Considering a boozy break in the national capital? Sounds like a magnificent idea. Canberra is home to loads of top-notch bars, wineries and distilleries where you can sip on locally crafted beverages — and meet their makers, too. Among them are Australia's first bar dedicated to reisling, a speakeasy that you need geographic coordinates to find and a brewery that specialises in traditional German techniques. So, it's time to grab your mates, open your diary and start planning. To save you time and help you get started, we've scoped out six of the best venues in and around the city that serve a quality drink. Please stay up to date with the latest ACT Government health advice regarding COVID-19.
Every September and October, Germany erupts with brews, food and lederhosen-wearing revellers for its annual Oktoberfest celebrations. When that time rolls around Down Under, Australia follows suit. One such festivity is Oktoberfest in the Gardens, which has been throwing big Bavarian-themed celebrations around the country for 14 years — and is returning to Brisbane for 2024. Oktoberfest in the Gardens will make its latest River City stop at Brisbane Showgrounds on Saturday, October 19. If you're keen to head along, expect company; the event expects to welcome in over 65 people enjoying steins, schnitties and German shindigs across this year's seven-city run. Brisbane's fest will serve up the same kind of beer- and bratwurst-fuelled shenanigans that Germany has become so famous for. So, if you have a hankering for doppelbock and dancing to polka, it's the next best thing to heading to Europe. Oktoberfest in the Gardens boasts a crucial attraction, too: as well as serving a variety of pilsners, ciders, wine and non-alcoholic beverages, it constructs huge beer halls to house the boozy merriment. When you're not raising a stein — or several — at the day-long event, you can tuck into pretzels and other traditional snacks at food stalls, or check out the hefty array of entertainment. Live music, roving performers, a silent disco, rides and a sideshow alley are all on the agenda.
Grocery shopping with Grandma just got real serious. It has just been announced that infrared shopping trolleys will be introduced at IGA stores in Brisbane in February, following successful trials over the past few months. These trolleys feature LCD screens which can locate items within the store, notify you of current specials, and scan your items so you can keep within your budget. If that wasn't enough, trackers in the supermarket ceilings can locate your trolley and let you know which aisle you're in. Keep your fingers crossed for these super-intelligent trolleys to appear at a store near you. Handling one of these four-wheelers means that choosing your cereal won't be a chore, it will soon become a hobby. [via Gizmodo]
UPDATE, December 4, 2020: Mank is available to stream via Netflix. In 2010's The Social Network, David Fincher surveyed the story of an outsider and upstart who would become a business magnate, wield significant influence and have an immense impact upon the world. The applauded and astute film tells the tale of Mark Zuckerberg and of Facebook's development — but it's also the perfect precursor to Fincher's latest movie, Mank. This time around, the filmmaker focuses on a man who once spun a similar narrative. A drama critic turned screenwriter, Herman J Mankiewicz scored the gig of his lifetime when he was hired to pen Orson Welles' first feature, and he drew upon someone from his own life to do so. Citizen Kane is famous for many things, but its central character of Charles Foster Kane is also famously partially based on US media mogul William Randolph Hearst, who Mankiewicz knew personally. Accordingly, Mank sees Fincher step behind the scenes of an iconic movie that his own work has already paralleled — to ponder how fact influences fiction, how stories that blaze across screens silver and small respond to the world around them, and how one man's best-known achievement speaks volumes about both in a plethora of ways. Mank is a slice-of-life biopic about Mankiewicz's (Gary Oldman) time writing Citizen Kane's screenplay, as well as his career around it. It's catnip for the iconic feature's multitudes of fans, in fact. But it also peers at a bigger picture, because that's classic Fincher. The director chased killers in Seven, Zodiac, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Mindhunter, painting meticulous portraits of obsession each time. He unpacked the myths we make of our own existence in Fight Club and Gone Girl, and interrogated the societal perceptions such self-told tales play with and prey upon along the way. Naturally, with him at the helm, Mank was never going to simply serve up a straightforward snapshot of a Hollywood figure. That isn't Fincher's style, and it wouldn't suit Mankiewicz's story, either. When Mank introduces its eponymous scribe, it's 1940, and he's recovering from a car accident. In a cast and confined to bed due to a broken leg, he has been dispatched to a Mojave Desert ranch by Welles (Tom Burke, The Souvenir) and his colleague John Houseman (Sam Troughton, Chernobyl) — all so he can work his word-slinging mastery. As Mankiewicz toils, the movie wanders back to times, places and people that inspire his prose, especially from the decade prior. Dictating his text to British secretary Rita Alexander (Lily Collins), he draws upon his friendships with Hearst (Charles Dance, Game of Thrones) and the news baron's starlet mistress Marion Davies (Amanda Seyfried) in particular. And yes, as anyone who has seen Citizen Kane will spot, Mank's nonlinear structure apes the script that Mankiewicz pens. Many of the latter film's glimmering black-and-white shots do as well, although you won't spot a sled called Rosebud here. The authorship of Citizen Kane has long been a point of controversy, with Mankiewicz agreeing not to take any credit, as Mank shows. (When the screenplay won the film's only Oscar, however, it was awarded to both Mankiewicz and Welles.) Fincher's movie doesn't actually scrutinise the matter too deeply. It recognises that Mankiewicz was frequently asked to work uncredited — he's known to have polished the script for The Wizard of Oz, for example — and sides with the idea that Citizen Kane's screenplay was largely his creation. Of far more interest to the film is the role that Mankiewicz held not just for Welles, but also throughout his time in such an ambitious, ruthless, ethically dubious and uncaring industry. As such, it's impossible not to notice how, with Houseman trying to keep Mankiewicz's notorious love for a drink under control, the scribe feels trapped by his task for Welles. In flashbacks, the way that Mankiewicz is expected to ply his alcohol-addled wit to entertain Hearst and MGM studio chief Lous B Mayer (Arliss Howard, True Blood) is similarly inescapable. And so, Mank posits, it's little wonder that Citizen Kane became an epic takedown of the type of man whose success depends upon enlisting others to do their bidding. In a script by Jack Fincher — father of David, who wrote the screenplay in the 90s before passing away in 2003 — Mank suggests other factors that made Mankiewicz the person he was, and that shaped Citizen Kane's script as well. Scenes of Mankiewicz and his co-workers spitting out whatever ideas came to mind while lapping up the Golden Age of Hollywood and its studio system show the writer at his most content. His response to the use of movie-making trickery to create a fake news campaign to sway a 1934 Californian election by Mayer and film producer Irving Thalberg (Ferdinand Kingsley, Doctor Who) show Mankiewicz at his most passionate about something other than booze and bon mots. Also evident: the abundant cynicism that helps him wade through Tinseltown's trappings, the melancholy shared with Davies, and his reliance upon his wife Sara (Tuppence Middleton, Downton Abbey). Combine all of the above, and a dense and detailed movie results. That's Fincher's wheelhouse, after all. Mank is also visually ravishing and textured, and tonally cutting and icy — which, along with weighty performances, are all Fincher hallmarks. But there's both depth and distance to Mank. Its shadowy monochrome images, as shot by Mindhunter alum Erik Messerschmidt, dance across the screen. The Jazz Age score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is just as delightful. Oldman's certain-to-be-Oscar-nominated portrayal demands attention, and Seyfried's luminous efforts prove the best kind of surprise. And yet this movie about a man observing and interrogating a particular world, made by someone doing exactly that, always feels like it should be more intimate and resonant. It peers in and pokes about, but it never wholly lures the audience in — and watching Oldman and Seyfried's rich scenes together, viewers will wish it did. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSfX-nrg-lI&list=PLsRQmb9N_1G9EZgWWwmSyr_fS0nrjZOBA
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Brisbane at present. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. CANDYMAN Who can take tomorrow and dip it in a dream? 'The Candy Man' can, or so the suitably sugary earworm of a song has crooned since 1971. What scratches at the past, carves open its nightmares and sends them slicing into the present? That'd be the latest Candyman film, a powerful work of clear passion and palpable anger that's crafted with tense, needling thrills and exquisite vision. Echoing Sammy Davis Jr's version of the tune that virtually shares its name across its opening frames, this new dalliance with the titular hook-handed villain both revives the slasher franchise that gave 90s and 00s teen sleepovers an extra tremor — if you didn't stare into the mirror and utter the movie's moniker five times, were you really at a slumber party? — and wrestles vehemently and determinedly with the historic horrors that've long befallen Black Americans. It'll come as zero surprise that Jordan Peele produces and co-penned the screenplay with writer/director Nia DaCosta (Little Woods) and writer/producer Win Rosenfeld (The Twilight Zone). Candyman slides so silkily into Peele's thematic oeuvre alongside Get Out and Us, plus Peele-produced TV series Hunters and Lovecraft Country, that his fingerprints are inescapable. But it's rising star DaCosta who delivers a strikingly alluring, piercingly savage and instantly memorable picture. Alongside bloody altercations and lashings of body horror, razor blade-spiked candy makes multiple appearances, and her film is equally as sharp and enticing. In a preface that expands the Candyman mythology — and savvily shows how the movie has everyday realities firmly on its mind — that contaminated confectionery is thrust to the fore. In 1977, in the Cabrini-Green housing estate where the series has always loitered, Sherman Fields (Michael Hargrove, Chicago PD) is suspected of handing out the laced lollies to neighbourhood kids. Sent to do laundry in the basement, pre-teen Billy (Rodney L Jones III, Fargo) soon comes face-to-face with the man everyone fears; however, after the boy screams and the police arrive, he witnesses something even more frightening. Jumping to the present (albeit absent any signs of the pandemic given Candyman was initially slated to release in mid-2020), Cabrini-Green is now Chicago's current poster child for gentrification. It's where artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Watchmen) and curator Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris, WandaVision) have just bought an expansive apartment, in fact. They're unaware of the area's background, until Brianna's brother Troy (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Generation) and his partner Grady (Kyle Kaminsky, DriverX) start filling them in on the legend that's long been whispered across the local streets — and, struggling to come up with ideas for a new show, Anthony quickly clasps onto all things Candyman for his next big project. Read our full review. ANNETTE Dreamy and dazzling from its first moments, rock opera Annette bursts onto the screen with a simple question: "so may we start?". As the opening credits roll, the long-awaited latest film from Holy Motors director Leos Carax addresses its audience before it poses that query — via an unseen announcer who tells viewers "you are now kindly requested to keep silent, and to hold your breath until the end of the show" — but the movie doesn't begin to truly kick into gear until the filmmaker himself asks if things can get going. Images of a recording studio flicker, with Carax on one side of the glass and Ron and Russell Mael, of art-pop duo Sparks, on the other. Carax tells his real-life daughter Nastya that the fun is about to commence, and the Mael brothers start singing and playing keyboard, with a band around them. Soon, however, everyone is on their feet and spilling out into the street, with the feature's stars Adam Driver (Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker), Marion Cotillard (We'll End Up Together) and Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory) joining them in the glorious, song-fuelled, sing-and-walk scene. No one is playing a character here yet, but they're all still playing a part. They're finally coming together for the big spectacle that is this eagerly anticipated film — which has been in the works since 2016 — and they're setting the vibe in a bold and sensational way. The tune is pure Sparks, with the pair both composing the movie's music and writing the feature itself with Carax. The tone bubbles with the pair's avant-garde sensibilities, too, and the whole song echoes with the promise of remarkable things to come. Nine years ago, Carax gave the world a once-in-a-lifetime gem. Annette is a different film to Holy Motors, obviously, but it gleams just as brightly and with the same beguiling, inimitable, all-encompassing allure. There's an ethereal, otherworldly quality to Carax's work — of heightening reality to truly understand how people feel and act, and of experimenting with artforms to interrogate them — and that sensation seeps through every second of his gleefully melodramatic musical, which deservedly won him the Cannes Film Festival's Best Director award. Everything about Annette has been turned up several notches on every setting, from its lush and lavish imagery to its cascade of toe-tapping, sung-through tunes that keep propelling the narrative forward. Every character detail, both external and internalised, has been amplified as well. This is a movie where Driver's Henry wears the same shade of green over and over like a uniform, beaming his envy at every turn. It's a film where sex scenes involve singing, as though they're the only way these characters can really convey their innermost emotions. And, it's a feature where the titular character — the baby born of standup comedian Henry McHenry (Driver) and opera star Ann Defrasnoux's (Cotillard) mismatched but passionate and all-consuming love — is played by a marionette. This is a tragedy and a fairy tale, in other words, as it charts how Henry and Ann "love each other so much", how their dissimilarities tear them in different directions, and how Annette comes into their lives but can't save them from stormy seas. Read our full review. DON'T BREATHE 2 When a horror film spawns a sequel, it often resurrects the villain rather than reunites with the hero for an obvious reason: watching a familiar murderer terrorise new victims is a far easier formula to replicate, and to sell, than tasking the same protagonist with surviving an unnerving ordeal again and again. There are exceptions; typically when the Halloween franchise works best, it brings back both Laurie Strode and Michael Myers, for instance. Some movies also tweak the template slightly, as seen with Don't Breathe 2. This five-years-later follow-up to 2016's grim, gritty and effective genre hit once again focuses on 'The Blind Man', aka Norman Nordstrom, and not only because it makes the most narrative sense. This second effort also brings him back because Stephen Lang (The Good Fight) put in such an imposing and memorable performance as the wrong person to burgle the first time around. Unsurprisingly, there's a purposeful, unshakeable but still unpleasant level of discomfort that comes with siding with a killer who had also kidnapped and forcibly impregnated a woman in the last feature — and tried to do the same thing to one of its home invaders — and it just plays as disconcerting rather than edgy. This is a movie about the lesser of two evils, though, after a shady criminal gang led by the sinister Raylan (Brendan Sexton III, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie) breaks into Nordstrom's home with designs on the now-11-year-old girl, Phoenix (Madelyn Grace, Grey's Anatomy), he's been raising as his daughter for the past eight years. Helmed by directing first-timer Rodo Sayagues, who co-wrote the initial feature with filmmaker Fede Alvarez (The Girl in the Spider's Web) and does so again here, Don't Breathe 2 still unleashes much the same violent mayhem in much the same setup. Nordstrom's home is infiltrated, and he subsequently battles back against the culprits — but this time to genuinely save Phoenix, rather than to try to keep someone captive and his secrets safe. The mechanics of the sequel's new cat-and-mouse standoff favour muscular and sinewy physical confrontations as its predecessor did, and rely heavily upon Lang embodying those exact traits. He attacks, reacts and helps bring the gore with almost-preternatural, action hero-esque precision, but it all expectedly feels repetitive now that the series is being given a second spin. One area where the film doesn't repeat itself: its soundscape. Don't Breathe 2 isn't as fussed with toying with acoustics as much, to the movie's detriment — so, gone is the anxiety of feeling that that every noise could spell doom for Nordstrom and Phoenix, even though hiding and keeping silent still plays a large part in the story. And, thanks to the big dose of orchestrated unease that stems from the choice to set two grimy adversaries against each other, tension is mostly absent. Don't Breathe 2 doesn't bother to engage any shades of grey lurking within Nordstrom, either, or truly make its audience question what makes a hero and a villain. Accordingly, as experienced with 80s-era direct-to-video sequels — which this film resembles at every moment — it's hard to care who survives when the movie barely cares about anything but following a formula itself. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on April 1, April 8, April 15, April 22 and April 29; May 6, May 13, May 20 and May 27; June 3, June 10, June 17 and June 24; July 1, July 8, July 15, July 22 and July 29; and August 5, August 12 and August 19. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Nobody, The Father, Willy's Wonderland, Collective, Voyagers, Gunda, Supernova, The Dissident, The United States vs Billie Holiday, First Cow, Wrath of Man, Locked Down, The Perfect Candidate, Those Who Wish Me Dead, Spiral: From the Book of Saw, Ema, A Quiet Place Part II, Cruella, My Name Is Gulpilil, Lapsis, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Fast and Furious 9, Valerie Taylor: Playing with Sharks, In the Heights, Herself, Little Joe, Black Widow, The Sparks Brothers, Nine Days, Gunpowder Milkshake, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Old, Jungle Cruise, The Suicide Squad, Free Guy, Respect and The Night House.
No one can ever accuse Adam Driver of not living up to his name. He's played a bus driver in Paterson, piloted a spaceship in the Star Wars sequel trilogy as well as 65, and will next zip through the Italian streets in his latest film Ferrari. For none other than Heat and Collateral director Michael Mann, Driver slips into the eponymous racing driver and sports car entrepreneur's shoes, in one of the most-anticipated new movies of the next few months. As the just-dropped first teaser trailer for Ferrari shows, Driver is indeed seen behind the wheel, although the film focuses on its namesake when he's an ex-racer. As adapted from Brock Yates' book Enzo Ferrari: The Man, The Cars, The Races, The Machine, Mann's movie hones in on specific chapter of Enzo Ferrari's life: 1957, as potential bankruptcy looms over his factory, his marriage is struggling after a heartbreaking loss and his drivers approach the Mille Miglia race. Accordingly, Ferrari promises to peer behind the Formula 1 facade, into Enzo's relationship with his wife Laura (Penélope Cruz, Official Competition), the death of their boy Dino, and the son Piero with Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley, Robots) that he doesn't want to acknowledge. If you know your racing history, you'll also know that 1957's Mille Miglia — which spanned 1000 miles across Italy — was its last due to multiple deaths during the event. So, that race won't be an insignificant part of the film. As well as Driver, Cruz and Woodley, Ferrari stars Patrick Dempsey (Disenchanted), Jack O'Connell (Lady Chatterley's Lover), Sarah Gadon (Black Bear) and Gabriel Leone (Dom). Set to release at Christmas in the US and on January 4, 2024 Down Under, Ferrari marks the first (and long-awaited next) film for Mann since 2015's Blackhat — although he did direct an episode of Tokyo Vice's first season in 2022, as well as executive producing the series. Check out the trailer for Ferrari below: Ferrari releases in cinemas Down Under on January 4, 2024. Images: Lorenzo Sisti / Eros Hoagland.
When Michael Crichton put pen to paper and conjured up a modern-day dinosaur-filled amusement park, he couldn't have known exactly what he'd done. The author easily imagined the story making its way to the big screen, because the Jurassic Park novel started out as a screenplay. He could've also perceived that a whole film and TV franchise could follow, and that folks would be quoting the movies for decades. And yet, we're guessing that he didn't predict the latest development: a recreation of the Jurassic World movies, which started with the fourth flick in the series back in 2015, made completely out of Lego. Jurassic World by Brickman first popped up in Melbourne in 2021, then Sydney in 2022. Brisbanites can wander through it, too — and peer at more than 50 dinosaurs, props and scenes from the Jurassic World movies that have all been fashioned out of the popular plastic bricks in the process. That's all on display at Queensland Museum from Friday, December 8, 2023–Sunday, July 28, 2024 as the exhibition keeps touring the country (including extending its Brissie dates for an extra two weeks, after it was initially due to close on Sunday, July 14). More than six million Lego blocks have been used in Jurassic World by Brickman, each brick stacked together to create the four-metre-tall park gates, the lab where the dinosaurs are genetically engineered, those instantly recognisable jeeps, a heap of creatures and more. Welcome to... your Lego Jurassic World fantasy, basically. Lego dinosaurs are clearly the main attraction and, yes, this event has gone big. There's a life-sized brachiosaurus that weighs more than two tonnes, a huge tyrannosaurus rex, two life-sized velociraptors (Blue and Delta), and everything from a stegosaurus to a triceratops, too. Plus, you'll see some prehistoric creatures in the baby dinosaur enclosure, encounter more on the loose and learn how to track them over the exhibition's recreation of Isla Nublar (while using your imagination a whole heap, obviously). If it all sounds rather sizeable, that's because Jurassic World by Brickman is the largest Lego exhibition in Australia. It also lets Lego aficionados get building while they're there, with 2.5 million bricks to play with. This is a family-friendly affair, too, so expect to have plenty of small dinosaur fans for company. Images: Anna Kucera. Updated Wednesday, July 10, 2024.
With everyone spending our days, weeks and months inside due to COVID-19, we're all putting that extra time at home to good use in different ways. Perhaps you're streaming your way through anything and everything you can find. Maybe you're playing board games, doing jigsaws and building Lego. Or, you could be cooking up a storm, getting a workout or being practical by learning a new skill (or several). For many folks, home renovation is on the agenda — whether you're finally painting that wall, putting up that shelf, making over your garden or doing all the odd jobs around the place that you've been putting off for far too long. That means that Bunnings Warehouse has been mighty popular, and busy. And if you're eager to pick up hardware supplies while still maintaining social distancing requirements, you're now in luck. The chain has just implemented a new drive and collect service, which is available at 250 of Bunnings' larger stores around Australia — excluding Tasmania. The contactless option is an extension of its existing click and collect option, just adapted so that you don't have to get out of your car. DIY enthusiasts just need to complete their purchase online, wait for notification that their order is ready, and select their preferred pickup date and time. Then, when you drive to the store, you'll park in a designated drive and collect bay, and text or call the store to let them know you've arrived. All you need to do next is wait for a staff member to bring out your goods and put them in your car boot. [caption id="attachment_767993" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Bidgee via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Sadly, drive and collect doesn't apply to Bunnings' sausage sizzles, which have been suspended since mid-March in response to the coronavirus. Drive and collect isn't available at smaller Bunnings stores, so check online to see if your local warehouse is participating. For further information about Bunnings' click and collect service — or to place an order — visit the chain's website. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
Jason Schwartzman as a private detective. That's it — that's the show. In Bored to Death, the Wes Anderson favourite plays Jonathan Ames, a Brooklyn-based writer who moonlights as a sleuth, pals around with a comic book artist played by Zach Galifianakis and sees a literary magazine editor played by Ted Danson as his surrogate father figure. Adding another layer of eccentricity: the fact that Bored to Death was created and written by an author also called Jonathan Ames, who later wrote the novella that excellent hitman thriller You Were Never Really Here was based on. But even without that nifty trivia tidbit, this is a delightfully offbeat three-season gumshoe series that deservedly amassed quite the cult following when it initially aired from 2009–11. Also, everyone from Jenny Slate and Kristen Wiig to Patton Oswalt and Isla Fisher co-star.
When you head to a gallery or museum, peruse its walls and halls, and stare at a famous work of art, you spend time bathing in visible beauty. If you're peering at a painting, then colours, compositions and brush strokes grab your attention. Should you be looking at a sculpture, it's the lines, shapes and forms that stand out. Even if you're the most dedicated art fan, you're really only engaging one of your senses — that's why it's called visual art. You can't touch something as iconic as the Venus de Milo, for example. You certainly can't taste it either, and it doesn't emit a sound or aroma. But if you have ever found yourself wondering just what the ancient Greek work smells like, or how some of The Louvre's other notable artworks might tickle your nostrils, you can now douse yourself in perfume inspired by eight of the Parisian museum's pieces. For the first time, The Louvre has teamed up with French beauty brand Officine Universelle Buly to create a range of scents that draw upon the gallery's masterpieces — not only for art-lovers to spray over their body, but in scented candles, scented postcards and scented soap sheets too. As well as the world's most famous statue with missing arms — which apparently smells like lilies and musk — the lineup takes its cues from Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres' La Baigneuse and Grande Odalisque, Thomas Gainsborough's Conversation in a Park, Jean-Honoré's The Lock and Georges de La Tour's Joseph the Carpenter. You can also smell like Lorenzo Bartolini's Nymph with Scorpion or, still on sculptures, you can opt for the Winged Victory of Samothrace. If the latter sounds familiar, that's because it featured in Beyonce and Jay-Z's 'Apeshit' video last year. https://vimeo.com/347284474 Buly's collection of The Louvre-themed products doesn't come cheap — ranging from just under €6 for a postcard, to around €17 for soap, to €125 for a candle or perfume. If you don't have a trip to Paris in your future, you can order the artwork-inspired scented products online.
If your ideal cafe visit includes shopping for homewares either before or after your coffee and a bite, St Lucia's Sorelle Eatery understands. Even better: it's making that ritual a one-stop-shop affair. Open since Saturday, May 6 on Hawken Drive, Sorelle Eatery is both an Italian-inspired place to tuck into tiramisu cruffins, Sicilian chilli scrambled eggs, mortadella toasties and mini cannoli, and a space to pick up ceramics, baskets, soft furnishings, and other bits and pieces for your house. On the cafe side, Sorelle Eatery boasts a hefty heritage, hailing from the team behind Milton favourite Tognini's. For three decades, Mark and Narelle Tognini have served up deli and cafe fare on Baroona Road, and now it's their daughters Madeleine and Nastassia's turn just a couple of suburbs over — still in Brisbane's inner west — with Sorelle meaning 'sisters' in Italian. Sorelle Eatery takes its cues from its elder sibling venue; menu-wise, that's where everything from coconut yoghurt panna cotta through to that mortadella, mozzarella and japaleño toastie comes in. Other culinary highlights span spicy merguez sausages with bacon lardons, potato hash, fried eggs and tomato relish from the all-day breakfast menu, plus burrata, saffron risotto, barramundi with asparagus and butter bean sauce, and apple rhubarb crumble among the lunch range from 11am. In a light and airy space that operates five days a week, patrons can sip Sorelle's own custom-blend coffee, or knock back a glass of Italian wines from a tightly curated vino range. Australian and other imported mid-range drops are also on offer. And if you're looking to add something new to your home, the shop's curated selection includes Robert Gordon's pottery, Madras Link's colourful decor and Urban Rituelle's fragrant range.
Anything humans can eat, dogs think that they can munch on as well. But as every responsible pet parent knows, that isn't actually the case. So, we've all weathered those adorable, yearning, pleading looks from our beloved pooches as we've tucked into something that they'd like to taste as well. And, we've all felt the heartbreak at letting our cute critters down — even though it's for their health. Does your doggo get a twinkle in their eye whenever there's a doughnut around? It wouldn't be the first — and, until Monday, September 18, it's in luck. For International Dog Day on Saturday, August 26, Krispy Kreme has announced the return of its limited-edition range of "doggie doughnuts". They're doughnut-inspired dog biscuits, actually, but they sure do look like the real thing. First introduced in 2021, the eye-catching bikkies are a collaboration with Sunshine Coast-based pet treats business Huds and Toke, and they come in six different varieties. If you love Krispy Kreme's original glazed doughnuts, perhaps your pupper will adore the dog biscuit version as well. Or, you could let then go barking mad over choc iced, choc cookie, choc cheesecake, choc sprinkles and strawberry sprinkles varieties. The biscuits aren't made from doughnuts or from chocolate, of course; instead, they use a hard-baked cookie base, as well as frosting made from ingredients like carob that's been designed specifically for dog jaws. The bikkies are also meant to be good for chewing and for dental cleaning — and they're designed to last longer than your usual dog treat. If these round delights will get your four-legged friend's tail wagging, you can buy them in six-packs (for $14.90) while stocks last at Krispy Kreme stores — including via drive-thru. And, they are just for pets. So, just like how Fido or Rover can't have your doughnut, you can't have their version either. Grab some on the weekend of Saturday, August 26–Sunday, August 27 and you'll also score a complimentary pup cup. Krispy Kreme's doggie doughnuts are now available from the chain's stores in Australia and New Zealand until Monday, September 18. Images: Michael Leckie / PinPep.
If you've seen and loved the show Girls, then you know what a character Lena Dunham is. Her work on the big screen is equally amusing. The one-woman-wonder wrote, directed and starred in Tiny Furniture, a clever and amusing coming-of-age dramedy about a bright but lost young woman coming to terms with her stagnant life. In Tiny Furniture, 22-year-old Aura (Dunham) moves back into her artist mother's Tribeca loft after graduating from university. With a useless film degree, a boyfriend who's left her for Burning Man, a dying hamster and no job, Aura is a desperate for someone to tell her what to do. Luckily, her imprudent childhood friend (Jemima Kirke from Girls) and some feckless love interests (including Alex Karpovsky, also from Girls) are thrown in the mix for plenty of roguish escapades. Through gritted teeth and a forced smile, Aura puts her self out there, lands a job at a crummy restaurant and tries to make something of her life like any other twenty-something in New York City. With a witty cast of characters — including her real-life mother, sister and best friend — Dunham's story hits close to home (and was actually filmed in her parents'). Winning Best Narrative Feature at South by Southwest and Best Screenplay at the 2012 Independent Spirit Awards, this indie darling has all the salty, satirical and sardonic humour that captivated us even before Girls. Tiny Furniture is available on DVD and digital download on October 23. Thanks to Transmission Home Entertainment, we've got five DVD copies to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au https://youtube.com/watch?v=GuD6wF_GPOY
No one plays with a Barbie too hard when the Mattel product is fresh out of the box. As that new doll smell lingers, and the toy's synthetic limbs gleam and locks glisten, so does a child's sense of wonder. The more that the world-famous mass-produced figurine is trotted through DreamHouses, slipped into convertibles and decked out in different outfits, though — then given non-standard makeovers — the more that playing with the plastic fashion model becomes fantastical. Like globally beloved item, like live-action movie bearing its name. Barbie, the film, starts with glowing aesthetic perfection. It's almost instantly a pink-hued paradise for the eyes, and it's also a cleverly funny flick from its 2001: A Space Odyssey-riffing outset. The longer that it continues, however, the harder and wilder that Lady Bird and Little Women director Greta Gerwig goes, as does her Babylon and Amsterdam star lead-slash-producer Margot Robbie as Barbie. In Barbie's Barbie Land, life is utopian. Robbie's Stereotypical Barbie and her fellow dolls genuinely believe that their rosy beachside suburban excellence is infectious, too. And, they're certain that their female-championing realm — and them being female champions of all skills, talents and appearances — has changed the real world inhabited by humans. But there's a Weird Barbie living in a misshapen abode. While she isn't Barbie's villain, not for a second, her nonconformist look and attitude says everything about Barbie at its most delightful. Sporting cropped hair, a scribbled-on face and legs akimbo, she's brought to life by Saturday Night Live great Kate McKinnon having a blast, and explained as the outcome of a kid somewhere playing too eagerly. Meet Gerwig's spirit animal; when she lets Weird Barbie's vibe rain down like a shower of glitter, covering everything and everyone in sight, the always-intelligent, amusing and dazzling Barbie is at its brightest and most brilliant. This film has much to do, as a Mattel- produced affair that also skewers the brand, and both dotes on and parodies all things Barbie, must. The more askew it gets and revels in it, the better. Indeed, in a movie that not only overflows with a feminist perspective, but pokes glorious fun at the patriarchy — plus 90s male-fronted rock, car and horse obsessions, and men competing and one-upping each other (side note: do Kens have genitalless bulge-measuring contests?) — it throws in a glaring clash that couldn't serve the picture better. Barbies can be anything, be it President (Issa Rae, Insecure), a doctor (Hari Nef, Meet Cute), a diplomat (Nicola Coughlan, Bridgerton), a Nobel Prize-winning physicist (Emma Mackey, Emily), an author (Alexandra Schipp, tick, tick... BOOM!), a Supreme Court justice (Ana Cruz Kayne, Jerry and Marge Go Large), a journalist (Ritu Arya, Polite Society), a lawyer (Sharon Rooney, Jerk) and a mermaid (Dua Lipa, making her movie debut). They can also nearly have the film stolen from them by a Zoolander-esque himbo Ryan Gosling (The Gray Man) at his absolute funniest as Stereotypical Barbie's yearning Ken. Before Ken's stunning late-film, go-for-broke, 50s-musical-adoring song-and-dance number that deserves all of the awards, including for Gosling putting his crooning to use again post-La La Land and loving it, Barbie has to derail the Barbies' constant rotation of best days ever. Gerwig and her Greenberg, Frances Ha, Mistress America and White Noise helmer Noah Baumbach, who co-writes here, wouldn't have a storyline otherwise. Together and apart, the duo has a stellar pedigree in conveying the disappointments of simply being, a notion they pull back out of the box. For Stereotypical Barbara Millicent Roberts, her idyll shifts when her giant blowout party with all the Barbies, planned choreography and a bespoke song sparks thoughts about death for the first time. Next comes messy hair upon waking, burnt breakfast, a fall from her DreamHouse to her car — rather than floating down like a hand is airlifting her — and suddenly unarched feet that can't handle high heels. Only Weird Barbie has an inkling of what's going on, guiding Stereotypical Barbie to the real world to seek out whoever's playing with her, discover why they're less than blissful and fix that human to fix herself. Los Angeles, here she comes — to rollerblade in neon as everyone has known since 2022, and with Ken tagging along. Gosling's Ken is only one Ken, of course. Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Kingsley Ben-Adir (Secret Invasion), Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education) and Scott Evans (Grace and Frankie): they're other Kens. John Cena (Fast X) is a Ken mermaid. Michael Cera (Black Mirror) is Alan, and he's unique. In Barbie Land, everyone who isn't Barbie — even Midge (Emerald Fennell, The Crown) — sits in the Barbies' shadow. When, as they meet Mattel employee Gloria (America Ferrera, Superstore), her teen daughter Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt, 65) and the company's CEO (Will Ferrell, Spirited), Barbie and Ken learn that reality doesn't mirror that setup, their glossy polymer bubble bursts. Weathering a surreal existential crisis or not, and even being the butt of one of narrator Helen Mirren's (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) many wry jokes by name, Robbie is sparkling, warm and sincere. There's nothing PVC about her performance, which is equally light and heartfelt — and still gives Gosling all the room that he can thrust his spray-tanned chest into to deliver a hilarious physical comedy masterclass (and, although Robbie led Babylon, sometimes sashay like he's in Hollywood's Golden Age). Robbie, and Gosling also, keep shimmering when the film feels a touch careful, or falls slightly and briefly flatter. They're the sublime antidote when Barbie stresses that it's lampooning, rather than just doing it. And, though playing characters with painted-on fridge contents (her) and "just beach" as a job (him), they're what makes the movie feel wonderfully real and earnest even when — especially when — it's at its goofiest and silliest. Gerwig has directed a lively, zany, oh-so witty and pretty Barbie flick that's perfectly cast, a costuming showcase and, in Barbie Land, a production-design dream. With Baumbach, she's penned a knowing, mile-a-minute, meta-but-meaningful film that's a tribute and a takedown — happy celebrating Barbie's aspirational role and place in history since 1959, while calling out corporatised girl power, mainstream beauty standards, the ridiculous expectations placed upon women (basically dropping a sequel to Gone Girl's "cool girl" speech, in fact) and capitalism's intellectual property-hungry quest for control. Sometimes, the fingers that are moving Barbie's pieces are a touch too evident, pushing hard instead of just playing hard. Sometimes, they're a tad timid. Thankfully, these are minor issues, like choosing who Barbie should be when the possibilities are endless. This film's charms aren't quite infinite, but they're as ever-present as pink, pink and more pink in an ambitious, inventive and joyously entertaining movie that gave the world a fuchsia paint shortage.
UPDATE, Friday, April 26, 2024: Sleater-Kinney's Brisbane show will now take place at The Triffid, not Fortitude Music Hall. This article has been updated to reflect that change. When Sleater-Kinney, aka Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein, take to the stage Down Under in May 2024, they won't just be touring their latest album. And they aren't simply making their first trip this way in eight years, since 2016, either. Started under the riot grrrl movement, the group will also celebrate 30 years since forming, plus just as long since they recorded their self-titled first record in a single night in Australia. That album has been followed by ten more studio releases, with Little Rope their latest. That gives the duo — after Janet Weiss left the band in 2019 — plenty to play through on a five-city visit to Australia and New Zealand, including at Brisbane's The Triffid on Friday, May 17. [caption id="attachment_941980" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Justin Higuchi via Wikimedia Commons.[/caption] Sleater-Kinney have a stack of US dates locked in before heading this way, and will then make their way around Europe in August. Everywhere they play, fans can expect tunes from Little Rope — including singles 'Hell' and 'Say It Like You Mean It' — likely alongside past tracks such as 'One More Hour', 'Worry with You' and 'Jumpers'. As well as their three decades together — with a hiatus between 2007–13, between 2005's exceptional The Woods and 2015's No Cities to Love — Tucker has stints with Heavens to Betsy, Cadallaca, The Corin Tucker Band and Filthy Friends to her name, while Brownstein co-created and co-starred in Portlandia. Carol, Transparent, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Irma Vep are also on Brownstein's filmography. [caption id="attachment_941986" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Raph_PH via Wikimedia Commons[/caption]
Seeing a lighthouse near the beach isn't anything new. When that glowing beacon by the shore is solely made from recycled sails, however — with animation to help it get luminous up top and rotate the beam — it stands out. The structure in question: a 10.6-metre-tall sculpture fittingly called Lighthouse, hailing from Simone Chua and Amigo & Amigo, and a big drawcard of the returning Swell Sculpture Festival when it takes over Currumbin Beach on the Gold Coast for 2023. A trip to the tourist spot between Friday, September 8–Sunday, September 17 now involves checking out the impressive towering work — and 75-plus sculptures by 190 artists in total as part of this year's program. Every year for more than two decades now, the event turns a one-kilometre expanse of sand into a huge outdoor art gallery for ten must-visit days. The fact that almost 200 folks have contributed sculptures this time around is massive — and so is the ongoing role of the event to showcase up-and-coming talents, a mission that the team behind Swell is passionate about. "We've seen an over 40-percent increase in the number of artists participating this year — this is largely due to the collaborative projects that have captured the enthusiasm of artists to contribute to the festival," explains Swell Co-Founder and Artistic Director Natasha Edwards. "Swell has earned a reputation as a launching pad for emerging artists, propelling them towards successful careers in the art world." Thanks to those hefty figures, visitors to this free festival will score an eyeful of stunning creations. Yes, by simply walking along the beach, you'll view stellar art almost as far as the eye can see. Other 2023 pieces include a life-size shark, aka Shark Rod, that's been built over weekends from vintage car parts; the bright orange Basking in the Sun — Eastern Water Dragons, as fashioned from 20-millimetre aluminium pipe and flat bar; a series of turtles and manta rays; and Treasure, which looks like an archaeological dig. The word "giant" comes up frequently in descriptions of Swell's artworks each year, with 2023 no exception; a huge conch shell and oversized coral are just the beginning. Contemplating climate change is also common, including in Surge, which muses on melting ice and rising seas. Storms, erosion, dystopias, the Gold Coast's future, Australian animals, flowers, oyster shells, marine pollution, inflation, the passing of time — they all get a nod as well. Exactly what each artist, pairing or collective whips up isn't the only highlight. The themes and topics that their works ponder is just as fascinating, of course, and so is the variety of materials used. Swell's talents tend to deploy everything from concrete, stainless steel, copper, bronze, wood, glass, plastic and natural fibres to fibreglass, bamboo, wire, silk, stone and aluminium. Art is the main part of the lineup, but Swell also includes a beachside fringe fest, guided walks, yoga among the sculptures, masterclasses and more. And if you feel like taking a bucket, scooping up some sand and making your own art there and then, you can — you're on a beach, after all. Swell Sculpture Festival 2023 runs from Friday, September 8–Sunday, September 17 at Currumbin Beach on the Gold Coast. For further information, head to the event's website. Images: PBR Images/Leximagery/Katie Bennett/Embellysh/Room4Graphics/Carey Cam/Edward Trost/Katie Bennett/Dee Steinfort.
In 2021, SPRINGTIME announced that it'd be giving the Gold Coast a new free music festival. In 2022, it then made its debut. That big premiere also included a skate park, live art and performance installations — and, because it was unsurprisingly a hit, the fest is coming back in 2023. SPRINGTIME boasts another huge drawcard: those free tunes, skate displays and performances all happen by the beach over three breezy spring days. This time, mark Friday, September 1–Sunday, September 3 in your diary for a trip to Surfers Paradise, where you can enjoy the waves, bars and listening to a live soundtrack on the shore (and hopefully replace your Schoolies memories). On the 2023 lineup: BENEE, Matt Corby and Bag Raiders, each headlining a different night, plus more than 25 other acts. While the focus is on Australian talent, New Zealand's BENEE marks the fest's first-ever international name, and will add another big gig to her year after playing Coachella. As it did in 2022, SPRINGTIME's live music will take over both beachside and streetside spaces around Surfers. There'll be two stages, also hosting Babe Rainbow, Boo Seeka, Eliza & The Delusionals, grentperez, Sunshine & Faith Disco Choir, Sycco and more. An array of talents will get painting live in front of SPRINGTIME's punters, and the Vans skate team will be back to get rolling. Also, after Shock Therapy Arts brought performance art piece The Cleaners to the fest last year, they're returning in 2023 with a huge retro obstacle course inspired by retro video games. As for who you'll be seeing when, Bag Raiders will be doing a DJ set to headline the Friday, BENEE has the honours on Saturday, then Matt Corby on Sunday. The Gold Coast Music Awards lead into the fest as well, taking place on Thursday, August 31 — and celebrating spring's arrival just by soaking in the location obviously comes with the territory. SPRINGTIME MUSIC FESTIVAL 2023 LINEUP: Bag Raiders BENEE Matt Corby Babe Rainbow Boo Seeka Eliza & The Delusionals grentperez Sunshine & Faith Disco Choir Sycco Austin Mackay Bella Amor Betty Taylor Big Fuzz Bill Durry Chutney Dizzy Days Daste. Girl & Girl Greatest Hits Jason Van Miert Lemaire Matonii Sabio Mitch Santiago N'Jaane Pure Milk Radolescent The Vultures Taleena Tomorrow's Forecast YB. Updated September 1. Images: Bianca Holderness.
It doesn't snow in Brisbane. It doesn't really get all that cold in winter either. But, until the chilliest season on the annual calendar is over for this year, Brisbanites can still walk through snow, build a snowman and make snowballs — all by heading to Springfield. No, the weather won't be extra frosty just in the westside suburb. No, we're not living in a Hollywood disaster movie. Rather, Snow4Kids is returning for 2021. The idea is simple: this winter wonderland will bring a heap of real snow to the Orion Shopping Centre, then let anyone with a $20 ticket frolic through it, with the space open daily from 9.30am–4.30pm between Saturday, June 19–Sunday, July 11. This is a family-friendly event, as the name gives away. If you have littlies to bring along, that'll be welcome news. If you're an adult without any kids in tow, you're still able to head along — but the organisers ask that you be mindful of the fact that you'll have plenty of pint-sized company. Also: no snowball fights.
Every July, celebrating all things French is always on the agenda, all thanks to Bastille Day. Here's one particularly tasty way to do just that: free croissants. Throughout the entire month, every day from Monday–Saturday each week, King Street Bakery is handing out 100 free buttery, flaky, oh-so-delicious pastries. In total, it'll give away 2500 plain croissants across the whole of July. The two caveats: to get your hands around (and tastebuds enjoying) a croissant without paying a cent, you will need to buy a barista-made beverage. You'll also need to get in early each day, because it's a first in, first served kind of deal. There's also only one free croissant available per person per day — and if you're wondering why there's none at all on Sundays, that's because King Street Bakery isn't open then. Still, we know exactly the two words you're looking for: très bon. While you're making the trip to Bowen Hills, if you feel like tucking into the rest of the bakery's wares — such as its viennoiseries, its range of tarts (both sweet and savoury), and its Parisian-style breakfast and lunch range — that's understandable. That part won't be free, though.
There's no better feeling than hitting a savings milestone. And what better way to celebrate than with a luxe meal and a couple of A-class drinks? But, often such celebrations can be a bit of a budget breaker, which creates quite the conundrum. Thankfully, here at Concrete Playground we believe in celebrating — even the small stuff. In partnership with Great Southern Bank, we've uncovered some clever hacks that let you eat at Brisbane's top spots without forking out a fortune. And, if you're someone who gets a little tap-happy after a few glasses of wine, then Great Southern Bank's hidden savings account feature, The Vault, will help curb that temptation, so you don't dip into the funds that may just buy you a house one day. Result.
In February, Brisbanites who normally pay for metered parking received a welcome gift: free parking across the Brisbane local council area. Brisbane City Council switched off its parking meters for the majority of the month, in an effort to encourage folks to head back into the CBD following the Omicron wave — and it's now continuing the move all throughout March as well. The reason that parking meters won't be turned back on yet: the devastating wet weather that the city just endured. Obviously, it's been a rough year for Brissie so far. So, extending the free inner-city parking is designed to offer some help to residents doing it tough, and to businesses in the city that've struggled through COVID-19 and now the floods. "They were turned off to aid Brisbane's economic recovery and now they're staying off as we emerge from one of the worst natural disasters our city has ever faced," said Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner. Parking meters will stay off until the end of March. They were turned off to aid Brisbane's economic recovery and now they're staying off as we emerge from one of the worst natural disasters our city has ever faced.#brisbanefloods pic.twitter.com/E0fAT4guBI — Adrian Schrinner (@bne_lordmayor) March 7, 2022 If you're now keen to drive into the city and park for free, you will still need to abide by parking time limits; however, you can ignore the meter — and save your change — otherwise. This time around, while metered on-street parking won't cost a thing until Friday, April 1, King George Square and Wickham Terrace, the council's two major car parks, are back to their full prices. Brisbane City Council operates 7869 metered parking spaces around the city, mostly in inner-city areas. Brisbane City Council's parking meters will remain switched off for the entire month of March, switching back on on Friday, April 1. For more information about parking in Brisbane, head to the council's website. Top image: Kgbo.
From next-level brownies to silky deep-fried bites, Brisbane's snack offering has never been better. And for the animal lovers among us, there's also no shortage of the plant-based variety. In anticipation of the next time you're hankering for a quick flavour fix, we've teamed up with Vegkit to pick the city's most impressive plant-based snacks. They're exceptionally tasty — and made with no harm done to any furry friends. [caption id="attachment_833042" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mitch Clayton[/caption] OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD BROWNIES FROM VEGANYUMM You know something's good when it's specifically name-checked in an Instagram bio. Everton Park bakery Veganyumm serves up an alarmingly good range of plant-based sweet and savoury baked goods, but if there's one you need to try it's the signature Galaxy Brownie. It's a gooey, chocolatey slab of dairy-free brownie, generously slathered in multicoloured frosting. Perhaps this is why ET wanted to phone home. [caption id="attachment_833043" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mitch Clayton[/caption] FRESH AF CROISSANTS FROM FARINE Of life's simple pleasures, near the top of the list is the humble beauty of a great plain croissant. However, its carby, buttery goodness makes it an off-limits snack for some. That's where Farine steps in. The artisan bakery — with locations at Red Hill, Spring Hill and Calamvale — has a variety of French-style loaves and pastries, including a number that are free of animal products. And as much as we vouch for the bakery's vegan custard doughnuts, we keep coming back to the humble croissants. They're everything you'd want them to be — puffy, crumbly, crunchy, I-can't-believe-it's-not-buttery parcels of goodness. Merci bien. LOADED BISCOFF SUNDAE FROM GRASSFED Fish Lane go-to Grassfed might be better known for OTT burgers and shakes, but if you don't save room for dessert, sorry but you're doing it wrong. Spare that space for the toffee-caramel notes of the loaded Biscoff sundae, which sees a gluten- and dairy-free vanilla soft serve by I Should Coco adorned with generous levels of Biscoff sauce, and topped with a couple of Biscoff biscuits for good measure. LUSCIOUS LAMINGTON BOWL FROM MYLK AND KO Could Mylk and Ko be Brisbane's most wholesome cafe? This Merthyr Road brunch spot has a menu packed with mostly house-prepared goodies and caters for a range of dietary requirements. For an indulgent snack you can feel good about, dive into the lamington bowl. It features all the good things: açai, strawberries, raspberries, banana, cacao, coconut and coconut milk, and is topped with chocolate granola, strawberries, coconut yoghurt, cacao sauce, jam, nibs and coconut. Coming with a very good boy or girl? Nab a seat outside so they can take advantage of free dog biscuits, or order them a serve of doggy ice cream for a special treat. [caption id="attachment_669756" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cole Bennetts[/caption] CRUNCHY KARAAGE TOFU FROM NETHERWORLD Come to this Brunswick Street spot for the arcade games and stick around for the food. Netherworld's menu is entirely plant-based, and is a clever fusion of classic American diner food with heavy Japanese influences — most evident in its selection of small bites. While we like the moreish Southern-style fried vegan chicken nuggets and buffalo cauliflower florets, it's the crunchy karaage tofu that has us arguing over the last bite. These silky morsels are dusted with togarashi for a bit of kick, and served with an umami-laden spicy miso mayo. It's also the perfect foil for a selection from Netherworld's great craft beer offer or one of the house-made boozy sodas. If that's not fuel for hitting a new high score, we don't know what is. For more plant-based dining and recipe inspo, head to the Vegkit website. Top image: Mylk and Ko
Ah, the humble loo — a place of peace and sometimes panic when you realise the roll is empty (or was simply never there to begin with). Here in Straya, not only do we have stunning landscapes, amazing surf and adorable native critters, but there are loos with views so sensational that they'll make you forget about the TP entirely. We decided to make a list of a few of the best, and in order to cover as much ground as possible, we asked our readers and social followers to chip in with your reccos. The following list is made up of our favourite submissions. So if you've decided to head off on an adventure this long weekend, here's where you should head when nature calls — plus some nice spots to chill over the weekend with a bev from our mates at The Bottle-O. [caption id="attachment_942303" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mount Wellington, Darren Tierney[/caption] Kunanyi (Mount Wellington), TAS If you fancy a Tassie road trip, head up to Kunanyi (Mount Wellington) for the best bathroom views, according to reader Alan: "There's a public toilet at the top with the best views even on a cloudy day. The window is literally above the sink, so you can look out while washing your hands." Once peak dunny has been achieved, continue on the adventure to Huon Valley or down to Bruny Island, stopping in at local The Bottle-O to grab a haul of evening beers to crack with your road trip buds — ideally over a roaring fireplace. Closest The Bottle-O: Grove [caption id="attachment_942299" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kalbarri Skywalk, Gagliardi Photography[/caption] Kalbarri National Park, WA Are you keen on an outback adventure in WA this long weekend? Explore the dramatic coastline and striking red sandstone gorges of Kalbarri National Park. Take it all in at the Kalbarri Skywalk – and make sure you pay your respects at the toilets next door. Our IG follower Tanya paints a glorious picture: "You step out of the bathroom, and there are just uninterrupted views of the landscape. Just breathtaking." Then, make your way to Dongara's The Bottle-O for a well-deserved beverage to enjoy with your mates at the local campground. Closest The Bottle-O: Dongara [caption id="attachment_942305" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sunset Beach, Penny Britt[/caption] Sunrise Beach and Sunset Beach, Onslow, WA Concrete Playground commenter Laura recommends this spot: "There are bathrooms with showers, so whether you're arriving first thing for a dip at sunrise or chilling in the evening, there's everything you need to get sorted and perfect sunrises and sunsets over the ocean with a bev." If you're WA-bound and the beach is calling you this long weekend, enjoy epic sunrise and sunset views at Sunrise Beach (or front beach, ideal for swimming and chilling) and Sunset Beach (or back beach, perfect for fishing and picnicking) after picking up your drinks at The Bottle-O and snacks at the local grocers at Onslow. Closest The Bottle-O: Onslow [caption id="attachment_942304" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mount Wellington, Nick Clark[/caption] Mount Solitary, Blue Mountains National Park NSW Every Sydneysider has gone to the Blue Mountains at least once. But have you made it over to Mount Solitary? Reader Michael recommends the Mount Solitary walking track for the views and the drop toilets: "There are two toilets and a water tank near Ruined Castle if you need to take care of business. There's never too many people about, and the views are unreal." Keep in mind this walk is for experienced bushwalkers, but once you've successfully completed the journey, nothing will taste better than that first drink back at the campsite once you've kicked off your walking boots. Stock up your dinner supplies at Hazelbrook and drinks at the local The Bottle-O on the way to the track's starting point. Closest The Bottle-O: Hazelbrook [caption id="attachment_942302" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lord Howe Island, A Goyen[/caption] Lord Howe Island, NSW If you're looking for a long weekend adventure with a whole lotta luxury, Lord Howe Island, with its pristine beaches and lush rainforests, make it a straight-up paradise. And apparently, the public toilets stick to the same high standards. Concrete Playground follower Pat confirms: "Everything is lush on this island. There's a stunning view from every window, especially the public toilets at Ned's Beach." There are a few ways onto the island, but unless you and your mates have access to a boat, you'll have to fly over. Regional flights head from Port Macquarie, head there to stock up on supplies and bevs from The Bottle-O toast to island life for the long weekend. Closest The Bottle-O: Flynn's Beach, Port Macquarie [caption id="attachment_942300" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lake Bellfield Toilets, Tracie Louise[/caption] Gariwerd (Grampians) National Park VIC Melbourne-based readers: are the mountains calling you for a long weekend getaway? Trek along the ridges and clicks of the epic mountain range before chasing emus off your campsite at Smith's Mill Campground. Once you've arrived in the Grampians, you're not going to have the opportunity to head down to the local shop for snacks, so get sorted at Sebastopol and head to The Bottle-O there for any campsite brews to enjoy with your mates. David recommends Lake Bellfield for a loo with a view, and sounds like prime real estate: "Just off the main road from Halls Gap, in this large two-storey wooden shelter, you'll find the toilets with views out over the lake, perfect for stretching your legs." Closest The Bottle-O: Sebastopol [caption id="attachment_942306" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, Wirestock[/caption] Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, TAS Want to get a little wild for the long weekend? Head into the wild west of Tassie to the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. According to reader Natalie, the dunnies located near Nelson Falls are among Australia's most scenic: "A perfect sidetrack if you're road-tripping from Cradle Mountain to Queenstown or vice versa. Toilets themselves are nothing special, but the waterfalls are gorge". Once you've finished admiring the scenery, head over to Queenstown to pick up a drink at The Bottle-O and toast to the wonders of the Tasmanian wilderness at the free campsite at Lake Burbury. Closest The Bottle-O: Queenstown Wherever the road leads you on your weekend adventuring, find your nearest The Bottle-O and stock up on some standout bevs. Ready to start planning? Head to the website. Top image: Canva Stock
Craving Thai food, but a bit tired of ordering the same pad thai dish every damn time? We feel you. Luckily, the team at Chai Thai in New Farm is serving up some seriously worthy alternatives. This eye-popping menu is extensive, covering everything from curries and soups to dumplings and fishcakes. Here are a few favourites to get you started. We love the barramundi with shiitake mushroom, ginger and vegetables. We also rate the red curry with pineapple and lychee or, if you want something crunchy, try the crispy tiger prawns with tamarind sauce. If you're after a sweet treat to finish off the feast, there are two excellent options: tapioca pudding with lychee and black sticky rice with coconut cream. Order both — we won't tell anyone. Images: Hennessy Trill
After years of gigging and tireless campaigning from the likes of FBi Radio, Sydney-based foursome Gang of Youths are nationally-appreciated hot stuff right now. They’ve played sold-out shows alongside Vampire Weekend, Frightened Rabbit and Foster the People, done the Aussie festival circuit, toured the States, and been compared to Arcade Fire and Bruce Springsteen — and that was all before their debut album The Position was released last month. Now they’re setting off on a national tour, and the GOY-hungry public can’t seem to get enough of them; lapping up tickets faster than the band can announce new shows. GOY play rock that’s big on catharsis. Frontman David Leaupepe’s inspiration for the band’s raw, guitar-heavy debut was the emotional rollercoaster of his four-year long-distance relationship with a girl who had been diagnosed with stage four cancer. It makes for a sound that seems bound to fill stadiums one day — so consider yourself lucky if you manage to bag a ticket to one of these more intimate gigs.
Kendrick Lamar, the genius MC from California, has been making an indelible mark on the hip hop circuit since the release of his fourth mixtape Overly Dedicate in 2010, gaining major attention and eventually leading to his involvement with supergroup Black Hippy and signing with Dr Dre’s label Top Dawg and Interscope/Universal. 2011 saw Kendrick’s first independent album Section 80; released exclusively through iTunes, it was instantly ranked among the top digital hip hop releases of the year. He has worked alongside the heavyweights, from Rick Ross and Busta Rhymes, to Lil Wayne and Lady Gaga, and is becoming known for his diversity and lyrical excellence across genres in which you must prove your own. Now, Niche Productions are bringing Kendrick Lamar to Australian shores for the first time. Those lucky enough to nab a ticket to this sold-out show are sure to enjoy the best of this stand out artist, from whom the best is yet to come.
Brisbanites are gifted brag-worthy sunshine and clear skies almost all year around, which makes for perfect outdoor gig and picnic weather. So, as the site has since 2018, the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens is letting everyone make the most of Brissie's ace climate with a Gigs & Picnics series. Taking place on the last Saturday of most months when it's not too hot or cold — running from 12–4pm on April 27, May 25, August 31, September 28 and October 26, in fact — the event will rustle up some of the city's best food trucks, put on some free tunes and invite folks to get cosy on their own blanket all afternoon. Entering through the main gateway at the intersection of Alice and Albert Streets, attendees can expect everything from jazz and modern reggae to dub and gypsy, all in gorgeous greenery-filled surroundings. You can also order a picnic basket in advance, which'll be there for you on the day. Or, if you're bringing your own feast, just remember that the gardens aren't BYO. Images: Gigs & Picnics.
Thanks to the joys of film festivals, discovering the wonders of a far-flung corner of the globe is only as difficult as heading to your local cinema. This time, Serbia gets its time in the spotlight, in the 15th annual event dedicated to encouraging, promoting and exhibiting Serbian art forms to Australian audiences. With the Serbian Film Festival boasting more than 100 films in its program over the past decade and a half, the 2015 lineup promises another array of gems. In Brisbane, that includes six features and two documentaries. The applauded Enclave gets things started — aka the opening night pick and Serbia's entry in the foreign-language category at the 2016 Academy Awards. Elsewhere, you can learn about the famous Yugoslav Basketball School in We Will Be World Champions, delve into the personal consequences of the 1999 bombing of Belgrade in The Sky Above Us, take a documentary look at the lives of illegal immigrants in Destination Serbistan, or uncover an account of the lawyer of the instigator of the First World War in The Man Who Defended Gavrilo Princip. Either way, this isn't just a film festival — it's a movie-based journey through Serbian culture and history.
You've probably heard of CollegeHumor, and we don't just mean the bad jokes everyone seems to make when they set foot on a university campus. We're talking about the website founded by two high school friends back in 1999. Today, it's home to some of the internet's funniest and most offbeat content — and the source of much time wasted by those who love to laugh. It's also where comedians Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld got their start, though you might know them from their Jake & Amir web series turned TV show. Fellow funny man Streeter Seidell cut his comedy teeth in the site's sketch team, came to fame through his Prank Wars videos, and now he's writing for Saturday Night Live. The trio is travelling down under for the very first time, sharing the CollegeHumor love and telling their stories. You'll laugh, and you'll see rising comic stars in action. Australia’s Josh & Steve, from Channel [V]’s Free Shit Men and Magic 8 Ball, are also on the bill, for those keen on watching some homegrown emerging talent.
Thinking about UK cinema's biggest names brings a wealth of famous talents to mind. Odds are that they're on the 2023 British Film Festival program in one way or another. When the Australia-wide cinema celebration returns for its latest tour, it'll do so with Olivia Colman's latest movie, Ian McKellen's as well, what might be Michael Caine's final role and an Alfred Hitchcock documentary. Ken Loach, Liam Neeson, Helen Mirren, Anthony Hopkins, Richard E Grant, Timothy Spall, Helena Bonham Carter, Gemma Arterton, Maggie Smith: they're all covered, too. In total, 28 films are on the British Film Festival's 2023 lineup, including both brand-new flicks and retrospective screenings. Audiences can see the results throughout November, with the festival kicking off on Wednesday, November 1 in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth — and on Thursday, November 2 in Canberra, Brisbane and Byron Bay. BFF will keep is projectors whirring for four weeks, wrapping up on Wednesday, November 29. Opening night's One Life will begin the 2023 fest, with the Hopkins (The Son)-starring biopic coming to Australia after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival. It tells the tale of Sir Nicholas Winton, whose World War II story includes assisting in the rescue of hundreds of Jewish children, earning him the label of the 'British Schindler'. Johnny Flynn (Operation Mincemeat) plays the humanitarian in his younger years, with Bonham Carter (Nolly) also co-starring. Still on BFF's big festival slots, the Colman- (Heartstopper) and Jessie Buckley (Women Talking)-led Wicked Little Letters will close out the 2023 event. The two actors reunite after both featuring in The Lost Daughter, although this time they aren't playing the same character. Instead, they're in a mystery-comedy that's based on a real-life scandal dating back 100 years And, playing as BFF's centrepiece is The Critic, which is where McKellan (Cats) and Arterton (Funny Woman) come in, and Mark Strong (Tár), Lesley Manville (The Crown) and Nikesh Patel (Starstruck) as well. As the name makes plain, it does involve a critic — a theatre specialist, in a whodunnit that's based on the novel Curtain Call by Anthony Quinn. Also a huge inclusion: My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock, the new documentary from The Story of Film's Mark Cousins. This time, the filmmaker turns his meticulous attention to a director like no other, and to plenty of suspense, including featuring footage from the bulk of Hitchcock's classic films. Among the other highlights, war veteran tale The Great Escaper could be Caine's (Best Sellers) last performance; The Old Oak marks the latest from iconic filmmaker Loach (I, Daniel Blake, Sorry We Missed You); The Lesson features Grant (Persuasion), Julie Delpy (On the Verge) and Daryl McCormack (Bad Sisters) in a literary thriller; and musical Greatest Days features Take That's songs. Or, there's Sweet Sue from Leo Leigh, son of Peterloo and Mr Turner director Mike Leigh; the Irish village-set In the Land of Saints and Sinners, which features Neeson (Retribution), Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Jack Gleeson (Game of Thrones, and also Sex Education); Samuel Beckett biopic Dance First, with Gabriel Byrne (War of the Worlds) as the playwright; Golda, starring Mirren (Barbie) as Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir; Mad About the Boy, a doco about Noël Coward; and Pretty Red Dress, which is set to the songs of Tina Turner. Plus, fans of movies about music can add Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis), which hails from Control's Anton Corbijn and hones in on the titular photo-design company and its contribution to record cover art, to their BFF schedule. And, among the retrospective titles, the Mirren-starring Caligula, rock opera Tommy and drama Howard's End are all playing in 4K restorations — with Smith's (The Miracle Club) Oscar-winning performance in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, plus The Remains of the Day, Women in Love and Morgan — A Suitable Case for Treatment also on the classics list. BRITISH FILM FESTIVAL 2023 DATES: Wednesday, November 1–Wednesday, November 29 — Palace Norton St, Palace Verona, Chauvel Cinema and Palace Central, Sydney Wednesday, November 1–Wednesday, November 29 — The Astor Theatre, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, The Kino and Pentridge Cinema, Melbourne Wednesday, November 1–Wednesday, November 29 — Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas, Adelaide Wednesday, November 1–Wednesday, November 29 — Palace Raine Square, Luna on SX, Leederville and Windsor, Perth Thursday, November 2–Wednesday, November 29 — Palace Electric Cinemas, Canberra Thursday, November 2–Wednesday, November 29 — Palace Barracks and Palace James Street, Brisbane Thursday, November 2–Wednesday, November 29 — Palace Byron Bay, Byron Bay The 2023 British Film Festival tours Australia between in November. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the festival website.
Since late 2013, Newstead Brewing Co has been giving inner-north locals exactly what they want: beer, and plenty of it. Born and headquartered in a former 1940s bus depot, this beer-loving outfit helped establish Brisbane's now-thriving craft brew scene — and it might be an old hand by now, but it's a stalwart for a reason. Open seven days a week in Doggett Street (with a second venue launching in Milton in 2017), Newstead Brewing's original location ensures that you know it's a brewery. The chrome, the smell, the warehouse decked out for sitting and sampling (and making beer, obviously) — it's a boozy haven. While a range of tipples are available in both bottles and cans, and you can opt for spirits or wine if you prefer, grabbing a pint from one of the 12 taps is highly recommended. Like all good breweries, the new and limited-edition selection is worth keeping an eye on. [caption id="attachment_536222" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Newstead Brewing Co.[/caption] Food-wise, patrons can settle in not just for plenty of beers, but for a hefty meal. Snacks include fries with aioli, as well as wings in two varieties, with pizzas available to share. Or, opt for three varieties of burger, or mains such as parmys, flank steak and smoked pumpkin salad. Need some caffeine between brews? Coffee Supreme coffee is also on the menu.
Lucky Egg and The Brightside once went hand in hand. Hitting up the latter to see live tunes in Fortitude Valley meant tucking into fried chicken, be it as pieces or via three types of burgers, from the former while you were there. It was a perfect pairing, but not all dreams last. Thankfully, this match made in heaven — and on Warner Street — is now recurring. At the end of May 2024, The Brightside celebrated ten years of hosting gigs with a weekend-long party — and it couldn't mark the occasion without welcoming back Lucky Egg. The reunion wasn't just a once-off, however. Brisbanites will now find the chicken joint serving up its burgs and chook four nights a week on a permanent basis. Whether you have a date with a heap of bands on The Brighty's states or you're just dropping by to hang out in the beer garden, you can add Lucky Egg's wares to your visit. You'll just need to be at the venue from Wednesday–Saturday from 6pm. And if you're keen to just nab takeaway, you can do just that within the same window — from the Warner Street window, in fact. As well as slinging juicy poultry at The Brightside, Lucky Egg expanded to the Good Time Bar at Max Watts in West End in 2017, then served up its dishes via Blute's Bar in Fortitude Valley. But since 2021, it's been a quiet few years for the brand.
A new online ‘dating’ app bears the slogan “Threesomes made easy”. Titled 3ndr (threender), it’s made for anyone who’s always longed to meet a stranger (or two) via the internet and get naked. 3ndr is the latest offshoot of popular hook-up apps Tinder and Grindr. Although Tinder is proving itself as a conduit for all kinds of dating (it's even clocked up a few marriages now), 3ndr is very much about sex. “A service that works for singles and couples,” the site reads. “It’s the easiest way to satisfy your human needs and spend some fun time with other people.” Users can request pretty much any configuration of bodies — double couples, MMF, FFM, MMM, FFF and so on. The imagination is the limit. Plus anyone’s welcome: “swingers, newbies, curious and experienced”. Anonymous searching means that “you can easily hide yourself from friends and family, so you can browse freely”. 3nder’s creators assert that not only are they about facilitating fantasies buy they’re also on a crusade to “make society more open about sexual desires”. In their view, individuals with non-traditional sexual urges face discrimination in much the same way that “gay people did 15 years ago”. Via the Independent.
When February 2024 arrives at QPAC's Lyric Theatre in Brisbane, expect three words to echo with enthusiasm: "be our guest". And, when June hits at Melbourne's Her Majesty's Theatre, expect the same. Both venues will be home to the next Australian seasons of Disney's Beauty and the Beast musical, which has arrived Down Under as a newly reimagined and redesigned production. Exact dates haven't yet been announced, but the huge show will bring a tale as old as time to the Queensland and Victorian capitals after its current Aussie-premiere run in Sydney — and marks the latest in a growing line of Disney hits to come our way. Frozen the Musical did the rounds in recent years, as did the musical version of Mary Poppins. This version Beauty and the Beast first made its way to the stage in the UK in 2021, and reworks the original show that premiered in the US in the 90s — adapting Disney's hit 1991 animated movie musical, of course. Fans can expect the same Oscar-winning and Tony-nominated score courtesy of composer Alan Menken and lyricist Tim Rice, including all the beloved tunes such as 'Be Our Guest' and 'Beauty and the Beast'. It also comes with new dance arrangements by David Chase, and with original choreographer Matt West revisiting his work. When the British return was announced, Menken said that "Beauty and the Beast is a testament to the genius of my late friend and collaborator Howard Ashman, but the show's richness comes from the combination of Howard's style and that of the brilliant Tim Rice, with whom I expanded the score to give voice to the Beast." "It's clear that audiences the world over want to return to the world of Beauty, which continues to amaze and humble those of us who created it." Cast-wise, the production features all-Australian talent, including Brisbanites Shubshri Kandiah as Belle and Jackson Head as Gaston, the Gold Coast's Jayde Westaby as Mrs Potts, Melbourne's Gareth Jacobs as Cogsworth, plus Brendan Xavier as Beast and Rohan Browne as Lumiere. "We are thrilled to return to Brisbane and Melbourne with Beauty and the Beast, as re-imagined by members of the brilliant original creative team. This beloved show — and Belle herself — are somehow as contemporary today as when the film premiered in 1991, even more meaningful to those who first discovered them decades ago and to new generations," said Thomas Schumacher President & Producer of Disney Theatrical Productions, announcing the Brisbane season. "Each time we've returned to Australia over the last quarter century we see audiences grow larger and more appreciative and the deep pool of extraordinary home-grown musical theatre talent grow even deeper. We cannot wait to bring this cherished story to two of our favourite Australian cities once more." DISNEY'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: THE MUSICAL 2024 AUSTRALIAN DATES: From February 2024 — QPAC Lyric Theatre, Brisbane From June 2024 — Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne Disney's Beauty and the Beast musical will hit QPAC's Lyric Theatre in Brisbane from February 2024 and Melbourne's Her Majesty's Theatre from June 2024. We'll update you with exact dates when they're announced. For more information, or to sign up for the ticket waitlist — with Brisbane pre-sales from Monday, October 16 and Melbourne's from Monday, November 13— head to the musical's website. Images: Daniel Boud.
Most of us are spending a lot of time at home at the moment, meaning we may have more time to cook, but prepping meals to scoff down in your home office isn't how all of us wish to spend our Sundays. And, while you can still head down to your local pizza joint to pick up a takeaway feed or order from Uber Eats, you may be craving more nourishing food as time goes by while you're in isolation. Thankfully, healthy food delivery service Nourish'd is dropping off nutrition-packed meals to doors across the country. Its main selling point is the variety of gluten, dairy, preservative and sugar free dishes on its menu. Nourish'd delivers fresh, chef-prepared dishes to your door and is suitable for anyone looking for a tasty, nutritious meal without all the prep work. It'll also save you a trip to the supermarket, so you can practise social distancing without skipping your daily quota of veggies. You'll be tucking into a diverse range of meals, too, with everything from a nourishing chickpea dahl to pad thai, jerk chicken, veggie lasagne and chipotle shredded beef on the 55-dish menu. So, you can say goodbye to eating the same leftovers day-in and day-out. There are options for vegans and vegetarians; those on diets such as keto and paleo; and people with allergies and intolerances. Prices start from $11 per dish, with six different packs available. You can opt for the ease of a subscription-style service, delivered to your door weekly, or the flexibility of one-off orders, meaning you can tailor it to suit your needs, as well as your dietaries. Plus, you don't have to commit to anything longterm. Nourish'd is available across NSW, Qld, Tas, Vic, ACT and SA, with orders delivered every week. Meal plans start at $69.35 per week. For more information and to sign up, head here. 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.
First dates are like trying your first ever macaroons — they can be surprisingly delightful, a little bit disappointing, or just a huge messy waste of your time. The one feeling most synonymous with first dates is anxiety so it's important for you to pick a place where you feel comfortable. You need somewhere where you can start out with a drink and have the option to bail for more, or somewhere where you can share the food, in hope of a Lady and the Tramp moment. You also need somewhere with a great atmosphere, and possibly a bit of mood lighting. To help, Concrete Playground has rounded up our five favourite places to take your newly beloved. The Lark If you want a bit of flexibility, you’ve got it here. Your options are a) sidewalk seating for a bottle of wine and people watching b) getting cosy on the couches upstairs with a cocktail and some gorgonzola-soaked chips and c) enjoying the courtyard atmosphere with some hearty clam chowder and cinnamon apple donuts for dessert. Located in Paddington, The Lark's art deco design makes the place feel homely and comfortable. The staff and owner Perry Scott are drinks experts, and with an ever-evolving wine list they are more than happy to give you informed recommendations. May we recommend the Strummer if you’re partial to a cocktail. 1/267 Given Terrace, Paddington; 07 3369 1299; www.thelark.com.au Sling Lounge Swing on in to Sling for some cocktails and tapas. The first thing you might notice when you step in off Boundary St is the raucous behaviour. And this is just the bar staff. Sling’s thing is its cocktails and the folks behind the bar are certainly good at mixing them. Happy to discuss your wants, dreams and desires in a drink, the staff (most likely one of the owners) are enthusiastic connoisseurs in this area. Fun to engage with, they’ll make the start of your date relaxing from the get-go. Once you take a seat either out the back in the lush courtyard or down on the street, you can choose a selection of tapas offerings and enjoy the relaxed vibe. 153 Boundary St, West End; 07 3255 3522; www.slinglounge.com Garuva Restaurant and Bar Well-known for its propensity for romance, Garuva in Fortitude Valley is the perfect location for those after a more intimate experience. If you don’t want to jump right into the slightly suggestive curtained dining area, you can start out at the bar. Garuva’s is all about sitting on the floor (on soft cushions) so if you have a bad back, or can’t control yourself from groaning loudly every time you get up off the floor, then it may not be for you. But if you are a lithe young thing then pull up a cushion and enjoy the tunes, usually a male and female duo creating a fun and chilled out atmosphere. If your date wants some more floor-sitting action then move on in to the restaurant where your low-set table will be curtained off for privacy while you enjoy delicious Asian-fusion food and maybe even a bit of hand-holding. 324 Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley; 07 32160124; www.garuva.com.au Libertine Bar and Restaurant This is where mood lighting and food sharing tactics come into play. Located at the heritage Barracks building in Paddington, Libertine is visually beautiful with antique chandeliers creating a warm glow over the dark timber, golden and bright red colour palette. Stepping into Libertine is like stepping into an older, more romantic world. The French-Vietnamese menu offers ‘street food’ to start, including delicious pork spring rolls with green chilli sauce you want to drink (but won’t…unless you’re feeling very comfortable). You can follow this with a couple of the fantastically flavourful share plates and a bottle of French wine off their extensive list. No. 5 The Barracks, 61 Petrie Terrace, Paddington; 07 3367 3353; www.libertine.net.au Watt Restaurant + Bar We couldn’t have a list of top first date venues without incorporating the beloved Brisbane River. And if you thrive in the daytime then Watt is the place for you. Right on the river at the Powerhouse in New Farm, you will have the quintessential Brisbane experience of soaking in the sun and enjoying the outdoors. With a seafood-focused menu, you and your date can enjoy a long lunch, and with the submerged ‘flood’ sculpture out the front you’ve already got one conversation started. If you go on a Sunday you can enjoy live music from 3.30pm and free comedy at the Powerhouse afterwards from 6.30pm. 119 Lamington Street, New Farm; 07 3358 5464; www.trippaswhitegroup.com.au
If you're all about thinking green, living in a more eco-conscious way and doing your utmost for the planet, as we all should be, then you likely know about Brisbane's Green Heart Fair. For 17 years, this event has popped up regularly, taking over a leafy public space to celebrate sustainability — by giving away plants, teaching attendees about relevant topics and serving up plant-based food truck dishes. In 2025, the Green Heart Fair is no more — but only because it's had a name change. Meet the Sustainable BNE Festival, which is popping up with all of the above on the agenda once again, this time between 9am–3pm on Sunday, May 25. Also part of this festival, which has grown to attract 20,000 attendees each year and is headed to Roma Street Parkland for 2025: markets selling pre-loved threads, wildlife displays, yoga classes, a silent disco, live tunes, activities for kids (the Bluey show is back — for real life), and learning more about sustainability and gardening, plus other related subjects. If adding some greenery to your yard has particularly piqued your interest, there'll be native plants on offer — all for free. They're available on a first-come, first-served basis, so arriving early is recommended.
Sydney's ever-luxurious and all-inclusive floating villa, Lilypad, has finally reopened almost two years after a fire destroyed the original build. Situated in the tranquil waters of Palm Beach in the Northern Beaches, the second iteration of Lilypad boasts plenty of additional lavish features including an onboard sauna, cosy fireplace and dreamy Mediterranean-inspired terracotta accents. After facing flooding, wild weather and COVID-induced delays, it's safe to say that Lilypad II was worth the wait. "You couldn't have picked a harder time to undertake something like this, both the weather we had in Sydney for the build period and COVID — because workforces were getting wiped out left, right and centre. Everything was hard," Founder and Owner Chuck Anderson says. Not just a pretty face, the resort-style villa runs completely off solar power energy and has been engineered to remain stable, while still embracing the natural movements and rhythms of the ocean below. An outdoor, roman-tiled shower, linen bedding by Cultiver and furniture by McMullin & Co completes the tonal, overwater escape. "What's incredible now as technology has advanced in solar and battery technology, you're not compromising on luxuries. Once upon a time, maybe ten years ago, if you were to try to attack what we've created you would have had to make some concessions in terms of what's onboard," Anderson says. Bookings include a private concierge, private tender transfers, a self-drive luxury personal vessel for exploring the surrounds, paddleboards, floating daybeds, chef-prepared meals and full access to the onboard wine cellar. But the luxuries don't come cheap, with prices starting at $1,950 per night in low season. The designer floating villa can also host events for up to 18, if you're looking for a unique space for your next special function. On the creation of both Lilypads, Anderson explains, "The intention for both Lilypad and Lilypad II was to combine innovative design with traditional craftsmanship and modern luxuries to build a unique and exceptional space. I wanted to pay homage to the unspoiled environment in which Lilypad resides and allow guests to feel totally immersed in this awe-inspiring space." Anderson also hinted at other Lilypads popping up around Australia in the future, so if you're looking for an elevated holiday in your backyard, keep an eye on this space. One-night stays are available until September, excluding weekends. Two-night stays are available from September to April and across weekends. You can book via the Lilypad website.
Few countries are as geographically diverse as Australia. We have snow-capped mountains, tropical rainforests, red deserts and long-stretching beaches. At these idyllic locations are some of the country's most luxe experiences, letting us explore all that our country has to offer. With the holiday season fast approaching, why not give the gift of travel to the luxury lover in your life? After all, you can't really top a trip away. We've partnered with Tourism Australia to round up ten of indulgent experiences to get your mate (or whoever, really) who loves a fabulous gift. Whether you book them in for a high-flying feed at Australia's most boundary-pushing museum or get them a voucher to a five-star hotel, these experiences provide a much-needed dose of escapism. Play your cards right and you might score an invite, too.
Artists often attempt to picture the world from alternative views and odd angles in order to get a fresh perspective on the quirks and idiosyncrasies of everyday life. For Canadian photographer Laurel Johannesson the world is at its most bizarre and beautiful when viewed through water. While swimming in Lido di Venezia in Italy, Johannesson found herself fascinated by the dream-like world of mirror images, refracting light and warped figures that emerged when she began taking photographs while submerged in water. The resulting photographs provide a mesmerising insight into our world, familiar yet somehow alien in their distortion, with the artist seeing the dream-like vulnerability of the images as alluding to "the equation between desire and voyeurism". And by printing on metallic paper and laminating the images with a thick layer of acrylic, Johannesson was able to enhance the already otherworldly quality of the photographs. For those of us that cannot see the images in the flesh, here is a virtual tour through Johannesson's fascinating new exhibit.
Long considered Australia's go-to whale-watching spot, Queensland's Hervey Bay is now the world's first whale heritage site, too. Located a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Brisbane, the Fraser Coast city was bestowed the prestigious honours at this year's World Whale Conference, which was held in coastal locale over the past week — receiving the accreditation not only due to its considerable whale population across the second half of each year, but thanks to its respectful and responsible embrace of the animals throughout the community. Established by the World Cetacean Alliance, the Whale Heritage Site scheme aims to recognise places that "preserve cetacean species and their habitats". More broadly, the initiative is designed to promote the globe's most responsible whale and dolphin-watching destinations; help protect marine habitats by supporting local communities, especially when it comes to sustainable practices; and assist the development of spots that depend on the sea, particularly by encouraging folks to appreciate the significance of whales in the area. If you've ever headed north to spy the majestic creatures — or even just for a holiday — it's impossible to spend time in Hervey Bay without being reminded of its whale-focused eco-tourism industry. From July to November each year, humpback whales head up from Antarctica, using the site to rest and socialise on the way to their breeding grounds in the Whitsundays. Then, towards the end of the season, they pass by again on the 5000-kilometre journey back down south — which is when whale-watchers can see mother whales spending time teaching their young calves in the local waters. Naturally, there's no shortage of whale-watching tours in the area. Visitors can also head to the Fraser Coast Discovery Sphere, which, as well as featuring a 12-metre-high whale sculpture and a full-sized reproduction of a whale skeleton, explores and celebrates humpback whales and their place in the region. And, each July and August, the city also hosts the annual Hervey Bay Whale Festival. Already quite the tourist drawcard, the new WHS accreditation is expected to attract more visitors, unsurprisingly. Nearly 60,000 people went whale-watching in the region last year, Fraser Coast Tourism general manager Martin Simons told the ABC. While Hervey Bay earned the first whale heritage site slot, it's not the only spot to receive the nod, with The Bluff in Durban in South Africa named the second WHS site. Other locations under consideration include Vancouver Island North in Canada, Marlborough Sounds in New Zealand, Mosaic Jurubatiba in Brazil and Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. Images: Mark Seabury via Visit Fraser Coast.
Sydney is now home to a dedicated Harry Potter-themed store. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is set to return to Melbourne's stage this year. It looks like a new HP-related TV show is in the works, and Japan is due to score a theme park dedicated to the titular wizard. Yes, if you're a fan of the wizarding franchise, there are plenty of ways to keep indulging your love. Another one is coming, too, thanks to Harry Potter: The Exhibition. If the name sounds familiar, that's because it has existed since 2009 — and came to Sydney in 2012. Come 2022, however, a huge new version will start making its way around the planet, in a partnership between Warner Bros Consumer Products and Imagine Exhibitions. This time, Harry Potter: The Exhibition will cover all things Fantastic Beasts-related, too, if that's how you've been getting your magical fix over the past few years. In total, the big HP showcase will span between 929–1858 square metres, and feature everything from props and costumes from the ten movies to-date to installations that recreate the world of the books and films. While exact details of what'll be on display haven't been revealed as yet, the exhibition is set to "present beautifully crafted environments that honour the beloved characters, settings and beasts seen in the films while exploring the filmmaking magic that brought them to life" according to Imagine Exhibitions' statement announcing the new tour. The company also advises that Harry Potter: The Exhibition will "celebrate the most iconic moments of the films and stories of Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and the expanded Wizarding World". Just where it'll be heading hasn't been announced so far either, but the showcase will tour to multiple regions, including cities in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. So, you can start crossing your fingers that a visit Down Under will be among its stops — or saying "accio exhibition" as often as you like. For now, Australian fans can stream the eight original films as they've just hit Binge. And, for a refresher on how the movies wrapped up, you can also check out the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mObK5XD8udk&utm_keyword=referral_bustle Harry Potter: The Exhibition will start its world tour from sometime in 2022 — we'll update you with further details when they're announced. Image: Warner Bros.
Jay-Z and Kanye West, Powderfinger and Silverchair, Papa Vs. Pretty and The Vasco Era. See the trend here? This list might be in order of greatness (and current monetary success), but there's also a recurring theme: double headliners. We all love a 2 for 1 deal, and this week's double whammy at The Zoo is no exception. Both Papa Vs. Pretty and The Vasco Era will play equal-length sets and will both showcase songs from their new albums. Papa Vs. Pretty is a name we've all heard rattling around on the radio waves this past year, not only because Triple J has flogged the shit out of their debut album United in Isolation, but also because they've toured with heavy weights The Vines and The Kaiser Chiefs. In a similar position are The Vasco Era who, for the past year, have been riding on the success of their second album, have also enjoyed Triple J love, as well as sweet spots at nearly every Australian festival. What's more, the two bands are being crushed into one tour bus, so fingers crossed for a duet/mashup at some stage during the night! I can’t promise anything on that one though. Another thing, both bands are pretty attractive, so staring at some eye candy is also a bonus, and if you're a dude, just watch them work their magic on their guitars, mmmk?
New movies always come out on Thursday. Except for one special week of the year, where they come out on Boxing Day, whatever day that might be. It's just another one of those baffling Christmas traditions of which we're terribly fond. In 2013 distributors will be releasing some of their biggest titles — as well as some oddball underdogs — to duke it out on Australia's mass movie-going day. We've seen them all and can report back that some will ease your festive hangover, indigestion and sunstroke more pleasantly than others. https://youtube.com/watch?v=rETaWDZ57v0 Short Term 12 (Sydney and Melbourne only) For when you're with: people who take an expansive view of 'Christmas cheer' It scores: five stars This SXSW Film Festival winner was number one on Buzzfeed's list of 'movies you probably missed in 2013 but definitely need to see', so if you get in quick, you can make it the no.1 movie you outsmarted Buzzfeed on instead. Short Term 12 is the kind of film that feels like a well-edited version of real life — though probably not a life that is familiar to you, if you grew up in safe, loving circumstances. Compulsively watchable and super emotional, it revolves around the kids and their barely adult supervisors at a temporary foster care facility. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ksrkKXoEJbM The Railway Man For when you're with: people with an even more expansive view of 'Christmas cheer' It scores: four stars Based on true events, The Railway Man tells the story of Eric Lomax — a WWII British signalman forced to work upon the infamous Burma line after the Japanese overran his base. Lomax (Colin Firth) was subjected to extraordinary brutality and torture by his captors, the effects of which continued to torment him decades after the war's end; one conflict over, another unceasing. Events finally came to a head in 1980 when Lomax discovered his chief tormenter was still alive and working as a tour guide in the very complex in which he had dispensed his horrors. For a film that covers some terrifically dark elements in excruciating detail, The Railway Man remains an overwhelmingly tender offering that won't feel at all out of place for the post-Christmas period. https://youtube.com/watch?v=rD8f9kn7D2U Philomena For when you're with: more than just your mum It scores: four stars Be not fooled by the marketing materials, which make the film look like an aged-up version of The Trip with Judi Dench in place of Rob Brydon. (Although, thinking about it, that would be brilliant.) Philomena is a terrifically made, entertaining work that stands head and shoulders above many of the films being forced upon us this Christmas. Based on a true story, Philomena follows ex-political spin doctor Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan), who, in an attempt to revive his journalism career, chases the "human interest story" of Philomena (Judi Dench) an elderly woman searching for her long-lost son, who was taken from her by Catholic nuns. As the pair investigates, the truth behind the forced adoption becomes all the more shocking. https://youtube.com/watch?v=7ve8mc6UNSk The Secret Life of Walter Mitty For when you're with: anybody who can silence their inner cynic It scores: three and a half stars Funny, optimistic, life-affirming and full of pretty pictures and massive special effects, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is the ultimate Hollywood product and is something of a passion project for Ben Stiller, who directed, produced and stars in it. The film follows a quiet Life magazine staffer as he learns to seize the day. When Walter can't find a hyped photo negative, which the photographer has described as capturing the "quintessence of life" and which is wanted for the final magazine cover, he sets off on a worldwide hunt, using the few clues he has. https://youtube.com/watch?v=OPVWy1tFXuc The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug For when you're with: the same people with whom you've seen everything Peter Jackson It scores: three stars The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a marked improvement on last year's An Unexpected Journey. For one thing, it doesn't take an hour for something to happen. Instead, after a brief yet engaging flashback to the first encounter between Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and Thorin (Richard Armitage), the film explodes into life with a pursuit of the Dwarf Dozen et al, and remains — by and large — a pursuit to the end. This is a film with enough action to entertain and enough Tolkien to satisfy; however, it ultimately feels more 'distraction' than 'attraction'. https://youtube.com/watch?v=TbQm5doF_Uc Frozen For when you're with: children, animation geeks and winter-weather fanatics It scores: three stars When Disney finally bought Pixar in 2006, the deal essentially saw Pixar's creative team taking control of Disney's animated output. Given the strong quality control Pixar has over its products, this was no bad thing. Based loosely on Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen — a story Disney has been trying to adapt since the 1940s — the film follows two princesses, one of whom accidentally creates a permanent winter, and the other of whom has to save them from it. It's a far cry from the insufferable toy-selling, pop-culture spewing, catchphrase-ridden films churned out during at the beginning every school holiday period, but nor does it hit the heights of Disney's best output. By Rima Sabina Aouf, Tom Glasson and Lee Zachariah.
For many young Australians the ‘European Summer’ adventure has been somewhat of a rite of passage or pilgrimage. Every year we head overseas in the thousands, chasing long days and never-ending sunsets, crawling into bed just as the sun rises, keen to do it all over again in the next city. With a carefree sense of adventure, we’re game to embrace each culture in any way we can. And what better way than with food? From market stalls in village squares, to boulangeries in Parisian arrondissements, to simple Italian pizza at its best, Australians young and not-so-young are delighting their tastebuds. This year while your friends are off tanning on the beaches of Croatia, climbing the Eiffel Tower and running with the bulls, your brainstorming efforts on how you could change hemispheres for an endless summer each year could use some fuelling. And what better inspiration than a slice of Europe itself? When you can’t go to Europe, why not bring Europe to Brisbane? And so we present to you, in our opinion, the best Brisvegas European food experiences — taking into account taste, atmosphere and authenticity. Best pork knuckle and weiss beer - The German Club If ‘Ja, ja, ja’, ‘noch ein Bier, bitte’ and ‘das schmecht lecker’ are stretching your German vocabulary, chances are you’ll feel right at home in the beer hall of Brisbane’s German Club, where two cultures unite over a love of liquid amber and large hunks of meat. Claiming Brisbane’s best pork knuckle (we agree) and a seriously huge range of German beers, the club’s long beer hall tables will have you swinging in your seat and singing Rosamunda along with an authentic character in Lederhose. Bonus fact: The German Club celebrated 130 years at East Brisbane this year, which goes to show Aussies, beer and meat are a match made in Deutscher heaven. Check out the 1890’s castle they built themselves. Impressive. Notables: Bavarian Beer Cafe, Belgium Beer Cafe Best croissant - Choquette ‘Bonjour!’ will be the first thing you hear, stepping off the street and into this slice of France. What greets you secondly is a display case stacked with reasonably priced petit cakes of all varieties. As tempting as they are, your mission here is a croissant. With a soft and subtle ‘merci beaucoup’ you are off to devour Brisbane’s finest croissant. Offering a huge crispy shell and a soft buttery flesh, we’re onto a winner here. Notables: Le Bon Choix, Flour & Chocolate Best pizza - Sugo Mi Supremo lovers stand back, anyone who has visited Italy would have been either ecstatic or disappointed to find that true Italian pizza equals a thin crisp base and minimal toppings. Think sauce, cheese plus one other ingredient. The good news for the non-minimal eater is that true Italian pizza does well to make each topping shine. Using top quality ingredients, SugoMi’s understated range of pizzas hit the mark with their simplicity and crisp wood-fired taste. Bellisimo! Notables: Beccofino, Piccolo Best tapas and sangria - Ole Bar + Restaurant Say, ‘hola, Ole!’ and order a jug of their finest sangria - red of course, we’re traditionalists. Your mother would approve of the Spaniards, who choose not to drink on an empty stomach, and instead accompany their tipple with some of the finest Mediterranean flavours your mouth can try. With a swish of the wooden sangria spoon, stuff some deep-fried, cream cheese-filled olives down your gob and chase it with more sangria. Ahhh, the temporary mindset of summer is here. Taking your amigos is essential. Notables: Granada, Pintxo Best chimney cake - Kurtosh Cakes If you’ve been to Budapest, you might have been lucky enough to stumble upon a chimney/funnel cake stall. It’s the scent that will draw you in; spiraled rounds of pastry, coated in oil and sugar, are slowly turned over an open fire so the crust goes hard but the inside stays soft. The traditional Hungarian pastry is then rolled in cinnamon, almonds or other toppings, and you’ll happily hand over 1000HUF for the privilege to munch the warm, toasty goodness. Cronut, smonut - this treat has been around for centuries and is still making waves. Fortunately for Brisbanites, Kurtosh Cakes pop up their market stall at the Jan Power Farmers’ Markets weekly. Best pretzel - Brot Anyone lucky enough to have wandered any German city will have surely come across a small red Ditsch shop spitting out fresh and toasty pretzels right before your eyes. Encrusted with jewels of salt, these warm and memorable bread knots are best straight from the oven, and so the challenge here in Brisbane is timing. I’m told around 8am is when Brot eject their pretzels from the oven, and the saying, ‘the early bird gets the warm pretzel’ is uncannily true here; you have to get in quick! Notables: King of Cakes Best spanakopita - Little Greek Taverna Little Greek Taverna is at the top of everyone’s list. With busy tables that spill out onto West End’s well-trodden footpaths and prices that mimic the state of the Greek economy (read: cheap), its atmosphere and authenticity give it a big tick in the right direction. Sit back and relax, let the sounds of the bouzouki take you back to the whitewashed walls of the Mediterranean as you tuck into little spanakopita spirals of joy. For those wondering what on earth spanakopita might be, the feta cheese and spinach wrapped in filo pastry are to Greece what spring rolls are to Thailand. Delish. Notables: The Greek Club,Lefkas Greek Taverna Best gelato - Shlix Nothing says summer in Europe quite like gelato in a cone. The good news for Brisbane is that it’s always good ice-cream weather, and while the frosty treat mightn’t be dripping down your arm this time of year, it just gives you more time to savour the flavour. Made on site, Shlix’s take on Italy’s famous sweet uses only the finest the ingredients and boy does it show. Alongside classics - vanilla bean, hazelnut, chocolate, lemon sorbet - you can find more adventurous ones such as chai, peanut butter, cheesecake, ‘Walnut on a Date’ and ‘Cheeky Cherry’. Notables: Gelatissimo, Gelateria Cremona Best bratwurst - Brat Haus If you’re going to the Brat Haus, you’re going to have a brat time. The humble Lion’s Club sausage sizzle just doesn’t cut it anymore and for those with a taste for the wurst there is no going back. If your team loses at Suncorp, you can swap your sour face for some sauerkraut; armed with a wiener, your day just got better. Keeping it simple, the Brat Haus offers up a classic super-size me bratwurst, spicy knackwurst, cheese kranski and even a vegan sausage all served in a fresh-baked bun with your choice of condiments. They are also licensed. Das ist sehr gut! Notables: German Sausage Hut Best high tea - Room With Roses Room With Roses has English charm down pat. Tucked away in the upper gallery of the heritage-listed Brisbane Arcade, climbing those stairs you know you’re onto something special. With white linen tablecloths, fresh roses, chandeliers and floral, high wingback chairs this is a picture-perfect high tea setting. The balcony overlooks the arcade and if you squint, just for a second, you could turn back the clock to the 1920s. The tea room serves high tea twice daily; think ribbon sandwiches, miniature scones and cakes, savoury tarts and chocolate cake all topped off with the family-recipe for a delectable lemon curd tart. The olde worlde ambience makes Room With Roses an ideal setting for high tea, and they do one of the best in the city. Notables: Stamford Hotel, Customs House Tea
Nearly twelve months after announcing the location for Australia's first Pride Centre, the Victorian Government has revealed the designs for the St Kilda structure. Local firms Grant Amon Architects and Brearley Architects & Urbanists will be responsible for what's certain to prove an important and influential building, both in its appearance and thanks to its status as a dedicated LGBTI hub. The St Kilda outfits were selected from a pool of 18 submissions, with the finished product due to open at 79-81 Fitzroy Street in 2020. The building will house up to ten major resident organisations — including JOY FM, Melbourne Queer Film Festival, Midsumma Festival, the Victorian Aids Council, LGBTQI Multi Culture, Multi Faith, Team Melbourne and the Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives — and also offer flexible and multi-use spaces. Among them: a health service, library, training room and meeting rooms, as well as a café and bar, a theatrette and a gallery. "We wanted the winning design to be a building that our LGBTQI community can be proud of owning, a place of celebration and a safe sanctuary," said Jude Munro AO, Chair of the Victorian Pride Centre board. "This design is inspirational and more than satisfies these criteria. Our aim is for the Pride Centre to be a catalyst for the revival of Fitzroy Street and to fit into the St Kilda design vernacular which this design does superbly." Modelled after San Francisco's LGBTI Community Centre, the Victorian Pride Centre will receive $15 million in State Government funding, plus $13 million from the City of Port Phillip. "It will be a space for the community and LGBTI organisations to share ideas, collaborate and celebrate our diversity — it's also at a key site the Pride March goes past," said Minister for Equality Martin Foley. For more information, visit www.pridecentre.org.au
When you can't venture to a crowded pub to watch your favourite sport on the big screen, recreate the best parts of game day in your own home instead. Whether you're into the AFL or NRL, you can take inspiration from these five suggestions to amp up the at-home viewing party to suit your code. We've partnered with leading bourbon brand Jim Beam to bring you tips on entertaining your mates without missing any of the highlights. [caption id="attachment_786097" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] COOK UP YOUR FAVOURITE PUB CLASSICS First thing's first: food. Any good party host knows you need to plan ahead when it comes to feeding your guests, but that doesn't mean you need to spend heaps of cash or lean on the same-old chips and dips combo. Give yourself a theme and opt for handheld, small bites. For example, buffalo wings with blue cheese dipping sauce and loaded potato skins with bacon and sour cream for easy-to-serve snacks that you can prep in advance and your friends can graze on throughout the game. Make a classic hot dog more grown-up with fresh lettuce, jalapeños and mustard, or create a nacho topping station so everyone can serve themselves when they're peckish. [embed]https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7pS5D5MnYe11rtrRcjeMTk?si=d6yoaggsQnaTvog48eh0IA[/embed] CREATE A PUB PLAYLIST Channel the mood of your local, wherever that may be. If yours usually busts out Powderfinger, Crowded House and Paul Kelly, lean into the theme and create your own playlist that's two parts nostalgia and one part fresh Aussie hits. Or, if you want to pretend you're at the Gabba for this year's AFL Grand Final, pull together a playlist that honours the local acts taking to the stage come Saturday, October 24. Brisbane bands Sheppard and Cub Sport will be performing, along with singer-songwriter Thelma Plum and Rockhampton's blues duo Busby Marou. Plus, Sydney's DMA's and Adelaide-based duo Electric Fields. If you're short on time, head to one of the act's own selections, like DMA's Radio above. More of an Amy Shark fan? The indie-pop star is headlining this year's NRL grand final and the Gold Coast artist has a sweet playlist of equally cool Aussie acts like East, Lime Cordiale and Wafia that you can find here. [caption id="attachment_786936" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dan Burton[/caption] PULL OUT THE LAWN GAMES When you're drinking at the pub there's often time for playing games and getting competitive — whether that's around the pool table or facing the dart board. Bring a sense of playful competition into your get-together with bocce, giant Jenga, Finska, Twister — or whatever games you might have stored away at home. Create a break-out zone away from the TV so your friends can dive into an active game whenever the mood takes hold. Don't have any games at home? You'll find a good selection of outdoor games at Opus, which has free delivery if you spend over $75, and at Sunnylife, which has a $12 flat rate for delivery. [caption id="attachment_787026" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kaleidico[/caption] PLAN A SURPRISE PUB QUIZ FOR HALF TIME No one wants to listen to the game analysis come half time, so bring all your sports fanatics together over some brain teasing. Can you name the date of the very first AFL match? What's Daniel Ricciardo's driver number? How many times has Dylan Alcott represented Australia at the Paralympics? Who is Australia's fastest female bowler? No matter what sport you're celebrating on the big screen, you can test your collective knowledge in a quick quiz to lighten the mood. Create one of your own, or hit up the sports quiz of the week from The Guardian, or the ABC's news quiz for a mix of sport and general knowledge. Or, if you want to play along live, Jay's Virtual Pub Quiz runs weekly quiz sessions on YouTube. [caption id="attachment_784939" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] STOCK UP YOUR BAR Rather than making sure there are enough glasses in the house, or having to fight over space in the fridge for cold drinks, make things easier on you and your guests by filling up your bath or a bucket with ice and stocking it with premixed drinks. That way everyone can dip into the bathroom or kitchen for a fresh bevvy when they like, and you don't have to worry about chopping citrus for cocktails, or smashing glasses you don't have time to replace. Jim Beam has a range of premixed drinks to suit all your mates' tastes. You can pick up a pack of seven Jim Beam & Cola cans for $29 at BWS stores. Or go one better and enter Jim Beam's competition to win your own Tiny Stillhouse, which comes decked out with bluetooth speakers, a mini fridge, four bar stools, an esky, bar mats, a Jenga set, a case of Jim Beam and Cola and a bottle of Jim Beam White Label to really up the ante for your next get-together. Top image: Cassandra Hannagan
Co-curators Jay Younger, Professor at Griffith University’s Queensland College of Art, and Byron Wolfe, Associate Professor at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, bring some hefty academic weight to this two-part collaborative exhibition. In Cast by the Sun, the works of 32 photographers — all academics or higher research students from the two institutions — have been brought together to collectively examine a central question: what role does place have in artistic practice, and is it more evident in photographic form? It is a question that is served particularly well by the collaborative nature of the exhibition, with each artist’s own experiences arguably driving the direction of their work. When everyone draws from the same spaces, a picture of the cultural and historical identity of those places begins to emerge. Cast by the Sun opens at The Hold Artspace on 29 July, with the exhibition continuing to 15 August. Image: Marian Drew, 'Moon Drawing, Lake McKenzie, Fraser Island' (detail), 2007, giclee print on cotton paper, 90 x 152cm.
Heading to Given Terrace staple Darling & Co is all about hangs in the venue's breezy space, and every Aussie knows that a weekend party isn't complete without a little (or a lot of) bubbly. Happy to oblige, the Paddington spot has launched bottomless prosecco and spritz brunches, which are now on offer every Sunday. And the restaurant isn't simply offering the standard two hours of bottomless booze. Instead, patrons have unlimited access to a fountain. You'll be able to pour your own bubbly and spritzes from its taps throughout the two hours, while enjoying an extensive spread. Find a comfy spot while tucking into an antipasto platter stacked with marinated olives, roasted peppers, bocconcini and watermelon wrapped in prosciutto, your choice of three pizzas, and a side salad. Although your $69 ticket gets you all of the above food and all the drinks for the fountain you like for two hours, the weekly event runs from 12–4pm, so you've got some options in terms of timeslots.
