Think Brisbane's eastside boasts the only beachside walking spot? Think again. Anything Wynnum and Manly can do, Shorncliffe and Sandgate can do too, including offering up a scenic saunter along the foreshore with a peaceful vibe and one heck of a view. Not only will you meander along an 8.5 kilometre return trip — or part of it if you're not feeling like a lengthy workout — but you'll immerse yourself in the area's history. Indeed, if you haven't strolled the 350 metres along the Shorncliffe Pier, then you haven't really been to the north side of the city. Image: Bertknot via Flickr.
Think comics only tell tales of spandex-wearing supermen or dark and brooding caped crusaders? Think again. Firstly, the world of graphic art is much more extensive, despite what the majority of page-to-screen adaptations indicate. And, when it comes to LGBTI+ efforts, Australia boasts quite the growing catalogue. A selection of pieces pondering themes such as horror, fashion, narrative, identity, sex and sexuality form part of MELT Festival's Queer Comics, which graces the walls of Brisbane Powerhouse's Mosquito Foyer from January 25 to February 5. As curated by Brissie cartoonist Phoebe Ayscough, the exhibition steps through the diverse and downright trailblazing side of the popular artform.
Landlocked surfers of Melbourne, rejoice — Australia's first surf park has finally announced its opening date. And it's a whole lot closer to the city than Torquay or the Peninsula. Urbnsurf Melbourne will officially open in Tullamarine, near the airport, just 16-kilometres north of the CBD, on Monday, January 6. Plans for the park first surfaced way back in 2016 and, while the team was initially hoping for a spring opening, Urbnsurf is finally opening its doors this summer. The two-hectare space is powering up to 1000 waves per hour — day and night — with the waves coming from an 85-metre pier running down the centre of the lagoon. A series of pistons located on the pier push the water to the left, then to the right, to create the waves. Being ability to create waves means that the park is built for both pros who are looking for steep, barrelling waves and novices looking for a safe place to get their start in the surf. [caption id="attachment_756496" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Courtesy of Urbnsurf and Ed Sloane[/caption] The waves are split into three sections: The Bays (beginner) with gentle rolling waves; The Point (intermediate) with 1-1.5 metre, mid-range turn waves; and The Point (advanced) with steep, long, barrelling waves up to two-metres-high with high-octane turns. At Urbnsurf, founder Andrew Ross predicts most novices will stand on their board within an hour and ride across the green face within two. And not only will you get guaranteed waves — you won't be fighting for them. The park holds a maximum of 24 riders in The Bays and 18 on each side of The Point. [caption id="attachment_756495" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Courtesy Urbnsurf and Stu Gibson[/caption] You'll be able to experience all of these waves for a very reasonable price, too, with one-hour sessions starting at just $25 for adults and lessons from $69. If you see yourself becoming an Urbnsurf regular, you can also splash out on a discounted ten-pack of sessions ($620 for beginners, $700 for pros) and monthly memberships, which start at $100 a month. More of a watch-and-cheer than a tumble-around-in-the-water person? All-day spectator passes are also available for just $5 — and they get you access to the day beds, cabanas and hot tubs (when they open in autumn). If you need a break between sessions on the water, Urbnsurf will also be home to a new two-storey restaurant by the owners of Sydney's Three Blue Ducks, which is set to open in early autumn. Until then, pop-ups by a heap of Melbourne's favourite food trucks, bars and eateries will look after the food and drinks. If you're not in Melbourne, you'll be happy to know that a second Urbnsurf is set to open at Sydney Olympic Park in 2021. Find Urbnsurf from Monday, January 6, near Melbourne Airport. It's open from 6am–10pm in summer and 9am–6pm in winter. You can now book in for surf sessions, surf lessons and spectator passes on the website. Images: Courtesy Urbnsurf, Ed Sloane and Stu Gibson.
Two new platforms are about to join Australia and New Zealand's ever-growing streaming landscape: dedicated horror service Shudder and prestige film and TV outlet Sundance Now. Both are run by AMC Networks, the American company that's also responsible for producing and airing shows such as Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Mad Men and The Walking Dead. While Shudder focuses on all things suspenseful and spooky, Sundance Now — which, as you would've spotted, shares its name with a certain high-profile US film festival — focuses on award-winning movies, including documentaries and foreign-language flicks, plus drama, comedy and true crime television series. Exactly when they'll launch is yet to be announced, although both will be up and running in Australia and New Zealand by the end of this year. If you like paying for things upfront rather than monthly, you'll be happy to know that they're available in other countries, such as the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Germany and Austria, for an annual fee. Local pricing is yet to be revealed, but Shudder costs US$4.99 per month and $49.99 per year elsewhere, and Sundance Now costs US$6.99 per month and $59.99 per year. If you already have a Netflix or Stan subscription and you're wondering whether you really need to add another, perhaps the platforms' specific programming will tempt you — including new additions such as 80s-set horror Summer of 84, gory French effort Revenge and Indonesian supernatural thriller Satan's Slaves on Shudder, plus true crime docuseries Cold Blooded and Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle on Sundance Now. Shudder's classic horror game is also strong, should you like watching old scary movies, while Sundance Now boasts plenty of top international TV series. Given that some of the respective platforms' content already makes its way to our shores anyway — a selection of shows on Sundance Now air in Australia on SBS, for example — how existing rights deals might affect their Aussie and New Zealand lineup hasn't been revealed. For more information about the two platforms, and to keep an eye out for local launch dates, head to the Facebook pages for Shudder and Sundance Now. We'll keep you updated with news as it comes to hand.
Back in 2020, Lord Howe Island was picked as one of the best places to visit on the planet. The 11-kilometre-long, two-kilometre-wide expanse just a two-hour flight east of Sydney is also one of Australia's most incredible islands, clearly. Now, it's being recognised for boasting the best hotel in the South Pacific — beating out resorts in Fiji and Bora Bora, which is quite the feat. The latest acclaim being showered Lord Howe Island's way comes courtesy of Tripadvisor, which has surveyed its users' review data and unveiled its Best of the Best Hotels list as part of its 2023 Travellers' Choice Awards. Open since around 1895, Pinetrees Lodge earned the top spot in the South Pacific rankings, and also came in at number 25 on the best all-inclusive hotels list, which details the top spots where everything you need is all in one place. [caption id="attachment_901975" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pinetrees Lodge[/caption] Joining Pinetrees Lodge among the Aussie highlights in the South Pacific are six other accommodation destinations. The Reef House Adults Boutique Tropical Escapes in Palm Cove came in second, The Remington Muswellbrook ranked fourth, RACV Torquay Resort sits in fifth, Brisbane's Kingsford Smith Motel at sixth and Element on Coolum Beach at seventh, then Little National Hotel Sydney in tenth. Filling the gaps between them: Fiji's Tokoriki Island Resort in third spot, then Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort at eighth and The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort in ninth position. That's quite the handy rundown of local and local-ish places to spend a night or several on your next vacation or staycation — and all seven Aussie hotels obviously took the top seven berths in the Australia-only top 25 as well. That lengthier list spans everywhere from Sovereign Park Motor Inn in Ballarat and MACq 01 Hotel in Hobart to Laneways by Ovolo in Melbourne and the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney. [caption id="attachment_901976" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rambagh Palace[/caption] Sadly, there was no Aussie showing in Tripadvisor's top ten hotels in the world, with the number-one spot going to Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, India. As all these kinds of rankings offer, the rest of the placeholders comprise an impressive travel bucket list, pinballing from Ozen Reserve Bolifushi on Bolifushi Island in the Maldives to the Shangri-La The Shard in London, plus Ikos Dassia in Greece, Padma Resort Ubud in Puhu in Indonesia and more. In various subcategories, other hotels given some love include Dromoland Castle Hotel in Ireland, a 16th-century castle that's been named the best hotel for sleep; The Ritz-Carlton in Hong Kong, aka the newly dubbed best hotel with a spa; and the yurts of Patagonia Camp in Chile, which were anointed the best out-of-the-ordinary hotel. Or, there's The Toulson Court in England as the best B&B or inn — a field that Yarra Gables in Victoria came in third in worldwide — and White House Hotel in Istanbul as the best small hotel. [caption id="attachment_901973" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ozen Reserve Bolifushi[/caption] TOP TEN HOTELS IN THE WORLD 2023: 1. Rambagh Palace — Jaipur, India 2. Ozen Reserve Bolifushi — Bolifushi Island, Maldives 3. Hotel Colline de France — Gramado, Brazil 4. Shangri-La The Shard, London — London, United Kingdom 5. The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong — Hong Kong, China 6. JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai — Dubai, United Arab Emirates 7. Romance Istanbul Hotel — Istanbul, Türkiye 8. Ikos Dassia — Dassia, Greece 9. Ikos Andalusia — Estepona, Spain 10. Padma Resort Ubud — Puhu, Indonesia [caption id="attachment_901978" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tokoriki Island Resort[/caption] TOP TEN HOTELS IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC 2023: 1. Pinetrees Lodge — Lord Howe Island, Australia 2. The Reef House Adults Boutique Tropical Escapes — Palm Cove, Australia 3. Tokoriki Island Resort — Tokoriki Island, Fiji 4. The Remington Muswellbrook — Muswellbrook, Australia 5. RACV Torquay Resort — Torquay, Australia 6. Kingsford Smith Motel — Brisbane, Australia 7. Element on Coolum Beach — Coolum Beach, Australia 8. Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort — Sigatoka, Fiji 9. The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort — Bora Bora, French Polynesia 10. Little National Hotel Sydney — Sydney, Australia [caption id="attachment_901977" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Reef House Adults Boutique Tropical Escapes[/caption] TOP 25 HOTELS IN AUSTRALIA 2023: 1. Pinetrees Lodge — Lord Howe Island, NSW 2. The Reef House Adults Boutique Tropical Escapes — Palm Cove, Qld 3. The Remington Muswellbrook — Muswellbrook, NSW 4. RACV Torquay Resort — Torquay, Vic 5. Kingsford Smith Motel — Brisbane, Qld 6. Element on Coolum Beach — Coolum Beach, Qld 7. Little National Hotel Sydney — Sydney, NSW 8. Zagame's House — Melbourne, Vic 9. Sovereign Park Motor Inn — Ballarat, Vic 10. Mansi on Raymond — Sale, Vic 11. Quest South Perth Foreshore — South Perth, WA 12. Quest Orange — Orange, NSW 13. Emporium Hotel South Bank — Brisbane, Qld 14. MACq 01 Hotel —Hobart, Tas 15. Julie-Anna Inn — Bendigo, Vic 16. Majestic M Suites — Adelaide, SA 17. Alcyone Hotel Residences — Brisbane, Qld 18. Laneways by Ovolo — Melbourne, Vic 19. Quest Echuca — Echuca, Vic 20. Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat — Tallebudgera, Qld 21. Quest Warrnambool — Warrnambool, Vic 22. Korte's Resort — Rockhampton, Qld 23. Novotel Brisbane South Bank — Brisbane, Qld 24. Four Seasons Hotel Sydney — Sydney, NSW 25. Adina Apartment Hotel Adelaide Treasury — Adelaide, SA For more information about Tripadvisor's 2023 Travellers' Choice Awards, head to the service's website. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
On the big screen, Marvel largely sat out 2024, only releasing Deadpool & Wolverine in cinemas. That might've left some gaps in the moviegoing market, but it still wasn't a great year for superhero and supervillain films from other studios, at least according to the 45th Golden Raspberry Awards. After both Madame Web and Joker: Folie à Deux notched up a heap of Razzie nominations, they've each collected multiple accolades. Only one could be named the Worst Picture of last year, though — the one that made the line "he was in the Amazon with my mum when she was researching spiders right before she died" famous via its trailer. Dakota Johnson's (Daddio) spin into Sony's Spider-Man Universe collected three Razzies, the most of any film, with its star dubbed Worst Actress and its script chosen as Worst Screenplay. Following his Oscar-win for the first Joker film, Joaquin Phoenix (Napoleon) avoided being named Worst Actor, but picked up the prize for Worst Screen Combo with Lady Gaga (House of Gucci) instead. Joker: Folie à Deux was also selected as the Worst Remake, Ripoff or Sequel. Only two other titles received multiple prizes at Hollywood's least-coveted accolades: Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis and Jerry Seinfeld-directed comedy Unfrosted. For his win for the former, the iconic filmmaker noted on social media that he was "thrilled to accept the Razzie Award in so many important categories for Megalopolis, and for the distinctive honour of being nominated as the worst director, worst screenplay and worst picture at a time when so few have the courage to go against the prevailing trends of contemporary moviemaking". "In this wreck of a world today, where art is given scores as if it were professional wrestling, I chose to not follow the gutless rules laid down by an industry so terrified of risk that, despite the enormous pool of young talent at its disposal, may not create pictures that will be relevant and alive 50 years from now," the director of The Godfather franchise, The Conversation and Apocalypse Now continued. "What an honour to stand alongside a great and courageous filmmaker like Jacques Tati, who impoverished himself completely to make one of cinema's most beloved failures, Playtime! My sincere thanks to all my brilliant colleagues who joined me to make our work of art, Megalopolis, and let us remind ourselves us that box office is only about money, and like war, stupidity and politics has no true place in our future." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Francis Ford Coppola (@francisfordcoppola) Nominated across the categories but going home empty-handed: Borderlands, Reagan, Dear Santa, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Argylle, Atlas, The Crow, Kraven the Hunter, Mufasa: The Lion King and Rebel Moon 2: The Scargiver. This year's winners might be tomorrow's Razzie Redeemer Award recipients, however, with the Golden Raspberries selecting someone each year who once graced its list but has gone on to better work. Its 2025 pick: Pamela Anderson, Worst New Star of 1996 for Barb Wire, picking up the Redeemer prize for her excellent performance in The Last Showgirl. Check out the full list of Razzie winners and nominees below: Golden Raspberry Winners and Nominees 2025 Worst Picture: Borderlands Joker: Folie à Deux Madame Web — WINNER Megalopolis Reagan Worst Actor: Jack Black, Dear Santa Zachary Levi, Harold and the Purple Crayon Joaquin Phoenix, Joker: Folie à Deux Dennis Quaid, Reagan Jerry Seinfeld, Unfrosted — WINNER Worst Actress: Cate Blanchett, Borderlands Lady Gaga, Joker: Folie à Deux Bryce Dallas Howard, Argylle Dakota Johnson, Madame Web — WINNER Jennifer Lopez, Atlas Worst Supporting Actor: Jack Black, Borderlands Kevin Hart, Borderlands Shia LaBeouf, Megalopolis Tahar Rahim, Madame Web Jon Voight, Megalopolis, Reagan, Shadow Land and Strangers — WINNER Worst Supporting Actress: Ariana DeBose, Argylle and Kraven the Hunter Leslie Anne Down, Reagan Emma Roberts, Madame Web Amy Schumer, Unfrosted — WINNER FKA Twigs, The Crow Worst Screen Combo: Any two obnoxious characters (but especially Jack Black), Borderlands Any two unfunny "comedic actors", Unfrosted The entire cast of Megalopolis Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, Joker: Folie à Deux — WINNER Dennis Quaid and Penelope Ann Miller, Reagan Worst Director: SJ Clarkson, Madame Web Francis Ford Coppola, Megalopolis — WINNER Todd Phillips, Joker: Folie à Deux Eli Roth, Borderlands Jerry Seinfeld, Unfrosted Worst Remake, Ripoff or Sequel: The Crow Joker: Folie à Deux — WINNER Kraven the Hunter Mufasa: The Lion King Rebel Moon 2: The Scargiver Worst Screenplay: Joker: Folie à Deux Kraven the Hunter Madame Web — WINNER Megalopolis Reagan Razzie Redeemer: Pamela Anderson, The Last Showgirl For more information about the Golden Raspberry Awards, head to the accolades' website.
Escaping is the aim of every holiday. When you temporarily swap your own four walls for somewhere further afield, your daily worries should float away. Tokyo in general is great at evoking that sensation; however, the best place in the Japanese capital for forgetting that real life exists is digital-only art gallery teamLab Borderless, where being surrounded by and immersed in art is taken literally. After being closed for a year and a half to move to a new location, this must-visit spot on any Japan itinerary has finally reopened. As at Friday, February 9, teamLab Borderless now resides at Azabudai Hills with an array of stunning works — some brand-new, some familiar, all glorious. So, if your 2024 resolutions involve seeing spectacular art and travelling, this is one of the best ways to tick both boxes. Everything from bubbles and jelly to flowers and oceans now awaits, plus waterfalls and a tea house pouring cuppas adorned with blooming flowers as well. When it initially launched in 2018, teamLab Borderless instantly became a Tokyo favourite. It was also anointed the most-visited single-artist museum in the world during its first year of operation. Expect that to happen again in central Tokyo, where it has relocated to from its past Odaiba base. Sadly, you no longer need to cross over Tokyo's gorgeous Rainbow Bridge to get there — but your eyes will have much to feast on inside. If you were lucky enough to mosey around the OG spot before the pandemic, you'll know that the Borderless experience involves vibrant, constantly moving, always-changing interactive digital art keeps that keeps glowing and rearranging before your eyes. As the name makes plain, nothing is fixed or static here. Pieces move from one space to the next, and interact with other works. Sometimes, several different projections and installations mingle together. For attendees, peering at the end results isn't merely a passive experience, with the venue encouraging patrons to "wander, explore and discover". This is a place where terms like breathtaking, kaleidoscopic and delightful are all earned, and where the art is worth a trip to Tokyo to see all by itself. Borderless 2.0 spans both evolved and brand-new artworks. Accordingly, even if you've been before at its old digs, you won't just be seeing the same things (even though they're definitely worth enjoying more than once). Standout pieces include the jaw-dropping Light Sculpture series, which cycles through an array of light formations and colours, as well as an eye-catching mirrored infinity room-style space titled Microcosmoses — although, to be fair, everything is a standout here. Among the world-premiere installations, there's also Bubble Universe: Physical Light, Bubbles of Light, Wobbling Light, and Environmental Light, which is comprised of spheres that look like soap bubbles and jelly, and moves through various colours. With Flowers and People — Megalith Crystal Formation, you can spy florals bud and blossom, then wither and decay, repeating that pattern endlessly. And thanks to Black Waves — Megalith Crystal Formation, the sea gets a nod. Attendees can also enjoy Giant Solidified Spark, which is a sphere made from rays of light — plus Wall Without a Wall, which you'll see as a wall even though nothing physical exists. For younger visitors, plus those young at heart, Sketch Ocean turns drawings into art that swims before your eyes. And after proving a hit at the original site, the tea house ensures that every time that you sip a hot beverage in future will feel flatout average — blossoming projections on your cup while you drink will do that. teamLab might be best-known for its Tokyo site, but it doesn't only operate in Japan. A second teamLab Borderless has already been open in Shanghai since 2019, and others are slated for Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Hamburg in Germany — the former without an exact opening date, the latter slated to launch in 2025. The organisation also operates a different museum in Macao, and has its first teamLab Phenomena on the way for the Saadiyat Cultural District in Abu Dhabi, again targeting a 2024 launch. The list goes on, with teamLab's works a drawcard wherever they pop up. teamLab Borderless Tokyo: MORI Building Digital Art Museum is now open at its new location at Azabudai Hills, Garden Plaza B B1F, 1-2-4 Azabudai, Minato-ku, Tokyo — for more information, visit the museum's website. Images: teamLab, Exhibition view of teamLab Borderless: MORI Building DIGITAL ART MUSEUM, 2024, Azabudai Hills, Tokyo © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.
The Rave Cave of Psychotropic Nightmares is an immersive art installation, built to resemble somewhat of a do-it-yourself, post-apocalyptic environment, built by garden gnomes. A dreamlike world that will be brought to life for the Brisbane Festival. Melbourne's A.C.A.B Collective, Ben Johanson, Zinzi Kennedy, Gina Cuntstruct and Rowan Moyle, will be bringing the work to life "out the back" of the Metro Arts Complex. The work itself will grow and morph throughout the Festival, utilizing different media and found objects to "map the psychosis of a throwaway society". Viewers will be able to interact with the work, moving about the installation to discover zones of light and sound. It is a free event, and so will be worth your while to visit more often for alternative experiences. No matter your taste or perspective, there is sure to be something for everyone in the Rave Cave.
Before donning a face covering became a regular part of life for everyone during the pandemic, one of the most famous mask-wearing figures in popular culture was doing it first. And, the fictional character will be doing so again in September at the Sydney Opera House, with the venue set to play host to The Phantom of the Opera. Yes, the music of the night will soon be crooning its way into the Joan Sutherland Theatre, thanks to a new season of the acclaimed Tony-winner. It's being staged by Opera Australia, who is bringing Cameron Mackintosh's new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit to the city. If you're fond of big anniversaries, the show will kick off just a month before the popular musical will mark 35 years since it first opened in London's West End back in 1986. The current production of The Phantom of the Opera comes to Sydney after breaking records in the UK and touring the US for seven years, with Australia becoming just the third country to witness its take on the tale. Yes, all of the familiar songs are part of it, such as 'All I Ask of You', 'Masquerade' and the titular number (obviously). You'll also be lapping up Maria Björnson's original costumes, too. But, if you've seen the show before, expect the chandelier to look a little different. Exactly when in September the musical will premiere hasn't been revealed, but Australian musical theatre performer Josh Piterman will be playing the Phantom, after first wearing the character's mask in London pre-pandemic. He'll be joined by a cast and orchestra of 65 people, which'll make The Phantom of the Opera one of the largest musical productions in Australia. If you need a refresher on the musical's story, it follows soprano Christine Daaé and the masked musical genius who lives beneath the Paris Opera House — and the latter's obsession with the former. Although first turned into a stage musical in the 80s, it's based on Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel. And yes, you might've seen the 2004 movie, which starred Gerard Butler as the Phantom. [caption id="attachment_803896" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Earl Carpenter and Katie Hall in The Phantom of the Opera. Photo by Alastair Muir[/caption] The Phantom of the Opera will hit the stage at the Sydney Opera House's Joan Sutherland Theatre in September 2021, with exact dates yet to be announced. Tickets will go on sale in April — to keep an eye out for further details, or to join the waitlist, head to the musical's website. Top image: John Owen-Jones as the Phantom and Katie Hall as Christine in The Phantom of the Opera — UK Tour. Photo: Michael Le Poer Trench.
Peering at ancient pyramids isn't normally an Australian pastime, but it will be come spring without needing to leave the country. In 2024, the nation's fascination with Egypt thousands of years ago has already been fuelled by Sydney exhibition Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs, which wrapped up in May — and also by Pharaoh in Melbourne, which is on display until October. Next up is Horizon of Khufu, a virtual-reality experience rather than a showcase of treasures and trinkets. You won't get up close to historical items here, but you will become immersed in the past like it's all around you. Patrons will see the Great Pyramids of Giza, including flying over the Giza Necropolis. You'll climb to the top of the Pyramid of Khufu, in fact, and gaze out over Egypt with a 360-degree view. Getting a glimpse of burial chambers and embalming ceremonies, finding the queen's chamber, sailing down the Nile, attending Khufu's funeral: that's all also on the agenda, as is checking out the Great Sphinx of Giza and witnessing these ancient wonders by night. That's where your eyes will be heading, at least, via a VR headset that'll take you into a shared play space. Your peepers will also be checking out recreations of sights dating back 4500 years, to the time of Khufu, the second pharaoh of Egypt's fourth dynasty. He's the figure that's believed to have commissioned the largest of the pyramids, which was also his tomb. Your body will need to be in Sydney at the Harbour City's Fever Pavilion, where Horizon of Khufu is making its Australian debut from Thursday, September 5, 2024. There's no word yet whether the experience will then head to other Aussie cities, as some past events from entertainment platform Fever have, including its Banksy and NBA exhibitions recently. Once they've popped on their headsets, attendees will be led through Horizon of Khufu by a virtual guide, all while benefiting from design by Egyptologist and Harvard University professor Peter Der Manuelian. If you're with your date or mates, or family, the 45-minute experience also lets you visuals others in the VR space, so you won't all just be off on your own wander through bygone years. Australia joins France — where Horizon of Khufu debuted in 2022 — as well as the US, Canada and the UK in being able to enjoy this blast from the past. Unsurprisingly, it has proven popular around the globe, notching up more than one million visitors so far. If you've seen plenty of other Egypt obsessives at Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs and Pharaoh, you'll know that Aussies will help boost those numbers. Horizon of Khufu will open at Fever Pavilion, Olympic Boulevard, Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney from Thursday, September 5, 2024 — with the waitlist open now and tickets on sale from Tuesday, July 23, 2024. Head to the exhibition website for more details.
Each year on January 26 triple j put a mortgage on Australia's airwaves, pumping out the best 100 tracks from the previous year as voted by their listeners in the world's largest annual music poll. The station is one of the only non-commercial national youth radio networks anywhere in the world, and places a real focus on uncovering and supporting the best Australian talent, providing a soundtrack to many a misspent youth in the process. So it was with great excitement that listeners awaited results in triple j's inaugural Hottest 100 Australian Records of All Time this past weekend. The results provided us with some interesting factoids, and after the 47,000 votes were counted, the top gong went to Powderfinger's Odyssey Number 5. At the time of its release in 2001, the album sold more than 500,000 copies and spent almost two years weeks on the ARIA Charts, winning six ARIAs in 2001, including Album of the Year and Single of the Year for 'My Happiness'. Our personal picks for the Top Ten at Concrete Playground HQ are: 1. Since I Left You – The Avalanches 2. Frogstomp – Silverchair 3. Crowded House – Crowded House 4. Back In Black – AC/DC 5. Kick – INXS 6. Unit – Regurgitator 7. 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 – Midnight Oil 8. Lovers – The Sleepy Jackson 9. In Ghost Colours – Cut Copy 10. Human Frailty – Hunters & Collectors The full Hottest 100 Australian Albums of All Time list is as follows: 1. Odyssey Number 5 – Powderfinger 2. Frogstomp – Silverchair 3. Back In Black – AC/DC 4. The Living End – The Living End 5. Kick – INXS 6. Internationalist – Powderfinger 7. Apocalypso – The Presets 8. Wolfmother – Wolfmother 9. Since I Left You – The Avalanches 10. Unit – Regurgitator 11. Like Drawing Blood – Gotye 12. Guide to Better Living – Grinspoon 13. Crowded House – Crowded House 14. Vulture Street – Powderfinger 15. Slightly Odway – Jebediah 16. The Hard Road – Hilltop Hoods 17. Eternal Nightcap – The Whitlams 18. Woodface – Crowded House 19. Innerspeaker – Tame Impala 20. Conditions – The Temper Trap 21. 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 – Midnight Oil 22. Diorama – Silverchair 23. The Calling – Hilltop Hoods 24. Sunrise Over Sea – The John Butler Trio 25. Get Born – Jet 26. Hourly, Daily – You Am I 27. Neon Ballroom – Silverchair 28. The Cat Empire – The Cat Empire 29. The Sound of White – Missy Higgins 30. Themata – Karnivool 31. Down the Way – Angus & Julia Stone 32. Universes – Birds of Tokyo 33. Diesel and Dust – Midnight Oil 34. Memories & Dust – Josh Pyke 35. Hi Fi Way – You Am I 36. In Ghost Colours – Cut Copy 37. Highly Evolved – The Vines 38. A Book Like This – Angus & Julia Stone 39. Birds of Tokyo – Birds of Tokyo 40. Echolalia – Something for Kate 41. Double Allergic – Powderfinger 42. East – Cold Chisel 43. Freak Show – Silverchair 44. Tu-Plang – Regurgitator 45. Sound Awake – Karnivool 46. Walking On A Dream – Empire Of The Sun 47. Black Fingernails, Red Wine – Eskimo Joe 48. Ivy and the Big Apples – Spiderbait 49. Whispering Jack – John Farnham 50. The New Normal – Cog 51. I Believe You Liar – Washington 52. Murder Ballads – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 53. Three – The John Butler Trio 54. Tea & Sympathy – Bernard Fanning 55. Blue Sky Mining – Midnight Oil 56. Bliss Release – Cloud Control 57. The Honeymoon Is Over – The Cruel Sea 58. New Detention – Grinspoon 59. As Day Follows Night – Sarah Blasko 60. We Are Born – Sia 61. Hold Your Colour – Pendulum 62. Cruel Guards – The Panics 63. Grand National – The John Butler Trio 64. Polyserena – George 65. Cold Chisel – Cold Chisel 66. Running on Air – Bliss N Eso 67. Flying Colours – Bliss N Eso 68. The Experiment – Art vs. Science 69. Gossip – Paul Kelly and The Coloured Girls 70. Young Modern – Silverchair 71. Beams – The Presets 72. Beautiful Sharks – Something For Kate 73. Highway To Hell – AC/DC 74. The Overture & The Underscore – Sarah Blasko 75. Living In The 70s – Skyhooks 76. Human Frailty – Hunters & Collectors 77. Immersion – Pendulum 78. Lovers – The Sleepy Jackson 79. Gravity Won't Get You High – The Grates 80. (I'm) Stranded – The Saints 81. Feeler – Pete Murray 82. Up All Night – The Waifs 83. Wonder – Lisa Mitchell 84. 16 Lovers Lane – The Go-Betweens 85. State Of The Art – Hilltop Hoods 86. This Is The Warning – Dead Letter Circus 87. A Song Is A City – Eskimo Joe 88. Imago – The Butterfly Effect 89. Pnau – Pnau 90. The Long Now – Children Collide 91. Gilgamesh – Gypsy & The Cat 92. A Man's Not A Camel – Frenzal Rhomb 93. Moo, You Bloody Choir – Augie March 94. Everything Is True – Paul Dempsey 95. Stoneage Romeos – Hoodoo Gurus 96. Paging Mr. Strike – Machine Gun Fellatio 97. Begins Here – The Butterfly Effect 98. The Boatman's Call – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 99. Thrills, Kills & Sunday Pills – Grinspoon 100. Two Shoes – The Cat Empire https://youtube.com/watch?v=8fBbKtq_Li8
What do Byron Bay, Busselton, Bali and Bangkok all have in common? Alongside everywhere from Launceston, Newcastle, Uluru, Cairns, Darwin, The Whitsundays, and the Gold and Sunshine Coasts through to Singapore and Phuket, you can nab a cheap flight there and back as part of Jetstar's latest sale. This time around, fares start at $33. The one catch: you'll need to be a Club Jetstar member (but you can sign up now to get in on the bargains). There always seems to be an airline sale popping up, but this one has a heap of discounts on a huge number of fares, with 100,000 flights on offer. You do need to get in quick, however, as it's running for just 48 hours. The cheapest domestic price, $33, gets you between Sydney and Ballina/Byron, but Launceston–Melbourne is only $43, Brisbane–Whitsunday Coast and Newcastle–Melbourne are both $49, Gold Coast–Sydney is $50, Sunshine Coast–Sydney starts at $52 and Hobart–Melbourne begins at $58. To get from Brisbane to Cairns, you'll pay $76 — and from Sydney to Uluru is $105, Melbourne–Busselton / Margaret River is $135 and Darwin–Sydney is $156. The list goes on, including for overseas jaunts, where the Perth–Singapore route starts at $139, Melbourne–Singapore begins at $189, Adelaide–Bali is $215, Sydney–Phuket kicks off at $279 and Brisbane–Bangkok starts at $285. If you're keen, the sale runs from 12pm AEDT on Wednesday, March 19–11.59am ADST on Friday, March 21, 2025 — or until sold out, if snapped up earlier. And yes, if you're eager for a holiday at reduced prices, you'll want to get in quick. Travel periods vary, but you should find dates betwen late-March 2025–early-February 2026 across the full spread of specials. You'll pay extra for checked baggage if you need it, however, or you'll want to travel super light. Club Jetstar membership costs $65 a year, which you can join online while making a flight booking, and also gives you 20-percent off checked bags and seat selection. [caption id="attachment_976497" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jesse Shaw Photography[/caption] The Club Jetstar March member-only sale runs from 12pm AEDT on Wednesday, March 19–11.59am ADST on Friday, March 21, 2025 — or until sold out, if snapped up earlier. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Stephen King's horror novels, and the movies based on them, have taught the world many things. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, hanging out in a pet cemetery isn't a great idea, toxic fandom exists and bullying is awful (although everyone already knew the last one). If one life lesson from the author's pages stands out above the rest, however, it's this: clowns can be creepy, chilling and downright terrifying. Fancy seeing how you cope with the eerie figures while you're on the mini golf course? Wondering if all that makeup put you off your short game? Brisbane is about to get a Halloween putt putt setup, so it's time to do the monster mash while you're tap, tap, tapping — and avoiding frightening jokers. At Christmas, the Victoria Park Putt Putt Course gives itself a festive revamp. Mini golf is more fun with reindeer, obviously. At Easter, a candy-themed course pops up — and over Valentine's Day, the venue went big on love. Next, from Friday, September 16–Monday, October 31, that's when the Halloween spirit kicks in. The venue's greens will be getting a spooky makeover and, no, missing a hole in one won't be the most terrifying thing about your next stint on the course. Zombies, witches, spiders, toxic waste barrels, bones, pumpkins — they're also among the petrifying things that'll be improving or scaring your short game. If a haunted house was to meet up with a mini golf course, this is what it'd look like. If you went along to last year's Halloween putt putt, you're in for an extra bonus — this year's will have a whole set of new and different decorations, so you won't just be hitting a ball around the same setup. Bookings are essential, with the course open from 6am–10pm Sunday–Thursday and 6am–11pm Friday–Saturday. Fancy a few holes before work? Want to add some fun to your lunch break? Need something to look forward to come quitting time? They're all options. Just remember that it's a family-friendly affair, so you'll likely have plenty of company — and tickets cost $23 per adult. Also, making a visit between Friday, October 28–Monday, October 31 is particularly recommended. That's when Victoria Park is hosting a Wicked Weekend, complete with Altos Tequila slushie margaritas or a non-alcoholic versions, plus added augmented-reality scares. Halloween Putt Putt takes over the Victoria Park Putt Putt Course at 309 Herston Road, Herston from Friday, September 16–Monday, October 31, open 6am–10pm Sunday–Thursday and 6am–11pm Friday–Saturday — with tickets costing $23 for adults. For more information, head to the venue's website. Images: Pandora Photography.
You could travel to the Murray and do nothing but eat, drink and be merry. And you should. The region is jam-packed with incredible producers, innovative makers and chefs, old-school artisans and new-wave cuisine. Having access to some of the country's best farmers and makers gives these venues the luxury of a hyper-local, hyper-seasonal approach to food and drink. From swanky bistros and rustic wineries to experimental distillers and fire-focused chefs, the Murray region is an unmissable foodie destination. If you're a flavour-chaser, prepare yourself to get amongst it all: swirl small-batch wines, discover ancient flavours and native ingredients, and experience new locavore dining experiences and European-inspired eateries. Whatever your taste, whenever you decide to visit, there's someone in the Murray region putting their heart and soul into something delicious. [caption id="attachment_662395" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Morrisons Riverview Winery and Restaurant[/caption] WINE AND DINE Trentham Estate Winery lies on the banks of the Murray, offering an award-winning cellar door experience. This much-lauded NSW Tourism Awards Hall-of-Famer boasts 45 sweeping hectares of vines producing French and Italian varietals. Officially established in 1988, it'd actually been in viticulture for decades beforehand, and it's still a family-run winery today. Snag a table at the restaurant to enjoy Modern European fare, or swing by the cellar door to just sit back and watch the boats slide by as you sip shiraz (also, unsurprisingly, award-winning). Morrisons Riverview Winery and Restaurant (pictured above) is more than just a darn gorgeous venue — this Moama winery also has a restaurant that should be on every foodie hitlist. The ever-changing menu is focused on local, seasonal produce with enough variety to suit all tastes. Sweetcorn bread with cashew sambal and burnt chilli butter sits alongside lamb backstrap with pickled cauli, greens, couscous and smoked eggplant puree, calamari caesar salad pimped with pork scratchings and garlic toast, and chips with kasundi, aioli and hop salt. The five-course 'Chef's Feed Me' option is the best way to sample the scope of these flavours. Enjoy it while sipping Morrisons' premium wine blends from its 15 hectares of vines — from chardonnay to moscato to shiraz. [caption id="attachment_893785" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Old School Winery and Meadery, Destination NSW[/caption] SIP SOMETHING SPECIAL For something different, take a drive out to Monak Wine Co. Its first vintage was released in 2020 making it a younger winery (albeit with 25 years of winemaking experience to draw on). Here's what else you need to know: it's family-owned, works with local growers and applies exquisite attention to detail to its small-batch, handmade drops. It's an eclectic mix of wines — some minimal intervention, all very special. The cellar door opens on Friday and Saturday to slake your curiosity. The Old School Winery and Meadery (pictured above) is more than a classic winery. Sure, it makes a few small-batch, handcrafted reds, but the main point of difference is mead — traditionally fermented honey alcohol. On the site of an old Womboota school, this rustic venue offers a taste of history in more ways than one. It has been making mead for over 20 years, spearheading the honey-wine industry growth in Australia. Mead was a drink beloved by Vikings, but the unique flavour of Australian bush honey makes this unlike any European mead. Here, the team crafts everything from sweet and fortified meads to drier styles. They also make medieval mead beakers in the on-site pottery workshop. Bring a picnic and settle into the cellar door garden for an afternoon. [caption id="attachment_893783" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Corowa Whisky and Chocolate, Destination NSW[/caption] GET SPIRITED AWAY Drink less, enjoy more: that's the ethos of Echuca Distillery, championing quality and character over quantity. Based in Echuca Moama, David De Vries and his wife Fiona have decades of experience in fragrance and flavour production science. Their fastidious research and passion for playing with gin botanicals lead to unique, expressive flavour profiles. Starting with a base of grain or grape spirit distilled in Lavender, their Italian copper still, they infuse classics like dry and navy strength gin as well as combos like yuzu and ginger, a five-citrus gin and a port barrel-aged gin. In addition to liqueurs, cocktail spirits, arak and agave, Echuca has now added a whisky to the lineup. Corowa Whisky and Chocolate (pictured above) began with an underdog story of three mates buying an abandoned flour mill for a dollar. With one of Australia's youngest head distillers, this business produces a true blue Aussie whisky. It uses local organic barley grains and Murray River water to make its signature dram, aided by the drastically fluctuating temperatures of the area which leads to faster maturation. The most popular whisky, Corowa Characters, honours the team behind it and is aged in American, French and Hungarian oak. There are other whisky styles that use ex-bourbon, ex-muscat and ex-sherry casks, as well as single barrel releases and a special collab with Bridge Road Brewers, distilled from unsold kegs of beer in 2020. For those with a sweet tooth, there are Belgian chocolates crafted in-house on offer that are the perfect complement to whisky. What more could you need? [caption id="attachment_894105" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yardbird[/caption] EAT ELITE Bistro Selle is a classic European bistro in the heart of a country city. There's a balance between comfortable familiarity, charming elegance and playful experiments. As well as freshly shucked oysters and smoked beef tartare, you'll find crispy tripe, goat ragu and a porcini-choc-fennel-malt dessert. Refined dishes are plated in an artistic, almost sculptural, way that's as pleasing to the eye as to the tastebuds. All are accompanied by an extensive wine list of Australian and European drops. The key focus of Yardbird (pictured above) is flame, from the Spanish Mibrasa woodfired oven in the kitchen to the roaring glass-fronted fire centrepiece of the dining room. It only opened in 2021, but it's been making a name for itself in the region. The decor is stylish yet warm and comforting: light-flooded, pale timber accents and post-industrial warehouse ceilings. The western European-inspired menu changes in line with the daily produce and opportunity, but can include whipped cod roe and flatbread; deep fried Crottin de Chavignol with figs, green beans and honey; bavette steak with bone marrow, persillade and green peppercorn; rosemary duck fat potatoes and mamasita-style fire-roasted corn; and poached cherry pavlova to finish. Now, imagine all that paired with a bright wine list of mineral-driven, minimal intervention vino. [caption id="attachment_893786" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The River Deck Cafe, Destination NSW[/caption] OR KEEP IT CASUAL The River Deck Cafe serves Modern Australian cuisine in Albury, overlooking the tree-lined banks of the Murray. Local and native ingredients take centre stage here, so you can really taste the region, with its creative flourish on a farm-to-table menu. It's very seasonal. So seasonal that the menu changes every two to four weeks in line with the availability of the best produce. At breakfast and lunch, it offers comforting country classics like sourdough crumpets alongside the smashed avo and house granola any city slicker expects of brekkie, followed by hearty mains like a porterhouse steak, barramundi and chips and pasta dishes. The Albury offshoot of a locally loved Lake Mulwala restaurant, Blacksmith Provedore, has distilled that same European aperitivo hour aesthetic of the original into a space within the famously top-notch Harris Farm market. With a white and grey marble bar, hanging charcuterie and rows of delicious wines, it brings more casual riviera elegance than you might expect. Plus, being in the market, it has access to the finest ingredients. As well as local produce, expect prosciutto from San Daniele, San Marzano tomatoes from Salerno and buffalo Mozzarella from Shaw River. You can start your day with luxurious pastries, a Reuben toastie or fruit-topped chia puddings. Stop by later to get in on those famous woodfired pizzas with a three-day slow-fermented base. Pair it with a spritz or cocktail special, or opt for a wine from the truly delicious list. Located at the rear of Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA), looking over the gardens, Canvas Eatery is a bright light-filled modern space offering a peaceful retreat in the heart of Albury. It's open 8am—3pm daily but also opens on Friday and Saturday evenings from 5pm till late. It serves some of the best coffee in town, according to the locals. Not to mention craft beer and excellent wines. Food-wise, it's a fun, fresh menu, with Coco Pops, crumpets with honeycomb butter and raspberry cheesecake waffles for breakfast. An open bagel smørrebrød with herb creme fraiche, smoked salmon, avo and salmon caviar features on the lunch menu. Then by night, expect an eclectic mix of share plates, including smoked river fish croquettes, prawn toast banh mi, duck parfait with rye wattleseed waffle, and pizzas. [caption id="attachment_893788" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paddle Streamer, Destination NSW[/caption] TAKE A TASTING TOUR Take a cruise down the river, capturing that old-timey charm on board an award-winning tour. Murray River Paddle Steamer's 'Wharf to Winery' premium cruise takes you along the Murray in an iconic, beautifully restored historic paddle steamer. The total tour is about three hours, accompanied by a captain's commentary on the history and culture of the area. Then it's time for a two-course lunch at Morrisons Winery and a guided tasting. On the way back, enjoy complimentary vino as you sail along the Murray in style. Nothing compares to meeting the folks behind the food, and The Eating, Drinking, Tasting tour with Albury Eating Travel allows you to do just that. A full-day tour of two to seven guests in a Mercedes van will take you around the region to chat with the experts themselves: small-scale, private farms, boutique wineries and distilleries. And each tour is unique and catered to your taste and the seasons. For more ways to enjoy the Murray region, check out our nature guide or history and culture guide. Or, to start planning your food pilgrimage to the Murray region, head to the website. Top images: Destination NSW (Corowa Distillery; Blacksmith Provedore, Albury).
Brisbane Festival is gearing up to be a big one this year, with over 1000 events taking place across the city in September. One of the key venues and major partners of the annual event, for the third year running, is Northshore Brisbane — Queensland's largest urban renewal precinct. The riverfront hub will play host to the world premiere of Salamander and the heart-pumping Erth's Shark Dive. In Salamander, a brand new dance-theatre spectacle, L Shed at Northshore will be transformed into a flooded, climate-fiction world through a mix of light, sound, movement and design installations. The show features spellbinding choreography by Maxine Doyle and an ensemble of dancers, set to evocative music by Australian composer Rachael Dease and performed amongst sculptures by prominent artist Es Devlin. [caption id="attachment_913329" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Damien Bredburg[/caption] For fun with the whole family, innovative puppeteers Erth will be bringing their large-scale creations to Northshore from Sunday, September 17 to Friday, September 29. In Erth's Shark Dive, kids can choose to have a thrilling adventure or an awe-inspiring interaction with their choice of soundtrack. Music-lovers can look forward to Sweet Relief! festival at Maritime Green on Saturday, September 16, and The Australian Voices choir is also putting on a free concert there on Saturday, September 2. While you're there, be sure to make the most of your time at Northshore with uninterrupted views of the Brisbane River from The River Room cafe, a meal at Gusto Da Gianni or a sunset drink at Byblos Bar and Restaurant. Street food festival Eat Street will be running every Friday, Saturday and Sunday with over 70 food and drink vendors, along with live music. Book tickets for Salamander from $74 at the website. Tickets for Erth's Shark Dive are $29 and are also available to book at the website. For more information and help on getting to the venue. head to the Northshore website.
Nightlife just got brighter with Heineken's new glow-in-the-dark beer bottle. Combining the coolness of a can with the curves of a bottle, this stream-lined aluminium packaging lights up under a black light to reveal a shooting star design. It's all part of the company's packaging refreshment, which takes inspiration from the night-club scene and aims to heighten the beer drinking experience. Mark Van Iterson, Manager Global Heineken Design & Concept said "We have a history of progressive design that has had lasting influence and changed the way people enjoy beer – from being the first to introduce green beer bottles to bringing draught beer to the home through DraughtKeg. Design is at the core of the Heineken brand." Heineken has also launched an initiative, Open Design Explorations, to source other branding and experiential ideas around the theme 'light up the night' from young designers around the globe. https://youtube.com/watch?v=R5mT2mhaKY0 [Via Cool Hunting]
Cold winter weather demands comfort-inducing food, with soups, pastas and pies making up much of the weekly menu. Yet when you need a sweet treat, few bites go down better than a hot cinnamon doughnut. And with Friday, June 6, welcoming the return of National Donut Day, there's no better time to order up a steamy bunch. Best of all, Donut King isn't taking any half-measures when it comes to celebrating the big day in 2025, with the iconic brand giving away free hot cinnamon doughnuts from dawn to dusk to mark the occasion. "The magic of our hot and fresh cinnamon doughnuts bouncing along the conveyor belt and landing in a delicious carousel of sweet cinnamon is the moment we seek to share with our loyal fans every day," says Raquel Hine, Marketing Manager at Donut King. "It's what makes us famous for being the home of the hot cinnamon doughnut and why we make every National Donut Day a huge celebration for everyone to take part, absolutely free, all day!" All you have to do to score your free hot cinni doughnut is find your nearest participating Donut King store on Friday, June 6. With over 200 locations spread around the country, there's a good chance one is easily within touching distance. Alternatively, just follow that enchanting cinnamon sugar aroma that wafts from every store. On a side note, we meant it when Donut King isn't cutting any corners this National Donut Day. The team recently revealed a seriously sweet escape — the 'Hot Cinni' Hotel' — produced in collaboration with Ovolo Hotels and available for strictly limited bookings. Transforming two suites in the heritage-listed Ovolo Woolloomooloo, expect shimmering pink accents, cinnamon-painted walls, colourful pop art and even exclusive room service dedicated to hot cinnamon doughnut deliveries. Plus, the rest of the hotel features spice-forward cocktails and cinnamon-inspired nibbles. Donut King's free cinnamon doughnuts are available at participating Donut King locations on Friday, June 6 — limited to one free doughnut per customer. Head to the website for more information.
Lobster has long been the fancy champagne of the seafood world. For most of us, it's the kind of dish that you can only justify having when you really feel like going all out and treating yo'self — but, this month, the indulgent crustacean-based meal is gracing Betty's Burgers' menu. Combining fresh lobster meat, the chain's special mayonnaise, shallots, chives, lemon and spice, Betty's new lobster roll will be on offer at all of its 22 Australian stores from Thursday, February 13. If your stomach is already rumbling, you can tuck into one for a reasonable $23 (which includes a side of fries). You'll need to get in quickly, though, as the lobster roll only available for a couple of weeks — or until sold out. It's worth noting that last time the roll was on the menu, it only lasted less than a week. So if you're particularly keen, it's best to go sooner, rather than later. Known for its Shake Shack-style burgs and frozen custard desserts (called concretes), Betty's is making a foray into lobster to celebrate its beachy roots. While you can now grab a Betty's burger at nine Sydney outlets, four Melbourne spots, five Brisbane outposts, one Toowoomba eatery and one location in Adelaide, the company first began in Noosa, and then expanded to the Gold Coast. Betty's Burgers' lobster roll is available at all 27 Australian stores from Thursday, February 13. For more information and to find your nearest store, visit Betty's Burgers' website.
Sydney's claim to fame as the home of the southern hemisphere's largest dedicated beauty store is set to be short-lived. Mecca opened its huge Australian flagship shop — its first flagship site in general, in fact — in the New South Wales capital in 2020; however, the retailer has just announced that it's going one better in Melbourne come 2023. The Victorian city's Bourke Street Mall will welcome a huge new 3000-square-metre flagship Mecca that'll sprawl across both the ground and first floors at 299 Bourke Street. That's more than 1000 square metres larger than the Sydney shop, and also five times bigger than the chain's current next largest store at Highpoint Shopping Centre. It'll also span over 35 times more space than its very first store on Toorak Road did two decades back. When it opens its doors in two years time, the beauty retailer huge site will obviously boast oh-so-much room for products, including a curated range from over 200 top brands — featuring everything from Nars and Charlotte Tilbury to Drunk Elephant and Diptyque, plus Mecca's own signature lines Mecca Cosmetica and Mecca Max. Exactly what else will fill its hefty floorplan hasn't yet been revealed but, if it takes a few cues from its Sydney counterpart, that could include a heap of beauty services; Mecca's dedicated labs for skin, makeup and brows; a Mecca gift-wrapping bar; and the Mecca concierge will help point you in the right direction as you're wandering around. The chain is calling its new store an "unprecedented beauty experience", so expect more than just a clone of Sydney's features. "After 24 years of opening stores across Australia and New Zealand, our flagships are the culmination of the past, present and future of Mecca as a business," said the brand's founder and co-CEO Jo Horgan. "We have a vision to create the world's most extraordinary, innovative and loved experiential retail destination where people can immerse themselves in the absolute best of global beauty." The new flagship announcement follows Mecca's recent move into the Northern Territory, opening its first store in Darwin — and reaching its 107th site across Australia and NZ. Mecca will open its new Melbourne flagship store at 299 Bourke Street, Melbourne, sometime in 2023 — we'll update you with further details when they're announced. Images: Mecca Sydney.
Over the past decade, streaming has become a firm part of every film and TV fan's life — providing more viewing choices, more places to find movies and television shows, and more excuses to spend hours and hours on the couch. But, it has also sparked a familiar dilemma. Too often, thanks to all of the options available, it's easy to while more time deciding what to check out next than actually watching something. Netflix is planning to release a solution to this problem in 2021, via a new feature. Due to rollout globally across the platform in the first half of the year, it's basically a shuffle function — and will automatically pick something for you to watch, rather than letting you keep scrolling and scrolling (and scrolling) trying to make a decision. The streaming platform revealed the news as part of its latest update to investors about its 2020 earnings, noting that the feature "gives members the ability to choose to instantly watch a title chosen just for them". Chief Operating Officer and Chief Product Officer Greg Peters said that the function would allow Netflix subscribers to indicate "that they just want to skip browsing entirely, click one button and we'll pick a title for them just to instantly play". Obviously, it seems that Netflix will be drawing upon its algorithm — as aided by your past viewing choices — to take your viewing choices out of your hands. It won't be called "I'm feeling lucky", Peters also noted, but that's the approach it'll be asking subscribers to go with in terms of finding something to watch next. The company has been testing this type of functionality in various forms over the past few years — and the concept is hardly new, as users of music streaming services know. In France at the end of 2020, Netflix also trialled a linear channel, which just played films and shows one after the other in the way that broadcast television does; however, Peters said that it is currently "unclear how that's going to work out". The idea behind these new features — whether they're just being trialled, or they're due to become permanent — is to keep people watching and encourage more folks to join up as subscribers, of course. More and more new streaming services pop up all the time, all vying for your eyeballs, or so it feels at least. That's also the reason that Netflix introduced its Top Ten lists in 2020, if you've been wondering why the platform started telling you that everyone was watching Tiger King, The Queen's Gambit and The Midnight Sky. Netflix's new shuffle feature is due to launch sometime in the first half of 2021 — we'll update you when more details are announced.
Lorde is back — but she won't be back doing live gigs for a bit longer. After five years away from music, the New Zealand pop sensation returned this year with a third studio album, with Solar Power releasing back August. Back in June, she also announced a massive 2022 tour of Australia and New Zealand; however, those shows have now been delayed until 2023. The tour has been postponed due to New Zealand's current COVID-19 outbreak and the uncertainty surrounding what'll be permitted next February and March, which is when Lorde's gigs were originally set to take place. "I am beyond devastated to be postponing these shows. Starting the tour in New Zealand was always really important to me, and would have been a huge high," Lorde said in a statement. "I fought this decision for a long time, but the truth is that touring internationally through a COVID outbreak has a ton of unforeseen moving parts, and I'd much rather play for you when we're all confident it will go smoothly. I want to apologise wholeheartedly to the fans. I'm so gutted to let you down, but so grateful for your understanding." [caption id="attachment_816623" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Come Up Show[/caption] When it kicks off in 2023, the tour will now run from Tuesday, February 21 through till Saturday, March 18. Australians are scoring eight dates across Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, while New Zealanders can choose from seven shows. The Australian and New Zealand tour will begin at Days Bay at Lower Hutt on Tuesday, February 21 and Wednesday, February 22. From there the 'Royals' singer will make her way around New Zealand throughout late February and early March, and arrive in Australia on Tuesday, March 7 for two shows at the Brisbane Riverstage. Australia's east coast will be treated to two more shows each at Melbourne's Sidney Myer Music Bowl and the ICC's Aware Super Theatre in Sydney, before the tour wraps up with a couple of gigs at Perth's Belvoir Amphitheatre. The last time either country was treated to Lorde's live set was her headline set at Splendour in the Grass 2018, a full circle moment for the singer as she returned to the stage of one of her first ever performances as a last-minute replacement for Frank Ocean back in 2013. A year prior, in 2017, Lorde also toured some of Australia's largest and most iconic outdoor venues including the Sydney Opera House Forecourt. Existing tickets will remain valid for the new dates, while tickets to newly announced gigs in Lower Hutt, Brisbane and Perth start pre-sales on Wednesday, November 17 ahead of general ticket sales on Friday, November 19. LORDE 'SOLAR POWER' 2023 TOUR DATES Tuesday, February 21 – Days Bay, Lower Hutt Wednesday, February 22 – Days Bay, Lower Hutt — new show Saturday, February 25 – Electric Avenue, Christchurch Monday, February 27 – Neudorf Vineyards, Upper Moutere Wednesday, March 1 – Black Barn Vineyards, Havelock North Friday, March 3 – TSB Bowl of Brooklands, New Plymouth Saturday, March 4 – Outer Fields Western Springs, Auckland Tuesday, March 7 – Riverstage, Brisbane — new show Wednesday, March 8 – Riverstage, Brisbane Friday, March 10 – Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne Saturday, March 11 – Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne Monday, March 13 – Aware Super Theatre, Sydney Tuesday, March 14 – Aware Super Theatre, Sydney Friday, March 17 – Belvoir Amphitheatre, Perth — new show Saturday, March 18 – Belvoir Amphitheatre, Perth Lorde's Solar Power Tour will now take place between Tuesday, February 21–Saturday, March 18, 2023. Head to the Frontier website for all info on tickets. Top image: Liliane Callegari via Wikimedia Commons.
Some actors have a type. The films change, and the names of their characters as well, but it can feel as if they're always playing a variation of the same person. That sensation doesn't apply to Jackie van Beek's work. Many movie lovers discovered her on-screen as Jackie, the human familiar to a Wellington sharehouse-dwelling vampire in What We Do in the Shadows. In the decade since the hit comedy, she's helped end romances in The Breaker Upperers, which she also co-wrote and co-directed with Deadloch star Madeleine Sami — and then disrobed for Nude Tuesday, this time penning the script solo, alongside portraying a woman who attempts to reignite the spark in her marriage by heading to a couples' retreat where clothes are often optional. Now arrives Audrey, a delightfully dark Australian comedy from first-time feature director Natalie Bailey (Bay of Fires, Joe vs Carole, Run) and screenwriter Lou Sanz (The PM's Daughter, 6 Festivals) that enlists van Beek as a former star. Decades after her Logie-winning heyday, Ronnie Lipsick hasn't given up on her showbiz dreams. The world beckoned when she was at the top of the acting game, but then she had her first daughter and settled into married life; however, she still knows what she wants. Her focus after 18 years of being a mum: ensuring that the movie's eponymous figure (Josephine Blazier, Fires) makes it big as well, whether she likes it or not. Nothing is going to stop Ronnie in this quest — not even Audrey falling into a coma. There's regular second chances, and then there's Ronnie's path. When Audrey can't follow the route to fame and fortune that's been plotted out for her, Ronnie impersonates her instead. There's endeavouring to cope with tragedy, and then there's the Lipsick family's response to Audrey's plight as well — including on Ronnie's husband Cormack (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor, Force of Nature: The Dry 2) and younger daughter Norah's (Hannah Diviney, Latecomers) parts. As keeps proving the case across van Beek's filmography, no one will mistake Audrey for any other movie. After debuting at SXSW in Austin, the blackly and sharply hilarious feature now hits Australian cinemas in what's been a busy year for its lead. Off-camera in 2024, the New Zealand talent was one of the driving forces behind the Australian version of The Office, and also directed an episode of Time Bandits. Audrey appealed to van Beek's love of dark comedy, she tells Concrete Playground. Unsurprisingly, Ronnie stood out as the kind of character that isn't a standard fixture on-screen. When The Breaker Upperers released in 2018, she chatted with us, alongside Sami, about creating roles for the two that didn't exist otherwise. Now, van Beek advises that when she was reading Audrey's script, she thought "oh, she's delicious. She's so challenging to like. I thought as an actor, it'll be such a great kind of joy to try, and to try to pull her off with some degree of charm." "When I read Lou Sanz's script, Ronnie Lipsick is a morally ambiguous, very career-driven kind of obsessive mother, and I just thought 'what a delight'. Because you don't come across these characters — especially as a female — you just don't come across these characters very often. Well, I hadn't," van Beek notes. "I love dark comedy. I think I was probably told the premise, I imagine by Lou or the producer Michael Wrenn before I read the script. So as soon as I heard the premise, I was like 'ooh, this sounds perfectly dark for me'. I love comedy, but I do really like the edginess of this premise. I think someone who prioritises resurrecting her career over nursing her daughter back to health is a very interesting character to play." Also built into Audrey: recognition that being a mother shouldn't mean giving up on your own journey, an adult coming-of-age tale and a woman's quest, albeit by highly questionable means such as pretending to be her teenage offspring, to reclaim her own sense of self. We discussed all of the above with van Beek, too, alongside what she drew upon to play Ronnie, portraying such a tricky character in a heightened story, what gets her excited about a new project, what you learn making a movie like Audrey and more. On the Film's Ability Not Only to Rally Against Traditional Visions of Womanhood and Motherhood, But to Take That Idea to a Comedic Extreme "It was an interesting take, because I think we've seen a lot of films, dramas and comedies, about women who are struggling, as a lot of us do — women who are struggling with that work/life balance, being being pulled one way as a mother, being pulled another way by their career. And I think we're quite used to those stories. I think this film, obviously what I love, really pushes it to a comedic extreme. I mean, I find Ronnie kind of delusionally adorable, but also abhorrent. I hope that I'm a very different woman to her. But it was delightful to play, because pushing the idea that women aren't born simply to reproduce or mother, but are born to bring about your hopes and dreams, through a career or what have you, is fun. I did find Ronnie Lipsick to be quite mentally unhinged, and in need of some professional help, I would say. She's really spinning off the planet. She's such an egotist. She's so vain. And she's really lost sight of what's important in life. But I do love this idea, to the extreme in Lou's script, that she absolutely prioritises her career over her over her daughter's health." On Finding Inspiration to Play Ronnie — and Always Trying to Win the Audience Over "I'm a mother myself. I have three children, so obviously I was able to easily draw on my own life for the harried mum aspect of the character — organising the pickups, all the logistics with the husband, wanting them to do well. So I've drawn on a lot of that. In terms of her being dangerously delusional, I didn't have much to go on from my real life. So what I did was, I came up through theatre, I was in theatre for like 20 years before I got into TV and film, and a lot of my training was about trying to win the audience over. So whether or not you were a hero or a villain, you try to charm the audience so much that you can have them onside. I really thought that would be a fun game to play, just for myself, over the course of production, to see — by finding vulnerability or delusion or asking the audience to sympathise with me in any way — whether or not I could win the audience over to my side, so they would, I guess, forgive Ronnie for some of the choices she made." On Ensuring That Depth Shines Through When You're Playing Such a Tricky Character in a Heightened Story "It was hugely important for me to navigate a truth for the character throughout the story. And, in some scenes that was harder than harder than others, because it is a very heightened story, and a very heightened reality that we were playing within. Natalie Bailey, the director, was fantastic at helping me navigate that — as was Lou, the writer, who was on set the whole time, which was incredibly useful. But it was really important to me that I could feel truth in every single scene. And so some of the more heightened ones, I really had to lean into Ronnie's delusion, I guess — so that I thought if I, as Ronnie, can actually believe what I'm saying, even if it seems ridiculous to everybody else in the scene and in the audience, as long as I can believe it, it should feel like a real human being that's going on a journey. But some scenes are more tricky than others. That's a fun challenge. I love reading a role where I go 'ooh, this is going to be quite tricky'. And it was. It was such a fun challenge to take on that part." On Adult Coming-of-Age Stories Blossoming as a Genre — and Tales of Women Aiming to Reclaim Their Identities "I'm not sure why it's coming up more now. Maybe because more adults have access to therapy and so people are reflecting on these things? Definitely on my to-do list is to carve out time to go to see therapists. I haven't quite managed to do it yet. But I'm really enjoying the stories coming out at the moment, especially with female protagonists, about women around my age — I'm 48 — who have realised that they've lost a sense of self and they are really struggling to find a way to reclaim an identity. I think what interests me is a lot of people, they don't go deep enough, and try to just reclaim their youth through surgery or affairs or whatever. I'm really fascinated by that. I think all women that I know have just read Miranda July's All Fours, which I think is an incredible examination of that kind of reclaiming that sense of self. It's a fascinating subject." On Audrey, the Australian Version of The Office and Time Bandits All Reaching Screens Within Months of Each Other "The momentum of that is quite strange because, of course, these projects all happened at quite different times and it really is coincidence, I think, that everything lands in the same few months. It all depends on how long the post-production is or the distributor. But it's exciting to have things come out. I'm always someone who really itches to get a project in front of an audience to get that response. But I'm also someone who doesn't really dwell on the response, because I've always moved on to a million other things. But I love it — as I said before, I came up through theatre, so it was all about working as hard as you can and then opening night, the curtains open and you give the projects to an audience, you share that. So it's always a relief for me when something finally is out there and you're like 'oh good, okay, actually it's opening night, the curtains are parting, and people can actually now watch it and respond'. I think I do find it hard when you're in development for a number of things, and nothing's on-screen or you're not delivering anything to an audience. You just feel like you're working in this weird, insular bubble, and what's the point if nobody is able to see this thing you're working on and respond to it. And then, of course, with every response you learn so much about what we've created. And I then I take that onto my next projects. I'm very invested in learning, I guess." On What Gets van Beek Excited About a New Project at This Stage of Her Career "The most-exciting element for me with new projects is the team on it. There are so many people from all around the world, of all different levels of experience, that I'm just dying to work with. And so for my own projects, I of course seek these people out to collaborate with — actors, directors, writers. I think that is the driving force. Second to that, well, actually shooting location is quite important for me because I have three kids and my youngest is still only 12. So I am always trying to prioritise projects like Time Bandits that can be made here in New Zealand, so that I don't have to be away from the kids and my family for too long. And then, of course, the project itself — I'm very drawn, and always have been, to projects which will potentially polarise. I kind of find it thrilling to take on a project or be a part of a project that I think could go either way. The Office, for example, it did seem so silly to create the 13th version of The Office. But, of course, I leapt at the opportunity knowing it was going to be the first version with a female lead, and I knew that was quite high-risk because people are so besotted with the UK and the US versions. But it was that risk that really thrilled me. And the same with when I get involved in some local low-budget films here in New Zealand, sometimes it's the project that draws me, like it's something that I've never kind of seen before or they're taking a big risk on something. And I'm like 'ooh, I'd love to be a part of that because I like the thrill of it'. I'm not really drawn to something that feels quite kind of tried and true, I guess." On What van Beek Learned Starring in Audrey "It's interesting. I think when I'm acting in other people's films or projects, I learn a lot about writing and directing. And then I feel like when I'm writing and directing my own projects, I learn a lot about acting. I think I learn a lot from the other people that are surrounding me. And I really enjoy jumping between acting, writing and directing for that. So I'm constantly shifting roles and having these experiences from both sides. But I think with Audrey, I'm a real believer in 'if you say yes to a project, then you really are giving yourself over to that writer and especially to the director'. So once I say yes to something, I'm pretty much like 'what do you want me to do?' — like 'here I am, what do you want me to do? I'll do anything.'. I don't say yes to a project unless I unless I'm prepared to offer up everything." Audrey opened in Australian cinemas on Thursday, November 7, 2024.
When it opened 88 years ago at Milsons Point, Luna Park Sydney wasn't the world's first Luna Park, or even Australia's. But Harbour City residents and tourists alike have enjoyed its presence around multiple closures, reopenings and revamps ever since. Come December, the amusement park will unveil its latest reason to stop by and enjoy its attractions: Dream Circus, an immersive experience that's revamping the site's big top. If you've ever wanted to feel like you've walked into a movie, this is the Luna Park Sydney feature for you. Dream Circus will be filled with 360-degree projections, holograms, motion-activated LED screens, surround sound and lighting to immerse you in a Hollywood-style experience. It'll become Sydney's first permanent immersive-experience attraction, the venue advises — and a world-first type of attraction as well. Attendees can expect to enter a narrative journey, where characters and a spectacle that engages the senses will combine. The experience will take over the 3000-square-metre big top, with its sights filling a surface area of over 3500 square metres — and with Artists in Motion, TDC and Auditoria, who have ABBA Voyage, King Kong on Broadway, works at Vivid and Walking with Dinosaurs to their names, behind it. Luna Park Sydney expects people to flock to see the results when Dream Circus opens on Friday, December 22, just in time for the Christmas holidays, anticipating that 50,000 people will check it out over summer. The new attraction will help the site embrace the future, while still loving its status as an art-deco amusement park that dates back almost a century. "We are proud to build for Sydney one of the most technically advanced environments in the country. The result will be a venue without equal — capable of featuring the best immersive experiences, never-before-seen immersive live music and special events" said Luna Park Sydney CEO John Hughes. "As a world-class amusement park, we need to be more than rides, and expanding our depth of offering through world-class immersive experiences will mean that Sydneysiders won't have to travel the globe to experience these incredible environments. We want to be a reliable, magical, and affordable destination for all generations of Sydneysiders and visitors to our city". Dream Circus launches at Luna Park Sydney, 1 Olympic Drive, Milsons Point, on Friday, December 22 — visit the park's website for more information and tickets.
There's no denying that Bar Pacino has an absolutely cracking view, but the Sicilian-style food menu is also worthy of a second look. These guys do it all — breakfast, lunch, dinner, share plates and pizzas. For the ultimate in fuss-free dining, climb the stairs to this Eagle Street hotspot for generous grazing platters and plenty of prosecco. After all – what self-respecting Brisbanite would turn down the opportunity to gaze at our beloved Story Bridge? Sydney Harbour be damned.
UPDATE, May 16, 20222: Due to Brisbane's wet weather, Paniyiri 2022 has been postponed from Saturday, May 21–Sunday, May 22 to Saturday, October 15–Sunday, October 16. This article has been updated to reflect that change. For two days each year, most of Brisbane heads to Musgrave Park to pretend that they're in the Mediterranean. Well, before the pandemic hit and upended our regular routines, that's what usually occurred — and in 2022, it'll finally be happening again. After two pandemic-interrupted years — with the 2020 event cancelled and the 2021 fest opting for a scaled-down and largely online format, plus a delay due to wet weather — Paniyiri is returning to its usual full range of celebrations in October 2022. Once again, the city's massive Greek festival will take over West End with quite the array of food, drink, partying and more. Yes, there's a reason that more than two million people have gone along over the years. In 2022, more than four decades since the fest first began back in 1976, the fun will take place across Saturday, October 15–Sunday, October 16. Brisbanites can expect the usual array of Greek revelry — aka grapes to stomp, coffee to sip, olives to consume and plates to smash, plus TV stars to rub shoulders with and cooking demonstrations to watch. Food-wise, more than 20 stalls will serve up bites from 11 Greek regions, including an abundance of loukoumades, souvlaki, haloumi and barbecued calamari. If devouring as much as you can is your idea of fun, the festival's regular food contests usually keep stomachs satisfied. Then, to wash all of that down, there'll be Greek wine, Greek beer and Greek-inspired cocktails as well. Of course, it wouldn't be Paniyiri without entertainment. While the full event program hasn't yet been revealed, dancing is always a big feature thanks to Greek Dancing with the Stars and the Hellenic dancers — so fingers crossed they return this year. In addition to celebrating all things Greek in Musgrave Park, Paniyiri also takes over The Greek Club — and given that it's marking its first regular fest in more than two years, expect both venues to host one massive shindig.
Two years after The Mandalorian gave the Star Wars franchise its first live-action TV spinoff — and a year after the show's second season hit streaming — The Book of Boba Fett is about to deliver a new dose of bounty hunter thrills. This time, Disney+'s latest addition to a galaxy far, far away will focus on the famed eponymous character that dates back to the 70s, with New Zealand actor Temuera Morrison (Occupation: Rainfall) donning Boba's helmet and armour in the new streaming series. Morrison played the role in The Mandalorian, too, after initially joining the franchise back in 2002, in Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones, as Jango Fett — the OG bounty hunter who provided the genetic template for Boba. So, this is a series with a history in multiple ways. Set to start streaming on Wednesday, December 29, The Book of Boba Fett will follow its namesake and mercenary Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen, Mulan) as they head to Tatooine. There, they're trying to control the territory once overseen by Jabba the Hutt and his crime syndicate. Unsurprisingly, that requires navigating the galaxy's chaotic underworld — and, as the just-dropped trailer for the series shows, that whole process isn't going to go smoothly. If you watched The Mandalorian, you should already be primed to spend more time with Boba. If you're just a dedicated Star Wars fan in general, clearly that's long been the case. And while this will only mark Disney+'s second jump into the Star Wars realm, plenty more is in the works. So, in the next few years, you can look forward to another season of The Mandalorian, a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story focusing on Cassian Andor (Diego Luna, If Beale Street Could Talk), a series about Obi-Wan Kenobi starring Ewan McGregor (of course), and other shows about fellow Star Wars characters Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson, Zombieland: Double Tap) and Lando Calrissian (as initially played Billy Dee Williams, and also by Donald Glover in Solo: A Star Wars Story). There's also a new mystery-thriller from Russian Doll's Leslye Headland on the slate, too, called The Acolyte. Check out the trailer for The Book of Boba Fett below: The Book of Boba Fett will start streaming via Disney+ on Wednesday, December 29. Top image: © 2021 Lucasfilm Ltd.
Ahhh, the 1980s. It may have been a decade of shame for the fashion industry, but for today's TV and film producers it's a limitless goldmine of nostalgia. Red Oaks, The Americans, Deutschland 83, the 'San Junipero' episode of Black Mirror and, of course, Stranger Things, have all benefited from the public's deep-seeded yearning for the MTV-era. And that's to say nothing of the countless '80s properties that have been rebooted, reimagined or received unexpected sequels. King among the works mining '80s nostalgia is Ernest Cline's 2011 sci-fi novel Ready Player One, now adapted for the big screen by director Steven Spielberg. And it is, to put it bluntly, a nerd's wet dream writ large. Set in a densely overpopulated and largely dystopian future, the story sees the world's impoverished masses spending the majority of their time jacked into a VR universe known as The Oasis. But despite being billed as a digital paradise in which anyone can be whomever they want, the reality (both real and virtual) is far narrower. A competition drives every individual within the Oasis, promising both unimaginable riches and control of the program itself. One such desperate contestant is teenager Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), who escapes his daily grind in the slums by assuming a virtual identity and racing his vintage DeLorean against his fellow gunters (short for "Easter egg hunters"). Together with his friends (none of whom he has ever actually met in real life), Wade works to secure victory over the thousands of professional gunters hired by IOI, a shady corporation whose malevolent CEO Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn) wants to assume control of the Oasis and monetise its every available pixel. Given that Ready Player One is positively overflowing with pop-culture references, Spielberg should be applauded for inserting so few of his own. There's the DeLorean, of course (Spielberg produced Back To The Future), and the iconic musical cues to accompany it. But by and large his movies take a back seat to other fan favourites like Alien, The Breakfast Club and – in the film's most outstanding sequence – Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. The movie is also heavy on the video game references, from Atari originals through to Overwatch. At its best, Ready Player One uses these tips of the hat to advance its story in wildly creative ways. For the most part, however, the never-ending winks are little more than pavlovian treats. As a result, scenes often feel like cinematic fast-food: delicious at the time but lacking in substance and quickly forgotten. Spielberg has, for most of his career, been a master of crafting movies that appeal to all ages. And yet even though the majority of the references in Ready Player One are aimed at those born between 1970 and 1990, it's hard to see the film speaking to many viewers above the age of 25. While the CGI is impressive, the action is far too frenetic. The dialogue, meanwhile, is painfully hammy (the gamer jargon, in particular, feels like Spielberg was given all the parts to an IKEA wardrobe without any instructions on how to put it together). At least Sheridan and his co-stars do a solid job, and Mendelsohn is nothing if not committed to his performance – albeit in service of a role that oscillates haphazardly between a serious villain and a pantomime one. It's hard not to see a great many current or imminent real-life scenarios akin to the world of The Oasis. Which is why it's such a pity that, instead of exploring the dangers of a plugged-in existence, Ready Player One opts to keep things light, ultimately saying little more than doesn't this all look cool? And sure, Spielberg's approach makes for an entertaining blockbuster. But we can't help but wonder about the movie that might have been. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSp1dM2Vj48
Chances are you've had your day in the sun with vodka at some point, whether it's past or present: discovering it as a freshly legal drinker in your late teens, all the way to pairing it with some classy lime and soda and kicking back when the kids have gone to bed. There's surely been a point in your life where you've developed your own personal relationship with the spirit, but how much do you really know about it? To accompany the release of Belvedere Vodka's Single Estate Rye Series, we thought we'd whip up a bit of a guide for you as you sip away — call it a guide for the bluffers among you, those who don't know too much about what you drink, where it's from or why it tastes the way it tastes (here's a spoiler: the last two are closely linked). Read on for a brief vodka-tasting stroll around the European history of the spirit, its variations and flavours and of course, some handy party facts to pull out next time you're sipping a vodka tonic. [caption id="attachment_676552" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rye at Lake Bartężek in Poland.[/caption] WHERE IS VODKA ACTUALLY FROM? Contrary to popular belief, vodka didn't originate in Russia. And though it is its national drink (and that of Poland and Ukraine), it's Poland who lays claim to creating the first version of the spirit, having cooked up the first batch during the Middle Ages (potentially as early as the eighth century). Though it's all a little vague, and there is stiff Russian competition when it comes to claiming it as a national symbol, we do know that the name for vodka is thought to come from the Slavic word for water: voda. [caption id="attachment_595919" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] CAN YOU TASTE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHEAP AND EXPENSIVE? Like any drink, yes. Even if you had the worst palate in the world, chances are you could pick a $20 glass of riesling from a slosh from a box of goon. However with vodka, it's a little different — the spirit is meant to be colourless and not have a very strong odour, making the taste test more of an experiential one. Vodka made from rye, like Belvedere's Smogóry Forest and Lake Bartężek, is generally more refined and smoother than other cereal grain or potato-based versions. Lesser quality vodka will often have raw materials in them that weren't removed by the distillation process, and these leftovers are indicative of a less pure, cheaper spirit. (It's those distillation leftovers that also create that vodka burn you can sometimes feel.) But again, like any drink, a lot of it comes down to personal preference, and what your tastebuds tell you they enjoy and what they don't. [caption id="attachment_676553" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rye field in Forest.[/caption] SO, WHAT IS RYE VODKA EXACTLY? Rye vodka is made by distilling fermented rye grain instead of another base carbohydrate like potato, corn, rice, wheat or molasses. In terms of taste, rye vodka is similar to rye whisky with spicy, peppery notes added by the grain. Though these notes appear more subtly than in the whisky that's been barrel-aged, rye vodka helps break down the idea that vodka is flavourless. Vodka as a whole can vary in taste dramatically due to a number of different factors like the grain or carbohydrate base, as well as the type of still used, whether the spirit was filtered or unfiltered and its terroir (more on that later). VODKA'S COMEBACK In the face of the speciality gin trend (see: pink gin) and the rise of aromatics and brown spirits, vodka is certainly holding its own, but perhaps not as you know it. The new face of vodka is one that debunks the myth that it's tasteless; hence the rise of rye vodka and its varying flavour profiles. Gone is the perception that the spirit is a flavourless drop to get you in a party mood quickly or to be paired with mixers that mask its taste; vodka is increasingly regaining its status as a spirit to enjoy in a considered way. WHAT'S TRENDING? With rye vodkas seeing this rise in popularity, the way we consume the spirit is also changing. This could be because of a key concept in its production: terroir. In terms of rye vodka production, terroir is the theory that soil, climate and topography affect the taste of the rye used. So the vodka from a certain location has its own specific complexity, character and, of course, taste. Look at Belvedere's two Single Estate Rye vodkas from Smogóry Forest and Lake Bartężek. Smogóry Forest is vast, has short, mild winters and a lot of fertile soil; Lake Bartężek in the north, on the other hand, is cold, with long winters and glacial lakes. These environments impact rye's growth and play an important role in the profile of each. Smogóry Forest vodka, for example, is sweet with notes of salted caramel, honey and white pepper, while Lake Bartężek is fuller, more floral and grassy, with notes of spearmint and toasted nuts. HOW TO DRINK VODKA So now that we've established that vodka isn't the flavourless, colourless liquid you may have once considered it to be, what's the best way to drink it? Well, if you really want to become an expert (or at least learn to taste the differences between different types), down the hatch isn't your best bet. Belvedere recommends trying its Single Estate Rye vodkas neat or on the rocks, sipping slowly to bring out the characteristics of each (just like wine). If you're keen on a mixed drink, however, go for the classic martini or try something with a twist like a vodka old fashioned or rye sour. Experience rye vodka and its array of flavours with Belvedere's Single Estate Rye vodkas from Smogóry Forest and Lake Bartężek. Top image: Brook James.
When you're rallying the crew for a long-overdue catch-up, there's one surefire way to turn an ordinary get-together into a guaranteed good time: bottomless lunch. Luckily, Cloudland in Fortitude Valley is delivering the ultimate bottomless experience to add to your weekend rotation. Set in the vibrant, newly renovated urban oasis Cloudland Garden, this two-hour bottomless lunch is equal parts indulgent and affordable. It's all about relaxed, share-style feasting paired with premium bottomless sips—served to the laidback soundtrack of local DJs spinning all afternoon. Devour a carefully curated selection of gourmet share plates, like butter-poached bug rolls made with creme fraiche, dill, capers, trout roe, and sorghum, butternut pumpkin and taleggio arancini, seared beef skewers served with sauce ravigote and fried garlic, and fried calamari with Sichuan salt and charred lime mayo. Plus, moreish bowls of shoestring fries with spiced salt and house-made dips teamed with woodfired bread—and a Basque cheesecake with lemon curd finale. As for the bottomless drinks menu, you won't be disappointed with an elevated and generous mix of cocktails featuring Malfy Gin, Altos Tequila, Jefferson's Bourbon, along with Mumm Prestige and a selection of premium wines and beers. For more information or to book a table at Cloudland Bottomless Brunch, click here. By Elise Cullen.
There is no denying that every single person in the world loves going to secret events (this is a proven fact), which may sound a tad like it defeats the purpose of underground events but is instead actually quite convenient. Why? Because, generally speaking, if you look hard enough there is most likely one happening somewhere near you - granted of course that you know where to look and know the right people. However, if all that research sounds like too much hassle for you, then you owe the Brisbane Powerhouse a big pat on the back. Announcing their second Brisbane Underground Film Festival to the public only proves that they know how lazy the youth of today are, instead of discrediting the festival’s cult status. The festival runs for the weekend of the 13th to the 15th, playing movies that appear to have no relation to each other apart from their ‘underground’ status and their fantastic film titles. After perusing the list and judging wholly superficially, highlights go to ‘Who Took the Bomp? Le Tigre on Tour’ and ‘Hobo With a Shotgun’.
Have you noticed there seems to be a lot to celebrate this time of year? Engagements, birthdays, welcome home parties – it’s all happening in spring. With the sun shining and jacarandas in full bloom this is one of the best times of the year to get outside and enjoy the sunshine with friends. If you have a special occasion coming up and you don’t know where to go, here are Concrete Playground’s top five gathering spots to start you off. Lady Lamington Just past the hustle and bustle of Fortitude Valley, Lady Lamington is the perfect spot for afternoon drinks with a group of friends. Their sundeck overlooks Brunswick Street and is built around a beautiful old church. There is plenty of seating and has table service, so you will rarely have to move, unless you’re sick of talking to the person next to you. It’s a perfect place to share a jug of Pimms with your pals and munch on some delicious saganaki and octopus. 483 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley; 3358 6568; www.ladylamington.com.au Yard Bird Ale House Yard Bird Ale House is where dreams come true. With an extensive range of icy craft beers on tap and finger-lickin’ chicken wings coming out of the kitchen, this is the place to celebrate the elasticity of our stomachs. There are long picnic tables to sit down with your carnivorous mates and chow down on some wings, or perhaps a few pulled pork sliders, and solve the mysteries of the world while you are on a food high. Bring a napkin to pat down your head because you will be sweatin’. 6/24 Martin St, Fortitude Valley; 07 3852 6413; www.facebook.com/YardbirdAleHouse Regatta Hotel One of Brisbane’s oldest and dearest watering holes, The Regatta, is back with a vengeance. After the 2011 floods, the heritage pub has had some cosmetic surgery and is looking beautiful. The highlight of the new work is the large outdoor seating area full of large cushioned lounges. Located out in the sun and overlooking the Brisbane River, this is a great spot to catch up with friends for an atmospheric afternoon outdoors. 543 Coronation Drive Toowong; 07 3871 9595; www.regattahotel.com.au Lock ‘n’ Load For the morning people, Lock 'n' Load is a great place to get together with friends for brunch. They have an all day breakfast menu which is absolutely delicious including breakfast cocktails (killer Bloody Marys) to get your day started off with a nice buzz. The back courtyard is leafy and sunny with appropriate coverage to protect your precious skin from harm's way. We recommend the avocado on toast with tomatoes and goats cheese. 142 Boundary Street West End; 07 3844 0142; www.locknloadbistro.com.au The Boundary Hotel For the ultimate pub gathering, look no further than the Boundary Hotel. An iconic landmark in West End, the Boundary has great bench seating for you and your gang to enjoy a laid back afternoon of burgers, beers and babes (the babes being you). For those who like a bit of competition there are a couple of pool tables that overlook vibrant Boundary Street. A live band will keep you entertained in the evening once your dancing shoes are well and truly secured to your feet. 137 Boundary St, West End; (07) 3844 6504; www.theboundaryhotel.com.au
UPDATE, November 04, 2020: Good Time is available to stream via Netflix, Google Play and YouTube Movies. Robert Pattinson. New York City. One wild night. What could possibly go wrong? In Good Time's account of a petty crook trying to rustle up some cash to get his brother out of jail, the answer is plenty. The title is tongue-in-cheek, for the characters at least. For the audience, it's more of a promise. A good time is all but guaranteed as you watch Benny and Josh Safdie's grubby, energetic heist movie unfold. Gritty but vivid is an unlikely blend, and yet that's Good Time from start to finish. In the siblings' hands, the film is so grimy that you can almost feel the dirt, blood and blonde hair dye getting under your fingernails (full credit to cinematographer Sean Price Williams and his constantly roaming camera). Amplifying the sense of immediacy even further is Oneohtrix Point Never's pulsating electronic soundtrack, which proves so urgent and exhilarating in its mood and rhythm that you'll feel as riled up as the figures on screen. When a bank robbery leaves Connie (Pattinson) and his mentally challenged brother Nick (played by Benny Safdie) covered in telltale red paint from head to toe, the particularly crafty crim is quick to search for a solution. After the cops spot them and detain Nick, he's desperate and determined to rustle up the cash for his bail — sweet-talking his sometimes-girlfriend (Jennifer Jason Leigh), staging a hospital rescue, fooling around with a teenager (Taliah Webster), trying to find some stashed acid, and tussling with an amusement park security guard (Barkhad Abdi) in the process. This eclectic series of events would be played for laughs in any other movie, but that's not Good Time's angle. Likewise, a lesser film might have wallowed in its protagonist's backstory, making him a sympathetic underdog with a thousand reasons for breaking bad. That's not what the talented Safdies are up to either. Like their last picture, the excellent heroin addict drama Heaven Knows What, the duo plunge into marginalised worlds that many of their viewers won't have experienced, and from there let their characters do the talking. The siblings' distinctive on-the-street style never fails to set the tone, or demonstrate their eye for rich texture and grungy detail. That said, the filmmakers are also aided by their high-profile star giving what might just be the finest performance of his career — and with a growing array of great non-Twilight turns on his resume, that's saying something. Armed with peroxide locks, a greasy complexion and a jittery demeanour, in Good Time Pattinson wears his character's confident, quick-thinking guise like a second skin. The charm to always get his way, the resourcefulness to constantly find a path forward, the smarts to get the best of almost everyone he encounters: thanks to this former teen heart-throb, the scheming, scamming, never-stopping Connie is magnetic, dynamic, complicated and compelling. In one of the year's best films, Pattinson is having a very good time indeed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsQBe3BlMMk
Street art, public art, towering murals, creativity, urban transformation, outdoor works that liven up the River City: at Brisbane Street Art Festival, they're all in the spotlight. Each year for ten years now, this festival has splashed around a celebration of literally painting the town. In 2025, it's marking that milestone with nine days of installations, exhibitions, demonstrations and workshops — and by adding new art around the Queensland capital. Leans, Carley Cornelissen, Fintan Magee, Sofles, Dean Tyson, Rossella RZ and Simon Degroot are among the artists who'll be using their talents across Brisbane — some of whom have joined the festival before — with this year's BSAF taking place between Saturday, May 10–Sunday, May 18. If you're keen to see how their mural work will give Brissie a new coat of paint, you'll be wanting to head to Northshore, Spring Hill, the CBD, Fish Lane and DFO Brisbane. [caption id="attachment_894229" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Macami[/caption] At Northshore, Superordinary is again acting as a base for the fest, and will gain a number of new pieces — while also hosting the Aussie return of Meeting of Styles across Saturday, May 10–Sunday, May 11. This is the first time that the graffiti initiative has hit Brisbane, with 40 local and international artists taking part. Think of it as a fest within the broader fest, complete with live painting, revelling in the art of spray painting and passing on skills. The first-ever Brisbane/Meanjin Paste Up Festival also falls into both BSAF and Meeting of Styles — also at Superordinary. Here, paste-up as a form of street art gets some love, giving it recognition that it doesn't always receive as a type of public art, and acknowledging the format's many guises from single posters to both intended and unintentional collages. BSAF overall commences with a party, again at Superordinary — and again also celebrating Meeting of Styles — on Saturday, May 10. If you're keen to up your knowledge among watching the festival's talents make art, sessions span aerosols, graffiti lettering, sticker art, calligraphy, collage and brushwork. Or, if you'd like to appreciate Brisbane's street art while cycling around the city, you can take one of two tours — the first starting at Howard Smith Wharves, the second kicking off at Fish Lane. [caption id="attachment_715977" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Drapl and Treazy, Aimee Catt[/caption] [caption id="attachment_894223" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Fintan Magee by @mellumae[/caption] [caption id="attachment_894226" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Macami[/caption] [caption id="attachment_894227" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Macami[/caption] [caption id="attachment_659368" align="alignnone" width="1920"] tuyuloveme[/caption] [caption id="attachment_715976" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Aimee Catt[/caption] [caption id="attachment_894228" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Macami[/caption] The 2025 Brisbane Street Art Festival runs from Saturday, May 10–Sunday, May 18. For more information, head to the event's website. Top image: soggybreadissad.
Your flights are booked, your bags are packed and your holiday excitement/anxiety has begun. And the last thing you want to be doing is dropping a stack of spending money on getting to the airport, either in a cab or — for those lucky enough to have an airport rail link this century — on the train. So, you'll be happy to know that, this month, ride share service Ola is offering its customers a pretty sweet deal, dropping the price of trips to and from major Australian airports to a flat $25. Customers in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and the Gold Coast can score the budget-friendly flat fare on rides right throughout April. The flat fare will only be applied on trips 20 kilometres or less. If a trip clocks in at over 20 kilometres, the extra distance will be charged at the usual price and added onto the $25 deal. Tolls will also be at an extra cost. No idea what 20 kilometres from the airport looks like? In Sydney, you could get Ola's $25 deal from as far as Bondi or North Sydney, while down in Melbourne, it reaches north and west suburbs including Thornbury and West Footscray (it's about 23 kilometres to and from the CBD). In Brisbane, the offer stretches to places like West End or Greenslopes, and over in Perth, customers can travel from as far as Canning Vale or Stirling. To take advantage of the offer, you'll need to sign up to Ola and download the app, and use the codes OLAPICK (for pick-up) or OLADROP (for drop-off). Depending on where you live, it promises some pretty tidy savings. Ola's $25 flat fare offer is valid up until April 30. You can use it up to ten times before then.
2024 marks eight years since Holey Moley first combined pop culture-themed mini-golf courses with cocktails and other beverages right here in Brisbane. How is the brand celebrating that fact? By continuing to expand. Your latest tap, tap, tapping destination is Westfield Mt Gravatt, which is now home to a shared 350-person hub featuring not only Funlab's club-swinging chain, but also Hijnx Hotel. Next time that you're keen to escape your routine with a few beverages in a bar that does more than serve up drinks, the River City has a new haven for boozy games and activities, then. First announced back in May, the southside spot opened its doors on Friday, July 26, 2024. On offer: 18 holes of putt putt and ten challenge rooms, as well as karaoke in three function rooms across the site, and two bars slinging cocktails and food. Hit up the precinct and you won't be able to say that you're bored. Funlab, which is also behind Strike, Brothers Cirque Electriq, and B Lucky and Sons, has rolled out its familiar format for both Holey Moley and Hijnx Hotel — so if you've been to either before, including the former's OG Fortitude Valley digs and its Brisbane CBD spot in the Wintergarden, and the Holey Moley and Hijnx Hotel at Chermside — then you'll know what's in store. At Holey Moley, you'll be tap, tap, tapping your way around holes themed around space, The Simpsons, art, music, other games and more. Among the mini-golf courses: the already-popular Moon & Pars and 742 Evergreen Tce, which have become favourites at fellow Holey Moley locations, alongside everything from Vincent Van Golf, The Great Holedini and A Pineapple Under The Tee to Draw Fore, Super Mega Mini Golf, and Skate or Golf. Mt Gravatt's Caddyshack bar is also keep the theming going — and the drinks. Sipping a cocktail out of a bathtub, anyone? That's one beverage that's on the brand's menu. Images: Markus Ravik.
It's been an unusual year, and so it would make sense that one of the annual events we look forward to each year is shaking (or stirring) things up in 2020. Negroni Week, sponsored by Campari, is back from September 14–20 — and this year you can support your local bar from a distance, by learning to make your own at home. Campari has collaborated with 50 leading bartenders across Australia — including Black Pearl's Matt Linklater, PS40's Michael Chiem, Nick & Nora's Kayla Reid and Old Mate's Brittany Rowe — to create a free Negroni Cocktail Book that you can download and follow to recreate some of your favourite twists on the classic negroni. The Negroni Cocktail Book is a gift from the bartenders who've invented new ways to serve us during lockdown. There are two parts to the book; the first has ten classic recipes, like an americano, a coffee negroni and a kingston, and the second has 50 cocktail recipes from the masters, think one influenced by the bullet coffee trend, one that tastes like french toast, and heaps of others inspired by the cocktails in the negroni family. And, as those bartenders have done so much for us over the years, it's also good to give something back. This year's Negroni Week is raising a glass to the hospo industry, which has faced months of legislation, uncertainty and waves of financial instability, by partnering with Help Out Hospo. You can pay it forward to those workers hit hard by the pandemic by making a donation to Help Out Hospo, here. The initiative was created during the pandemic with all profits going to out-of-work hospitality staff. So far it's raised nearly $60,000. Download the free Negroni Cocktail Book here. Remember to Drinkwise.
Located in the old Ithaca Ice Works building where they — you guessed it — made and sold ice in the good ol’ days, Iceworks just might be one of Brisbane’s best multifaceted venues. Boasting restaurant, bar, lounge and function facilities, this is a Paddington gem that should be enjoyed by the rest of Brisbane. But a stone's throw from Suncorp Stadium, Iceworks bar offers 20 varieties of craft beer alongside an extensive wine and cocktail list, so it's worth your while to drop by before the next sporting or entertainment event. The sleek interior decor exudes cool and offers a welcoming atmosphere. Be sure to tear your eyes away from the dominating marble and polished concrete bar long enough to peruse the menu and grab a snack to balance out the booze. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the competence of the kitchen as they turn out bar food that’s a little bit fancy. Someone definitely deserves a high-five for the house-made pizzas ($16), especially those topped with prosciutto, caramelised fig, gorgonzola, rocket and lemon myrtle extra virgin olive oil. You’d also be smart to take a chance on the confit duck corn dog with burnt orange preserve ($12) and chow down on the salt 'n' vinegar pork puffs ($5). If you’re looking for something a little more substantial on your plate, the Iceworks Restaurant offers a full-service a la carte menu. The comfortable and contemporary space sees modern European-inspired cuisine served for lunch and dinner, Tuesday through Saturday. A strong attention to detail is evident across the physical furnishings of the spaces and the thoughtfully procured menus, creating a wholesome drinking and dining experience. Depending on the day or night you find yourself on Given Terrace, you're bound to experience anything from a vibrant bar scene to a relaxed spot for a really great feed.
For two days each May, most of Brisbane heads to Musgrave Park to pretend that they're in the Mediterranean. Well, before the pandemic hit and upended our regular routines, that's what usually occurred — and in 2022, it'll finally be happening again. After two pandemic-interrupted years — with the 2020 event cancelled and the 2021 fest opting for a scaled-down and largely online format — Paniyiri is returning to its usual full range of celebrations in 2022. Once again, the city's massive Greek festival will take over West End with quite the array of food, drink, partying and more. Yes, there's a reason that more than two million people have gone along over the years. In 2022, more than four decades since the fest first began back in 1976, the fun will take place across Saturday, May 21–Sunday, May 22. Brisbanites can expect the usual array of Greek revelry — aka grapes to stomp, coffee to sip, olives to consume and plates to smash, plus TV stars to rub shoulders with and cooking demonstrations to watch. Food-wise, more than 20 stalls will serve up bites from 11 Greek regions, including an abundance of loukoumades, souvlaki, haloumi and barbecued calamari. If devouring as much as you can is your idea of fun, the festival's regular food contests usually keep stomachs satisfied. Then, to wash all of that down, there'll be Greek wine, Greek beer and Greek-inspired cocktails as well. Of course, it wouldn't be Paniyiri without entertainment. While the full event program hasn't yet been revealed, dancing is always a big feature thanks to Greek Dancing with the Stars and the Hellenic dancers — so fingers crossed they return this year. In addition to celebrating all things Greek in Musgrave Park, Paniyiri also takes over The Greek Club — and given that it's marking its first regular fest in two years, expect both venues to host one massive shindig. Paniyiri 2022 takes place from Saturday, May 21–Sunday, May 22 at Musgrave Park and The Greek Club, Edmondstone Street, South Brisbane. For more information or to buy tickets, head to the event's website.
Anyone abreast of Brisbane food and drink news has no doubt heard the hype surrounding Clayfield cafe My Mistress. If you're wondering what the fuss is about, you surely haven't had occasion to drive past. First and foremost, the place is dazzlingly inviting. Strategically adorned with vines and shrubbery, the leaf-green coloured cubby house of a building is a lush sanctuary. Even despite the servo next door, My Mistress is the stuff of lazy Sunday morning dreams. Open only since the end of January, the cafe has hit the ground running. The dreaded weekend breakfast queue is a given, but even weekday mornings see competition for tables. The number of diners-in far is far greater than the number of those just after a takeaway coffee. Ladies who brunch, post-workout smoothie sippers, dog walkers and young student-types keep the cafe busy throughout the morning. Announcing your plans to visit 'My Mistress' will grow steadily less amusing each time, but the cafe commands a loyal following. The adultery theme doesn't seem to have deterred many, and it is a theme to which the cafe commits. Menu subheadings are 'Cheeky Fling', 'Main Affair' and 'On the Side'. Dishes include the Eggs Marilyn (organic caramelised onion and caraway rye, free range fried eggs, Margaret River smoked ham, wilted spinach topped with a creamy hollandaise sauce, $17) and the Eggs Monica (free-range scrambled eggs on a corn, halloumi and zucchini fritter, blistered cherry tomatoes and a seasoned avocado smash, $17). The Morning Glory ($12) is a saucy delight: smoked bacon, rocket, Swiss cheese, tomato relish, aioli and a fried free range egg peeking out of a toasted bagel. Coffee is good, worth travelling a little bit of extra distance for, and there is also freshly squeezed juice, seasonal smoothies, herbal teas and cold press coffee.
Are Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally comedy's funniest couple? Both together and apart, their resumes make a strong case for it. Here's another way to make that call: catching them live onstage together in Australia in their first-ever shared in-conversation session. It's a one-night-only date for the Parks and Recreation co-stars, happening to close out Vivid Sydney 2025. If you're as obsessed with one of the best American sitcoms of the 21st century as everyone should be, you will have spotted a trend at Vivid in the past two years. At 2024's festival, Amy Poehler was on the lineup, also getting chatting. Fingers crossed for Adam Scott or Rob Lowe in 2026. Yes, you should get the bacon and whisky ready for Offerman and Mullally. You should also prepare your ears for some high-pitched laughter. Making your own canoe? If you can, that's an appropriate way to celebrate, too. Taking place on Saturday, June 14, 2025 at the International Convention Centre Sydney, Offerman and Mullally's exclusive Vivid show is called Unscripted & Unfiltered with Nick Offerman & Megan Mullally, and falls into the Harbour City event's Global Storyteller series — which is also bringing Martha Stewart to the New South Wales capital in 2025, was why Poehler was on 2024's lineup, and has also seen The White Lotus' Jennifer Coolidge and Mike White, filmmakers Baz Luhrmann (Elvis) and Spike Lee (Da 5 Bloods), and Australia singer Troye Sivan get talking in past years. Parks and Recreation's on-screen Ron and Tammy Swanson were meant to tour to Australia together in 2016, but Mullally had to drop out due to a scheduling conflict, so Offerman came solo. When they finally make the trip by each other's side, the husband-and-wife duo have everything from their multi-hyphenate individual careers to collaborating as creative and real-life partners to dig into, alongside their LGBTQIA+ and environmental activism. Top image: Emily Schur.
Trust the Triffid's latest music celebration to offer up several layers of awesomeness. At London Calling: A Tribute to the Clash, a much-loved venue shows their affection for an iconic band — and they've corralled a host of local legends to help. That'd be Front End Loader, Flangipanis, Die Rude, The Strums and The Plastic Fangs, who'll each take to the stage to belt out their interpretations of the UK punk group's tunes and do their best Joe Strummer impersonations. Prepare to feel like the British capital really is calling, and to see this stellar lineup rock the Triffid. And no, you won't be wondering whether you should stay or go. Of course, with talent this terrific on display, pumping out classic covers isn't the only thing on the agenda. If you've been to the Triff's previous Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac, The Cure and Pink Floyd tributes, you'll know the format: each band will play four of The Clash's tracks, plus two of their own.
Get your shopping done under twinkling lights while surrounded by real (not plastic) Christmas trees. No, this isn't a festive dream — it's the reality of South Bank's annual Christmas markets. Whether you've been every year since you can remember, or you've never gone a-browsing at the inner-city spot, visiting The Collective Christmas Markets is worth the trip. While the entirety of South Bank always gets into a merry mood, nothing will steal the show from the most important part of the proceedings: the wares on offer at the rows of stalls. Kicking off from 10am–9pm on Friday, December 13 and running until Saturday, December 23, you'll find handmade toys, jewellery and other trinkets just begging to be given as gifts, as well as tasty treats to add to your Christmas feast. Yep, everyone's a winner here.
2017 was an action-packed couple of months for scripted storytelling. As we are wont to do, we made sure you knew what international and Australian films to watch before the end of the year, and we've just put together our list for the best films of 2017. But what about television? We may have gotten through the past 12 months on a steady diet of Stranger Things, the return of Twin Peaks, a dollop of BoJack Horseman, regular portions of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and late-night benders of Margaret Atwood-inspired dystopia. But how much Australian television do you remember watching? If none come to mind straight away, we're here to cure that case of pop cultural amnesia. So fire up your local streaming services, prepare your stash of Zooper Doopers, put your phone on Airplane Mode, get into your cosiest staying-in-for-the-summer outfit and settle in for some top-notch Australian-made series. Here's ten to get you started. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oZaOr5v9So KIKI AND KITTY What if your new best friend was also the human embodiment of your vagina? For some, that's a rhetorical question. For Nakkiah Lui, it's the beginning of a brand new series. Written by and starring Lui (who plays the lead role of Kitty), and directed by Catriona McKenzie, Kiki and Kitty is modern-day absurdist comedy at its best. Launched as one of the new short-form series for ABC Comedy earlier this year, each episode explores what it's like to be "the good black girl in a bad white world". It's fierce, funny and unapologetically explores the politics of race and gender in a way that few Australian television shows would dare. Available on: ABC iView. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5HSsrjoedk RONNY CHIENG: INTERNATIONAL STUDENT You may recall Ronny Chieng from his day job as a correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show. Based on his real-life experience of being a university student in Melbourne, Chieng plays a version of himself on the show. Cultural stereotypes are both exploited, and interrogated, for laughs but also for thoughtful reflections on what it means to be a young person who switches countries, and cultures, full of hope and expectation. This is perfect viewing for anyone who appreciates a story from an outsider's perspective with a sharp comedic edge. Available on: ABC iView. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1UXO2uLH-s ROSEHAVEN Daniel and Emma are fictional best mates. So are real-life comedians Luke McGregor and Celia Pacquola, who also happen to be the co-creators and writers of the show. Exploring what happens between moving back home to help out with the family business and a failed marriage, this Tasmanian-made series is deeply endearing. Both seasons play like a love letter to rural life, and what happens when we decide to give up on ambition. Daniel/McGregor and Emma/Pacquola are about propping each other up just as much as they're about mocking the hell out of each other. For those of us who prefer to find gentle humour through genuine friendships. Available on: ABC iView. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swTlbwspBaE GLITCH Set in the fictional country town of Yoorana, Glitch explores what happens when seven people rise from the dead with no memory of who they are, or how they died. Sitting somewhere between supernatural mystery and sci-fi, the series was created by Tony Ayres (producer of The Slap) and Louise Fox (previously a writer on Broadchurch). If you were previously a fan of the 2012 French series Les Revenants, the first two seasons of Glitch offers an Australian gothic take on small town urban legends and unfinished business. Available on: Netflix Australia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjuXTD0m9Lc ROUND THE TWIST Totalling four magical seasons, Round the Twist was definitive in making strange the new normal on 90s Australian television. Galore with monsters, werewolves, human ice cream machines and the haunted lighthouse that started it all, the series is the equivalent of audio visual comfort food for old fans. Also guaranteed to be a cornucopia of oddball amusement for the yet to be initiated. It's now all on Netflix. Available on: Netflix Australia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pSChPGBFD4 THE OTHER GUY If modern break-ups and heartache need to be key story ingredients for your summer viewing, consider The Other Guy. In the long tradition of male comics playing versions of themselves on screen, comedian and Triple J life member Matt Okine is AJ, an aimless breakfast radio host who has just split up with his longtime girlfriend (Valene Kane). The show deals less with the heroics of finally accepting adulthood, and more about the funny, sad and inane aspects of getting older anyway. Give it a go if you loved Master of None, Love or Please Like Me. Available on: Stan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAKZYp9-MoM NO ACTIVITY Two cops on a nighttime stake-out, a methamphetamine shipment that never arrives, and mindless conversations form the basis of the first season of this slapstick improvised comedy. And if you want more, there's a second season to devour as well. For fans of Mike Schur's American workplace comedies (The Office, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Parks and Recreation), No Activity is Australia's equivalent of the nothing-ever-happens type of comedy. Expect some sincere moments among the sly laughs too. Available on: Stan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoH1z7JetiM THE FAMILY LAW Adapted from Benjamin Law's book-length series of personal essays on his family, The Family Law deals with the aftermath of a family's breakdown in the wake of a divorce, and what it's like to grow up on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland as an Asian kid who dreams of starring on Home and Away (spoiler alert: it's no walk in the park). It's rare that a series can be awkward, hilarious and heartbreaking all at once, but The Family Law manages to fictionalise Ben's coming-of-age without forgetting to look at weighty issues too, like coming out as a Chinese-Australian teen, the deportation of extended family, and the unexpected death of grandparents with grace and warmth. Available on: SBS On Demand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tsh_hVbkkcQ&t=25s OTHER PEOPLE'S PROBLEMS Boasting an all-female creative team (from the co-creators and writers to the starring roles), Other People's' Problems is a dramedy about reluctant copywriter Florence and the ever-enterprising Ann, who team up to ghostwrite letters for people in exchange for clothes. In a misguided attempt to prove they're both great at helping people, acting as agony aunts leads them to wondering if they're actually just rubbish at dealing with their own problems. As with all the best stories, this one is based on writers Penelope Chai and Jane Dickenson's experiences of starting a bartering project called Clothing for Correspondence (pen to paper in exchange for clothes from your wardrobe). A perfect snack of a series for the heartfelt snail mail letter writers and op-shop fiends among us. Available on: ABC iView. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bIpoZKt6Gs GET KRACK!N Kate and Kate, the co-creators of ABC's The Katering Show, are back to take on the world of Australian breakfast television. You can be guaranteed two things for every 30 minute episode in the series: these two do not know how to host a breakfast TV show, and it is too damn early in the morning (we're talking go-to-air-at-3am.-early) to have maintained one's A-game. For anyone who is resistant to the real thing, cosy up to this eye-wateringly hilarious time on the grey green couch of never-ending awkwardness. Available on: ABC iView.
If you're after an epicurean escape without the hassle of long flights or using up precious days of leave, look no further than the Orange region. Less than four hours by car from Sydney and two hours by air from Brisbane, the area boasts 40-plus cellar doors and wineries that produce everything from chardonnay to vermentino and pinot noir to tempranillo. While wine is obviously the star of the show, you should do more than just sip your way through the region on your next visit. That's why we've teamed up with Orange360 to spotlight six wineries that pair your tipples with tasty bites — whether it's fresh oysters, a long lunch with breathtaking views, or a decadent multi-course meal. Printhie Wines As a Halliday five-starred winery, you can expect the exceptional at Printhie Wines. Beyond its range of renowned wines, Printhie offers several bespoke experiences to take your tasting to the next level, including its hatted restaurant, Printhie Dining. Open for lunch from Friday–Sunday and dinner from Thursday–Saturday, Printhie Dining serves a four-course degustation featuring seasonal produce sourced from the estate and its surrounds. Expect delicate dishes like kingfish with sweet alyssum, celeriac and lemongrass tea; lamb with vadouvan and smoked bone marrow; and pepperberry tea custard with chocolate ganache, bottlebrush and fermented cherries — all served with paired wines. More modest offerings at Printhie Wine Bar include a curated cheese board, charcuterie and oysters shucked to order from a state-of-the-art oyster tank developed by a marine biologist and oyster farmer. If that's not enough, take it outside with a picnic on the grounds accompanied by a bottle of vino, or elevate your four-course meal with a sparkling masterclass, fly-fishing session or helicopter tour. Rowlee Wines Pull up a seat for elegant dining paired with single-vineyard wines and idyllic views at Rowlee. With floor-to-ceiling windows and al fresco tables, you'll feel like you're lounging on a farm in Tuscany as you drink in unobstructed views across the vineyard. If you have time to indulge in a leisurely lunch or dinner — you are on holiday after all — settle in at Rowlee Bar and Dining for communal-style, farm-to-table dishes. The seasonal menu focuses on innovation and sustainability, and includes plates like hay-fried chicken with pumpkin sauce and garden curry; coal-roasted fish with preserved lemon; roast pork collar with fermented rhubarb and honey; and sustainably sourced butter-poached lobster with shellfish sauce. Finish it off with an apple and strawberry gum ice cream sandwich or gelato topped with fennel and olive oil. You can also keep it casual at the Garden Bar, which offers snacks alongside more substantial fare, such as a pork and pecorino pancake, chilli of Black Angus beef with lettuce cups, and a lobster roll with bottarga mayo. Borrodell Estate With a restaurant, cellar door-slash-wine bar, and suites and cottages all on the property, you could easily while away a whole day at the expansive Borrodell Estate. Perched at the top of one of Australia's highest vineyards, Sister's Rock restaurant looks out onto rows of pinot noir vines and Towac Valley beyond. Accessible yet elevated, the set menu highlights local produce from Borrodell Estate and around Orange, and is available for lunch from Thursday–Monday and dinner on Friday–Saturday. Start with roast carrots and feta, grilled artichoke, and steamed mussels in tomato sauce, before choosing a main from the scotch fillet with Moroccan eggplant salad, pan-fried barramundi with green peas and zucchini sofrito, or vegetarian lasagne. Needless to say, you should enhance your meal with one of the recommended wine pairings alongside each dish. Ross Hill Wines Need to work up an appetite? At Ross Hill Wines, you can step into the kitchen and pick up some well-tried tips to whip up your own culinary creations at home. The carbon-neutral winery — proudly the first in Australia — boasts its own wine and food school, Barrel and Larder. Hosted by chef Michael Manners and other guest chefs from the region, the classes range from Spanish cooking to Swiss dishes and pie-making. Of course, the winery also caters to those who'd rather have their food prepared for them, with tasting plates of snacks and dip available at the cellar door. For something more special, book in advance for their Pinnacle long lunch series, where renowned local guest chefs prepare a three-course spread on select Saturdays of each month. Swinging Bridge Let's face it — all that wine tasting might not leave much room for a multi-course feast. Swinging Bridge has you covered with two dining experiences at its cellar door near Mount Canobolas. For something lighter during the day, the winery offers a tasting of seven wines complemented by a selection of canapés. These are designed by the chef and sommeliers to enhance the flavour and notes of the wine, without the risk of sending you into an afternoon slump. If you decide you are hungry after all, book in for an in-depth tasting and long lunch. The three-hour experience starts with a guided tour of the family-run estate, followed by a five-course lunch and accompanying wines. Indulge with Swinging Bridge is only available at 11am or 1pm on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Heifer Station Heifer Station might not have a restaurant, but it makes up for it with a range of picturesque grazing experiences. The setting varies seasonally — you'll either be sprawled out on the vineyard lawns with your own private picnic in summer or snuggled by the indoor fireplace in winter. Both packages include a glass of sparkling and a tasting flight of Heifer Station's esteemed, single-vineyard wines, along with a gourmet cheese and charcuterie platter. There's also an option that includes an interactive tasting tour before you settle in with your nibbles. Otherwise, you can go big before you go home by adding on a helicopter tour of the estate and Mount Canobolas, followed by a guided wine tasting and a picnic or fireside spread. Plan your trip now to the Orange Region at the Orange360 website. Images: courtesy of Destination NSW and Orange360.
Two decades ago, Bill Nighy won two BAFTAs in the same year for vastly dissimilar roles: for playing a rock 'n' roll singer belting out a cheesy Christmas tune in Love Actually, and also for his turn as a journalist investigating a political scandal in gripping miniseries State of Play. The beloved British actor has achieved plenty more across his career, including collecting an eclectic resume that spans an uncredited turn in Black Books, a pivotal part in Shaun of the Dead, and everything from Underworld and Pride to Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I (plus stepping into David Bowie's shoes in the TV version of The Man Who Fell to Earth). Somehow, though, Nighy made it all the way into his 70s before receiving a single Oscar nomination. He didn't emerge victorious at 2023's ceremony for Living, but his recognition for this textured drama isn't just a case of the Academy rewarding a stellar career — it's thoroughly earned by one of the veteran talent's best performances yet. Nighy comes to this sensitive portrayal of a dutiful company man facing life-changing news with history; so too does the feature itself. Set in London in 1953, it's an adaptation several times over — of iconic Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's 1952 film Ikiru, and of Leo Tolstoy's 1886 novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich, which the former also takes inspiration from. That's quite the lineage for Living to live up to, but Nighy and director Oliver Hermanus (Moffie) are up to the task. The movie's second Oscar-nominee, Nobel Prize-winning screenwriter Kazuo Ishiguro, unsurprisingly is as well. Also the author of The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, he's at home penning layered stories with a deep focus on complicated characters not being completely true to themselves. When those two novels were turned into impressive pictures, Ishiguro didn't script their screenplays, but he writes his way through Living's literary and cinematic pedigree like he was born to. A man of no more words than he has to utter — of no more of anything, including life's pleasures, frivolities, distractions and detours, in fact — Williams (Nighy, Emma.) is a born bureaucrat. Or, that's how he has always appeared to his staff in the Public Works Department in London County Hall, where he's been doing the same job day, week, month and year in and out. He's quiet and stoic as he pushes paper daily, overseeing a department that's newly welcoming in Peter Wakeling (Alex Sharp, The Trial of the Chicago 7). It's through this fresh face's eyes that Living's audience first spies its central figure, adopting his and the wider team's perspective of Williams as a compliant and wooden functionary: a view that the film and its sudden diagnosis then challenges, as Williams does of himself. As Ikiru was as well, and as The Death of Ivan Ilyich's name made so apparent, this is a tale of a man dying — and, while confronting that fact, finally living. In Hermanus and Ishiguro's hands, sticking close to Kurosawa and his collaborators before them, this story gets part of its spark from a simple request by local parents for a playground. Before learning that he has terminal cancer, Williams behaves as he always has, with the women making their plea sent from department to department while he does only as much as he must. Afterwards, grappling with how to capitalise upon the time he has left, he wonders how to leave even the smallest mark on the world. Living isn't about a big, impulsive response to one of the worst developments that anyone can ever be saddled with during their time on this mortal coil, except that it is in Williams' own way; when your reaction to hearing that you have mere months left to live is "quite", any break from routine is radical. This isn't a cancer weepie, not for a second. It also isn't an illness-focused film where someone's health struggles come second to the feelings and changes experienced by those around them. Williams' colleagues notice his absence when he stops showing up to the office, of course. One, the young Margaret Harris (Aimee Lou Wood, Sex Education), accompanies him on unexpected away-from-work outings and advises that she'd nicknamed him 'Mr Zombie'. Living is about those instances — the fancy lunches that Williams treats himself to, the nights out drinking with new pals (Tom Burke, The Wonder) he never would've contemplated before, the flouting of his lifelong monotonous routine, and the efforts to go above and beyond that he's now willing to take — rather than about an ailing man's family and acquaintances facing loss. Indeed, given that Williams doesn't want to interrupt his son (Barney Fishwick, Call the Midwife) and daughter-in-law (Patsy Ferran, Mothering Sunday) with his condition, Living is firmly invested in someone navigating their swansong on their own terms. At the heart of this ruminative film, and Williams' post-diagnosis behaviour, sits one of the most fundamental existential questions there is. Knowing that death is looming so soon and so swiftly, what can possibly provide comfort? That's a query we all face daily, most of us just on a longer timeline — context that makes Williams' way of coping both resonant and highly relatable. Life is filling each moment with anything but reminders that our here and now is fleeting, albeit not in such a conscious and concerted manner. Living's boxed-in imagery, constrained within Academy-ratio frames and gifted a handsome, period-appropriate but almost-wistful sheen by Hermanus' Moffie and Beauty cinematographer Jamie Ramsay (also the director of photography on See How They Run), helps visually express a crucial feeling: of being anchored within a set amount of space and discovering how to make the most of it. When Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, Yojimbo and Ran great Kurosawa stepped through this terrain, he did so with one of his frequent players: Takashi Shimura. There's a particular sense of potency in telling this tale with a familiar figure, as Nighy also is, hammering home how truly universal this plight is no matter the specifics. Nighy's performance toys with what viewers have come to know and expect from him, however. He's in reserved rather than twinkling and instantly charming mode — still, muted and melancholy, too — a facade for his character that says oh-so-much about the dedicated life that Williams has weathered, the solace he's found in it, his handling of his current situation and also the film's post-World War II setting. Conveying the difference between being and relishing so effortlessly and also so heartbreakingly, Nighy is a marvel, and one that the movie around him lives for.
The World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants has handed down its list of the top spots in Australia ahead of its annual global awards in May. And this year, a Sydney favourite has taken out the top spot. The World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants, managed and published by Upper Cut Media House, headquartered in London, launched in 2019. It's Steak Ambassadors work tirelessly across each continent to discover the best quality steaks in the world. The criteria for evaluation include such categories as the selection and quality of meat offered (including the taste, terroir, marbling, preparation, aging process, and breeds), the service and expertise in the product, the description given on the menu, the ambiance of the restaurant, and a curated wine list. Before the global list is revealed, the Steak Ambassadors have unveiled the 30 Best Steak Restaurants in Australia. No surprise to anyone who has kept tabs on the many awards and accolades received in recent years, that Neil Perry's Margaret in Double Bay has taken out the top spot. In fact, Sydney took out the top three spots, with Firedoor coming in second, and Aalia in third. Next up on the list are Agnes in Brisbane, followed by Arkhé in Adelaide. At this point, you might be wondering if the ambassadors made it to Melbourne. But fear not, Steer Dining Room took out sixth place, Victor Churchill eighth, and Gimlet at Cavendish House came in at number 15. Images: Supplied. Feeling carnivorous? Check out the best steak restaurants in Melbourne and the best steak restaurants in Sydney.
Summer in Australia must've treated Kesha well at the beginning of 2025, because she has just confirmed a return visit in 2026. In January, the pop star ventured Down Under for two gigs, playing a House of Kesha show in Sydney and also the Australian Open's music lineup in Melbourne. Next year, she'll be taking to the stage at a series of headline concerts around the country, with stops in four cities confirmed so far. Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth are on the two-time Grammy-nominee's itinerary when she brings The Tits Out tour this way. The gigs are part of the biggest headline run of Kesha's career so far, which kicked off in July 2025 in the US and also has European shows locked in for March 2026. In Australia, Riverstage in the Queensland capital is the singer's first destination, hitting up the venue on Thursday, February 19. She'll also play Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne on Sunday, February 22; Adelaide's AEC Arena on Tuesday, February 24; and Perth HPC on Thursday, February 26. At the time of writing, there's no Sydney gig on the agenda to date — but if you want to start speculating about a Harbour City stop, it's worth noting that Kesha will be in the country during 2026's Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. It's taking place from Friday, February 13–Sunday, March 1, with the parade on Saturday, February 28. No lineup details have been announced as yet. [caption id="attachment_975223" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brendan Walter[/caption] With ten top-ten singles across her career so far, plus six albums under her belt — 2023's Gag Order and 2025's Period among them — Kesha has no shortage of tunes to draw upon live. 'JOYRIDE', 'TiK ToK', 'Only Love Can Save Us Now', 'Your Love Is My Drug', 'Take It Off' and 'We R Who We R' are among the tracks on her current setlist. Kesha is making the trip Down Under in what's already a big month for tours, with February 2026 also welcoming Lorde's Australian shows and seeing G Flip kick off their next national run of gigs. Kesha The Tits Out 2026 Australian Tour Dates Thursday, February 19 — Riverstage, Brisbane Sunday, February 22 — Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne Tuesday, February 24 — AEC Arena, Adelaide Thursday, February 26 — Perth HPC, Perth Kesha is touring Australia in February 2026, with ticket presales from 10am on Tuesday, August 5, 2025 and general sales from 10am on Friday, August 8, 2025 — head to the tour website for more details. Top image: Ryan Bakerink/FilmMagic.
