In Stay of the Week, we explore some of the world's best and most unique accommodations, giving you inspiration for your next trip. In this instalment, we set the compass to regional New South Wales and take a trip to the Hunter Valley for an idyllic countryside escape at Wallaringa Farm. WHAT'S SO SPECIAL? Ever dream of leaving it all behind? Maybe escaping to a nice farm somewhere, surrounded by breathtaking panoramic views of rolling hills and a picturesque countryside backdrop. Spending your evenings relaxing with a glass of wine as you watch the sunset over the horizon, before settling by the fire pit for a romantic evening of star gazing, free from the stress and light pollution of the city. Wallaringa Farm turns this dream into a reality. Located in the heart of the Hunter Valley, this beautifully restored three-bedroom farmhouse seamlessly blends modern comforts with rustic farmhouse charm, making it an ideal destination for families, friends or a romantic escape. Located on 750 acres of a working cattle farm and surrounded by some of the most stunning natural scenery Australia has to offer, the farm exudes tranquillity — perfect for anyone looking to unwind and reconnect with nature. THE ROOMS The spacious rooms are designed with meticulous attention to detail, ensuring a comfortable and cosy stay. The master bedroom features an ensuite, while each room is equipped with comfy bedding — two rooms feature an extra-large double bed, and one room has two bunk beds, while the air-conditioned interior provides respite on warmer days. However, the true highlight is the verandah with its comfortable deck chairs, offering breathtaking sunset views and a perfect spot to sip morning coffee or an evening beer. FOOD AND DRINK One of the best things about the Hunter Valley is its food and wine, so you're in for a treat as Wallaringa Farm is the perfect spot to indulge in local delights. First off, you'll be treated to a complimentary bottle of Boydell's wine upon arrival (perfectly enjoyed on the verandah as the sun sets). A tempting selection of local jams and honey also awaits. The property also includes a fully equipped chef's kitchen, allowing guests to prepare meals using locally sourced produce (or you could just make toast with some of the local jam, we won't judge). And for the times you don't feel like cooking, why not embrace the opportunity to explore the nearby towns of Dungog and Paterson for a taste of delicious Hunter Valley cuisine? THE LOCAL AREA The Hunter Valley is your oyster, and Wallaringa Farm is your perfect base camp to explore… that oyster. Dip your toes (or jump right in) in the Allyn River's cool waters — the hidden oasis of Ladies Well is a particularly nice swimming spot. You'll come out feeling refreshed and revitalised — that water is something special, or perhaps it's just the breathtaking location that makes it feel so, surrounded by large granite boulders and lush rainforest at the foothills of the World Heritage Barrington Tops National Park. For the history buffs out there (or anyone seeking some old town charm), the towns of Dungog and Paterson are a good shout, with their grand colonial buildings and charming markets. So whether you want to explore the beautiful wine region, go for a nice bushwalk, or immerse yourself in the charm of old country pubs, the area surrounding Wallaringa will have something for you. THE EXTRAS Set your out-of-office, pack those bags, leave the city stress behind, and head to Wallaringa Farm for a countryside escape. Aside from its storybook setting and charming farmhouse, Wallaringa Farm stands out with its commitment to nature and adventure. The farm's owners have a genuine love for nature and have crafted a peaceful haven for others to share in this passion, so if relaxing by the rustic fire pit under the starry night sky sounds like your idea of a good time, look no further. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world. Images: Alex Jack Photography
Brisbane is already home to a mini-golf bar, multiple arcade bars, several axe-throwing bars and a digital ping pong bar — and soon it'll welcome a huge new two-storey darts hangout, too. Usually the domain of old-school pubs, the projectile-flinging sport will be the main attraction at Oche Brisbane, though, it'll get a thoroughly 21st-century update. With its OG location in Oslo, Norway, Oche (pronounced ockey) is set to open its first Australian digs in Fortitude Valley on Friday, December 6. It'll feature dart boards that look exactly how you remember — but they'll have an electronic component. Each board comes with dozens of games built in, so you can pick between the knockout-style Killer, high-scoring High Striker and points-accumulating 201, among other options. The boards also keep score, so there's no need for a pencil and paper (and no room for arguments). And, for unknown reasons, some of them will chat to you as well. Setting up shop within the brick walls of the 115-year-old Old Flour Mill Building on Constance Street, Oche's darts sessions run for 85 minutes, and are designed to get patrons to do something that's definitely not common these days: put down your phone. The idea is that you'll head along with your mates, get drinking, throw a heap of darts, and forget about your emails, Insta feed, DMs and the like. (You'll probably keep picking up your phone to take and post snaps, but hey, getting folks to switch off is a noble aim). [caption id="attachment_749136" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Oche Oslo[/caption] Inside the 700-square-metre, heritage-listed spot, Oche will also feature an outdoor terrace, plus two separate bars, with one dedicated to local beverages. It'll spotlight different local breweries, distillers and winemakers each month, starting with Green Beacon in December. Or, you can sip your way through the regular beer and wine list, or opt for cocktails that'll pay tribute to Brisbane. Food-wise, Ben Williamson (Gerard's Bar) is overseeing the menu — and, so you can hurl darts and eat simultaneously, everything will be designed to be eaten with one hand. In fact, Oche won't be stocking cutlery. The food lineup hasn't been revealed, but there is talk of cheesecake on a stick, and vegan and vegetarian options will also feature. Expect to have plenty of company while you're throwing darts at boards for bragging rights — Oche will be able to accommodate 360 people. Once Oche Brisbane is open, the company plans to expand to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide. Find Oche Brisbane at 111 Constance Street, Fortitude Valley, from Friday, December 6.
If you're lucky enough to score tickets to Meredith Music Festival in any year via the event's ballot, one of Australia's best fests awaits no matter the lineup. 2025's roster of acts is characteristically impressive, however. On the bill: TV on the Radio, Atarashii Gakko! and Perfume Genius, for starters, as well as Thee Sacred Souls, Pa Salieu, HAAi, Bar Italia, Colin Hay and Mildlife. And, there's still more where the came from. Folk Bitch Trio, Saya Gray, RONA. and Omar Souleyman are on the lineup, too. So are Dames Brown, Radio Free Alice, Sam Austins RP Boo, Wax'o Paradiso, Florist and Jack J. Add in Drifting Clouds, Dr Sure's Unusual Practice, Central Australian Aboriginal Women's Choir, Mouseatouille, Brown Spirits and Lazy Susan on MC duties, and expect a jam-packed three days across Friday, December 5–Sunday, December 7, 2025. [caption id="attachment_1017125" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Chip Mooney[/caption] How is the fest crew describing this year's event? "One of the best places on earth to spend a weekend, the Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre has been natured and nurtured and then natured again, for the singular purpose of hosting the time of your life," organisers advise. So, expect "a permanent and purpose-built underground wunderland that provides optimal conditions for rarefied reverie", as well as to get "lost in music, lost in one another, for three days and two nights of Sup'ed up saucery". [caption id="attachment_1017126" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sumner Dilworth[/caption] Meredith Music Festival 2025 Lineup TV on the Radio Atarashii Gakko! Perfume Genius Thee Sacred Souls Pa Salieu HAAi Bar Italia Colin Hay Mildlife Folk Bitch Trio Saya Gray RONA. Omar Souleyman Dames Brown Radio Free Alice Sam Austins RP Boo Wax'o Paradiso Florist Jack J Drifting Clouds Dr Sure's Unusual Practice Central Australian Aboriginal Women's Choir Mouseatouille Brown Spirits Lazy Susan Top images: Leah Hulst, Cody Critcheloe.
Life is full of golden moments. An early-morning swim and sipping beers in the afternoon sunshine are some of our favourites. But what comes out on top for us is a long weekend. This April, we're being treated to two long weekends in a row. Luckily, we know a thing or two about making the most of our time out of office. Whether you're seeking luxury experiences in Victoria, a multi-day hike in the wilderness or an excuse to soak up the best of the harbour city, we've got your back. Our mates at Ferrero Rocher love a long weekend, too. So much so that the chocolate company has released a range of Easter treats including creamy hazelnut-filled Ferrero Collection Easter Eggs, an impressive Golden Easter Egg Gift Box and more (ideal for indulging in while on holiday if you ask us). To celebrate our mutual love of a long weekend, we've teamed up with the chocolate connoisseurs to give you a $1000 gift card to spend on a long weekend away. But it doesn't stop there. You'll also receive a stack of delicious chocolate from the Ferrero Rocher Easter range. Egg hunt anyone? If you miss out on the major prize, don't fret. We've also got 29 Ferrero Rocher chocolate prize packs up for grabs. The packs include one grand Ferrero Rocher, a boxed egg, three packs of Easter eggs and one dark chocolate grand Ferrero Rocher. To enter, simply tell us in 25 words or less what your ultimate long weekend looks like. Want to nab one of these incredible prizes? To enter, fill out your details below. [competition]849038[/competition]
The wickedly weird and wild Dark Mofo lineup has been announced for 2023, and culture lovers all over Australia are poised to fight over tickets on Wednesday, April 5. But the most popular events and accommodations in Hobart are expected to book out ASAP — most local hotels tend to be fully booked even before tickets are released. That's why we've gone ahead and reserved a stack of rooms for those who book our totally unique Dark Mofo travel package, only available through Concrete Playground Trips. We'll put guests up in Hobart for two nights — with brekkie included — while throwing in a bunch of tickets to events. [caption id="attachment_895365" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dark Mofo/Rosie Hastie, 2021. Image Courtesy Dark Mofo, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.[/caption] First off, you'll get access to the Winter Feast — a food-, art- and music-filled winter solstice celebration. Gather around the fire pits and long communal tables, grabbing drinks and food from local vendors while checking out live music, art installations and roaming theatrical performances. We've also organised your tickets to one of Dark Mofo's late-night parties, better known as Night Mass. While just about anything can happen here, you can expect debaucherous art experiences and an epic lineup of musical performances and DJ sets that'll keep you dancing into the wee hours. These infamous parties sell out really quickly, so thank us later for your entry being sorted already. [caption id="attachment_854707" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dark Mofo's In the Hanging Garden[/caption] And to keep you busy during one of the afternoons, we have organised your entry to Mona itself. Arrive in style, via the ferry's Posh Pit and explore the gallery's eccentric exhibitions. This package hits most of the best bits of Dark Mofo, giving you the ultimate Hobart getaway without the need to do heaps of planning and separate bookings. It's also a bargain, coming in at just under $600 per person. [caption id="attachment_895370" align="alignnone" width="1921"] Winter Feast, Dark Mofo 2022. Photo credit: Rémi Chauvin, 2022[/caption] Head to Concrete Playground Trips to book one of the exclusive (and strictly limited) Dark Mofo travel packages. Top image: Jesse Hunniford (Winter Feast, Dark Mofo 2021)
Upon returning from a winter escape to sunny Vietnam, my response to the obligatory "how was it?" was consistent in message, and in enthusiasm. "THE FOOD! Oh my God!", pretty much sums it up. Most surprising was just how regional the cuisine is and how it can differ from the north to the south, east to the west. Of course, if you go along looking for pho, spring rolls and banh mi, you will indeed find — and no doubt enjoy — them everywhere. However, if you open your eyes and mind a little wider, you'll discover each region has a set of specialties, and an approach to food that differs slightly from everywhere else. What does consistently run through the entire country is a commitment to freshness and flavour; fragrant fresh herbs liven even the simplest of meals, and local dishes are borne from what's available to be caught from the sea or picked from the ground. In one reasonably short trip you can experience vast differences in not only the food, but also in the scenes and 'scapes. From city madness — which mostly entails throngs of scooters careering around the roads and tourists closing their eyes and hoping for the best when crossing the street — to beautiful beaches, and mountain peaks to rice fields in the valley. Here are a few highlights to be discovered with eyes, mind and mouth wide open. HANOI Hanoi in the north is the country's capital, and yet seems a touch more modest and visitor-friendly than Ho Chi Minh (Saigon). The traffic system will leave you aghast for the first day, and after that you must embrace it, roll with it and trust in the controlled chaos of the road when you close your eyes and run towards the other side. Taking the city on foot will let you discover hidden laneways, a hint of French architecture, buzzing street food stalls, plenty of cheap fake goods for sale, and a snippet of local life. The Old Quarter and area around Hoan Kiem Lake is the perfect base to explore the city. Hit the lake early one morning to get a glimpse of what keeps the locals so happy, healthy and vibrant: plenty of Tai Chi, stretching, breathing and all manner of interesting morning rituals. HANOI FOODNOTE Here it seems nearly all to do with rice noodles and soup (yes, you will find pho aplenty in Hanoi). One of the local specialties here is bun bo nam bo — which is not only delicious, but incredibly fun to pronounce. This is a beef noodle dish of vermicelli, barbecued beef strips, a tasty stock sauce, chopped peanuts and lashing of fresh herbs on top. At Bun Bo Nam Bo (67 Hang Dieu – be careful of imitators who have popped up nearby), you need only to walk in and tell them how many serves and you will be presented with a bowl of this tasty meal for all of about $2.50. Similar local options include bun cha (pork and noodles) and bun ca (crispy fish and noodles, this time served in a soup), while cha ca is a slightly different local treat – barbequed fish with chilli and lemongrass, served with dry rice paper, fresh salad and peanuts, and a dipping sauce all to be wrapped, dunked and downed. An unsung hero of Hanoi cuisine, cha ca will prove its worth if you seek it out. MAI CHAU Mai Chau lies about four hours south-west of Hanoi and is home to a White Thai community of people. There are small villages that can be reached by wandering through the rice fields (among the song of frogs, geese and cows), where you'll find homestay options, stalls selling woven scarves, bags and clothing, and even a few traditional looms on display or in use. It's a beautiful change from the city and a real taste of rural life. If you stay at Mai Chau Lodge, there are plenty of activities to book, such as walking tours with local guides, cave explorations, market trips and cooking classes. MAI CHAU FOODNOTE Because this area is inhabited by White Thai people, the food is highly varied and pulls strong influences from Chinese and Thai cuisines. So while dishes such as tom ka ghai and fried noodles might have you wondering if you've strayed from traditional Vietnamese cuisine, just think of how little you worried about the 'Frenchness' of that banh mi baguette. The cuisine here holds a very interesting identity, and that is precisely thanks to the different influences. Of course, being in the rice fields, the ubiquitous white grain features heavily, and is served with pretty much everything. As are the flavours of lemongrass, lime, garlic, chilli and salt. And, somewhat surprisingly, sweet potatoes that are grown in the fields and sold at the local markets in abundance. HOI AN Hoi An in central Vietnam is a quaint little delight of a town that seems highly geared towards tourism, yet still retains some element of small-town charm. Lanterns hang outside the shops and the old town's cobbled streets are filled with wanderers of the non-motorised variety, in very European fashion. Don't be overwhelmed by all the clothes tailors and shoemakers. Save time and energy and head straight to Miss Forget-Me-Not (37 Phan Chu Trinh Street) for clothes and shoes, and Tu Chi (24 Phan Boi Chau Street) for bags — they come highly recommended by many travellers, including this writer. Then find respite from it all at An Bang Beach, about four kilometres out of town. My recommendation is to base yourself out there, in one of the few homestay properties (there are no hotels, per se, but Beach Hideaway and Seaside Village both offer glorious villa-style cottages), and cycle into town when the days calls for dining or shopping. For the other times, the beach provides long stretches of white sand dotted with traditional fishing coracles, warm calm water to float about in, and a stretch of bars and restaurants with shaded beach lounges for their customers. Watch the local families descend on the beach as the sun recedes — they bring tables, chairs, big pots of rice and grilled meats, make a fire and settle in for an evening on the sand. It's quite a sight. HOI AN FOODNOTE Perhaps the jewel in Hoi An's food crown is cao lau, a traditional dish of noodles made using water from the well to give them a heavier, chewier texture. These noodles are sandwiched between rich, salty stock at the bottom and grilled pork and fresh leaves on top. It's served at breakfast time (although you can find it any time of the day) and is a surprisingly great way to start the day of eating. Other treats specific to Hoi An include white rose (rice paper dumplings filled with minced prawns) and com ga, shredded chicken with yellow rice. Of course, being by the sea, fresh seafood also features heavily. Ordering the fish special often means whatever the local fishermen have brought back in their coracles that morning, so you can guarantee it will be fresh, and local. Beyond all that, wherever you are in Vietnam, remember to wear sunscreen, cross the road with bravery, barter with a smile, look for regional specialties and try ca phe sua da (Vietnamese iced coffee) at least once, if not daily. Photography by Greg George and Julia Gaw.
If furniture could talk, the couch from Friends would have plenty to say. For a decade up until 2004, the orange-hued lounge played a pivotal part on everyone's favourite 90s sitcom, as Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe whiled away the hours in Central Perk, reclined upon the sofa's comfortable-looking cushions, drank copious amounts of coffee and nattered non-stop about their lives. As far as on-screen seats go, it's up there with the most famous. And, almost two decades since the show went off the air, it's coming to Australia. The Friends Experience is bringing that bright-coloured sofa Down Under, finally hitting our shores after stops in New York City, Long Beach, Detroit, Birmingham and Brussels. This isn't the actual couch that Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer plonked their butts on for ten seasons, but it is a replica — as is much at The Friends Experience. That includes a version of Central Perk itself, as well as the fountain, Monica's kitchen, and Chandler and Joey's recliners. Why? Nostalgia and all those snaps everyone is going to take, obviously. Keen to sit where your TV besties once did (or on a settee that resembles the one they sat on, to be precise)? Then you can do just that from Friday, September 1 at The District Docklands in Melbourne, where The Friends Experience will make its Aussie debut. We can't promise that the sofa will always be empty, like it magically was whenever Monica, Rachel and the gang wanted to grab a caffeine hit, but you will be able to see and touch the replica either way. Yes, a version of the couch has done the rounds Down Under before, but that's not going to stop Friends diehards from heading along. Also, this is an official dive into the Friends world, complete not just with set recreations, but costumes and props, plus a gift shop filled with merchandise if you need a souvenir. There's no word yet if The Friends Experience will tour to other Australian cities, but cross your fingers — and get whichever five folks you'd like to hang out with at Central Perk to as well. Could you all be any more excited? The Friends Experience hits The District Docklands Level 1, Corner Star Crescent and Studio Lane, Docklands, Melbourne from Friday, September 1, with tickets on sale from 10am on Thursday, July 27 — join the waitlist now. Images: Original X Productions.
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.
Immersive and Instagrammable art has been all the rage in Australia for a few years now. Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Room has taken up permanent residence in Canberra, Sugar Republic's "dessert museum" keeps popping up, both multi-sensory playground Imaginaria and Van Gogh Alive have been touring the country in 2021, and Melbourne now has its own permanent digital art museum. And, after first hitting our shores in Sydney in 2020, Happy Place is about to jump back on the must-photograph list. Dubbed the "world's most Instagrammable exhibit", the multi-room installation had already travelled across the US and Canada before its first Aussie stop, and now it's heading to Crown Melbourne from Thursday, December 2–Sunday, January 30. Once inside the exhibition, you'll find many OTT rooms to explore, including a rubber ducky bathtub room, a cookie room that actually smells like freshly baked cookies, a room filled with 40,000 golden handmade flowers and a giant rainbow with a golden ball pit (no leprechauns though, sorry). If that doesn't have you reaching for your smartphone, there's also a mind-bending upside-down room and the "world's largest indoor confetti dome". When it was on display in the northern hemisphere, more than one million snap-happy folks visited Happy Place — including, supposedly, celebs such as Adele, Hilary Duff, Kerry Washington, Olivia Wilde and Sarah Michelle Gellar — and we're guessing it's going to be equally popular during its return Down Under. While the exhibition is "on a mission to spread happiness around the world", thankfully it isn't actually like The Good Place. Obviously, it's likely to sell out — and fast. Happy Place will be operating under COVID-safe guidelines in Melbourne, which means that all patrons over the age of 16 will need to be double-vaccinated — and there'll be contact tracing in effect, as well as increased sanitisation measures. Find Happy Place at Crown Melbourne, Level 1 Metropol Precinct, 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank from Thursday, December 2–Sunday, January 30. Adult tickets start at $24.99 and are on sale now.
You may have caught Zoe Coombs Marr on ABC2's Dirty Laundry Live or in post's bloody riff on death scenes, Oedipus Schmoedipus. Separate to her work with post, Coombs Marr's thing tends to be the timely topic of gender, and bending it. The "awkward sapphic high priestess of cool" (that's a description worth milking) confirms she's been dressing up as a dude (intermittently) all her life — like when she skipped schoolies to put on a drag musical. She's also won a Phillip Parsons Playwright Award and FBi SMAC Best on Stage in her time, which is pretty much as close as you get to having a quality guarantee. Catch her in Dave this week at Sydney's 107 Projects. There are lots of comedians named Dave, but none are quite like this one. Or maybe they all are. Ahead of the show, Zoe gave us the lowdown on dressing in drag (just like Anne Hathaway, Kristen Stewart and Brie Larsen have been perfecting). START EARLY Drag is a skill like any other. Just like violin, tennis, and passive aggression, the earlier you start, the more honed it'll be! Due to a natural aptitude*, I was lucky enough to get a headstart in childhood and the evidence is strewn through our family photo albums. While my sisters played it safe, as fairies, princesses and fairy princesses, I used these formative years to progress from standard beginner 'genie' 'magician' and 'groom' (to my sister), into more challenging impersonations of The BFG and The Hunchback of Notre Dame before graduating to experimental drag looks including 'Box of Sultanas with a moustache' and 'Tim Shore from the Demtel infomercials, but dead'. If you feel the chance has passed you by, why not take a leaf out of the Dance Moms handbook and live vicariously through your kids? This is particularly easy as all babies look like genderless potatoes. You can easily confuse everyone with the simplest acts, like dressing little Sally in blue or adorning baby Jake's head with one of those weird elastic bows that anxious heteros put on their bald infant girls to make sure that no one mistakes her for a boy. *lesbianism Images: Zoe's baby drag looks. BREASTS See also: Boozies, boobs, melons, honkers, jugs, bazookas, norks… I could go on. Once you move out of your genderless potato phase you're going to have to deal with these guys. If you're Hilary Swank or Gwyneth Paltrow, you'll just need a single crepe bandage, or to stand facing into a strong breeze. If you've got big knockers, like me, you'll probably try a number of uncomfortable and complicated methods involving: Tape - Gaffa tape can work in a pinch, but you need to wear a shirt under it and the shirt will be ruined. Bandages - Don't really work, because they either (a) move apart, creating a 'sausage coming out of its casing' effect or (b) crush your ribs, restrict your breathing and make you feel a little panicky. This is my theory as to why Gwyneth got so emotional at the Oscars. Sports bras - One forward, one back. never worked for me. Thanks for nothing wikihow. Glad wrap - Which works so well at first. Until the sweat comes… and more sweat… and then the rash. And other household items. Then, after all of the sore ribs, bruises, breathlessness and rashes, you'll give in and buy a binder online. Why didn't you do this ages ago, you idiot? And a tip: You will need a helper. As awkward as this may seem, it is nowhere near as awkward as trying to do this on your own in a dressing room. Especially if, like me, you tend to do this at all-male comedy nights where the dressing room is just a small gap behind a curtain next to the pub’s coolroom. FACIAL HAIR You have a couple of options here. If you’re planning on maintaining some sort of attractive aesthetic, or getting laid after your gig, you can just google 'Drag King Makeup' and follow their tips to creating a sexy contoured look. Think sharp edged eyebrows and pencil thin sculptured beards (aka "chinstrap" or "douche beard") that will make you look like a member of Backstreet Boys, circa 1998. However, I personally prefer to take the less popular route and glue hair clippings to my face, giving the effect of a lolly that's fallen on the floor. Glue them on with spirit glue. (Don’t make my mistakes. Remember water-soluble is easiest to get off unless you have the removal fluid. I once had to wash my face with nail polish remover.) You can source the clippings from a friend, partner, pet, or your own ponytail. The darker and coarser the better. Secretly I’ve always thought that pubic hair would be the best route, but have never been game enough to try. We all have to draw the line somewhere. Actually, now that I think of it, an actual beard would be the best, so if you know any hipster dudes whose Newtown microbrewery has failed and they have to shave to get a job in a bank, let me know. HEAD HAIR This is easy. If you have short hair, you're set! If you have long hair, you're also set: just sweep it into a low pony and you'll look like you work at Harvey Norman and sell stolen microphones on the side. Done. GENITALIA So now that you're covered in tape and hair, you'll need a penis too. I read somewhere that a small plastic bag of birdseed in the undies makes a great prosthe-dick. Or you can just go the tried and tested rolled-up sock route, which is what I do. Mainly because I generally forget this step until the last minute and as a result I perform about half my shows in only one sock. But whatever you use, you'll be tempted to make it too big. Rookie mistake. Hold back! One sock is fine. In fact, I like to imagine that Dave's penis is slightly smaller than average. The lack of confidence has to be made up in bravado and results in a far more realistic performance. After all that just whack on a graphic tee, a flannie, a pair of Rip Curl jeans and off you go. Remember, your guy is complex, if beer ads are anything to go by, he could be into football or cricket or larrikinism. Dave is on July 25-26 at 107 Projects before heading to Edinburgh. More info here.
For the past 13 years, Qantas cabin crew have been dressed in Martin Grant's creations — French navy wool suits with a ruby-red vent, bold striped dresses and statement trilby hats — at airports worldwide. Now, Ballarat-born designer Rebecca Vallance is preparing to give Australia's flagship carrier a fresh look. Best known for her luxury cocktail pieces, Vallance started her namesake label in 2011 and debuted at New York Fashion Week in 2014. Since then, her collections have expanded to include categories like workwear and denim. This isn't Vallance's first collaboration with Qantas either — she's designed the business-class pyjamas for Qantas' recently-launched Project Sunrise direct flights to New York, a jersey-style navy set incorporating the airline's iconic kangaroo logo, a geometric heart motif and flight numbers QF3 and QF4. As the eponymous label grows globally — it's set to launch a modest clothing capsule in December with the Middle East market in mind — outfitting Qantas' 17,500-plus employees is just the lift-off it needs. The airline's employees are part of the design process, too. In January, it conducted a company-wide survey on the wearability of the current uniform, and the feedback will inform the redesign's fabric choices, fit and more. The project will also mark Vallance's first foray into menswear, and she's approaching it with practicality in mind. "I've been deep-diving into the staff — how they move, what they need. It's not like designing a normal collection. These garments have to withstand bending, lifting bags, and long flights," Vallance says in an interview with Vogue Australia. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Qantas (@qantas) Line up all ten of Qantas' past uniforms and you'd have a museum-worthy exhibition, with designs from fashion luminaries including Yves Saint Laurent and Emilio Pucci. Vallance hopes to carry on that legacy, this time with an emphasis on sustainability. She's exploring low-impact materials and ways to repurpose the uniforms when they reach their end of life. "Martin Grant did such a fantastic job with the current uniform, and I want to build on that. There have been incredible designers before me, who made iconic uniforms for their time period, so I hope to do the same thing, and that my uniform will last just as long when it's done, for the next 10 to 15 years, at least," she tells Vogue Australia. The new Qantas uniforms will be rolled out in 2027. Images: Qantas
Brisbanites, prepare for your next hotel getaway — but don't expect to travel very far. Come March 2018, the CBD will welcome its first new luxury hotel in decades, W Brisbane. A five-star establishment on the northern side of the river, it's the type of place that screams 'staycation'. Views beyond South Bank and Mt Coot-tha from each of its rooms, three dining and drinking venues, a lounge-style lobby that boasts a DJ booth by night: they're all part of the W Brisbane experience. In-room cocktail bars, free Netflix, a barbecue-lined poolside area and 1,100 square meters of function space are as well. Taking over the spot at 300 George Street that previously housed the city's supreme courts, and forming part of the new Brisbane Quarter development, the hotel won't be lacking in lush facilities, amenities or reasons to drop by. Those staying the night can pick from 280 standard rooms, 28 suites, two extra-luxe spaces they've dubbed "wow" suites and one "extreme wow" offering — all decked out with custom-designed furniture inspired by the state's history. If that's not blissful enough, guests can also head downstairs to the spa, which features a hair and nail salon, vitality pools, relaxation pods and rejuvenating salt inhalation chambers. W Hotels is owned by Marriott International. New hotels are also planned for Sydney in 2019 and Melbourne in 2020. As for the rest of Brisbane Quarter, it's slated to include an office tower, apartments and two levels of retail too. Find W Brisbane at 300 George Street, Brisbane from March 2018. For more information, or to make a reservation from November 2017, visit the hotel website.
UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 20, 2019 — RNB Fridays has this morning unveiled its mystery act for this year's throwback tour: Brandy. The chart-topping R&B singer will be belting out 90s and 00s hits such as 'Never Say Never', 'Wanna Be Down' and, of course, 'The Boy Is Mine'. So, don't try and hesitate and snap up tickets before it's too late. Put down your So Fresh CD. Crack open your teenage piggy bank. Keep practising your Janet Jackson shimmy. Because a full-blown R&B frenzy is set to sweep the nation this November as live party tour RNB Fridays returns for five mammoth shows. Descending on stadiums in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth between November 8 and 16 (not all on Fridays, mind you), the event has managed to pull a pretty serious lineup of international music legends straight from the 90s and early 2000s. Last year, the event saw tens of thousands of people snap up tickets to see Usher, Salt-N-Pepa and T-Pain. Heading the bill this time around is none other than singing, songwriting, dancing royalty Janet Jackson, in what will be the 30th anniversary of her award-winning album Rhythm Nation. Expect to hear bangers such as 'That's The Way Love Goes' and 'Got 'Til It's Gone'. She'll be joined by Grammy Award-winning group The Black Eyed Peas, 'In da Club' rapper 50 Cent, plus Jason Derulo, Keri Hilson, J-Kwon, Fatman Scoop and Sisqo — who will be performing his 90s smash hit 'Thong Song'. All of them. Together. In one show. RNB FRIDAYS 2019 LINEUP Janet Jackson The Black Eyes Peas 50 Cent Jason Derulo Keri Hilson Sisqo J-Kwon Hosted by Fatman Scoop Brandy RNB FRIDAYS 2019 DATES Perth — HBF Park, Friday, November 8 Melbourne — Marvel Stadium, Saturday, November 9 Adelaide — Adelaide Showground, Sunday, November 10 Brisbane — Brisbane Showgrounds, Friday, November 15 Sydney — Giants Stadium, Saturday, November 16 RnB Fridays Live 2019 pre-sale tickets are up for grabs from Monday, August 12 with general admission on sale from August 19. Image: Janet Jackson 2015 Unbreakable Tour via WikiCommons, RNB Fridays by Mushroom Creative House.
Isabella Rossellini is coming to Australia, dressed as a praying mantis and talking about sex. Set to perform her critically acclaimed, one-woman comedy show Green Porno, Rossellini will hit Australian shores in March next year — touring Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and the Adelaide Festival, with her hilarious take on the fascinating sexual habits of land and marine animals. The playful stage show, based upon Rossellini's short film series and subsequent book of the same name kookily exploring mating in the natural world, will first premier in Los Angeles this November. The screen icon — who is currently studying animal behaviour at Hunter College in New York — says that she's always been interested in animal behaviour: "...and I certainly know a lot of people that are interested I sex. So here you have the three elements that make the core concept of Green Porn." The show first originated in 2008, when Robert Redford asked the Italian actress to create short, environmental films for his Sundance TV Channel. Rossellini then wrote the stage production, alongside Jean-Claude Carrier —well-known author, actor, opera librettist and director. Expect a mix of live performance along with some of Rossellini's short films. The actress dresses up in a variety of ridiculous insect and sea-creature costumes, while providing a storyline that is completely scientifically accurate. Provocative, unusual and hilarious, Green Porno will headline the Adelaide Festival on March 15 & 16, then travel to Perth on March 19, Sydney on March 22 and Brisbane on March 24. Short stories about sex and animals — who would want to miss it? Tour dates Adelaide Festival: Her Majesty's Theatre, March 15-16. Tickets from adelaidefestival.com.au Perth: Perth Concert Hall, March 19. Tickets from ticketek.com.au Sydney: City Recital Hall, Angel Place, March 22. Tickets from cityrecitalhall.com or Ticketmaster. Brisbane: Brisbane Concert Hall, March 24. Tickets from qpac.com.au. Update (December 6): Rossellini has added an extra date to her tour — Melbourne. She'll be presenting Green Porno at the Playhouse, Arts Centre, on Wednesday, March 26. https://youtube.com/watch?v=BckqviVaWl0
Everyone loves a trip to the flicks — but if you're only heading to the pictures to check out the latest releases, you're missing out on half the fun. Seeing a classic film in a cinema isn't just an indulgence of avid movie buffs looking to climb off their couches, but a way to relive your love of your favourite big screen fare, discover something old to most but new to you, or both. Indeed, Brisbane is booming with retro programs that celebrate the hits from times gone by, and showcase the otherwise under-seen and under-appreciated. Check out these nine places for your trip down cinema memory lane — or to finally see a beloved classic the way it is meant to be seen: on as large a screen as possible, in the dark, with no distractions. GOMA's AUSTRALIAN CINÉMATHÈQUE If there's one place anyone with even a passing interest in film should flock to, it's the Australian Cinémathèque at the Gallery of Modern Art. When it comes to interesting and diverse cinema programs curated to expand audience horizons, no one does it better. In the nearly nine years since GOMA first opened, their two screens have examined American horror films, monsters in the movies, the wild days of pre-code Hollywood cinema and the wonders of cult Japanese filmmaking — and that's just a taste of their past and present lineups. Their slates tend to alternate between thematic collections of more mainstream fare and avant-garde, experimental and auteurist spotlights, so there really is something for everyone. PALACE CENTRO If you like the hustle and bustle of film festivals, you're probably quite accustomed to going to Palace Centro to devour movies from around the world. If you also like retro cinema wonders, you best get used to calling the James Street mainstay your second home. Their long-running Vintage Centro program keeps going from strength to strength, highlighting the kind of classics that you've either seen plenty of times (Blade Runner and Monty Python's the Life of Brian for example), or really should've (such as Nashville and Picnic at Hanging Rock). There's also usually more than one lineup of older fare gracing their screens, whether fashion on film or cult classics are your thing. Yes, that's their two latest — and maybe greatest — programs. Image: Kgbo. KRISTIAN FLETCHER Sometimes, you'll find all the retro film fun you're after under one roof. Sometimes, you'll find it all in one great movie mind, and then unfurled across a raft of venues. The latter is the case with Kristian Fletcher's focus on all things cult, which often pop up at the Schonell and the New Globe theatres. From The Toxic Avenger to Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and Labyrinth to Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the weird and wonderful are his forte, as well as the all-round awesome. If you've thrown spoons at The Room or sung along to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, chances are you've been at one of his screenings. CINE-RETRO FILM SOCIETY Want to not only celebrate classic films, but enjoy them the way they're meant to be screened? Then the Cine-Retro Film Society is the place for you — aka Brisbane's only organisation dedicated to fostering an appreciation of pre-1960 British and American cinema. Their film nights, usually held monthly at the Old Museum, include an introduction, a reel of shorts before the feature, and project vintage prints from the National Film and Sound Archive Collection on 35mm and 16mm. Whether you're a member or you're heading along to one of Cine-Retro's showcase general admission sessions, you'll feel like you've stepped back in time. NEW FARM CINEMAS Since bursting on to Brisbane's cinema scene just one year ago — or returning an old venue to its former glory and then some, more accurately — New Farm Cinemas has proven full of surprises. Screening new releases is their bread and butter, but they've also hosted a brand-new film festival, opened up their foyer to artisan markets, and broadened their movie horizons to include a celebration of Italian cinema during Italian week as well as the Queensland premiere of The Human Centipede 3. Nestled amongst this eclectic mix are one-off sessions of older fare as part of their Flashback Films program, and partnerships with other film-loving entities, such as the Friday Fright Night series with Monster Films. Basically, expect the unexpected — unless you're talking about their movie-themed pizza menu, which is always clever and delicious. EVENT MYER CENTRE Because every mainstream movie house dallies with the retro side of cinema these days, Event Myer Centre in the Brisbane CBD has also gotten in on the action. The top-level theatre is calling their In the House program a cult film festival; however here's hoping popularity will make it a permanent fixture. Flicks to see before you die is their angle, spanning the best of James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, Jim Henson, John Landis, Quentin Tarantino and more. If you've never seen Jaws, An American Werewolf in London or Pulp Fiction on a big screen, here's your opportunity. BRISBANE LIBRARIES The days of libraries serving up literature, learning and little else are long gone. The days of books and computers sharing the spotlight with events and film screenings: they're the days we're currently enjoying. Across the city, many a Council-run establishment also boasts a movie contingent, although the programming can be intermittent. Family fare such as James and the Giant Peach often features during school holidays, while beloved golden oldies like The Wizard of Oz also pop up frequently. For those looking for challenging and often-unseen film content as well as classics, the stellar queer film nights are must-attend events, alternating fortnightly between New Farm and West End. MOONLIGHT CINEMA When it comes to cinema under the stars during summer, you can't go past Moonlight Cinema. For many a year, they've hung their giant screen from Brisbane Powerhouse's stores building on the edge of New Farm Park, and welcomed many a patron onto their bean bags. Two things make their program stand out: sneak peeks of new movies yet to reach the multiplexes, and an array of celluloid treasures everyone has some affection for. Sure, you've probably seen Dirty Dancing, Top Gun and Breakfast at Tiffany's there before; however one of the things that makes each a favourite is that they're endlessly rewatchable. OPENAIR CINEMAS Who doesn't want to watch movies by the riverside, particularly when the weather starts to warm up? Come October and November, OpenAir Cinemas allows Brisbanites to do just that when their national roadshow sets up shop at South Bank. What each year's lineup offers is a mystery until a month or so out, though we all know that new and old flicks will happily mingle. A number of the classics that grace other venue's bills always feature — but there's just something special about seeing a movie while relaxing on a deck chair and eating your own picnic dinner.
The Great Barrier Reef is high on many family bucket lists and this adventure at the UNESCO World Heritage-listed site makes it all the more accessible. For an entirely unique experience, give the gift of a day with reef tour operators Great Adventures with an underwater scooter adventure. It's the perfect option for less confident swimmers (as no swimming is actually involved). They'll be sitting comfortably with their head and shoulders safely enclosed in an astronaut-like dome supplying airflow and 180-degree sight lines while they cruise the reef. This experience is an optional tour extra ($175 for over 12s) on top of the snorkelling, underwater observatory viewing and catering that a standard tour ticket supplies. Image: Great Adventures
If you’re not a regular of The Tiller, it’s because you don’t live anywhere near Newmarket train station. If you did, you’d be there every morning. Staff (who are lovely) operate out of a battered old orange storage container, serving up cups of liquid gold. Chemex, AeroPress and cold drip methods are used, as are single origin coffees and a variety of ethically sourced blends; however, if you want the best of The Tiller’s coffee experience, we recommend the house espresso blend. Courtesy of Wolff Coffee Roasters, Three Mile Scrub (Newmarket’s former name) is smooth and rounded, a definite crowd-pleaser. Tiller Coffee has a stated commitment to sustainability, and therefore their house blend is often tweaked according to seasonality and availability. Buzzwords like ‘sustainable’, ‘seasonal’, ‘ethical’ and ‘local’ are tossed around these days, but The Tiller appears to follow through. This is particularly evident in the number of local small businesses to feature on their menu. Their traditional kettle boiled bagels ($12) are sourced from The Bagel Boys, their bread and croissants are freshly baked daily by Crust & Co and their relishes and jams are made by Taringa’s Love and Provisions. An assortment of goodies is also available for takeaway, including canisters of Mörk hot chocolate mix and handmade chocolate from Bahen & Co. The food offerings are few, but that’s because there is no padding or filler; the menu is thoughtfully curated to serve the atmosphere and ethos of the cafe and, of course, the coffee. That said, though some other brew bars’ non-coffee options can seem a bit perfunctory, The Tiller really comes through for the non-coffee drinker. In addition to looseleaf teas, they serve up Mörk hot chocolate ($4) and ginger chocolate milkshakes ($6). A brew bar housed in a shipping container with upturned zabuton-topped plastic crates for seating and tree stumps for tables might sound like something of a hipster cliche to the more cynical among us, but rest assured that The Tiller is as much substance as style. A unique establishment, they successfully exercise their philosophy, and come off as sincere in their commitment to coffee and community.
When the fuel light starts glowing, it's easy to pull into the nearest service station and pay the corresponding (and hardly cheap) price. No one likes forking out big bucks for petrol, though, which is why it's always such a huge talking point. No matter what you're driving, when it comes to the pump, every motorist loves a bargain. Opening its first retail outlet, Queensland-based company Mega Fuels is doing its best to entice car owners to Rocklea on Saturday, July 20 by giving everyone what they want: heavily discounted petrol. If you race on in between 9am–12pm, you'll be able to fill up your tank with unleaded for 99 cents per litre. There'll also be discounted premium diesel, should that get your engine running. If you fancy a snack while you're in the city's western suburbs, the new Ipswich Road spot will also be putting on a free barbecue. If hardware and sausages can go hand-in-hand, then servos and and barbies can too. And, for dedicated car fans — as opposed to just cheap petrol fans — Supercars champion James Courtney will be onsite, complete with a show car and other race cars.
If you didn't see The Fall Guy, Twisters, Deadpool & Wolverine, Challengers, Inside Out 2, The Wild Robot or It Ends with Us on the big screen already in 2024, here's the perfect way to catch up with them: under the stars, while sprawled out on a picnic blanket or sat on a bean bed, at the latest season of Moonlight Cinema. And if watching Christmas films is one of your festive traditions, here's a scenic way to do that, too, with this annual opportunity to enjoy a movie outside packing its just-dropped first lineup for this year with seasonal flicks. As it does every summer, Moonlight Cinema is returning for another run of films in the open air, including at Brisbane's Roma Street Parklands from Thursday, November 21, 2024–Sunday, February 16, 2025. Among the brand-new titles, Gladiator II and Wicked are also on the bill, as are an advanced screening of the Hugh Grant (Unfrosted)-starring horror film Heretic. When Paddington in Peru gets the same treatment, you'll want marmalade sandwiches in your picnic basket. The OG version of Mean Girls will grace Moonlight Cinema's screens, too, as will 2023's smash-hit Barbie. For a merry time at the movies — a jolly one as well — the roster of Christmas fare spans the new Red One, as well as classics Elf, Love Actually, The Holiday, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Come January, A Complete Unknown has your Timothée Chalamet (Dune: Part Two) fix covered and the OG Freaky Friday will give you a blast from the past before the sequel arrives later in 2025. Plus, We Live in Time, Heretic and Mufasa: The Lion King will also play under the stars. Other highlights include Gladiator II, Moana 2, Paddington in Peru and Sonic the Hedgehog 3, giving franchises plenty of love; Better Man joining the music-fuelled picks; the Jesse Eisenberg (Sasquatch Sunset)-starring, -written and -directed A Real Pain; and Conclave's tension in the Vatican. Among the retro fare, Bridget Jones's Diary, Shrek and The Princess Diaries will get you looking backwards. As always, the films and the setting are just two parts of the cinema's experience. Also on offer: the returning Aperol spritz bar. Nosh-wise, the event will again let you BYO movie snacks and drinks (not booze, though), but the unorganised can enjoy a plethora of bites to eat onsite while reclining on bean beds. There'll also be two VIP sections for an extra-luxe openair movie experience and a beauty cart handing out samples. Plus, dogs are welcome — there's even special doggo bean beds. Updated: December 12, 2024.
If there's a question that no employee wants to hear from the person setting company agendas, pulling strings and signing paycheques, it's "what do we do?". In The Consultant, Regus Patoff (Christoph Waltz, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio) asks a variation of it early — "what do we make?" he queries at CompWare after he arrives amid grim circumstances. The mobile gaming outfit came to fame under wunderkind Sang (TV first-timer Brian Yoon), so much so that school groups tour the firm's office. Then, during the visit that opens this eight-part Prime Video thriller, a kid shoots and kills the company's founder. That doesn't stop Regus from showing up afterwards clutching a signed contract from Sang and spouting a mandate to do whatever it takes to maximise his legacy. Regus is as stern yet eccentric as Waltz has become known for — a suit- and tie-wearing kindred spirit to Inglourious Basterds' Hans Landa, plus Spectre and No Time to Die's Ernst Stavro Blofield. He first darkens CompWare's door in the thick of night, when only ambitious assistant Elaine Hayman (Brittany O'Grady, The White Lotus) and stoner coder Craig Horne (Nat Wolff, Joe vs Carole) are onsite, and he won't take no for an answer. There's no consultant job for him to have, Elaine tells him. There's no business to whip into shape, she stresses. By the next morning, he's corralling employees for an all-hands meeting and telling remote workers they'll be fired if they don't show up in-person within an hour, even if he proudly doesn't know what CompWare does — or care. Giving the small screen its latest moody and mysterious workplace nightmare, The Consultant adapts horror author Bentley Little's 2016 novel of the same name, but plays like Severance filtered through Servant. Similarities with the former come with the setting, tone and keep-'em-guessing setup, while commonalities with the latter arise from sharing creator Tony Basgallop. Both series kick off with a blow-in, unsettle a group already coping with tragedy and reorder their status quo with severe methods. Both lace the chaos that follows with nods towards the supernatural, and both ask what bargains we're willing to make — or not — to live the lives we're striving for. The Consultant hinges upon two ideas: the disdain all workers have for head honchos who slash and restructure without knowing the daily grind, bothering to understand it or even pretending to get to know their staff; and the lengths someone might be willing to go to, including what they may accept and overlook, to advance their own careers. Regus doesn't waste any time earning ire, whether through arbitrary firings — he claims one worker smells of "putrid fruit" — or by pitting his employees against each other to fight for a management office. But, as he sits in the top-floor suite still splattered with Sang's blood, he also accepts Elaine's self-given title bump to Creative Liaison and rushes Craig's new game into production. There's still plenty getting Elaine and Craig questioning, such as Regus' around-the-clock calls, the basement records room filled with invasive personal files that no one previously knew about, his sudden rule changes — one day, shoes are verboten — and how he whisks off Sang's visiting mother (Gloria John, Shifter), who actually now owns the company, but doesn't take her to her hotel or anywhere else she can be found. Elaine and Craig also have a romantic past to deal with, The Consultant's most obligatory narrative detail. Plus, Craig is preparing to marry the Catholic Patti (Aimee Carrero, Spirited), who isn't fond of his slacker vibe or his at-work friendships. And, there's a helluva mid-series night that involves a sky-high nightclub, a Russian model (Gena Heylock, Chicago Med) with prosthetic limbs and a wild car ride. The heavy splashes of red that colour The Consultant's opening titles and much of CompWare's office lighting aren't subtle. Neither is the "devil made me do it" excuse offered by Sang's boy killer or the soundtrack's use of Elvis Presley's '(You're the) Devil in Disguise'. But Basgallop excels at keeping viewers guessing about whether the diabolical events that come his characters' way have nefarious sources, or if they're as easily explainable via everyday details. His two currently streaming series are also masterclasses in using their confined settings — The Consultant steps beyond CompWare HQ rarely, like Servant and its Philadelphia brownstone — to bubble with unease. The Severance comparisons kick in again here, too, weaponising and satirising a tech company's look and feel, as well as its attitude and atmosphere. While O'Grady backs up her stellar turn opposite Euphoria's Sydney Sweeney in The White Lotus with another astute performance — and character — and Wolff conveys disaffected but driven with ease, The Consultant wouldn't be as quick a binge without Waltz. Quentin Tarantino has built two films around him, with both Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained winning the actor Oscars, and he's perfectly cast here. There's also a slipperiness to Waltz's involvement that matches Basgallop's fondness for the same trait. Viewers know exactly how the series' biggest-name star will play Regus and he doesn't disappoint, but that alone doesn't explain everything about the sinister character. As Waltz gets menacing and malevolent, and O'Grady and Wolff flit from shock to acquiescence and back again and again, The Consultant makes expected points about corporate culture, its cut-throat dynamics and increasingly 24/7 demands; the 21st-century employment landscape and its ruthlessness towards employees; and the engrained mindset that has everyone dutifully complying with authority. Familiar but still topical, sly, smart and shrewd: that's the thematic terrain the series traverses, and well. Try not to think of recent social-media moves when Regus starts throwing his weight around, for instance. Try not to ponder your own horrible bosses — yes, Waltz has played one before in Horrible Bosses 2 — and career pressure points, too. There's no point trying not to get drawn into this tense, suspenseful and slickly made series, however, which boasts Destroyer and Yellowjackets' Karyn Kusama among its directors, and lures in viewers as easily as addictive mobile games. Check out the trailer for The Consultant below: The Consultant streams via Prime Video.
When Brisbane's new Queen's Wharf precinct starts welcoming in patrons from the end of August, a culinary feast will await. They're not all opening upon launch, but this new riverside hub will feature restaurants serving up Indochine, Japanese, Italian, noodle, lamb, steak and seafood dishes — and that's just a taste of the eateries that'll call the site home. Add French fare to the list as well, courtesy of the just-announced Pompette. Escargot? Tick. Champagne? Tick. Oysters? Tick again. Classic French menu items will be on offer at this restaurant and champagne bar, but with two guiding principles in mind. Firstly, Pompette's dishes are set to give traditional meals a modern spin. Secondly, if sending your tastebuds to Paris normally gets you thinking about extravagant fine-dining, this spot is aiming to be more accessible. Tassis Group is bringing Pompette to fruition, with the hospitality group now boasting not one but two Queen's Wharf venues after the lamb-heroing Dark Shepherd. Both are set to open in September, the month after the precinct initially begins launching. For Pompette, you'll be heading to The Terrace on level four of The Star Brisbane. Michael Tassis, Tassis Group's owner, sees the site as "the perfect opportunity to experiment with a fun and fresh venue concept." He continued: "we're so excited to expand on our offerings and bring a slice of France to Brisbane. French cuisine is renowned for its rich flavours and textures — but many people find it intimidating. The concept of Pompette is to make that French dining experience a little more approachable". The restaurant will be located at at the end of the Neville Bonner pedestrian bridge, not only giving it views of the Brisbane River out over to South Bank, but continuing another trend for the hospitality company. Before 2025 hits, it'll add to its growing array of Brisbane restaurants — which also includes Longwang and Fatcow on James Street, both of which also opened in 2024, plus Yamas Greek + Drink, Opa Bar + Mezze, Massimo Restaurant & Bar, Rich & Rare and Fosh Bar & Restaurant — with two new venues as part of Kangaroo Point's green bridge. At Pompette, regular Tassis collaborators Clui Design are responsible for the look and feel, too — taking inspiration from Paris here, of course. As for what else the eatery will serve up under Head Chef Jean-Luc Morcellet, most menu details are still under wraps, other than the aforementioned escargot, oysters and champagne. You can start looking forward to steak au poivre — aka pepper steak — however, and all-day dining will be a big drawcard. Find Pompette at The Star Brisbane, Queen's Wharf Road, Brisbane from sometime in September 2024 — we'll update you with an exact opening date when it is announced. Head to the restaurant's website for more details in the interim. Food images: Markus Ravik.
When it comes to experiencing the great outdoors it doesn't get much better than Tasmania. So it's no surprise that, according to Airbnb, the Best Nature Stay in Australia can be found in the Apple Isle. The winning property: Susie Aulich's The Container listing, which is the epitome of the eco-luxe aesthetic. The striking home is made out of a recycled shipping container that's been reimagined into an extravagant one-bedroom getaway blessed with uninterrupted views of the bucolic landscape of Lilydale, a town perched on the foothills of Mount Arthur and just half an hour's drive from Launceston. Catering to solo parties or couples, The Container offers an immersive nature experience. It's set on a stunning farm that's also home to all manner of flora and fauna, like chickens, wallabies, echidnas, incredible birdlife, peonies, waratahs, pepperberries and more. The perfect setting, in other words, to disconnect from reality. Fresh off her win, we spoke with Aulich about her hosting journey and her incredible property. Firstly, what are the qualities that make a good Host, Susie? Authenticity and attention to detail. What do you do to ensure an outstanding experience for your guests? Be who you are. While our guests don't ever meet us, they get a feel for who we are through The Container. We designed The Container and all that is in here for us — it's how we want to stay, travel and experience life. We believe in abundance so we supply guests with an abundance of local produce, fresh flowers and the best our local artisans can deliver. We keep signs to a minimum, which allows guests to truly immerse themselves in their surrounds. They get to experience life here just as we do. What's your favourite thing about your property? It's constantly changing — every day nature is changing. At The Container, you are surrounded by big skies and small wonders. Nature is the true host and our guests get to experience being connected to nature in a creative space. What's something you love about hosting? People are really happy and open when on a holiday — they bring joy to your place and they are open to a wonderful experience. It's an honour to be part of people's lives at such a special time. What advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming a Host? Start as you intend to continue. Set up your Airbnb to suit your lifestyle. What has hosting allowed you to do? I can live the life I want on my property — Airbnb gives me the freedom to stay, play and live on my farm, and going to work involves wandering from my house to the accommodations, checking on the chooks and my garden on the way. Want to begin your own hosting journey with Airbnb? If you're feeling inspired, head to the website to find out how to get started. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy. Images: Bec Baxter
Why spend just over a week worshipping the silver screen, as most film festivals do, when you can stretch the in-cinema celebration out to more than a fortnight, and throw in over a week of online viewings as well? That's Melbourne International Film Festival's approach. In 2023, now that the event's full lineup is newly here, it's also asking another question: why just have Tilda Swinton star in a film as one character when she can play two, and a mother and daughter at that? The movie in question is The Eternal Daughter, Swinton's latest collaboration with filmmaker Joanna Hogg after the sublime The Souvenir and The Souvenir: Part II, and it's one of MIFF's big 2023 highlights. Yes, there's more — much, much more. This year's fest will screen 267 films to Melbourne and Victorian movie buffs, in fact, plus a selection of picks virtually and nationally via the returning MIFF Play. 2023's festival footprint mimics the setup that worked so well for the film feast in 2022, which was its first proper year back after the pandemic began. So, it's gracing cinemas in Melbourne from Thursday, August 3–Sunday, August 20; hitting the big screen in regional Victorian locations from Friday, August 11–Sunday, August 13 and Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 20; and also going digital from Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 27. Shayda, a Melbourne-set drama that won an Audience Award at Sundance, was revealed as MIFF's 2023 opening-night flick back in May. The world premiere of Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story, paying tribute to the Australian record executive and promoter with help from Kylie Minogue, Dave Grohl, Sting, Ed Sheeran, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel and Jimmy Barnes, was also announced then, taking the fest's centrepiece slot. Now, they're joined by Theatre Camp among MIFF's high-profile sessions, with closing night scoring the Aussie debut of a crowd-pleasing comedy about loving the stage, as starring and co-written and co-directed by Booksmart and The Bear's Molly Gordon. Other standouts include Anatomy of a Fall, a drama about an author (Sandra Hüller, Toni Erdmann) accused of her husband's murder, which won French director Justine Triet (Sibyl) the French festival's top prize back in May; May December, which hails from Carol director Todd Haynes, is led by Natalie Portman (Thor: Love and Thunder) and Julianne Moore (Sharper), and dives into a scandal; Certain Women's Kelly Reichardt reteaming with Michelle Williams again with Showing Up; and Biosphere, about the last two men on earth, with star and co-writer Mark Duplass (The Morning Show) coming to Melbourne in-person with the film. Or, there's the Josh O'Connor (Mothering Sunday)-led La Chimera from Happy as Lazzaro's Alice Rohrwacher, Catherine Breillat's (Abuse of Weakness) return with Last Summer, Paul Schrader's (The Card Counter) Master Gardener starring Joel Edgerton (The Stranger), and Hirokazu Kore-eda's Monster — the prolific helmer's latest on a lengthy resume that also includes Shoplifters and Broker. Keen to settle in for the long haul? Still on big-name filmmakers, Nuri Bilge Ceylan's (The Wild Pear Tree) latest About Dry Grasses clocks in at 197 minutes. In 2022, MIFF launched Bright Horizons, its official competition — and the titles vying for glory in 2023, all from either first- or second-time filmmakers, are impressive for the second year running. Among 11 films, Shayda fits the bill, as does Cannes Un Certain Regard Prize-winner How to Have Sex, about three British teen girls on a boozy getaway; Earth Mama, an A24 release by Grammy-nominated music video veteran Savanah Leaf; and Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, which follows a musical journey across the Vietnamese countryside. Also, the star-cross'd lovers-focused Banel & Adama plays direct from Cannes, Disco Boy stars German talent Franz Rogowski (Great Freedom) and Animalia explores an alien invasion in Morocco. Elsewhere, Cobweb stars Parasite's Song Kang-ho and is helmed by I Saw the Devil director Kim Jee-woon, the prolific Hong Sang-soo (The Novelist's Film) returns with Walk Up, and four-time British Independent Film Award-winner Blue Jean focuses on a lesbian teacher in Thatcher's England. Oscar-winning Amy and Senna filmmaker Asif Kapadia takes cues from Woyzeck and Frankenstein with the expressionistic dance-filled Creature; 2023 Sydney Film Prize-winner The Mother of All Lies heads south; You Can Call Me Bill pays tribute to the inimitable William Shatner; and Soda Jerk's first film since Terror Nullius, Hello Dankness, offers a chaotic yet cutting survey of US politics from 2016 onwards. MIFF 2023 will also feature eerie fare in the form of Sleep, by Bong Joon-ho protégé Jason Yu; birth/rebirth, which also riffs on Frankenstein; Perpetrator with Clueless favourite Alicia Silverstone; and Australia's own Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism. And, no strangers to showcasing giallo, including running a retrospective on Italian horror before, the fest is going all in on Suspiria, Tenebrae and Deep Red director Dario Argento. Among MIFF's shorts are Pedro Almodóvar's (Parallel Mothers) queer western Strange Way of Life starring Ethan Hawke (Moon Knight) and Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us), and also Trailer of the Film That Will Never Exist: 'Phony Wars', the last film by iconic French director Jean-Luc Godard before his passing. All of the above — and a whole lot more — joins previously announced titles such as The Rooster, starring Hugo Weaving (Love Me) and Phoenix Raei (The Night Agent); Celine Song's debut feature Past Lives, a bittersweet romance about two childhood friends (Russian Doll's Greta Lee and Decision to Leave's Teo Yoo) who briefly reunite after decades apart; Bad Behaviour, the feature directorial debut of actor-turned-filmmaker Alice Englert (You Won't Be Alone) starring Jennifer Connelly (Top Gun: Maverick); BlackBerry, which delves into the smartphone's rise and fall — and satirises it — with Jay Baruchel (FUBAR) and Glenn Howerton (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) among the cast; and The Kingdom Exodus, Lars von Trier's latest followup to 1994's miniseries The Kingdom and its 1997 second season. The 2023 Melbourne International Film Festival runs from Thursday, August 3–Sunday, August 20 at a variety of venues around Melbourne; from Friday, August 11–Sunday, August 13 and Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 20 in regional Victoria; and online nationwide with MIFF Play from Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 27. For further details, including tickets from Friday, July 14, visit the MIFF website.
When HOTA, Home of the Arts opened its new six-storey gallery in May, it did more than just give Gold Coast residents a towering place to peer at art. That's obviously on the agenda — the site is Australia's largest gallery outside of a capital city, after all — but the colourful building is also home to a sky-high drinking spot. If walking through art-adorned halls and staring at masterpieces makes you work up a thirst, you'll want to end your visit to HOTA Gallery with a trip to its fifth floor. That's where you'll find The Exhibitionist, an attention-grabbing bar that pairs bites and beverages with views across the city, as well as out to the hinterland. Here, you can sit either indoors or outdoors, then tuck into tapas, sip cocktails and stare at the Surfers Paradise skyline. The drinks lineup goes heavy on cocktails; the 'Heat and Time' pairs gin, mezcal foam, lemon and ginger, for instance. You can also enjoy a glass of wine, knock back local craft brews or opt for a house-made soda. Food-wise, head chef Dayan Hartill-Law has whipped up a menu filled with share options, including salt and vinegar onion rings ($9), suckling pig sausage rolls with burnt strawberry ketchup ($9), oysters with finger lime vinegar ($6) and halloumi with green tomato pickle ($12). Or, there's the duck pie made with sour cream pastry (14), oven-roasted Gold Coast prawns ($16) and a brioche lobster roll with Sriracha mayonnaise ($16) — which you can then follow up with cheesecake mousse ($14) or cake truffles ($4) for dessert.
True Detective started with Matthew McConaughey (The Rivals of Amziah King) and Woody Harrelson (Last Breath) as its leads. Next came Taylor Kitsch (American Primeval), Colin Farrell (The Penguin) and Rachel McAdams (Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret). Mahershala Ali (Jurassic World Rebirth) and Stephen Dorff (Bride Hard) did the honours, too, followed by Jodie Foster (Nyad) and Kali Reis (Rebuilding). And if the world is lucky, Nicolas Cage (The Surfer) could join that list. Variety is reporting that Cage is in talks to star in True Detective's fifth season — which The Hollywood Reporter notes is expected to arrive in 2027. So far, the only details confirmed include that the new episodes will be set in New York's Jamaica Bay area, and that Tigers Are Not Afraid filmmaker Issa López, who wrote and directed every one episode of True Detective: Night Country, is due to return. [caption id="attachment_793116" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jim Bridges/HBO[/caption] Cage can and has played everyone from Dracula, a man who thinks he's a vampire, himself, a heartbroken lumberjack and an alpaca-milking dad to black-and-white film noir-style Spider-Man, twins, an Elvis obsessive, a terrorist switching faces with an FBI agent, a man everyone dreams about, a serial killer and an Aussie expat who just wants to hit the waves at his childhood beach (and much, much more). A cop on the case in True Detective? It'd be dream casting. The series was renewed for season five after its fourth season dropped in January 2024 and became the most-watched season of the show ever. Across the show's run, it's always been a case of new batch of episodes, new police officers, new case, as the series has been delivering since 2014. "Issa Lopez is that one-of-a-kind, rare talent that speaks directly to HBO's creative spirit. She helmed True Detective: Night Country from start to finish, never once faltering from her own commendable vision, and inspiring us with her resilience both on the page and behind the camera," said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films, back when season five was revealed. "From conception to release, Night Country has been the most beautiful collaboration and adventure of my entire creative life. HBO trusted my vision all the way, and the idea of bringing to life a new incarnation of True Detective with Casey, Francesca and the whole team is a dream come true. I can't wait to go again," added Lopez. There's obviously no trailer yet for True Detective season five, but check out the full trailer for True Detective: Night Country below: Season five of True Detective doesn't yet have a release date, but we'll update you when more details are announced. True Detective: Night Country streams via Max in Australia and Neon in New Zealand. Read our review. Via Variety/The Hollywood Reporter. Top image: Jason Bollenbacher/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images.
A trip to the Queensland Art Gallery or the Gallery of Modern Art usually brings with it the happy dilemma of deciding what to have for lunch in South Bank. Our recommendation for your next visit: GOMA Restaurant, a regular recipient of two chef's hats from the Good Food Guide Awards. The fit out is simple, not just providing a frame for the view but a blank canvas for the beautiful-looking dishes. Friendly waitstaff pre-empt any questions about the menu you may have. The current menu is pleasingly cohesive: clean flavours with lots of lean proteins, an abundance of native ingredients and creative plating feature throughout. It would be a terribly obvious cliche to describe the dishes as works of art; however, in keeping with their location, the presentation of the food is modern and unabashedly arty. It is hard to smother a goofy smile when presented with the dessert of gianduja & milk chocolate crémeux, hazelnut praline, sour raspberries and violet caramel. GOMA Restaurant always puts on a show with its sweet treats. Two-course and three-course set menus are offered (and are good value), as well as a seven-course degustation. The food not being heavy — you needn't fear leaving the restaurant too full — though you always have the option of walking it off by taking a stroll around the gallery or along the river.
Fancy pairing your next gluten-free doughnut with a mid-morning tipple? Nodo Donuts has you covered, with its Newstead cafe now serving up cocktails, boutique beers and ciders. Designed with boozy brunches in mind, the brand new drinks menu spans acai spritzes, mandarin mimosas, native gin and tonics and cuba libres. There's also an incredibly apt beverage, and one that's likely to be rather popular: doughnut martinis. Ingredient-wise, the drinks range continues Nodo's gluten-free, natural, local-focused and organic ethos. You'll be sipping on fair trade cacao liqueur from Peru, native spiced butterfly pea flower gin and collaborative farming champagne from South Australia. Or, if you opt for something other than a cocktail, you'll be tucking into gluten-free, organic and fair-trade spirits, boutique beers and ciders. As for the food side of the brunch equation, that's up to you to decide from the seasonal menu. There are doughnuts, obviously; however the current cafe lineup also includes crab benedict on house-baked brioche, bacon and eggs on a pretzel bun, sourdough hotcakes and kimchi cheeseburgers. At present, the drinks menu is only on offer at Nodo's Newstead eatery, so you won't find the beverages in the CBD or Camp Hill. Those stopping by the inner north will be able to enjoy a tipple from 10am–3pm daily, with the menu launching on Thursday, July 25. Find Nodo Donuts at 1 Ella St, Newstead, open daily from 7am–3pm, with its boozy brunch menu on offer from 10am–3pm.
Along the 1200 kilometres of coastal glory that stretches between Perth and Exmouth, you can dive with whale sharks, meet some of the friendliest dolphins you'll find anywhere, visit the oldest living fossils in the world, get to know sea lions, lose yourself snorkelling in beachside coral gardens and drink as many cocktails at sunset as you can handle. With all the spectacular views, but much less of the population of Australia's east coast, the Coral Coast provides one wild, beautiful road trip. Here's our guide to making the most of seven days behind the wheel. From pristine beaches and bountiful wine regions to alpine hideaways and bustling country towns, Australia has a wealth of places to explore at any time of year. We've partnered with Tourism Australia to help you plan your road trips, weekend detours and summer getaways so that when you're ready to hit the road you can Holiday Here This Year. Under current COVID-19 restrictions in Australia, there are limitations on where you can go on a holiday. Bookmark this for when you can explore once again. [caption id="attachment_773124" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Australia[/caption] DAY ONE: PERTH TO GERALDTON, 420KM From Perth, follow Indian Ocean Drive north. Two hours brings you to the white-sanded fishing village of Cervantes. From here, you can stroll among meadows crowded with wildflowers, nip out to local islands to laze about with sea lions and marvel at The Pinnacles — 30,000-year-old limestone formations within the desertscapes of the Nambung National Park. For the next 200 kilometres, the road hugs the coast, slipping through a collective of laidback beachside towns. Once you hit Geraldton, you'll be ready for a windsurfing lesson among ideal conditions and an over-water sunset, accompanied by a good dose of western rock lobster. It's arguably the freshest, tastiest seafood in Australia. [caption id="attachment_773133" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Australia's Coral Coast[/caption] DAY TWO: GERALDTON TO CARNARVON, 480KM By the time you reach your next destination, Carnarvon, you're in tropical WA. On the fertile plains of the Gascoyne River, more than 170 plantations produce over 4000 tonnes of bananas and 1300 tonnes of mangos annually, plus tomatoes, grapes, capsicum and more. That's why Carnarvon is known locally as the 'salad bowl of Western Australia'. Wander through lush farms before heading to a local restaurant to indulge in the seafood of your choice: prawns, scallops, crabs and fish are delivered to your plate direct from the sea. Your evening should also include a sunset stroll along the fascine. If you're there on a Saturday morning between May and October, visit the Growers Market, where farmers and producers pour in from all over the region to peddle their wares. [caption id="attachment_773142" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef, Tourism Western Australia[/caption] DAY THREE: CARNARVON TO EXMOUTH, 370KM Make your first stop the Quobba Blowholes, just 75 kilometres north. Slamming against the coast with a mighty force, the swell is pushed through narrow rock openings and sea caves, creating spectacular water jets that spout as high as 20 metres. To decompress afterwards, pop just one kilometre south, where you'll discover a calm coral lagoon, known as The Aquarium, for swimming. Once you reach Exmouth, you're on the edge of the Ningaloo Reef. Kick back on idyllic beaches, jump aboard a glass bottom boat tour, join a snorkelling expedition or, if you're there between March and July, go diving with whale sharks. This would be a good point to treat yourself to a night of comfort at the Mantarays Ningaloo Beach Resort or go all out with a night at Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef Safari Camp. [caption id="attachment_773135" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] DAY FOUR: EXMOUTH TO CORAL BAY, 150KM Your return journey south starts with a short day on the road. There's so much to do along this section, it's best to keep driving time to a minimum. What makes the tiny town of Coral Bay so special is that an extraordinarily beautiful section of the Ningaloo Reef is accessible just a few metres offshore. Make tracks to Five Fingers Reef, then simply pop on your snorkelling gear and dive in. To step the action up a notch, take a 20-minute walk from Main Beach to the shallow waters of the local reef shark nursery, where hundreds of sharks gather between October and March. [caption id="attachment_773146" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] DAY FIVE: CORAL BAY TO SHARK BAY, 580KM Follow the Northwest Coastal Highway as far as the turn-off to the Shark Bay World Heritage Drive. Your first adventure along here — the stromatolites of Hamelin Pool — transports you 3.5 billion years back in time. You're looking at the oldest type of living fossils to be found anywhere on the planet. Also definitely worth a stop are the 70-kilometre-long Shell Beach and the dazzling views from Eagle Bluff. Come evening, Monkey Mia has a friendly school of bottlenose dolphins waiting to make your acquaintance, and there are ample opportunities for waterfront cocktails. [caption id="attachment_773139" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nature's Window, Tourism Western Australia[/caption] DAY SIX: SHARK BAY TO KALBARRI, 390KM At Kalbarri, the Murchison River runs into the Indian Ocean. Hop aboard a river cruise and go kayaking or canyoning among the steep gorges of the National Park. Hikers will enjoy the eight-kilometre Loop Track, which begins and ends at Nature's Window. Short on time? Visit the two new skywalks, which project 17 metres and 25 metres over the rim and 100 metres above the gorge. Alternatively, stay coastal with your own beach house at Kalbarri Seafront Villas and enjoy stunning walking trails, the legendary Jacques Point surf break and, between June and November, humpback whale spotting. Finish up your day at an outdoor cinema and start the next one with pelican feeding. [caption id="attachment_773950" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Oakabella Homestead, Tourism Western Australia[/caption] DAY SEVEN: KALBARRI TO PERTH, 570KM Your seventh and final day brings you an inland experience in the form of the National Trust town of Northampton. Reach it via the coast, taking in the magnificent ocean views south of Kalbarri, or cut straight east through the Kalbarri National Park, keeping a lookout for thorny devils as you go. At Northampton, you can check out a bunch of renowned Western Australian attractions, including the state's oldest public railway and Oakabella Homestead and Tea Rooms. Afterwards, return to the coast and take your pick of sleepy villages for exploration, including the twin towns of Dongara and Port Denison, and the tranquil harbour of Jurien Bay. Whether you're planning to travel for a couple of nights or a couple of weeks, Holiday Here This Year and you'll be supporting Australian businesses while you explore the best of our country's diverse landscapes and attractions. Top image: Tourism Western Australia.
Jump in your car smack-bang in the middle of Adelaide and, in 40 minutes, you'll be among the rolling hills and idyllic vineyards of McLaren Vale. Very few wine regions on the planet are so easily accessible from a big city. Without leaving the area's four square kilometres, you can visit more than 70 cellar doors, eat your way through Mediterranean-style dishes, cycle along the Shiraz Trail and venture inside an architecturally impressive rubik's cube. And just beyond lies the rugged cliffs and dreamy coves of the Fleurieu Peninsula coastline. We've created this comprehensive guide to the breathtaking coastline, so you can spend more time sipping on great wine and less time lost down dirt roads. If you have the time, immerse yourself in the Clare Valley and the Limestone Coast, too. Or explore Adelaide — there are plenty of underground bars and fairy light-lit rooftops to uncover. From pristine beaches and bountiful wine regions to alpine hideaways and bustling country towns, Australia has a wealth of places to explore at any time of year. We've partnered with Tourism Australia to help you plan your road trips, weekend detours and summer getaways so that when you're ready to hit the road you can Holiday Here This Year. Under current COVID-19 restrictions in Australia, there are limitations on where you can go on a holiday. Bookmark this for when you can explore once again. [caption id="attachment_680419" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Red Poles, Adam Bruzzone[/caption] EAT Thanks to its combination of fertile soils, proximity to the sea and Mediterranean-like climate, McLaren Vale is a chef's — and food lover's — paradise. There's a cornucopia of restaurants and bars to choose from. Start with a caffeine hit and bagel at Dal Mare Coffee, where you can also hire a bicycle, or Mullygrub, which does excellent coffee and hearty brekkies, such as the hot-smoked salmon bowl. For lunch with vineyard views, head to Gather at Coriole; its menu takes inspiration from foraged ingredients — think buffalo curd with citrus and pink peppercorn and potatoes with cultured cream, native juniper and chives. Then there's The Salopian Inn, run by passionate chef Karena Armstrong, who draws on produce from her flourishing organic kitchen garden, and Red Poles, a quirky eatery dotted with artworks and cute courtyards. Alternatively, a mini-trip to Italy is on the menu at Pizzateca for woodfired pizzas with expertly crispy and chewy bases. [caption id="attachment_680418" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Maxwell Wines[/caption] However, the most unusual setting for a meal in McLaren Vale has to be Maxwell Wines' underground limestone cave. Dug out single-handedly a century ago for the purpose of growing mushrooms, this extraordinary space is now a 50-seat restaurant. Head chef Fabian Lehmann, who cut his teeth in Europe's Michelin-starred institutions, offers simple yet luxurious dishes, such as lobster with celeriac and yuzu or chicken with mushrooms and leek. If you're exploring further afield (which is definitely recommended), be sure to visit McLaren Flat for lunch or dinner at The Currant Shed. Or, drive to Port Willunga to feast on super-fresh seafood and local produce at Star of Greece. [caption id="attachment_680416" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alpha Box and Dice, Adam Bruzzone[/caption] DRINK The majority of McLaren Vale's wineries are small-batch, boutique operations, so, no matter where you go tasting, you're likely to come across out-of-the-box drops. However, if you're extra adventurous, make Inkwell Wines your first stop. Its wines are all single vineyard, additive-free and made with minimal interference, ensuring their expressiveness. Other spots keen on experimentation are Alpha Box and Dice, where head winemaker Sam Berketa is currently working on an A–Z of wines, and Mollydooker, whose intense drops have their origins in 114 acres of vineyards along Seaview Ridge. Meanwhile, Gemtree is devoted to organic production. [caption id="attachment_680415" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mitolo Wines[/caption] Meanwhile, Mitolo Wines comes out of a rich Italian heritage, with the family having arrived in Australia from Abruzzo in the 1950s. From there, head to SC Pannell to sample an array of Mediterranean-style varietals from Spanish tempranillo to Portuguese touriga nacional, and on to Hither and Yon — its range includes aglianico, a variety from southern Italy, and Spanish mataro. If beer's more on your mind, there's Goodieson for left-of-field brews — from mango NEIPA to coffee stout — as well as Shifty Lizard in Willunga. While you're seaside, you might as well sample a single malt whisky or two at Fleurieu Distillery. [caption id="attachment_650548" align="alignnone" width="1920"] D'Arenberg Cube[/caption] DO With so much food and wine to work your way through, you'll probably want to get active at some point. Do just that on the Shiraz Trail, a 32-kilometre off-road cycle path that winds its way from Willunga to McLaren Vale, passing numerous wineries, restaurants and cafes. Another option is a visit to Goolwa, a sweeping beach a half-hour drive southwest of McLaren Vale, for a cockling session. Cockling, for the uninitiated, involves shuffling in the sand to uncover pipis, which you can take home and turn into a tasty soup or pasta. Note that cockling is only permitted between November and May, and any pipis smaller than 3.5-centimetres wide must be left to their own devices. To add a bunch of local produce to your pipi soup, head to Willunga Farmers' Market, which has been a gathering spot for farmers, growers and producers since 2002. Back in McLaren Vale, there's the famous D'Arenberg Cube. This incredible, five-storey architectural masterpiece, inspired by the rubik's cube, holds all sorts of wonders, including a wine sensory room, a virtual fermenter, an alternative realities museum and an array of installations. [caption id="attachment_680411" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Jetty Port Willunga[/caption] STAY To sink into total luxury after eating and drinking all day and all night, check into The Jetty, Port Willunga. You'll have an entire apartment to yourself, perched on absolute beachfront, with epic views over Gulf Saint Vincent's azure waters. Plus, you can count on a private deck, a deep hot tub and a king-size bed. Meanwhile, at The Farm Willunga, you'll be sleeping in an apartment on an organic, biodynamic olive grove and vineyard. Expect to arrive to a bottle of complimentary wine and your own balcony overlooking rural vistas backdropped by the ocean. Breakfast takes the form of a gourmet hamper, crowded with local goodies. On the southern coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula lies Port Elliot, home to Jimmy Smith's Dairy, a dairy-turned-bed and breakfast. With the help of Studio AKA's Amy Grundy, local couple Noel and Robyn Akmens transformed the original building into a series of stunning rooms. Original features, such as bluestone and airy ceilings, interweave with contemporary touches, including handcrafted furniture, built by Noel himself. Also on the southern side are the Beach Huts Middleton, a series of super-cute dwellings, painted in cheery, bright stripes. All come with a welcoming bottle of bubbly and, depending on which you choose, dashes of comfort — from spa baths to barbecue areas. Whether you're planning to travel for a couple of nights or a couple of weeks, Holiday Here This Year and you'll be supporting Australian businesses while you explore the best of our country's diverse landscapes and attractions. Top image: D'Arenberg Cube via SATC. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Cairns is known for its tropical rainforests and world-famous reef, but what you probably didn't know is that the region also lays claim to a burgeoning craft beer and spirits scene. The Cairns Brewery & Distillery Tour lets you get up close and personal with five of the area's top independent booze-makers in one glorious afternoon. The small, guided group tours run three times a week, as well as on request, usually kicking off with a sit-down lunch and a tap brew at the celebrated Sauce Brewing Co. Other stops might include the likes of Macalister Brewery, Barrier Reef Brewing, Wolf Lane and FNQ Spirits. You'll get to chat to the makers, sample their wares and get a grasp on what goes into your favourite tipple, too. [caption id="attachment_829630" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] Top images: Tourism and Events Queensland/ Tourism Tropical North Queensland
Whether you're keen to kick on once lockout time comes, are hankering for a bite in the evening's early hours or need somewhere to dance the night away, Fortitude Valley's new watering hole offers a one-stop-shop — and, now that Beirne Lane has opened its doors in the heritage-listed T.C. Beirne Building, it's not closing them. Settling into the Brunswick Street spot from early November, Beirne Lane trades 24 hours a day. The indoor and outdoor two-level space is the latest venture from Trent Meade and Matt Blyth at the Celissa hospitality group, and it combines the vibe of some of their other projects, blending the gastropub aspect of Isles Lane in the CBD with the hangout feel of fellow Valley residents The Met and GPO. Mixing things together drives the venue's food menu, too, which takes inspiration from Beirne Lane's namesake in an interesting way. If you're not up on the city's past, Thomas Charles Beirne came to Brissie from Ireland, opened a department store in the Valley at the turn of the twentieth century, and initially employed James McWhirter — who would then open a competing department store across the street. Beirne also apparently loved Japanese culture. What this mini-history lesson means is that Beirne Lane slings an Irish-meets-Japanese menu in its iconic location, complete with a dedicated katsu sandwich menu featuring the likes of beef with spicy miso mayonnaise and tonkatsu sauce, and fish with Kewpie tartare, bacon, Sriracha and pickled jalapeño. Also on offer are chips slathered in Japanese curry, cob loaf with beer cheese, plus spicy pork rinds with seaweed crisps and peanuts, as well as king prawns with black garlic butter and marinated spatchcock with charred lime from the charcoal grill. In another nod to Brisbane gone by, the spot is reviving the 'shilling meal'. A plate of oysters, steak and more, it was available to T.C. Beirne's employees for just a shilling. The new version isn't as cheap, but it does feature four oysters, dry-age rib-eye steak, buttermilk onion rings and a clotted cream cannoli, and is recommended for sharing. Drinks-wise, rotating beers and a range of natural, organic wines are joined by a cocktail list that throws together combos of Australian native produce, house-made syrups and whatever's in season. That's evident in the Oh Boys! We Must Have Another!, which blends gin, brandy, rum, orgeat, lime and orange juice, and sherry, and is inspired by — like most of the joint — T.C. Beirne's past. Find Beirne Lane at 315 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, open 24/7.
In the not-so-distant future, every wine lover in Brisbane might be able to call Ardo's their local. The neighbourhood bar and bottle shop first opened in Carl's Bar and Bistro's old Newstead digs earlier in 2023, giving the River City's inner north a new vino haven. Now, the chain is also pouring in Graceville, launching in Brissie's west mere months later. That isn't the end of Ardo's plans, either. Next stop: Hawthorne. For the moment, the just-launched Graceville outpost doubles the brand's footprint — and gives the City Winery crew, which is behind all things Ardo's, yet another venue. You'll find it on Honour Avenue, sticking with the same concept on the other side of town. Accordingly, wine fans in Brisbane's west now have easy access to plonk-slinging chain's curated range of vino, including over pintxos, cheese and charcuterie. "We couldn't be more excited to continue to bring Ardo's to more people in Brisbane after the reception our first location in Newstead received. We always wanted to build small hubs and communities of wine lovers throughout the city, and Graceville should be the perfect setting to grow new friends and fans of Ardo's," says General Manager Doug Gilmour. "Guests can expect a wonderfully curated selection of local and international wines, our delicious small bar bites and our takeaway wine tap. In addition, we'll be launching our functions and events offering, as well as educational masterclasses in food-and-wine pairing." Like its sibling spot, Ardo's Graceville is welcoming in patrons in for a glass and a bite, and will also let folks pick up their favourite tipples — or a new discovery — to take home once the takeaway license kicks in. Again, offering a selection that you wouldn't just find at any bottle-o is a big source of pride, with Ardo's staff on-hand to chat you through its drops, help you make a pick and impart their expert knowledge. Here, customers can enjoy wines by the glass and the bottle. The lineup rotates, but everything you see on the shelf is able to be drunk on the premises or, license pending, taken away. As you're getting cosy, you'll also be surrounded by vino all across the walls, plus a wine tap that looks like an altar. And, you'll be tucking into seasonal snacks. There's no word yet as to when Ardo's Hawthorne will open its doors, or exactly where, but expect it to follow the same formula as well. Given the short gap between Newstead and Graceville's launch, don't be surprised if it pops up soon. Similarly, if the chain of vino hangouts keeps expanding elsewhere, don't be astonished at that, either. Find Ardo's Wine Bar at 335 Honour Avenue, Graceville. Keep an eye on the venue's website for more details.
We've all been there. It's 6pm on a Wednesday. You've just commuted home from a long day at the office, and all you want is to switch your brain off with a good doom scroll. The temptation to tap your trusty delivery app in this moment is high. What could be easier than having a takeaway arrive straight to your door? But we all know the truth. From missing items to cold meals and soggy cardboard, the dream of a takeaway is often tastier than the reality. That's why we've partnered with MasterFoods™ to give you three quick and easy midweek dinner ideas that'll curb your cravings and save some precious dollars (and time) without compromising on flavour. Keep reading (and save this article) to have some easy mid-week meals in your kitchen arsenal. [caption id="attachment_1027005" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Supplied[/caption] Zesty Chicken Wrap Rather than ordering a Greek wrap via delivery (which, realistically, will end up a soggy, mushy mess), this 25-minute dish will have you eating a fresh and flavoursome meal before the delivery driver has even left the restaurant. Ingredients: 500 grams of chicken breast MasterFoods™ Lemon and Pepper Seasoning 1 tbsp of olive oil 4 pitas or flatbreads Sliced red onion Sliced tomato Shredded Lettuce Crumbed Feta (optional) MasterFoods™ Zesty Lemon & Herb No Rules Sauce Method: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breast and MasterFoods™ Lemon and Pepper Seasoning. Cook until cooked through. Heat the pita in a dry pan or wrap in foil and warm in the oven for a couple of minutes. To serve, spread a generous spoonful of MasterFoods™ Zesty Lemon & Herb No Rules Sauce onto the warm pita, add your chicken, then top with lettuce, tomato, onion, and feta. Fold, serve and enjoy. [caption id="attachment_1027006" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Supplied[/caption] Smokey BBQ Beef Burger Is there anything worse than a cold burger after a long day? (And dropping $30 for the privilege?) This Smokey BBQ Beef Burger takes just 30 minutes, makes four serves, and guarantees a hot, mouth-watering meal. Ingredients: 500g regular minced beef 1 tbsp MasterFoods™ All Purpose Seasoning 1 tbsp MasterFoods™ Smokey Barbecue Sauce ½ cup panko breadcrumbs 2 white onions, thinly sliced 1 egg 2 tbsp of olive oil 1 large tomato Iceberg lettuce Pickles Method: Add the minced beef, MasterFoods™ All Purpose Seasoning, egg and panko breadcrumbs into a bowl and mix until combined. Thinly slice the onions and squeeze out excess moisture to ensure extra crispiness. Divide the seasoned mince into four balls and set aside while you preheat the barbecue — no need to chill. Turn your barbecue flat plate or griddle to high and place the meatballs down, ensuring you have space between each to smash flat. Each meatball should be loaded with a generous handful of sliced onion before being smashed as flat as possible into the pan or barbecue plate. Cook for 3-4 minutes and flip. After another one to two minutes, add cheese, let it melt and remove from the heat. Toast your buns and load up with salad: tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, pickles, etc. Don't forget the MasterFoods™ Smokey Barbecue Sauce to top it off. Hot tip: If you're a huge fan of sauce, why not also add a squeeze of MasterFoods™ No Rules Zesty Lemon & Herb Sauce as well? [caption id="attachment_1030078" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Supplied[/caption] Chipotle Mushroom Tacos A guaranteed crowd pleaser, this vegan recipe will spice up your midweek dinner rotation. Featuring MasterFoods™ Taco Seasoning Mix of paprika, oregano and cumin, this four-serve recipe packs a punch and will be on your plate in just 30 minutes. Avoid the takeaway tax (and time) and turn your week around with these delicious mushroom tacos. Ingredients: 400g king oyster mushrooms 4 tbsp MasterFoods™ Taco Seasoning Mix 1 small white onion, finely diced 1 tsp tomato paste 2-3 tbsp soy sauce or tamari (for GF version) ¼ cup water 3 tbsp olive oil 1 ripe avocado MasterFoods™ Smokey Chipotle No Rules Sauce 2 limes, halved Pickled red onion Vine-ripened tomatoes, diced Lettuce Vegan sour cream 8 tortillas (flour or corn) Method: Rinse the mushrooms and remove and finely slice the caps. For the stems, make incisions with a fork and pull them apart with your fingers to resemble pulled pork. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan, add the chopped onion, and cook gently for about 10 minutes until translucent and lightly browned. Add the minced garlic and sauté for another 2-4 minutes until fragrant. Stir in four tablespoons of MasterFoods™ Taco Seasoning Mix and cook for one minute. Mix in the mushrooms, soy sauce, and water, cooking until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Season with pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes, then remove from heat. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Spread the pulled mushrooms on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 15 minutes to add a nice crunch. Assemble the tacos with pulled mushrooms, chopped lettuce, diced tomatoes, pickled onions, and add lime and vegan sour cream or MasterFoods™ Smokey Chipotle No Rules Sauce as a topping. Craving more flavour-packed ideas? Head to MasterFoods™ for inspiration. MasterFoods™ — You Made It. Lead image: Getty Images
There's nothing better than putting on a piece of clothing and instantly looking effortlessly cool. The team at Wolfe and Ordnance agrees, which is why it built the whole boutique around that idea and makes sure everything it curates and stocks does just that for its customers. The boutique boasts looks from bohemian brand Spell, Sir The Label's contemporary style and Nobody Denim's casual threads, making it easy for locals and visitors of James Street to snap up the in-demand styles on offer. Think statement accessories, on-trend prints and timeless silhouettes — all the makings of maximum impact with minimum effort.
It's one of Brisbane's go-to waterside spots — for picnics, listening to live tunes and, sometimes, watching movies under the stars — and it's been keeping a picturesque patch of South Bank busy for a decade now. So, hitting the big one-oh milestone, River Quay Green is celebrating with a jam-packed weekend filled with excuses to head by (and to eat and drink while you're there, obviously). Across Saturday, November 27–Sunday, November 28, you have a few options. This is the type of party that lets you choose how you'd like to mark the occasion, because we all have our own speeds. If throwing down a rug is more your style, Otto Ristorante, Popolo Italian Kitchen, River Quay Fish and The Jetty South Bank are all doing both lavish and standard picnics — and Aquitaine Brasserie is also getting in on the former. That means that you can pick between prawns, oysters and prosecco, antipasto-heavy spreads, and Moreton Bay bug bao buns with roast beetroot and watermelon salad — and they're just some of the choices. Go for one of the long table picnics and you'll enjoy a stylish communal experience, while the standard option will require you to bring your own setup. And, if you'd prefer to dine at one of the aforementioned venues, they're all doing in-house specials as well. Otto is pairing negronis with pea and parmesan arancini, Popolo is putting on a six-course Italian feast and Aquitaine Brasserie is serving up a bottomless boozy lunch. There is a birthday to celebrate, after all.
Many road trippers heading north from Sydney aim for major hubs, such as Port Stephens, Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour. But, less than four hours away, there's a less-famous patch of coastline, national parks and green pastures called the Manning Valley. The area's lush beauty is down to its unusual waterway, the Manning River. It's one of the only major rivers in Australia that hasn't been dammed. Plus, it's a double delta, so it meets the sea in not one, but two places. Stick to the shore for empty beaches, impressive walks and a designer hotel dedicated to David Bowie, Nick Cave and Dave Grohl. Pop inland to sample at farmers' markets, groom alpacas and meet flying foxes in NSW's last bit of floodplain rainforest. Here's your guide to road tripping the Manning Valley. [caption id="attachment_604884" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Surfhouse Merewether[/caption] DAY ONE: INDIGENOUS HISTORY, SPARKLING LAKES AND WINE TASTING Road trips aren't for rushing. Break up yours with a couple of stops. Firstly, there's Newcastle — one-time steel capital of Australia, now creative hub by the sea — where laneways are dotted with street art, independent shops and cute cafes. Swing by The Tea Project for a just-right cuppa, Sprocket for locally-roasted coffee and The Edwards for mountainous cheese platters. Cashed up and wanting ocean views and oysters? You'll get them at Surfhouse Merewether. Find loads more Newie tips over here. Another hour on the road lands you in the Great Lakes region. If time's on your side, pretty Myall Lake and its eponymous national park are a worthy diversion. To take a journey into indigenous history, visit Dark Point, which, in 2002, was declared an Aboriginal Site of Significance. For more than 4000 years, the Worimi people met here for seafood feasts — look out for middens. You'll also be treated to spectacular views of Broughton Island, the only spot in New South Wales where you can camp the night among a sea bird colony. Continue along the Pacific Highway to Wootton to visit Great Lakes Paddocks Winery. You're welcome to sprawl out on the grounds for hours, trying the latest in verdelho and sparkling shiraz. Keep an eye out for live music events too. [caption id="attachment_604888" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Rudi's Farmers Market[/caption] DAY TWO: FARMER'S MARKETS, RAINFOREST AND A MUSIC DESIGN HOTEL Another 30 minutes north lands you in Taree, on the banks of Manning River. Start with a visit to Mentges Meats, where Rudi Mentges continues a 700-year-old family tradition, started on the Rhine, of turning local cuts into gourmet kranski, wurst and ham. Every Thursday morning, Rudi's Farmers' Markets takes over with a cornucopia of home-grown veggies, home-made jams, honey, raw cakes and fresh flowers. It's one of many farmers' and artisans' markets in the Manning Valley. Find out how tasty that produce can get when treated by a multi-awarding winning cafe. Bent on Food is in Wingham, a laidback town ten kilometres inland, which hosts the Wingham Akoostik Festival every October. Cafe owner Donna Carrier is a big fan of local farmers, as proven by the super-fresh, piled-up dishes, overseen by head chef Simon Livingston. Tuck into a spinach tortilla with chicken, feta, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted pumpkin and house-made basil pesto or local scotch fillet with house-made beetroot relish, cheese, lettuce, horseradish cream, Turkish bread and beer-battered chips. The cafe doubles up as a grocery shop, so you can take some valley goodness home with you. [caption id="attachment_604873" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Bent on Food[/caption] The Wingham Brush Nature Reserve, which harbours the only floodplain rainforest left in New South Wales, is lovely for a shady afternoon stroll. There are a variety of walks, but the easiest is the 1.9-kilometre boardwalk, along which you'll meet flying foxes, brush turkeys, white cedars and a massive Moreton Bay fig tree. Tinonee Road winds south out of Wingham, passing through The Bight and Mondrook. Now that you've indulged in local produce, it's time to find out what the artists have been getting up to. Make an appointment at Artisans on the Hill, to see art works, handcrafted jewellery, wood turning and more. Workshops are held occasionally. [caption id="attachment_604904" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Boogie Woogie Beach House[/caption] Tonight's digs are The Boogie Woogie Beach House, found 20 minutes east in the beachside town of Old Bar. This extraordinary designer hotel was "born from the love of music and not wanting to go home after a great night out". There are five unique rooms, four of which are dedicated to legendary musicians, namely David Bowie, Dave Grohl, Nick Cave and Louis Armstrong. Can't decide? Go for the fifth: The Mixtape. Whether you take a spa with Ziggy Stardust or shower with Nick Cave, you can count on a luxurious therapeutic mattress, a record player (with vinyls supplied), free wifi, a mini-bar and a HD flatscreen TV. Downstairs, Flow Bar hosts live music on Fridays and Sundays, and serves up consistently excellent food. In the morning, go for The Frenchie (brioche, Rudi's smoked bacon, lemon mascarpone, toasted pecans, wild berry compote, maple syrup). [caption id="attachment_604899" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Black Head Beach[/caption] DAY THREE: BEACHSIDE RESORT, OCEAN POOL, COASTAL WALKS South of Old Bar is a series of gold sand beaches, backdropped by dunes and national park. The safest for swimming is sheltered Black Head Beach, where you can jump in patrolled surf or laze about in a stunning ocean pool. Should you work up an appetite, drop into Gobblegutz Cafe in Hallidays Point for coffee and tasty gourmet wrap. Don't let the shopping centre surrounds deter you — the food is good and hearty. Next up, it's time for some explorations on foot. There's a network of walking trails to help you do just that. For coastal rainforest, secluded beaches, caves and and rock formations, head into Black Head Reserve. You'll pass by a tranquil lagoon and, chances are, find yourself sharing the path with brush turkeys. Check out other tracks nearby over here. [caption id="attachment_604870" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Ramada Resort[/caption] Tonight, you're sleeping over at Ramada Resort, right behind 5.5-kilometre-long Diamond Beach. To get as close to the water as possible, go for a one-bedroom apartment with water views, a two-bedroom apartment or a beach house. Whichever you choose, you'll score plenty of space and a spa bath. When the surf's too rough, take a windy stroll or stick to the resort, where you can dip in the pool, hit the tennis court or relax in the day spa. Jasmine Crittenden travelled to the Manning Valley as a guest of Destination NSW. Images: Peter Saw.
Imagine that you're 22, you're settling into your chosen career and you're suddenly the name on everyone's lips. Imagine you've gone from never seeing an episode of the past decade's biggest TV sensation to starring in its prequel, in fact. In other words, imagine that you're Australian actor Milly Alcock, who has had a better, brighter and more chaotic 2022 than the rest of us. Before August, the Sydney-born talent was best known for an impressive resume of homegrown parts. Now, she's forever the young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in HBO's Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon. Ask Alcock what the year has been like and she's candid. "It's all weird. One day you're you, and then suddenly someone places value on you," she advises. "And you're like 'why me? Why me? Okay, I guess I'll take it. I guess I'll run with it'. So life's been weird, wacky and wonderful, basically, but yeah, it's been such a big year. This year feels like the longest year of my life but in the best possible way." Alcock is chatting with Concrete Playground on the phone from the UK, where she shot House of the Dragon in 2021, and where she's now based as her international career takes off. But after working her way through roles on Australian shows such as Wonderland, Janet King, A Place to Call Home, Pine Gap, Fighting Season and Les Norton, she knows the part that made 2022's dreams happen: her AACTA-nominated role on Upright. Created by Chris Taylor from The Chaser, the show's' first season cast her as Meg, a 13-year-old pretending to 16 who literally collides with Tim Minchin's Lucky while she's running away across the country. An odd-couple dynamic ensues, and so did one of 2019's Aussie TV standouts. Three years later, a second season is here. This time, the headstrong, whip-smart Meg is 17 and no longer speeding across the desert. But Upright wouldn't be Upright if it didn't send Meg and Lucky on another soul-searching, life-defining road trip, this time to Far North Queensland to find Meg's mum. The old adage proves true once again: it isn't just about the destination but the journey. At the heart of the show is a sense of connection and solace, as two lost souls forge a bond that helps them process their individual struggles. That means that Upright's lead performances couldn't be more pivotal; indeed, without Alcock and Minchin as Meg and Lucky, it wouldn't be the success it is, let alone have returned for season two. With Upright's second season now airing on Foxtel and streaming via Binge, Alcock fills us in on the series that helped bring her to attention, making the leap to 2022's biggest TV blockbuster, playing determined young women and handling everything that House of the Dragon's fame has brought her. ON INITIALLY GETTING CAST IN UPRIGHT "You just read the audition scene for Meg and you're like: 'I want to play this character'. You don't even usually see those types of characters on Australian telly at all, and I felt such a kinship with her as soon as I read her on the page. Then when I met Tim, I was like 'please hire, please hire me, this is incredible!'. I owe my Upright my career, because it gave me such a beautiful body of work at such a young age." ON MAKING UPRIGHT'S FIRST SEASON "It was incredibly exciting. I was 18, I just dropped out of school, and I went and travelled around Australia for three months shooting a TV show. I'd never worked like that in my life — I'd never gotten a part like that ever, and I just wanted to do it so well. I just remember being like 'I can't fuck this up, I have to do it right, I have to do it right, I have to nail it, I have to make sure I'm making all the right choices and looking after myself and everything'. I was travelling around and I was without my family, and it got a bit difficult, but it was a massive learning experience." ON RETURNING FOR UPRIGHT'S SECOND SEASON "I didn't think that a second season was going to happen because of the way the story wrapped up — and the time passes. I was like, 'oh it's been three years, we're not going to do another one'. But we did. Meg is such a beautiful person and I'm always excited to talk about Meg, and play Meg." ON CO-LEADING UPRIGHT WITH TIM MINCHIN "We're friends; we just get on and act. And we just go 'these people have chemistry, let's give them the kind of chemistry that this scene warrants because of where they're at in their heads'. I think that Lucky is a bit of a mentor to Meg without her wanting to admit it. He's the only parental figure in her life that kind of guides her in any way. I think Tim and I's relationship reflects that narrative a bit, and we pull from that." ON JUMPING FROM AUSTRALIAN TV TO A HUGE HBO PRODUCTION "It was incredibly daunting. It was the most amount of fear I've felt in my entire life because I was like 'if you fuck this up, you're not going get to another chance'. It really felt like I had to prove myself very quickly, and I wanted to. I was Australian. Everyone was British. It was the pandemic. I didn't get to see my family while we were shooting. I didn't know anyone in London. So I really focused on my work because it was why I was there. I was there to do a job. But quickly, you realise that it's all the same, people are lovely and they're the same — and just the way that it functions is different and bigger because there's more cogs in the machine than there is in a smaller production like Upright, and like other jobs I've done before. I met a lot of amazing people and a lot of beautiful people, and they saw me and were like 'okay, we've got to look out for this one because she's a long way from home'. I was mortified for the first three months, basically. Yeah, absolutely mortified." ON NOT WATCHING GAME OF THRONES UNTIL BOOKING HOUSE OF THE DRAGON "When Game of Thrones is like 'we're doing prequel auditions', and you haven't really done a lot of acting before like I had, you're like 'oh yeah, of course I'm going to audition for this'. It's a massive show — not only a big show, but a very well-written show. It had great characters, and a great story, too. I was like 'yeah, of course'. But I hadn't seen the show before. I knew of it. I knew the accolades, I knew the reputation it had, I knew the status of it, but I hadn't seen it until I booked the job. It was incredibly exciting but also incredibly daunting, because I was like 'oh fuck, I have to do this. I have to live up to that. I don't know if I can do that'. It was exciting and scary. It was a rollercoaster, but you just keep going up. I haven't gone down yet. Then I read a bit of Fire & Blood. I wanted to really get an understanding of what was at stake in this world and be able to contextualise it into the world that we live in on earth. I would go to the library and just kind of study, basically. I would make graphs on what the houses are, what that means, what their titles were, what their status was like in our kind of world — all to understand it." ON PLAYING STRONG, DETERMINED YOUNG WOMEN "That's the way the jobs have landed because until House of the Dragon, I haven't been able to pick and choose — I still can't really pick and choose. I'm so young, I'm still starting out. With House of the Dragon, I was working against amazing actors — Paddy Considine and Rhys Ifans and Matt Smith — who have had a very big and beautiful and broad careers that I admire. I think that it's difficult because on one side, I want to play everyone. But then on the other hand, I know I'll read a script and be like 'this is a great part but I know I'm not that girl'. You just read a part and you're like 'I just can't play her, I'm just not her. In my heart and in my soul, I know I'm not her'. Unless you're a phenomenal character actor like Paddy, like Meryl Streep, like all those kind of legends, you kind of have to lean into parts of who you are. I think that I've been so lucky that there's parts of me that people have picked out and been like 'you can play that role'." ON THE CHANGE THAT HOUSE OF THE DRAGON HAS BROUGHT "I didn't expect anything. I didn't go in expecting anything with this. I think I was protecting myself, because everyone was like 'it could be a flop because it's a prequel'. But I think very early on, we realised that it had a lot of potential just from reading the script alone — but no, I didn't prepare myself at all. I just thought that if nothing comes of this, my life stays exactly the same. If something comes of it, everything changes. I think that for me to be able to do the work while we were shooting, I needed to not get swept up in what could happen because I needed to really focus. The opportunities have changed massively. People around me have changed. A Pandora's box has been opened, and I got to have a little peek inside. I think that just the way that people treat me is a bit different, which is the hardest thing to grapple with. It's weird. One day you're just you and then you're not. And you're like 'why am I chosen, what made me so special?'. I don't see it because I see me every day, I can feel the good bits and the ugly bits — especially the ugly bits, because you're stuck with yourself. It's just tricky. I mean, I'm 22 — I still can barely use a washing machine, let alone [process] what all of this is. But the most important thing is just keeping the right people around me and keeping my head on my shoulders, having that screwed on right — which I think I'm doing." Upright screens on Foxtel and streams via Binge, with both seasons available to watch in full. House of the Dragon's first season is available via Foxtel and Binge. Read our full review.
It’s the trend that has become so established, it’s now a cliche: Queenslanders moving down south to pursue bigger and better things. It’s also the trend Vlada Edirippulige is happy to break, making her dream of opening her own comic book store a reality. Based in West End, Junky Comics launches on April 10 before opening for trading the next day, establishing its physical presence less than a year after bursting onto the online scene. The passion project of Edirippulige, also known as illustrator Junky and as a member of local band Major Leagues, Junky Comics is partly her way of counteracting the apathy so often seen throughout the city. "Brisbane has such a great music scene, and such a great arts scene. Why can't things like this work here?" she notes. Indeed, location is everything — particularly the shop on Vulture Street, which is still in the process of being unpacked when Concrete Playground stops by. As soon as Edirippulige found out the place was available, she sprang into action, working to get the store up and running as soon as possible. "This is such a great little strip in a really lovely community," she says of her spot just up the road from Jet Black Cat Music, and around the corner from both Bent Books and The Avid Reader. The relaxed neighbourhood feel suits her vision for the store, with Junky Comics the kind of place where browsing — and taking a seat on the couch while you peruse the shop's stock — is welcome. "I really hate that feeling of getting in, grabbing something and getting out," Edirippulige advises. "With comics, you need to look through them too see if you dig them. "The decision to turn Junky into a physical store had a lot do with the idea of utilising the space itself, not just as a place to sell comics but a place to have exhibitions and workshops, talks and readings." She hopes to cultivate "a good creative space where you can sit and read and draw a bit if that was what you wanted to do". The unique combination of written word with illustration is a big part of what draws Edirippulige to comics as well. "Some of the most 'highbrow intellectual' texts I've read have been comics," she says. "I think that's why it's super easy to get quickly invested in comics because of the visual aspect, they communicate with the reader so easily." Edirippulige's affection for the medium is obvious and infectious, even if she contends she started Junky Comics from "a very selfish place." She continues, "I wanted to be able to pool together all of the comics that I loved and have them in one place, under one roof. Comic books and graphic novels cover such widespread content — it's not just about superheroes anymore! — and I wanted to have a place that showcased that diversity." Indeed, rifling through the wares adorning the store's custom-made shelves proves just that, with Junky Comics stocking everything from Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis to vintage Wonder Woman. "A huge inspiration as well was the fact that I wanted to have a tonne of work by female writers and artists because there is so much of it out there and it is so good," she explains, with her alternative and indie stock sourced from publishers in Canada, London and the USA alongside classics from Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and Image, plus art books and local zines. On the events side of things, the store launch coincides with its first collaboration with NOFUN, hosting an exhibition inspired by the films of Wes Anderson. Between the artwork and the comics, there's plenty to entice customers into what will hopefully become a thriving new Brisbane hub for all things — and people — of the creative persuasion. Find Junky Comics at 93 Vulture Street, West End, or peruse their online store.
Because sometimes dessert should be the main deal, that's why. If you've left it too late for dinner or are still hungry once it's finished, head to one of these five fine establishments that cater to the sweet tooth. From ice-cream and brownies to brioche dumplings and something billed as 'Death Row', the concoctions you'll find here take dessert to the next level. 1. Freestyle Tout Freestyle Tout is the stalwart of the Brisbane dessert scene. At any given time, the Fortitude Valley and West End locations are packed with hordes of Brisbane's sugar-deprived. Lunch and dinner menus are available, but the sweets are Freestyle's calling card (and who wants to eat savouries anyway?). Everyone has their own Freestyle favourite, but common picks are the sticky date pudding with caramel sauce, the white chocolate raspberry brioche dumplings, and the Little Bit of Queensland (macadamia white chocolate slice with caramel sauce and icecream). Emporium, 50/1000 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley and Cnr Browning and Melbourne Streets, West End; www.freestyletout.com.au 2. Mud Dessert Bar Do you love tapas? How about dessert tapas? At Mud Dessert Bar in Bulimba, an eight-course dessert tapas sitting will only set you back $30, and possibly set you forward a few kilos. This is a serious dessert menu that ventures off the standard fare found at most restaurants. Classics like lemon tart and banana split sit next to banoffee and strawberry shortcake. Chocolate lovers, however, won't care about this; they'll be too busy burying themselves in the decadent and aptly named Death Row: chocolate mousse, ganache, sponge, bavarois, brulee, cheesecake, icecream and homemade chocolate tequila. Smile and say cavity! 1/190 Oxford Street, Bulimba; www.muddessert.com.au 3. ShliX One of Brisbane's best gelato joints, ShliX is the place to go for a slightly more casual dessert experience. Grab a basic cup or cone, or splurge on a banana split or a sundae if you're feeling a bit special. New and novelty flavours are often being added to rotation, but of the regular flavours the peanut butter is unbeatable. 364 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley; shlix.com.au 4. Dello Mano A recent addition to the Brisbane dessert race, Dello Mano are serious about their chocolate. Chocolate cake, chocolate fudge, chocolate souffle, chocolate truffles, chocolate tarts … you get the picture, right? Stealing the show, though, is the huge signature line of Belgian chocolate brownies, a batch of which were famously ordered by Ashton Kutcher for his birthday in 2011. They do brownie gift boxes as well, so while you're there, pick up something special for a loved one (or just for later). 29 Doggett Street, Teneriffe; www.dellomano.com.au 5. Alfred's Cafe and the Alfred & Constance Late Night Dessert Cafe Brisbane's favourite hipster superclub isn't content just sating the masses with its tropical tiki cocktails and endless tap beers; it also wants to feed your sweet tooth. Alfred's Cafe is a sugary Mecca during the day, and once the sun goes down, the Alfred & Constance's Late Night Dessert Cafe (open until midnight) wakes up as a part of the Vanguard Beer Garden. Confused? Us too. The point is, sweets are never too far away. Cnr Alfred and Constance Streets, Fortitude Valley; brisbane.concreteplayground.com.au/restaurants/92946/alfred-and-constance.htm View all Brisbane Restaurants.
Maybe you'll see a glowing giraffe. Perhaps you'll spy a dazzling koala. Or, you might find yourself peering at the sun — but much closer than usual. They're just some of the lanterns that could be brightening up the inky night sky at the 2024 Luminous Festival, which returns to South Bank Parklands from 11am–8pm on Saturday, August 3, complete with a lantern parade from 6pm. The parade part of the fest doesn't just give the riverside spot a new glow for the fun of it. As the entire event does, it celebrates multiculturalism and has for more than 15 years now. Over that time, Luminous has grown to become quite the hefty — and radiant — date on Brisbane's calendar, with 2024's timed to mark the start of Queensland Multicultural Month. Free to head along to, the festival champions diversity and welcomes new Queenslanders, including migrants, refugees, international students and people seeking asylum. As well as the lanterns, the program spans cooking demonstrations in the South Bank Piazza, music and dance workshops, sports activations, live tunes and performances, and a market filled with food and craft stalls. So, your day can including catching Bollywood and Tibetan dancers, learning how to whip up South Sudanese and Samoan cuisine, giving African drumming a try, tucking into Afghan dishes, then hanging out with Brisbane Lions players.
Just a few short years ago, grabbing a bite or having a drink beneath the Fortitude Valley side of the Story Bridge simply wasn't possible. Now, Howard Smith Wharves is one of the city's most popular spots. Restaurateur and entrepreneur Hervé Dudognon knows that first-hand, after holding leadership positions at the precinct — and, hopping over to Albion's transformed 100-year-old timber mill for his new venture, he's helping to weave that magic twice. At Craft'd Grounds, Dudognon is the co-founder and namesake of French restaurant and bar Hervé's, which heroes French-inspired food and wine. The aim: to give the city a homely, relaxed but still world-class eatery that nods to Europe but also embraces Australian culture. "The vision has always been to create a community destination — an extension of your home that's warm and inviting," he explains. Husband and wife executive chef duo Alex and Chris Norman oversee the kitchen — with Chris as Executive Chef and Alex as Executive Pastry Chef. Between them, the pair boasts The Square restaurant and Ritz Hotel in London, plus The Bridge Room, Merivale Group, The One & Only Resort, Palazzo Versace and Emporium Group in Australia on their resumes. Given that Dudognon's career includes stops at the Hotel De Crillon in Paris, Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong, and Palazzo Versace and Merivale Group as well, the Hervé's team isn't short on hospitality experience. The venue's food range favours top produce sourced both locally and abroad — including Fraser Island crab, Appellation oysters done two ways and a decadent Australian shellfish bouillabaisse. Among the other menu highlights, chartreuse cured ocean trout, rock lobster ravioli and black angus steak tartare sit among the smaller options, alongside roast duck and a butcher's cut of beef to share, plus kingfish with confit leek and cannellini beans among the mains. On the wine lineup, the bar is pouring Australian, French and other international vino from eco-conscious winemakers. Decor-wise, Byron Bay-based interior designer Katie Cameron has given top-floor space an intimate, homely feel. Think: timber aplenty — befitting the building's history — as well as terrazzo, soft lighting and textured fabrics, plus a clear view into the kitchen and its wood-fired oven. Images: Markus Ravik.
Coolangatta has scored itself a slice of Europe by the sea courtesy of Luna's Deli, the beachside boulangerie, gelateria and sandwich deli by chefs and partners Yazmin Maestre and Loic Trouiller. With experience at Michelin-starred kitchens across Europe, the duo brings a wealth of expertise to their bright and welcoming venue on Marine Parade. Head in for buttery pastries baked fresh each morning — the daily-changing display features handcrafted goodies prepared over three days, using French butter and sustainably sourced flour. You'll also find a tight breakfast menu, a selection of stacked sandwiches made to order on house-made, slow-fermented focaccia and gooey toasties available all day, like a leek cacio e pepe and a sky-high reuben starring Bangalow pastrami. Also on offer: small-batch, preservative-free gelato churned in-house. [caption id="attachment_1018979" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mathilde Bouby[/caption] The light-filled space pairs coastal ease with European elegance, with its Riviera-inspired yellow-and-white palette, soft textures and views of Coolangatta Beach. It's designed for breezy breakfasts, leisurely lunches and afternoon pick-me-ups, with coffee available well into golden hour. Alongside the daily offerings, Yazmin — a former pastry instructor at Le Cordon Bleu — will also host hands-on classes in baking, chocolate and pastry, sharing her craft with the community. [caption id="attachment_1018980" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mathilde Bouby[/caption] Images: Mathilde Bouby.
There's a pretty decent chance that you've spent a hefty chunk of time indoors over the past few months. So, with vitamin D levels plummeting, and laptops getting showered with crumbs, there's no better time to move your lunch plans from al desko to al fresco. But, there's a little hiccup. You don't own a fancy picnic set, do you? Unless you're planning on staging an impromptu photoshoot, you really don't need an extravagant set of outdoor accessories to enjoy your leisurely meal. Just toddle off to your nearest park with a blanket (even a beach towel will do), and let DoorDash do the rest. All of these meal options are designed to be super portable, so that you have a free hand to pat any dogs that might cross your path. See? Innovation at its absolute finest.
Move over dive bars and gastropubs — there's a new kind of watering hole in town. That'd be the alehouse, home to foamy alcoholic liquids aplenty, plus all the delicious bites to eat that help the craft brews go down. Indeed, Mr Edward's Alehouse & Kitchen champions its food as much as its drinks, as the venue's early morning opening hours and Euro-centric, share plate focused and slow-cooked-heavy menu makes plain. The charcuterie board of artisan cured meats and cheeses is the cream of the crop, and the perfect partner for the biggest selection of Coopers beer in Queensland, a special selection of Bacchus Brewing Co's dessert concoctions, or their signature sour pale ale cocktail (made with pale ale, of course). The new addition to Edward Street — where else? — is also fond of creating a relaxed, rustic atmosphere in its little corner of the Botanic Gardens end of the CBD. Witness their tables made from wood recycled from old Queenslanders and wall covered in photos of its location more than a century ago for further laidback evidence as you're enjoying an ale or several. Find Mr Edward's Alehouse & Kitchen at 46 Edward Street, Brisbane. For more information, visit their website and Facebook page.
In recent years, Brisbane has turned crabby. Claw BBQ opened not one but two venues, first in Bowen Hills and then in Carindale. Also, Kickin' Inn has had locals donning bibs in Spring Hill. The next crustacean-loving spot that's marched into town is Krabby's Crab Boil, which has scuttled up north from Melbourne. If you're keen on Louisiana-style seafood boils, this is where you'll find them. Making its Brisbane and Queensland debut, Krabby's Crab Boil has set up shop in and on Petrie Terrace. In both the locality and on the street that shares the same name, the chain has settled into well-known digs, in fact. The corner venue that was once Hog's Breath Cafe and then The Bavarian The Barracks is the brand's Brissie home, with Krabby's giving the prime location a makeover. On the menu here since Monday, March 31, 2025: fresh seafood that's seasoned and boiled, whether you're keen on snow crab and king prawns or mussels and clams (or, if it suits your tastebuds, all of the above). At its two Melbourne digs, this is the kind of place that fills buckets with seafood, both to share and to tuck into on your own, including Moreton Bay bugs, lobster or yabbies — while also serving up crab, prawn, lobster and scallop rolls; salt and pepper squid; crab and clam chowder; and more. The vibe: lively, in a setting where gathering the gang is recommended and the atmosphere is as much of a drawcard as the menu. Given how close Brisbane's Krabby's outpost is to Suncorp Stadium, expect it to be particularly busy on game days and whenever there's a concert on down the road. If you've been to The Barracks in recent months, you might've noticed two things: firstly, that a heap of its eateries had said farewell, and then that some of those empty stores have been welcoming in new tenants. Krabby's Crab Boil is one fresh arrival. Also setting up shop lately: Lick! Ice Cream and Ichiban Sushi. Your new Petrie Terrace spot for a frosty treat — perhaps after a movie — launched in late 2024. Ichiban Sushi's latest venue, alongside its Queen Street Mall, West Village and Fairfield Gardens sites, opened on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. [caption id="attachment_997266" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Markus Ravik[/caption] Find Krabby's Crab Boil at 61 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane — head to the eatery's website for more details.
For the folks at Albion's Fonzie Abbott, nothing stands in the way of a great coffee — not even Brisbane's recent bout of horrific weather. The caffeine fiends' Fox Street headquarters was affected by the floods, but it's still brewing up cuppas in a van outside. And, it has also set up a pop-up retail shop so that you can pick up some merchandise, too. Drink the coffee, then buy the shirt, cap or other merch — or pick up some beans, other bites, or something from Fonzie Abbott's range of beer and spirits to take home with you. Whichever you choose, you'll be doing a local business that's been impacted by the past week's chaos a huge solid. Fonzie Abbot and its famous lightning-strike logo have been a part of Brissie's coffee scene for more than a decade now, so every Brisbanite who likes caffeine has drunk its brews at least once. Also, its Albion base is a roastery, brewery and distillery in one — so pop it on your must-visit list again once it's back up and running. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Fonzie Abbott (@fonzieabbott) Top image: Atlanta Bell.
Love vintage and pre-loved outfits? Tired of the hassle of trying to find things online? That's where Her Wardrobe — and its market of clothes, shoes and accessories — comes in. Off-line browsing and buying was a thing long before the days of eBay purchases, and at this shopping get-together, it's here to stay. In what promises to be a fabulous day for fashion, more than 10,000 items will be available to bulk up your clothing choices. You'll not only see them with your own eyes, but you'll also get to meet the folks behind the sartorial gems as you're scouring for bargains. And, if you have your own trove of vintage treasure that you're willing to part with, or if your closet just needs clearing out so that you can fill it with more stylish threads, you can sell your own stuff too. That's right, you can refresh your wardrobe, part with your unwanted attire and make some cash at the same time. That's a fashion trend we can get used to.
Any serious specialty coffee place knows beans should not be a one-size-fits-all option for their different brews. One kind of roast and grind, for example, won't necessarily work as well for a long black as it does a milky latte, which is why Masters St Coffee uses completely different brands for each. The independent coffee haunt serves up Sydney roasteries Single O (usually used for black brews) and Reuben Hills (for its milky numbers) daily as well as a number of regularly rotating guest roasters. Coffee is the primary focus here, but a selection of sweets (like Nutella-filled doughnuts, Butterbings and danishes) can sometimes be found at the counter to tempt you. Grab and go or sit in at one of the few tables set out in this little nook on Masters Street in Newstead and take your time. Images: Kiel Wode
Busting out the bibs to enjoy a shellfish feast, hearing the sound of cracking echoing, sipping boozy slushies over a showcase of sports and arcade games: this all became a reality in Bowen Hills in 2023 when Claw BBQ opened its doors. It's the crab shack that King Street didn't know that it needed. Soon, it'll also be the red- and white-hued, American-inspired joint that Brisbane's southeast didn't know that it was missing as well. Come early September 2024, the River City will boast two Claw outposts: the OG location and a new site in Carindale. If thinking about the latter suburb makes you think of the sprawling shopping centre that shares its name, that's where you'll be heading. The eatery will transport the same concept across to its new digs, but with a few features all of its own. So, buckets of shellfish will still be on the menu, as will fried chicken, barbecue ribs, burgers and the like. The brand's eating challenges will also make the jump, getting adventurous (and hungry) patrons attempting to wolf down a one-kilogram burg with a side of fries in just half an hour or half a kilogram of hot wings in 20 minutes. That said, whatever is satisfying your appetite, you'll be doing so in a spot with 4.5-metre boat in its ceiling — which definitely isn't the kind of thing that you see elsewhere. The new crustacean-slinging eatery will also include ice cream shakes and mocktails among its drinks range, alongside a hefty number of tap beers; a heap of large-screen televisions broadcasting all of that sport; and consoles for you to mash buttons at. While Potentia Solutions Leisure's crab shack chain heroes its fondness for seafood in its moniker, including crab in buckets, prepared Louisiana-style and in balls — as well as paired with crawfish, prawns and bugs — the Bowen Hills venue's menu also extends to cheeseburger spring rolls, pulled-pork tacos, whole grilled chickens and more. Add Cheetos mac 'n' cheese as a side, then an Oreos and cream pizza for dessert. To wash down all of the above, cocktails are a big feature at Bowen Hills. The current drinks list features cactus apple margaritas, strawberry and kiwi mojitos, frozen cola with rum and lime, mango macadamia piña coladas and sangrai towers. Beer lovers can go with local and international brews. If you prefer wine, there's a short array of options. Find Claw BBQ Carindale at Carindale Shopping Centre, 1151 Creek Road, Carindale sometime from early September 2024 — we'll update you with more details and an exact opening date when they're announced.
The name says it all really. A chain that has been happily serving up Melburnians and Sydneysiders’ ribs and burgers since 2011 has finally landed in Brisbane, bringing with it meat of epic proportions and serious flavour. Disclaimer: this is not first date food. Let's start with the ribs. Giant, Flintstonian racks of meat come flowing from the open kitchen and are served on beautiful grain-swirled wooden chopping boards (which is handy considering you almost need a carving knife to divvy the glistening BBQ glazed meat into portions manageable for a human being). The racks are so large they cover the generous portion of seasoned chips underneath, which soak up the smokey flavours of the ribs and find that perfect slightly soggy, slightly crunchy balance. The meat (pork is highly recommended) is tender and juicy and tears off the bone. Utensils are useless so dive in with your hands and be prepared to end up with sauce all over your face and quite possibly down your front before you're halfway through. Finger-licking goodness The burgers are equally as impressive — towering high with a lofty bun and massive patties sandwiched in the middle — and are tasty, fresh and sure to satisfy. The wagyu burger with crispy fried onions and pink sauce (like a tangy tomato-mayo) is the bees knees, but regular beef, chicken, lamb, veggie and salmon options are also available. Sides such as cabbage slaw and the green butcher's salad are there to provide some leafy salvation from the meat-fest, but if you’re going for it, then opt for the giant onion rings or a side of crispy chicken wings. Ribs & Burgers is also licensed, which makes it the perfect venue for a chilled Sunday lunch and beer or as a pre-movie meal with vino. Just remember: steer clear on a first date.
