Gelato Messina is about to become a place both wonderful and strange. With Twin Peaks finally happening again in the form of an eagerly anticipated third season, the gelato kings are getting in on the action by turning two of their stores — one in Sydney and one in Melbourne — into the show's iconic Double R Diner for one day. Naturally, there'll be themed frozen goodness aplenty, as well as free scoops. It's going to be damn fine indeed. In what will be Messina's first ever store transformations, the Double R Diner is set to take over the Newtown store on May 22 and Richmond on May 25. There mightn't be staff called Norma and Shelly on-hand, but there will be custom-made cherry gelato 'pie'. If that's your idea of dessert heaven, then here, the ice cream is what it seems. This must be where pies go when they die. In addition to the limited edition pie — there will only be 50 slices available per store — Messina has created three custom Twin Peaks flavours. They'll be served up for free (yes, free) between the hours of 12pm and 4pm, and then again from 5pm to 10pm. Just what those varieties will be, if they'll be wrapped in plastic, and whether there'll be a jukebox on-site playing tunes you just want to click your fingers to — well, you'll have to head along to find out. You can probably expect good, hot, black coffee too. Let's just hope there isn't a fish in the percolator. Unless you've been trapped in the Black Lodge for the past 25 years, you'll know that the whole thing is timed to coincide with the start of new Twin Peaks season, which will drop on Stan in Australia at 2pm on Monday, May 22. All 18 episodes have been directed by David Lynch, so we're in for quite the treat. Celebrating with pie and gelato is something Special Agent Dale Cooper would approve of — remember his wise words of advice: "every day, once a day, give yourself a present". The Double R Diner will pop up at Gelato Messina Newtown on Monday, May 22 and at the Richmond store on Thursday, May 25 from 12–4pm and 5–10pm. For more information, visit the Sydney and Melbourne Facebook event pages.
If you've ever walked down Edward Street from the Queen Street Mall to the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens, or vice versa, then you've walked past the site of modern-Asian restaurant Longwang from Tassis Group. But, no matter how many times you've passed by, we're guessing that you wouldn't have ever picked that you'd be able to get feasting there — let alone hit up a rooftop bar or cocktail lounge. What was once a gap beside 144 Edward Street is now an eatery. While it only measures three metres wide, the two-and-a-half-storey spot stretches back 30 metres and can welcome in up to 175 guests for functions. How does a restaurant, even one as slender as this, take over a former alleyway? Courtesy of custom-built digs. Although there's a formal dining room, as well as the sky-high bar and venue for cocktails, being flexible is key — including in its function spaces. The idea is that patrons have a different experience onsite each time that they stop by. One constant is the culinary guidance of Executive Chef and partner Jason Margaritis (ex- sAme sAme and Donna Chang in Brisbane, and Spice Temple Melbourne and Sydney). His contemporary take on Asian cuisine, inspired by more than 15 years working with the style, heroes seafood, plus a mix of traditional flavours with modern techniques. Think: a live seafood tank with local mud crabs and Tasmanian rock lobsters, whole fried baby barramundi paired with dry red curry snake beans and bug tail kung pao. From the range of starters, oysters come with spiced coconut vinegar, the prawn and chive pancake is doused in XO sauce, and the fried calamari features tom yum flavours. Smoked river trout and green papaya are the stars of one of the salads, while a hiramasa kingfish curry is also among the mains. Dishes that don't involve the ocean's finest include pan-fried wagyu beef dumplings, braised lamb shoulder massaman curry, tea- smoked and fried half duck, and chicken bao — plus pork belly wok-tossed with sichuan pepper, black bean and chilli. Or, opt for a half chicken from the charcoal grill, as coated in tamarind-heavy satay sauce. For lunch, Longwang does lamb rib sandwiches and dan dan noodles. For dessert, mango pudding, pandan kaya toast and deep-fried ice cream are your choices. If you're hankering for a banquet experience, a seven-course option is only served before 5.30pm and is available for one person for $58 — or, if you're dining with a date, mate or more, there's $89 and $119 feasts. Taking care of the wine list to match is Tassis Group Beverage Director and sommelier Ron Almera, who has curated a mix of old- and new-world wines — all specifically to go perfectly with Asian flavours. And as for the cocktails, you can ask for them to be mixed up to suit your tastebuds whether you're hitting the rooftop or the lounge. While the "long" part of the restaurant's moniker might sound apt given the site's narrow dimensions, the name actually hails from Chinese mythology. Also known as the Dragon King or Dragon God, Longwang commands the seas, so the title reflects the menu's focus. Images: Markus Ravik.
There are plenty of benefit shows and events on throughout the year and it is so hard to be able to go to all of them, especially when they're invite-only. That is what makes the Spare Parts – London Calling benefit show stand out – it's not only supporting a worthy cause, but it’s also ticketed, which means every lovely person out there wanting to lend a hand can. A bit of background on the intriguing name - Spare Parts was the name of a very different and awe-inspiring exhibition in Brisbane in 2010. It was a collaborative effort that saw a diverse blend of local artists to use prosthetic limbs as the canvas. If it all sounds a bit doom and gloom, it’s okay, because the curator, Priscilla Sutton is actually an amputee herself, who clearly has an excellent sense of humour and humility. Since then, Priscilla has been working incredibly hard to get her exhibit to London this year, and has managed to secure a residency in the city from 25 August to 9 September. She has bundled up an amazing bunch of artists from all over the world, as well as a new lot of prosthetics kindly donated by amputees and their families. She has all this but she still needs your help to see the exhibition come to life. The benefit show will be held at The Zoo and is a night that will bring old and new friends together to raise some much needed funds for this collection of work that is sure to start a positive and open conversation about the seemingly dark subject of amputation. Guests on the night will be The Good Ship, Danny Widdicombe, Tylea, and the very fun Patience Hodgson from The Grates as MC. There’ll also be the comedic stylings of Jenny Wynter as well. There’ll be a raffle drawn as well on the night and you can enter here. If there’s one charity event or worthy cause you donate to this year, make sure it’s this one.
It’s time to crawl out from under your winter clutter and embrace the sunshine with bare limbs and sparse shelves; spring has arrived and we couldn’t be more relieved. More sunlight and (slightly) warmer weather makes now a great time to ditch any excess your home/wardrobe/office space may have accumulated and add some fresh pieces. We’ve got a few tips on cleaning out your home or office space as well as expert advice from Joshua Speechley, one half of the couple behind HIM&I online store, on how to make your place pop. HIM&I focus on simple, minimal, top-quality pieces. “Everything we sell on HIM&I we personally love, so our home is really a reflection of the store,” says Speechley. Garage Sale, Yard Sale, Bake Sale Step one is to declutter, and a great way to get rid of your goods is through a garage sale. It’s extremely tempting to go out and buy heaps of sparkly new things to spruce up your place, but without this essential first step you run the risk of being a contestant on an Australian version of Hoarders. Any clothes that are still in good nick that you don’t wear anymore, wash them, give them an iron (or boots a polish), and price them kindly. Bring out old books, magazines, knick-knacks, anything you’re not using; you’d be surprised what people will take off your hands for a reasonable price. Anything left over at the end of the day can go to The Salvos, Brotherhood of St Laurence, or hard rubbish. Sorted. Here how to bring all the boys (and girls) to the yard, no milkshakes required. A kickass flyer: Pop culture references and puns go down a treat. Baked goods/lemonade stand: It’s cute, the smell will lure passers-by in, and you know you need a cupcake at 10am on a Saturday. Dress the part: Look fabulous, and others will want your steez. We recommend a splashy bum bag. No really — it’s a great conversation starter, and so handy when keeping track of the cash being exchanged. Image: Mark Nye, ClubofHumanBeings.com via photopin cc. Do Your Homework, in a Fun Way A little bit of research can go a long way, and it’s a great way to justify poking around on social media. “We do find a lot of inspiration on Instagram," says Speechley. "It’s a great platform for finding other people's amazing creativity, there are so many creative DIY people out there! Magazines are always great too, [like] Inside Out, Frankie and Smith." Research doesn’t have to be restricted to the page, you’re just as likely to be inspired by getting out and about. As Speechley advises, “Markets and, of course, friend's houses are always great too, seeing what our friends are coming up with or finding here and there is always a big inspiration.” Get Crafty If you’re looking to deck out your digs with some new pieces, why not flex those craft skills that have been idling since primary school and make something yourself? Record boxes, planter walls, bookshelves, beds, you name it, Speechley and partner Kara Allen have attempted to make it. “Not all to great success,” Speechley points out, “but that ones that have worked out we’re completely stoked with ... Head down to your local hardware store and give it a crack.” Another bonus to having something you actually made decorating your place? You can guarantee no one else will have the same item adorning their walls or shelves. If you’re a bit of a novice, there's no need to fret, as many places offering affordable, fun, one-off classes for those looking to get their hands dirty. Our favourite places running classes include Work-Shop (Sydney and Melbourne), Laneway Learning (Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane), Colourbox Studio (Melbourne) and Koskela (Sydney). Avoid IKEA Rule number one: think outside the box. “It’s a trap!" says Speechley. "Sure, you can find some great items at IKEA, you get them home and you love them. Until you see them at eight of your friends houses ... We’ve found spending the little bit extra, to get something a bit more unique, or with more of a personal touch, means you’ll love the item more, and for longer!” Flower Bomb It’s spring. Everything is in bloom. They smell amazing. They’re colourful. They cheer you up. Why the heck wouldn’t you fill your house with floral goodness? If flowers aren’t your thing, succulents never die, or any other indoor plant/fern is actually good for your health. Lauren from Fowlers Flowers in Melbourne recommends blushing bride, hellebores, geraldton wax, tulips, magnolia buds, and king proteas for this season, but just about everything is in bloom at the moment, so pick whatever takes your fancy. Image by Lucy Djevdet.
Until October 2023, the world's largest-ever known land animal has taken up residence in Brisbane. It's a dinosaur, of course. It's the Patagotitan, and it reached 37 metres in length when it was living and breathing. Thanks to the Dinosaurs of Patagonia exhibition, it's on display at Queensland Museum; however, that isn't he South Bank site's only dance with ancient creatures. Opening on Friday, June 16 and sticking around permanently, Dinosaurs Unearthed: Explore Prehistoric Queensland gives dino fans something else to roar about: a free showcase focused on the critters that once roamed the Sunshine State. On offer are fossils discovered locally, meteorites, life-sized 3D prints of dinosaurs and megafauna, and dino projections, as paired with an immersive soundscape. Among more than 50 full-scale reconstructions — which might just make you feel like you've stepped into David Attenborough's Prehistoric Planet — replicas of the Australovenator and Megalania are certain highlights. The former is Queensland's velociraptor equivalent, while the latter is the seven-metre-long creature that was the world's largest land lizard. Also hefty: the 100-plus fossils and meteorites that are part of Dinosaurs Unearthed, including some of Queensland Museum's most prized and precious specimens. And, the gallery is filled with Traditional Owner stories and artefacts, too, celebrating thousands of generations of cultural connections. Drawing upon new research by the venue's palaeontologists, and also using intricate illustrations and interactive touchscreens, the new dinosaur showcase covers 250 million years of history — starting in the Triassic period, which dates back 252 million years; welcoming attendees to the Jurassic period (201–145 million years ago); and also covering the Cretaceous (145–66 million years ago), Paleogene (66–23 million years ago), Neogene (23–2.38 million years ago) and Quarternary periods (from 2.3 million years ago to now). "Visitors will discover fascinating insights into Australia's iconic dinosaurs and megafauna, including our very own Muttaburrasaurus, the state fossil emblem," said Queensland Museum Network CEO Dr Jim Thompson, launching Dinosaurs Unearthed. "What I love about Dinosaurs Unearthed is that the gallery is divided into many different levels and the idea is that whoever you are, whatever age you are or whatever interest level you have – you will get something out of the gallery – which is quite unique," added Queensland Museum Network Acting Principal Scientist and Curator of Geosciences Dr Scott Hocknull. "We've created an experience that has changed the way people interact with a gallery. Our fossils and artworks are not just static dioramas but tell stories about our past. What's better is that you can take some of these creatures' home with you in augmented reality and bring them to life again in your living room," Dr Hocknull continued. "Within every aspect of Dinosaurs Unearthed, we are creating an opportunity to not only see our most valuable fossil and meteorite treasures, but also understand what I call paleo tech — the application of new technologies in palaeontology and how we use this here at Queensland Museum Network." "Our research is ongoing, and there are opportunities for the gallery to grow and evolve as our research continues. There are species within the gallery that are still yet to have a formal scientific species description, so watch this space." Dinosaurs Unearthed: Explore Prehistoric Queensland opens on Friday, June 16 at Queensland Museum, Corner of Grey and Melbourne Streets, South Bank, South Brisbane.
It begins with an ad in the classifieds: "Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. I have only done this once before. Safety not guaranteed." Anyone who's ever seen Craigslist knows that's pretty much par for the course, but for sleazy magazine writer Jeff (Jake M. Johnson), it throws up two irresistible opportunities: an amusing puff piece during an otherwise slow news week, and a chance to hook up with an old flame living in the same town from where it was placed. He selects two interns, the dour Darius (Aubrey Plaza) and studious Arnau (Karan Soni), and together they head off to the beachside community of Ocean View to track down the advert's mysterious author. That man turns out to be Kenneth Calloway (Mark Duplass): an awkward loner and paranoid grocery story clerk who's convinced he's cracked the secret of quantum-mechanical travel. When Jeff's cynicism sees him immediately rejected as a possible partner, it falls to Darius to befriend the man based on her boss's logic that since they're both weird, perhaps they'll get along. And as it turns out, eccentric outsiders do attract just as powerfully as opposites. Darius quickly warms to Kenneth's tender idiosyncrasies, even as questions over his mental stability linger, and by the time the film builds to its inevitable climax in which Kenneth's time machine has its moment of truth, you come to realise you no longer even care if it works. Like 2012's other sci-fi hit Looper, this is a time-travel movie where the time travel is entirely incidental to the storyline and characters. Just as Looper explored the 'what' of the concept (what consequences might time travel bring, intended or otherwise?), Safety Not Guaranteed asks 'why?'. Why would you go back, assuming you could, and why yearn for second chances when new and possibly better opportunities keep showing up right in front of you? Regret, of course, is the answer, and it's what drives each of the film's four principals, from Kenneth's literal time travel to Jeff's symbolic one — seeking out his high school sweetheart in the hope of recapturing faded former glories. It's a film of excellent performances all round, but Plaza offers the standout. Her disillusioned 20-something shtick initially plays like a cut-and-paste job from Parks and Recreation; however, she imbues Darius with an unexpected depth and warmth that utterly enchants. Duplass is also fantastic, making Kenneth feel somehow terribly familiar for a person we've almost certainly never met. Soni and Johnson provide fine supporting performances, and all four characters develop wonderfully over the 85 minutes in a testament to the actors and screenwriter alike. Safety Not Guaranteed is an inspired and heartwarming tale that's almost certainly the surprise indie hit of the year. https://youtube.com/watch?v=73jSnAs7mq8
When Hercule Poirot returned to cinema screens in Murder on the Orient Express, the infamous Agatha Christie-penned sleuth was always going to hang around. Hollywood loves a franchise, and, on the page, the fictional Belgian detective has featured in more than 80 tales. Accordingly, a sequel to the Kenneth Branagh-starring and directed movie was always inevitable. A recreation on a train? Well, that wasn't quite as expected. Finnish Railways aren't just ushering eager puzzle-solvers into a carriage for a few hours of escape room fun, however. They're getting them onboard for a 13-hour, 800-kilometre-plus trip from Helsinki to Rovaniemi, complete with a 14-room setup built by Finland's InsideOut Escape Games. As the passengers journey towards the capital of Lapland, they'll navigate mysteries, scour the train for clues and put themselves in Poirot's shoes — all while the game is live-streamed, with the viewing audience also able to influence the action as it's happening. Before you go searching for your monocle and pipe, clearing your calendar for December 13 and setting off for Scandinavia, seats on the Escape Train will be filled via a competition that's only open to Finnish residents. If you don't fall into that category and you'd rather solve puzzles somewhere warmer, start crossing your fingers that something similar happens for the next Poirot flick, Death on the Nile. Via Lonely Planet.
It’s all in the name: shows in Anywhere Theatre Festival can take place wherever strikes their creators' fancy throughout Brisbane, be it a suburban hairdressing salon, an inner city street corner or an ordinary home. In the festival’s fourth year of encouraging sustainable modes of delivering performances to audiences and eschewing the usual restrictions facing theatre professionals, it stays true to its stated purpose with a fresh program of 67 productions at 47 locations. Here are our picks of the top ten things you should see and the strange spots to see them. Red Cordial Love One of the standouts of the 2013 2high Festival, Red Cordial Love returns to Brisbane for another season of retro music fun. Embracing all the trimmings of a 1990s dance party, the interactive performance transforms nostalgia into a time-warped night of old pop songs and bad fashion. Inspired by their own teen diaries, creators Emmaly Langridge and Brodie Peace tap into fond memories of years gone by. How much you interact is up to you — play along, or just watch and enjoy the show. The cost of the ticket includes '90s makeup and lolly tuckshop bag. May 7-11, 7.30pm at Fish Lane Studio, The Fox Hotel. Tickets $25/$22 Up Late with Scott Wings (and Friends) To the crowded comedic landscape of late-night variety entertainment comes Brisbane’s very own contender: Up Late with Scott Wings (and Friends). In what's billed as the city’s newest — and only — late-night show, poet-comedian Scott Sneddon (aka Scott Wings) harnesses his inner TV host after the success of his 2013 show MaXimal. Local performers and artists tag along for a performance described as “kind of like Rove but not as wholesome, and kind of like Jimmy Fallon except the host can’t dance.” May 9 and 16, 10pm at SBH Pop-Up, Story Bridge Hotel. Tickets $22/$18. Pre-drinks When is a performance not just a performance? When it rolls the refreshing beverage you enjoy before the action, the cathartic cocktail you consume as a nightcap, and the main show all into one. Rocket Boy Ensemble creates an event to be watched as well as experienced, stepping through the milestones — and the confessions and drinking games — essential to any big night out. May 8-17, 8pm at Artslink Queensland. Tickets $18. HolePunch A hit at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, HolePunch sees twenty-something creatives Violet & Veruca delve into the inner workings of the modern workplace — one item of stationery at a time. Part circus, part cabaret,and ideally all comedy, HolePunch promises to serve up pun-filled reflections on office life, including the cubicle and lunchroom antics all nine-to-fivers know and don’t quite love. May 8-17, 6pm at SYC Studios. Tickets $20. Sweet Meniscus Ballet moves from the stage to a pool — and we’re not talking about synchronised swimming. Endeavouring to make a stylish splash, three dancers from the Queensland Ballet dip their toes into the water at the Spring Hill Baths in a work from choreographer Joseph Stewart. The mystery of the concept and the history of the venue make this show a very intriguing prospect. May 16-18, 6pm and 8pm at Spring Hill Baths. Tickets $28/$17. Little Boxes These little boxes aren’t on the hillside, and they’re not all just the same — instead, sets made from industrial cast-offs create a large-scale, 360-degree outdoor theatre at Northshore Hamilton. The show’s construction mimics an apartment building, relating tales of disparate lives and communal isolation inherent in densely populated urban areas. A different way of presenting a show might just trigger a different way of thinking about city living. May 8-17, 8pm, at Beside-the-Shed, Northshore Hamilton. Tickets $24/19. Plays Well With Others Who says you need to leave the house to see a live performance? Not theatre maker Robbie O'Brien. In Plays Well With Others, O'Brien brings the show to you in a playdate for adults. Gather a group of eight, pick your theme and the right room in your home, and the rest is taken care of, turning a night out into a unique night in. May 7-17, 7.30pm at your house. Tickets $20 (minimum bookings of eight). Monster If the idea of a cabaret horror show doesn’t immediately pique your interest, then maybe the structure of this performance will: the host, known only as ‘Madam’, shares stories designed to delight and disturb. In a show informed by the opinions and life experiences of the public, the combination of blood and glitter is in the service of exploring transgender perceptions. In its presentation, a love of scary movies seems a must; in its ideas, Monster asks for a willingness to peer beyond the ordinary. May 7-11, 8pm at Blackwall. Tickets $18. Turning Tricks If you’ve ever fancied your skills with a rabbit and a hat, wondered how television psychics entice audiences, or questioned how all manner of supernatural entertainers make money, mentalist Sean Mergard and comedy magician Pete Booth might just have the answers. In an expanded version of their sellout show from the 2013 Brisbane Fringe Festival, Turning Tricks navigates the patter and promises of a profession more associated with scams than skills. May 8-11, 7.30pm at the Warehouse. Tickets $20. A library for the end of the world Amidst all the pondering of catastrophic and dystopian futures in the arts, how would the narratives and memories of ordinary lives be saved? In a solo performance that sees participants guided to a secret location and then left to add and explore a database of recollections, a library for the end of the world creates a communal catalogue meant to stand the test of time — all on cassette tapes, of course. May 7-17, 30-minute slots from 5pm to 9.30pm at a secret location. Meet under the sculpture at the intersection of Boundary, Melbourne and Mollison Streets, West End. Tickets $15. The Anywhere Theatre Festival is on from May 7-18 all around town. For the full program, visit the festival website.
Just how many finished cigarettes have been stamped out on the footpath, or casually flicked into the gutter? According to Greenbutts, no less than 4.5 trillion annually. And while these trillions of cigarette butts (typically made from cellulose acetate) are technically biodegradable, they take between 10 and 15 years to decompose. In 2006, cigarette butts amassed to 24.7% of the rubbish collected during the International Coastal Cleanup. Greenbutts has introduced a 100% natural alternative to traditional, chemical-laden cigarettes. Greenbutts' cigarette filters are composed of plant seeds, natural flax, cotton and de-gummed hemp, all bound together by natural starch and water. When covered by a thin layer of soil, discarded Greenbutts will sprout into flowers: a much lovelier and eco-friendly sight than a squashed butt. [Via Lost At E Minor]
Back at the start of 2022, Kevin Docherty and Sebastiaan de Kort gave Brisbane a 90-seat venue for meals and drinks that heroes seasonal Australian produce by revamping Paddington's Nota — turning the whole setup into a neighbourhood go-to. But why just have one such joint to your name when you can have two? That mightn't have been the motivation behind Allonda in Newstead, but it's the result all the same with this Brisbane restaurant that also opened in 2022. Tucked down a laneway space off Longland Street, Allonda also seats 90. Its menu favours modern European-style, designed-to-share dishes as well. It's firmly a sibling venue to Nota, and the pair of restaurants will celebrate each other (there's even a Nota sour made with Frangelico and hazelnut on Allonda's cocktail menu). But as well as sitting on the other side of the CBD, this relative newcomer is carving out its own look and feel. Think: modern and casual compared to Nota's rustic heritage decor. Think: neutral colours, stone, polished concrete aplenty and textured finishes, also. That's what patrons will find when tucking into a bite in the main dining room or knocking back beverages at the bar — or, you can go al fresco in the laneway. A big point of difference stems from Allonda's mezzanine level that can be used for private functions, and its raw seafood and burrata bar. For those keen on the ocean's finest, the raw options are sourced locally, while cheese fiends will find different flavour pairings tempting tastebuds. If you only try one dish, make it the signature risotto all'onda, aka the eatery's namesake option. It's a Venetian risotto that chases the perfect combination — not too dry or too brothy — with Docherty and de Kort taking inspiration from that pursuit of balance, which all risottos need in their blend of butter, parmesan, stock and temperature, for the restaurant's overall philosophy. Other standout menu items include the chargrilled octopus that sits atop a tangy onion and pickled walnut puree and the 500-gram sirloin steak from Riverine served with a black garlic puree, celeriac remoulade and decadent cognac mustsrd. Or, there's chicken liver parfait with onion jam, tempura fish sandos, and Eton mess and caramelised white chocolate mousse among the desserts. The group's sommelier Yanika Sittisuntorn is overseeing an evolving 90-bottle wine list, including focusing on lesser-known and experimental varieties — just as at Nota. There's also a special cocktail menu designed by bar manager Ben Horswell, featuring espresso martinis with toasted marshmallows, a yuzu, gin and wasabi number named The Serpent and a mango margarita for those feeling a little fruity.
Come summertime, the celebratory spirit is taking over the entire state, thanks to massive events like ALWAYS LIVE. For the third year running, this festival celebrates the diversity of music in Victoria, with a mix of international headliners and local musicians taking to stages statewide from Friday, November 22, to Sunday, December 8. Some of the unmissable (and exclusive) events in ALWAYS LIVE are taking place on the final weekend. One of those is Yerambooee, a unique celebration of First Nations culture and community. This free event on Saturday, December 7 at 7pm, is hosted by elders and performers from Wurundjeri, Woi-Wurrung and Yolgnu peoples. The stage will be a nine-metre sand circle laid down in Fed Square — representative of a meeting ground filled with river sand — for a gathering unlike anything else on the festival program. Beginning with a welcome from Aunty Joy Murphy, performers will take to the stage with song, dance and music for a celebration that encourages the audience to join in — with music inspired by Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow) — the final work of the late Yolgnu musician Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. Yeramboee will take place in Federation Square on Saturday, December 7. For more information, visit the Always Live website.
Flicked through all of your various streaming queues, watched everything that takes your fancy and wondering what to feast your eyes on next? On Friday, March 27, let the folks at Static Vision and Prototype do the choosing for you. One usually specialises in weird, wonderful and cult cinema screenings around Sydney, while the other is an e-newsletter dedicated to new experimental art and short films — and they're joining forces to put on Lockdown: An Interactive Livestream. Beamed to viewers online from 6pm AEDT (5pm AEST), Lockdown will screen six hours of movies — including three features and three shorts programs, plus e-chats, Q&As and interviews. As for exactly what you'll be watching, the program is top secret until the night, with being surprised by the lineup choices all part of the fun. Lockdown will be setting up an online screen room for the event; however you can decide just how interactive you'd like your experience to be. Natter along with other viewers in the live-text chat, or hit full-screen mode simply sit back and watch — it's up to you. To register your participation — and to receive updates — head to the event's Eventbrite page.
No matter where you live, everyone knows that downtown is where the action happens. For the next few weeks you can score a Calvin Klein Downtown Prize Pack, including a delightful deluge of the new fragrance Downtown, simply by showing off your own creativity. In the competition, running from 22 September to 19 October (that means we're in the thick of it, so get cracking), five winners will be selected each week via Instagram. All you have to do? Post a photo of what you consider to be your 'Downtown' moment with the name of the city where it was taken (select the 'Add to Photo Map' setting and 'Name This Location' before sharing) and hashtag #CKdowntownau. You can enter as many times as you like. We think it's a pretty cool and refreshingly personal competition. Cue Petula Clark's insanely catchy hit — or better yet, scope out the hauntingly beautiful black-and-white campaign for the Downtown fragrance, starring Rooney Mara and directed by David Fincher. You can experience it here. I'm finding that my finger is awfully trigger-happy on the replay button. Prize Packs Include: 2x CK Downtown 90ml 2x CK Downtown 50ml 2x CK Downtown 30ml 1c CK Downtown Rollerball 10ml 2x CK Body Lotion 200ml 2x CK Shower Gel 200ml
Japanese photographer Shinichi Maruyama has captured nude dancers from an unsual viewpoint, representing their motion in a series of complex whirls and swirls. The result is an elaborate yet beautiful depiction illustrating some of the amazing movements the human body is capable of. Maruyama has gracefully encapsulated the swaying of legs, swinging of hips and twirling of arms and combined the movements to create a single, intertwined image of motion patterns that enthralls and amazes. Take a look at these shots from Maruyama's remarkable series of blurred nude dancers.
You can take away Brisbane's annual show, and the midweek public holiday that usually goes with it. You can do so two years in a row, in fact. But, you can't erase the city's love for the Ekka, or for some of its staples — dagwood dogs, Bertie Beetle showbags and those iconic strawberry sundaes, naturally — so the event's organisers are giving the people what we want. Already, a delivery service that's been dubbed the Strawberry Sundae Taskforce has been announced. It's delivering 20-packs of strawberry sundaes in DIY kits for you to make at home, and it's a great excuse to stock up on the cult dessert for the days, weeks and/or months ahead. But, like in 2020, the Ekka is also hosting a couple of physical takeaway-only events: a drive-thru at Brisbane Showgrounds and a pop-up on King Street in Bowen Hills. These two events are being called Ekka Tastes, and they'll run from 10am–7pm between Saturday, August 14–Sunday, August 22. So, Brisbanites will have nine days to get their Ekka fix at both locations — and yes, this means that your August plans can still involve battered sausages on sticks, glossy plastic bags filled with beetle-shaped chocolates and Brisbane's most beloved form of ice cream. This year, there won't be any other fun around the food. Obviously, you won't be able to crash dodgems and throw a ball in a clown's mouth for a prize, and there won't be any fireworks either. Still, dagwood dogs, Bertie Beetle showbags and strawberry sundaes are always a winning combination. Ekka Tastes is popping up as a drive-thru at Brisbane Showgrounds (enter via Gate 4A on O'Connell Terrace, Bowen Hills) and as a pop-up on King Street (at 5/45 King Street, Bowen Hills) from 10am–7pm between Saturday, August 14–Sunday, August 22.
For firm believers that all good things come to those who wait, or even casual ones, that patience is set to be rewarded at Portside Wharf's soon-to-open new seafood restaurant. Fosh was first announced in 2022, and originally targeted a March 2023 launch date. Now, the waterside spot will start welcoming in patrons from August, and boast plenty of reasons for Brisbanites to stop by. Fosh hails from Michael Tassis, the restaurateur behind Opa Bar + Mezze, Massimo Restaurant, Yamas Greek + Drink and George's Paragon — as well as Eagle Street's now-closed Fatcow Steak & Lobster and Rico Bar + Dining — and has an enticing concept. Fancy staring at the river while tucking into fish, oysters, prawns, scallops and bugs? Peering at the water while enjoying lobster with bottomless fries for lunch and doing caviar bumps with your fellow diners? That's what's on the menu at this Portside seafood venue. The full culinary lineup hasn't yet been revealed, but there'll be a focus on sustainable, high-quality local line-caught catches that are served to guests within 24 hours. In the kitchen, a team boasting an impressive restaurant pedigree will be doing the cooking. Head Chef Vikash Gurung comes to Fosh from Greca, as well as Fatcow Steak & Lobster, Rico Bar and Dining, and Jellyfish — and sous chef Daniel Hernandez boasts Agnes, Restaurant Dan Arnold and La Cache à Vin on his resume. Rounding out the restaurant's core crew are Daniel Burton and Erik Di Luca, Manager and Operations Director, respectively, with the former spending five years at Matt Moran's Aria and the latter working for Tassis Group since 2012. Fosh will operate both as a dine-in eatery and an upscale takeaway fish 'n' chippery. "This will be next-level takeout," advises Tassis. The restaurant won't be small, either, settling into a 700-square-metre space at Portside as part of the precinct's current revamp, which is set to be complete this December. The makeover has already seen the Gold Coast's Rosé Gelateria launch its debut Brisbane ice creamery in Hamilton. Rise Bakery, which also originated on the coast, is slated to set up shop as well. Whether you're eating in or dropping by to grab some takeaways, you'll notice the luxe yet naturalistic and relaxed decor, which is inspired by The Hamptons. As part of a $3-million fitout, Fosh will boast both indoor and outdoor dining areas, too — with boosting the latter year-round one of the big aims of Portside's facelift. "Our indoor space includes a glamorous island bar which will flow to the al fresco area, where guests can enjoy uninterrupted river views," says Tassis. Launching a dedicated seafood restaurant at Portside, and one run by Tassis, seems like an obvious step for a number of reasons. The location screams for it, and Tassis' father George founded George's Paragon Seafood Restaurant in Sanctuary Cove more than three decades ago. "It's very much in my roots," Tassis notes. Tassis Group also has two other high-profile dining spots on the way, also heroing their water-adjacent locations, but over in Kangaroo Point: overwater restaurant and bar Bombora, plus landing cafe Mulga Bill's, which are set to open in the new green bridge in 2024. Find Fosh at Portside Wharf, 39 Hercules Street, Hamilton, from August 2023 — we'll update you with an exact opening date when one is announced. Images: Markus Ravik.
Unsuspectingly tucked away in the industrial hub of East Brisbane, Pennisi Cuisine is a cheese lovers paradise – from fresh buffalo mozzarella to big wheels of Parmiggiano Reggiano. The family business offers huge selections of delicacies and traditional foods from South America, Italy, Spain, Greece, Lebanon and Morocco and more. You will also find a range of Kosha products. With so much choice, bring a basket and fill up before heading out to a nearby picnic spot. There's no doubt your loot will turn heads and bring all the boys to the yard.
Hail, Caesar! takes place on a Hollywood lot during the early nineteen fifties. As such, viewer are given a glimpse at a number of films in production, including a folksy Western, a toe-tapping musical, a lavish costume drama and a sweeping biblical epic. It's fitting that these pictures cover such an array of genres, since the film in which they're found is itself a bit of a jumble. Hail, Caesar! is a mystery, a farce, a treatise on religion and a sly interrogation of cinemas so-called golden age masquerading as the ultimate Hollywood love letter. In lesser hands, such a mishmash of ideas and influences could have been a disaster. In the hands of writer-directors Joel and Ethan Coen, it's one of the funniest, most thought-provoking films to hit cinemas in quite some time. It's also got Channing Tatum tap-dancing in a sailor suit, which quite frankly is worth the price of admission alone. The film follows a day in the life of Eddie Mannix, played by Josh Brolin on top of his game. Head of Physical Production at the fictional Capitol Pictures, Mannix is charged with ensuring everything runs smoothly behind the scenes, from keeping movie shoots on schedule to diffusing potential scandals before they hit the press. But our protagonist is thrown a curveball when the studio's biggest star, Baird Whitlock, is kidnapped by a communist syndicate known only as 'The Future' who want $100,000 for the actor's safe return. Whitlock is played by George Clooney, who brings to the role the same boneheaded swagger he did to O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Burn After Reading. Hail, Caesar! is not the first time the Coens have turned their lens on Hollywood, although compared to the anxious existential drama of 1991's Barton Fink, their latest feels much more playful. Whether it's a director (Ralph Fiennes at his urbane best) growing increasingly frustrated with his ill-suited leading man (the absolutely adorable Alden Ehrenreich), or Mannix dodging the inquiries of rival gossip columnists Thora and Thessaly Thacker (Tilda Swinton in dual roles and increasingly ridiculous hats), the film's absurdist sense of humour fits right in with the Coen canon. At the same time, the mean streak of movies like Fargo or A Serious Man is nowhere to be found. Perhaps it's for this reason that some critics have described the film as lightweight or inconsequential. Respectfully, we think they're missing the point. Hail, Caesar! may seem like one of the Coen's more frivolous efforts, but there's still plenty of subversive stuff going on beneath its glossy surface. For all the affection with which the pair recreate and pay tribute to the films of the era, these moments are undercut by repeated reminders that everything Capitol creates is fundamentally fake. Gossamer fantasies both on screen and off belie a far less glamorous reality, one in which starlets carry on affairs with married directors and underpaid screenwriters fill their scripts with communist propaganda. And while these thinly-veiled references to actual LA scandals are mostly played for laughs, they also suggest that the Coen's see Hollywood as deeply, spiritually hollow. The film's wicked masterstroke is the way it equates the film biz with religion, presented here as the glossiest fantasy of them all. Whitlock's communist captors decry the studio as part of a capitalist machine designed to exploit "the little guy", a description that brings to mind the famous quote by Karl Marx about religion being the opiate of the masses. Mannix himself is depicted as deeply Catholic, visiting the confessional with comical regularity. Yet his true place of worship is Capitol Pictures, where God is conspicuously absent. Half-completed footage from Whitlock's forthcoming biblical epic features not a chorus of angels, but instead a placeholder card with the words "divine presence to be shot." Later, while shooting the film's climactic finale, Whitlock delivers a rousing speech about the power of Christ, only to flub his final line. The word he forgets? Faith. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMqeoW3XRa0
For almost two decades, 2005 film Mr & Mrs Smith has been best remembered as the movie that started Brad Pitt (Babylon) and Angelina Jolie's (Eternals) time as a couple. The action-comedy cast the pair as a bored married duo who didn't know that they were actually both assassins, let alone that they'd each been tasked with killing the other. The flick wasn't particularly memorable, but Brangelina clearly was. In 2024, Mr & Mrs Smith will also become a TV series, because the path from the big to the small screens just keeps proving popular (see also: Dead Ringers, Irma Vep, A League of Their Own and Interview with the Vampire, to name a mere few recent examples). This time, Donald Glover (Atlanta) and Maya Erskine (PEN15) are strangers who have to pretend to be married as part of their job. So, that's how Glover becomes John Smith and Erskine becomes Jane Smith — and how the two embark upon a high-risk espionage life together. The tradeoff for faking a romance: the lucrative gig, money, travelling the world, a dream Manhattan brownstone and, in this take on the premise, these strangers actually falling for each other. Pretending to be a couple but seeing sparks fly is one of Hollywood's current obsessions, with rom-com Anyone But You taking the idea to the big screen — without spies or anything to do with Mr & Mrs Smith, however. Adding another TV show to his resume, Glover co-created the new Mr & Mrs Smith with Francesca Sloane (also Atlanta), with the end result set to drop all eight episodes at once on Prime Video on Friday, February 2, 2024. And if you have vague memories of Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) being involved, she was initially slated to play Jane until Erskine took over her role. There's no trailer yet for the Mr & Mrs Smith TV series, but here's the trailer for the film instead: Mr & Mrs Smith will stream via Prime Video from Friday, February 2, 2024.
Spring in southeast Queensland means hanging out in Toowoomba, where the annual Carnival of Flowers takes place. In autumn, folks eager to be surrounded by petals have a date with the Scenic Rim instead. On the agenda: the Kalbar Sunflower Festival, which celebrates golden-hued blooms over a big April weekend, with 2024's event happening from Friday, April 19–Sunday, April 21. Sat just over an hour outside of Brisbane, the Kalbar Sunflowers farm couldn't be more vibrant at this time of year. It's no wonder that its festival has become a much-loved and hugely popular autumn event, with more than 12,000 people attending annually. Keen to head along? Tickets have just gone on sale, but they never last long. If you're lucky enough to score entry, expect to spot sunflowers as far as the eye can see at the Jenner family farm. In its early years, more than 200,000 blooms reached up to the sky, which is a hefty number. In 2023, over one million sunflowers were planted across 24 acres — and the same number will bloom in 2024. All those golden petals also help the fest play host to a highlight to get lost in, literally: a four-acre sunflower maze. Also on the program, other than picking sunflowers at $3 per stem: yoga sessions among the sea of gold, art classes amid the blooms and helicopter rides over the fields, all of which have been drawcards in past years. Photo sessions will be back, of course, taking Kalbar's eye-catching sight to social media feeds. As always as well, the farm makes one helluva picnic spot. In a first, the 2024 fest sees sound-healing meditation classes among the petals make their debut. For eating and drinking against a stunning backdrop, Kalbar Sunflower Festival opens with a lunch, is hosting a fundraiser luncheon as well, has a sunset soirée on the itinerary, and will pair jazz with a midday meal. Or, enjoy a stint of Devonshire tea, shop market stalls, then make flower crowns. As announced in 2023, this year's Kalbar Sunflower Festival won't just be gorgeous to look at and frolic through. It'll also support a supremely worthy cause. To pay tribute to her husband Russell, who battled oesophageal cancer for 18 months and passed away in July 2023, the event's organiser Jenny Jenner is aiming to raise $100,000 for cancer research and care at the Mater. With picking sunflowers a huge part of the event, every sunflower sold during the festival will also see $1.50 go to the hospital and its Cancer Care Centres in South Brisbane and Springfield. The Kalbar Sunflower Festival came about after Russell and Jenny changed direction during Queensland's ongoing drought conditions. Previously, they farmed lucerne but, with water levels low, they opted to switch to a crop that doesn't require as much H2O. And, with all those sunflowers then looking rather striking, the couple wanted to let everyone else enjoy their golden petals. The Kalbar Sunflower Festival 2024 takes place from Friday, April 19–Sunday, April 21 at Kalbar in Queensland's Scenic Rim. For further information and tickets, head to the event's website.
Since 2020, the Museum of Brisbane has been throwing the city some major love as part of exhibition The Storytellers. Alas, even sprawling showcases that turn Brissie history into a storybook must come to an end — but this huge celebration is evolving rather than wrapping up. Meet The Storytellers: Next Chapter, which is taking over MoB from Thursday, December 9–Sunday, January 23. Targeted at the school-holiday crowd but open to everyone — kids and kidults alike — it's morphing into a community installation and giving the whole storytelling concept an interactive spin. That ripped-from-the-pages look mentioned above? You'll be able to colour it in, with drawing on the walls 100-percent allowed here. You'll be stepping inside the black and white interior of a dilapidated Queenslander, in fact, which you can add hues and patterns to however you see fit. (Think of it as an obliteration room, which every Brisbanite should be familiar with thanks to GOMA, but with pencils instead.) Other highlights include sharing your memories of last decade's floods, creating paper poinciana blossoms, making lanterns, crafting an ibis — yes, this is still all about Brisbane, so bin chickens obviously feature — and fashioning handmade fabric sunflowers to add to a wall blooming with them. While entry is free and some events won't cost you a thing, there is a $3 fee on a range of the crafting activities.
Generally well-regarded, Australian owned and operated Coopers Brewery has come under fire this week for their involvement in this painfully uncomfortable Bible Society video. The video depicts two Liberal Party MPs, Andrew Hastie and Tim Wilson, discussing marriage equality in a 'lighthearted way', washing it down with a few ice-cold bottles of Coopers Light. Yeesh. If you're confused how Coopers got roped up in such a casually offensive and poorly executed pun, the sad news is that they pretty much tied the noose themselves. As a congratulatory gift to the Bible Society's bicentenary this year, Coopers released a collaboration limited edition light beer which features the Christian non-profit's logo and Bible verses on each case — 10,000 of them, to be exact. The brewery — which is family-run and openly Christian — and their association with the Bible Society flew under the radar until the society's 'Keeping it Light' campaign went live over the weekend, which is meant to showcase "light discussion on the heaviest topics". The Bible Society's somewhat haphazard video (which, it must be noted, Coopers has claimed they had no involvement in) acts as the first in a planned series using the Coopers Light beer as a gateway for their 'light' discussion. Shortly after the video was released, The Sydney Morning Herald published these statements by the two MPs, who seemed to find nothing wrong with the video's content. With 64 percent of Australian's in support of marriage equality, the video came across as patronising and flippant to a large chunk of the public who feel same-sex marriage shouldn't be a debate at all. Coopers' involvement with the video is questionable. Their first response was a sort-of apologetic statement essentially defending the video's content, saying it was "a lighthearted but balanced debate about an important topic". When this did not quell the backlash and boycotts, they then released a second statement claiming that they "did not give permission for [their] Premium Light beer to feature in, or 'sponsor' the Bible Society's 'Keeping it Light' video". The Bible Society has since released their own statement backing up this claim, stating that they were "entirely responsible" for the video and that no money changed hands in regards to the campaign. Twitter, not surprisingly, exploded. The hashtag #BoycottCoopers has taken over social media over the last few days, with consumers and venues alike speaking out. Venues across the country are pulling Coopers stock from their bars, including Sydney's Hollywood Hotel and Newtown Hotel and Melbourne's Old Bar and Sircuit/Mollies Bar & Diner — the latter of which posted this video of their GM throwing all their Coopers stock into the bin. Whatever their involvement with the production of the video, it doesn't look like Coopers is getting out of this one anytime soon. It certainly muddies the waters in relation to how religious groups and brands can influence consumers and secular institutions — particularly as Coopers has been a donor to the Liberal Party in the past, which not one, but both MPs in the video belong to.
"Accio April 2022" isn't something any character has uttered in either the Harry Potter or Fantastic Beasts films, but it's what you might be chanting to yourself right now if you're a fan of both. Four years after the last big-screen entry in the Wizarding World — the franchise that's sprung up around The Boy Who Lived — Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore has just dropped its first trailer. When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 reached cinemas a decade back, it was never going to be the end of the on-screen story. Cue the Fantastic Beasts series, which took an illustrated guide book about magical creatures, spun a story about its magizoologist author Newt Scamander, and started a Harry Potter prequel saga. Conjuring up more enchantment hasn't been quite so straightforward this time around, however — and how you feel about 2016's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and 2018's Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald might just depend on how spellbound you are with everything HP. But this franchise-within-a-franchise was always going to go on, and The Secrets of Dumbledore is the third entry in the planned five-film series. When it hits the silver screen next year, The Secrets of Dumbledore will once again give Jude Law another 'young' role; he played The Young Pope, so seeing him step into young Albus Dumbledore's shoes in The Crimes of Grindelwald felt like the most natural thing in the world. And, just like in that last Fantastic Beasts flick, Law's version of the future Hogwarts headmaster is pivotal to Scamander (Eddie Redmayne, The Trial of the Chicago 7) and his pals' efforts to face off against the evil Gellert Grindelwald. That said, Grindelwald, the dark wizard who just keeps trying to control all things magical — and wreak havoc on everything in general — isn't quite the same this time around. Both Colin Farrell (Voyagers) and Johnny Depp (Minamata) have previously played the role, but Mads Mikkelsen (Riders of Justice) has now replaced the latter. As the trailer for The Secrets of Dumbledore shows, Grindelwald is still solemnly up to no good — and his devoted following is only growing — so it's up to Scamander, Dumbledore, Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston, The Third Day), Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol, Between Us) and Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler, The Walking Dead) to try to save the day. That requires a dangerous mission led by Scamander, who obviously crosses paths with plenty of beasts (it's right there in the franchise's title). Ezra Miller (Zack Snyder's Justice League) also returns as Credence/Aurelius Dumbledore, while Jessica Williams (Love Life) follows up her brief appearance in The Crimes of Grindelwald by return as Ilvermorny professor Eulalie 'Lally' Hicks. And making the magic happen behind the lens is David Yates, who has directed every Wizarding World film — Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts alike since 2007's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Break out the butterbeer and check out the trailer below: Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore opens in cinemas Down Under on April 7, 2022.
The fact that Australia is hosting the 2023 Women's World Cup is mighty sweet news. That matches are happening right here in Brisbane? That's even sweeter. The Matildas winning the whole thing would be the sweetest outcome of all — but, whatever happens on the turf, Emporium Hotel South Bank has a few sweet tricks of its own. The towering hotel and its bars and eateries love celebrating an occasion, so of course the whole lot is going all-in for this football extravaganza. You've got two places to head to until Sunday, August 20: up to the The Terrace 21 storeys up for drinks, and to French patisserie Belle Epoque downstairs for dessert. First, the tipples. There, two options are on offer, too — one inspired by the Matildas, the other by their initial adversaries in Ireland, with both costing $26. Grab a limited-edition Matilda cocktail and you'll be sipping Aussie rum, passionfruit, vanilla and saffron in a coconut-dipped glass. Or, with the Cold Irish Coffee, you'll enjoy Jameson whisky with Mr Black coffee liqueur, plus honey, muscovado sugar, filtered coffee and cream. Now, dessert time. Belle Epoque's Executive Pastry Chef Charith Arachchige has created a macadamia chocolate caramel tart that looks like a soccer ball. The $12 treat features a chocolate ball shell, grass made out of green fondant, and salted caramel and milk chocolate cremeux as a filling. Whoever ends up winning the Women's World Cup, your tastebuds will clearly emerge victorious as well.
If you've never hallucinated a coyote, or simply really really like hot chilli, then get to Kettle and Tin for their annual Chilli Cook Off. If Kettle and Tin's last five cook-offs proved anything, it's that this festival isn't one for the timid of stomachs. Things will really heat up on March 18, when some of Brisbane's best chefs compete to win the event's coveted trophy. The competitors don't mess around, the chilli proves off-the-scale delish and everything from the food to the drinks bites hard. Admission is $20, and includes live music, one free beer and all the chilli you can eat. Our tip: if you're not a fan of spice, BYO milk. The Chilli Cook Off begins at 10am and is expected to run long into the evening, with a zombie dress-up comp, plenty of craft brews and a Bloody Mary bar all part of the fun. If you think you can handle the heat, pack your chilli spoon and head along.
Now is the time to start planning and booking a holiday to Outback Australia. Typically, the best time to visit places like the Red Centre, the Kimberleys and Flinders Ranges is between May and October. It's the Goldilocks period — you avoid both the summer heat and the wet season. It's not too hot or too cold. It's just right. But you can't just book a flight and figure it out once you get there. You'll usually need a guide, a 4WD and a super detailed plan. You can organise all of this yourself, but it's a lot of work. That's why we suggest booking a specially curated tour. It takes all the fuss out of your holiday, allowing you to simply enjoy the ridiculously beautiful natural wonders found throughout the Australian outback. So, read on to find a series of unforgettable trips and tours that can each be booked through Concrete Playground Trips. [caption id="attachment_896631" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brian Mcmahon (Unsplash)[/caption] LUXURY CAMPING TOUR AROUND KIMBERLEY Western Australia's Kimberley region is a proper bucket list travel destination. You get to see some of Outback Australia's finest sites — think deep gorges, vast white sand beaches and remote waterfalls that are made for swimming under. What better way to experience this iconic natural landscape than by camping around it for 12 days? This unique trip won't just guide you to the best spots, it'll take you there in total style. It includes a helicopter ride over Mitchell Falls, a Geikie Gorge boat cruise and all your camping equipment — big comfy mattress and all. If you've always wanted to explore Kimberley, this is the ultimate way to do it. BOOK IT NOW. [caption id="attachment_891479" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tobias Keller (Unsplash)[/caption] SIX-DAY CORAL COASTER FROM PERTH TO EXMOUTH (VIA NINGALOO REEF) Go on a proper Western Australia adventure during this week-long trip. From unspoilt beaches to deep red deserts to explore — plus an abundance of wildlife to spot — this will be an unforgettable Australian holiday. You'll also tick a bunch of spectacular destinations off your bucket list — including the Pinnacles, Hutt Lagoon Pink Lake, Murchison Gorge, Kalbarri National Park, The Stromatolites at Shark Bay and Ningaloo Reef. BOOK IT NOW. [caption id="attachment_826027" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism NT[/caption] AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK TOUR FROM DARWIN TO CAIRNS This is an 11-day adventure-filled trip through the most remote parts of Savannah Way. Get ready to explore natural landscapes unlike anything else in the world. You'll travel east through Kakadu, Mataranka, Lorella Springs and Lawn Hill before finishing up in the tropical rainforest on the outskirts of Cairns. Along the way, you'll spot native wildlife in their natural habitat, hike through gorges, discover ancient Aboriginal rock art and swim in pristine natural waterholes (free of crocs, of course). BOOK IT NOW. [caption id="attachment_883581" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Michael Skopal (Unsplash)[/caption] THREE-DAY ADVENTURE IN THE FLINDERS RANGES This small group eco-tour of the famous Flinders Ranges gives guests the opportunity to see the incredible rock formation of Wilpena Pound and the Ranges while learning about local Aboriginal culture. You'll search for the rare yellow-footed rock wallaby, spot kangaroos, emus and wedge-tailed eagles, spy ancient Aboriginal cave paintings, meet the locals and enjoy campfires and camp cooking. BOOK IT NOW. KING'S CANYON HIKING TOUR King's Canyon, famously where the queens from The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert hiked in feather-clad bird outfits, is a big bucket list destination — not just for fans of the film. Located between Alice Springs and Yulara, this has to be one of the very best places to go hiking in Australia. Walk along red rock cliffs, through maze-like gorges and around beautiful bushland. The views across the surrounding desert are also just next level, and this big day trip takes you to all the best bits. BOOK IT NOW. DAY TRIP TO LITCHFIELD NATIONAL PARK WATERFALLS If you've ever seen images of people jumping into spectacular natural waterholes and pools in a tourism ad for the Northern Territory, there's a very good chance the footage was shot at Litchfield National Park. Making a visit here is an experience we should all have at some point in our lives. And booking this package will get you right there. You'll be picked up from Darwin and transported to the famous Florence Falls for a day of exploring and swimming in extraordinary (croc-free) waters. BOOK IT NOW. CHAMBER PILLAR AND RAINBOW VALLEY 4WD TRIP Go off-road during this full-day tour around the Rainbow Valley — a remote region in Australia's Red Centre. The small group 4WD experience takes you deep into the Red Centre's beautiful and remote sand hill country in comfort and style. You will discover the history of the early explorers, local First Nations culture and stories, the iconic Simpson Desert and stunning landscapes and rock formations. In between short hikes, you'll be driven around in an air-conditioned 4WD to catch your breath and cool down. BOOK IT NOW. [caption id="attachment_896632" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tim Davies (Unsplash)[/caption] FOUR-DAY 4WD OUTBACK TOUR OF KAKADU NATIONAL PARK This exclusive 4WD safari adventure takes travellers off-road, discovering some of the most remote parts of Kakadu National Park. Visit spectacular waterfalls, cool off in some of the most beautiful natural plunge pools imaginable and spend each night in comfortable accommodation. Everything is organised for you throughout this Outback Australia tour, including a billabong wetlands cruise that'll take you up and close to some freshwater crocs. BOOK IT NOW. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world. Top image: Simon Maisch (Unsplash)
Two of Australia's best modern yarn spinners are heading around the country together this spring. Sydney blues crooner CW Stoneking is embarking on an Australian tour, with Perth singer songriter Peter Bibby in support. Having just wrapped up a huge, 36-show run through the UK and Europe, Stoneking is finally heading back home for a home turf tour. He'll be taking ditties from his most recent album Gon Boogaloo as well as long-loved favourites. It's the last time Aussie fans will get to see Stoneking on a home stage for a while — he's moving to the US to work on some new music. Bibby's been a busy lad too, having released his debut album Butcher/Hairstylist/Beautician last year and made quite the splash at the likes of Laneway Festival around the country. Stoneking and Bibby will hit Sydney's Manning Bar on Friday, October 30, Brisbane's Triffid on Saturday, October 31 and Saturday, November 7 at Melbourne's Corner Hotel.
The Judith Wright Centre will be celebrating the 100th birthday of their namesake on Saturday, May 30. Judith Wright was an Australian poet and writer who was known for translating the Australian experience into rich lyricism and directness. She spoke openly of the Depression, Aboriginal rights, and everything from mundane Australian living to hard-hitting issues of her time. She began writing poetry at age six to please her ever ailing mother and eventually had numerous books published and wrote essays of poetry in Australia. She died in 2000 aged 85. Now, 100 years since her birth, the Judith Wright Centre will be showcasing dancers from the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts as well as local artists Pascalle Burton, Betsy Turcott and Eleanor Jackson, Ross Clark, Dawn, Bronwyn Lea, Chloe Callistemon, Brett Dionysus and Julie Beveridge. The event is free, though it's best to register online here to secure seats.
It isn't often that Americans seek inspiration from Australia; our humble shores are prone to mimicking rather than leading by example. And yet, just last week, Melbourne boys Chris McPherson and Chris Rendell launched Flinders Lane, a New York eatery inspired by their home city. "Most of the Australian restaurants in the city are like Outback Steakhouse or the Crocodile Dundee sort of vision," McPherson told the Village Voice. "We wanted to bring back what's actually there." Their venue, which opened on February 3, is full of the cross-section of cultures and cuisines that is so unique to Australia. McPherson and Rendell met a few years back, quickly agreeing on the need to plot a restaurant that would pay homage to modern Australian food. Predominately driven by a serious case of homesickness, the Aussie expats quickly set to work, establishing a spot for contemporary Australian cooking, a long way from home. The result? A delicious array of fresh seafood and Australian fruit and veg, from chef Rendell. Many dishes also sport an identifiable Asian influence — highlights include tandoori rabbit, steamed snapper in sesame broth and a chicken san choy bau. Drinks-wise, the boys aim to offer a boutique selection of domestic and international wines, as well as a seasonal cocktail list, steering away from the heavy Shirazes that characterise many stereotypical perceptions of an Australian drop. Three tap beers, including the classic Coopers Green, are also available to accompany your grub. The 40-seat eatery isn't covered with Melbournalia; its sleek, pared-back look is a more subtle nod to the city. There is, however, a stunning collection of Melbourne photography, including a massive print of namesake Flinders Lane on the back wall. Flinders Lane New York is located in the East Village: 162 Ave A, 212-228-6900. Via Fork in the Road.
When it comes to street art, names don't get any bigger than Banksy. And when it comes to street art exhibitions, a new showcase of the artist's work that's making its way to Brisbane is going huge. The first major display of the enigmatic talent's pieces in the River City will feature more than 150 artworks — including infinity rooms and simulations that play with some of Banksy's most famous creations. Mark Thursday, May 4 in your diary, because that's when The Art of Banksy: Without Limits is hitting the lower ground floor at Queens Plaza in the CBD. If you're already excited, you can also mark 10am on Wednesday, March 15 in your calendar as well, as that's when tickets will go on sale. A massive collection of pieces by the art world's chief enigma — including the darkly satirical, overtly political work that has turned the stencil-loving artist into such an infamous icon — The Art of Banksy: Without Limits' 150 artworks will include Banksy's certified art, prints on a heap of different materials, plus photos and sculptures as well. For an immersive experience, there'll be installations — physical and digital — as well as murals and mapping shows. One such installation: a simulation of Dismaland Bemusement Park. Another: that mirrored infinity room. Banksy's recent murals in Ukraine will also get a nod, and one space is devoted to the MV Louise Michel, the 30-metre-long high-speed lifeboat funded by Banksy that patrols the Mediterranean to rescue refugees. There will be reproductions of Banksy's works, too, made exclusively for this exhibition. They'll recreate some of the artist's pieces as made with — of course — stencils. The full list of exactly which works will feature hasn't yet been officially revealed, if you're looking forward to potentially seeing the well-known likes of Flower Thrower, Rude Copper and Girl with Balloon (a version of which was shredded after sale in a highly publicised prank in 2018) — but images of the show's recent stop in Bangkok provide plenty of clues. When it sets up shop in Brisbane, The Art of Banksy: Without Limits will run daily and take between 45–60 minutes to wander through. And yes, you can snap away for the 'gram while you're there. You can probably exit through the gift shop, or a simulation of one, as well. The Art of Banksy: Without Limits will hit the lower ground floor at Queens Plaza, 226 Queen Street, Brisbane from Thursday, May 4. You can also join the waitlist now, with tickets on sale from 10am on Wednesday, March 15.
Do you ever bemoan the lack of serious theatre tackling hard-hitting topics of geopolitical import? This is not the play you're looking for. Psycho Beach Party is a tongue-in-cheek homage that lovingly mashes up surf and horror films and was originally called Gidget Goes Psychotic. The 1987 off-Broadway play starred playwright Charles Busch as the 16-year-old female lead, though the role was recast for the 2000 film. This version, playing at the Brisbane Festival, is directed by Stephen Nicolazzo (sex.violence.blood.gore) and stars Ash Flanders (who is half of Melburnian queer theatre heroes Sisters Grimm) in the role of Chicklet. Uproarious fun. Psycho Beach Party is on 17-28 September at the Loft, QUT Theatre Republic, and thanks to the Brisbane Festival, we have a double pass to giveaway to the performance on Thursday, 26 September. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email hello@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address.
Spending your Friday night in a laundromat isn't most people's idea of a good time. Understandably so, but let The Ironing Maidens convince you otherwise. You won't be doing any washing or drying from 8pm on August 31 — rather, you'll be catching an electronic music performance that's based around housework, complete with on-theme advertising samples, actual laundry sounds and lyrics that probe gender roles. The Ironing Maidens have won awards, toured local and international festivals, and generally wowed crowds by using ironing boards as instruments — and now they're hitting up the Central Valley Laundromat on Wickham Street. It's part of the Valley Fiesta, and it's in line with their latest tour (which, as you might've guessed, only involves places where you'd normally wait for your clothes to finish their spin cycle). As for their story, The Ironing Maidens main duo Patty Preece and Melania Jack have taken inspiration from British composer and electronic music pioneer Daphne Oram, the first woman to direct an electronic music studio back in the 1950s. Accordingly, you'll not only witness an inventive and unique live performance, but you'll be paying homage to a part of history you probably didn't know about.
There are some people in this world who are freaks of nature, e.g. people who can do any job, read any book, or pick up any instrument and play it. Omar Rodriguez-Lopez is one of these people and he is here in Brisbane this week with his group to tour their 38-track monster Telestrion – a double disc CD collection of Omar's numerous releases. Akin to Prince, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez is a - wait for it - composer, artist, writer, director, songwriter, actor and producer, and can play over ten instruments. If his name sounds familiar, that's because he is the guitarist (as well as producer and composer) for the Mars Volta. Omar has also collaborated with John Frusciante (of Red Hot Chili Peppers fame) and although he may be in a prog-rock band, he also digs reggae and has been known to be quite experimental in his solo work. It's of no surprise that someone of this immense talent and skill would feel claustrophobic in a band setting and would be dying to break free, which is why Omar has decided to spawn his own avant-garde style of music and do it on his own. His musical style is so complex that there is no way of describing the perplexing composition this incredible musician uses, so you pretty much need to see him to comprehend it all. Even then, I'm not sure if any of it would make sense to us common folk. I'd go just to see Mr Rodriguez play the guitar left handed, all the other stuff's a bonus!
On years ending in four in even-numbered decades, we watch new Mean Girls films. So goes the 21st century so far, as the hit 2004 teen comedy about high-school hierarchies returns to the big screen in 2024 as a musical, after breaking out the singing and dancing onstage first. Just like donning pink every Wednesday because Regina George (Reneé Rapp, The Sex Lives of College Girls) demands it, there's a dutifulness about the repeat Mean Girls. Tina Fey, writing the script for the third time — basing her first on Rosalind Wiseman's 2002 non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes — seems to fear the consequences for breaking the rules, too. Cue a Mean Girls movie musical that truly plays out as those four words lead viewers to expect: largely the same down to most lines and jokes, just with songs. Anyone looking at the longer running time in advance and chalking up the jump from 97 to 112 minutes to the tunes is 100-percent spot on. The latest Mean Girls also resembles protagonist Cady Heron (Angourie Rice, The Last Thing He Told Me): eager to fit into its new surroundings after being perfectly happy and comfortable elsewhere. That causes some awkwardness, sometimes trying to break the mould, but largely assimilating. Penning her first film script since the OG Mean Girls was her very first, 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Mr Mayor creator Fey revises details and gags that were always going to need revising. Social media, the internet and mobile phones are all worked in, necessarily so, as is sex positivity. Mean Girls 2024 is primarily dedicated to making Mean Girls 2024 happen, though; here as well, it's exactly as those three words have audiences anticipating. Scrap the songs and choreography (other than the Winter Talent Show performances, of course), and directors Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez (Quarter Life Poetry: Poems for the Young, Broke & Hangry) would've just remade the first film two decades later. There's a message in the Means Girls cycle, as the initial movie closed with. No matter how many obnoxious and angsty young women learn to cope with their ire and embrace kindness, more will follow the same journey, then more again. Accordingly, Mean Girls could easily be restaged every generation with nothing but era-appropriate changes and the tale would still ring true, as proves the case with its second cinema telling — plus the musical angle. That's a testament to the strength of and insights in Fey's foundational screenplay. It's also a sad truth about human nature. But like Gretchen Wieners (Bebe Wood, Love, Victor) yearning for a life and acceptance that doesn't involve everything that Regina decrees, viewers can be forgiven for wanting more from each Mean Girls iteration. While this is a winking, nudging, self-referential take that's forcefully trying to get playful with its devotion to its source material, Regina herself might call it an obsession. Once more, Cady swaps the savannahs of Africa for Evanston, Illinois, then homeschooling for North Shore High School, entering a savage teenage jungle in the process. With talented artist Janis (Auli'i Cravalho, the voice of Moana) and the "almost too gay to function" Damian (Jaquel Spivey, a 2022 Tony-nominee for A Strange Loop) to steer her, she joins the world of cliquery, where the Plastics — Regina, plus Gretchen and fellow entourage member Karen Shetty (Avantika, also The Sex Lives of College Girls) — rule the school. Befriending the in-crowd is meant to be a social experiment. Cady's mum (Jenna Fischer, Splitting Up Together) is a zoologist, after all. But after Cady gets a maths class-sparked crush on Regina's ex Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney, The Summer I Turned Pretty), the newcomer's stint at the popular lunch table morphs into a vengeance mission. Opening with the Cravalho- and Spivey-sung 'A Cautionary Tale' — Janis and Damien are viewers' guides, too — the Mean Girls movie musical uses songs in place of the original's voiceover, and to plumb the characters' emotional and psychological depths. Composer Jeff Richmond (Girls5eva) and lyricist Nell Benjamin (The Sea Beast, and another Tony-nominee) rework their tunes from the stage production that debuted in 2018, then was locked in for a film adaptation in 2020, with additions and exclusions; rarely are they the most memorable parts of the movie. Collaborating with YouTube-famous choreographer Kyle Hanagami (Red, White & Royal Blue), Jayne and Perez opt for a more-is-more vibe; however, the musical numbers ape the overall feature in miniature. Some aspects shine, such as the pure energy of the plan-setting 'Revenge Party' and the sincerity in Gretchen's 'What's Wrong with Me?'. Others are catchy but perfunctory, like the Rice-crooned 'Stupid with Love', plus Cravalho and Spivey again with 'Apex Predator'. Karen's ditty 'Sexy' is an entertaining social-media riff. And whenever Rapp sings, she's electric, but better than the material. Rapp was always destined to be one of the new Mean Girls' highlights. She's been here before, stepping into Regina's shoes again after wearing them on Broadway (Only Murders in the Building's Ashley Park also returns from the theatre after originating the role of Gretchen, but as a teacher). In a film so infrequently willing to switch up anything substantial, Rapp's interpretation of Regina is one of its biggest alterations: where Rachel McAdams (Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret) was icily piercing, the IRL pop singer is fiendishly ferocious. That fits today's times where the entire online realm is a burn book, making nastiness virtually the status quo, and it's never one-note. Among her co-stars, Rice, Cravalho, Spivey, Wood and Avantika all ensure that no one is desperately pining for Lindsay Lohan (Falling for Christmas), Lizzy Caplan (Fatal Attraction), Daniel Franzese (Not So Straight in Silver Lake), Lacey Chabert (A Merry Scottish Christmas) and Amanda Seyfried (The Crowded Room) as their characters instead — with Cravalho making the second-biggest impression, and screaming for more non-voicework parts. Fey returning as Ms Norbury, Tim Meadows (I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson) similarly back as Principal Duvall, Busy Phillips (also Girls5eva) taking over from Amy Poehler (Moxie) as Regina's mother: they're all grool touches. It almost wouldn't be a Fey comedy without Jon Hamm (Fargo) popping up, although he's given little to do — but scrapping Coach Carr's sex scandals was among the essential updatings. Mean Girls has always known that striving to conform is a clunky task, though it didn't need to live it. While this isn't the first movie to become a stage musical and then return to film also as a musical (see: Little Shop of Horrors, The Producers, Hairspray and Everybody's Talking About Jamie) and won't be the last (the new The Color Purple will follow it into cinemas Down Under, for example), it's firmly an example of being too committed to doing what's expected to have enough of its own fun.
If you're in Sydney's CBD and can hear helicopters overhead, that's because Barack Obama is in town. According to 7 News, the former president of the United States touched down at Sydney Airport around 1pm and has since made his way — as part of a motorcade — up Oxford Street and into the CBD. .@barackobama at @SydneyAirport. The former U.S. President will be speaking at the @ArtGalleryofNSW tonight. https://t.co/0rfycPrrqA #7News pic.twitter.com/FJgJVxgpi3 — 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) March 23, 2018 Obama is in Sydney for an exclusive private event hosted by the New Zealand United States Council at the Art Gallery of NSW tonight, Friday, March 23. He comes via Auckland, where he spoke last night. At the moment, it doesn't look like there will be any road closures or changes to traffic. Unfortunately the talk is not open to the public, but if you head to the AGNSW, you might be able to get an IRL sighting of the former president. Although you may not be able to get very close — security will be understandably tight.
Pitting Will Smith against himself, Gemini Man is designed to boggle the mind. Viewers are supposed to stare at the big screen in awe as the former Fresh Prince not only plays a supremely skilled 51-year-old assassin, but — through the wonders of seamless de-ageing CGI — also plays his 23-year-old clone. We're also meant to marvel at the 3D visuals that surround the two Smiths as they go head-to-head, with the movie shot on digital in 4K resolution at 120 frames per second. Technical jargon aside, that means Gemini Man is super-crisp thanks to its vastly increased number of pixels, and it boasts five times the usual images each second, with the camera picking up five times the visible detail as a result. Sadly, while Ang Lee loves to keep pushing the filmmaking boundaries, especially in a technical sense, he completely misses his target with Gemini Man. It doesn't come close to eliciting the same wonder that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's astonishing martial arts choreography inspired, or the dropped jaws sparked by his immersive adaptation of Life of Pi either. Instead, in Lee's second successive attempt to make a watchable high frame-rate flick (after 2016's Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk), this espionage thriller has the bland appearance of a TV soap opera. At its worst, it resembles absolutely anything screening on television with the motion-smoothing settings left on (aka the default viewing mode on modern screens that Tom Cruise famously asked viewers to switch off when watching Mission: Impossible - Fallout at home). Stacks of cash have been splashed on the most advanced special effects available — techniques that are being hailed as the future of cinema — but the end product really couldn't look cheaper or uglier. In a movie that basically only exists to showcase its apparently cutting-edge hyper-realistic imagery, Gemini Man's visual blah factor has an enormous impact. Lee clearly hopes his high-tech frames will patch over the generic narrative, but they actually emphasise the film's routine flavour. Penned by David Benioff (Game of Thrones), Billy Ray (Overlord) and Darren Lemke (Shazam!), this by-the-numbers affair follows seasoned government-sanctioned sharp-shooter Henry Brogan (Smith) as he packs it all in after a tricky assignment. As soon as he trades in his weapons for retirement, he's tracked down by his youthful doppelgänger (also Smith). A rogue intelligence agency head honcho (Clive Owen) is behind it all; however, as we probably don't need to point out, he isn't the toughest adversary that Brogan must face. Throw in Mary Elizabeth Winstead as another agent caught up in the chaos, plus Benedict Wong as a kindly pilot helping Brogan hop around the globe, and Gemini Man sits somewhere between every Bourne flick and every 90s action movie involving duplicity and double-crossing. Plot-wise, it truly is that standard; no-budget straight-to-VHS stinkers have demonstrated more narrative ingenuity. A boilerplate story told well can still keep viewers engrossed, though, especially in this genre (see: the excellent John Wick films), but that's not the case here. While cheesy, inane dialogue that spells out every twist is unfortunate enough, the fact that Gemini Man looks like someone has simply used their iPhone to film two Will Smiths who happen to be standing in front of them is grating, disconcerting and distracting. That it also looks like it could be a sequel to Tommy Wiseau's The Room — well, that comparison obviously says plenty. It's one thing to feel like you could reach out and touch whichever Smith you prefer (the elder Smith deserves that honour, with the actor more comfortable acting his age than chasing his younger glory days). It's another to get bombarded with so much visual data that nothing stands out, including Smith and his digital recreation. In the pursuit of hyper-clarity, Gemini Man lacks anything that resembles movie magic — and while that means there's no blurring or chaotic editing in the film's chase and fight scenes, which are both staged and shot with fluidity, it's all just dull rather than spectacular. You won't sit there wondering "how did they do that?", but rather "why did they do that?". And if you're not getting jiggy with Gemini Man's imagery, then you're not getting jiggy with this empty experiment in stretching the limits of cinema to a place that no one really wants it to go. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykm0wWnzFY8
Bookworms, word nerds and literature lovers, rejoice — after a tumultuous couple of years due to the pandemic, Brisbane Writers Festival will be spreading its love for stories, novels, text in general and the act of putting pen to paper (and fingers to keyboards) all around the city again in 2022. And, it's doing so in a big way. For six days in May, the beloved fest will host more than 200 events across town, all to celebrate its 60th birthday. Mark Tuesday, May 3–Sunday, May 8 in your diary, and prepare to have a huge new reading list afterwards — because that's always a hefty part of attending writers festivals. This year's fest comes after a virtual-only 2020 event, and then a hybrid in-person and online fest in 2021. And, in the spirit of getting everyone out and about, it's hosting sessions everywhere from pubs, music venues and suburban restaurants. BWF is also setting up shop at its usual base at the State Library of Queensland, of course, and venturing to a heap of local libraries as well. But the aim is to spread the love as far and wide as possible. Accordingly, plenty of BWF's 2022 locations come courtesy of the Nick Earls-curated Brisbane as a Storied City program, which is new for this year. It not only focuses on local writers and poets, but takes them — and the festival audience — to spots they've drawn inspiration from. So, that means hearing Pig City author Andrew Stafford chat to Yumi Stynes about his book about Brisbane's music scene at The Zoo, and heading to Sunnybank's Landmark Restaurant with Benjamin Law, who'll talk about his memoir The Family Law. It also includes hitting up the RE with writer Rebecca Sparrow for a session about Brissie in the 80s and 90s. Other highlights from the full lineup span the Our Country of Focus initiative, which is all about Aotearoa New Zealand and Pasifika talents; the In Your Suburb program, which takes the fest to libraries around the city; Indigenous writer Tony Birch doing First Word and Last Word festival bookend events; and actor Bryan Brown (Sweet Country) discussing his crime-fiction short story collection Sweet Jimmy. Brisbane will finally welcome Literary Death Match, aka a writers' battle royale, which is heading to The Princess Theatre — and there's also a Mother's Day high tea session at Customs House, a Bluey on the Green picnic for families at South Bank Parklands, and exhibitions that explore the intersection between books and visual arts at the State Library. There is still a small digital component in 2022, if you're keen to play along from home. Plus, the fest has launched a new smartphone app, which is filled with local anecdotes, yarns and story snippets about Brisbane that pop up as you visit different locations around town. Images: J Ruckli.
The arts should be for everyone. And, while many artists and audiences might assume that's always the case, people with disability often find otherwise. Presentation opportunities, representation in the industry and involvement in major arts companies can be lacking for performers with disability, which is why the Undercover Artist Festival is trying to do something about it. Returning for 2021 — this time as part of Brisbane Festival — this inclusive event focuses on disability-led professional performing arts works across its four-day run. From Wednesday, September 15–Saturday, September 18, Queensland Theatre will play host to a range of theatre, dance, comedy, circus, music, cabaret and poetry shows, and celebrate the talented people behind them, all at an event that's accessible to all artists and audiences. Here, diversity rules, both in terms of artists and in their efforts. There's a cabaret that blasts stereotypes about the autism spectrum, an aerial theatre show, a disability pride wall, workshops and more on the bill, so the festival certainly has the program to prove it. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Access Arts (@access_arts) Top image: Lauren Watson.
The Australian festival scene's worst-kept secret for 2023 has been confirmed: Post Malone is headlining Spilt Milk. When the melancholic hitmaker announced his latest solo tour Down Under, he named venues in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, but also had Canberra, Gold Coast, Ballarat and Perth listed without specific sites. We predicted that those stops would see him play Spilt Milk — and, yes, that theory was right. Music lovers and festival fans in Canberra, Ballarat, Perth and the Gold Coast, Post Malone is on his way. The fest will kick off its 2023 season on Saturday, November 25 at Exhibition Park in the nation's capital, then head to the Gold Coast Sports Precinct on Sunday, November 26. The following weekend, it'll hit up Ballarat's Victoria Park on Saturday, December 2, before wrapping up on Sunday, December 3 at Claremont Showgrounds in Perth. The latter stop marks Spilt Milk's debut in the Western Australian city, and might just see the fest prove even more popular than it usually does. In 2022, that year's three stops all sold out in less than seven days. Post Malone has company on the fest's stages, with Dom Dolla and Latto also leading the bill. So, expect to hear everything from 'Sunflower' and 'I Like You' to 'Rhyme Dust' and 'Big Energy'. Tkay Maidza and Aitch also rank among Spilt Milk's impressive 2023 names, with Chris Lake, Dermot Kennedy, Budjerah, Cub Sport, Lastlings, Partiboi69, Ocean Alley, Peach PRC, Royel Otis also set to hit the stage. [caption id="attachment_851189" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Billy Zammit[/caption] Also, because this fest is also about food, there'll be bites to eat from Chebbo's Burgers, 400 Gradi, Chicken Treat, and the BBQ and Beer Roadshow. Originally only held in Canberra, then expanding to Ballarat, then the Gold Coast and now Perth, the multi-city one-dayer has cemented its spot as a must-attend event for a heap of reasons. In 2023, this just-announced lineup is one of them. [caption id="attachment_851187" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jordan Munns[/caption] SPILT MILK 2023 DATES: Saturday, November 25 — Exhibition Park, Canberra Sunday, November 26 — Gold Coast Sports Precinct, Gold Coast Saturday, December 2 — Victoria Park, Ballarat Sunday, December 3 — Claremont Showgrounds, Perth SPILT MILK 2023 LINEUP: Post Malone Dom Dolla Aitch Budjerah Chris Lake Cub Sport David Kushner Dermot Kennedy Djanaba Grentperez Jessie Murph Lastlings Latto Levins & Friends (Guilty Pleasures) Lime Cordiale May-A Mincy Ocean Alley Pacific Avenue Partiboi69 Peach Prc Poolclvb Redhook Royel Otis The Buoys The Dreggs Tia Gostelow Tkay Maidza Also in Canberra: Apricot Ink Clique & Brittany Demarco G.A.C.T (Just Tneek, Kinetictheory, Bin Juice, Geo) Sputnik Sweetheart Zach Knows + more to be announced Triple J Unearthed Winner Also on the Gold Coast: Bill Durry Friends Of Friends Logan Peach Fur + more to be announced Triple J Unearthed Winner Also in Ballarat: Ango Ben Gerrans Blue Vedder Sami Srirachi Yorke Triple J Unearthed Winner Also in Perth: Don Darkoe Dulcie Sammythesinner The Vault Djs + more to be announced Spilt Milk will hit Canberra, Ballarat, the Gold Coast and Perth in November and December 2023. Pre-sale tickets go on sale on Tuesday, July 11 and general sales on Thursday, July 15 — at 8am AEST for Canberra tickets, 8am AWST for Perth tickets, 9am AEST for Ballarat tickets and 11am AEST for Gold Coast tickets. Head to the festival website for more info and to register for pre-sales. Top image: Jordan Munns.
Whip out the suspenders and grab the beer stein from the pool room, Oktoberfest is here! It's the time of year again where we can shamelessly wear long socks, slap our knees and drink to our heart's content, Oktoberfest. Like previous years, the RNA will be hosting this three day long festival of beer guzzling, pretzel eating and dancing. Opening at 4pm Friday, and 11am Saturday and Sunday, this will sure to be days and nights of German appreciation. The RNA will be constructing a traditional Bavarian village atmosphere, with Heidi the yodeller, a petting zoo for the kids and a Schunkel dance floor - just follow the others. The Germans bought many wonderful things into our world. Pretzels, Volkswagens and coffee filters, all of which have made life just that little bit easier for us. But in this time of exam stress, work pressure and hot weather lets all give a big 'danke' for whomever came up with the idea of Oktoberfest.
If you've ever wished for your own personal sommelier, you're in some serious luck. The Wine Gallery is an Australian-based, online wine store that delivers wine curated by one of the best wine sommeliers in Australia right to your front door. And when The Wine Gallery say "one of the best wine sommeliers", they mean it — for this project, Australian entrepreneur Tom Walenkamp has teamed up with three-time Sommelier of the Year Banjo Harris Plane, whose resume also boasts former head sommelier at Attica and co-owner of Fitzroy's Bar Liberty. The idea originated when Walenkamp was studying abroad in France. "My European classmates already knew so much about wine from their culture and I thought the Australian market would really benefit from this type of knowledge," says Walenkamp. "I love drinking wine but always felt a bit on the outside — I call it playing wine roulette because you never know what you're going to get." Not so with The Wine Gallery. The deal is simple: subscribers take a palate quiz and receive three recommend bottles each month based on personal preferences. The bottles on offer are hand-selected by Plane's wine team and each bottle comes with tasting notes, detailed information on the grapes and stories behind the wine makers, along with recipes and food pairings. If you aren't happy with a bottle they'll replace it without a fuss and there's also no lock-in so you can pause, skip or cancel your membership whenever you like. "It's a fully interactive site, with ratings and feedback systems, so after two months no two people will have the same recommendations," says Walenkamp. "You don't have to go with our recommendations, either — you can always swap bottles, add more, or decide to go with all reds for colder months, for example." They've also just rolled out a new, 'state of the art' rewards program — thanks to third co-founder and expert coder Humberto Moreira — which keeps track of the different wine types, production methods and wine regions of each bottle you receive. This allows members to log in and track their wine journey in a visual way, with a few free bottles of plonk as you earn 'badges'. The three bottles are reasonably priced at a uniform $69 and The Wine Gallery will ship anywhere in Australia for a flat rate of $9 (they offer complimentary shipping for orders over $150). Morning orders will even be dispatched same day, so you don't have to wait long to crack one open. "The site is an access point for people that don't really know where to start exploring, and being an independent, online store mean can share our love and knowledge of wine with a much broader part of the Australian population," says Walenkamp. The Wine Gallery will ship anywhere in Australia. To sign up or for more info, visit thewinegallery.com.au.
Once upon a time it was only the elite English folks and those with country club memberships that could indulge in the luxuries of high tea. The traditional high tea has a viciously exclusive yet delicious past. Even though it’s far more commonplace now, it’s still hard to find purveyors of cupcakes and cucumber sandwiches that aren’t over run with snooty Grandma’s. Although an unexpected place to look, the Queensland Cricketers' Club hosts high teas how they should be done: Monday to Friday weekly. In an Australian twist on the high tea after sports ritual, cricket has never looked more appealing to those who favour pearls and twinsets. You can eat dainty sandwiches, sip tea and indulge in pretty cakes until your heart's content. And if you were still aiming to maintain some upper class behaviour and associations, rest easy as the tea is served in Sir Donald Bradman’s room at the club. And the cherry on top of the cake? It’s served every day, meaning less crowds to eavesdrop on your scandalous upper class tales. Excuses are for the bourgeoisie; food and drink is a million times better in miniature.
Why just go to a regular rave when you can party like one of your favourite pop-culture characters? It worked for Shrek, so now it's Hello Kitty's turn. Expect ample pink, plus fans of a certain fictional cat-like Japanese figure everywhere. Yuko Shimizu mightn't have had this in mind when she designed Sanrio's most-famous creation, but it's happening in Brisbane on Friday, December 15 anyway. This Hello Kitty celebration includes Hello Kitty-themed drinks, a Hello Kitty DJ set, a Hello Kitty meet and greet with said DJ, plus a free Hello Kitty-themed glitter station. Fancy taking snaps against a Hello Kitty balloon wall? Scoring Hello Kitty plushies as souvenirs? That's all also on offer at Wonderland Brisbane from 8pm. Your ticket also covers free Chupa Chups and glow sticks — but you will pay for your sips, which come with names like 'Wet Kitty Shots', 'Sanrio Slushies' and 'Hello Kitty Juice'. Cosplay is heartily encouraged, obviously, and that means more than just wearing a bow.
Every year, before Brisbane Festival drops its full lineup, it teases the city's arts fans with a few sneak peeks. In 2019, the event's early reveals have included a blazing garden of fire, an immersive theatre production that takes over an entire warehouse and a screening of No Country for Old Men with a new live score — but they're just a taste of the whole program. Just unveiled in all of its glory, the festival's entire feast of arts, music, performance, comedy, cabaret, installations and culture promises everything from amazing mazes to ambitious theatre productions to music-fuelled birthday bashes, which will all liven up the city between September 6–28. By the numbers, Brisbane Festival 2019 will feature 454 performances of 83 shows over 23 huge days. Performer-wise, it'll boast 908 artists from around the globe. And for artistic director David Berthold, it'll commemorate his fifth year at the helm. After House of Mirrors proved such a hit in 2018, it should come as no surprise that Christian Wagstaff and Keith Courtney are bringing their equally mind-bending 1000 Doors to this year's fest. As the name suggests, you'll navigate your way through a huge setup of doors, which'll be located at Brisbane Festival's Arcadia hub at the South Bank Cultural Centre Forecourt. Also in the expected and thoroughly welcome camp: the return of the event's biggest-selling show to date, aka Strut & Fret's Blanc De Blanc. The hedonistic cabaret's encore version won't be exactly the same as its last, so that's reason enough to head along. With this year marking 30 years since the Brisbane Riverstage hosted its first gig, Bris Fest is throwing the famed outdoor venue a shindig — and, with the help of Hot Dub Time Machine, partying like it's 1989. Much of the event's music lineup will also takeover the site, including The Amity Affliction, City and Colour and the enormously popular (and free) Symphony for Me orchestral show. There'll be tunes over at The Tivoli, too, including a 90s-themed throwback for opening night, featuring Groove Terminator with a gospel choir, plus the likes of Paul Dempsey and Emma Louise in the rounds. Other highlights include Kate Miller-Heidke, fresh from her dazzling Eurovision performances; Chinese choreographer Yang Liping's Rite of Spring; both Sam Simmons and John Safran, with each breaking out their inimitable comedy stylings; Bryony Kimmings' acclaimed I'm a Phoenix, Bitch; the world premiere of Fangirls, which ponders teenage obsessions. Or, you can enjoy a dance-off eisteddfod featuring ordinary folks, Regurgitator doing a family-friendly show, and a stage production that sees four people recreate Tetris — yes, the classic video game — with their bodies. In the old fave camp, Riverfire is back to close out the fest with a literal bang, plus River of Light returns to cast another laser-filled glow over the city's central waterway while drawing upon local Indigenous history. As always, the spiegeltent will once again set up shop and welcome a host of musicians, such as Girlpool, Justin Townes Earle and Bruno Major, while the performance-focused Theatre Republic will host modern takes on ancient myths, an apocalyptic drama that combines climate change and Chekhov, and a cycle of stories about love, death and friendship. Brisbane Festival runs from September 6–28 across Brisbane. For the full 2019 program, or to book tickets, visit the festival website. Compagnie Carabosse Fire Gardens images by Vincent Muteau
Saying that things are looking up at Brisbane Powerhouse in 2023 isn't a comment about the arts venue's history. Rather, it's recognition that both peering and climbing upwards have become new fixtures of the New Farm site in a big way this year. First arrived Vertigo, Australia's debut vertical dining experience that gets you eating while hanging off the top of the historic building. Now Dendy Powerhouse has added Brisbane's first-ever permanent outdoor cinema to the precinct. In most parts of Australia, watching a film beneath the evening sky with stars surrounding the big screen is a spring and summer activity. In the River City, it has been too — until now. First announced in mid-2022, Dendy Powerhouse isn't just sticking around. More than that, it's making the most of Brissie's usually warm weather (and hardly cold climes in winter) to screen flicks with the heavens as a backdrop all year round. After confirming its details back in October, the outdoor cinema's projectors started whirring in mid-November, seeing Dendy add a third Brisbane site to its current footprint alongside Portside and Coorparoo. (RIP Dendy George Street, which then became Tribal Theatre and is now sadly no longer a cinema.) Screening on Thursday–Sunday evenings every week of the year, Dendy Powerhouse features the same mix of programming that graces the cinema chain's other locations in Queensland and across Australia. Think: arthouse and mainstream fare alike, and for all ages, with The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Five Nights at Freddy's and the remastered version of Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense among the titles getting a-flickering in the near future. Dendy Powerhouse has popped its screen on top of 40-foot shopping containers. For the best sound experience — and so that you're not competing against the sounds of nature, New Farm and Brisbane Powerhouse — patrons use wireless headphones to listen in As for the seating, you recline on outdoor loungers, with 350 of them set up and each featuring cushions for extra comfort. Food-wise, tucking into the usual cinema snacks — including popcorn and choc tops — is on the menu, as is enjoying cheese boxes, wine and beer. Ordering has been made easy, using QR codes for to-your-seat delivery. Catching a movie outside at Brisbane Powerhouse should sound familiar. For years, the New Farm venue played host to Moonlight Cinema, with an outdoor big screen set up outside the site's Stores Building each summer. That annual event has since shifted to Roma Street Parklands. Powerhouse had promised a new outdoor cinema, complete with a major exhibitor running the operations, back when it also announced Night Feast, which has run in both March and October this year, and will keep popping up twice a year — and similarly revealed the Pleasuredome, a new tent-style riverside events space on the Powerhouse's Performance Lawn that arrived in 2022. Find Dendy Powerhouse Outdoor Cinema at 119 Lamington St, New Farm — head to the Dendy website for bookings and more information.
Christmas is coming up and there’s only one way to bypass the mad Queen Street Mall rushes and giving all your hard earned cash to Mr David Jones — shop local. Karen White Gallery and New Farm Cinemas are hosting the Artisan Market at the Movies, and it’s just in the nick of time for all your Chrissie shopping needs. On the market will be a everything from jewellery to locally made fashion, art and food, all crafted by the hands of indie makers, small business owners and local artisans of our Brisbane community. There will also be food and drinks for sale, plus live music, and the biggest bonus of all — air con. The markets kick off at 11am, and will round up around 6pm. Take a Christmas list, a wad of cash, and your festive spirit, because this might just be your one-stop shop for everything that needs to go under this year’s tree.
If there's one thing humans will always have over the rest of the animal kingdom, it's our sense of creativity. Sure, there are those sell-out, painting elephants and the ever-entertaining lyrebird, but it's humans alone who are graced with the ability to create abstract compositions of colour, shapes and textures. The proof lies right on our doorstep with local artist Simon Degroot. His bright and colourful paintings of bulky shapes and transulcent forms have cemented him as one of Brisbane's best. His latest exhibition, Titanium Anvil, is a display of abstract compositions of mechanical figures, painted in a graphic style that combines flat pinks and yellows with chrome coloured bends and twists. Degroot strips fragments of his pieces of their original context, evoking a meaning quite familiar but still very distant for the viewer. Degroot's production of aesthetically teasing, chrome paintings are the perfect meal for any creativity-starved human brain.
We're simply spoiled for choice in Brisbane when it comes to heading off for a mini-break or weekend away. Sure, as the halfway point between the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, it's de rigueur to jettison yourself towards the beach during the warmer months, but what about when it's too cold for all that? Winter demands bracing walks, warm antique stores and hearty meals — and when the sun goes down, an open fire, a cosy armchair and maybe a glass of red. Is that too much to ask? Not in Ipswich, it's not. Close enough so that you don't spend half of your day driving just to get there but far enough so that you feel like you've stepped away from it all, Ipswich is the perfect spot for a romantic escape or a fun-filled country weekend with mates. Plus, this southeast Queensland gem is packed with so many activities you might just find yourself planning to return while you're still here. We suggest driving out after work on Friday and staying for two nights. That way you can wake up early and launch straight into a day of activities on Saturday — or sleep in and enjoy the luxury of nothingness. From pristine beaches and bountiful wine regions to alpine hideaways and bustling country towns, Australia has a wealth of places to explore at any time of year. We've partnered with Tourism Australia to help you plan your road trips, weekend detours and summer getaways so that when you're ready to hit the road you can Holiday Here This Year. While regional holidays within Queensland are now permitted, some of the places mentioned below may still be closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Please check websites before making any plans. [caption id="attachment_770956" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Four Hearts Brewing via Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] EAT AND DRINK If, like us, the day doesn't begin until you have some caffeine in your system, your first stop should be local favourite Strictly Coffee. For a filling brekkie, we suggest popping into Rafter and Rose. Grab a seat in the leafy courtyard and soak up the atmosphere with a Single O coffee and selection of sausage rolls, pies, croissants and cakes. Everything, including the pastry, is made in-house. If you opt for something savoury, be sure to add a side of the bacon jam, which is every bit as amazing as it sounds. For lunch, make tracks to Ruby Chews in Riverlink Shopping Centre for American-style burgers, hot dogs, wings and milkshakes. This retro diner also does classic frozen custards, but if you're craving something sweet, we suggest holding out for a scoop or two at Ungermann Brothers. This gourmet ice-creamery is known for its experimental flavours including salted caramel, bacon and pecan; blue cheese and fig; coffee, cardamom and liqueur; and — wait for it — roasted garlic. Next up, the guys at Four Hearts Brewing have you covered for afternoon bevvies. Located in a stunning red brick, heritage listed, 100-year-old building, the focus here is on full flavour, high quality, chemical-free brews. With pilsner, pale ale, red IPA and stout just some of the varieties on offer, be prepared to settle in for a full afternoon of gruelling beer sampling. You can continue the drinking session over at Tap'd, a craft beer bar set within the PA Hotel, which boasts a whopping 72 craft beers and ciders on tap. It also offers a selection of classic pub feeds, including chicken schnitties, pizzas and burgers, to keep your stomach well-lined. [caption id="attachment_580756" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Homage Restaurant[/caption] Or, you can pop over to German beer hall Heisenberg Haus. Pull up a seat at one of the communal tables, order a beer and a pretzel, and later on maybe grab a serving of käsespätzle, which, if you haven't had it before, is a big ol' gooey serving of wheat dumpling noodles, fried onion and cheese. Lots and lots of cheese. This dish is a long-cherished chalet staple — and while it's not Arctic weather, the chill of a Queensland winter is reason enough to indulge, don't you think? But if you're after something just a little bit special for dinner (okay, a lot special) the hatted Homage Restaurant at Spicers Hidden Vale is the order of the day. Select something from the a la carte menu or opt for either the two- or three-course tasting menu. The focus here is on paddock-to-plate dining and there's a real emphasis on sustainability. With such incredible local growers and farmers to choose from nearby, it makes a lot of sense. Feast on greens plucked from the kitchen garden, lamb from Mulgowie, steak from Toowoomba — you get the idea. This is truly a special spot, and dinner here would be a decadent and wonderful way to mark a birthday or anniversary. [caption id="attachment_580777" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Nerima Gardens[/caption] DO Start the day with a stroll around Queens Park, which is home to a Nature Centre packed with native Aussie animals, including wombats, wallabies and bilbies. Yes, they're adorable. And yes, you will squee. Also in the park is Nerima Gardens, a Japanese retreat devised in close consultation with Ipswich's eponymous Japanese sister city. Soak up all the serenity as you meander around these picture-perfect grounds. Next, head for the bustling couple of blocks known as the Top of Town. Take your time exploring the quirky stores dotted around and be sure to visit The Vintage Advantage for that perfect 50s-style frock and CJ Vogler & Son, a hobby store that's been trading since 1877. Fans of antiques must go for a poke around the Ipswich Antiques Centre for quirky and impressive art, collectables, furniture and jewellery. For a truly memorable experience, take the plunge and see Ipswich from the air. Pterodactyl Helicopters offer a range of tours to check out the scenery and surrounding sites (including wineries and pubs). The packages are super flexible, so you can craft a trip based on your interests and budget. Captain Mike is your main man, pilot, tour guide extraordinaire, and also possibly the most affable chap around. Take off with him to visit sights like Woodlands of Marburg — a stately plantation manor house built in 1890 but only opened to the public in 2002 — or maybe hop over to the Ironbark Ridge Winery for a tasting. [caption id="attachment_770932" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ipswich Central Cottage[/caption] STAY To be right in the heart of the action, make this chic little cottage your home away from home for the weekend. This charming spot sleeps up to four guests, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and two living areas, and is in easy walking distance to many of the sites mentioned above. But if spoiling yourself is on the cards then head directly to Spicers Hidden Vale in Grandchester, which is a 30-minute drive from the town centre. Equally suited to couples and groups of friends, this spot has country luxury down pat. Your accommodation comes equipped with thoughtful details, and may very well have a fireplace or a spa — or both — meaning it may be hard to leave your room. When you do venture outside, be sure to check out the kitchen garden, smokehouse and orchard or complete one of the nearby walking trails. As dusk settles you might play a game of pool in the games shed, take a dip in the spa or toast some marshmallows around the campfire. Yep, there's plenty to do around here. That said, you'll likely be just as happy to just pull up a chair on your verandah and watching the sun dip below the hills. Whether you're planning to travel for a couple of nights or a couple of weeks, Holiday Here This Year and you'll be supporting Australian businesses while you explore the best of our country's diverse landscapes and attractions. Top image: Spicers Hidden Vale FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
While the country is in lockdown, there are still animals that need caring for. RSPCA NSW currently has more than 2000 dogs, cats, chickens, guinea pigs and even goats that it's feeding, playing with and providing medical care for. And to help raise funds for these animals in need, it's hosting a trivia night fundraiser — virtually, of course. Running from 7.30–8.30pm on Thursday, May 21, the fundraiser will feature 50 questions covering topics such as creates of the deep blue, animals in the spotlight and insects and reptiles, as well as some general knowledge. It'll set you back just $10 to partake, which all goes straight to looking after the furry (or not-so-furry) boys and girls. If your life is missing a furry friends — and you're ready to make a lifelong commitment, of course — RSPCA centres across the country are still open for adoptions. The process now, though, is mostly online. The charity is also looking for foster parents, if you're able to have a temporary friend in your home.
