After collaborating with The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne, nabbing a Coachella spot and spinning her way to international success over the past year, Sydney's Alison Wonderland is embarking on her second tour of industrial warehouse parties. Wonderland Warehouse Project 2.0 is set to hit the road nationwide from late May, the highly anticipated sequel to her wildly successful 2014 tour of the same name. Armed with a fresh set of tracks from debut album RUN, Wonderland will be popping up in secret locations across the country for what's pinned to be some seriously huge shows. Bringing electronica out of the clubs and into a string of mystery warehouses, this powerhouse Sydney DJ is going to run some rather unconventional, mega-scale dancefloors. Set to make her first appearance at Coachella in the States in April, off the back of casually working with Wayne Coyne for her latest record, Wonderland appears to have quite the 2015 in store. After last year's sell-out tour, get in quick to secure your spot at these epic warehouse shindigs. Tickets are only $40-45, so they sell quicker than you can fall down a rabbit hole. WONDERLAND WAREHOUSE PROJECT 2.0 DATES Brisbane — Friday May 22 Melbourne — Saturday May 30 Sydney — Saturday June 6 For tickets and more info, head to wonderlandwarehouseproject.com.
No longer confined to children's birthday parties, bouncy castles, inflatable obstacle sources and blow-up labyrinths have become hot property for adults (and their inner kids, of course). And the next blow-up event to return to Brisbane is big. Really big. Dubbed 'The Big Bounce Australia', it's an inflatable theme park made up of the world's biggest bouncy castle — as certified by the Guinness World Records — plus a 300-metre long obstacle course and a three-part space-themed wonderland. You're going to need a lot of red cordial to bounce your way through all of this. Set to take over the Eagles Sport Complex in Mansfield between Friday, September 24–Sunday, September 26 and Friday, October 1–Sunday, October 3, The Big Bounce is open to both littl'uns and big'uns, but there are a heap of adults-only sessions — so you don't have to worry about dodging toddlers on your way through. Tickets for adults will set you back $55, which gives you a whole three hours in the park. Yes, you'll need it. Inside, you'll encounter the aforementioned bouncy castle — aptly named The World's Biggest Bounce House — covering a whopping 1500 square metres and, in some spots, reaching ten metres off the ground. In this house, you'll encounter a heap of slides, ball pits, climbing towers, basketball hoops and (if you can believe it) a stage with DJs, confetti cannons and beach balls. Then, there's The Giant, with 50 inflatable obstacles, including giant red balls and a monster slide. [caption id="attachment_825374" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Sarasota Experience[/caption] Before you hit the final, three-part section of the extremely OTT theme park, you may need to pause, down some red frogs and maybe even have a nap. Or not, as you do only have three hours to explore it all. Next up, is AirSpace, where aliens, spaceships and moon craters collide with a five-lane slide, some more ball pits and an 18-metre-tall maze. After that, you'll certainly need a nap. The Big Bounce hits Brisbane between Friday, September 24–Sunday, September 26 and Friday, October 1–Sunday, October 3. For more information, or to buy tickets, head to the event's website.
Before Michael Crichton conjured up an island theme park filled with cloned dinosaurs as seen in Jurassic Park, he took audiences to a different but just as eerie attraction. The year was 1973. The film was Westworld. And it was not only written by the author, but it was also directed by him as well. That's where HBO's futuristic show of the same name starring Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, Anthony Hopkins, Jeffrey Wright, Liam Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson and Aaron Paul first started. Yes, life really does find a way. Series creators Jonathan Nolan (brother of Christopher Nolan) and Lisa Joy have taken the central idea and expanded it, though, as Westworld's first three gripping TV seasons have shown since 2016. When it comes to tales about a technologically advanced amusement park where people pay to experience Wild West times, and where androids play the park's roles but don't realise that they aren't human, there are oh-so-many stories to tell, after all.
Some TV shows start with a wild and wonderful premise, such as strange things happening in a small town, teenage girls fighting to survive in the wilderness and solving mysteries across America because you're a human lie detector. Others stick with everyday scenarios, which is what Beef has chosen. So, if you've ever been involved in a road-rage incident, or witnessed one — if you've ever held a grudge against a stranger for a petty reason, too — you'll instantly empathise with this newcomer's concept. In the ten-episode Netflix and A24 dramedy — which marks the latest show from A24 after everything from Ramy and Euphoria to Mo and Irma Vep — Danny Cho (Steven Yeun, Nope) and Amy Lau (Ali Wong, Paper Girls) get in a fender bender, and neither handles it well. Cue a feud that they can't shake, infiltrating their lives and relationships. If their quest for revenge each other just fizzled out, there obviously wouldn't be a series. Part of Beef's ongoing beef stems from a comedy staple: putting opposites together and seeing what springs. Danny is struggling as a contractor and isn't happy about it, while Amy lives a seemingly idyllic life thanks to her success as an entrepreneur. They both share a need to get back at each other, though, as the just-dropped first trailer for the show makes clear. The series premiered at this year's SXSW — the OG version in the US, not Sydney's offshoot to come later in 2023 — before plunging streaming viewers into its faceoff on Netflix from Thursday, April 6. Yeun and Wong also executive produce, while Beef hails from creator and showrunner Lee Sung Jin (a veteran of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Dave and Silicon Valley). On-screen, as well as Minari Oscar-nominee Yeun and Always Be My Maybe's Wong, the series features Joseph Lee (Searching), Young Mazino (Prodigal Son), David Choe (The Mandalorian) and Patti Yasutake (Pretty Little Liars) — plus Maria Bello (NCIS), Ashley Park (Girls5eva), Justin H Min (After Yang), Mia Serafino (iCarly) and Remy Holt (The Afterparty). Check out the trailer for Beef below: Beef streams via Netflix from Thursday, April 6. Images: Netflix.
Blooming gardens, citrus fruits and delicious local food and wine are on the lineup of the annual Griffith Spring Fest. Headlining the event — which will run between Sunday, 8 October and Sunday, 22 October — is the Garden Festival where green thumbs can wander through six delightful landscaped sites, created and nurtured by local gardeners. If you can make it to the official launch party on Friday 13 October, we highly recommend you do. If for no reason other than to tuck into the super-sized communal paella that will be whipped up on the day (it's served in a very covid-safe and hygienic way, just in case you had concerns). Other standout activations include over 50 unique citrus sculptures which will line Banna Avenue for two weeks. Made from more than 100,000 locally grown oranges and grapefruit, these displays are proof that when life gives you lemons in Griffith, you transform them into robots, reclining chooks or a giant giraffe. Go old-school and join a guided bus tour, or DIY and discover the best that Griffith has to offer all by yourself. The only non-negotiable is that you squeeze the day. (Sorry). Griffith Spring Fest will run from Sunday, 8 October till Sunday, 22 October 2023. For the full event program visit their website.
When The Market Folk first brought a heap of stalls to Newstead's old gasometer a couple of years back, it was clearly a smart move. Browsing and buying beneath one of inner-city Brisbane's most striking sights — what's not to love? Because some ideas are too great to stop, this winning combination has kept returning, including with a pre-Mother's Day event in 2024. From 5–9pm on Friday, May 3, you can spend the evening in Newstead shopping for fashion, art, homewares, plants, pots and ceramics for your mum. [caption id="attachment_814294" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] As they always do, the Gasworks Markets will feature plenty of artisanal goodies to tempt your wallet (not that anyone should need any motivation to spoil the woman who brought you into this world). As always, Brisbane creatives will be in the spotlight, so you'll also be showing them some love as well. And, there'll be live music on the lawn, soundtracking your shopping. Plus, bringing your pooch is 100-percent encouraged. Top image: Andrew S via Flickr.
UPDATE, October 2, 2020: Official Secrets is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. When Keira Knightley came to fame kicking a soccer ball in Bend It Like Beckham, her steely determination played a considerable part. The English actor does purposeful and plucky with aplomb — earning Oscar nominations in Pride & Prejudice and The Imitation Game — and they're traits that keep serving her well nearly two decades after her big break. In fact, they're perfect for her latest role. Stepping into Katharine Gun's shoes in Official Secrets, Knightley is the epitome of dedicated and purposeful, as a British security services agent-turned-whistleblower needs to be. That focus keeps shining, too, as her version of Gun weathers the personal, professional and legal repercussions for her actions in trying to thwart the 2003 invasion of Iraq, including breaching the United Kingdom's Official Secrets Act. Yes, there's no doubting where Official Secrets found its title. Even if you weren't across this fairly recent incident, there's no guessing where the film is headed, either. But, working in the same tense mode as he did with 2015's Eye in the Sky, director/co-writer Gavin Hood still treats Gun's rousing true tale like a thriller with good reason — the ins and outs are stirring and gripping. His clear-eyed procedural also proves riveting because it remains immensely relevant, as do the reasons behind Gun's leak of classified documents to start with. While it was once rightfully considered scandalous, politicians, governments and leaders routinely lying to the public has become a regular part of life today; but daring to speak truth to power — and to force those in power to speak the truth — is still rare. It's an ordinary day for Gun when, during her usual translation and analysis duties for British intelligence, she receives an extraordinary email. Sent from a National Security Agency chief, the communication requests help gathering information about United Nations diplomats, in the hope of convincing the seven non-permanent members of the UN Security Council to vote for military action. Her superiors say that nothing is amiss, but using blackmail to send the world to war doesn't sit well with Gun. Once she sends the document to a friend, who then passes it on to a journalist, it doesn't sit well with Observer reporter Martin Bright (Matt Smith) either. After his front-page story hits newsstands, global outrage naturally follows. So does a spiteful investigation by Britain's powers-that-be, who'd rather attack Gun than admit any wrongdoing. As pieced together with workmanlike precision by Hood, who clearly understands the significance of the story, Gun's plight has many moving parts. Her Turkish husband Yasar (Adam Bakri) is seeking asylum in England, something that's unsurprisingly used against her. After she enlists a veteran human rights lawyer (Ralph Fiennes), she's told that she's not allowed to discuss her work with anyone, including legal counsel, or she'll face further charges. When Bright convinces his pro-war Observer editors to run with the story, an innocent internal error gets conspiracy theorists on the attack as well. Gun is an average Brit calling out wrongdoing in her workplace — wrongdoing with worldwide consequences — and she faces her government's wrath for doing so, but she's steadfast in standing by her actions. Gun is tenacious, courageous and committed — and yet, crucially, she's just a regular person. That's another reason that Official Secrets resonates so strongly. The film's subject is employed by British security services to gather intelligence, so on paper she's a spy, but she's really just someone sitting behind a computer, doing her job, and daring to challenge the status quo when it conflicts with her sense of right and wrong. Indeed, for all of Knightley's skill at playing insistent, dogged and earnest, she also captures this truth, as does Hood's polished yet never slick direction (a Bourne or Bond-style flick, this isn't). Official Secrets lurks in nondescript offices and watches everyday folks go about their work, while managing a delicate balancing act in the process, ensuring that Gun is a flesh-and-blood figure rather than a simplified martyr. This is also a movie with a clear outcome in mind and an overt emotional path, although that comes both with the territory and with telling this tale today. Many of the film's supporting players are tasked with underscoring the story's importance — Smith, Fiennes, Matthew Goodes and Rhys Ifans as other journalists, and Jeremy Northam as the public prosecutor eager to put Gun in her place — however Knightley utters the line that couldn't sum up Official Secrets better. Her character is yelling at the TV while watching the news and, yes, it feels relatable as it sounds. "Just because you're the Prime Minister, it doesn't mean you get to make up your own facts," she notes as Tony Blair talks about Iraq. Try not to injure yourself nodding forcefully in agreement. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IVuxnXFrl8
The Gold Coast, with its enviable combination of good weather and beaches, already gives off festival vibes all year round. But the real kicker happens when you add beer to all of that goodness. Add vitamins B (beer) and C (cider) to the vitamin D you cop on the coast with the Crafted Beer and Cider Festival, on Saturday, October 6. Taking place in Kurrawa Park in Broadbeach, the beer festival will unite 35 of Australia's top craft breweries, more than 150 different brews and some good food and live music to line your stomachs and ears. It's as good an excuse as any for a cheeky getaway to the Goldy. Locals like Balter Brewing Company, Black Hops Brewing and Burleigh Brewing Co join up with visitors like Sydney's Akasha Brewing Company, Yulli's Brews and Young Henrys and Victoria's Bridge Road Brewers and Mornington Peninsula Brewery — and that's but a few of the many beer houses to be represented on the day. More of a cider person? Cheeky Tiki Apple Cider and Granite Belt Cider Co. are some of the cideries making the pilgrimage to the Coast. Food-wise, your picks include Greek Street Kantina, Mac From Way Back, The Wiener Haus, SoCal Tacos and more. The music lineup is equally eclectic with punk-pop quartet RACKETT, hip hop band Bootleg Rascal and Canberra's indie rock band Young Monks all providing the soundtrack to your day. Also on the day's agenda is a classic stitch up from comedian Aaron 'Gocsy' Gocs, who'll also be hosting a ping pong competition and beer yoga, where you can perform a few downward dogs before you down your beer — it's all about balance, after all. And, in even better news for your beer-loving palate and soul, you can win a pretty big prize bonanza: we've got two tickets to the festival up for grabs, along with $100 Crafted Cash to spend there, a night's accommodation and a Crafted Festival stubby cooler. To enter, see below. [competition]685434[/competition]
It's that time of year again, Brisbanites — and for the first time since 2019. August is here and the Ekka is back with it, after not one but two years of pandemic-related cancellations. Also returning: those famed strawberry sundaes, as well as Stone and Wood's brew inspired by it. For the third year running, the brewery has brought back its Ekka-inspired Strawberry Sundae Kisses beer. Yes, it's a boozy version of iconic dessert, and it tastes like strawberries and cream. Stone and Wood whip it up in the traditional Berliner Weisse style, using 60 kilograms of strawberries, with the brew also featuring lactose and vanilla, This year, the beer will be available in two places around town — at the Ekka itself for the first time, and also at Stone and Wood's Brisbane brewery in Fortitude Valley. Head to the latter, and you can get sipping early, starting from Thursday, August 4. Originally, the brew came about as a way to help support charity The Common Good, which uses the sundaes as a fundraising effort for The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation. And, that's exactly where Stone and Wood is directing proceeds from the beer, too — so having a few pints will mean helping a great cause. One note: 2022's batch of Strawberry Sundae Kisses is around for a good time, not a long time, and will only be available at the brewery until sold out. In past years, it has lasted just three weeks, so getting in quickly is recommended.
UPDATE, August 26, 2020: Bumblebee is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video, Foxtel Now, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. According to journalist and author Christopher Booker, there are seven basic story archetypes. According to the writers of the Michael Bay Transformers movies, there are none. Thank goodness, then, for screenwriter Christina Hodson, whose new film Bumblebee manages to be both a Transformers spinoff and a coherent story at the same time. This is, put simply, a franchise reborn. Rebooted. Resurrected. It dispenses with all the bombast of the Bay cacophony machine – the inexplicable explosions, one-dimensional characters and hyper-sexualised teenagers – in favour of a small scale story about a teen girl and her first car. Yes, a girl, and instead of miniature ripped shorts and extreme push-up bras, this one's prone to wearing grubby overalls, Smiths tour t-shirts and a spanner in her back pocket. Even better, her characterisation doesn't feel contrived: her late father was a grease monkey and fixing cars was their special father/daughter thing. Now that he's gone, it's all she has left. Played by Hailee Steinfeld, Charlie is an instantly appealing lead to get behind. She loves her family but feels detached and alone because of her reluctance to move on and accept the new man in her mother's life. She's independent, but not wealthy enough to forge a new life for herself. She's pretty, but not in the 'rich girl' way like the cruel queen bee from across town who torments her at every opportunity. When Charlie eventually finds Bumblebee, an injured alien robot hiding on earth disguised as an old yellow VW beetle, the instant bond they form is as touching as it is (strangely) believable. Together they will help each other find what they're looking for, with their bond far more integral to the story than the intergalatic robot war that provides the film its backdrop. Does that mean Transformers fans will feel shortchanged? Absolutely not. The opposite, in fact, because everything about Bumblebee treats its mechanical stars with the love and respect of someone who grew up watching the cartoons in the 80s (the film itself is set in 1987). The robot design and colour palette is admirably faithful to the source material, the voice work is spot on, and *that* sound effect (aka the transformation garble) is used with gleeful abandon. Even better, the action is entirely comprehensible, even at its most frenetic. Take nothing away from the Bay-era special effects – they were utterly groundbreaking. But there was just so much of it going on at all times that keeping track of who was fighting what became an exercise in nausea. In Bumblebee it's rare to see more than two transformers on screen at any one time, and the agile direction by Travis Knight allows you to enjoy every punch, blast and transformation. In the scenes involving the other human characters, principally John Cena's robot-hunting soldier Agent Burns, the story does tend to lose its momentum, flicking between goofy comedy and comic-book villainy without ever properly nailing either. Thankfully, though, the focus remains squarely on Charlie and 'Bee' for the majority of Bumblebee, and it's a better film for it. A delight in its own right, Bumblebee is also the perfect pivot point for a welcome franchise reset. On that front, the future looks bright. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcwmDAYt22k
When a French store slashed the price of Nutella a couple of years ago, customers went wild. Brawling and rioting was reported. So, yes, it's safe to say the chocolate hazelnut spread has more than a few fans. Here in Australia, we've had a Nutella food truck, a Nutella festival and a Nutella dessert bar. And, from Friday, April 10 to Sunday, April 12, a dedicated Nutella menu at Salt Meats Cheese as well. Available for delivery from the chain's Drummoyne and Cronulla stores in NSW, and Surfers Paradise and Newstead stores in Queensland, the seven Nutella-filled items are here just in time for the Easter long weekend (which most of us will be spending predominantly indoors eating Nutella, it seems). Fancy a Nutella calzone, in both peanut butter ($14) and Oreo ($18) varieties? Nutella and banana-topped pizza? Nutella panna cotta ($14)? Nutella Toblerone cocktails? A half-litre ($30) of Nutella espresso martini? Of course you do. To order, you'll need to download Salt Meats Cheese's new app and pray you're in the delivery zone. The Nutella menu is available for delivery from Salt Meats Cheese stores in Cronulla and Drummoyne in NSW, and Surfers Paradise and Newstead in Queensland.
MELT may be overflowing with fantastic shows, but the festival isn't just about the performance side of things. Simply take a look at the walls of the Brisbane Powerhouse, and you'll see what we mean. For the duration of the May fest, their foyers will play host to an array of MELT art pieces. In Unique Exotic, the work of artist Hillary Green is once again thrust into the spotlight, capturing Brisbane's queer arts scene alongside her own self portraits. Sophie Reid-Singer's The Cave operates as a single-player game, questioning the functioning of storytelling and identity. Explorations of queer relationships, depictions of men revealing their pain through tears and larger-than-life images of LGBTI+ artists also feature. Yes, this creative showcase lives up to its aims, highlighting not only artistry, but diversity too.
When Parrtjima — A Festival in Light announced its 2025 program, the numbers were impressive, with the event's tenth edition featuring works by 20-plus First Nations artists, plus more than 100 performers and special guests. But nothing sells this Australian celebration of Indigenous arts more than the spectacular end results each year, when the fest lights up the Northern Territory. For 2025, that time is now, and it's once again a dazzling sight to behold. Parrtjima — A Festival in Light has so firmly established itself as a highlight of Alice Springs, the Red Centre and Australia's cultural scene that it's hard to imagine a time before it. Getting a 2.5-kilometre stretch of 300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges glowing every evening is the reliable star of the show; however, that's just the beginning. Heading along this year also means being welcomed by The Gateway at Parrtjima's entrance, for instance, where towering poles by artists from Antulye, Irlpme, and Mparntwe groups are greeting guests. Also, Balanggarra and Yolŋu artist Molly Hunt's Three Generations of Station Women is an animated comic strip that honours Aboriginal stockwomen, with actor Mark Coles Smith (Apple Cider Vinegar) on soundtrack duties. Then there's Bobby West Tjupurrula's Hypnotic Reverberations, creating a moving dreamscape out of beams of light, mist and reflections on a shallow pool. From Lyall Giles, Transforming Light & Country isn't just about sand dune patterns — it gets festivalgoers playing with them, using drums to create rings of light. 2025's Parrtjima kicked off on Friday, April 4, and runs until Sunday, April 13. The MacDonnell Ranges Light Show is among past favourites on the bill, again pairing its eye-catching display with classical music and Arrernte language. Another: Grounded, asking attendees to look down instead of up. A festival of lights in the NT was always going to incorporate the red earth, too, which is where large-scale projections turn the soil into a canvas. This year's version features six artworks. Budgerigar Dreaming Ngatijirri Jukurrpa is also back, using shapes from Wirliyajarrayi artist Myra Nungarrayi Herbert Patrick's paintings in neon-hued abstract bird sculptures — and so is Johnny Young and David Wallace's four-metre-tall The Language of Stockmen. While the fest's first weekend has been and gone, the program still has the Darwin Symphony Orchestra to come, in what'll be Parrtjima's first-ever orchestral performance. Gigs by Dem Mob, Dobby, Desert Divas and Warren H Williams & Western Wind are also part of the upcoming lineup, as is the festival's debut comedy night, with Andy Saunders and Sean Choolburra sparking laughs. Parrtjima – A Festival in Light runs until Sunday, April 13, 2025, at venues around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. For more information, visit the festival website. Images: Parrtjima – A Festival in Light / Che-Chorley. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
We've all been there at one time or another — in front of that iconic view, the one we've seen a thousand times or more in encyclopaedias, atlases, on the back of postcards, on the television and in our wildest dreams. When it happens, you feel a flutter in your heart and you remember what it felt like to make mud pies as a child; you're elated, carefree and enraptured, all for the most fleeting moment. That's when it happens. You reach into your pocket/handbag/knapsack and pull out your camera. You must remember this moment (that feeling!) forever and ever. The flash goes off once, twice, three times. No, no, that one's blurry. Delete. Take it again! You stand over there. Jump on the count of three! Yes, all of you! At once! OK, here we go one, two... Corinne Vionnet, in an astute observation into the perception of the 'tourist' experience, has made some amazing art out of that moment - that second of pure happiness that is superseded by crazed, paparazzi style photography, leading the sanest of us into a blinding, bulb flashing fury. Sourcing images of some of the world's most iconic sights from the internet, Vionnet's project Photo Opportunities layers hundreds of such images upon each other to create haunting landscapes of profoundly significant earthly wonders. Drawing on the abject, the images appear almost painted, begging questions about reality of experience and perception and our collective cultural consciousness.
When most folks think about Queensland, locals included, they think about the enticing coastline. The Sunshine State is known for its surf and sand — and, obviously, sun — after all. But if you're looking for an escape into nature that doesn't involve the sea, southeast Queensland is also home to more than a few rocky, towering peaks. They're perfect for scenic hikes and, when you walk along them, they'll have you feeling like you're on top of the world. Even better: if you're eager for a mountainous trek but you're also keen to spend more time on your feet than driving, plenty of spots sit within a short distance from Brisbane. And if you're not quite sure where to head, we've rounded up five epic locations for you to add to your must-walk list. [caption id="attachment_784273" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] Mount Barney National Park Queenslanders can thank a volcanic eruption 24 million years ago for this mountainous patch of the state, which boasts several peaks. There's Mount Barney, of course, as well as Mount Maroon, Mount May, Mount Lindesay, Mount Ernest, Mount Ballow and Mount Clunie. Accordingly, the Mount Barney National Park offers up a choose-your-own-adventure-style roster of treks, all slightly south of Brisbane and all best for experienced bushwalkers. Among the plethora of trails awaiting your footsteps, you can pick between two types: walking tracks or, for those experienced with rock scrambling, summit routes. Our suggestion: the Cronan Creek Falls trail, where you'll mosey along the rugged mountainous landscape and also see tumbling water, as the name suggests. It spans 12 kilometres, and will take you around four hours. Glass House Mountains Sometimes, it's easy to overlook things that are virtually in your own backyard. For many Brisbanites, the Glass House Mountains fall into that category. We all know that they're there, sitting between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast — but, because they are always there, you mightn't have taken the time to visit them. Redressing that quick smart is recommended, because this range is simply stunning, even if you just decide to peer up at its peaks from the ground. We definitely encourage putting on some comfy shoes and making your way along one or several of the walking trails, though, with options available for both first-timers and experienced hikers. Most are quite short, so you could climb up to the Mount Ngungun summit in two hours, circumnavigate Mount Tibrogarga in 90 minutes and trek to the top of Mount Beerburrum in another 90 minutes — walking 10.4 kilometres in total, and making quite the day of it. [caption id="attachment_784278" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Do Japan via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Lamington National Park Part of the Gold Coast hinterland, Lamington National Park is another spot south of Brisbane that serves up many mountainous hiking options. Here, you'll be walking along, through and atop the McPherson Range — and peering out over the park itself, as well as the Gold Coast, southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales. If you're fond of ogling waterfalls and valleys, take the day-long, 21-kilometre Ships Stern circuit in the Binna Burra section of the park. If you're particularly enthusiastic about making your trek at a high altitude (and possibly even through some mist), opt for the 18-kilometre Wagawn track and its impressive vantage from the Garragoolba lookout. You could also choose the 18.2-kilometre Mount Hobwee circuit, which branches off from it. For something a bit shorter, the 12-kilometre Daves Creek circuit serves up scenic views, rainforest sections and the eye-catching Surprise Rock, a volcanic dyke. [caption id="attachment_784274" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland/Larissa Dening[/caption] Mount Coolum The walk to the top of Mount Coolum isn't particularly long, spanning 1.6 kilometres and taking around an hour (plus an hour to get back down, of course). It is a bit steep, rather rocky and can be challenging, though, so you'll want to work your way up to it by getting in some experience on other tracks first — and it's recommended for fit walkers only. Once you decide that you're ready to tackle this Sunshine Coast spot, you'll reach a site that's perched 208 metres above sea level — with 360-degree views of the coast, the Glass House Mountains, Blackall Range and even Noosa once you get there. Yes, that's 100-percent worth making the effort. Make sure you only walk Mount Coolum in dry conditions, however, because it can get immensely slippery. And, if you fancy hanging around for more than just a day, you can camp nearby: at Mudjimba and at Coolum Beach. [caption id="attachment_784272" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] Springbrook National Park By now, while perusing this list, you've probably sensed a trend. Yes, Brisbanites can basically choose their preferred location either north or south of the city, then pick between several walks branching off rom any one spot. Springbrook National Park is no different, although most walks here are rather short and easy — which means that you can cram in a few and make the absolute most of your trip to the Gold Coast. Obviously, given its moniker, you want to try the 600-metre, 30-minute walk to the Best of All lookout, which'll let you peer down into New South Wales. If you like chasing waterfalls, the Twin Falls circuit will take you two hours across four kilometres. Those eager to make a day of it on the Springbrook plateau should opt for the 14-kilometre Warrie circuit, which is the longest track here and also casually climbs up a gorge. Top image: Mount Ngungun by Tourism and Events Queensland
The power of Back to the Future isn't really a curious thing. As viewers have known since 1985, the Michael J Fox-starring sci-fi/comedy is timeless delight. But as well as making film lovers weep with joy for almost four decades, the iconic movie is now making other folks sing — the cast of the newly minted Olivier Award-winning Back to the Future: The Musical, that is. Exclaiming "great Scott!" is obviously the only fitting response to this development — and there's clearly plenty to get excited about. Yes, Back to the Future: The Musical is a real thing that exists, and has been racing towards clocktowers on-stage in the UK since early 2020 (around a pandemic hiatus or two, of course). Yes, it just picked up the Olivier Award for Best New Musical. Yes, the show does indeed follow the Marty McFly and Doc Brown-led story we all know and adore, but with songs, including renditions of Chuck Berry's 'Johnny B Goode' and Huey Lewis and the News' 'The Power of Love' and 'Back in Time', naturally. Now, the news that might have you speeding 88 miles per hour towards Britain: for now, Back to the Future: The Musical is solely treading the boards in Britain. But if a trip to London is on your agenda between before Sunday, October 23, the show is playing at the English capital's Adelphi Theatre until then. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Back To The Future: Musical (@bttfmusical) If you won't be making a visit overseas by plane or DeLorean, start crossing your fingers that the production eventually makes its way Down Under — or pop on your own white lab coat, start tinkering around with electronics and whip up your own time machine to try to make it happen. Also featuring music and lyrics by OG Back to the Future composer Alan Silvestri and acclaimed songwriter Glen Ballard (Ghost the Musical), plus a book by Bob Gale — who co-penned all three Back to the Future film scripts with filmmaker Robert Zemeckis — Back to the Future: The Musical was nominated for seven Olivier Awards. It only won the big one, but emerged victorious over heavy-hitters and fellow screen-to-stage shows Moulin Rouge! The Musical and Frozen. Check out the trailer for Back to the Future: The Musical below: For more information about Back to the Future: The Musical, or to buy tickets for its London season, head to the show's website. If an Australian and/or New Zealand season is announced, we'll let you know faster than you can speed towards a clocktower. Top image: Sean Ebsworth Barnes.
If you live, work or study right in the heart of Brisbane's CBD, getting active probably involves hitting the gym, heading for a stroll or run by the river, moseying over to South Bank or enjoying the city's free exercise classes. Fancy breaking up your day with a lunchtime game of basketball? Ending the nine-to-five grind with a nostalgic stint of handball? Giving pickleball a try in your spare time? You'll soon be able to — and for free — thanks to a new addition to the Turbot Street Underpass. That patch of pavement is about to become home to the Brisbane CBD's first-ever sports court — a free facility that'll be open to everyone. The site will be fenced in, in the shade and, thanks to its location, a mere one-minute walk from King George Square — and obviously just a stone's thrown from Roma Street Parkland as well. While basketball, handball and pickleball instantly spring to mind, the new addition to the corner of Turbot and Roma streets — taking over a space that's been used for parking over the years — will be a multi-court space for a number of ball sports. When you need a rest, or if you're just keen to watch on, there'll be bleacher-style seating. The site is being landscaped, too, and surrounded with outdoor artworks. And, for quenching your thirst after working up a sweat, there'll be a drinking fountain. "Through creative planning, we're transforming a pretty ordinary-looking space underneath a road overpass into a fantastic sports court," said Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, announcing the court. "If successful, this model of using planning outcomes to transform nearby underutilised and unattractive spaces into urban sports courts or other kinds of public spaces could be used at other locations across Brisbane." Brisbane City Council has approved the court as an extension to Mirvac's Heritage Lanes precinct at 80 Ann Street, which features 35 levels of office space, plus cafes and eateries on the ground level. [caption id="attachment_896718" align="alignnone" width="1920"] John Robert McPherson via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] The new sports court at the Turbot Street underpass is due to open by the end of 2023 — we'll update you with an exact date when one is announced.
The twin film phenomenon means that movies often come in pairs, with two flicks with the same premise arriving at the same time. Now, meet Australia's two current twin flight sales. After Virgin launched a Valentine's Day sale for flights to and from Queensland, Qantas has unveiled a 72-hour sale on fares across the country. Whether you're a Sydneysider thinking about a Byron Bay getaway, a Melburnian keen on jaunt to Tasmania or a Brisbanite eager to hit The Whitsundays, you have options. There's more than 500,000 fares covered, featuring everywhere from Queensland's tropics to the Apple Isle's cities, and from Perth to Sydney, too, as well as all the other state capitals, the Gold Coast, Coffs Harbour, Broken Hill and more. And, on 25-plus routes, flights will cost you under $150. The cheapest, as tends to be the case on all flight sales, is the Sydney–Ballina route, which'll get you from the Harbour City to Byron Bay from $109. Then, the Melbourne–Launceston fare comes in at $119, Gold Coast–Sydney at $125, Gold Coast–Melbourne at $129 and Brisbane–Hervey Bay at $139. The sale runs until 11.59pm on Saturday, February 17, so you'll want to get in quickly to get a bargain. And, as always, if fares sell out earlier, you'll miss out. Inclusions-wise, the sale covers fares with checked baggage, complimentary food and beverages, wifi and seat selection. If you're keen on heading further afield, but just across the ditch, Qantas also has a sale on flights to New Zealand on right now. This one runs until 11.59pm AEDT on Monday, February 19, or until sold out again. The sale covers Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown and Wellington, for dates between March–December 2024, with starting prices from $499 return. Go on, pack your bags. Qantas' 72-hour surprise sale runs for 72 hours until 11.59pm on Saturday, February 17, or until sold out. It's also doing a New Zealand sale until 11.59pm AEDT on Monday, February 19, or until sold out again. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
For two days, one particular patch of Brisbane has all of your Christmas needs covered, including one that you mightn't have given as much thought to as you'd like. If you're eager to give your loved ones gifts that were created by hand, and ethically, then that's what the Brisbane Fair Trade Christmas Market is all about. It's also a chance to pick up homewares, clothing and more from other cultures, with pieces made by artisan communities in Africa, Asia, South America and other areas around the globe. No, your dad isn't getting boring old socks. And no, you're not just buying your mum flowers. The market runs from 8am–8pm on Saturday, November 26 and from 8am–3pm on Sunday, November 27 at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre. An added bonus: you'll be perusing for presents in air-conditioning. Already know that all that shopping will make you hungry? There's also a cafe onsite.
When Netflix decided to give The Addams Family a new take, it was a lightbulb moment. More than two decades after the last live-action version of the beloved creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky characters hit screens, the Jenna Ortega (Scream VI)-led revamp Wednesday proved a smash. No one likely stuck a lightbulb in their mouth when they came up with the idea to revive the franchise, and we're hoping that no one did to celebrate the show's success, either; however, the streaming platform's next series linked to the horror-loving crew could feature exactly that. After dropping its first season in late 2022, then notching up more viewers, memes and mimicked dance moves than the Addams crew have pieces of black clothing, Wednesday was officially renewed for a second season at the beginning of 2023. That's still on the way, with no ETA as yet after Hollywood's strike-filled year, but Netflix is already thinking about giving the show an Uncle Fester-focused spinoff. Bloomberg reports that while production on Wednesday season two hasn't begun, the streaming service is eager to keep all things Addams Family on-screen via multiple shows. The Uncle Fester series has been put forward as the first. Presumably, that'd mean Fred Armisen (I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson) reprising his role — unless it's an Uncle Fester origin story. There's nothing locked in, so no casting details, no storyline and no timeline for the show to hit your streaming queue so far, but we all know how much pop culture's powers that be — aka studios and streamers — love franchises. The Addams Family realm has always been beloved by audiences — the Christina Ricci-led 90s films have been favourites for decades for good reason, plus the 1960s TV show and 1930s The New Yorker comics before that — so Netflix wanting more is far from unexpected. Indeed, if you were channelling your inner Wednesday, as we all should, you wouldn't raise an eyebrow in astonishment. Wednesday's first season broke the Netflix record for most hours viewed in a single week, then did so again — earning 341.23-million hours viewed in its first week, then 411.29-million hours viewed in its second. There's no trailer for the Uncle Fester spinoff yet, of course, but you can check out Wednesday season one's sneak peek below: Wednesday streams via Netflix, with season one available now and season two arriving at a yet-to-be-announced date. We'll update you with further details about season two and the Uncle Fester spinoff when they're revealed. Read our full review of Wednesday season one. Via Bloomberg. Images: Courtesy of Netflix © 2022.
The past two years have delivered plenty of trends that no one loves, including supermarket shortages and traipsing around town trying to get tested for COVID-19. But here's one that's made our lives easier during the pandemic: the fast-tracking of big-name movies to streaming. Seeing a film on the silver screen hasn't been a straightforward experience over this chaotic time, and more and more flicks are quickly making the jump from cinemas to digital — including reaching the latter when they're still showing at the former. The latest is Dune, which looks downright glorious projected on the largest screen you can find, and definitely benefits from the kind of surround-sound setup you'll only get to listen to in a theatre, but is now also available to watch at home if that'll brighten up your January. One of our best films of 2021, the instant sci-fi classic is available to buy and rent via video on demand from Thursday, January 13, including from digital movie services such as Google Play, YouTube Movies and Amazon Video. Accordingly, if you've already sat down on your couch to watch Timothée Chalamet in Don't Look Up this summer, you can now back it up with another of his recent flicks. Or, there's your next double feature sorted. [caption id="attachment_774009" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photo credit: Chiabella James. Copyright: © 2020 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.[/caption] A spice-war space opera about feuding houses on far-flung planets, Dune has long been a pop-culture building block. Before Frank Herbert's 1965 novel was adapted into a wrongly reviled David Lynch-directed film — a gloriously 80s epic led by Kyle MacLachlan and laced with surreal touches — it unmistakably inspired Star Wars, and also cast a shadow over Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Game of Thrones has since taken cues from it. The Riddick franchise owes it a debt, too. The list goes on and, thanks to the new version bringing its sandy deserts to life, will only keep growing. As he did with Blade Runner 2049, writer/director Denis Villeneuve has once again grasped something already enormously influential, peered at it with astute eyes and built it anew — and created an instant sci-fi classic. This time, Villeneuve isn't asking viewers to ponder whether androids dream of electric sheep, but if humanity can ever overcome one of our worst urges and all that it brings. And, in his version of Dune, he's doing so with an exceptional cast that spans Chalamet (The French Dispatch), Oscar Isaac (The Card Counter), Rebecca Ferguson (Reminiscence), Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Josh Brolin (Avengers: Endgame), Javier Bardem (Everybody Knows), Zendaya (Spider-Man: No Way Home) and more. Dune tells of birthrights, prophesied messiahs, secret sisterhood sects that underpin the galaxy and phallic-looking giant sandworms, and of the primal lust for power that's as old as time — and, in Herbert's story, echoes well into the future's future. Its unpacking of dominance and command piles on colonial oppression, authoritarianism, greed, ecological calamity and religious fervour, like it is building a sandcastle out of power's nastiest ramifications. And, amid that weightiness — plus those spectacularly shot visuals and Hans Zimmer's throbbing score — it's also a tale of a moody teen with mind-control abilities struggling with what's expected versus what's right. Check out the trailer for Dune below: Dune is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream online via video on demand from Thursday, January 13 — including from Google Play, YouTube Movies and Amazon Video. Read our full review.
Ride-sharing isn't just about hopping in someone's car, getting a lift and avoiding a taxi queue. Over the past few years, electric scooter and electronic bicycle services have been popping up on Australia's streets, with companies such as Lime, oBike, Uber and Neuron Mobility bringing their fleets — usually in bright colours — to the nation's cities. In Brisbane, Beam Mobility is the latest outfit joining the fold. It'll unleash its purple-hued e-bikes upon the Queensland capital — and its its e-scooters, too — as part of a local e-mobility shake up that'll also see Neuron expand its operations. The latter will increase e-scooter fleet, and launch its own e-bike service. The two companies have been awarded new tenders for both e-bikes and e-scooters, Brisbane City Council has announced, with 800 electric bicycles and 2000 electric scooters set to start zooming around town from Thursday, July 22. That means you'll be seeing purple and orange-coloured vehicles aplenty on the city's streets — but no lime. As part of the new contracts, Lime's existing e-scooters will no longer operate in Brisbane. Also disappearing: Brissie's long-running City Cycle scheme, with the yellow bikes set to be replaced by Beam and Neuron's electric counterparts. "We look forward to the purple and orange bikes being available for residents and visitors, along with the expanded e-scooter fleet," said Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, announcing the new e-mobility changes in a statement. Singapore-based outfit Neuron has been operating its vibrant motorised stand-up vehicles in Brisbane since 2019, starting with 200 before gradually rolling out a total of 600 according to market demand. In fact, Brissie was the first place in the world to receive the company's latest model: the N3. These feature 12-inch tyres and a 21-centimetre-wide floorboard, are designed for better safety and stability, and can travel up to 50 kilometres on one battery charge. The N3 also uses modular parts that can be replaced easily (as opposed to replacing the whole scooter), and is adaptable to different road conditions. As for Beam, it already operates scooters in Adelaide and Canberra, in Bunbury in Western Australia, and in New Zealand, South Korea and Malaysia as well — and its Apollo e-bikes made their worldwide debut in Sydney in 2020. While e-bike services are typically dockless, meaning that you can finish your ride wherever you like and just leave your bike there, Beam offers designated parking spots. It calls the scheme 'virtual docking', with customers parking the bikes in predetermined places located by using the company's app. Neuron Mobility's e-scooters are now available around Brisbane, and its e-bikes will launch on Thursday, July 22. For further details, visit the company's website. Beam's e-scooters and e-bikes will launch in Brisbane on Thursday, July 22. For more information, head to the company's website.
The story of cinema's favourite spy goes back decades, with the seven faces of James Bond spanning a screen saga that started in the 1960s. Daniel Craig's iconic run as the character came to an end in 2021 with No Time to Die, and with Craig's time in the tux now concluded, it seems appropriate to return to where it began with his 2006 character debut in Casino Royale. The widely acclaimed blockbuster is coming back in the form of a special concert screening on Friday, March 15. Better yet, the film's musical score will be performed live by Queensland Symphony Orchestra as the film plays on the big screen. In Casino Royale, Bond is not the super spy we have previously known him to be. This younger MI6 agent has just acquired his famed 00 status and a license to kill. Now he's being dispatched to a high-stakes poker tournament to play for the fortune of criminal banker Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), who will use any winnings to finance terrorists worldwide. Casino Royale was a hit with fans and critics alike, breathing new life to the franchise and setting up four Daniel Craig-starring sequels: Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre and the aforementioned No Time to Die. The score, composed by David Arnold, captures the full spirit of the series, sweeping strings and blaring brass with a healthy splash of 2000s rock, and will sound fantastic when QSO takes to the stage of the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre for this unmissable, one-night-only show. Casino Royale in Concert will be performed live by Queensland Symphony Orchestra at 7.30pm on Friday, March 15. For more information or to book tickets, visit the website.
After cooking up a storm on the Gold Coast, the team behind Burleigh Heads' Rick Shores is bringing its Asian-style fare to Brisbane with opening of neo-Chinese dining hall and beer garden Little Valley. There are no prizes for guessing which suburb the 70-seater seater eatery calls home, but you'll find Little Valley's kitchen pumping until late in Warner Street rather than Chinatown. Still, the menu by ex-Rick Shores head chef Jake Pregnell takes inspiration from Chinese cuisine, drawing upon his recent study tour of the country — and his general love of the area's tastes and flavours. That means that patrons can expect a feast of regionally inspired meals — think twice-cooked duck and roast pork neck with char siu glaze, plus kung pao mushrooms and duck egg noodles with something called 'strange flavour'. From the dim sum range, potato and truffle spring rolls, lobster and chive har gow, and chilli crab xiao long bao sit among a nine-dish selection, while desserts include red bean ice cream with pumpkin curd and a Hong Kong custard tart for dessert. Drinks-wise, a hefty wine, beer and spirits list is complemented by eight signature cocktails; the Waking Panda with vodka, elderflower, mandarin and citrus, and the Silk Palace with rum, orange blossom, coconut cream, vanilla and citrus are just two examples. And if you're looking for somewhere to enjoy a tipple or two, Little Valley also boasts an openair bar and beer garden, as well as an adjacent laneway that'll be home to a new lighting installation. The eatery will be open from Wednesday to Sunday, with bar service commencing at 4pm, meals from 5.30pm and a 2am closing time on Friday and Saturday nights — a welcome addition to Brisbane's late-night dining options. It'll also start offering lunch from Friday, July 6. You can find Little Valley at 6 Warner Street, Fortitude Valley. It's open from 4pm Wednesday to Sunday, and will open for lunch on Fridays and Saturdays from June 6.
Based on a novel by Hunter S. Thompson, The Rum Diary follows the wild adventures of journalist Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp) as he takes on a freelance job in Puerto Rico for a local newspaper during the 1950s. Struggling to find a balance between island culture and the expatriates who live there, Kemp forms a passionate yet dangerous attraction to Chenault (Amber Heard), the fiancée of Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart), a wealthy entrepreneur. When Kemp is recruited by Sanderson to write favorably about his latest unsavoury scheme, the journalist faces a dilemma: to use his words for the corrupt businessman's financial benefit, or use them to take the bastards down. The Rum Diary is a fast-paced filmic cocktail of comedy, adventure, romance and action. The incredible cinematography and choice of soundtrack in Bruce Robinson's film paints the exotic landscape of Puerto Rico with colours and sounds that exemplify Kemp's experience in the foreign land. With a cast of well-known Hollywood talents, lead by the charismatic Johnny Depp, this movie is sure to take you on one hell of a rum-fuelled ride. Read the full review here. To win one of ten double passes to see The Rum Diary, just make sure you are subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name and postal address through to hello@concreteplayground.com.au https://youtube.com/watch?v=0YUx36yLLug
Some innovative internetters have thrown their support behind tougher laws on firearms in America by photoshopping classic movie moments so that our favourite gun-toting characters serve their enemies a friendly thumbs up instead of a barrage of bullets. The light-hearted approach by photoblog Thumbs & Ammo comes at a time when America is heatedly debating gun control, and its amusing advocacy of stringent gun control provides a refreshing and entertaining new angle as to why Americans do not need guns. "Real tough guys don't need guns, they just need a positive, can-do attitude," the crowdsourced blog's tagline declares. Let us hope that art can imitate life. In the meantime, take a look at some of our favourites below.
What features Jay and Silent Bob dancing, the Quick Stop opening and hockey being played on the roof? There's more than one answer to that question. The response right now: the trailer for Clerks III, which is a real thing that's headed to US cinemas in September. Feeling like you've just jumped back 28 years comes with the territory with this threequel — and the film well and truly knows it. Trust Jason Mewes (Loafy), playing Jay yet again, to state the obvious in the just-dropped sneak peek at Kevin Smith's third Clerks flick. "That's how we did it in the 90s, son!" he exclaims. Naturally, that's just the beginning of Clerks III's meta leanings. In fact, winking and nodding is one of the main reasons that this movie seems to exist — because the titular twosome, aka Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson, Zack and Miri Make a Porno) and Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran, On Your Own), are making their own movie. As the trailer shows, Randal has a heart attack on the job, realises he's living on borrowed time and decides that he'll finally make a film rather than just watch them. "Everything in the script is something either me or someone I know said," he explains — followed by Our Flag Means Death's Fred Armisen, Buffy the Vampire Slayer icon Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Smith's Mallrats and Chasing Amy star Ben Affleck uttering "I'm not even supposed to be here today". No, snoochie boochies, nothing in pop culture ever really dies or ends. Yes, there's always a new movie or TV show popping up to prove how that's the case. All things Star Wars keeps on keeping on, after all — and, given that Smith both writes and directs Clerks III, as he did 1994's Clerks and 2006's Clerks II, you bet that sci-fi space opera gets a mention in his latest flick. If you're new to Clerks, aka the franchise that kickstarted Smith's career both behind and in front of the camera — playing Silent Bob, of course — the OG black-and-white movie followed Quick Stop Groceries employee Dante and his video rental store worker pal Randal going about an ordinary day. Famously, Dante wasn't even supposed to be working. The first sequel then picked up ten years later, checking in on the pair's lives. In that film, they've made the move to fast food, with Rosario Dawson (DMZ) playing their manager. Dawson features in Clerks III, too, as do other familiar franchise faces that are best spotted by watching the trailer yourself — or seeing the film, although it doesn't yet have a release date Down Under. Given how many times that Smith has busted out Jay and Silent Bob now — this makes the ninth View Askewniverse film so far, and they've appeared in other flicks like Scream 3 as well — you can probably expect that he'll be palling around with Mewes on-screen until he's at least 90. The Tusk and Yoga Hosers filmmaker also has a sequel to Mallrats in the works, so add that to the list. Check out the trailer for Clerks III below: Clerks III will release in the US from September 4, with Down Under release dates yet to be confirmed — we'll update you when local details are announced.
Double chocolate, salted caramel, peanut butter. Leave your green smoothies at the door and treat yourself to one of Brisbane's dense blocks of deliciously decadent dessert. One of the most simultaneously indulgent and stripped-back of the baked good family, the humble brownie has been celebrated by Brisbane institutions in many a mouthwatering form. From heart-shaped morsels to the forgotten sister of the brownie, the Blondie, Brisbane knows its way around the sweet rectangular crowdpleaser. Popping up in the glass cabinets of Jocelyn’s Provisions, the degustations of Bacchus and farmers markets of Jan Power, the mighty brownie has a special place in Brisbanite hearts. Now arrange a coffee date and get amongst Brisbane's best brownies, it's high time you treated yourself. Flour and Chocolate Flour and Chocolate are a Brisbane institution when it comes to all things baked, so it should come as no surprise that they whip up a darn good brownie. Make your way to Morningside on a Friday and experience the beauty of brownie day. Double chocolate and salted caramel are the store's staple flavours but monthly specials like peanut butter are pretty hard to say no to. While some varieties are flourless, all of them are absolutely straight-up delicious. Brownie budget: $5 Jocelyn's Provisions It's near impossible to talk baked goods in Brisbane without mentioning Jocelyn’s Provisions. At Jocelyn's, the often forgotten sister of the brownie — the Blondie — is given a chance to shine. A rich and chewy texture, abound with chunks of white chocolate and macadamia nuts should be reason enough for you think twice before judging the lack of cocoa. A classic fudge brownie and alternatives like pecan and chocolate are also available. Brownie budget: $5.70 Dello Mano Dello Mano's reputation precedes them after being named favourite brownie by Oprah Winfrey and Ashton Kutcher. And boy oh boy, do they live up to the hype. At $5.50 a pop, the saying 'good things come in small packages' could not ring more true. After carefully selecting your flavour from the fridge, do yourself a favour and wait until your brownie drops to room temperature before eating, in order to experience its true wonderment. For those poor souls who don’t live in Brisbane or can’t get to the Teneriffe bricks and mortar store and café, you’ll be please to know you can order the luxury brownies online in either a 9 or 16-piece gift box and spoil someone special (or yourself). Brownie budget: $5.50 I Heart Brownies Found exclusively at Jan Power’s Farmers Markets, selected cafes in Brisbane and available for ordering online, I Heart Brownies are like little chocolate hugs. Heart-shaped and dusted with icing sugar, these babies are gluten free and available in a variety of sugar-filled flavours. We hearted Classic Chocolate and Delightfully Turkish. Top notch. Brownie budget: $4 Malt Malt Dining prove there's always space on a menu for a great brownie, even in fine dining. The Attic present the Malt Brownie with salted caramel, chocolate textures and peanut brittle. Two pieces of dense, fudgy brownie are delicately sandwiched together with a creamy vanilla bean ice cream. Brownie budget: $15 Moo Moo: The Wine Bar and Grill Although Moo Moo might be known for their steaks, be sure to leave room for their hot fudge sundae — featuring our baked star. Cooked to order and plated with ice cream, chocolate fudge sauce, chewy honeycomb and fresh flowers, this one is a feast for your eyes and your stomach. The brownie is warm and cake-like, soaking up the chocolate fudge sauce and making for an extremely decadent end to an evening. Brownie budget: $19 Kokopod Salted caramel. Peanut butter. Raspberry. They're brownies, but not as you've had them before. We got our hands on the heart-shaped sweet raspberry and peanut butter kind, and raspberry took the cake — but only just. Popping up at the Carseldine Markets, the mastermind behind Kokopod, Brigid, is a professionally-trained chocolatier and only uses fair trade Swiss chocolate. The proof of quality lies in the brownie. Brownie budget: $4 The Bakers Arms While not technically a brownie, the salted caramel and popcorn hedgehog from The Bakers Arms deserves an honorable mention. A fudgy textured hedgehog with generous chunks of biscuity goodness is crowned by sticky salted caramel popcorn that will leave cavities in your molars and a smile on your face all day long. Brownie Budget: $5 Chester Street Bakery and Bar Chester Street has seen a myriad of brownies adorn its beloved glass cabinet. The current offering is a rich, classic chocolate brownie smeared with white chocolate ganache. Just like yin and yang, the opposing chocolate forces compliment magically and bring harmony to the universe. Brownie budget: $5 Bacchus This one comes with a catch: four other dessert degustation courses. Oh. Yeah. It might look like a work of art, but that won't stop you eating the brownie at Bacchus. The most decadent of them all, not in sweet richness but in the gold foil and culinary skill involved, the dessert is served up as course two of five in the venue's dessert degustation. The brownie is perfect in texture and served with Frangelico ice cream and a tempered chocolate cylinder lined with hazelnut crumb and filled with hazelnut mousse. Brownie budget: $49 (Bacchus degustation)
You're in a pub, having a beverage with your best mate, and you both keep picking up your pesky smartphones. It's a problem we all know too well — and something we're all guilty of, admit it. At London's new pop-up pub, it's simply not an option. Firstly, at the Make Time For It craft bar in Greenwich, you and your BFF will be the only people there. Yep, the short-term venue in Greenwich only seats two people. That's what happens when you open up the tiniest, cosiest of bespoke pubs in a garden shed that's smaller than a pool table. Plus, to make sure you really do have a good natter, you have to hand in your phone when you enter. That's right — good things don't just come in the smallest of packages here, though, but in the quietest and most distraction-free. Make Time For It's limited operation from October 21 to 30 is designed to highlight the importance of time, and of unplugging from digital distractions. You'll get free beer for your troubles, with the entire place the brainchild of craft brewer Meantime. After fashioning a range of special tipples that stress the concept of disconnecting from the screens in your pocket, they've taken the idea to the next level. Sure, it's a gimmick, but it's also Britain's smallest bar, and probably the world's, as well as the kind of place you instantly want to visit. You can pre-book a slot, or simply turn up and enjoy your time in the teensy-weensy watering hole. And if you're heading elsewhere in the UK at a later date, you might just be in luck — Meantime is pondering taking the bar on the road. Via Meantime.
Galleries spend a lot of time showcasing art from the past, but until October 11, the Gallery of Modern Art is going to be looking at the present and the future. Assembling new and recent pieces from 31 artists, their latest collection is designed to give audiences a taste of current works being made across Queensland. Vernon Ah Kee, Davida Allen, Chantal Fraser and Anita Holtsclaw all feature, as well as Madeleine Kelly, Liam O'Brien and Grant Stevens, too. If you're familiar with the local art landscape, or have just been to an exhibition in Brisbane lately, you might recognise their names — and if not, you will soon. Their creations help highlight what's going on across the state, but viewing their work is only part of the GOMA Q: Contemporary Queensland Art experience. Free talks and panels are also included the program — featuring author Benjamin Law, Opera Queensland's Lindy Hume, and Brisbane-based artists Michael Zavros and Richard Bell — because chatting about art is just as fun as looking at it. Image: Liam O'Brien, Australia b. 1987 / Domestication 2014 / High definition single channel video, 10 mins 15 sec, ed. of 5 / Courtesy Sullivan+Strumpf, Sydney.
Acclaim, awards, and Josh and Julie Niland all go hand in hand. The Sydney duo have been winning fans locally since 2016, when they opened Saint Peter, and the praise has kept flowing and growing from there. Josh's applauded The Whole Fish Cookbook earned him the prestigious James Beard Book of the Year Award back in 2020, becoming the first Australian to ever take out the prize. Earlier in 2022, he was the only Australian chef to feature in The Best Chefs Awards for 2022 — aka the list of the top 100 best globally — too. Now, with Julie, another gong has come the Nilands' way: the Game Changer Award from France's La Liste. La Liste is known for picking the best 1000 restaurants in the world annually, and it has also just done exactly that for 2023. But it gives out awards as well, with its latest round handed out on the evening of Monday, November 28 in Paris. That's where Josh and Julie earned some love for their approach to seafood, and the businesses that've sprang from their efforts. [caption id="attachment_771911" align="alignnone" width="1920"] by Rob Palmer, from Josh Niland's The Whole Fish Cookbook[/caption] "Australian chef Josh Niland, whose wife Julie runs his ever evolving Sydney business, has changed the way chefs use fish all over the world with his zero-waste 'fish butchery' approach," La Liste notes in its explanation for its 2023 Game Changer pick. "His methods seemed radical when he started talking about them, but make sense — use the whole fish, from fin-to-gill, as we do nose-to-tail with animals. Age and cure fish. Don't forget the offal. As many chefs lack the knowledge to do this, he shares his ideas in two cookbooks, The Whole Fish and Take One Fish," the statement continues. [caption id="attachment_878784" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rob Palmer[/caption] Clearly, Sydneysiders will be familiar with the Nilands courtesy of Saint Peter, and also thanks to Fish Butchery since 2018 — with the latter now in both Paddington and Waterloo — plus sustainable fish and chip shop Charcoal Fish in Rose Bay. They have more venues in the works, with Saint Peter moving into The Grand National Hotel, the Nilands taking over the whole place, and new 60-seat restaurant and bar Petermen coming to St Leonards, all in 2023. The Nilands' La Liste prize saw them earn international recognition alongside fellow Aussie chefs James Henry and Shaun Kelly, who scored one of the Hidden Gems awards for Le Doyenné in Saint-Vrain in France. Also picking up a win among the global recipients: Michel Guérard, who nabbed a special Award of Honour; Chika Tillman from New York's ChikaLicious Dessert Bar, who received the Top Pastry Chef Award; and Yotam Ottolenghi for championing the Mediterranean region, which scored him the New Destination Champion Award. Plus, Italy's Niko Romito was given the Innovation Award, France's Yannick Alléno the Community Spirit prize, and Brazil's Manoella Buffara took home the Ethical and Sustainability Award. Among La Liste 2023's 1000 restaurants, Saint Peter obviously featured, as did a nice lineup of other Australian spots. In Sydney, Oncore by Clare Smyth, Quay, Tetsuya's, Bentley Restaurant and Bar, Bennelong, Ormeggio at The Spit, and Rockpool Bar and Grill made the list, while Melbourne's inclusions span Vue de Monde, Attica, Cutler and Co, Minamishina, Lume, Grossi Florentino Upstairs and Flower Drum. In regional Victoria, Brae, Lake House and Provenance got the nod, as did Penfolds Magill Estate in Adelaide. [caption id="attachment_690417" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brae[/caption] For La Liste's full list of awards, and best restaurants, head to the guide's website. Top image: Rob Palmer.
There ain't nothing quite like country music, is there, partner? First popping up in the American South more or less a century ago, it's a simple yet satisfying genre that has found fans worldwide. Some of the most recognisable artists in history have been country singers — with a podium including Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Shania Twain, Kenny Rogers and more. If you know or love any of the above artists, you'd best secure some tickets to the upcoming Country by Candlelight tour. Having sold out theatres across the UK, it's headed down south (or down under, in this case) to tour across Australia and Aotearoa throughout February and March. After a series of February shows in NZ, the Australian tour will arrive in Queensland for a Gold Coast show at The Star Theatre on Sunday, March 1. The following week, it's Sydney's turn at Darling Harbour Theatre on Sunday, March 8, before moving to Melbourne Town Hall on Thursday, March 12. Then, the tour will hop across the country to PCEC Perth on Sunday, March 15, before an additional Queensland show at QPAC Brisbane on Thursday, March 19. Finally, the tour will conclude in South Australia at Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, on Sunday, March 22. Each show starts at 7.30pm and should wrap up (encores notwithstanding) by 10pm. Country by Candlelight will tour across cities in Australia and New Zealand from Sunday, February 15 to Sunday, March 22. For more information or to book tickets, visit the website.
Australia will soon get to see The Wind Rises (Kaze tachinu), the supposedly final work from Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro), who based the film on his own manga comic of the same name. Set in Japan pre-WWII, the critically acclaimed animated drama follows the life of a young flight-obsessed engineer who designs Japanese fighter planes, a plot inspired by the real-life creator of the Mitsubishi A5M and A6M Zero, Jiro Horikoshi. As the highest grossing Japanese film of 2013, The Wind Rises also took out the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. It sounds like a must-see for Studio Ghibli fans and aviation nerds, plus those keen to experience what sounds like the last film from a truly legendary animator. The film will play in Japanese and English, with respective subtitles. Its English language cast includes Joseph Gordon Levitt, Elijah Wood and Emily Blunt. The Wind Rises is in cinemas on Thursday, February 27, and thanks to Madman Films, we have ten double in-season passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au
In the space of a mere two days to close out May, two tales of two puppeteers join the streaming ranks. Eric is pure fiction, but it's impossible not to think about Jim Henson while watching it, regardless of whether you also have a small-screen date with Jim Henson Idea Man. Creator and writer Abi Morgan — who has previously penned the likes of Shame, The Iron Lady, The Invisible Woman, Suffragette, River and The Split — puts a Henson-esque figure with his own hit TV show for kids at the core of her six-part miniseries. Played by Benedict Cumberbatch (The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar) in a performance that's bound to receive awards attention, the bearded and lanky Vincent Anderson even physically resembles the man behind The Muppets, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. As evident to everyone watching Eric from Thursday, May 30 on Netflix, its protagonist definitely isn't Henson. Firstly, Anderson is an abusive alcoholic. Secondly, his nine-year-old son Edgar (debutant Ivan Morris Howe) goes missing one morning on his walk to school, which he was supposed to accompany him on as his main contribution to fatherhood. And thirdly, the eponymous Eric is a seven-foot-tall monster muppet who his boy scribbled to life on the page and then starts following Vincent as his mental health struggles after Edgar disappears. But binge-viewing your way through Eric — and it is engrossingly bingeable — means being unable to shake the feeling that Morgan pondered "what if?" about Henson in all of the above scenarios. As a series, the 1985-set Eric is as ambitious as it is expertly acted; neither daring in general nor absorbing portrayals are lacking. The exceptional Cumberbatch sits at the crux of both as Eric asks another "what if?": what if someone experiencing the terror of their child going AWOL wasn't at their best before their life is turned upside down, because heartbreak and horror don't solely blight pictures of perfection? There's force behind his work as Vincent by design, with the audience asked to feel every ounce of his agony and the chaos he wreaks. Cumberbatch finds haunting nuance in the part, too, as subtlety simmers in every key portrayal — from Howe, Gaby Hoffmann (C'mon C'mon) as Edgar's mother and McKinley Belcher III (One Piece) as the cop on the case through to Clarke Peters (Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody) as a neighbour, Bamar Kane (Io Capitano) as an unhoused street artist and Adepero Oduye (Five Days at Memorial) as another mum looking for her lost boy. Eric is also instantly involving and deeply layered as it queries how a bright world can turn unkind, cruel and corrupt. It's an ordinary day when Edgar trundles out his New York City door alone, and routine even in the fact that Vincent and Hoffman's Cassie have been fighting. With the series starting with Edgar's parents fronting the media flanked by police, pleading for their son to come home — Vincent speaks directly to him through the camera — viewers know what's in store before the boy doesn't arrive at class. Morgan and director Lucy Forbes (This Is Going to Hurt), who helms the entire miniseries with poise, can't ever be accused of lacing their tale with inevitability, however. Rather, pain and poignancy are Eric's constants. Swiftly, the Anderson family is plunged into crisis. As he frays visibly and publicly, the already-erratic and egotistical Vincent still can't tear himself away from work on Good Day Sunshine. The show, plus conjuring imaginary friends to life with felt, was the primary glue between the Anderson men (Edgar's bedroom overflows with sketches that resemble his dad's). Vincent isn't merely distracting himself by keeping busy or clinging to something that bonded him with his kid; he becomes obsessed with turning Eric into his show's newest character. At home, their marriage disintegrating, Cassie is certain that reward money from her husband's rich parents (The Big Cigar's John Doman and Anatomy of a Scandal's Phoebe Nicholls), who he's estranged from, will help rustle up information on her son's whereabouts. One of the bold choices that Morgan makes is not just to take a setup that could've fuelled the series by itself — abduction thrillers are their own genre — and add a complicated character study complete with a furry pal manifesting as a man's guilt, regret and sorrow; she also ensures that Eric functions as a portrait of 80s New York, with graffiti and garbage a consistent sight, and the city's homeless population a frequent topic of discussion. Here, enter NYPD detective Michael Ledroit (Belcher III), who is investigating while handling his own baggage. He's still trying to find another disappeared boy from 11 months ago, 14-year-old Marlon (Bence Orere, another newcomer), but with far less support because the child is Black. Ledroit is also a closeted gay Black man in a workplace and at a time that's hardly welcoming, and with a partner (Mark Gillis, Hollyoaks) dying of AIDS-related illness. Accordingly, Eric is a snapshot of a crumbling family, and of a man facing his worst nightmare and mental deterioration in tandem; a missing-person procedural about two vanished boys and the dissimilar attitudes to bringing them home; and a wander through the Big Apple in a distinctive period, and through the inequality engrained in everything from race and class to sexuality and power with those bearing its brunt. Its namesake may seem as if he could've strolled out of Monsters, Inc., albeit with a gruff voice and no aversion to swearing — and "be good, be kind, be brave, be different" might be Good Day Sunshine's motto — but this is always a tale of darkness, pain and the reality that sunny days sweeping the clouds away are so rare that they need to be clung to. In a busy year for childhood buddies on-screen, Eric isn't optimistic fantasy IF or dull horror film Imaginary, though. It also isn't 2018's terrible adult puppet flick The Happytime Murders, which had a Henson pedigree: Brian, son of Jim, plus director of both The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island, helmed it. When it swings through clubs where sex sells, examines the impact of gentrification, and unpacks the dishonesty and violence that can colour the thin blue line and the institutions behind it to the detriment of a city, The Deuce and The Wire both appear to be influences (Peters and Doman's supporting parts assist). Puppets don't nest one inside the other, but this series with one at its centre repeatedly proves the TV equivalent of a matryoshka doll. Check out the trailer for Eric below: Eric streams via Netflix from Thursday, May 30, 2024.
UPDATE, July 5, 2021: Following Brisbane's lockdown, Lifeline Bookfest reopened on Sunday, July 4, and will now run for an extra two days. The event will finish up on Tuesday, July 6, and masks are mandatory for all attendees. This winter, the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre is hosting a sales event of most peculiar stock. Strange things they are, full of pages, rampant with words and with covers of the most beautiful colours. You can't charge them, they don't run out of battery, their brightness is unalterable, and they won't smash when you drop them. Yes, after sitting out 2020 due to the pandemic, Lifeline Bookfest is finally back for another round of vintage bargains. It's where you'll find everything from Australian Women's Weekly Cookbooks to a bit of cheeky erotica, as well as games, DVDs and puzzles. If you've been before, you'll know there are warehouse quantities of books for sale – your grade five diary is probably hidden under a copy of Shantaram, and you'll come across at least three copies of Cooking with Days of Our Lives. Prices range from $2.50 to the big bucks — with no $1 selection on offer this year so that the sale can spread out in these social-distancing times. Don't go thinking you won't have plenty to choose from, though. Bookfest hasn't hit Brisbane for more than 18 months, so 900 crates of reading materials are coming our way. You'll still want to bring a trolley and your glasses, obviously, and to clear some space on your shelves at home. And, you'll want to bring your cards, because this Bookfest is cashless. Also, you'll need your own bags, as books won't be wrapped for you this year. Head along from 7.30am–6pm on Saturday, June 26; 8.30am–6pm between Sunday, June 27–Thursday, July 1; 8.30am–9pm on Friday, July 2; and 8.30am–6pm between Saturday, July 3–Tuesday, July 6. Images: Bookfest.
Calling all sneakerheads: you can get your kicks while looking at kicks at Australia's new Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street exhibition. Making its debut Down Under, this wide-ranging showcase has arrived at Gold Coast's HOTA Gallery, where it's making its only Aussie stop. It's always a good idea to wear trainers when you're walking around a gallery, but they're obviously the only footwear that'll do here. First staged by The Design Museum in London, Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street pays tribute to the footwear's origins and evolution — through sports to fashion, surveying iconic brands and names, and obviously touching upon basketballers Chuck Taylor and Michael Jordan's relationships with the shoes. In total, more than 200 sneakers are on display at exhibition's six-level Australian base, with HOTA giving over its walls and halls to shoes, shoes and more shoes for the summer of 2023–24. Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street started on on Saturday, November 25, and marks the site's first major design exhibition since opening in 2021. While a hefty amount of trainers feature, the entire showcase includes 400-plus items. The other objects at Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street span photos, videos, posters, artworks and process material, all helping to explore the journey that the footwear style has taken in its design and culturally. Attendees can learn more about sneakers that were initially made specifically for getting sweaty, which is where the Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars and Nike Airs come in (and, with the latter, to add to a year that's already seen the movie Air step through the story behind them). Also featuring: the shoes that've become cultural symbols (such as the Vans Half Cab and Reebok InstaPump Fury), future advancements in making kicks (as seen with Biorealize for Puma) and big-name collaborations (Jordan, of course, plus Run-DMC and more). From there, visitors can check out sneakers that've made a splash on the runway (Comme des Carçons and A-Cold-Wall*, for instance), find out more about plant-based sneakers (such as Veja and Native Shoes) and customisable kicks (as Helen Kirkum and Alexander Taylor are doing), and dive into celebrity endorsements (Travis Scott with Nike, Pharell for Adidas and the like). Laid out in chapters called 'STYLE' and 'PERFORMANCE', the exhibition's first part goes big on aesthetics and its second on the act of making the best trainers — covering Chuck Taylor's basketball clinics, sneaker culture in New York City and everything that's happened since. Also, Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street's Aussie run isn't forgetting its location, adding rare homegrown shoes and collaborations to the mix. Remember the Nike Air Presto that the Australian Olympic team wore at Sydney 2000? You'll see it here. The same with the New Balance 997.5 Tassie Tiger and BespokeIND's Melbourne Rules, with the latter made for the 2016 AFL grand final. Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street is the Gold Coast venue's second huge Australian-exclusive in 2023, following Pop Masters: Art From the Mugrabi Collection, New York and its focus on Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring from February–June. In 2024, the site will welcome Italian Renaissance Alive, the latest multi-sensory art experience from the folks behind Van Gogh Alive and Monet in Paris, giving both locals and tourists alike plenty of reasons to drop by. Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street opened on Saturday, November 25 at HOTA Gallery, 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise Gold Coast — head to the exhibition's website for further details and tickets. Images: Milk and Honey Creative.
Whenever the craving for a taste of France strikes, C'est Bon has Brisbane covered. Five mornings a week, it functions as a creperie over breakfast and brunch, making spanner crab- and confit duck-topped crepes made with buckwheat flour from Brittany. When lunch hits, and dinner as well, its a la carte menu includes lobster tarts, pigs head terrine, Paris-style gnocchi and blackcurrant gateau. And for drinks with a view (particularly wine and cocktails over Appellation oysters and croque monsieurs), the Woolloongabba favourite also boasts a rooftop bar called Ooh La La. It's no wonder that the Stanley Street eatery remains one of Brisbane's best restaurants. A hospitality hub that's happily several venues, it's also home to Le Bon Bar and the Garden Terasse — patrons enter through the former as they start their C'est Bon experience. At the latter, an elevated area for al fresco dining and functions awaits. [caption id="attachment_837435" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mitch Lowe[/caption] Also a highlight: C'est Bon's trolley full of events, whether it's a lobster and caviar flambé cart once a week, an excuse to hero botanicals for World Gin Day, Sunday lunches, visiting interstate French joints taking over and Bastille weekends, or fondue nights, crepes over yoga, festive feasts and bakery pop-ups. Whatever the occasion, seasonal Queensland ingredients take pride of place in French dishes, as paired with the beautifully curated wine list from boutique and family vineyards (and a hefty amount of champagne). The chef's tasting menu is a must-try, spanning seven courses with optional matched wines from either Australia or France. Top image: Mitch Lowe. Appears in: The Best Restaurants in Brisbane
During 2020's lockdown, Gelato Messina served up plenty of tasty specials to keep our tastebuds occupied at home — including cookie pies in choc chip, red velvet, choc-hazelnut, and peanut butter and jelly varieties, as well as 40 of its best gelato flavours — and one of them proved particularly popular: Iced Vovo tubs. Now, the gelato fiends are bringing back the gelato version of everyone's favourite childhood biscuit for another limited round. Wondering what exactly Iced VoVo gelato entails? It combines toasted coconut gelato with pieces of shortbread biscuit, then tops it with marshmallow, raspberry puree and desiccated coconut. And yes, the end result looks like the bikkies you know and love — but in a scoopable form. Available as part of Messina's 'Hot Tub' series, the Iced VoVo gelato can only be ordered online on Monday, January 18, with a one-litre tub setting you back $30. You can then go into your chosen Messina store to pick up your tub between Friday, January 22–Sunday, January 24. The tubs are available to order from all Aussie stores except The Star and Coolangatta. Gelato Messina's Iced VoVo gelato tubs will be available to order from 10am on Monday, January 18, for pick up between Friday, January 22–Sunday, January 24 — keep an eye on the Messina website for further details.
A picture is worth a thousand words, but can a picture capture the unique sound of a moment, of laughter, of a single word? With Bespoken Art, your words can in fact be translated into a work of art, a canvas that depicts the exact sound waves of your voice. Founder and CEO David Caulkins launched the company to create "art that speaks volumes," and his vision has given individuals the opportunity to hang on to a particular sound. By uploading sound bites to the Bespoken Art website or recording a word or phrase over the phone, sound waves are captured and printed onto a canvas. You can personalize the picture even more by choosing the color and size of the canvas and sound wave, making it a true original. Bespoken Art allows you to capture a quote, sound or word with the Classic Sound Portrait, combine up to five different voices on the Multiple Voice Sound Portrait, pair up with your significant other to share vows in the Double Pane Sound Portrait or print a smaller laser-printed version with the Desktop Sound Portrait. You can even capture audio over 30 seconds with the Song Sound Portrait, for meaningful songs or messages. Pictures may be worth a thousand words, but words can now paint beautiful pictures.
The term 'cheap and cheerful' is more likely to be shouted by pensioners at their local RSL on bingo night than by any city-dwelling foodie on the hunt for a feed. While the Little Greek Taverna is a Brisbane institution needing no introduction, it is a refreshing break from a dining world where paying $35 for a main meal has become 'the norm'. Take your $35 to Little Greek and you can order any entree and main, pop down to the bottle shop and pick up wine, pay the corkage and still have change left for baklava. With consistent, healthy and quality food it's no wonder this place has become a local favourite. With busy tables that spill out onto West End's well-trodden footpaths and prices that mimic the state of the Greek economy (read: cheap), its atmosphere and authenticity give it a big tick in the right direction. Little Greek keeps it simple with minimalistic decor and a touch of traditional music. Sit back and relax, let the sounds of the bouzouki take you to whitewashed walls of the Mediterranean and tuck into a feast. Mains come in at around $15 for a set of lamb cutlets, chicken souvlaki or pork chops with salad. Or if you wish, take creative control of your meal and pick and choose from the big range of meats and throw a salad on the side later - perfect for those #bulking and #cleaneating. Those who prefer to leave it up to the Greek gods can go halves in a $35 share platter. We told you your money goes far here. Be sure to order the spanakopita ($6), these three crispy spirals of spinach and ricotta go down a treat, and save room for loukoumi ($3), their delicious rose flavoured turkish delight. And remember, if you hear the kitchen smash a plate, it was probably intentional.
With drought blighting the country, Australia just sweltering through its hottest summer on record, and severe storms popping up with frequency in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, there's little doubt that the earth's climate is changing. And while the subject has fuelled many a documentary in recent years, a new Australian film is taking a different approach. Rather than chronicling the bleak status quo, it ponders how we could improve things for the future. The second film from actor-turned-director Damon Gameau, 2040 sees the Aussie exploring areas such as climate, economics, technology, civil society, agriculture and sustainability — chatting with experts, assessing the best technology currently available and prognosticating on what life might be like if we were to embrace solutions that are being worked on today. Specifically, he muses on the state of the planet in 21 years time, using his young daughter as inspiration, with the doco framed as a letter to the now four-year-old. In his previous feature back in 2014, Gameau took on unhealthy diets by consuming a whole heap of sugary food — and given That Sugar Film's local success, it's hardly surprising that he's taking a personal approach to an important topic once again. 2040 premiered last month at the Berlin Film Festival, where it struck a chord with audiences, and will have its Aussie debut at the Gold Coast Film Festival in April before releasing around the country in May. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-rTQ443akE&feature=youtu.be 2040 opens in Australian cinemas on May 23.
Whether you're travelling from Sydney to Canberra or Parramatta, Melbourne to Geelong, or Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast, you'll soon be able to get there a whole lot quicker — or that's the plan, at least. Various government bodies have announced various high-speed transport proposals throughout 2018, all focused on journeying relatively short distances in as short a time as possible. But if a potential new transit network comes to fruition, Australians would be able to zip between many capital cities in less than an hour. One of several companies trying to build Elon Musk's Hyperloop vacuum-tube transport system, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies has lodged a submission to the federal government's current parliamentary inquiry into automated mass transit. Its key feature: travelling at a top speed of 1223 kilometres per hour. At speeds that fast, you'd be able to zoom from Brisbane to Sydney in 37 minutes, and from Sydney to Melbourne in the same amount of time. Melbourne to Adelaide would take just 33 minutes, while a jaunt down from Sydney to Canberra would need a mere 14 minutes, and venturing from Canberra to Melbourne would be over in 23 minutes. The timings are just estimates for now; however each potential leg proves considerably quicker than the equivalent plane journey — and the longest outlined route, from Brisbane to Adelaide, would take one hour and 47 minutes. Zipping between the northern and southern ends of the country faster than you can watch a movie sounds incredibly enticing, as does simply popping over to another city for a day trip. Billed as "bringing aeroplane speeds to ground level", Hyperloop sends capsules along low-pressure tubes, with each capsule seating 38 passengers. That said, the system is still well and truly in the testing phase. In October, Hyperloop TT's first full-scale passenger capsule was revealed in Spain, with the company also building a 320-metre system in France. By next year, it intends to construct a one-kilometre system for further pilots. If Hyperloop does become a reality, Hyperloop TT's Aussie submission also suggests incorporating the Gold Coast, the Southern Highlands, Newcastle, Wollongong, Nowra, Port Macquarie and Orange into routes — further broadening the network's reach, reducing road congestion and decentralising the country away from major cities, all while using solar panels to power the system. There's no proposed timeframe in Hyperloop TT's proposal, so don't go dreaming about zooming across the country just yet. Also, this isn't the first time that Hyperloop has been proposed for Australia, with rival outfit Hyperloop One outlining plans for a Sydney to Melbourne route back in 2016. Via news.com.au. Images: Hyperloop TT.
Australia loves music festivals all year round, but this sunny country flatout adores them in summer. So, plenty of them pop up. And, a whole heap of them arrive at the same time, as one year ends and the next begins. Also, they all usually have a swag of acts in common. Accordingly, if you're in Brisbane and you've been noticing the lineups for Beyond The Valley and Field Day elsewhere around the nation, and then you saw that Wildlands is returning, you might've put two and two together. That maths would've been correct in a number of cases, too — including RÜFÜS DU SOL, Central Cee and Peggy Gou. All three artists are headed to all Brisbane for Wildlands, alongside A$AP Ferg, The Jungle Giants and G Flip. [caption id="attachment_913128" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Fifth Legend via Wikimedia Commons.[/caption] Also on Wildlands' bill: Sub Focus doing his live show CIRCULAR SOUND, and everyone from Destroy Lonely, LUUDE, Jayda G, Romy and COBRAH to Ewan Mcvicar, Taylah Elaine, Conducta b2b Notion, dameeeela and STÜM. It's been four years since Brisbane first welcomed Wildlands to the city, with the teams behind Victoria's Beyond The Valley and Perth's Origin Fields fests giving the Sunshine State a big new summer party. Fast-forward to 2023, and the event returns again, heading to Brisbane Showgrounds on the biggest night there is for celebrations: New Year's Eve. WILDLANDS 2023–24 LINEUP: RÜFÜS DU SOL Central Cee Peggy Gou A$AP FERG The Jungle Giants G Flip Becca Hatch Forest Claudette Sub Focus presents CIRCULAR SOUND Destroy Lonely LUUDE Jayda G Romy Ewan McVicar Conducta b2b Notion Taylah Elaine STÜM COBRAH Boo Seeka Blanke dameeeela Miss Kaninna Anna Lunoe Wildlands images: Jordan Munn / Mitch Lowe.
Urban dwellers are usually more accustomed to seeing copious amounts of neutral tones around our cities than bright splashes of colour. It's argued that colour makes people feel happier, so wouldn't it be nice if our city looked like one big rainbow, or perhaps an array of different shades of blue or pink? Many charming little towns throughout the world have put this idea into practice, painting their buildings in bold and bright colours. The bursts of colour add an artistic ambiance to older buildings and bring a source of life to cities during the colder months, and become popular tourist destinations in the summer. Here is a collection of the best examples of places around the globe where colour reigns supreme. La Boca, Argentina Jodhpur, India Bo-Kaap, South Africa Guanajuato, Mexico San Francisco, USA Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles St John's, Canada Riomaggiore, Italy Wroclaw, Poland Salvador, Brazil Jaipur, India [via Environmental Graffiti]
What's big, spiky and attracts tourists from all over? Whether you grew up in the shadow of one of south-east Queensland's great tourist attractions, made the trek to the Sunshine Coast to marvel an oversized fake fruit, or always thought you'd snap a pic next to the pineapple to end all pineapples, you know the answer. Soon, however, you might be able to do more than just visit, take photos, browse the markets, meet some monkeys and eat the sweet, juicy food in question — you might be able to sleep there. Yes, glamping could be coming to the one and only Big Pineapple. If that's not news that'll make you hightail it to Nambour, then we don't know what is. With the iconic site under new ownership, the folks in charge are thinking big — well, bigger than the previous owners did, including the people responsible for building such a massive monument to a particular tropical fruit. Among the additions mooted for the 165-hectare site: a family fun park, an RV park, walking trails, outdoor sport and recreation facilities, and fancy, fancy tents so that you can stay the night. The plans are designed to help bring the Big Pineapple back to its former glory, with the 16-metre-high attraction's tourist trade not quite at previous booming levels. Since opening in 1971, the heritage-listed fruit tower has seen a few changes, opening and closing over the years, undergoing several revamps, and introducing the annual Big Pineapple Music Festival in 2013. "What we want to do is make a food-based and eco-tourism-based destination that incorporates the existing big pineapple, but adds other things ... and has outlets for local produce," co-owner Peter Kendall told ABC Sunshine Coast. "There's rainforest on the land that would lend itself to eco-walks [and] we've talked about things like zip lining." Existing favourites, such as the animal hospital and train, will be retained. And, for anyone who feels strongly about just what the Big Pineapple should add to the site, an open day will be held on February 18 for interested parties to offer their input into the new proposals. Via: ABC Sunshine Coast. Image: Holiday Point.
A brand new restaurant has cropped up in inner west Sydney that looks poised to take the Australian food scene by storm. Nestled in the heart of Camperdown, the menu at The Corner is jam packed with fashionable dining options, from lentil and eggplant salad to roast Moroccan chicken breast, tomato and bocconcini Caprese salad to...Wait a minute, are those McNuggets? Yes, Sydney's hottest new eatery turned out to be a Maccas in disguise. Described by the fast food giant as a 'learning lab', the site will be used to trial a bunch of new menu options, presumably in a bid to combat their flagging sales. Which is all very well and good, but come on. Brioche McMuffins? Pulled pork Quarter Pounders? What kind of twisted bait and switch is the Hamburglar trying to pull? Of course, the reality is that a bit of sneaky rebranding is de rigueur for companies like these. McDonald's isn't the first chain to try and capture a trendier market share, and it certainly won't be the last. Here are four other examples of mass producing omnicorps attempting to cash in on foodie culture. YOUR FAVOURITE CORNER COFFEE JOINT TURNED OUT TO BE A STARBUCKS No self-respecting coffee lover would ever be caught dead in Starbucks. That is, unless they didn’t know it was a Starbucks. In an attempt to raise sales in the wake of the global recession, the massive coffee chain started to revamp a number of its US and European locations in 2010, removing all traces of the company name save for a nauseating caveat that the 'new' stores were 'inspired by Starbucks'. The good news is that Australia's coffee snobbery has already killed close to three quarters of the Starbucks locations down under, so our chances of being hoodwinked are fairly slim. That is, unless they just said they were closing all those stores. Maybe it was just a trick. Maybe they never left at all. BURGER KING TRIED OUT 'SODA PAIRINGS' It's common knowledge that certain wines go better with certain foods. All Burger King tried to do was apply that same basic principal to soft drink in 2014. Taped half-heartedly to the side of a soda fountain, their pairings seem somewhat arbitrary to me, but then again I'm no sommelier. After a hearty Angus Burger and onion rings, who's to say that a 'crisp, clear bodied' Sprite doesn’t sit better on the palate than a Diet Coke? Honestly, this feeble attempt at classing up the joint isn't so much insidious as it is really, really lame. That being said, nothing goes well with Dr. Pepper. YOUR AVERAGE BP SERVO SANDWICH WENT ALL 'ARTISAN' When they're not too busy pumping oil into the ocean, it turns out BP make freshly baked artisan bread. And brew 100 percent organic coffee. And build rescue shelters for injured puppies. Okay fine, so I made up that last one. But the other two are apparently staples of Jack & Co., self-described as "the freshest convenience stores in the world". The original store was fused to a BP service station in 2012, but recent openings in Taree, NSW have evolved into their own faux-gourmet, corporate guilt-alleviating entities. YOUR KFC ZINGER COMBO WILL HAVE CRAFT BEER FOR THE DRINK Face it: if Mickey D is targeting hipsters, this lot were never far behind. Kudos to the Colonel for at least having the giblets to keep the initials — not that KFC actually stands for anything anymore. In any case, Parramattans will soon be able to get beer and cider with their original recipe, when 'KFC Urban' is granted a liquor licence later in 2015. Like McDonald's, KFC has been falling behind in the fast food arms race, losing younger customers to chains like Nandos and Grill’d. Rather than serving up a kale burger, their solution is apparently to just get everybody sloshed. Frankly, I have absolutely no problem with that. Images: The Corner, Fast Company, Imgur, Jack & Co., KFC.
Ice cream season is upon us and so is another Brisbane spot to eat it, with La Macelleria once again growing its gelato empire. Just over a year since doubling its dessert joints from one to two, the gelateria chain has added a third location in Coorparoo. Joining La Macelleria's existing Newstead and West End joints, the new Coorparoo Square digs boasts the same creamy artisanal Italian gelato that has made the brand such a hit — think flavours such as tiramisu, salted caramel, raspberry cheesecake, mandorla al caffe (aka roasted almond and roasted coffee beans) and bacio Australiano (white chocolate with caramelised macadamia chips). And, in a first, it's also slinging customisable gelato shakes. Just pick your two favourite flavours, choose your homemade sauce, and add everything from hazelnuts to whipped cream to a shot of coffee. If gelato in Coorparoo sounds familiar, that's because La Macelleria has taken over the centre's corner spot, which used to be home to the now-closed La Mimosa Gelateria. La Macelleria isn't done expanding yet either, with a fourth store in Bowen Hills in the works, targeting a mid-January opening date. For now, to celebrate scooping up dessert in Brisbane's east, the chain is throwing an opening shindig in its usual fashion — that is, with $1 gelato. While the fun kicks off at noon on Saturday, October 27, you'll need to drop by from 5–7pm to grab your small-sized bargain. From 7pm, gelato espresso martinis and bellinis will also be on offer at La Macelleria's new neighbour, Beyond the Pale. Find La Macelleria at Coorparoo Square on the corner of Old Cleveland and Cavendish Roads, Coorparoo.
