next trip a whole lot easier. The global travel tech company has just launched its unlimited data eSIMs for Australian travellers, offering affordable access across more than 200 destinations. According to Holafly, many Australians still pay up to $10 a day for international roaming. Well, Holafly has done the maths, and that means $70 for a week in Bali or $300 for a month in Europe. Not to mention, this often comes with frustrating data caps and speed restrictions, too. Holafly's digital eSIM helps cut that cost by as much as 60 percent. Travellers can activate a local plan before flying out, connect instantly upon landing and avoid bill shock altogether. No SIM swaps, no surprise charges and unlimited data wherever you go. Founded in 2018, Holafly has already connected more than ten million travellers worldwide. Its eSIMs are delivered instantly by email, with activation taking just a couple of minutes. From there, you've got unlimited data at maximum speeds, plus round-the-clock customer support. Coverage spans more than 200 destinations, including Japan, the United States, Canada, Singapore, South Korea, the UK and much of Europe, with 5G available in select countries. Plans run up to 90 days, making them ideal for long-haul escapes and extended stays. You can grab a plan directly through Holafly's website or mobile app before you fly.
A road trip through the American South is one of those epic, once-in-a-lifetime journeys. It's also the epitome of Americana and offers an unrivalled way to experience the South. The sheer distance between many of the South's most distinctive sights, sounds, culture and history can only be bridged via four wheels, and there's no freedom quite like the one when you take to the road. Your next destination depends only on your interests and how much fuel (or gas, as it's known in the States) is in the tank. In partnership with Travel South USA, we've curated the best routes in each of the South's nine states to accelerate your trip planning. Create an adventure that's entirely your own by linking up different sections of the region's countless routes. Whether you want to cruise through vibrant towns, savour Southern cuisine or catch your breath in the face of awe-inspiring natural scenery, the open road can take you there in the South. Route 66 — Missouri One of America's most iconic highways, driving along Route 66 is a classic American road trip. Affectionately known as "Mother Road", the route covers over 450 kilometres traversing America from east to west, but Missouri's stretch is one of the highway's best segments. Not only will you pass through two of Missouri's largest cities, encounter well-preserved motor courts harkening to a bygone era and enjoy incredibly scenic views, it also takes in some of the Route's most historic attractions and is lined with fascinating landmarks that will have you stopping the car every couple of miles. Music, Marches and Mardi Gras — Alabama The South is and historically has been a region of outsized cultural impact in America — and a road trip through Alabama is one of the best ways to see the history of the US firsthand. Stop in the central cities of Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma, where Dr. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks made history; in Muscle Shoals where music history was made with recordings by many of America's most influential artists; and in Mobile, which is one of America's oldest cities, the birthplace of Mardi Gras and where you'll find fresh seafood straight out of the Gulf. For miles of powdery white sand, beaches, resorts and plenty of outdoor fun, be sure to stop at Alabama's coastal cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach too. Outer Banks Scenic Byway — North Carolina Extending for over 138 miles (about 220 kilometres), the Outer Banks Scenic Byway follows the barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina. Showcasing the region's scenery and history, you'll drive alongside pristine beaches, windswept dunes and local landmarks. In addition to the charming coastal towns en route, be sure to add these must-sees to your road trip itinerary: Wright Brothers National Memorial, which commemorates where the first flights in heavier-than-air aircrafts took place; Jockey's Ridge, the tallest living sand dune system on the Atlantic coast; Cape Hatteras National Seashore, where you'll find America's tallest lighthouse; and fuel your sightseeing by filling up on oysters along the North Carolina Oyster Trail. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail — Kentucky The American South is the birthplace of bourbon and nowhere is it better to experience that culture than in Bourbon country itself along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. The trail takes you through the state's legendary distilleries, showcasing the craft of bourbon-making. With the option to stop at a few distilleries in the state or at each and every single one, the trail can last anywhere from four days to a whole leisurely month on the road — all while taking in the rest of the sights of Kentucky too. Tennessee Scenic Trails & Byways — Tennessee Tennessee's 95 counties are filled with hidden gems just waiting to be explored. Take the scenic route and embark on any number of the state's 16 self-guided scenic drives. The trails and byways are a breeze to follow — they're well marked by brown signs — and you'll discover captivating attractions, local eateries and noteworthy stops along the way. Highland Scenic Highway — West Virginia Nestled in the Monongahela National Forest, the Highland Scenic Highway is one of the most stunning drives on America's East Coast. Over 43 miles (about 70 kilometres) the route traverses crystal clear rivers and wild forest where native spruce trees tower. This unmissable drive promises panoramic views and adventures in the Potomac Highlands and is one of the best ways to experience West Virginia's natural beauty. [caption id="attachment_988789" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Angela Liguori[/caption] Scenic Highway 11 — South Carolina Named after the Native Americans who once called the South Carolina foothills home, Cherokee Foothills Scenic Byway (South Carolina Highway 11) captures some of the most stunning views of South Carolina's mountains and landscapes. Along the highway, take in views of Table Rock State Park's 350-million-year-old granite dome. Stop along the way for a hike or canoe in the State Park, or continue driving to experience the beautiful Wildcat Branch Falls from the comfort of your car. Natchez Trace Parkway — Mississippi If you've ever wondered where the largest octagonal home in America can be found, the answer lies along the Natchez Trace Parkway at Longwood, a historical home that's listed on the US National Register of Historic Places. Spanning 444 miles (about 715 kilometres) through Mississippi and two other states, the scenic drive includes historical points of interest and passes through lush forest where outdoor adventures such as biking, hiking, birdwatching, picnicking, or camping amidst the state's wilderness await. Great River Road — Louisiana See all of Louisiana along the Great River Road which follows the Mississippi River from north to south. This route is a designated All-American Road, which means it contains features that can't be found anywhere else in America. On this route, you'll find UNESCO sites such as Poverty Point World Heritage Site, where artifacts dating back to 1700–700 BC are still being uncovered; the Frogmore Plantation and Gins, a still-functioning cotton farm that tells story of slavery in the area; the tallest state capitol building in the US in Baton Rouge; and New Orleans where an abundance of museums can be explored alongside world-class venues and restaurants and a thriving live music scene. Find your next adventure in the South. Discover more unforgettable destinations and start planning your trip with Travel South USA.
If you've been battling with the idea of deactivating your Facebook account but decided against it because it would 'disconnect' you from a considerable amount of social happenings, then news of Facebook Messenger, a standalone SMS app that was launched yesterday, might just clench this reality. Competing against Google+ and its accompanying mobile app, Facebook Messenger allows you to communicate with other Facebook users (not necessarily your Facebook friends) via SMS. According to Wired, the app "wrangles all private communication" between Facebook users into one thread. The app also features group chats, picture distribution and location services so you can continue to keep in touch even if you aren't logged onto Facebook - all communication is delivered by either notifications or texts. The app is available through iTunes and the Android Store for free, and if this is Facebook's attempt to do away with SMS by providing the same service at no cost, then deactivating your account might be just a tad bit harder to do. https://youtube.com/watch?v=wcRipEHsA64 Image: cydiaiphoneblog.com
For all the logicality of urban planners and architects, we often end up with some pretty weird conglomerations of concrete and steel around town. Once in a while, we all end up staring at a nonsensical urban nook while waiting at the traffic lights and thinking, 'why?'. Austrian choreographer Willi Dorner and his company take that reverie one step further with Bodies in Urban Spaces. They see an odd little city space and think: human Tetris. So how does it work? Dorner enlists a group of movement artists (whose skills are not solely focused on dance — he also hires climbers, martial artists and circus performers) and choreographs a performance that sees these 20 human bodies, clad in bright colour-blocked clothes, gracefully shove themselves into any sort of architectural gap they can find, hold their positions for several minutes and then effortlessly wriggle out of the tight spot and move on to the next. What it means for the passer-by is that your eyes fall on brightly colour-blocked human staying perfectly, magically still in an otherwise dead space. "Bodies in Urban Spaces is an invitation to let go, to take the time for a new look at the city, an opportunity to think so that we can form opinions about what makes a city a liveable space, and eventually make changes to achieve that goal," says Dorner. Bodies in Urban Spaces premiered in 2007 and has been co-produced by festivals and venues across Europe and the US ever since. It will be appearing in Sydney for Art & About on Friday, October 11, and Saturday, October 12, from 12.30-2pm. Check out more of their cheeky and surreal appearances around the world in the images below.
Sport. Seafood. Think about Petrie Terrace's Caxton Street and one of the two, if not both, always comes to mind. The inner-city Brisbane roadway is the home of Lang Park. It's also long been synonymous with festivals celebrating the ocean's finest. On Saturday, October 19, 2024, it's adding another type of fest to its roster of events, with Good Chat Comedy Club launching the inaugural Caxton Street Comedy Festival for a jam-packed day overflowing with laughs. Already a place go get giggling inside Caxton Street Brewing Company — which was previously Fritzenberger, and also Casablanca before that — Good Chat is sharing its sense of humour with its base venue, plus Lefty's Music Hall, Alfie's at The Lord Alfred and The Haunt upstairs at The Caxton Hotel. Each spot is hosting a feast of shows, with more than 20 on the lineup across the full day. Boasting a program featuring talents both local and from further afield, the fest will get patrons splitting their sides thanks to Lloyd Langford, Michael Hing, Geraldine Hickey, Chris Ryan, Luke Heggie, Nick Cody, Damien Power, Amy Hetherington, Emma Zammit and more. The Death by Birding podcast is recording live, as is Who Knew It with Matt Stewart — so whether you like watching avian life or comedians answering quizzes, it's on the bill. For those keen to see multiple comedians at once, The Caxton Street Comedy Festival All-Star Gala will get you guffawing at a hefty roster taking to the Lefty's stage, while The Gong Show at The Haunt is enlisting more than ten comedians to bust out their best in three-minute slots — and attempt to avoid being gonged off. Another certain highlight: Game On Mole Live!, which hails from Not on Your Rider and Isolation Trivia's Aimon Clark. Yes, it's another game show, but this time there's a sabotaging twist. Alongside Ian 'Dicko' Dickson, two groups of comedians face off; however, one player's entire job is to undermine their team. You'll watch. You'll laugh. You'll attempt to pick who is bad at answering questions and who is doing it on purpose. Caxton Street Comedy Festival will take its hilarity outdoors as well via streetside entertainment, and sling tins of its own Tight Five beer, which Caxton Street Brewing Company is making just for the occasion.
It's the seventh film in the Jurassic franchise. It takes its characters to a secret island that was home to the research facility for Jurassic Park's original prehistoric animal sanctuary. Thanks to the latter, it's filled with dinosaurs too dangerous for the original wannabe tourist attraction. The movie: Jurassic World Rebirth, which is also the next picture to get a cast member of Oscar-winning 2019 film Marriage Story facing off against creatures that went extinct millions of years ago. Yes, that's a niche bit of trivia. But life has indeed found a way to get Scarlett Johansson (Fly Me to the Moon) battling dinos after it also got Adam Driver (Megalopolis) doing the same in 65 — and, of course, after Laura Dern (Lonely Planet) starred in the OG Jurassic Park, plus Jurassic Park III and Jurassic World Dominion. In Jurassic World Rebirth, Johansson plays covert operations expert Zora Bennett, who has a date with the movie's main island to obtain genetic material that could help develop drugs to save human lives. Arriving three years after Jurassic World Dominion and set to stomp into picture palaces in July, the new Jurassic flick also takes Jonathan Bailey (Wicked) and Mahershala Ali (Leave the World Behind) on its upon a clandestine mission. After the first sneak peek at how that turns out dropped in February, a brand-new trailer has been revealed. The vibe? The words "you don't see that every day" are uttered early, and dinosaurs are a threat by land, air and sea. The idea at the heart of picture: on the landmass at its centre, different species of dinosaurs to those that the films have featured before roam — species that were couldn't go into the OG park because they would've caused too much havoc. Bennett heads there with Bailey's palaeontologist Dr Henry Loomis and Ali as her righthand man Duncan Kincaid — and company — in what seems to be shaping up, in part, as a Jurassic heist film with pesky rampaging ancient beasts. Alongside Johansson, Bailey, and Moonlight and Green Book Oscar-winner Ali, the Rebirth's lineup of on-screen talent also spans Rupert Friend (Companion) as a pharmaceutical executive; Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (The Lincoln Lawyer) as a civilian who gets dragged into the mission after becoming shipwrecked; Luna Blaise (Manifest), David Iacono (Dope Thief) and Audrina Miranda (Lopez vs Lopez) as the latter's family members; and Philippine Velge (The Serpent Queen), Bechir Sylvain (Black Mafia Family) and Ed Skrein (Rebel Moon) among Zora and co's crew. In the storyline, five years have passed since the events of Jurassic World Dominion — which, for audiences, followed 2015's Jurassic World and 2018's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom in the Jurassic World saga, plus 1993's Jurassic Park, 1997's The Lost World: Jurassic Park and 2001's Jurassic Park III in the OG Jurassic Park trilogy. Jurassic World Rebirth director Gareth Evans (The Creator) is new to the franchise, but knows a thing or two about flicks about fighting giant creatures courtesy of 2010's Monsters and 2014's Godzilla. Rebirth does have a key link back to the debut Jurassic Park movie, however, with screenwriter David Koepp returning after co-penning the initial film and scripting the second solo. (Koepp also returns to grappling with dinosaurs after a three-movie run writing screenplays for Steven Soderbergh with Kimi, Presence and Black Bag.) Check out the latest trailer for Jurassic World Rebirth below: Jurassic World Rebirth releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, July 3, 2025.
They can't all be treats. That's true each time October 31 hits, sending children scurrying around the streets in search of sweets, and it's true of the film franchise that owns the spookiest time of year. Since debuting 43 years ago, the Halloween series has delivered both gems and garbage — and off-kilter delights such as Halloween III: Season of the Witch — but its latest and 12th entry carves a space firmly in the middle. Halloween Kills ticks plenty of boxes that a memorable Halloween movie should, and is also a horror sequel on autopilot. Somehow, it's also a Halloween movie lacking purpose and shape. It has The Shape, of course, as Michael Myers is also known. But it's more an exercise in spending extra time in Haddonfield, in its boogeyman's presence and in world inhabited by franchise heroine Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis, Knives Out) than a compelling slasher flick on its own. After giving the Halloween realm its second-best chapter in 2018, it's easy to see why returning writer/director David Gordon Green (Stronger) and his frequent collaborator Danny McBride (The Righteous Gemstones) have taken this approach. When you've just made a classic follow-up to a stone-cold classic — again, only John Carpenter's iconic franchise-starter is better — you keep on keeping on. That's not quite how Halloween Kills turns out, though. It picks up immediately where its predecessor left off, lets Michael stab his way through small-town Illinois again, and brings back Laurie's daughter Karen (Judy Greer, Where'd You Go, Bernadette) and teenage granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak, Son) from the last spin. It also pads things out with a vengeance storyline that endeavours to get political, yet proves about as piercing as a butter knife. In the last film — called Halloween, like the flick that started it all — Laurie faced the man who turned her into a victim back when she was a 17-year-old babysitter. She unleashed four decades of rage, fear and anxiety during a moment she'd been preparing for across all of that time, and it proved cathartic for her and for viewers alike. This saga was always going to add another sequel, however. As the second part of a trilogy under Green and McBride's guidance, Halloween Kills will also gain its own follow-up in a year's time. When it arrives in 2022, Halloween Ends won't actually live up to its name. No horror movie lover would want it to. Still, it already haunts Halloween Kills — because, like the townsfolk that the latex mask-sporting, overall-wearing Michael just keeps stalking, it feels uncertain about where it should head. First, Halloween Kills sends its three generations of Strode women to hospital, riffing on 1981's Halloween II. Sadly, it also replicates one of the latter's missteps, leaving Laurie there as her nemesis keeps slicing — and splitting its attention around Haddonfield. Here, both Karen and Allyson have also had enough of Michael's nonsense. So has Tommy Doyle (Anthony Michael Hall, The Goldbergs), one of the kids that Laurie babysat on that fateful night all those years ago. So, he rallies a mob and transforms the grieving and scared locale into a haven for vigilante justice; "evil dies tonight!" is their cheer. Evil won't die tonight, which isn't a spoiler. Again, Halloween Ends is coming — and evil won't end there, either. As this franchise has kept looping, twisting and constantly resetting its prior timelines every few films or so, the fact that its source of evil keeps slashing in movie after movie has been one of its strongest thematic weapons. Indeed, Halloween circa 2018 keenly understood that trauma such as Laurie's doesn't fade. It festers; its survivors might learn to cope beneath their PTSD, but their lacerations still pulsate with pain. Halloween Kills tries to expand the idea by focusing on communal rather than individual wounds, and on its setting's shared past; however, thanks to heavy-handed insurrection-style imagery, it plays less as a musing on its underlying suburban nightmare and the distress rippling from it, and more as a weak comment on America today. They can't all slay, obviously — Halloween movies, that is. Michael clearly can and does keep slaying, his body count rising swiftly. When it comes to his murders, Halloween Kills is gory, bloody and gruesome, with Green at his best when he's honing in on the mechanics of its masked maniac's reign of terror. It'd be repetitive if it wasn't so effective, even if it's packaged with smaller doses of tension and suspense. The OG Halloween spawned a spate of imitators for a reason, and still does, but this latest successor lacks its slasher elegance and economy — because Green also enjoys getting flamboyant with Halloween Kills' kills for the sake of it. Perhaps he's trying to make up for sidelining his star, the white-haired Curtis, for so long. Steely as ever, she remains the film's undisputed highlight in the screen time she has, but Halloween Kills doesn't feel like Laurie's story. Or, perhaps Green is trying to distract from the bold move he didn't make. Even in a franchise that plays so fast and loose with its continuity, not managing to bring back Paul Rudd, aka Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers' version of Tommy, is a huge missed opportunity. Halloween Kills re-enlists other familiar faces, spanning both 1978's and 2018's Halloween flicks. It adds backstory all over the place, much of it filler. It gets Carpenter, his son Cody and godson Daniel Davies to rework the synth and piano-heavy tunes that've served the series so well, after they did the same last time around. Like its predecessor, it slinks and stalks with unease. It pushes women to the fore again, too — women who refuse to simply be mere final girls. But it's also the jack-o'-lantern of Green's trilogy within the broader Halloween franchise: there's enough light flickering in its carved-out pumpkin eyes, but there's also an inescapable by-the-numbers emptiness as well.
In The Guest Edit we hand the reins over to some of the most interesting, tasteful and (or) entertaining people in Australia and New Zealand. For this instalment, we've enlisted the elegant taste of Aotearoa-based fashion designer Juliette Hogan amid the launch of her super soft — and super kind to the planet — JHL loungewear range. Hogan has handpicked her five favourite sustainable brands that show caring for the planet does not mean compromising on style or quality. After all, who knows style better than one of the country's most celebrated designers? JULIETTE HOGAN: Sustainability is no longer a 'nice-to-have' when making purchasing decisions — it is an absolute essential. As a whole, the fashion industry has a long way to come, but it's encouraging to see change. I'm excited by the continued evolution to a more transparent sharing of knowledge within our industry — both from our suppliers and to our consumers. At JHL, we believe we owe it to our customers to be constantly improving and evolving in the sustainability space in order to create genuine, honest and enduring connections with them. At the end of the day, the power is in the consumer's hands. When you make a more sustainable choice, you are sending a message about what is valuable to you. Every decision adds up, and collectively that begins to have real impact. SANS CEUTICALS Founded by Kiwi Lucy Vincent and made with the intention of taking chemicals and preservatives out of our most soothing daily rituals, Sans Ceuticals is one of my favourite skincare companies. I particularly love the Activator 7 Body, Hair and Face Oil. Find it now: On Sans Ceuticals' website or at Mecca, with shipping available around both Australia and NZ. AMISFIELD WINE I really enjoy Amisfield wine and love everything they do, including the restaurant and cellar door. I was pleased to see that they recently received recognition of Riedel Organic Winery of the year in 2020. My favourites would have to be the Pinot Noir and the Pinot Noir Rose. Find it now: At Amisfield Winery in Queenstown or on the Amisfield website, with shipping available around both Australia and NZ. JH LOUNGE For obvious reasons, JHL is of course on my go-to list of sustainable labels. There was a gap in my wardrobe, so we looked to fill it with JHL, which are considered basics designed to elevate the everyday. Everything in the collection is developed from sustainable and responsible materials, which we love and are really proud of. Find it now: The JHL website or through The Iconic, with shipping available around both Australia and NZ. GOODFOR I love GoodFor's refinery. I've recently started making homemade crackers for cheeseboards and get all of the ingredients here, as I know they're the best out there. Find it now: The GoodFor website with shipping available around NZ only. HABITUAL GOODS This brand was founded in Christchurch and has been built from the ground up, by the best local crafts people, from the best possible materials. The brassware range is incredible. Find it now: The Habitual Goods website, with shipping available around both Australia and NZ.
The group of competitors vying for drag glory isn't the only thing that's changing when RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under returns for its fourth season in 2024. That very moniker is also getting a makeover, with the series now called Drag Race Down Under — because the Drag Race franchise's namesake is sashaying away from hosting duties. When Australian and New Zealand queens next battle it out to become Down Under's Next Drag Superstar — which will happen sometime in 2024 — they'll do so with Michelle Visage fronting the proceedings. Visage has been involved in the Drag Race world as a judge since the OG show's third season, and also been a producer on the series since season 11. Down Under, she continued her judging role from the spinoff's debut in 2021, but will now host season four. RuPaul will remain an executive producer on Drag Race Down Under. "It has been my great honour to bring Drag Race to Australasia. I can't wait to see the franchise flourish under the leadership of the incredible Michelle Visage," RuPaul advised. "Thank you RuPaul for entrusting me with one of your beloved shows. The colour, humour and outrageousness of Down Under drag holds a special place in my heart. I'm ready to do everything in my power to encourage these beautiful queens to believe in themselves and let their inner light shine through," said Visage. There's no exact return date for Drag Race Down Under yet, but season four will hit streaming — via Stan in Australia and TVNZ in New Zealand — later this year. RuPaul mightn't be back, but Rhys Nicholson will be — again as a judge. He'll be joined by drag royalty from across Australia and Aotearoa, which marks the first time that the show has enlisted Down Under queens to mentor contestants. The fellow judges will rotate, with details of who'll be taking to the stage also still to be announced. Similarly in that category: which drag queens will strutting their stuff in 2024, and also which special celebrity guests will also pop up. Of course, there's no trailer yet for Drag Race Down Under season four, but check out clips from past seasons below: Drag Race Down Under season four doesn't yet have a release date, but will stream via Stan and TVNZ when it returns — we'll update you with an exact date when one is announced.
Christmas can often be a crazy time, and we can't think of anything worse than running around a shopping centre trying to sort out gifts. We all know the drill, and it's carnage, to say the least. Amazon is our go-to for simple gift ideas that you can pre-order from the comfort of your home, which means avoiding the carnage and taking your time to choose the right gifts. To get you started, we have ten gift ideas you can buy from Amazon right now. Whether you're buying for your impossible-to-buy-for teenage cousin, skin-care-obsessed auntie or for the kids in your life, we've got you covered. 1. Ottolenghi SIMPLE Perfect for any aspiring chef or summer entertainer — it's nearly guaranteed that everyone will love Ottolenghi SIMPLE, a cookbook and a great gift idea for someone you don't know too well or someone hard to buy for. The book features 130 of chef Yotam Ottolenghi's award-winning recipes that are easy enough to cook at home but turn out restaurant-quality (if cooked correctly). Better, if you're invited to a dinner party by whoever you gift the book to, you know you'll be in for a treat. 2. Ultimate Ears Boom 3 Portable Bluetooth Speaker Another easy gift idea that most people would be stoked to receive, the Ultimate Ears Boom 3 Portable Bluetooth Speaker is a great summer gift item, since it's completely waterproof that also floats. Who knows? Maybe you'll get to reap the benefits of this gift at some stage. It also comes in seven different colours, so you can find a good match for whoever you're buying for. You can thank us later. 3. Cocktail Set The silly season is the perfect time to drink cocktails at home or to host parties (obviously with a cocktail bar), hands down. And gifting this sleek, stainless steel cocktail set for Christmas may be the perfect timing. The set includes pourers, a strainer, a muddling stick, two Boston shakers and two bartender spoons. A great gift idea for any aspiring mixologists out there, whether they're a beginner or pro. 4. Crocs Jibbitz Shoe Charms If you haven't heard of Jibbitz, you've clearly managed to steer clear of the front page of social media. A trend that no one saw coming, having a few extra charms on your Crocs is now actually, well, elite. Great for kids or adults who love rocking their Crocs, Jibbitz is an easy way to personalise the classic shoes, with a variety of charms that pop into your shoes' holes, instantly making Crocs even cooler. 5. The Ordinary Skincare It seems that everyone is in their self-care era at the moment, which means skincare is a top priority. Gifting a friend or loved one with The Ordinary The Daily Set is bound to be a practical gift that actually gets used. The set includes three gentle and hydrating formulas suitable for all skin types across all seasons for daily use, including The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser, The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid with B5 and The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA. 6. LEGO® One of Amazon's top picks when it comes to gift ideas, the LEGO® Creator flatbed truck with a helicopter, fuel vehicle, hot rod SUV and car toys is one of the best simple gift ideas for kids, as well as big kids. LEGO® Creator 3 in 1 sets give the giftee a choice as well, since the pieces can be used to assemble three different sets. Timeless, ageless, genderless and always entertaining, you really can't go wrong with LEGO® as a gift. 7. Noise Cancelling Earbuds If you ask us, noise-cancelling earbuds are no longer a luxury but an essential. If you're trying to find a Christmas gift for your friend who is always travelling or listening to tunes, or you noticed a mate with ancient corded headphones, then the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds may be the way to go. They feature technology that analyses each ear and adapts sound so that the active noise-cancelling earbuds are custom-tailored, plus they come with nine soft ear tips and stability bands for ultimate comfort. 8. Mortar and Pestle Sometimes, the best gift is a simple one. Enter the granite Mortar and Pestle. There's no kitchen tool simpler than this. Made from solid granite, this kitchen staple is great for crushing herbs, spices, garlic, basil and whatever else you so desire. It's a great gift for those in your life who love cooking. And, if it turns out they don't like cooking, then it also makes for an aesthetic piece of decor on the kitchen bench, So it's a win-win. 9. Minecraft Board Game If we could place a bet on whether the kids in your life play Minecraft, we would confidently put money on it being a yes. They can't get enough, and gifting them with anything Minecraft-related is sure to be a hit. This Minecraft Board Game from Ravensburger is an easy-to-learn strategy board game where players explore the Overworld, mine resources, build structures, collect weapons and fight mobs. Perfect for Minecraft lovers, it's also fun even if you have never played Minecraft. 10. Fitness Tracker Do you have any fitness freaks in your friendship circle? Or maybe your old man is looking to get back in shape? Look no further than the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Health & Fitness Tracker. This sleek little thing helps you track workouts and health metrics with over 150 sports modes, continuous heart rate monitoring, SpO2 measurement, and sleep analysis. It also looks cool and comes in a range of different colours. Images: Supplied by Amazon. 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Wynnum Fringe lives up to its name, giving Brisbane's bayside its own fringe festival. The fest is upon us for another year, and it just keeps getting bigger. First staged in 2020 as a three day event, then returning in 2021 for six days, the festival is back for a third go in the seaside suburb — this time, with almost three weeks of arts and culture on the lineup, running from Wednesday, November 16–Sunday, December 4. At Wynnum Fringe 2022, you'll find everything from cabaret and comedy to music and dance on the bill, and even a ferris wheel. The event is aiming to entice 35,000 folks along across its 19-day run, so you'll also find ample company at a range of venues. Highlights include the first-ever Wynnum Fringe Comedy Gala, with Mel Buttle, Damien Power, Luke Heggie and Chris Ryan taking to the microphone; more laughs from Dave Hughes, Akmal Saleh and Cal Wilson; and Marcia Hines getting her disco on in Velvet Rewired. There's also opening ceremony yana marumba (Walk Good) as part of the First Nations programming, Dolly Diamond's variety show High T and a one-night-only gig by Diesel, as well as an all-ages amateur dance eisteddfod led by Common People Dance Project, Head First Acrobats' circus performances GODZ and Crème de la crème, Dane Simpson's Didgeridoozy and a local Battle of the Bands. The 2022 festival also boasts a new garden hub at George Clayton Park, which is where Wynnum Fringe's spiegeltent will sit — and a ferris wheel, food trucks, pop-up daily gigs and roving entertainment. For drinks, the new fest base includes a cocktail-slinging container bar, too, complete with rooftop seating. Throw in a fancy dress parade for dogs — and program themes that change weekly, starting with an Indigenous focus, then taking on Euro vibes, then going all in on local talent — and there's no shortage of things to see and do.
Paul Allam and David McGuinness opened Bourke St Bakery in 2004 and worked their way into the heart of inner-Sydney with their quality handmade baked goods. This month they will extend their reach to the city’s outskirts with the launch of The Bread & Butter Project, the 'Makers of Bakers', a social enterprise designed to skill-up the disenfranchised and take the tastes of Bourke St to high-end provedores, restaurants and cafes — it's an old-fashioned everybody wins scheme. The project will be starting up at their Marrickville bakery with six refugees coming on board from greater Sydney for a 12-month paid traineeship in the art of making some of this city's best bread. On graduation the trainees will not only have experience working at a high-standard bakery but be armed with TAFE-accredited credentials for the jobs marketplace. All profits from the enterprise will be reinvested back into the program, which hopes to double its intake of future bakers next year. But it's not just goodwill that will keep the bitter taste in your mouth at bay; the bread range is available on their website, and with offerings like a white chia and goji berry semi-sourdough, this initiative looks set to follow in the success of its older siblings, Bourke St Bakery and Wilbur's Place eatery. Bread & Butter will soon be available at DJs Food Halls in Bondi Junction and the CBD, along with Thomas Dux Crows Nest and from the Sydney Food Connect Organic Fruit and Vegetable Delivery Service. Bread will also be available direct to the public through local markets — The Entertainment Quarter and The Sydney Morning Herald Grower's Market in Pyrmont — and at select restaurants and cafes.
Games of Thrones is the world’s most pirated TV show, The Avengers made more than $1.5 billion at the box office and even the President of the United States once collected Spider Man comics. In other words, it’s pretty cool to be a nerd these days. Just ask avid Dungeons and Dragons player Vin Diesel. The ultimate celebration of everything geeky, the Supanova Pop Culture Expo hits the Brisbane Convention Centre from November 28-30. From cosplay comps to comic book signings and photo opportunities with sci-fi and fantasy icons, it’s a three-day mecca of uninhibited, unironic nerdiness that attracts thousands of eager pilgrims every year. Of course such an event can seem overwhelming, especially to the uninitiated. So, whether you’ll be attending in your fully functioning Iron Man costume, or experiencing the convention for the very first time, here are our recommendations for getting the best out of Supanova 2014. Shop around for the zombie apocalypse A huge part of any convention experience is simply walking the floor and perusing the vendor booths. Browse through rare and classic comic books, hunt down elusive collectables, or arm yourself for the impending zombie apocalypse with custom designed swords and machetes. Just be sure to give the expo's weapons policy a read first. That’s right, there’s a weapons policy. Show your competitive side While it’s easy to stereotype con-goers as a mostly sedentary group of people, it turns out Supanova offers plenty of opportunity for rigorous physical exercise. Join an epic game of laser tag in a special inflatable arena, or get a crash-course in Harry Potter’s favourite pastime courtesy of the athletes at the Australian Quidditch Association. A pinball tournament probably doesn’t offer quite the same workout, admittedly, but an iPad to the winner is certainly nothing to sneeze at. Unleash some feels on King Joffrey Meet the men and women behind some of the biggest characters in geekdom. Faces on this year’s guest list include Game of Thrones' Jack Gleeson, Doctor Who companion Freema Agyeman, Whedonverse alum Ron Glass and Tom Lenk, plus authors, voice actors and comic book artists aplenty. Just be aware, when it comes to a lot of the bigger names, autographs and photos don’t always come free. For a full list of guests and their signing fees, go here. Learn the creative side of things Although we all know names like Gandalf and Dumbledore, the true wizards of science fiction and fantasy are the unsung visual effects artists. The Imagineer’s Playground will be present to give fans a close up look at the craft of costuming, special effects makeup, video game design and more. You can even get some 'how-to' tips and compete in the Supanova Fan Art Competition. Come in character (if you've got the guts) At the end of the day, it’s easy to separate the hardcore fans from the nerd-curious newbies by a quick glance at what they’re wearing. Anyone sporting Jedi robes, a Super Saiyan hair cut or any kind of jetpack has probably done this before. Whether you’re game enough to dress up yourself, there are sure to be plenty of elaborate costumes on display, with the very best on the catwalk for the Madman National Cosplay Championships. For more information on the Brisbane Supanova Pop Culture Expo, visit www.supanova.com.au. Image credits: David Chau, Ruben Schade and Jessica Truscott via Creative Commons.
If you're tossing and turning all night — it might not just be because of the state of the world. Your mattress and pillow is something you spend nearly a third of every day lounging on, so it's never not a good time to treat yourself to some upgrades. Luckily, premium homewares brand Ecosa wants to help out. In the lead-up to the end of financial year, everything on the Ecosa website is 25 percent off from Monday, May 31 until Wednesday, June 30. So, if you've been complaining non-stop to your office buddies about a crook neck, get yourself fancy memory foam pillow. The ergonomic pillow boasts an adjustable height, a curved shape that suits side and back sleepers and a compressible foam that supports the natural shape of your head. Plus, it comes with two compression bags so you can pack it up and take it with you everywhere. If that's not enough, Ecosa is also offering free shipping and returns Australia-wide, plus a 100-day free trial period. So if you order a mattress, bed base or one of Ecosa's new cot mattresses, you'll be treated to free same-day delivery, meaning you can start sleeping right from tonight. Ecosa is a one-stop sleep shop with luxe bamboo sheets, silk pillowcases, wooden bed base, memory foam mattress and weighted blanket all available at the discounted price. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
If spending a day listening to Porter Robinson, Gang of Youths, Peking Duk, Hockey Dad and Alex Lahey at This That was on your agenda for this spring, the festival comes bearing bad news — again. After cancelling its 2022 end-of-year events, the Newcastle and Brisbane fest has now done the same for 2023. "It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce This That Sandstone Point (Qld) and Newcastle (NSW) festivals will no longer be going ahead," the festival team announced in a statement on its website and social media. "This difficult decision was reached due to the challenging economic conditions we have been working within this past year, and the many factors that have been impacted by this. It has left us feeling that the This That experience you have come to know and love, and that we pride ourselves on offering, would only be dampened if we were to forge ahead," the This That crew continued. View this post on Instagram A post shared by THIS THAT (@thisxxthat) This That's November dates — on Saturday, November 4 at Sandstone Point Hotel in Sandstone Point and Saturday, November 11 at Wickham Park in Newcastle — were set to mark the coastal festival's return for the first time since early 2022. When the event pulled the plug last year, it was "due to a combination of issues", organisers advised; however, it promised that it'd be back in 2023. Also on the first This That 2023 lineup announcement: Slumberjack, Set Mo and The Presets doing a DJ set, plus Lola Scott, Trophy Eyes, Dear Seattle, Chillinit, Hooligan Hefs, Jesswar, Sophiya, Godlands, Kinder, Alice Ivy and more. [caption id="attachment_910563" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Zagexma via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Some of the acts on this year's now-shuttered bill were also on the roster last year's scrapped, such as The Presets, Winston Surfshirt, Chillinit, Hockey Dad and Jesswar. Ticketholders for 2023 will be contacted by Oztix about refunds, which will be returned to the card that tickets were purchased with automatically. This That will no longer return in November 2023 at Sandstone Point in Queensland and Newcastle in New South Wales. For more information about the festival's cancellation, head to the event's website. Images: Jordan Munns / Mitch Lowe.
Books and good lighting have never seemed to go together. As a child I was always encouraged to read less, because "you'll ruin your eyes!" Clearly my parents never anticipated that glasses would become cool. Regardless, I spent most of my childhood reading in bad light, and I am now quietly smug that I have reached my early twenties and have never had a cavity despite refusing to drink milk, have curly hair without eating my crusts, and have perfect vision, unaided by optometrists, despite having spent most of my life with my head in a book. Now Swiss designer Boris Dennler, in his 2007 series of lamps entitled Livresse, is bringing books and good lighting together in one lovely, yet contradictory, invention. Dennler has chosen to re-purpose books, an item frequently overlooked when it comes to the world of interior lighting, and transform them into eco-friendly lamps. The books are turned into fully functional soft-lighting lamps without causing damage to the pages, and can be easily changed if you need to swap your Mills and Boon lamps for early French philosophers. The lamps are also portable, so you could easily freak people out by hanging them from the trees. Recycling at it's best. [Via Designboom]
Back in 2021, Queensland's Scenic Rim region was named one of the best places in the entire world to visit in 2022. The folks behind Yonder Festival clearly took note. When the three-day music, arts and camping fest returns this spring — running from Thursday, November 24–Saturday, November 26 — it'll make a massive move, shifting down from the Sunshine Coast. The Mary Valley's loss is the Scenic Rim's gain — and the fest's laidback atmosphere, plus the jam-packed lineup of stellar tunes and performances, will obviously make the jump as well. It's safe to assume that campers will once again slumber surrounded by luscious greenery, and cross your fingers that the new site still lets you go for a swim in the creek while you watch a gig. [caption id="attachment_829123" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Josephine Cubis[/caption] Even if those dips aren't part of the 2022 festival, Yonder will obviously still celebrate creativity and kicking back in a big way, just in the Gold Coast Hinterland instead. And, it'll boast Meanjin-based Gunggari illustration and digital artist Desirai as its feature artist, with the full lineup announced in late September. Last year's fest boasted everything from a stacked music roster across four stages to a feast of roving theatrical and visual artists, plus a heap of workshops and panels on wellbeing, if you're wondering what's likely to be in store. The 2021 event also placed a significant focus on Indigenous producers, artists and communities, as well as local creatives. Listening to Ruckus Slam's poetry, wandering through the visual arts displays, taking part in a laughter yoga session, walking across a slackline, doing water aerobics, and browsing the boutique food and market stalls — that's usually on the Yonder bill as well, as is being able to BYO alcohol. Those drinks do need to be in plastic containers, and you can also only show up with a reasonable amount of booze. Keen even without the lineup? Tickets go on sale from 9am AEST on Wednesday, August 17. Yonder Festival runs from Thursday, November 24–Saturday, November 26 in the Scenic Rim, Queensland. For more information or to buy tickets from 9am AEST on Wednesday, August 17, head to the festival website. We'll update you when the festival lineup is announced.
In 1994, when Daniel Johns was just 15 years old, he became one of the biggest music stars in the country. Silverchair's 'Tomorrow' hasn't just a hit — it was a song that turned a group of Aussie teenagers into instant legends, soundtracked the mid-90s and helped define growing up in Australia at the time. Saying it was huge really isn't quite saying enough. But what if things hadn't turned out that way? That feels almost unthinkable, but Daniel Johns himself has been thinking it. And, he's made it the premise of a new featurette — not a full-length movie, not exactly a short either, and not really a music video — called What If The Future Never Happened?. In the film, it's 1994 again. Daniel isn't a teenage rockstar yet, but that's only months off. Then, on a normal day in regional Australia — whether or not it'll actually be Newcastle, that's what we'll all be thinking — Daniel's future changes while he's trying to escape three local bullies, all thanks to a mysterious figure. You wait till tomorrow indeed. What If The Future Never Happened? has just dropped a trailer, and it looks as moody, as stepped in all things 90s, and as eager to play around with sci-fi and fantasy as as you'd expect — and the casting of surfer, actor and musician Rasmus King (Barons, Bosch & Rockit) as Johns is downright uncanny. He could've stepped right out of the 'Tomorrow' music video and into the featurette. Perhaps that'll be the concept behind a future movie? Hailed as "from the mind of Daniel Johns" — and clearly based on his life — What If The Future Never Happened? is written and directed by James Medlam (who boasts helming Dune Rats' 'No Plans' music video on his resume). It's also co-penned by producer Heath George and based on a story by Heath Johns, aka Daniel's brother. While exactly when and where it'll drop hasn't been revealed, Daniel Johns' latest solo studio album FutureNever released back in April — and yes, he has a theme at the moment. Check out the trailer for What If The Future Never Happened? below: What If The Future Never Happened? doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when it does.
Cheer until your throat gives out as gold and black collide in a melee of mud, sweat and blood in the final test of the Bledisloe Cup 2012. Ranked first and second respectively New Zealand and Australia have clashed for the converted Bledisloe cup since, depending on who you ask, 1931, and the All-Blacks have dominated the majority of the time, including a recent ten year winning streak. With Suncorp Stadium awash in a sea of gold and filled with the shouts and screams of undeterred wallabies fans, the haka might fall on deaf ears. Regardless, it will be a great game; not to be missed.
UPDATE, May 14, 2021: American Utopia is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. There may be no catchier lyric in music history than "same as it ever was", the five words repeated in Talking Heads' 1981 single 'Once in a Lifetime'. As uttered again and again by the band's inimitable frontman David Byrne, it's a looping phrase that burrows into your skull and never leaves. It's a line that, apropos of nothing, starts echoing through your brain at random moments as well. It's also the type of lyric that, when the above situation happens, no one protests. So when American Utopia opens with the musician sat at a table holding a brain and talking about what its various parts do, it feels as if Byrne is acknowledging what everyone already knows in the deepest recesses of their consciousness: that Byrne long ago got cosy in our craniums and has been nattering away to us ever since. As he stares at grey matter while wearing a grey suit — a perfectly fitting one, unlike the famed big number he wore in iconic 1984 Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense — Byrne has something else on his mind, though. American Utopia starts with the part of our bodies where we all mentally reside, but slowly and smartly evolves from the cerebral to the communal. It segues from one man alone on a stage lost in his own thoughts to 12 people singing, dancing, playing instruments and connecting, and also pondering the state of the world and how to better it in the process. And it takes its titular concept seriously along the way, confronting America's political and social divisions in Byrne's witty, wise and impassioned between-song chats, but never satirising the idea that the US could be improved to the benefit of everyone. American Utopia is a concert film like its predecessor; however, as that masterpiece proved, the whole notion means more to Byrne than merely standing in front of a camera and busting out well-known hits. From the sublimely soothing 'This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)' to the punchier 'Burning Down the House', plenty of Byrne's best-known songs do grace American Utopia. 'Once in a Lifetime' is among them, of course, as are 'Road to Nowhere' and 'Everybody's Coming to My House', with the film's playlist spanning his career with Talking Heads and solo. Across a range of styles and tempos, each track is a wonder, and not just in the way that fans already know. As should be obvious from the fastidious fashion in which Byrne has conceptualised this stage performance — which he toured in 2018, then adapted for Broadway in 2019, and has now turned into this standout movie directed by Spike Lee — this is a meticulously crafted work. Basking in the glory of Byrne and his band is inevitable and would happen regardless, but soaking in everything that American Utopia does is another marvel entirely. It shouldn't be so striking to notice that Byrne and his colleagues are doing their thing completely untethered, for instance. The stage they stand on is bare except for a shimmering grey chainmail curtain that wraps around three sides, and their instruments and microphones are powered by packs so there are no pesky cords all over the place. Even percussion instruments are strapped to the folks playing them, with absolutely nothing touching the floor other than dancing (and in Byrne's case, bare) feet. It's freeing, not just for Byrne and his band, but to watch. Every move made is immaculately choreographed, but without all the wires and big equipment that's usually part of every concert experience, the performers can simply interact. And as they do, the audience engages on a deeper lever as well. Stop Making Sense devotees, which should include everyone given that it's the best concert movie ever made, will spot that Byrne has reversed his strategy from that earlier film. There, he walked onto the stage with a tape deck, pressed play, grabbed the microphone and kicked off by singing 'Psycho Killer'. When it came time for the next song, another bandmate joined him with their instrument of choice. The cycle repeated with the next track, and the next as well. It was a playful and also probing approach to the genre that made viewers confront its literally staged nature, which American Utopia achieves in the opposite manner and with broader aims — because, other than Byrne's presence, nothing is the same as it ever was here. Before Byrne forces you to do so, you probably won't have realised how enlivening, wondrous and cathartic it is to see the act of connecting so firmly thrust to the fore. It takes an incredible amount of work to make something so tightly constructed seem so loose and natural, and that's just one of the reasons that American Utopia is yet another of the star's masterpieces. The other sizeable factor: Lee, who is on quite the hot streak via BlacKkKlansman, Da 5 Bloods and now this. Like Byrne, he doesn't just want to plonk the performers in front of a lens, with his energetic directorial choices designed to complement the show and make the audience feel as if they're in the room. American Utopia, the stage production, already celebrates intimacy. At its core, it features a dozen people turning a semi-enclosed cube into an inviting space for collaboration and togetherness. Sometimes peering down on the action from above, sometimes weaving between band members, Lee and his 11 camera operators find the exact right shot for the exact right moment in every instance — and prove inventive and creative as they're doing so, too. Although it comes early in the film, when Byrne sings "home is where I want to be", another of his earworm lyrics, everything about what's easily the most joyous cinematic experience of the year instantly makes you feel that he's talking about exactly where he's standing at that very second. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97nnV0fNd30&feature=youtu.be
This year's Brisbane Festival is going big on art, featuring the event's largest-ever visual arts program. That means that it's going big on free fun, too — because plenty of its dazzling sights are popping up around town in outdoor spots, letting Brisbanites enjoy their wonders without spending a cent. Head to the Festival Garden at South Bank from Tuesday, September 6–Saturday, September 24 to see one such glorious display, which hails from New York artist Jen Lewin. The Pool is bringing its 100-plus light pads to Brisbane and, yes, you're allowed to hop on them. Also, you won't need your wallet. The piece is inspired by Australia's tidal pools, and asks its audience to step, jump and dance across its floating circles. As you skip, bounce and shuffle, those discs beam and swirl with light — activated by your footsteps, changing with your every move and always creating something new to marvel at. You might've seen images and videos of The Pool from its past berths, because it's a well-travelled installation. Doing the rounds since 2008, it has brightened up Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Lisbon, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York City, Prague, Shanghai, Sydney and Taipei and more. Now, Brisbane joins the list. Top image: Marcus Carter.
Some Pixar movies bring childhood obsessions to big screen, as seen in the Toy Story and Cars films. If you loved monsters as a kid, the Monsters, Inc flicks definitely also count. Other features made by the beloved animation studio explore exactly what it feels like to be a child — as seen in the wonderful Inside Out, of course, and now in the company's upcoming release Turning Red. Marking the first feature from writer/director Domee Shi, who won an Oscar for her delightful 2018 short Bao, Turning Red takes its moniker literally. Many Pixar flicks do (see also: Finding Nemo, Up, Brave and Onward, for instance). Here, 13-year-old Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang, also making her movie debut) is an ordinary teen who gets embarrassed by her mum Ming (Sandra Oh, The Chair) fairly often, and can find adolescent life a bit overwhelming. So far, so relatable — but when she's overexcited by all of the above, Mei Lee also happens to turn into a fluffy red panda. If you're thinking about the Hulk but red, female, younger and more adorable, that's the kind of vibe that the trailer gives. Disney does own both Pixar and Marvel, so that isn't a big leap. Just how Mei Lee copes with those sudden transformations is exactly what the flick will cover, obviously — and while the film was originally destined for cinemas, viewers will now be able to see the end result via Disney+ instead. The Mouse House has just revealed that Turning Red will take the same route as the past two Pixar releases, Soul and Luca, and head straight to its streaming platform. So, you'll be sitting on your couch to grab another dose of heartwarming animated cuteness, with the film due to drop on Friday, March 11. Check out the trailer below: Turning Red will be available to stream via Disney+ on Friday, March 11. Top image: © 2022 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
If you're a Brisbanite missing your regular pub meal, weekly date night out with your partner, or just having a bite to eat or a few drinks somewhere other than home, then good news might be on the horizon — with Queensland restaurants, cafes and bars possibly reopening in June. Speaking to media today, Monday, May 4, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk revealed that the Queensland Government is currently considering allowing the hospitality industry to start welcoming customers again as early as next month. "I think June is a good ambitious target... I can't say whether it's early June or late June, but I'm going to have those discussions," the Premier commented. Other details haven't been announced at this early point, with the Premier set to speak with industry bodies and figures before anything is finalised. Currently, restaurants, cafes and bars are only allowed to provide takeaway and delivery options — so scaling that back, and allowing people to sit down to have a meal or a beverage, is the obvious next step. That said, with social distancing measures unlikely to be phased out any time soon, Queenslanders shouldn't expect an immediate return to pre-coronavirus business as usual. At the very least, it's likely that sitting 1.5 metres apart from your fellow diners will be required. [caption id="attachment_681498" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Grace Smith[/caption] Reopening restaurants, cafes and bars would form the next step of state's gradual move out of its current COVID-19 lockdowns. The first set of stay-at-home restrictions were eased late on Friday, May 1, allowing Queenslanders to leave home for more than just essential activities — and to travel within 50 kilometres of their residences. Today, the Premier revealed the next stage, which involves the return of students to schools over the course of this month. At the time of writing, Queensland has 52 active cases of COVID-19, from a total of 1038 cases to date. Since mid-April, new daily diagnoses have been falling, with fewer than eight new cases confirmed daily since April 15 — and the state experiencing five single days with zero new cases. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Top image: Grace Smith
It's time to get the word "Jellicle" stuck in your head again: to mark 40 years since it first hit the stage in Australia, Cats has locked in a new season Down Under. Back in July 1985, Aussie audiences initially experienced Andrew Lloyd Webber's acclaimed production, which turned a tale inspired by poems from T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats into an award-winning theatre hit. The place: Sydney, aka where Cats is heading again from June 2025. Four decades ago, the show pranced and prowled through Theatre Royal Sydney — and the new season will scamper across the boards there again, too. There's no word yet on whether the show's 2025 Australian run will make stops in any other cities, so if you're keen for some new Cats memories, booking a seat in the Harbour City is your only current way of guaranteeing them. "Cats is a legendary show that I've admired for over 40 years. A sparkling fusion of music, dance and verse, it was revolutionary when it first opened and enticed new audiences into the world of musical theatre," said producer John Frost for Crossroads Live about the new Aussie performances. "I can't wait to bring the original production of Cats back to Australia where it all began, at Theatre Royal Sydney, to celebrate its 40th anniversary in Australia." If you're new to Cats, it spends its time with the Jellicle cat tribe on the night of the Jellicle Ball. That's the evening each year when their leader Old Deuteronomy picks who'll be reborn into a new Jellicle life by making the Jellicle choice. And yes, "Jellicle" is uttered frequently. Of late, audiences might be more familiar with Cats as a movie. In 2019, the musical made the leap from stage to screen with a star-studded cast including Idris Elba (Hijack), Taylor Swift (Amsterdam), Judi Dench (Belfast), Ian McKellen, (The Critic) James Corden, (Mammals) Jennifer Hudson (Respect), Jason Derulo (Lethal Weapon), Ray Winstone (Damsel) and Rebel Wilson (The Almond and the Seahorse) playing singing, scurrying street mousers. If you ever wanted to see Swift pouring cat nip on a crowd of cats from a suspended gold moon, or were keen to soothe your disappointment over the fact that Elba hasn't yet been James Bond by spotting him with whiskers, fur and a tail, this was your chance. For its efforts, the Tom Hooper (The Danish Girl)-directed film picked up six Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture. But while the movie clearly didn't hit the mark, you can see why this feline-fancying musical has been such a huge theatre hit when it makes its Aussie stage comeback. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cats Australia (@catsthemusicalau) Cats will play Theatre Royal Sydney, 108 King Street, Sydney, from June 2025. Head to the musical's website to further details and to sign up for the ticket waitlist. Images: Alessandro Pinna.
For the second year running, Formula 1 cars won't race around Melbourne's Albert Park during the Australian Grand Prix, with the event cancelled once again in 2021. It was scrapped in 2020, too, after it was initially due to take place just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit Australia. This year, the race had already been postponed from March to November, but now it won't be held at all. Announcing the news today, Tuesday, July 6, the Victorian Government advised that the event has fallen victim to the pandemic — and to Australia's slow vaccination program and new caps on international traveller numbers specifically — as has this year's Australian MotoGP on Phillip Island. The Formula 1 race was due to take place on November 21, and the MotoGP on October 24; however, the state was unable to give the sports' governing bodies assurances that both would be permitted to proceed. As a result, the organisers of the two events have chosen to move on with their 2021 seasons without stops in Victoria. Both races are expected to return in 2022, though. "The Victorian Government understands the need for Formula 1 management and MotoGP controller Dorna Sports to confirm their schedules, and the decision not to proceed in 2021 was mutually agreed with those bodies," said the Victorian Government in a statement. https://twitter.com/ausgrandprix/status/1412275229800292353 The big Formula 1 race has hit Melbourne every year since 1996 — every year until last year, that is. At present, it's contracted to return to Albert Park between 2022–25. The MotoGP's history on Phillip Island is very similar, with the event first held there in 1997, and contracted to continue until 2026. Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula said that "it's very disappointing that these much-loved events can't proceed but this is the reality of the pandemic — but until we get much higher vaccination rates we cannot return to more normal settings." He continued: "we are getting to work on plans for 2022 immediately and can't wait to welcome the world's best drivers and riders and all motorsport fans back to Albert Park and Phillip Island." Whether Melbourne's other big international sporting event, the 2022 Australian Open, will also be impacted by Australia's sluggish vaccine campaign and our traveller caps — and the fact that anyone heading here from overseas needs to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival — is obviously yet to be seen. The Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix and Australian MotoGP will no longer go ahead in 2021. For more information about the cancellation, head to the Victorian Government website and the Australian Grand Prix website.
As House of the Dragon's second season finale set up, big things are happening in Westeros. With fellow Game of Thrones prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms dropping a sneak peek ahead of its 2025, big things are happening for the George RR Martin-created realm on-screen, too. Here comes some more big news related to the hugely popular page-to-TV fantasy franchise, which just keeps proving a hit for HBO: winter is coming to House of the Dragon, giving fans just two more seasons of its Targaryen feuds. In a press conference, House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal has advised that as well as the already-announced third season of the show — which was greenlit before season two even aired — a fourth season is planned. After that, there'll be no more time with Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy, Mothering Sunday), Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke, Slow Horses) and everyone else that's been squabbling over the Iron Throne since 2022. As both The Hollywood Reporter and Variety report, Condal also said that the third season of House of the Dragon is likely to go into production in early 2025, and span eight episodes as season two did. Why get viewers obsessing over one ending, given that season two just wrapped up on Monday, August 5, Down Under, when they can dig into two? That's where this information puts House of the Dragon aficionados. But while you start to come to terms with another stint in the Seven Kingdoms coming to its conclusion, your next Game of Thrones-related watch is already confirmed thanks to the aforementioned A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. HBO has always been quick to lock in more House of the Dragon. It took a mere one episode when the series premiered for the US network to sign on for season two, after all. But after giving Game of Thrones eight seasons, it seems that HBO is now also quick to know when not to drag out a storyline, even for one of its massive shows. There's no details yet on when either season three or season four of House of the Dragon will bring back its flowing long blonde hair, carnage, fire, dragons, conflicting factions and fights for supremacy — including if it'll be in winter in Australia and New Zealand, as has proven the case for both season one and two. Game of Thrones was always going to spark spinoff shows. Indeed, when HBO started thinking about doing a prequel six years ago, before the OG smash had even finished its run, it was hardly surprising. And, when the US network kept adding ideas to its list — including a Jon Snow-focused series with Kit Harington (Eternals) reprising his famous role, novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg and an animated GoT show, to name just a few prequels and spinoffs that've been considered, but may or may not actually come to fruition — absolutely no one was astonished. So far, just House of the Dragon has reached screens, with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the Dunk and Egg adaptation, arriving next. Check out the trailer for House of the Dragon season two below: House of the Dragon streams Down Under via Foxtel and Binge in Australia, and SoHo, Sky Go and Neon in New Zealand. Seasons three and four don't yet have release dates. Read our review of season one and our review of season two. Via Hollywood Reporter / Variety. Images: HBO.
Described as a 'modern cowboy of the creative revolution', Mr Lentz creates objects and fashion accessories from wood and upcycled materials, which he finds in junk yards. 'My aim has always been to find beauty and share it with others,' he explains on his site. Mr Lentz works with leather, and dabbles in photography, but his current project is the creation of rings, necklaces and brass knuckles made of wood and grass. Fashioned from sustainably harvested walnut, each ring plays host to a live micro-environment - a teeny tiny patch of growing grass or moss. For those who don't go for green, Mr Lentz has created a limited edition series of brass knuckles made from deer antlers. According to his site, 'they're a force to be reckoned with', designed 'for the rebel livin' life on the edge'. The antler tips are gathered from the forest floor, after the deer have gone through their annual shedding process. Mr Lentz says that he decided to make environmentally-inspired jewellery after a solitary walk through a foggy, overgrown redwood forest. 'This walk lasted days, meandering through river valleys and steep, dense hillside. The redwood forest did not once fail to impress and inspire me, and so what once was a trail of footsteps is now a journey into the handmade world of eco-friendly and sustainable jewellery'. [via Inhabitat]
If you've seen a man in the moon, the Virgin Mary in a grilled cheese sandwich or a monkey in the callus of a tree, do you know there's a word for what you've been experiencing? It's 'pareidolia', which the Collins Dictionary defines as "the imagined perception of a pattern or meaning where it does not actually exist". In his notebooks, Leonardo da Vinci wrote that the phenomenon inspired great art: "If you look at any walls spotted with various stains or with a mixture of different kinds of stones ... you will be able to see an infinite number of things which you can then reduce into separate and well-conceived forms." Google is now taking pareidolia to a whole new level. Combining facial recognition software and Google Maps, Google Faces can identify human features on the Earth's surface. Given that the aforementioned cheese sandwich sold for $US28,000, we can only begin to imagine what the discovery of Jesus's visage in someone's backyard might do for property values. Google Faces is the brainchild of Onformative, 'a studio for regenerative design', based in Berlin. They have created an algorithm that, in combination with Facetracker, scans the satellite images provided by Google Maps, honing in on geographical elements that resemble an eye, nose, mouth or forehead. So far, the programme has circumnavigated the world twice, and it'll continue its journey over the next few months, gradually zooming in on the Earth to access new perspectives. Via io9.
As one of southeast Queensland's two go-to beach-filled holiday spots, the Sunshine Coast is known for its sun and sand. But as well as being perched right on the ocean, the region also boasts rainforests and farms in extremely close proximity. That places it among Australia's most unique food and drink regions, gives it an interesting culinary landscape and makes it a prime location for a festival that's all about eating and drinking. Bites, beverages, basking in everything that makes the Sunshine Coast ace: that's The Curated Plate's remit, and has been since it kicked off back in 2019. Returning for 2023, the festival now runs for ten days, spanning Friday, July 28–Sunday, August 6, to celebrate all of the culinary goodness that this coastal pocket has to offer. On the lineup: more than 100 events featuring 300-plus local producers and suppliers, as put together by 52 local businesses and event organisers. The festival's program takes place in venues across the region's hinterlands, rainforests and beaches, giving attendees the full Sunny Coast experience. Heading along means feasting your way from Caloundra to Coolum, Maleny to Mooloolaba and Buderim to Beerwah, including at bar crawls, overwater picnics and farm-to-fork experiences. 2023's highlights cover MooloolaBARS, which is exactly what it sounds like across one beer- and beverage-heavy day; picnics in the Maroochydore Wheel House on Bradman Avenue, with food and booze taken care of for you; and a day spent eating at Falls Farm and Mapleton Public House. Or, there's the return of the Sunshine Coast Asian Food Festival, a zero-waste garden-to-plate lunch, and Moffat Beach Brewing's beer and barbecue degustation dinner. The festival is also championing First Nations food experiences, such as at a series of bush tucker river cruises by Saltwater Eco Tours, and a four-course dinner featuring native Australian ingredients — hand-picked garnishes from the Sunshine Coast hinterland included. Also on the lineup: a kombucha workshop, classes on plant-based cooking and oyster shucking, and a session about combining whisky, tequila and chocolate. Or, there's a boozy brunch heroing locally grown oyster mushrooms, bottomless high teas, trawler-to-table cruises that obviously go heavy on seafood and farm open days.
Wearable art meets wearable music with this trendy idea from New York company Parte LLC. Playbutton is an mp3 player embedded in a badge, each one storing pre-recorded content like an album or mix-tape. Album artwork is printed on the badge, making your music taste an integral part of your fashion statement. Sure, you can't change the sequence of the music or download new content, but that's pretty much the entire idea. It's only fitting to hark back to older forms of music consumption (like listening to an entire album, rather than buying individual songs) when teaming it up with a retro-style fashion accessory. Each Playbutton weighs just 0.8 grams, making it 175 times smaller than a traditional iPod; and bands like Mount Eerie, Bubbles and Opening Ceremony are already on board. In fact all proceeds from the sales of Open Ceremony's Playbutton go to Musicians on Call, a non-profit in New York that brings live and recorded music to hospital patients who are unable to leave their beds. [Via NOTCOT]
Is it a balloon? Is it a giant beach ball? No, it's (This is) Air, the National Gallery of Victoria's 2023 Architecture Commission. Thanks to the St Kilda Road arts institution's annual commitment to livening up its garden by celebrating design, a towering sphere is making Melbourne home until June 2024. This isn't just any old 14-metre-tall globe: as everyone can see while in its presence, it breathes, inhaling and exhaling to draw attention to air. When the NGV International hosts this yearly architecture commission, almost anything can grace the venue's grounds. In the past, that's meant a colourful mini Parthenon, a bright pink pool to wade through, a bamboo garden with its own deck and a pink carwash, all memorable. Among a series of pieces all literally designed to stand out, (This is) Air might just have them beat. A lofty sphere that expands with air, then releases it — doing so all day from Thursday, November 23 — isn't easily forgotten. One of (This is) Air's aims: to make the invisible substance that's there in its name visible. Australian architect Nic Brunsdon has joined forces with ENESS — the art and technology company behind public artworks such as Sky Castle, Airship Orchestra, Cupid's Koi Garden, Lost Dogs' Disco and more — on the work that promised to make quite the sight when it was announced back in July, and proves the case now that it has been installed. No one in the vicinity will be able to miss it, either, thanks to that 14-metre height when it's fully inflated. To get to that measurement, it uses air as a building material. And when it breathes out, it does so by releasing gusts, forming different cloud-like shapes, then filling back to capacity again. Brunsdon and ENESS also want everyone taking in (This is) Air to think about humanity's need for and relationship to air. While you're peering at the commission, you'll see air in action and notice how essential it is. Also highlighted: how dependent we all are upon the element, how finite it is and how its quality is being impacted. "The idea for this project was conceived by the architect during the global pandemic, when the air we breathed was suddenly at the forefront of everyone's mind. Taking the form of a giant inflatable sphere, this living structure inhales and exhales before our eyes, giving presence to that omnipresent yet invisible element that connects us all," said Ewan McEoin, the NGV's Senior Curator, Contemporary Art, Design and Architecture. "Air can be understood as part of our global economic, social and ecological realities. And yet, the quality of air we breathe varies depending on where and how we live. Air is universal, yet clean air is not." As (This is) Air gets viewers pondering, it's also designed to be uplifting. As is always the case with the NGV's yearly commission, it'll provide a place for accompanying performances and other public programs in the NGV Garden, too. (This is) Air also forms part of this year's NGV Triennial exhibition, which will display from Sunday, December 3, 2023–Sunday, April 7, 2024. On the agenda: robot dogs, a room-sized ode to plants, Yoko Ono's work and more, with 75 works set to feature, including more than 25 world-premiere projects. The art showcase will respond to the themes magic, matter and memory, with (This is) Air fitting in with the matter strand. (This is) Air displays at NGV International, St Kilda Road, Melbourne from Sunday, December 3, 2023–June 2024 — head to the NGV website for further details. Images: Installation view of the 2023 NGV Architecture Commission: (This Is) Air designed by architect Nic Brunsdon in collaboration with ENESS. (This Is) Air is on display from 23 November 2023 until June 2024 at NGV International, Melbourne. Photo: Ben Hosking
Any film that critics compare to being "stabbed in the head" would normally be something that people would want to avoid. But when it comes to The Room, the harsher the reviews the better. The 2003 melodrama, about a love triangle between a banker, his best friend and his treacherous fiance, has spawned a massive cult following, with audiences all around the world coming together at late-night screenings to celebrate its cringe-worthy performances, horrendous dialogue and baffling, incomprehensible plot. The mad genius behind The Room is its writer-director-producer-star, the mysterious Tommy Wiseau. Blessed with a confidence that far exceeds his ability, it's Wiseau's virtuosic incompetence that plays a huge part in the movie's appeal. Interviews with Wiseau tend to raise more questions than they answer. A more forthcoming subject is actor Greg Sestero, who co-stars as the best friend, Mark. Sestero recently co-penned a book, titled The Disaster Artist, full of behind-the-scenes stories about the movies' turbulent production. In the lead-up to a promotional visit to Australia, Sestero spoke to Concrete Playground about the book, Wiseau and his dubious double-edged fame. https://youtube.com/watch?v=mQ4KzClb1C4 When you meet Tommy Wiseau "He was the ultimate character," remembers Sestero of his and Wiseau's first meeting, in a Los Angeles acting class back in 1998. "He didn't take no for an answer. As a nineteen-year-old aspiring actor who was doubting myself, he was the perfect person for me to meet at that point in my life." Slowly, the two became friend. Even so, when Wiseau first approached Sestero about making the movie, the actor was reluctant. "I agreed to help him make the film behind the scenes, [but] he really wanted me to be in it," says Sestero. "The night before filming he made me an offer I couldn't refuse. I was an unemployed actor working retail, and I didn't think anybody would see it. Fortunately I was wrong." Production proved a disaster, with cast and crew members regularly quitting or being fired over the course of the six month shoot. "You were dealing with somebody who had never made a film," says Sestero. "He wanted to honour his vision, and anybody who got in the way was shown the door. It was a very trying experience for a lot of people … but he had a very unique way of making art, and more power to him. Unique stands out, and here we are eleven years later, still talking about The Room." When you want fame but get notoriety "I always thought the movie was very funny and very campy, but I was shocked when it found an audience," says Sestero. "It developed a small LA fanbase around 2005, 2006, and then there was an article written in Entertainment Weekly that really blew it up. It wasn't until 2010 that I did an appearance at a theatre in New York at which twelve hundred people showed up. I think at that point I realised The Room had arrived." Of his own performance, and the questionable celebrity the film brought him, the actor remains upbeat. "For something that I just phoned in and didn't expect anything from, I can't really complain," says Sestero. "When you put yourself out there and you read bad things about yourself, it stings. But with this project I was kind of in on the joke from the beginning." And frankly, no one would argue that the cast didn't have their work cut out for them. "With the dialogue, even if you did try to act well, you would have been doomed," reflects the actor. "Even Daniel Day-Lewis probably would have had some trouble getting those lines out." When James Franco and Seth Rogen want to act out your memoirs "I think the book has kind of redeemed the whole experience," says Sestero. "Ever since I made this movie, there were so many crazy stories. I thought that if I took them to a publisher, they wouldn't even believe it as fiction. Then as time went on and the cult began to grow, I felt like the story behind it became even more compelling." Now, in a fittingly strange turn of events, James Franco and Seth Rogen have announced that they'll be adapting the memoir into a film. Franco will direct, while his younger brother Dave will play Sestero. "It's still in the early stages, but I think James Franco and Seth Rogen have made so many great films," says Sestero. "They're a great fit for the project." Despite all The Room has done for him, Sestero is looking forward to moving on. "At the end of the day, it's really Tommy's movie," says Sestero. "It's what really defines him. I think we were all just passengers on this ship. The book was a start to doing things that I'm really excited about, and to kind of show that there's more to me than just this bad movie."
This year hasn't been great for anyone; however, if you're a Parks and Recreation fan, a few tiny slivers of happiness have poked through. First, the Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman-hosted crafting series Making It finally hit screens Down Under. Then, the entire Parks and Rec main cast reunited for a one-off, COVID-19-related new episode. And now, Making It is returning for a second season. Premiering in the US in 2018 but only airing its first season on Australian screens via Foxtel earlier in 2020, Making It sees Poehler and Offerman them step into the competitive reality TV show realm. That domain isn't for everyone, but even if you usually completely abhor the genre, its manufactured dramas and its saturation across the small screen, you'll be smiling heartily at Poehler and Offerman's kind-hearted, extremely likeable and all-round nice show. Focusing on DIY crafting, and celebrating both great craftsmanship and genuine camaraderie, it's basically Project Runway — but hosted by Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson. With Poehler and Offerman leading the charge, it's warm-natured, filled with crafting puns and other gags, and showcases folks trying to do their best, helping each other and enjoying themselves. Basically, it's the feel-good, light-hearted viewing we could all use at the moment. And, when there's a stereotypical moment of heightened tension, it's because Making It is overtly making fun of reality TV's usual theatrics. When you're not watching Poehler and Offerman hang out in a tiny house — yes, really — viewers can soak in the talents of contestants who happen to be handy with a glue gun, great at woodworking, skilled at working with felt and other such crafty endeavours. The competitors complete two tasks per episode, with one person sent home at the end of each episode. The last person standing at the end of the season is crowned the show's 'Master Maker' and wins $100,000. If you watched the first batch of episodes and instantly wanted more, Making It's eight-episode second season will start streaming via Binge from Friday, July 31, with new episodes dropping weekly — and, like season one, this is a case of better late than never. Expect the show's contestants whip up everything from mailboxes and costumes to holiday wreaths and pet homes, and to laugh quite often at Poehler and Offerman's jokes. While the star duo do the hosting — and do it well, naturally, even picking up an Emmy nomination for their efforts — the judging falls to Etsy trend expert Dayna Isom Johnson and window-dresser and fashion commentator Simon Doonan. Check out the second season trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhWFiFfrbY0 Making It's second season will be available to stream via Binge from Friday, July 31, with new episodes dropping weekly. Top image: Making It.
When the cool air starts to move in and the days get shorter, we know there's really only one thing you want to do: put your slippers on, stay in, order takeout and binge on anything even remotely worth watching. But by staying put, you miss out on all the eats you could be eating, drinks you could be drinking and things you could be thinging, erm, doing right-damn-now. So instead of whiling away your winter nights in front of the TV learning far too much about Call the Midwife (no judgement), we suggest grabbing your jacket, calling up a willing friend or two and setting out for the Boundary Street Markets. In partnership with Samsung, we road-tested the new Galaxy S9 and S9+ and its camera's low light abilities to snap some shots of our favourite dishes being served up every Thursday and Friday night. So, go on, seize the night and eat your way through the markets, documenting all the bites you happen upon for your 'gram without worrying about the lack of bright lights. SEAFOOD LAKSA FROM LITTLE NYONYA Few things say winter comfort food more than a steaming bowl of laksa, and at Little Nyonya, they seem to understand precisely what makes for a magnificently balanced bowl of the fragrant soup. Here, the laksa has a bit of a kick with a lightly spiced broth — but the Little Nyonya crew will be happy to sling some more chilli your way if you're after more of a punch. Along with the warming broth, your bowl will come heaped with prawns, fresh bean shoots, assorted veggies and garnishes. Winter chill, be gone. ABURI SALMON BOWL FROM RAIJIN Make sure your Boundary Street Markets trip doesn't end without a visit Raijin for one of its Aburi Salmon Bowls. Fresh salmon is sliced and fired on site so it gets a nice smoky flavour. It's then served atop a healthy bed of brown rice with some fresh veg to balance out that tasty, tasty sauce slathered on top. Every morsel of salmon is fire blasted and smoked just enough so that it still retains superb ocean freshness. This is a firm favourite of the Boundary Street Markets so be warned, there might be a small queue when you go to order your bowl. SLOW BREW CHAI When you've already had a feed but you could still use a little warming from the inside out, wrap your chilly fingers around a warm mug from Slow Brew Chai. As you sip the slow-simmered chai spiced with cinnamon, star anise, black pepper, cardamom and a few other secret spices, kick back and enjoy some of the free nightly music and entertainment. Extra points if you bring your own mug or keep cup. SALTED CARAMEL AND NUTELLA DOUGHNUTS FROM ORGANIC FROG There's really nothing to say about doughnuts that hasn't already been said — they're warm (obviously), somehow light (at least in texture) and completely delicious. But these here are Frog doughnuts. You could almost say they're a health food seeing as they're gluten free, dairy free, yeast free, egg free and low in sugar. So you know what that means — you can, and should, have two (or more). The stall's plain and cinnamon doughnuts come with toppings like salted caramel, Nutella and organic jam. Grab a half doz to share (or scarf up all by yourself) — just make sure to get a snap for your feed first, if you can. RATATOUILLE FROM MA PETITE Ma Petite is known for many things, especially its beef bourguignon and light-as-a-cloud crepes. But at this French food stall, we think the real star is the ratatouille. This French Provençal dish has a rich history as a simple yet hearty meal, where vegetables are the hero. Ma Petite's version is no exception. Served alongside fresh cucumber to balance out the tomatoey stew, fresh vegetables like zucchini, capsicum and eggplant are simmered in a mix of tomato and spices until tender. With no cheese or carbs to be found, this one is the epitome of healthy winter comfort food. CHICKEN MOMOS FROM TIBETAN MOMO CAFE Momos are one of Nepal's most popular traditional dishes — and with good reason. These tender parcels are filled with meat (or veg), steamed and served up with tomato pickle (golbheda ko achar) for dipping, smearing and generally enjoying alongside these doughy bites. These South Asian dumplings can be found on almost every street corner in Kathmandu and may remind you of the Chinese dumplings that we all know and love from yum cha. At the Tibetan Momo Cafe stall, you'll find chicken, beef and pork momos, as well as vegan and gluten-free options. Grab a plate of the steaming parcels to share — or to gobble up all on your own. Instead of spending your winter nights on the couch, discover all the after-dark happenings in your city here — and don't forget to document it all on the new Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+, designed especially for low light so you can capture your best moments no matter what. Images: Cole Bennetts.
One of the planet's fastest growing problems is e-waste. In fact, it's piling up at a rate of 40 tonnes per year, which is particularly disturbing because of its potential to leak nasties — like mercury, lead and arsenic — into our environment. The good news is that the folks at Stockholm-based studio People People want to help in any way they can — via your personal sound system. So they're crowdfunding a transparent, wireless speaker that can be totally disassembled and repaired. Instead of throwing the whole thing in the garbage because one tiny part has conked out, you can simply replace it, put the speaker back together and keep the music going. What's more, internal sensors figure out when there's a glitch and promptly let you know — via a notification on your phone. Have a go at solving the problem yourself by pulling the speaker apart or, if you think it's safer to leave it to those genius Swedes, then send it to your nearest manufacturing location. All materials contained in the speaker can be repeatedly recycled to their original quality, creating a 'closed loop' system. "The challenge of our generation will be to stop trashing our planet, and leave it in a good shape for coming generations," the studio said on its Kickstarter page. "Consumer products are too quickly becoming waste and mostly dumped in landfills. In fact, there is a full football field of electronic waste generated every minute. This linear system has to stop." The speaker is available in white or black. And, thanks to its minimalist Scandi aesthetic, you won't have to worry about it throwing off your interior design. There's a knob for volume adjustment, a rocker-style on-off switch and a 3.5-millimetre jack, as well as WiFi and Bluetooth capability. Two 2.5-inch drivers, a passive bass radiator and a built-in amplifier with embedded digital signal processing (DSP) deliver cracking sound. People People are hoping to raise $250,000 to get the project off the ground. With 17 days to go, 319 backers have promised a total of $80,456. Pledges from $2 are welcome and, with $250, you can land yourself your own speaker. The Transparent Speaker is currently being funded on Kickstarter up until January 22. To pledge money or find out more, visit their campaign page.
Uber has become a worldwide phenomenon, expanding across the globe to more than 70 cities in its brief five-year history. The mobile app and car sharing service, bankrolled by investors including Google and Goldman Sachs, has caused waves with its recent valuation of a hefty US $18.2 billion. With growing business as smartphone ownership continues to spread, those in need of a post-gig ride home are viewing Uber as a more convenient — and often cheaper — alternative to a taxi. Now, the cabbies have finally had enough. Claiming that the mobile app is affecting their livelihoods, taxi drivers in London, Paris, Madrid, Berlin and Rio de Janeiro protested in the streets. Blockading access to major CBDs and shopping districts across these cities for hours on end, cabbies demanded tougher regulations to be imposed on Uber drivers. Taxi drivers in Europe often pay between $200,000 and $300,000 for their license, while Uber promotes their ‘No Sign Up Fee’ policy openly on their website. How could a cabbie compete with that? Taxi drivers in London slowed traffic to a crawl near Trafalgar Square, continuing on to Dowling Street where they honked their horns as they passed Parliament and the Prime Minister’s address. Home to the iconic black cabs, London saw the most monumental protests, with more than 10,000 taxis participating in the demonstration. Ironically, Uber reported an increase in downloads of the app by 850 percent in the past week. That's 850 percent. Similarly, cabbies from the other European cities cited severe damage to their income and loose, easily manipulated laws for those working under the Uber umbrella. In Rio de Janeiro, taxi drivers participated in the demonstrations ahead of the World Cup — seemingly apprehensive of the possible impact it will have on what should be their highest payday yet. The protests overseas come shortly after contention in Australia over the parameters of ride-sharing cars. The Victorian government was dishing up fines of $1,700 a pop to Uber drivers. The company’s response was to pledge that they would cover any and all of these penalties. Last month, the NSW government claimed Uber drivers could face a charge of up to $110,000 for being in breach of state law. It seems Australia has been imposing the regulations taxi drivers overseas so dearly wish to see in their own regions, yet Uber continues to be a viable — and profitable — business for drivers across the country. Cabbies in Uber-inhabited regions around the globe are feeling the brute force of an evolving world. It seems the tides of change are causing an insurmountable swell for the humble taxi driver, with no sign of an end. Via Reuters and Fast Company. Images via Mashable and Business Week.
The proprietors of the newest Northside cafe to brighten the early hours of Brisbanite's days are obviously morning people, and they want you to be as well. Silky Oak Espresso only operates from 6am until noon, but it is as smooth by name as it is by nature — and so are its caffeinated brews. Those piping hot cuppas come courtesy of Toby's Estate coffee, with chai, mocha and hot chocolate also on offer. If that's not enough to perk you up, then perhaps the house twist on the affogato — complete with rich vanilla bean gelato — is, particularly when the weather's warm (aka most of the year — this is Queensland after all). Whether you're greeting the morning with a takeaway dose of perkiness on the way to work or stopping and savouring your daily boost in the cafe's small outdoor area, you'll need a bite to eat as well — and of course Silky Oak Espresso delivers in that domain too. Baked goods, ranging from biscuits to cakes to pastries, have your stomach covered. If you're after something healthier, don't despair, as they'll soon be added to the menu.
Have you ever wondered how Concrete Playground articles comes to life? It's not quite as glamorous nor thrilling as TV shows such as The Bold Type and Succession make out, but, hey, indulge us for a second. Of course, most of the time we're writing about exciting and important things happening in the city right now. We keep an eye on breaking news — and what our readers are enjoying reading — and go from there. Every now and again we start off just by knowing we want to use certain imagery. And sometimes, ideas for articles come from somewhere completely random — like passing conversations with colleagues and mates. That's right boss, sometimes shooting the shit pays off. "I was looking back at some of our past articles with illustrations and it became clear that commissioned artwork can really lift a piece of content," says Concrete Playground staff writer Ben Hansen. "Later, I was having a conversation with a colleague about surf 'n' turf and wondering where the idea for the RSL staple came from. Knowing I wanted to do something fun with illustrations, a deep dive into the origins of much-loved dishes and drinks sort of just fit." And so Ben came up with a plan to up our illustrated article game whereby cartoons came first and concept came (sort of) second. Why? Well, why the hell not. The result: Seven Highly Entertaining Stories Behind Some of Australia's Most Loved Dishes and Drinks. THE BACKSTORY Before the fun fact-filled, beautifully illustrated article graced our homepage, Ben had a bit of work cut out for him. After he figured out the overarching idea, he had to decide what food and drinks to include. Luckily, we have a pretty good idea here at CP. For instance, we've had some luck with doughnut stories in the past, we know many Sydneysiders have heated debates over who does the best bahn mi in town and our readers go wild for bottomless espresso martini brunches. And, of course, the food-obsessed CP editors had some suggestions: footy fan Ellen Seah suggested the almighty Four'n Twenty pie and Cordelia Williamson threw in the prawn cocktail because of its retro pool party-vibes. It was looking good, the bread and butter was sorted. But there was one hold up, which was the fact that CP doesn't have an in-house illustrator. Considering this conquest all began with Ben wanting to level up our illustrated content game, he needed to find a freelancer — and fast. So, who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters Fiverr. For those not in the know, Fiverr is a freelance marketplace that connects you with experts from a range of disciplines — and we were in search of an A-class digital doodler. "The advantage of Fiverr is its huge database of freelancers, so you can find someone with your required skill set easily and quickly." After doing some digging, Ben put together a shortlist of illustrators and reached out to them. Most responded within about 30 minutes or, as Ben puts it, "almost too quickly". Once he had nailed down the talented asu_ad, based in Italy, as the chosen one, Ben says it was smooth sailing from there — and that "collaborating with an illustrator through Fiverr gave us the opportunity to flex our creativity". THE TAKEAWAY All up, the article took about a week to come together, with Ben describing the experience as "pretty seamless". He continues: "Fiverr made it simple to communicate with the illustrator, from briefing and commissioning to feedback and then receiving the final illustrations." He also mentioned Fiverr's integrated messaging system was a cinch to use, particularly as you can upload any file type. "It's also pretty affordable." Ben also shared some hot tips: "Just check your finances before you commit. We made the assumption that our chosen illustrator's rates were in AUD, when they were actually USD. And also be sure to factor in Fiverr's service fees, too." The good news? With basically no feedback on initial illustrations, and a tasty-looking end product, it was all worth it. With experts in everything from social media marketing, SEO services and website design to illustration, music and audio, and video and animation, Fiverr is a one-stop spot for when you need to outsource some work. "If there's a skill set you — or your team — don't have, then Fiverr makes it easy to find someone to fill that gap," says Ben. In our case, it was great to have so many illustrators at our fingertips. And the result was better than we expected. So, watch this space (AKA our website) for more illustration-packed articles in the future. Have your own booming side hustle or small business and need a task done stat? Check out the Fiverr website and connect with freelancers around the world, all just a click away. Want more? See how two Aussie businesses — The Dough Co and The Zythologist — used Fiverr to give their side hustles a leg up. Images: asu_ad
2022 hasn't been kind to anyone's bank balances, with inflation having a hefty impact on the cost of living all around the world, including in Australia. We know you know this, and so does your wallet. In Sydney in fact, the year's financial struggles have seen the Harbour City reclaim global recognition for being a mighty expensive place to call home, taking tenth place on The Economist Intelligence Unit's annual Worldwide Cost of Living survey. While Melbourne was dubbed Australia's most liveable city in the EIU's Global 2022 Liveability Index earlier in 2022, Sydney has nabbed a less sought-after mantle, after sitting in the same spot back in 2018. Again, it's an exxy time all-round in general, with the survey noting that prices worldwide, in the 172 major cities surveyed, have shot up 8.1 percent year on year on average (in local currencies). That's the biggest jump in the 20 years that the EIU has digital data for. The place on the planet that'll trouble your pennies the most? This year, there's two: New York and Singapore. The pair of cities tied for the top spot, with New York earning the unwanted honours for the first time ever, but Singapore taking the crown for the eighth time in a decade. The two places bump down 2021 leader Tel Aviv to third, with Hong Kong and Los Angeles then sharing fourth spot. The Swiss cities of Zurich and Geneva came in at six and seven respectively, while San Francisco sits at eighth, Paris at ninth and Copenhagen shares tenth place with Sydney. Yes, this means that Sydney is more expensive to live in at the moment than London and Tokyo — two cities that aren't considered cheap at all. In fact, Tokyo dropped down 24 spots to sit in 37th place. As per The Guardian, Sydney's rise from 14th in 2021 to tenth this year isn't the only upward movement among Australia's cities. Melbourne leapt from 16th to 15th, and Brisbane from 36th to 32nd. For further details about the 2022 Worldwide Cost of Living survey, head to The Economist Intelligence Unit's website.
