Almost two months has passed since Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness first hit Netflix, sparking a worldwide obsession with Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin and the duo's strange intertwined story. Over that time, Tiger King-related news has just kept coming, including details about competing dramatised series — one with Kate McKinnon as Baskin, another with Nicolas Cage as Exotic. And now, in a hardly surprising development, another season of the Tiger King docuseries is also reportedly on the way. As revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix is reteaming with the filmmakers behind the popular documentary. This time, though, they're turning their attention to a different big cat-related tale. Audiences are already going to be hearing about Joe Exotic and his blonde mullet in various guises for years and years to come, so the next Tiger King series will focus elsewhere: on the 2003 mauling attack at a Siegfried and Roy show. The incident happened in Las Vegas on Roy Horn's birthday, when a seven-year-old white tiger named Montecore attacked Roy during a performance. It left the magician and entertainer with permanent injuries, with the tiger biting his neck and dragging him off stage. The news comes just days after Horn passed away on May 8 at the age of 75. [caption id="attachment_770551" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Carol M Highsmith via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] No firm details have been announced by Netflix as yet, so when more Tiger King might hit your streaming queue isn't yet known. And yes, it's likely that wild documentaries about tigers, as well as other big cats and exotic animals, will become the next big viewing trend. Via The Hollywood Reporter. Top image: Netflix.
A day of revelry is coming to Woolloongabba — and despite the suburb's most prominent landmark, it has nothing to with sport. Instead, The End of the Line Festival is returning for another massive outdoor outing. It's free, it'll be jam-packed with music, performance and art, and it also aims to showcase the best restaurants and eateries the area has to offer. In its fifth year, the fest is keeping its boutique setup and an afternoon-to-evening format. In a lineup curated by West End's Jet Black Cat record store, Body Type leads the cohort heading to Jurgens Street from 2pm on Saturday, November 10. They'll play alongside Fraser A. Gorman, Jade Imagine, Gabriella Cohen, Handsome, Moreton, The Butter and Gooby Jim & The Goobs, with the rest of the arts and events bill yet to be revealed. Food-wise, local eateries always get in on the fun — so expect to feast on dishes and beverages from the likes of Pearl Cafe, Canvas, Sorelina, Enoteca, ABFab and Electric Avenue. And while entry won't cost you a thing, and neither will the performances, you will need your wallet for the food and drink part of the street party. Image: The End of the Line Festival.
Early in The Super Mario Bros Movie, pop culture's go-to red-capped plumber (Chris Pratt, Thor: Love and Thunder) sits down to dinner with his brother Luigi (Charlie Day, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and the rest of their family. Pasta is on offer for the Italian American brood, but it comes with something that the Nintendo favourite and gaming mainstay since 1981's first-ever Donkey Kong title quickly advises that he hates: mushrooms. Fans know that more fungi are in his future. In this animated take on the beloved character, his sibling, and their pals and adversaries, a trip to the Mushroom Kingdom is inevitable. And, while there, Mario will meet Toad — a pint-sized humanoid with a toadstool for a head, who is part of a whole race of such folks also called Toads. From the titular brothers through to Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy, The Menu), the fire-breathing Bowser (Jack Black, Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood) and even big gorilla Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen, The Fabelmans), The Super Mario Bros Movie stacks together the bulk of the gaming franchise's best-known figures — and Toad is one of them. It also assembles an impressive voice cast to help bring its players to life, including Keegan-Michael Key as its main mushroom man. Here, the actor and sketch-comedy great's tones prove as elastic as his face and limbs long have, especially in iconic skit series Key & Peele. How do you voice a diminutive critter who is as perky as he is tiny? Someone who Key likens to a golden retriever? With ample energy, as The Super Mario Bros Movie's viewers hear. While fellow Key & Peele namesake Jordan Peele followed up that five-season 2012–15 show with a jump behind the lens, helming Get Out, Us and Nope — and earning an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the former — Key has remained a constant on-screen. The pair also share Fargo, Keanu, Toy Story 4 and Wendell & Wild on their resumes, teaming up in front of the lens or through voice work on all four; however, Key's list of credits spans everything from Parks and Recreation and Schmigadoon! to The Predator and Dolemite Is My Name. He's broken out his vocal talents in Archer and Bob's Burgers, too, and in the photorealistic version of The Lion King as well. But signing on for The Super Mario Bros Movie couldn't have been an easier choice for the OG Donkey Kong aficionado. That instant enthusiasm comes through in a perky, peppy performance — a voice that's squeakier than viewers are used to from Key, but slides easily into a career that keeps bounding in every on-screen direction possible. During his Key & Peele days, he brought audiences President Obama's anger translator Luther, substitute teacher Mr Garvey and his creative pronunciations, a "Liam Neesons"-loving valet, one of the brilliant 'Aerobics Meltdown' sketch's fierce lycra-clad competitors and more. Of course he's been bouncing here, there and everywhere since. With The Super Mario Bros Movie now in cinemas, Concrete Playground chatted with Key about jumping at the part, finding his Toad voice, preparing for the part, drawing upon his improv background and what he looks for in a role. ON TURNING DONKEY KONG FANDOM INTO A SUPER MARIO BROS ROLE Do you need to be a Super Mario Bros fan to press start on being in one of the game's leaps to the screen? Bob Hoskins, who played the titular character in 1993's live-action movie, famously wasn't. But Key was — and instantly said yes to being involved in the second film bringing Mario and the game's characters to cinemas. "I was a fan of Super Mario, or Mario Bros in the beginning, from Donkey Kong. I was a big Donkey Kong fan way back in the day," Key advises. "So when they approached me and asked me to do Toad, I was like 'I'd be more than happy. I don't even need to see the script! I'm happy. I'm in. I'm your guy. Whatever you want, whatever you need, I'm your guy'." ON FINDING THE RIGHT VOICE FOR TOAD While Key sits among The Super Mario Bros Movie's well-known names, his vocal work stands out from Pratt, Day, Taylor-Joy, Black, Rogan and company. Listen to Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser and DK, viewers immediately recognise the actor behind them. That isn't the case with Toad and Key. "What I did is, I was impersonating a friend of mine and trying to get his vocal patterns and vocal rhythms. And I brought that to the table, and then the directors [Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic] and I both worked on the pitch, and trying to find where the right pitch would be — and if I could get the voice higher and higher, then higher and higher," Key notes. "And I finally got him some place up here [Key's voice gets higher], until we then got him even higher than that [Key's voice returns to its usual pitch]. Then, mostly the biggest trick was trying to figure out how to maintain that voice while I was in the booth — because sometimes you'd be in the booth for three-to-six hours, and you're trying to figure out how do you maintain that." "So I would just pretend I was — you know, I'm like: 'what would it be like if I was sucking on a helium balloon? How do I make my voice sound like that?'. And then I'm like: 'what else can I do? I don't know — wear tight pants? I'll wear tight pants!'. Anything to keep that voice at that high register." ON PREPARING FOR PLAYING A HUMANOID WITH A MUSHROOM FOR A HEAD The Super Mario Bros Movie starts in reality — animated reality, but in Brooklyn. Here, there aren't mushrooms as far as the eye can see, or coin blocks, or rainbow roads to race on Mario Kart-style. And there definitely aren't mushroom men like Toad. All it takes is a warp pipe to transport Mario and Luigi into the realm seen in Nintendo games for four decades now. That's where Toad comes in. Asked how you prepare for such a part — playing a toadstool-topped humanoid, specifically — Key is all about creativity and being upbeat (and one of humanity's favourite pets). "I think it's just making sure that you're sparking your imagination on any given day. Because what I did — I knew what Toad looked like, but I would just sometimes look at pictures of him and just go 'what am I getting from this picture? What am I getting about how I can portray this?'," he says. "There's something about him that's snappy and positive. He's also like a mushroom-man version of a golden retriever. I wanted him to have that kind of sensibility when I portrayed him." ON DRAWING UPON HIS SKETCH-COMEDY BACKGROUND In the sketch-comedy game, Key is a legend. Before Key & Peele, he spent six seasons on Mad TV, too, also often opposite Peele. And, prior to that, he's among the long list of comedy names to have come through improv troupe The Second City — as Peele also did, and Bill Murray, Mike Myers, Catherine O'Hara, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as well. That background came in handy with The Super Mario Bros Movie, including getting into character. "I did get to improvise. I got to improvise quite a bit. A lot of it ended up on the cutting-room floor, but I like to use the improvisation to get into the spirit of it more than anything else," Key explains. "Sometimes I would just improvise right before the line and then jump into the line, and that would give the line the feeling I wanted it to have, the sense and the spirit that I wanted it to have." "Sometimes, you can just use improvisation in that way and it still helps." [caption id="attachment_896345" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] ON WHAT HE LOOKS FOR IN A PART Key's time on-screen dates back a couple of decades, including a one-episode stint in ER in 2001, plus 00s roles in Role Models and Due Date. What appeals to him now, after Pitch Perfect 2, Tomorrowland, Win It All and The Disaster Artist as well, and also Friends From College, Veep, No Activity and Reboot? Movies and TV shows that stand out. "I look for something in the project that's a little different. Something that catches my eye is always going to be something that I've never seen before. So, if you take a project like Schmigadoon!, I go 'oh god, I've never seen anything like that — if they're interested in me doing that, I want to do that'," Key says. "And the same thing with Super Mario Bros. I figured it would make a lot of sense — I understand what the movie looked like in 1993, when they made the live-action one, but I'm like 'what would it look like if it were this animated movie with the technology that we have today to make animation?'. I thought 'this thing's going to look amazing'." "So I try to jump onboard things that have a little twist to them — some kind of fun, clever twist that makes them different than whatever your run-of-the-mill project might be." The Super Mario Bros Movie released in cinemas Down Under on Wednesday, April 5. Read our full review.
For every Australian that was a toddler from the 90s onwards, and their counterparts worldwide as well, heroes wear blue, yellow, red and purple skivvies. Since the early 90s, The Wiggles have been one of the biggest Aussie names in children's entertainment, and one of the country's most-successful global hits. Alongside Bananas in Pyjamas and Bluey, they're part of a trio of homegrown icons in pop culture's early-childhood space, all thanks to the decision by Anthony Field, Jeff Fatt, Greg Page and Murray Cook to turn their university studies in the area, plus their experience in music — Field and Fatt were part of The Cockroaches, while Page was in Dead Giveaway and Cook in Bang Shang a Lang — into an album for kids. The rest is history, which The Wiggles just keep making. In Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2021, three decades after the group's self-titled debut album, they topped the poll with a cover of Tame Impala's 'Elephant'. Also among the troupe's recent achievements and highlights: appearing at the Mardi Gras parade, playing Falls Festival, earning some love from Lil Nas X and bringing the OGs back together for adults-only shows. Premiering at the first-ever SXSW Sydney, documentary Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles — which is now streaming via Prime Video — has joined their resume as well. Onstage for today's toddlers — plus every batch of preschoolers since 'Get Ready to Wiggle' and 'Dorothy the Dinosaur' first started echoing — The Wiggles serve up business as usual. Whether playing at home or around the world, the Aussie entertainers put on a child-pleasing live show. Other than Field, the folks donning the skivvies have changed, with the troupe becoming bigger, more culturally diverse and championing gender balance. At gigs specifically focused at 90s and 00s kids who are now well past The Wiggles' prime demographic, Field, Fatt, Page and Cook have reformed for reunion tours. As seen in Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles, both types of concerts draw huge crowds. For Field, Fatt, Page and Cook, life has been shaped by wearing bright colours, singing to fans young and older alike, and getting 'Hot Potato' and 'Fruit Salad' lodged in everyone's brains — and lives have been moulded by their efforts in turn. Early-childhood teaching philosophies have always sat at the forefront of The Wiggles, which the OG four attribute to their success. Young devotees who dance along to their tunes then become adults who still think fondly about their first-ever favourite group. Hot Potato: The Story of the Wiggles clearly has much to cover, then, all within a 104-minute doco that does much more than trade in nostalgia: as directed by Valerie Taylor: Playing with Sharks and David Stratton: A Cinematic Life filmmaker Sally Aitken, it chronicles how four friends started a phenomenon that's taken them everywhere from small Aussie shows to Madison Square Garden, and sparked a beloved group that shows no signs of stopping. With the movie now delighting audiences, Field, Fatt, Page and Cook spoke to Concrete Playground about all things Wiggles, including reflecting upon their careers via the doco, the whirlwind last few years for the OGs and why they're so beloved. And if you're wondering if Fatt, Page and Cook wear skivvies or their famous colours now, Page bought yellow sneakers just for the film's premiere "to have something yellow in my wardrobe", Fatt says he "definitely avoids the purple" and Cook does "have some skivvies though, but they're black". ON THEIR RESPONSE TO A DOCUMENTARY BEING MADE ABOUT THE WIGGLES Anthony: "This New Zealand company approached us about doing it. So they were filming us for the last couple of years and being with us, and then got all this archival footage, and got fans to send in a whole lot of stuff — and just got all these incredible photos right through our career. We were all a step away from the actual creatives of it, and the storytelling. It was pretty well Sally [Aitken] and Fraser [associate director Fraser Grut] with the guys in New Zealand who put it together. But I was a bit scared to see it. I found it very emotional and beautiful — and sad and happy, all that stuff. A lot of great memories." Murray: "When someone's going to make a documentary about you, you're not involved in the decision-making. There's a bit of trust involved and you just hope that they do the right thing. But once we met the filmmakers, Fraser and Sally, we got to know them a bit, and I felt very trusting that they'd tell the story honestly. You don't want to whitewash — you just want the the truth to be told, I think." Jeff: "And Fraser grew up with The Wiggles. So, he held us in very high esteem." Greg: "I think, too, that because he did, because he was a fan as a child, he got the essence of what the documentary is, and that is showing that connection between us and the children, and that connection that continues on today with the new Wiggles. I think that really sums it up beautifully. And I think the overall tone of the picture is one — can you believe I said picture, like moving picture? — the tone of the documentary is one of joy and happiness. Really, that's what it's about. And I think he's done a great job, and so has Sally." ON REFLECTING ON THEIR CAREERS VIA THE FILM Greg: "It must have been such a challenge to try and cram 30 years into probably 100 minutes or so. But they've done a really good job at capturing those high points and the low points along the way — the milestone moments of The Wiggles. To sit there and watch it back for us, I know personally it was really interesting because living it from the inside, you see it very differently to how other people have seen it. But then to step outside of that now and watch it in a different perspective, it's really quite fascinating." Anthony: "You see little bits on YouTube of things we did 15 years ago, but this was like a line of just what happened. And just at the end of it, I was overwhelmed by it all." Murray: "I thought it was quite moving at at times. There was a lot of joy there, but there were a few tears. It does give you an opportunity to reflect on what it was that we achieved and what we created. I think it's really great for the world to see the people behind The Wiggles — that it's not just four goofballs, although we are that — but that there's theory and philosophy behind it. But also just seeing the journey that we went on together, it was really lovely to be able to see that." Greg: "It's interesting because when people ask us questions like they did in the documentary, they're asking questions that we probably never asked each other. And a lot of things we kind of took for granted that we're on the same page about, or we just felt that we would all feel the same way about, but I think there were some differences — not major differences at all. It's kind of funny, like we never sat around and shared a lot about our own feelings about things. A lot of the time, we were talking about the show, the production that we were going to do, there was a lot of that stuff. So I think for me it was really a chance to hear the other guys' perspective on what The Wiggles was to them." ON REALISING THAT THE WIGGLES WERE BECOMING A PHENOMENON Anthony: "In Australia, we went from birthday parties to playing fundraisers for the Nursing Mothers Association, which was really good. They'd sell the tickets and get a percentage of the tickets, they were fundraisers for them and it was great because, basically, it just was word of mouth. The Wiggles in those days, we weren't on television and we weren't on the radio. But the big step up in America, when I knew that things had changed, was when we went over and the people in customs recognised us — not in a bad way. That's when I went 'things have changed here'. It was because Disney took our TV series and put it on four times a day on their channel. And we became massive in America and Canada, and it was amazing." Murray: "I don't think we thought it would go around the world until we actually spent a bit of time in America. For us in the 2000s, from about 2002 on, America was a fairly big focus because it was very successful there. Once we started doing things like playing Madison Square Garden and doing the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, it became a little bit surreal, for me anyway. We'd be sitting on buses going to these cities in America that in a lot of cases we've heard of but never been to, and it was a great adventure but it was also a little bit hard to get your head around." Jeff: "From the early days, for example, when we put out the first video and it really made a connection with our audience — and just little steps like that. We'd quite often play for the Nursing Mothers Association in little halls, and that started getting traction. So the audience was continually building in those regional areas and in the city. So there were these little steps along the way, so it wasn't like a huge leap — it was a very gradual thing for us." Greg: "I think, too, it's interesting that people use words like 'global phenomenon' or 'global empire'. For us, it was never about that. It was just about being able to do something that we loved and do it well. And for that reason, every time we had a little bit of success, it felt like we had achieved so much more than what we ever set out to do. And every step along the way, it just kept building and building. So on reflection, I think that was probably the biggest thing about the doco — to sit back and watch those milestone moments be played back. It's like 'well, god, I can't believe we did that because we never set out to do it' — it was just all these happy bonuses that came along. We've had a a blessed time and I think, I hope, that people take away from the doco the fact that when you do something in life that you really enjoy, if it brings joy to other people and that joy is something that's shared both ways, and if everybody's life can be filled with joy, then it's a really great thing." ON THE WIGGLES' ONGOING SUCCESS Murray: "I think that what made The Wiggles successful in the first place is a few things. One of them is that we had this philosophy that was being child-centred, which is a philosophy from early-childhood education where you put the child first and you think about where they're at in terms of their development. We tried to use that in The Wiggles, I think quite successfully. Also just things like we're pretty genuine about it. We're very genuine about what we're doing and what we're trying to achieve. And the songs are good, I think, and really connect with the audience. What's happened after we moved on is that mostly Anthony's seen to it that those things are intact, that the philosophy's still there, that the way of speaking to the audience is still there, the songs are there. So I think that has carried on through the decades and kept The Wiggles in the forefront." Anthony: "I think the bottom line for us is that we have to entertain, and keep children interested and educate them if we can. We're more about pro-social skills, and I think that we've kept the early-childhood philosophies at the forefront, and we haven't gotten too carried away with too many bells and whistles. When we play a live show, we can go off the script at any time, as opposed to a lot of children's shows that are taped. We can, if a child calls out something, we can go with it. That keeps it interesting for us as well. I think that for all those reasons we still love it. I love it still." ON THE WIGGLES' TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC GROWING UP, BUT REMAINING WIGGLES FANS Greg: "I think for those fans, it's the connection to their childhood, when they were young — hopefully carefree and innocent. It's a time of your life where, if you can connect to that inner child when you're in your 20s or 30s, it's something to celebrate. And if The Wiggles are that connection for people, it's a great channel to be able to play music for them and come to our shows, and it's great for us too, actually." Murray: "Oh it's fantastic." Greg: "Because it connects us to that time of our lives as well, when we were doing something that we absolutely loved doing and very privileged to be a part of so many people's lives in a way where they did embrace us and they still do." Jeff: "And for Australian fans, us topping the Triple J, Hot 100, that certainly boosted things with our older audience now." Anthony: "We get told that it was a positive part of their childhood. And when those shows, when we do those adult shows, we don't change our show at all. I mean, pretty well, we're just the same — in the documentary, Paul Paddick, who plays Captain Feathersword, thought it was going to be a chance to swear on stage. And we said 'no, it's got to be exactly how it was or we're going to ruin what these people think about us'." ON THE HOTTEST 100, LIL NAS X AND THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE LAST FEW YEARS Anthony: "It's been awesome. I'm still going with The Wiggles, so the eight Wiggles, and I'm loving that we've had Jeff come on stage, Murray come on stage, Greg come on stage with us — and it just proves that we're all part of the Wiggles family. Lil Nas was amazing. He made a couple of fun tweets that he'd like to do a collaboration — I really did think it was tongue in cheek — but we did get to meet him at Falls. Falls Festival was just the best, and hanging out with Australian bands that are in their 20s that grew up with the Wiggles, it's just been great. The Hottest 100 was surreal. And musically, it was great because I got to experience Tame Impala, who I knew nothing about — so it was educational for me." We're ready to wiggle with you! 💛💜💙❤️ — The Wiggles (@TheWiggles) April 27, 2022 Murray: "It's funny that so much of what we've done over the years, like going to America, quite a lot of the things we've done have been uncharted. And we've always had this sense of doing things for the adventure of it — and I think this is again something that we never expected. We never expected the initial success that we had, and we never expected that 30 years later we would be playing for those kids who grew up — and no one ever thought that we'd be on Triple J at all, let alone topping the Hottest 100. So it's just wonderful. It's like some sort of icing on the cake, I guess, that we can still get together and have fun with our audience, but also to spend time with each other, and really go back and do this thing that we loved and this amazing thing we created together. Jeff: "At the time we didn't even know who he [Lil Nas X] was. I was totally out of touch with all. But looking at it now, it's crazy." Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles streams via Prime Video. Read our review.
Once a year, The Wickham shuts down a Fortitude Valley street to throw a huge queer party. When Big Gay Day rolls around, it takes over not just the beloved — and recently renovated — pub that hosts it, but the surrounding roadway. And in 2023, it's doing just that again, this time with help from Peter Andre. The 'Mysterious Girl' and 'Gimme Little Sign' singer, who grew up on the Gold Coast, headlines Big Gay Day's just-revealed October lineup. Also on the bill: The Rogue Traders doing a DJ set, Sunshine & Disco Faith Choir, Briefs and Jawbreakers, plus a heap of DJs and drag performers. If you've noticed something different about 2023's afternoon and evening of tunes and LGBTQIA+ celebrations, yes, it has moved its timing from the end of April this year to the beginning of October. As announced before its usual date hit, Big Gay Day was shifted "due to scheduling conflicts with neighbouring stakeholders", swapping places with The Wickham's also-annual Little Gay Day. And, to answer the big question that might've popped into your head, Big Gay Day is still happening on a Sunday as part of a long weekend. That date: Sunday, October 1. Andre headlines after 'Absolutely Everybody' singer Vanessa Amorosi did the same at 2022's Big Gay Day, and Mel C from the Spice Girls did the honours in 2020. The event also spans multiple performance spaces, food trucks, themed pop-up bars and plenty of partying people. And, it gets to enjoy The Wickham's $3.1-million revamp, which has added a weather-proofed beer garden, late-night snacks, monthly drag brunches and a dedicated food menu for dogs to the venue. BIG GAY DAY 2023 LINEUP: Peter Andre The Rogue Traders (DJ set) Sunshine & Disco Faith Choir Briefs Jawbreakers Isis Avis Loren DJ Dolly Llama's Mega Drag DJ Victoria Anothony DJ Jonny Marsh Adam Noviello Reef vs Beef Divas: Live! Host: Paul Wheeler Big Gay Day will take place on Sunday, October 1, 2023 — head to the festival website for tickets and further details.
Living the yacht life without actually getting on a yacht is set to become a reality on the Gold Coast this year, with the Marina Mirage scoring its own floating beach club, La Luna, in April. But if you'd like to check out the venue's restaurant in advance for a stint of cider mussels and pineapple margaritas, the waterside spot has good news: said eatery, also called La Luna, has just opened its doors. In a space filled with soft, crisp shades — on the walls, and in the linen and curtains — and plenty of natural light from its big windows, diners can now tuck into a meal and a few drinks while looking over the marina. At present, it's only catering to small groups of six and under, but if you're keen to gather the gang or even host a function, La Luna will welcome you in in the coming weeks. Unsurprisingly, plenty of the ocean's finest earns a spot on the menu, including seafood platters with optional lobster, oysters three ways, salmon sashimi, lobster rolls, beer-battered prawns and seafood linguine from across the full lineup. The mezze range also spans goose liver and black truffle pate, wagyu bresaola and dips; the cold bar selection features crispy wonton crackers and spicy beef tartare; and saganaki cheese, four cuts of steak, three types of pizza, and mains such as miso pork belly and confit duck leg will also tempt your tastebuds. From the drinks list, expect sparkling, white and red wines to suit all budgets, plus local and international brews on tap and by the bottle — and several options spirits-wise, no matter whether you're a gin, vodka, tequila, bourbon, rum or whisky drinker. If the whole seaside setup screams cocktail to you, the signature offerings include barrel-aged negronis and mai tais, as well as non-boozy spritzes, sours and watermelon highballs. All of the above will still be available when La Luna opens the beach club side of the site, of course — adding another spot to the Glitter Strip after a rooftop beach club launched in Surfers Paradise and a pop-up beach club on the sand at Broadbeach, both in 2021. La Luna is the brainchild of the Gennari Group, which is already behind the Gold Coast's Koi Broadbeach, Glass Dining & Lounge Bar, The Loose Moose, Maggie Choo and Roosevelt Lounge, and takes inspiration from its European counterparts — and from Mykonos and Saint-Tropez in general — with a few cues gleaned from Tulum in Mexico as well. Think: daybeds, private cabanas and pools on its pontoon setup, obviously, as well as a bar, and dining not just inside but also outdoors by the water. Find La Luna Beach Club at Marina Mirage, 74 Seaworld Drive, Gold Coast — with its onsite restaurant open now, and the beach club itself due to open in April 2022.
Whatever chatter and controversy surrounds them — whoever hosts, whichever wild moves the Academy makes before the ceremony even arrives, and no matter how much it tries to reinvent the broadcast to appeal to more people — the Oscars are always about ace films and the people who craft them. A sizeable list of flicks vie for recognition, a smaller number win and a heap of talented folks earn their time in the spotlight. That's it, that's the heart and soul of these coveted accolades. Whether everything you wanted to win actually managed the feat or not, and despite one instance of the kind of behaviour that only belongs in films, the 94th Academy Awards still delivered upon its basic aim. It celebrated the hard work that goes into making movie magic, and the features and shorts that result. And across the night's speeches, exactly how much that means to some winners truly resonated. "There is indeed a place for us," West Side Story's Best Supporting Actress winner Ariana DeBose exclaimed. "You see a queer, openly queer woman of colour, an Afro Latina who found her strength in life through art. And that's what I believe we're here to celebrate," she continued. Winning Best Supporting Actor for CODA, Troy Kotsur's signed speech was equally as moving. When he paid tribute to the power of communication while becoming the first male actor who is deaf to win an Oscar — and in a movie about a family with three members who are deaf that won Best Picture as well — it was a potent and important moment. They're just some of the highlights of this year's Academy Awards — and the best way to champion DeBose and Kotsur's efforts, the films they won for, and all of the other flicks that also picked up gleaming trophies, is to see those very movies. That's the best way to celebrate Jane Campion making history as just the third female filmmaker to win Best Director as well, and Dune's swag of technical gongs. With that in mind, here are 11 newly minted Oscar-winners that you should watch right now. (And if you're after a full list of recipients, we've put that together, too.) CODA When CODA screened at the Sundance Film Festival back in January 2021, it made history. Film distributors always clamour to snap up the event's big hits, and this four-time award-winner — which received the fest's US Grand Jury Prize, US Dramatic Audience Award, a Special Jury Ensemble Cast Award and Best Director — was picked up by Apple TV+ for US$25 million. Even though the sophomore feature from writer/director Sian Heder (Tallulah) remakes 2014 French hit La Famille Bélier, that's still a significant amount of money; however, thanks to its warmth, engaging performances and a welcome lack of cheesiness, it's easy to see why the streaming platform opened its wallet. Fans of the earlier movie will recognise the storyline, which sees 17-year-old Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones, Locke & Key) struggle to balance her family commitments with her dreams of attending music school. She's a talented singer, but she's only just discovered just how skilled she is because she's also the child of deaf adults (hence the film's title). At home, she also plays a key part in keeping the family's fishing business afloat, including by spending mornings before class out on the trawler wither her dad Frank (Troy Kotsur, No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie) and older brother Leo (Daniel Durant, Switched at Birth). Heder helms this still sweet and moving feature with a distinct lack of over-exaggeration, which plagued its predecessor. The fact that Kotsur, Durant and Marlee Matlin (Entangled), the latter as the Rossi matriarch, are all actors who are deaf playing characters who are deaf really couldn't be more important. Their portrayals are naturalistic and lived-in, as is much about this rousing but gentle crowd-pleaser — including tomboy Ruby's blossoming romance with fellow wannabe musician Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Sing Street). OSCARS: Won: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Troy Kotsur), Best Adapted Screenplay Where to watch: CODA is available to stream via Apple TV+. Read our full review. THE POWER OF THE DOG Don't call it a comeback: Jane Campion's films have been absent from cinemas for 12 years but, due to miniseries Top of the Lake, she hasn't been biding her time in that gap. And don't call it simply returning to familiar territory, even if the New Zealand director's new movie features an ivory-tinkling woman caught between cruel and sensitive men, as her Cannes Palme d'Or-winner The Piano did three decades ago. Campion isn't rallying after a dip, just as she isn't repeating herself. She's never helmed anything less than stellar, and she's immensely capable of unearthing rich new pastures in well-ploughed terrain. With The Power of the Dog, Campion is at the height of her skills trotting into her latest mesmerising musing on strength, desire and isolation — this time via a venomous western that's as perilously bewitching as its mountainous backdrop. That setting is Montana, circa 1925. Campion's homeland stands in for America nearly a century ago, making a magnificent sight — with cinematographer Ari Wegner (Zola, True History of the Kelly Gang) perceptively spying danger in its craggy peaks and dusty plains even before the film introduces Rose and Peter Gordon (On Becoming a God in Central Florida's Kirsten Dunst and 2067's Kodi Smit-McPhee). When the widowed innkeeper and her teenage son serve rancher brothers Phil and George Burbank (Spider-Man: No Way Home's Benedict Cumberbatch a career-best, awards-worthy, downright phenomenal turn, plus Antlers' Jesse Plemons) during a cattle-run stop, the encounter seesaws from callousness to kindness, a dynamic that continues after Rose marries George and decamps to the Burbank mansion against that stunning backdrop. Brutal to the lanky, lisping Peter from the outset, Phil responds to the nuptials with malice. He isn't fond of change, and won't accommodate anything that fails his bristling definition of masculinity and power, either. OSCARS: Won: Best Director (Jane Campion) Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Benedict Cumberbatch), Best Supporting Actor (Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee), Best Supporting Actress (Kirsten Dunst), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Where to watch: The Power of the Dog is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review. DUNE A spice-war space opera about feuding houses on far-flung planets, Dune has long been a pop-culture building block. Before Frank Herbert's 1965 novel was adapted into a wrongly reviled David Lynch-directed film — a gloriously 80s epic led by Kyle MacLachlan and laced with surreal touches — it unmistakably inspired Star Wars, and also cast a shadow over Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Game of Thrones has since taken cues from it. The Riddick franchise owes it a debt, too. The list goes on and, thanks to the new version bringing its sandy deserts to cinemas, will only keep growing. As he did with Blade Runner 2049, writer/director Denis Villeneuve has once again grasped something already enormously influential, peered at it with astute eyes and built it anew — and created an instant sci-fi classic. This time, Villeneuve isn't asking viewers to ponder whether androids dream of electric sheep, but if humanity can ever overcome one of our worst urges and all that it brings. With an exceptional cast that spans Timothée Chalamet (The French Dispatch), Oscar Isaac (The Card Counter), Rebecca Ferguson (Reminiscence), Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Josh Brolin (Avengers: Endgame), Javier Bardem (Everybody Knows), Zendaya (Spider-Man: No Way Home) and more, Dune tells of birthrights, prophesied messiahs, secret sisterhood sects that underpin the galaxy and phallic-looking giant sandworms, and of the primal lust for power that's as old as time — and, in Herbert's story, echoes well into the future's future. Its unpacking of dominance and command piles on colonial oppression, authoritarianism, greed, ecological calamity and religious fervour, like it is building a sandcastle out of power's nastiest ramifications. And, amid that weightiness — plus those spectacularly shot visuals and Hans Zimmer's throbbing score — it's also a tale of a moody teen with mind-control abilities struggling with what's expected versus what's right. OSCARS: Won: Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Nominations: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design Where to watch: Dune is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies and Prime Video. Read our full review. WEST SIDE STORY Tonight, tonight, there's only Steven Spielberg's lavish and dynamic version of West Side Story tonight — not to detract from or forget the 1961 movie of the same name. Six decades ago, an all-singing, all-dancing, New York City-set, gang war-focused spin on Romeo and Juliet leapt from stage to screen, becoming one of cinema's all-time classic musicals; however, remaking that hit is a task that Spielberg dazzlingly proves up to. It's his first sashay into the genre, despite making his initial amateur feature just three years after the original West Side Story debuted. It's also his first film since 2018's obnoxiously awful Ready Player One, which doubled as a how-to guide to crafting one of the worst, flimsiest and most bloated pieces of soulless pop-culture worship possible. But with this swooning, socially aware story of star-crossed lovers, Spielberg pirouettes back from his atrocious last flick by embracing something he clearly adores, and being unafraid to give it rhythmic swirls and thematic twirls. Shakespeare's own tale of tempestuous romance still looms large over West Side Story, as it always has — in fair NYC and its rubble-strewn titular neighbourhood where it lays its 1950s-era scene. The Jets and the Sharks aren't quite two households both alike in dignity, though. Led by the swaggering and dogged Riff (Mike Faist, a Tony-nominee for the Broadway production of Dear Evan Hansen), the Jets are young, scrappy, angry and full of resentment for anyone they fear is encroaching on their terrain. Meanwhile, with boxer Bernardo (David Alvarez, a Tony-winner for Billy Elliot) at the helm, the Sharks have tried to establish new lives outside of their native Puerto Rico through study, jobs and their own businesses. Both gangs refuse to coexist peacefully in the only part of New York where either feels at home — but it's a night at a dance, and the love-at-first-sight connection that blooms between Riff's best friend Tony (Ansel Elgort, The Goldfinch) and Bernardo's younger sister María (feature debutant Rachel Zegler), that sparks a showdown. OSCARS: Won: Best Supporting Actress (Ariana DeBose) Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Steven Spielberg), Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Where to watch: West Side Story is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. DRIVE MY CAR Inspired by Haruki Murakami's short story of the same name, Drive My Car's setup couldn't be simpler. Still recovering from a personal tragedy, actor and director Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima, Silent Tokyo) agrees to helm a stage version of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima — but the company behind it insists on giving him a chauffeur for the duration of his stay. He declines, yet they contend it is mandatory for insurance and liability reasons, so Misaki (Toko Miura, Spaghetti Code Love) becomes a regular part of his working stint in the city. Friendship springs, slowly and gradually, but Murakami's name is one of the first signs that this won't follow a standard road. The other: Japanese filmmaker Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, who makes layered, thoughtful and probing reflections upon connection, as seen in his previous efforts Happy Hour and Asako I & II. Drive My Car doesn't hurry to its narrative destination, clocking in at a minute shy of three hours, but it's a patient, engrossing and rewarding trip. It's a gorgeously shot and affectingly performed one, too, whether taking to the road, spending time with its central pair, or chronicling Yusuke's involving auditions and rehearsals. Another thing that Hamaguchi does disarmingly well: ponder possibilities and acceptance, two notions that echo through both Yusuke and Misaki's tales, and resonate with that always-winning combination of specificity and universality. Drive My Car is intimate and detailed about every element of its on-screen voyage and its character studies, and also a road map to soulful, relatable truths. OSCARS: Won: Best International Feature Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Ryusuke Hamaguchi), Best Adapted Screenplay Where to watch: Drive My Car is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review. THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE Not for the first time, the eyes have it, but then they always have with Tammy Faye Bakker. Not one but two films called The Eyes of Tammy Faye have told the 70s and 80s televangelist's tale — first a 2000 documentary and now this new Jessica Chastain-starring dramatisation — and both take their monikers from one of the real-life American figure's best-known attributes. In the opening to the latest movie, the spidery eyelashes that adorn Tammy Faye's peepers are dubbed her trademark by the woman herself. They're given ample focus in this biopic, as OTT and instantly eye-grabbing as they they are, but their prominence isn't just about aesthetics and recognition. This version of The Eyes of Tammy Faye hones in on perspective, resolutely sticking to its namesake's, even when it'd be a better film if it pondered what she truly saw, or didn't. In the path leading to her celebrity heyday and the time she was a TV mainstay, Tammy Faye's life saw plenty. It began with an unhappy childhood stained by her stern mother Rachel's (Cherry Jones, Succession) refusal to be linked to her at church, lest it remind their god-fearing Minnesotan townsfolk about the latter's sinful divorce. But young Tammy Faye (Chandler Head, The Right Stuff) still finds solace in religion, the attention that speaking in tongues mid-service brings and also the puppets she starts using as a girl. Come 1960, at bible college, her fervour and quirkiness attract fellow student Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield, Tick, Tick… Boom!), with the pair soon married even though it gets them kicked out of school. Unperturbed, she keeps seeing their calling to the lord as their way forward, first with a travelling ministry — puppets included — and then with television shows and their own Praise the Lord network. OSCARS: Won: Best Actress (Jessica Chastain), Best Makeup and Hairstyling Where to watch: The Eyes of Tammy Faye is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. ENCANTO Five years after Lin-Manuel Miranda and Disney first teamed up on an animated musical with the catchiest of tunes, aka Moana, they're back at it again with Encanto. To viewers eager for another colourful, thoughtful and engaging film — and another that embraces a particular culture with the heartiest of hugs, and is all the better for it — what can the past decade's most influential composer and biggest entertainment behemoth say except you're welcome? Both the Hamilton mastermind and the Mouse House do what they do best here. The songs are infectious, as well as diverse in style; the storyline follows a spirited heroine challenging the status quo; and the imagery sparkles. Miranda and Disney are both in comfortable territory, in fact — formulaic, sometimes — but Encanto never feels like they're monotonously beating the same old drum. Instruments are struck, shaken and otherwise played in the film's soundtrack, of course, which resounds with energetic earworms; the salsa beats of 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' are especially irresistible, and the Miranda-penned hip hop wordplay that peppers the movie's tunes is impossible to mentally let go. Spanning pop, ballads and more, all those songs help tell the tale of the Madrigals, a close-knit Colombian family who've turned generational trauma into magic. This is still an all-ages-friendly Disney flick, so there are limits to how dark it's willing to get; however, that Encanto fills its frames with a joyous celebration of Latin America and simultaneously recognises its setting's history of conflict is hugely significant. It also marks Walt Disney Animation Studios' 60th feature — dating back to 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs — but its cultural specificity (depictions of Indigenous, Afro Latino and Colombian characters of other ethnicities included) is its bigger achievement. OSCARS: Won: Best Animated Feature Nominations: Best Original Score, Best Song Where to watch: Encanto is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Disney+,Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. SUMMER OF SOUL (...OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED) Much of Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) involves stunning archival footage, as recorded more than five decades ago, capturing live performances by an astonishing lineup of musicians. At the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, a free series of gigs that rolled out across six weekend and saw around 300,000 people head along, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, BB King, Sly and the Family Stone, the Staples Singers, Mahalia Jackson and Gladys Knight & the Pips all took to the stage — and the newly unearthed reels that immortalised their efforts are the stuff that music documentary dreams are made of. For his filmmaking debut, Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson could've simply stitched together different songs from various sets across the festival, and let those music superstars lead the show. He could've taken the immersive, observational approach and jettisoned context, too. But The Roots frontman and drummer doesn't make that choice, and he ensures that two words echo strongly throughout the film as a result: "Black Woodstock". Also in New York — upstate in the town of Bethel, 100 miles north of Harlem — Woodstock itself took place in the summer of 1969 as well. The Harlem Cultural Festival kicked off before and kept playing after its better-known counterpart ended, but comparing the two events makes quite the statement. Why has one endured in public consciousness and proven pervasive in popular culture, but not the other? Why did footage of one quickly get turned into a film, with the Woodstock documentary first reaching cinemas in 1970, but recordings of the other largely sat in a basement for half a century? Why did television veteran Hal Tulchin, who shot the entire Harlem Cultural Festival from start to finish on four cameras loaded up with two-inch videotape, get told that there was little interest in releasing much from a "Black Woodstock"? (One New York TV station aired two hour-long specials at the time, but that's all that eventuated until now.) These questions and the US' historical treatment of people in colour go hand in hand, and whenever the words "Black Woodstock" are uttered, that truth flutters through Summer of Soul. OSCARS: Won: Best Documentary Feature Where to watch: Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. NO TIME TO DIE James Bond might famously prefer his martinis shaken, not stirred, but No Time to Die doesn't quite take that advice. While the enterprising spy hasn't changed his drink order, the latest film he's in — the 25th official feature in the franchise across six decades, and the fifth and last that'll star Daniel Craig — gives its regular ingredients both a mix and a jiggle. The action is dazzlingly choreographed, a menacing criminal has an evil scheme and the world is in peril, naturally. Still, there's more weight in Craig's performance, more emotion all round, and a greater willingness to contemplate the stakes and repercussions that come with Bond's globe-trotting, bed-hopping, villain-dispensing existence. There's also an eagerness to shake up parts of the character and Bond template that rarely get a nudge. Together, even following a 19-month pandemic delay, it all makes for a satisfying blockbuster cocktail. For Craig, the actor who first gave Bond a 21st-century flavour back in 2006's Casino Royale (something Pierce Brosnan couldn't manage in 2002's Die Another Day), No Time to Die also provides a fulfilling swansong. That wasn't assured; as much as he's made the tuxedo, gadgets and espionage intrigue his own, the Knives Out and Logan Lucky actor's tenure has charted a seesawing trajectory. His first stint in the role was stellar and franchise-redefining, but 2008's Quantum of Solace made it look like a one-off. Then Skyfall triumphed spectacularly in 2012, before Spectre proved all too standard in 2015. Ups and downs have long been part of this franchise, depending on who's in the suit, who's behind the lens, the era and how far the tone skews towards comedy — but at its best, Craig's run has felt like it's building new levels rather than traipsing through the same old framework. OSCARS: Won: Best Original Song Nominations: Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Where to watch: No Time to Die is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. BELFAST Warm, cosy, rosy, charming, feel-good: typically when a film spins its story during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, none of these words apply. But with Belfast, Kenneth Branagh has made a movie set in its eponymous city when the Protestant-versus-Catholic violence was a constant sight, and also helmed a feature that's about a childhood spent with that conflict as a backdrop. It's an approach that only works because Branagh draws from his own experiences — the film isn't a play-by-play memoir, but it's also clearly personal. Here, it's 1969, when the actor-turned-filmmaker would've been nine years old. The movie's protagonist, Buddy (first-timer Jude Hill), is that exact age, in fact. And with the beginnings of a three-decade-long sectarian fracas bubbling and boiling around him, he navigates the usual age-appropriate antics, such as school, crushes, doting grandparents with ailing health and a potential big move. The Troubles are a constant sight in the largely monochrome-hued film, too, and the reason Buddy's that parents are contemplating relocating to England, something they wouldn't have dreamed of otherwise. Pa (Jamie Dornan, The Tourist) already spends most of his time working there as a joiner, leaving Ma (Caitríona Balfe, Outlander) at home with Buddy and his elder brother Will (Lewis McAskie, Here Before) — with assistance from the boys' Granny (Judi Dench, Six Minutes to Midnight) and Pop (Ciarán Hinds, The Man in the Hat) — and he's been offered a new job that comes with a house. The violence swirling through Belfast has already made it to the family's street, to their hounded Catholic neighbours and, when Pa refuses to join the fray, put them on their fellow Protestants' hit list. Shifting to London (or perhaps further, to Sydney or Vancouver) would provide a new start and a safer future, but leaving all they've ever known isn't a simple decision. OSCARS: Won: Best Original Screenplay Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Kenneth Branagh), Best Supporting Actor (Ciarán Hinds), Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench), Best Sound Where to watch: Belfast is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review. CRUELLA A killer dress, a statement jacket, a devastating head-to-toe ensemble: if they truly match their descriptions, they stand the test of time. Set in 70s London as punk takes over the aesthetic, live-action 101 Dalmatians prequel Cruella is full of such outfits — plus a white-and-black fur coat that's suspected of being made from slaughtered dogs. If the film itself was a fashion item, though, it'd be a knockoff. It'd be a piece that appears fabulous from afar, but can't hide its seams. That's hardly surprising given this origin tale stitches together pieces from The Devil Wears Prada, The Favourite, Superman, Star Wars and Dickens, and doesn't give two yaps if anyone notices. The Emmas — Stone, playing the dalmatian-hating future villain; Thompson, doing her best Miranda Priestly impression as a ruthless designer — have a ball. Oscar-winning costume designer Jenny Beavan is chief among the movie's MVPs. But for a film placed amid the punk-rock revolution, it's happy to merely look the part, not live and breathe it. And, in aiming to explain away its anti-heroine's wicked ways, it's really not sure what it wants to say about her. Before she becomes the puppy-skinning fashionista that remains among Glenn Close's best-known roles, and before she's both a wannabe designer and the revenge-seeking talk of the town played by Stone (Zombieland: Double Tap), Cruella is actually 12-year-old girl Estella (Tipper Seifert-Cleveland, Game of Thrones). She sports two-toned hair and a cruel that streak her mother (Emily Beecham, Little Joe) tries to tame with kindness — and she's also a target for bullies, but has the gumption to handle them. Then tragedy strikes, an orphan is born, loss haunts her every move and, after falling in with a couple of likeable London thieves, those black-and-white locks get a scarlet dye job. By the time that Estella is in her twenties, she's well-versed in pulling quick heists but loves sewing the costumes required more than anything else. And, thanks to the Baroness (Thompson, Last Christmas), she eventually gets her chance — for fashion domination, as well as vengeance. OSCARS: Won: Best Costume Design Nominations: Best Makeup and Hairstyling Where to watch: Cruella is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. Looking for more Oscar-nominees to watch? You can also check out our full rundown of where almost all of this year's contenders are screening or streaming in Australia.
Let's, for a moment, step around the "is file sharing piracy?" debate. The internet is awash with free, legal movie options — if you know where to look. We've curated a quandry-free ethical zone of movies that will be up online for the next few months at least. For other online cinematic freebies, the SBS and ABC sites are worth checking regularly; feature films, not just television programs, are uploaded for a couple of weeks at a time. Recent gems have included the classic Errol Morris doco The Thin Blue Line and French romantic comedy Hunting and Gathering with Audrey Tautou (let’s face it, French rom coms are just classier than Hollywood ones). 1. The Tunnel (2011) A super low budget, mockumentary-style Australian horror movie set in an abandoned web of tunnels beneath Sydney’s railway system. It's steers away from the slasher genre, towards that of a psychological thriller with a slow-building and genuinely eerie climax. 2. Shopgirl (2005) "Shopgirl" is what happens when Hollywood tries to do a smart, offbeat rom com. It’s a Steve Martin vanity trip - he wrote it, produced it and stars as a slightly creepy, rich, older guy who courts the lovely but quietly unhappy Claire Danes, who is torn between him and a cooler but less dependable Jason Schwartzman. Why would Claire Danes interested in Steve Martin? It’s a bit weird and unclear. But if you want something a bit silly and a bit entertaining to tune out to for a couple of hours, this is the one for you. The trick is not to think too much. 3. Night of the Living Dead (1968) This old school zombie classic by George Romero is available online thanks to it’s recent inclusion in the US Library of Congress’ National Film Registry. It spawned five Living Dead sequels and two remakes. An essential one for horror maniacs. 4. Ozamu Tezukis’ Metropolis (1949) You probably know Ozamu Tezukis not by his name, but as “the guy who made Astro Boy”. This is his 1940s take on a dystopian, robotic future. It’s a quiet classic, as impressive as any olden day Disney cartoon, and a must for anyone who’s in love with out-of-this-world Japanese animation (think Spirited Away). 5. Enduring Love (2004) A psychological thriller and twisted love story starring Daniel Craig, Rhys Ifans (in unhinged stalker mode) and Samantha Morton and directed by Roger Michell, the guy who made Notting Hill (who really is not as bad as he sounds). It doesn’t reach the mad heights of Ian McEwan’s original novel, but the performances and the opening sequence of a tragic giant red balloon crash in the picturesque countryside are great. 6. The Wild One (1954) The 1biker drama that helped cement Marlon Brando’s icon status. It’s a golden era Hollywood flick big on tragedy and postwar aimlessness. 7. Midnight Express (1978) A “Serious Movie for Adults” with an Oscar-winning script by Oliver Stone. This one’s a heavyweight drama set in Turkey - it depicts the brutality of prison life for an American sentenced for drug-smuggling. 8. Gattaca (1997) New Zealand director Andrew Niccol’s slick film is equal parts sci-fi thriller, film noir and melodrama. It’s lovely to look at, if not a little predictable, and depicts a future where humans are genetically optimised against disease and ill-health. 9. El Mariachi (1992) This is a Spanish-language, Pulp Fiction-era, indie crime movie that’s heavy on the blood, leather and guns. It’s little wonder director Robert Rodgriguez ended up collaborating with Quentin Tarantino - they’re a cinematic match made in heaven/hell. 10. The Rage in Placid Lake (2003) Another quirky indie romance with an unlikely pairing (Rose Byrne and Ben Lee?!?! Really?) and boundless whimsy. Ok, it’s a bit twee, but perfect for anyone feeling a nostalgic for early 2000s Australiana. Follow it up with a Triple J Hottest 100 album for full effect. Leading image by NCM3.
When Alba Bar & Deli opened in Brisbane's CBD in 2019, it launched at a time before a global pandemic temporarily shut down the world, including the hospitality industry, and then cost-of-living pressures changed the way that people spend their dollars on going out. The Burnett Lane spot weathered those unexpected ups and downs for five years, but has now sadly called it quits. If you went by on Saturday, June 22, 2024, then you hit up the watering hole on its last day of trade. Led by former MasterChef contestant Jamie Fleming, the Alba team announced the news just the day before the San Sebastian-inspired haunt shut up shop, citing the current economic climate for the decision. "It is with great sadness that we the Alba team have to announce that we will be closing as of tomorrow, Saturday 22nd of June. Unfortunately economic pressures as well as having terrible timing with opening (you know what we mean) means we have had to make this heartwrenching decision," said the Alba gang in a statement on Instagram. "We are a small team and always tried to offer the best-quality service and produce. Unfortunately with prices of everything going up and little support, there is unfortunately only one clear end." "We would like to say thank you to everyone that has helped bring Alba to life. From the team members, suppliers, friends and anyone who came through the door, you have helped bring something amazing to life," the statement continues. "A special thank you goes out to the hospitality industry at large. We have always had huge support from those we respect and love the most, our peers. Without your support, Alba would have been another statistic and instead, we have been given the opportunity to swing for the fences and continue to hit the mark. To have so many people come through our doors and buy into our concept has been overwhelming." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alba Bar & Deli (@albabaranddeli) The brick-fronted laneway spot paired its Spanish influences with nods to 90s-era New York, serving up amaro and vermouth spritzes, scallop ceviche, sardines, jamon serrano, steak tartare, patatas bravas and bistec to a hip hop soundtrack within cosy surroundings. Also a highlight: the daily aperitivo block from 3–5pm from Tuesday–Friday. As part of its farewell statement, the Alba team promises that this won't be the last that anyone sees of them, although there's no word yet on Fleming and company's next moves. Alba Bar & Deli closed at 34 Burnett Lane, Brisbane, on Saturday, June 22, 2024.
After spending 12 years in New York, Australian multimedia artist Tracey Moffatt returned home to continue her creative journey. Spirited showcases the result, the Gallery of Modern Art compiling her most recent, locally crafted work into an exhibition that explores how we inhabit places and are inhabited by them. Commencing with an opening keynote conversation and discussion tour, the exhibition premieres Moffatt’s major new video work, Art Calls 2014, in which she plays a TV talk show host. Also featuring is Spirit landscapes 2013, comprised of five photographic series and a digital photo frame. Alongside her own pieces, Moffatt has chosen 13 works from the QAGOMA collection by artists including Doreen Reid Nakamarra, William Robinson, John Pule, Ian Fairweather, Simryn Gill and Bridget Riley. Each complements Moffatt’s contemplation of the connection between the landscape and the mind and spirit, as does the specially selected screenings of John Ford’s celebrated 1952 film, The Quiet Man.
The long, lazy days of summer bring opportunities to hit up some of the best beaches in and around Melbourne. These spots are great for days of relaxing in the sun and cooling off in the calm waters, hanging out with a bunch of mates and getting the dusty boogie boards out for a little more adventure. We've teamed up with Jim Beam to pick out everything from popular bayside stretches just a quick drive from the city to secluded coves worth making a day trip for. Here's where to take your crew this summer for an adventure best enjoyed together. Recommended Reads: The Best Outdoor Pools in Melbourne The Best Swimming Holes in Melbourne The Best Waterfalls That You Can Swim Under in Victoria The Best Day Trips from Melbourne to Take in Summer [caption id="attachment_923234" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ain Raadik for Visit Victoria[/caption] St Kilda Beach Ever-bustling and never boring, St Kilda Beach is one of Melbourne's most beloved coastal spots, pulling a solid crowd of tourists and locals alike. Ideal for beach trippers after a little more than just sea, sand and sun, St Kilda Foreshore is peppered with options for eating, drinking and people-watching, and all the buzz of Acland Street lies just a short stroll from the water. Mostly flat and sheltered from ocean swell, it's a prime spot for activities like windsurfing or waterskiing, or those days when you just feel like floating around in a big sunny bathtub. [caption id="attachment_879792" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Titus Aparici (Unsplash)[/caption] Dendy Street Beach, Brighton Famed for its iconic row of brightly hued bathing boxes, Brighton's Dendy Street Beach is a picture-perfect beachscape parked just 14 kilometres from the CBD. Boasting minimal swell and a wide stretch of sandy foreshore, it attracts an eclectic mix of families, tourists and locals. It's dog-friendly too, with pups allowed on-leash at certain times of morning and night. In between dips, you'll find plenty to explore, eat and drink along the beach's namesake street, while a quick hike up nearby Green's Point will score you some excellent bayside views. [caption id="attachment_651717" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Robert Blackburn for Visit Victoria[/caption] Lorne Beach, Great Ocean Road Torn between getting in a great surfing session and playing around on the sand with your pup? Enjoy the best of both worlds with a trip down to the famed surf spot Lorne. About two hours from Melbourne down the Great Ocean Road, this area's got a beach situation for just about everyone. There's a dog-friendly northern stretch where pooches are allowed off-leash at all times, while the swimming beach further south sits just metres from the town's main splay of cafes, restaurants and shops. What's more, there's a variety of surf breaks up and down the coast, so you'll easily find a spot to suit your skill level. Check out the best places to stay along the Great Ocean Road while you're at it. [caption id="attachment_923230" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jesse Hisco for Visit Victoria[/caption] Sorrento Front Beach, Mornington Peninsula If you don't mind sharing the beach with a hefty crowd of holiday-makers, then the ever-popular Sorrento Beach should be high up on your coastal hit list. Located by one of the Mornington Peninsula's biggest and most popular tourist towns, this one comes with no shortage of wining, dining and post-swim options. Take a stroll along the 200-metre-long jetty, enjoy a leisurely swim in the protected waters, or try your luck with a spot of sea kayaking. Williamstown Beach For a beach day that doesn't require too much in the way of car time, head 20 minutes southwest of the CBD and land yourself on the sandy shores of Williamstown. Williamstown Beach, one of the best beaches in Melbourne, is sparkling clean and patrolled, with minimal waves to wrangle, though a balmy day will likely find you battling the crowds for a prime spot on the sand. When it's time for a feed, there are picnic facilities close to the esplanade, or you can nip up to the main drag to take advantage of one of the area's top-notch fish and chip shops. The Basque-inspired Sebastian is also ideally located right on the beach itself, perfect for long lunches and dinners overlooking the beach. [caption id="attachment_651724" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ian Cochrane via Flickr[/caption] Half Moon Bay, Black Rock An idyllic patch of coastline, located just south of Sandringham, Black Rock's Half Moon Bay deserves a spot on high rotation this beach season. The secluded, crescent-shaped bay stays nice and protected from the weather, so it's perfect for some laidback paddling or an easy jaunt out on the boat. The HMVS Cerberus has been sunk as a breakwater about 220 metres offshore, which means you'll also find plenty of great spots here for snorkelling. In fact, it's one of the best snorkelling spots in Melbourne. For that post-swim feed, treat yourself to a table at Cerberus Beach House, or opt for a classic fish and chips fix from the downstairs beach kiosk. [caption id="attachment_651725" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lin Padgham via Flickr[/caption] Waratah Bay, South Gippsland If you're making a weekend of your beach getaway, you'll find a picture-perfect paradise in Waratah Bay, a 15-kilometre sandy expanse along the South Gippsland coastline. The exposed beach cops all sorts of waves and breaks, making it a popular spot for surfers of all experience levels. It's a fairly chilled-out corner of the world, with the namesake town boasting little more than a caravan park, proving the perfect antidote to city life. While you're there, be sure to take a stroll along the bush fire walking track and revel in some sweeping coastal views. [caption id="attachment_651727" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nick Carson via Flickr[/caption] Somers Beach, Mornington Peninsula A holiday family favourite, Somers is a picturesque beach spot stretching three kilometres along the Mornington Peninsula's southeast edge. It's a little more low-key than its Portsea and Sorrento counterparts, with sleepier surrounds and a swell that's usually pretty kid-friendly. While there's not a whole lot in the way of nearby food and drink options, it's gold if you fancy catching a feed of your own, with great fishing off the beach or the surrounding rocks during high tide. Home to the Somers Yacht Club, this one's also a popular sailing destination. Keep your eyes peeled and you'll likely spot a frolicking dolphin or two. [caption id="attachment_923236" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Robert Blackburn for Visit Victoria[/caption] Anglesea Beach, Great Ocean Road A popular pit-stop along the Great Ocean Road, the small surf town of Anglesea feels far removed from the city hustle and bustle (as well as the increasingly busy Torquay), though you can knock out the journey in an hour and a half by car. The adjacent river mouth makes for an excellent fishing spot, while the easy conditions offshore prove popular with beginner surfers. It's fairly safe and patrolled throughout the summer, and the town centre plays host to a tidy array of restaurants, shops and cafes, located just a short stroll from the sand. It's an easy addition to this list of the best beaches in and around Melbourne. [caption id="attachment_651726" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Russell Street via Flickr[/caption] Flinders Beach, Mornington Peninsula A white sandy strip along the bottom of the Mornington Peninsula, Kennon Cove in Flinders is guaranteed to charm your socks off with its quaint, seaside feel. Here, you can do it all — get some air with a dive off the old-school pier, explore the assortment of critter-filled rock pools, enjoy a spot of snorkelling through the reefs, or take to the calm waters for a cruisy swimming session. There are loads of great spots here to fish from, or you can leave dinner to the professionals and buy ocean-fresh mussels directly from the fishermen at the pier. Like Jim Beam, surfing and other outdoor adventures are all about bringing people together, so get out there this summer and find your tribe in the great outdoors. Top image: St Kilda Beach by Ain Raadik for Visit Victoria
It feels like it whipped past quicker than you can pick up a pair of chopsticks, but 2019 is done and dusted. Thankfully, while it was here, it brought with it a huge collection of worthy new restaurants and culinary hot-spots. Opening their doors in the year that was, we saw everything from a two-storey Cantonese restaurant by the river to a tiny degustation-only restaurant and a SoCal-inspired eatery in the Valley. Here's our wrap-up of all the best new Brisbane restaurants that impressed us in 2019 — make sure you tick them off before 2020's list starts shaping up.
It's been 21 years since the first of The Lord of the Rings movies had everyone rushing to cinemas, obsessing over hobbits and elves, saying "precious" too many times and ogling New Zealand's natural splendours. Come September, this time via your streaming queue, get ready for much of the above to happen all over again. After five years of talking about it, Prime Video's new series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is mere months away from reaching eyeballs — and the platform has just dropped another trailer to tease what's in store. Yes, Middle-earth is about to sprawl across your TV screen — or whichever other screen you use to access your streaming queue. The JRR Tolkien-inspired fantasy series will return to the franchise's elves, dwarves, epic cities and leafy landscapes, as its first sneak peek back in February made plain. And, thanks to the just-dropped new footage, it looks set to spend a fair amount of time looking up. "The skies are strange," viewers are told at the beginning of the minute-long clip — and a fiery ball in the heavens does indeed demonstrate just that. The clip is big on mood and light on story, but still offers a fresh look at The Rings of Power's world. Full sneak peek exclusively for Prime Members on https://t.co/cofBDVThEu. #TheRingsOfPower pic.twitter.com/Md8SAMk2aT — Prime Video (@PrimeVideo) July 6, 2022 The one catch: if you're keen to check out the whole new clip, you'll already need to be a Prime member. If so, you can head to Prime Video now to watch the full teaser — as part of the platform's push to promote its upcoming Prime Day. If you're not up to date on The Rings of Power, it features a young Galadriel (Morfydd Clark, Saint Maud) and a young Elrond (Robert Aramayo, The King's Man). As seen in the initial trailer, it's also set to include elves catching arrows, humans stuck on rafts on stormy seas, cave trolls, raging fires and orc battles. Amazon first announced the show back in 2017, gave it the official go-ahead in mid-2018 and set a premiere date of Friday, September 2, 2022 back in 2021. In-between, it confirmed that it wouldn't just remake Peter Jackson's movies. Rather, the series will spend time in Middle-earth's Second Age, bringing that era from the LOTR realm to the screen for the very first time. According to show's official synopsis, The Rings of Power will follow "the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth's history," with the action set thousands of years before the novels and movies we've all read and watched. The series will also "take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien's pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness." If you're a little rusty on your LOTR lore, the Second Age lasted for 3441 years, and saw the initial rise and fall of Sauron, as well as a spate of wars over the coveted rings. Elves feature prominently, and there's plenty to cover, even if Tolkien's works didn't spend that much time on the period — largely outlining the main events in an appendix to the popular trilogy. Naturally, you can expect Sauron to feature in the new show, and to give its main figures some trouble. "Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth," the official synopsis continues. "From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone," it also advises. In terms of stars, The Rings of Power features an unsurprisingly large cast — and some impressive talent behind the scenes. Among the other actors traversing Middle-earth are Ismael Cruz Córdova (The Undoing) as Arondir, Nazanin Boniadi (Bombshell) as Bronwyn, Owain Arthur (A Confession) as Prince Durin IV, Charlie Vickers (Palm Beach) as Halbrand and Sophia Nomvete (The Tempest) as Princess Disa. There's also Tom Budge (Judy & Punch), Joseph Mawle (Game of Thrones), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (The Accountant), Maxim Baldry (Years and Years), Peter Mullan (Westworld), Benjamin Walker (The Underground Railroad) and comedian Lenny Henry. And, the series is being overseen by showrunners and executive producers JD Payne and Patrick McKay, while filmmaker JA Bayona (A Monster Calls, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) directs the first two episodes. After you've hopped over to Prime Video to scope out the new trailer, you can revisit out the first teaser for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power below. And, watch this space — as announced in the just-dropped new clip, another trailer is coming on July 14, too. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will be available to stream via Prime Video from Friday, September 2, 2022. Images: Matt Grace / Ben Rothstein.
Peer around Azteca and shades of green await, hanging from the ceiling, painted across walls and spotted from its prime riverside position. Located at Brisbane's Queen's Wharf, and part of the suite of venues from Potentia Solutions Leisure — the team behind Lina Rooftop, Soko Rooftop, Carmen Tequileria, and Claw BBQ in both Bowen Hills and Carindale — this eatery and bar takes inspiration from Latin America. It goes luxe with its fitout, too, befitting its location in the River City's latest waterfront precinct. Plants are suspended from above, fill planters placed around the restaurant's indoor seating and can be found dotted acrpss its outdoor terrace. The lines of bottles backdropping Azteca's bar sit against a striking emerald wall. And gazing over at South Bank means spying a canopy of foliage, as diners have been able to enjoy since mid-October 2024. Celebrating greenery inside and out is an apt touch for an eatery that sprawls between the two spaces itself. Another choice in the same manner: the fact that water features are built into Azteca's walls, complementing its views of the Brisbane River. Also key to the design and decor in the 126-seat venue: mosaic tiles, Aztec artwork and custom-made brass tables, as well as a secret private dining room featuring custom ceramics that's located behind a handcrafted wooden door. Latin America might influence Azteca's name and aesthetic, but its menu under Head Chef Zac Sykes (ex-Merivale and Rockpool groups) also takes cues from Asian cuisine. The listing of dishes dubs the restaurant's fare "a culinary bridge between two continents" — and this is the type of place where raw scallop tostadas with shiso powder, yellowfin tuna tacos with kimchi, chicken liver parfait and truffle churros, and kangaroo tartare with hot sauce are just some of the options. Other standout bites include Elgin Valley free-range chicken covered in dark chocolate mole sauce; pork chops paired with grilled pineapple and fermented jalapeño; wagyu short ribs featuring sake, mirin, soy and asian leaves; and pot-roasted South Australian lobster with chipotle. The dessert range starts with alfajores with dulce de leche, coconut, macadamia and tonka bean ice cream, then serves up popcorn cheesecake with salted caramel ice cream, liquid nitrogen tres leche with white chocolate mousse, and cinnamon tostones with pineapple jam and star anise plant cream. Banquets are also a feature, giving customers a choice between an $89 seven-dish spread, a nine-dish option for $129 and a ten-dish feast for $149 — each with wine pairings available for an extra cost. To sip in general, the 16-page beverage menu spotlights the São Paulo-born Brazilian cocktail caipirinha, which is made with sugarcane hard liquor cachaça — and gives patrons a choice between types of cachaça, and also flavour blends (think: pineapple sage, watermelon jalapeño, pomegranate hibiscus, lychee dragonfruit and vanilla passionfruit). Or, try an old fashioned crafted with banana rum and chocolate bitters from the 12-strong signature cocktail list; opt for a house-made zero-proof limonata for something booze-free; or peruse the beer, wine and spirits — including agave — picks.
Paddington's new hotspot is an absolute darling. We mean that by name, and we're sure Darling & Co will live up to it. We're also certain its moniker will be the word of choice for those enjoying a long lunch on Given Terrace. Not just taking over, but completely remodelling the space that Suncorp Stadium patrons probably know as Iceworks, Darling & Co classes up its corner of the inner west. With a sustainable, seasonal produce-heavy menu that includes the likes of roasted spatchcock and yellow fin tuna tacos as well as hand-stretched pizzas, plus an extensive range of boutique Australian and international wines, the bar and restaurant isn't the kind of place you just drop by on the way to and from the footy. Instead, think relaxing beverages and leisurely meals, as consumed across a mix of individual tables, cosy booths and communal dining that can seat 300 diners. Think wi-fi, bike racks and dog bowls, too — perhaps for those stopping in for a work meeting, in the middle of a workout or with their pet pooch. Darling & Co wants to be the type of establishment you can head to for breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks or coffee, and likely won't want to leave in between. That's the vision owner-operator Jacqueline Madden brings, as well as her wealth of experience. Madden has worked at Cloudland, Press Club, the Empire Hotel, Peasant, Cabiria, Lefty's Old Time Music Hall and The Fox — and as anyone who has enjoyed a drink or meal at any of the above will know, this bodes well for the revamped venue.
There are quite a few big-name exhibitions on at the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art over summer in celebration of GoMA’s fifth birthday. While you are there seeing Matisse and Yayoi Kusama, be sure not to miss the gem of an exhibition occurring in the Level 2 Media Gallery. The exhibition includes works from all around the world, including Montien Boonma (Thailand), Harun Farocki (Czech Republic/Germany), Mona Hatoum (Lebanon/England), Mathew Jones (Australia), Rei Naito (Japan/USA), Christodoulos Panayiotou (Republic of Cyprus), Michael Parekowhai (New Zealand), Natee Utarit (Thailand), Liu Wei (China), Nawurapu Wunungmurra (Dhalwangu people, Australia), William Yang (Australia), Yang Zhenzhong (China), Yao Jui-Chung (Taiwan). The video, photography, drawing and sculpture works featured in The Hand, The Eye and The Heart reflect on the public dimension of private experience, surveying a range of approaches used by artists to record private and personal aspects of human experience.
Following a big night out, scrolling through your snaps may be part of your morning-after routine, letting you bask in the glory of all those photos immortalising all that fun. Or, hitting up a gig, bar or party just mightn't be complete unless you're filling your socials while you're there. Whether one or both of the above apply to you, neither is out of the ordinary — so much so that heading to a shindig without being able to access your phone is now a novelty. That's exactly the kind of situation that Lane 8's record label This Never Happened is embracing, however, when it tours Australia's east coast with for a series of gatherings. At This Never Happens Presents, you won't have a screen in your hand — or face. You won't be swiping, texting or doing anything else with the gadget we're all addicted to, either. Attendees will have their phones taped upon arrival, because these dance music get-togethers are all about connecting IRL and in the moment. The tour has three stops over one July weekend, starting on Friday, July 14 at 170 Russell in Melbourne, then moving to Sydney's Metro Theatre on Saturday, July 15, before wrapping up at Brightside Outdoors in Brisbane on Sunday, July 16. In each city, you'll enjoy tunes from Le Youth, Sultan & Shepard and PARIS on the dance floor — and you'll just have to rely upon your noggin to remember all the highlights afterwards. These will be This Never Happen's first shows in this part of the world, after launching in 2016, signing artists who've toured with producer and DJ Lane 8, and first hosting parties in 2017 and 2019 elsewhere around the globe. Pics or it didn't happen? Not here. THIS NEVER HAPPENED PRESENTS 2023 DATES: Friday, July 14 — 170 Russell, Melbourne Saturday, July 15 — Metro Theatre, Sydney Sunday, July 16 — Brightside Outdoors, Brisbane THIS NEVER HAPPENED PRESENTS 2023 LINEUP: Le Youth Sultan & Shepard PARIS This Never Happened Presents tours Australia's east coast in July, with ticket pre-sales from 12pm AEST on Wednesday, May 10 and general sales from 12pm on Thursday, May 11.
When Maggie May opened its doors in Newstead back in 2022, it gave the riverside suburb a 70s-inspired supper club that isn't just about evening meals and cocktails. Every day of the week, the Longland Street spot serves up lunch as well as dinner and drinks — and on weekends it does breakfast, too. We hope you like boozy brunch, as everyone does, because that's now on the menu as well. Each Saturday and Sunday, with the venue opening at 7am, Maggie's is going bottomless with its booze over food. On the menu: wild mushrooms on toast with creamed leeks and gruyere, gin-cured salmon with a poached egg and hollandaise, crispy pork belly, and charred asparagus on green olive and semi-dried tomato tapenade toast. That's the food selection, which spans two courses each. Then comes all those beverages, with diners enjoying two options. For $69 per person, you'll sip non-stop bubbles and select tap beers — or, for $99, the brew range widens and there's also cocktails to sip. Whether you're gathering the gang or making a date with your other half, bookings for Maggie's Bottomless Brunch are recommended.
Unless you've spent the past few years north of the wall, you'll know that House of the Dragon is coming — the long-in-the-works prequel series to Game of Thrones, that is. HBO wasn't going to completely say goodbye to its huge fantasy hit when the original show wrapped up, of course, and plenty of other spinoffs are under consideration (including a Jon Snow-focused sequel); however, the first of the bunch starts airing on Monday, August 22 in Australia. House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of GoT, and focuses on House Targaryen. Yes, that means that dragons are obviously part of the series, and so is a Succession-style battle over who should sit on the Iron Throne. Always thought that you should park your butt on the hefty chair yourself? Thanks to Binge, which'll stream House of the Dragon when it starts, that's about to become a reality. No, you won't be making a trip to the show's sets — rather, the Iron Throne is coming Down Under. And yes, you really will be able to sit on it when it makes its way to your city. [caption id="attachment_864676" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ollie Upton[/caption] House of Dragon's version of the Iron Throne looks a bit different to the OG — newer, you'd expect, given it exists two centuries before the seat seen in GoT — and is covered in 1000 swords. This full-scale replica isn't small, either, measuring 3.7 metres wide, 2.8 metres high and 3.3 metres deep, and weighing 226 kilograms. Sydneysiders will get to live out their House Targaryen dreams first, with the throne first appearing at Sydney Town Hall, from 9am–5pm on Friday, August 19. It'll also head to the University of Sydney, in front of The Great Hall, from 9am–4pm on Wednesday, August 31–Thursday, September 1. Melbourne dates have been locked in as well, at Westfield Southland, on level one near Brioche by Philip, from 9am–5pm on Saturday, September 10 and 10am–5pm on Sunday, September 11. [caption id="attachment_864683" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ollie Upton[/caption] If you're a Game of Thrones fan elsewhere around Australia, start hoping like Arya crossing off her list that the Iron Throne will come your way — we'll update you when further dates are announced. And if you've forgotten the throne's backstory, it was forged from the blades of Aegon Targaryen's defeated foes, which were melted together by a dragon — of course — after he conquered Westeros. Check out the full House of the Dragon trailer below: IRON THRONE AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES: Friday, August 19 — Sydney Town Hall from 9am–5pm. Wednesday, August 31–Thursday, September 1 — University of Sydney, in front of The Great Hall, from 9am–4pm. Saturday, September 10–Sunday, September 11 — Westfield Southland from 9am–5pm on Saturday and 10am–5pm on Sunday. House of the Dragon's Iron Throne will tour Australia from mid-August. House of the Dragon will start airing on Monday, August 22 Down Under via Foxtel and Binge.
UPDATE, Monday, September 9, 2024: Rivermakers Farmers and Artisan Markets have been postponed until 2025. UPDATE, Friday, July 26, 2024: Rivermakers Farmers and Artisan Markets are now occurring monthly, not weekly as first planned. This article has been updated to reflect that change. Since 2021, maybe you've made the trip to Colmslie Road in Morningside to enjoy a drink at Revel Brewing Co's second site. Or, you could've headed to the waterside Rivermarkers precinct in Brisbane's inner southeast for spirits at Bavay Distillery, a ceramics workshop at Mas & Miek or barbecued meat from Low & Slow Meat Co. A couple of times, markets might've also beckoned — and if it's shopping at stalls that gets you excited, you have a monthly reason to visit from Sunday, July 21, 2024. Meet the Rivermakers Farmers and Artisan Markets. Goodwill Projects — which is also behind the Brisbane City Markets, Milton Markets, Carseldine Farmers and Artisan Markets, West End Markets and Westoria, plus the Nundah Farmers Markets and Redcliffe Farmers and Artisan Markets — has added another site to its hefty range of pop-up browsing and buying spots around Brisbane. In Morningside, the company is setting up shop from 7am–1pm on the third Sunday of every month, welcoming 150-plus vendors such as Lunar Farms Organics, Good Growin' Gourmet Mushrooms and Bellmere Honey. That's your organic zucchinis, capsicums and tomatoes covered, plus everything from oyster to shiitake mushrooms — and the tastiest bee product there is as well. Other stalls at the dog-friendly markets will serve up deli goods, fresh seafood, preserves and handmade pasta — and also designer garments and jewellery. Entry is free, as is parking in the 450 spaces. And once you're wandering around with a basket in your hand, you'll be getting your groceries and other items with the Brisbane River providing a view. The full Rivermakers precinct sprawls across a patch of land at the end of Junction Road that first housed a lime factory back in 1917. Since then, it's been used for alcohol distillation, radio broadcasting, naval barracks and a migrant hostel, and as the base for Hans Continental Smallgoods. Now, the 30-hectare heritage-listed spot is your new monthly market go-to.
First, it was Taco Bell. Now, another big American food brand has set up shop in southeast Queensland: TGI Fridays. In fact, if you head to Robina on the Gold Coast, you can now choose between the two — because that's where TGI Fridays has opened its first eatery in the state. While the US-based chain of bar and grill-style restaurants already has 13 other locations around Australia, it hadn't yet made the jump up north. Thankfully, that's now changed, meaning that Queenslanders can tuck into its array of steaks, ribs, wings and burgers while sipping a hefty array of cocktails. The Robina Town Centre store's menu falls in line with its interstate eateries. Food-wise, the general range includes wraps, salads, starters such as mozzarella sticks and mac 'n' cheese-loaded potato twisters, and mains that span chicken tenders, cracked pepper calamari with fries, and cajun chicken and prawn fettuccine. The dessert selection goes heavy on American favourites; think brownies, sundaes and apple crumble. As for drinks, TGI Fridays takes its beverages seriously, with its standard menu serving up 30 types of cocktails and seven kinds of mocktails. Wine, beer by the bottle and on tap, and both boozy and non-alcoholic shakes are also on offer. And, so is TGI Friday's famed daily happy hour. Patrons can enjoy their meals and beverages on the Robina Town Centre Promenade, with the store featuring both indoor and outdoor seating, a central bar, TV screens playing sports and an open kitchen. The fitout keeps the signature TGI Fridays look, which includes timber accents and industrial-style lighting installations. When it comes to the venue's vibe, TGI Fridays pitches itself as part-way between a restaurant and a hangout spot. Back when the brand launched in the 60s, it was actually a singles bar; but these days it's focused on casual, novelty-based American dining. Find TGI Fridays at Robina Town Centre, Robina Town Centre Drive, Robina — open 11am–midnight daily.
There is a particular type of holiday-goer who makes decisions based on very specific details about the accommodation they intend to stay in. For some (more than you might think), that detail is an al fresco bath tub. Such a detail is one of many winning qualities of The Gully, one of four charming stays on the property of Budgee Budgee Farm located a 15 minute drive outside the centre of Mudgee in central west New South Wales. The Gully is an appealing one bedroom cottage nestled among the trees. The oeuvre of the lodgings is accessible antique charm — deep Prussian blue walls complement the timber floorboards and antique furnishings, vintage light fixtures and framed botanical illustrations on the walls. An antique bed frame of the cushy queen mattress is updated with fresh sheets, plump pillows and cosy throws. The cooler months are when the Mudgee is particularly compelling — when wine tastings, fireplaces and extended long weekends are all de rigueur. And The Gully is a mere ten minute's drive away from some of the best local vineyards, breweries and dining spots in the region. With that said, it's the onsite options that give this accommodation its allure. Case in point: the claw foot bath perched amid the trees on a platform, positioned specifically so bathers can take in a view of the dam and property while soaking. [caption id="attachment_904553" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The al fresco tub surrounded by bush forest.[/caption] There is also an indoor bathroom with shower, a fully stocked kitchen complete with a stove, crockery and a Nespresso machine. There's also an indoor wood-burning fireplace and an outdoor fire pit, ensuring your every move is kept flame-y and warm so long as you need the assistance of heat and atmosphere. Getting the different accommodations of Budgee Budgee Farm ready for guests was a labor of love and passion project for the group behind the property which includes the team behind Sydney-based design studio Worktones plus partners and friends. The result is as tastefully considered as you might anticipate. You can book The Gully at Budgee Budgee Farm on Airbnb. Image credit: Amber Creative Now you can book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations everywhere.
Whether you're a first-time visitor or a local playing tourist, Sydney's energy is magnetic. It's not the kind of city you can tick off in one weekend — just when you think you've done it all, there's a surprise new basement bar to check out, a pop-up art show in a back alley gallery, or an up-and-coming chef serving a dish that'll knock your socks off. Sydney always delivers — and then some. If you're planning a weekend in the Harbour City, Marriott Bonvoy is offering 10% off your stay across six hotels — all you need to do is sign up to become a member (for free). It's also the perfect excuse to extend your stay. Haven't explored Sydney in a while? We've pulled together a hit list of new buzzy restaurants and bars, bathhouses, cultural experiences, and citywide sights to make your next visit one to remember. Sweat, Soak and Reset 1Remedy, Potts Point Following in the footsteps of European bathhouses, this sleek new sauna house in Potts Point is all about the ancient trifecta: sweat, plunge, reset. Founded by Dave Darvill, Dave Veksler and Tina Cha, 1Remedy is built for physical recovery and mental clarity. Think hot rock saunas, multiple temperature-controlled ice baths, ambient beats, an electrolyte bar, and even sauna hats to dial up the comfort. It's guided, stylish and social — designed for those who like their wellness with a bit of vibe. Soak, Alexandria Spanning 700 square metres, Soak isn't your average day spa. This chic communal bathhouse invites conversation and connection, not whispers and robe-shuffling. You'll find warm magnesium pools, infrared and dry cedarwood saunas, cold plunges and aromatic steam rooms. The best part? It's designed to be social — come with friends, soak as a crew, and leave feeling restored and recharged. AWAY Spa, Sydney CBD Tucked away inside one of Sydney's most dazzling hotels, the AWAY Spa at W Sydney is as luxe as you'd expect. Found in the heart of the CBD, this five-room sanctuary offers everything from facials and body scrubs to couples massages and mani-pedis. Designed for solo escapes or social sessions, it's the perfect prelude to checking in upstairs and making a full night of it — because nothing says self-care like a treatment followed by room service and a robe. Shop Shiny, New Designer Stores Monclear, Sydney CBD Modern French outerwear label Moncler has expanded its Sydney presence with a new flagship boutique at Westfield Sydney, flaunting a luxurious monochromatic fit-out. Designed by renowned Parisian studio Gilles & Boissier, the 313-square-metre space is awash with dramatic marble finishes and punctuated by striking sculptural accents. Equal parts fashion destination and architectural marvel, it's a must-visit for the style-savvy and design-curious alike. LOEWE, Sydney CBD Part art gallery, part fashion boutique, LOEWE's second Sydney store in the CBD is a visual and tactile experience. Designed by Jonathan Anderson and LOEWE's in-house team in Madrid, the space evokes the feel of an art collector's Mediterranean home, complete with glistening emerald and cobalt tiles, textured tapestries, and sculptural ceramics. It's an idyllic setting to shop for one of fashion's most coveted labels. Hot tip: Sydney's best designer shopping is just a short stroll from Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park. [caption id="attachment_906009" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Art Gallery of New South Wales, Jenni Carter[/caption] Explore Inspiring Exhibitions and Performances Sydney Modern, The Domain One of Sydney's most significant recent cultural openings, the Art Gallery of NSW's Sydney Modern, is a must for any Sydney itinerary. While it opened just over a year ago, its ever-evolving program of globally renowned contemporary art means there's always a reason to return. Designed for art and architecture aficionados alike, it's also Australia's first-ever public art museum to earn a six-star green rating. Don't miss The Tank — a repurposed World War II naval bunker reimagined into a 2,200 sqm subterranean gallery space dedicated to large-scale immersive installations. Keen to stay locally? Check into the Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel Circular Quay — just a short stroll from The Domain. 'Circle Mirror Transformation', Sydney Theatre Company Catch Circle Mirror Transformation, Pulitzer Prize-winner Annie Baker's acclaimed play at Sydney Theatre Company. Starring Aussie legends Rebecca Gibney and Cameron Daddo, the play tells the story of five strangers who sign up for an amateur acting class. What starts with awkward theatre games quickly unravels into something deeper — funny, raw, and painfully real. Directed by Dean Bryant (Dear Evan Hansen), this one-act gem playfully turns the ordinary into something quietly profound. Make a night of it with a stay at Pier One Sydney Harbour, only moments from the theatre. Phoenix, Chippendale Conceived by philanthropist and White Rabbit Gallery founder Judith Neilson, Phoenix Central Park is an architecturally striking, state-of-the-art performance space unlike anything else in Sydney. With a capacity of just 150, it delivers an intimate and immersive experience that breaks away from traditional theatre seating. Audiences spiral around the space, peering down on an eclectic lineup of performances spanning music, contemporary dance, spoken word and experimental sound. Tickets are free but allocated via an online ballot, adding a sense of exclusivity to this already elusive and enchanting venue. Head Outdoors And Soak Up The Sun Shark Beach, Neilson Park Sydney is brimming with glistening harbour beaches, but Shark Beach at Neilson Park might just take the cake as one of the city's most idyllic oases. Reopened in late 2024 after a three-year hiatus of seawall upgrades, this eastern suburbs gem boasts pristine parklands and a protected swimming area with calm water perfect for every level of swimmer. Nab a box of hot chips dusted with chicken salt from the newly revamped Kiosk, roll out a rug under the towering fig trees or hit the scenic Hermitage Walk that winds along the coastline back to the city. URBNSURF, Homebush Sure, Sydney has surf, but scoring a solid set, or even a spot on the sand, isn't always guaranteed. You might be circling for a park and bobbing around in your wetty for a while before the ultimate wave rolls in. URBNSURF, on the other hand, delivers perfect waves on demand. Set out west in Olympic Park, this high-tech surf park is a playground for surfers of all levels, offering consistent waves every single time. It's open seven days a week with eight types of surf lessons on offer, and is also home to RAFI — a coastal-inspired all-day restaurant with sweeping views of rolling, man-made swell. Dine and Dance 'Til Late Bar Freda's at The Abercrombie While Sydney's nightlife might have taken an unexpected hit a few years back (cheers to lockout laws and pandemics), it's bounced back bolder and better, thanks to a wave of hospitality heroes and community legends. Freda's at The Abercrombie is a shining example. Filling a gap in Sydney's late-night scene, Freda's serves a rotating menu of gourmet sandwiches, share plates, and pasta, all washed down with "fun drinks" like a fishbowl G&T, natty wines, and cold tinnies. And if you're partial to a dance floor? Freda's comes alive every Friday and Saturday night with DJs spinning tunes from 8pm 'til late. Ready to dance until dawn? Four Points by Sheraton Sydney at Central Park makes for a stylish base just around the corner. Book your Sydney escape before September 30 to access 10% off your stay and dining with Marriott Bonvoy. All you have to do is sign up as a member — and it's completely free. With access to exclusive member rates, your stay will also earn points towards free nights at over 30 hotel brands around the world. Find out more here. T&C's apply and vary by participating hotels including blackout dates, cancellation restrictions and more. Offer may not apply in properties not participating in the award and redemption of Marriott Bonvoy. By Elise Cullen
Sometimes tour news is so huge and demand for tickets is so feverish that the details change before anyone has even snapped up a ticket. It happened with blink-182's upcoming 2024 tour. It was the same with Lizzo's visit this past winter, and also with The Weeknd's forthcoming trip Down Under from November. Now, it's also proven the case with Zach Bryan's first-ever Australian gig. A Melbourne exclusive, Bryan's Aussie debut was set for St Kilda's Catani Gardens; however, organisers have swiftly realised that that space won't be big enough. So, before tickets even go on sale — with pre sales from 12pm AEDT on Thursday, October 5 and general sales from 12pm AEDT on Friday, October 6 — Bryan's gig has been moved to Flemington Racecourse. The date of the show is still the same: Saturday, December 9. That's when the 'Something in the Orange' singer and Oologah, Oklahoma native will hit the Victorian capital for statewide music celebration Always Live, which runs for 17 days — and also features Christina Aguilera doing a one-off Down Under show, plus exclusive Eric Prydz and Jai Paul gigs as well. Expect the biggest name in country music right now to give his 2022 American Heartbreak album a hefty spin when he takes the stage in Melbourne. Although he released two records prior — 2019's DeAnn and 2020's Elisabeth — his third album marked his major-label debut, and also the reason that Bryan has become such a sensation. Among Bryan's recent feats, American Heartbreak premiered in the top spot on America's Billboard 200. 'Something in the Orange' has now stayed in the charts longer than any single by a male country artist. In Australia, Bryan has earned that same achievement in the ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart for all country artists. And his streaming numbers? In excess of 6.8 billion worldwide. As he's been taking his American Heartbreak tour around the US — including stops at Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits — Bryan has been smashing attendance records, too. So, the Melbourne change of venue isn't that surprising. In his first Australian stint, he'll also have tracks from his latest album to play, with the self-titled Zach Bryan releasing in August. Among the tunes: collaborations with Kacey Musgraves, The Lumineers, The War and Treaty, and Sierra Ferrell. Being brought Down Under by Untitled Group, which is also behind Beyond The Valley, Pitch Music & Arts, Grapevine Gathering, Wildlands and Ability Fest, Bryan's just-announced spot on the Always Live bill is his only currently scheduled gig in Australia. The statewide music celebration's full lineup includes more than 165 artists at 60-plus events — all, of course, in Victoria. Always Live 2023 runs from Friday, November 24–Sunday, December 10, with one pre-festival gig on Saturday, October 14. For more information, and to get tickets, head to the festival website. Zach Bryan will play Flemington Racecourse on Saturday, December 9, with pre sales from 12pm AEDT on Thursday, October 5 and general sales from 12pm AEDT on Friday, October 6.
No matter what's displaying on their walls at any given time, no trip to either the Queensland Art Gallery or the Gallery of Modern Art is complete without a visit to one of the three QAGOMA Stores across the South Brisbane precinct. Upon their shelves, everything from exhibition catalogues and merchandise to creative trinkets, jewellery and even boardgames await — and they're a haven for gift shopping, whether you're buying for someone else or treating yourself. On Saturday, June 22, QAGOMA Store is taking the browsing outside from 9am–4pm for a special occasion: the first-ever QAGOMA Store Warehouse Sale. You'll be headed to the GOMA forecourt and bodhi tree terrace, where you'll find discounted wares aplenty (and yes, if you want to make Christmas in June shopping a thing, you can). [caption id="attachment_962809" align="alignnone" width="1920"] B Wagner[/caption] Prices start at just $2, with the range of items including books, prints, merch, homewares, accessories and more. And if you're keen to combine your trip to the sale with an exhibition or a movie, Seeds and Sovereignty is showcasing pieces from QAGOMA's Indigenous Australian Art Collection and the Mad Science film program is on for its final weekend. For a bite to eat and a coffee, the GOMA Bistro will also be open from 9am–4pm. [caption id="attachment_962808" align="alignnone" width="1920"] B Wagner[/caption] Top images: K Bennett, M Sherwood and J Ruckli.
One of 2023's most-anticipated films may not play in many Australian cinemas, but it will enjoy its Aussie premiere at Sydney's biggest moviegoing occasion of the year. That flick: Strange Way of Life, the latest work by inimitable Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar (Parallel Mothers). It's a 30-minute short, hence the fact that it may not show on too many big screens Down Under — and it's also a queer western starring Ethan Hawke (Moon Knight) and Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us). Almodóvar? Hawke? Pascal? Queer western? Yes, that's Strange Way of Life, which is why it's such a must-see. It'll make its Australian debut at this year's Sydney Film Festival, heading to our shores straight from premiering at Cannes, and joining the fest's already stacked lineup and hefty array of titles that first bowed at the prestigious French event. In this bite-sized film, Sheriff Jake (Hawke) and rancher Silva (Pascal) share a history, working together as hired gunmen a quarter-century ago. Then, circumstances bring them back together; however, a reunion isn't the only reason they've crossed paths again. "The strange way of life referred in the title alludes to the famous fado by Amalia Rodrigues, whose lyrics suggest that there is no stranger existence than the one that is lived by turning your back on your own desires," explains Almodóvar. [caption id="attachment_904684" align="alignnone" width="1920"] HyperFocal: 0[/caption] Strange Way of Life will play for one session only, on the festival's closing day of Sunday, June 18 — the same date that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which also initially premiered at Cannes, will take the official closing-night slot. "Sydney Film Festival is delighted to offer our audiences this exclusive Australian-premiere screening of Strange Way of Life. We wanted to offer something truly special to help close out our 70th anniversary Festival, and what could beat the closing lineup of the 2023 Palm d'Or winner Anatomy of a Fall, master auteur Pedro Almodóvar's much hyped western short and then finally the Australian Premiere of Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny?" said Sydney Film Festival Director Nashen Moodley. Tickets to Strange Way of Life cost just $10, and are bound to sellout fast. Check out the trailer for Strange Way of Life below: Sydney Film Festival 2023 runs from Wednesday, June 7–Sunday, June 18 at various Sydney cinemas — head to the festival website for further information and tickets.
"Once upon a time there was a little girl who was trapped. This is the story of her great escape." So begins the trailer for the latest version of a Roald Dahl classic, the book-to-stage-to-screen Matilda the Musical — and it's bringing its imaginative story about an extraordinary child, her impressive abilities and her horrible school to Netflix on Christmas Day. For the past few years, the streaming platform has been obsessed with one very particular golden ticket that Matilda the Musical springs from: the beloved works of British author Dahl. Back in 2018, Netflix announced that it was bringing 16 of the writer's classic novels to the service in animated form. And, it revealed that there'd be two new series from Taika Waititi based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, too. In 2021, it also advised that it had snapped up the Roald Dahl Story Company (RDSC) itself. So, plenty of Dahl-penned tales are now getting the Netflix treatment, with the service's library set to expand in a big way. That spans everything from Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, Matilda and The Twits, all as animated television shows, plus The BFG, Esio Trot, George's Marvellous Medicine, The Enormous Crocodile, The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me, Henry Sugar, Billy and the Minpins, The Magic Finger, Dirty Beasts and Rhyme Stew. Yes, it's a long list — and yes, Matilda the Musical is obviously on it. [caption id="attachment_873641" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical. Alisha Weir as Matilda Wormwood in Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical. Cr. Dan Smith/Netflix © 2022[/caption] If you've seen the Tony and Olivier award-winning show in theatres since 2010 — complete with original music and lyrics by Tim Minchin — you'll know what's in store. If you read the novel before that, you'll also already have plenty of fondness everyone's favourite book-loving schoolgirl with telekinetic abilities. In the movie as onstage, the narrative remains the same as Dahl's original 1988 text, but with songs and tunes that are all supremely on its wavelength. Once again, Matilda Wormwood (Alisha Weir, Darklands) is a curious, bright, quiet, observant and imaginative girl — and tiny — but has terrible parents (Venom: Let There Be Carnage's Stephen Graham and Amsterdam's Andrea Riseborough). So, she escapes into novels as they feast on TV and try to stump up cash via dodgy schemes. But that isn't welcomed by her mum and dad, in her first lesson in being bullied — something that, at school, Matilda will no longer stand for. [caption id="attachment_873640" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical. Alisha Weir as Matilda Wormwood in Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical. Cr. Dan Smith/Netflix © 2022[/caption] At Crunchem Hall, Matilda finds a source of support and inspiration in Miss Honey (Lashana Lynch, No Time to Die), but it's also where the star student meets another foe. That'd be the villainous Miss Trunchbull (Emma Thompson, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande), who is as mean as can be — and needs Matilda to teach her a lesson. Minchin's songs and lyrics make the jump to the movie version, of course, while Tony Award-winning director Matthew Warchus — who did the honours with Matilda the Musical on the stage — helms. And yes, this is the second movie based on Dahl's Matilda, after a 1996 version initially adapted the book for cinema (not as a musical, though), and featured Mara Wilson as the titular character. Check out the full trailer for Matilda the Musical below: Matilda the Musical will be available to stream via Netflix on December 25. Images: Dan Smith/Netflix © 2022.
In Stay of the Week, we explore some of the world's best and most unique accommodations — giving you a little inspiration for your next trip. In this instalment, we take you inside the Berry View Hotel. This utterly charming boutique hotel is brimming with winning mid-Century design detail and takes inspiration from 1950s drive-in motels and Palm Springs bungalows. Located in Berry on the south coast of New South Wales, it's the perfect spot for a smug weekend away — and right now when you book your stay here you'll get an exclusive rate and a bottle of wine to start your stay with a toast. Cheers to that. WHAT'S SO SPECIAL? This hotel has been lovingly designed with the principles and aesthetic of Mid-Century Modern design at every element. The impeccably tasteful, minimalist decor and fresh white and pumpkin exterior make this little pocket of Berry feel as thought it's time travelled to the swinging Sixties. THE ROOMS Calming, cool and curated are the vibe of the rooms, each of which has its own individual styling. The devil is in the design detail — a beautiful vase, bespoke light fitting or a velour single-seater sofa add personality to each of the bedrooms, which come in bedding configurations for couples on a romantic weekend away or a family-friendly setup with a queen bed and a bunk. The bathrooms feature full sized bathing products by O&M so there's zero need to bring your own. Each room also comes with Nespresso coffee machine and pods for your caffeine requirements before you venture out to enjoy the best of Berry's charming town centre which is a short stroll from the hotel. FOOD AND DRINK Rooms at the Berry View include all your critical amenities like a kettle and the aforementioned coffee machine, tea, coffee and milk. But when you're in Berry you need to get out and experience the local talent. The historic Berry Hotel has great regional pub energy. Milkwood Bakery does superb woodfired sourdough, great coffee and a banger apple tart for the dessert-inclined. And there's the famous Berry Donut Van is responsible for what might be a serious contender for best cinnamon donut in the country. For a more luxurious and lengthy lunch or dinner option, SOUTH on Albany and Queen Street Eatery are both great options combining impressive food with laidback vibes and stellar service. THE EXTRAS When you book here through CP Trips, the lovely crew at the Berry View Hotel will welcome you with a complimentary bottle of shiraz or prosecco to celebrate your good fortune. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Sometimes dinner is a pared-back affair, a simple but deeply comforting meal — maybe a bowl of pho from your local or a big ol' plate of cheesy pasta. But when you have something to celebrate you want to be able to go large. And by large, we mean an all-out degustation. While you can easily kiss a few hundred of your hard-earned dollars goodbye with a big-ticket degustation dinner, we don't think you should have to — not when there are a surprising number of restaurants with suitably delicious options available for far less. So we've rounded up Brisbane's best degustations, and they all come in under $100. They're perfect for when you want to celebrate something special, but don't want the financial remorse that can accompany such festivities. YOKO DINING, HOWARD SMITH WHARVES If you've ever visited Tokyo's izakaya and music bars, you'll be well prepared for Yoko Dining. Think tunes spun on vinyl, an upbeat vibe and a retro-yet-futuristic feel both in the downstairs restaurant and on Yoko's mezzanine level. The upper space also features a hidden bar and a dining space. In the kitchen, a hibachi (a Japanese charcoal grill) sits pride of place, the seafood-heavy menu heroes smoky flavours and there's a raw bar serving up fresh sashimi. You'll get to try all of the above as part of the Yoko Feast, too. Starting with edamame and pickled fennel, you'll then work your way through ocean trout, karaage and wagyu — and end with a delightful mochi ice cream sando. It's like heading on a quick trip to Japan, without the hassle of a long flight. Cost: Yoko Feast $80 [caption id="attachment_621870" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nat Hoo[/caption] E'CCO BISTRO, NEWSTEAD It's all about the produce at Brisbane's E'cco Bistro. In fact, it aims to "do as little as possible with the best ingredients available" and it's this kind of unpretentious cooking from chef Philip Johnson's kitchen that has kept E'cco's strong following loyal for more than two decades — including after a move from the CBD to Newstead. The tasting menu comes in at a very reasonable $89 per person for five courses, and sees you dining on the likes of cured barramundi, comté gnocchi with rosemary and buckwheat, and dark chocolate with candied beetroot and cherries to finish. Yes, it's perfect for a special date night. Cost: E'cco five-course tasting menu $89 AGNES, FORTITUDE VALLEY From the outside, 22 Agnes Street mightn't particularly stand out. But this old brick warehouse in Fortitude Valley is home to a top-notch culinary combo. It's the latest venture from the crew behind Same Same and Honto, as well as the newest restaurant to boast the talents of acclaimed chef Ben Williamson (ex-Gerard's Bistro, The Apo) — and both of those factors make it one of Brisbane's must-visit eateries. To try all the best dishes, order the $75 set menu, which gets you eight courses plus some malted sourdough and smoked butter to start. You'll eat your way through a blue mackeral and 'nduja sandwich with pickled salsa, beef tartare with peppercorn emulsion and roasted local prawns with fermented chilli — and end on a sweet note of charred mango and sheep's yoghurt with pops of finger lime. Cost: Eight-course set menu $75 NOTA, PADDINGTON Add a bit of surprise to your dinner with Sebastian de Kort and Kevin Docherty's NOTA and its chef's feasts. While you sit in the old Montrachet digs on Given Terrace in Paddington, surrounded by exposed brick walls and rustic decor, you'll be served up the best the kitchen has on offer that day — and, if you have dietary requirements, they'll be catered for. Depending on how hungry you are, there's two options available for either $65 (six dishes) or $90 (nine dishes). As for what they'll be, well, discovering them is part of the fun. That said, the current menu includes the likes of tempura fish sandwiches, Fraser Isle spanner crab pasta and Brisbane Valley quail with sweet corn polenta. Cost: Chef's feasts $65/90 85 MISKIN STREET, TOOWONG Formerly Brent's, this Toowong restaurant is located in a particularly charming suburban residence, which has been converted to house the restaurant now known as 85 Miskin Street. Their degustation is a pleasing seven courses (eight if you count a cheeky palate cleanser between entrees and mains) and comes in at $99 per person. You'll feast on plates including soy-glazed lamb shoulder, citrus-cured ocean trout and fried haloumi with watermelon, before moving on to cheese and sweets. Mango cheesecake rounds out the meal nicely, served with a honey and oat wafer and vanilla bean ice cream. Cost: Seven-course degustation $99 HONTO, FORTITUDE VALLEY Opening on Alden Street in 2018, Hôntô serves up one of the most creative Japanese menus in town. Ice cream-style drumstick cones filled with tuna, edamame and avocado dip and potato crisp with whipped bonito — they're just some of the inventive dishes on offer, including on the very affordable $75 ten-dish banquet menu. It's the best way to try a little of everything, whether you're keen on salmon on taro chips with wasabi mayo, fancy a bit of kingfish with pickled fennel, or just can't go past some pork gyoza. And, given the price, you'll still have some cash left over to add on a couple of oysters or to pair your meal with something from Hôntô range of rare Japanese whiskeys and sake. Cost: Ten-dish banquet $75 GRECA, HOWARD SMITH WHARVES In a light, breezy spot by the river, all as part of Brisbane's Howard Smith Wharves precinct, Greca heroes traditional yet modern Greek cuisine. And if you're going to go Greek, then you'll want to go full Greek — that's the name of the restaurant's $60 sharing menu. Start with olives, naturally. Then comes a dish of pink-hued taramasalata, aka a fish roe dip that restaurateur Jonathan Barthelmess has brought to Brisbane from his Sydney eatery, The Apollo. You'll also tuck into a hefty oven-baked lamb shoulder with garlic and herb roast potatoes, fried calamari and a salad of tomato, cucumber, olives and feta. The topper: katoumari, which is a smashed filo with walnuts and semolina cream. If all of that doesn't sound like enough for you, you can go bigger with the $90 Aphrodite Almighty, which features ten dishes and a spritz. Cost: Full Greek menu $60 SAKE, CBD There are lots of ways to celebrate someone special. You can buy them flowers, you can say "I think you're great!" — or you can slay and take them to Sake for a degustation dinner. Located on Eagle Street Pier, this award-winning Japanese venue serves sake and sashimi with the best of 'em. Book a window table for a killer river view, then wow your dining companion with the Bites Banquet, which lets you nibble on salmon ceviche tacos, tuck into sashimi, nom on popcorn shrimp and enjoy charred chicken thigh. We won't spoil it for the rest for you, but suffice to say you'll leave happy and satiated. Cost: Bites Banquet $75 By Laura Dawson and Sarah Ward Top image: Greca by Nikki To
Fatcow may no longer be able to boast a riverside location, but the steakhouse is dialling up the luxury when it reopens at its new James Street address on Wednesday, May 8. The look: lavish. This is also the kind of place where every booth is surrounded by curtains stretching from the floor to the ceiling, to screen patrons off to give them their own private dining experience. Also, a gold-wrapped 400-gram rib fillet is on the menu. If the literally shiny steak stands out immediately, it's called the Golden Fatcow, encloses a 150-plus-day grain-fed black angus cut from the Riverina region in gold leaf, and unsurprisingly does not come cheap. The cost: $190. It's one of the restaurant's three new signature dishes, alongside a $199 steak-and-lobster combo and the butcher's choice, which varies in price. Yes, this is a treat yo'self type of restaurant. It was back in late 2023 that Tassis Group announced that Fatcow on James Street — which was known as Fatcow Steak & Lobster during its Eagle Street Pier days — would return in 2024. It lost its former digs, where it had operated since December 2020 in the site that was formerly home to fellow upscale steak joint Cha Cha Char, when the Brisbane CBD precinct was torn down to make way for an upcoming new $2.1-billion waterfront precinct. Now, Fatcow is relaunching in the Fortitude Valley spot that Space Furniture and David Jones have previously called home, with the abode getting a revamp as a hospitality establishment. The design led by Allo Creative and Clui Design harks back to steak-slinging eateries in the mid-20th century, complete with a bar made out of solid marble, those circular booths and two private dining rooms. Patrons can also peer through a window to the chef's grill to see where the culinary magic happens. "Getting the chance to design a world-class steakhouse from scratch is a dream come true,' says Michael Tassis, the restaurateur whose hospitality portfolio also includes fellow steak-focused joint Rich & Rare, plus Yamas Greek + Drink, Massimo, Opa Bar + Mezze, Fosh and Longwang (and will gain an overwater restaurant and bar, plus a landing cafe, as part of Kangaroo Point's new green bridge). "With the original Fatcow, we inherited the old Cha Cha Char space and had to make it our own. This time, we're taking a site that's never been a restaurant before and turning it into the ideal version of Fatcow." Under Head Chef Garry Newton, a Fatcow alum who also has Herve's and Rich & Rare on his resume, the new Fatcow's menu also features more than 16 steaks, wagyu tasting boards with three types and three sides, and mains such as wagyu burgers and lamb shoulder. Caviar is among the options, as are oysters fresh from Brisbane's only live oyster tank, raw scallops and beef tenderloin tartare as entrees, and tank-fresh lobster. The restaurant is taking a 24-hour approach to seafood — that's how long, maximum, the journey from the trawler to your plate will be. Dessert choices span a chocolate tart, lime sorbet and basque cheesecake, plus ten cheeses that come served in 50-gram pieces. To drink, a 300-strong wine list combines local and international drops. Cocktails are also among the beverages. And Caio Rosetto, who managed the OG eatery, is back at Fatcow as well, via Rico Bar and Dining and Yamas Greek + Drink. Find Fatcow on James Street at 10 James Street, Fortitude Valley from Wednesday, May 8 — open daily from 11.30am–late. Head to the restaurant's website for more details.
Miss Midgley's is one of Brisbane's most unique places to stay – a heritage guesthouse that feels more like stepping into someone's beautifully preserved private home than checking into a hotel. Tucked away in New Farm, the property dates back to the early 20th century and has been lovingly restored with a clear reverence for its past. Each room is individually styled, filled with antique furniture, rich fabrics and collected objects that give the space a layered, lived-in feel. It's the opposite of uniform hotel design. Instead, every corner tells a story, making the stay feel personal and quietly transportive. The guest experience feels intimate and relaxed. Guests have access to shared spaces including sitting rooms, verandahs and a leafy garden, along with a pool that adds a distinctly Queensland touch. Some suites are also dog-friendly, making it a rare option for those travelling with pets. There's no big-brand polish here – just thoughtful details and a strong sense of character. Location-wise, you're in one of Brisbane's best neighbourhoods. James Street, New Farm Park, the Brisbane Powerhouse and a string of cafes, wine bars and restaurants are all within walking distance. Brisbane Airport is around 20-25 minutes away, and while parking is limited, the area is easy to explore on foot or via nearby public transport. Images: David Chatfield
Do you like being terrified and entertained at the same time? Is indulging in all things spooky and scary your idea of fun? Halloween might only come around once a year, but that's not going to stop The Brightside. If you're itching for a frightening fix, they've got you covered. Nightmare on Warner Street is the horror-themed evening you didn't know you were desperate to go to in the middle of the winter. Killer cocktails will get you in the right mood — and if that's not enough, so will Exiled In Eden, Climb The Hierarchy, Paremetres and Give It All as they bust out their creepiest tunes. And of course, just as no petrifying party would be complete without a nod to the films that have caused many a fearful reaction, no Brighty shindig would be complete a trivia contest. Man vs Bear will be on hand to quiz you about slasher flicks, horror tropes and chilling franchises that just won't die. Be warned: this free night of fun isn't for the faint-hearted.
A mainstay overlooking Raby Bay, Cleveland Sands Hotel has relaunched in 2022 with a renovated 250-person beer garden, plus an expanded sports bar that's had a new fitout. Given the pub's harbour-adjacent location, that beer garden is clearly the huge drawcard. Here, while you sit around and sip, you'll be surrounded by white hues aplenty, splashes of timber courtesy of the tables and bars, shady umbrellas and — for when twilight hits — fairy lights strung up above. Inside, new big screens await — if you're timing your trip to the pub with watching the footy or cricket — as does a new stage that hosts live bands on Fridays. The venue is also holding weekly trivia nights and karaoke nights, and getting DJs spinning tunes on Saturdays. Sundays offer a mix of live tunes and folks on the decks, and there's monthly comedy shows and drag bingo as well. Menu-wise, Australian Venue Co has also given the food range a shakeup. Bistro dishes include lobster and prawn sliders, fish tortillas, karaage chicken, wild mushroom risotto and ox beef cheek. There's a renewed focus on Queensland produce, too, and pub staples such as pizza, burgers, steaks and schnitzels are all accounted for. Updated December 7, 2022.
Thousands of Queensland commuters are feeling a worsening strain from the fallout of a dispute between Queensland Rail and the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RBTU) over pay. Starting Tuesday, May 5, schedules for rail lines across the state will be temporarily adjusted to a similar frequency to Saturday services — and, adding fuel to the fire, some south-east Queensland stations will receive major staffing changes, no doubt exacerbating the dispute even further. From tomorrow, the state rail network will operate with approximately a 20 percent reduction in services, with over 270 services removed until further notice. This is the latest blow in a dispute that dates back to the beginning of April, when planned industrial action affected over 180 services and 20,000 passengers across the state. That action created a maintenance backlog, which has created the new reduced timetable. Transport Minister Brent Mickenberg detailed that affected lines will see trains run every 15 minutes during peak hour, and every 30 minutes outside of peak travel periods, saying, "These temporary changes are going to have a considerable impact on Queenslanders. Queenslanders are rightly frustrated and angry … we're also frustrated." [caption id="attachment_1098700" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Dan Peled/Getty Images[/caption] Trains will run every 15 minutes on the Cleveland, Ferny Grove, Gold Coast, Redcliffe, Ipswich and Springfield lines, and every 30 minutes on the Beenleigh, Shorncliffe and the Caboolture–Nambour stretch of the Sunshine Coast line. Now another spanner has been thrown into the works, with ABC reporting that Queensland Rail is reducing staffing across the station network, a decision unrelated to the ongoing pay dispute. According to updated rosters, a third of stations in Queensland will no longer be staffed on weekends, and 19 stations will no longer be staffed after 1pm on weekdays. The idea of staff absence raises obvious concerns about passenger safety, a lack of assistance for elderly and differently abled passengers and a lack of facilities on the platform (in the absence of staff, toilets are locked). To compensate, Queensland Rail is increasing its roster of patrolling security officers on the network and creating a new ten-person remote customer support team. Reports provided to ABC reveal that some of the stations that will be unstaffed on weekends include Milton, Booval, Buranda, Deagon and Springfield, but a full list of affected stations will be published on the Queensland Rail website on Tuesday morning. Lead image: Wikimedia Commons Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
For two decades now, ever since Batman Begins proved such a smash back in 2025, the release of a new Christopher Nolan film has been a big occasion. Indeed, 'big' applies to much about the acclaimed director's approach. His movies are made for the big screen. The response is always huge. With The Odyssey, which releases in 2026, he's also making the first feature entirely shot on IMAX cameras. If you already have Thursday, July 16, 2026 marked on your calendar, then you're clearly keen for the filmmaker's first picture since 2023's Oppenheimer, which won him the Best Director Oscar. Here's another date of importance: Thursday, July 17, 2025. Tickets for The Odyssey at IMAX Melbourne have already gone on sale a year out from the movie's release, and they're already likely to sell out. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Odyssey Movie (@theodysseymovie) IMAX Melbourne is no stranger to showing Nolan's films, or for packing out its cinema while doing so. For The Odyssey, it will also be the only venue in Australia screening the movie on IMAX 1570 film and in the expanded 1.43 aspect ratio. If you haven't been keeping up with news about Nolan's 13th feature, the Memento, Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk and Tenet director is adapting Homer's epic ancient poem about Odysseus' ten-year journey home to Ithaca after the also ten-year Trojan War. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Odyssey Movie (@theodysseymovie) Matt Damon (The Instigators) is playing Odysseus, Tom Holland (The Crowded Room) is his son Telemachus, and the rest of the cast also includes Zendaya (Challengers), Anne Hathaway (The Idea of You), Lupita Nyong'o (The Wild Robot), Robert Pattinson (Mickey 17), Charlize Theron (The Old Guard 2), Jon Bernthal (The Bear) and plenty more. IMAX Melbourne is one of a handful of IMAX cinemas around the world with tickets for its 70-millimetre sessions now on sale, and the only one in Australia. The Odyssey opens in Australian cinemas, including at IMAX Melbourne, on Thursday, July 16, 2026 — head to the IMAX Melbourne website for tickets.
If there's one summer drink that never goes out of style, it's the margarita. With its salted rim and smooth tequila, it's the ultimate warm-weather classic, made for long afternoons with friends. To celebrate that feeling, Tequila Herradura (which has been crafting tequila for 150 years) is teaming up with some of Australia's favourite bars to put their unique spins on the classic cocktail. Below, find venues across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to enjoy the summer of margaritas before the season departs. Sydney Tios Cerveceria Described as Surry Hills' home of tequila, Tios Cerveceria offers a curated margarita menu designed for long summer nights. There are hundreds of agave-based tipples available to choose from, including their beloved $10 house marg, and each drink comes with a free bag of perfectly spiced popcorn. With multiple flavours on offer, margarita connoisseurs will be in heaven. Cantina OK! Described as a "micro mezcal mecca", Cantina OK! is a must-take pilgrimage for margarita fans. With a highly curated menu, Cantina OK! is a hole-in-the-wall in the centre of the city, stocking hand-sourced and hand-imported agave spirits. Enjoy their famous margaritas, served over hand-shaved ice with fresh limes. Delicious. [caption id="attachment_1071716" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mark Sherborne[/caption] Uncanny Bar Known for its inventive cocktail list, King Street's Uncanny Bar is family-run and serves one of Sydney's most unique margaritas: The Julio Ricter, which comes complete with a za'atar rim. If you're looking for a margarita with a sharp twist, head to Uncanny in Newtown. [caption id="attachment_1071713" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mark Sherborne[/caption] Monica Rooftop For margaritas with a view, head to Monica Rooftop at 25hours Hotel The Olympia in Paddington. With its elevated setting and high-energy atmosphere, it's built for sunset drinks in the city. Enjoy share-style plates with your friends and sip on Monica's Picante Margarita, featuring fermented jalapeño, lime, and habanero bitters. Melbourne [caption id="attachment_1071726" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dylan Kindermann[/caption] George on Collins A CBD crowd-pleaser with a slick fit-out, George on Collins is a modern Asian fusion restaurant and a reliable spot for a margarita. Expect a polished take on the cocktail that suits long lunches, after-work drinks, and pre-dinner date aperitifs. Bar Ampere Looking for a late-night haunt this summer? Bar Ampere, a Parisian-inspired cocktail bar in Russel Place, is serving margaritas until 3am. It's take on the classic drink leans more sophisticated than sunny, but it's a great late-night option for those long, spontaneous summer nights. Repeat Offender Down in Elwood, Repeat Offender is a neighbourhood favourite that's known for good cocktails without the fuss. Their margarita menu alone is a page long, so you know you'll find something that will hit the spot. Pair your margarita with Repeat Offender's delicious Mexican-inspired dishes. Brisbane [caption id="attachment_1071763" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Adrian McConnell[/caption] The Alligator Club If you find yourself in Fortitude Valley thirsty for a marg, head to The Alligator Club. The late-night hot spot plays live music every single night and serves bar snacks, including pinza (hand-pressed pizza), alongside a mean margarita. It's one of the Valley's best after-dark hangouts. [caption id="attachment_1071760" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Adrian McConnell[/caption] Stratton Bar & Kitchen Situated in two World War II hangars in Newstead, Stratton Bar & Kitchen blends laid-back Brisbane dining with a comprehensive drinks list. Don't go past their coconut marg, which features their own signature coconut salt rim. It's a venue designed for group catch-ups and fun nights out. [caption id="attachment_1071758" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Adrian McConnell[/caption] CRU Bar & Cellar Not all margaritas should be drunk in dingy bars. CRU Bar & Cellar in Brisbane's trendy James Street is a go-to for an elevated margarita that hits the sweet spot. The restaurant offers both a multi-course dining experience and afternoon cocktails and snacks if you're after something lighter. Whether you like your margaritas with some spice or in an elevated dining setting, the Summer of Margs is your excuse to try some of Australia's favourites. Find a venue to experience a Tequila Herradura margarita. 18+. Please drink responsibly.
Things are looking bright in the centre of Australia — not only thanks to Uluru's stunning Field of Light installation, which has been illuminating the Red Centre for the past two years, but also courtesy of the annual Parrtjima – A Festival In Light. When the latter first kicked off back in 2016, it became the nation's first Indigenous festival of its kind and unveiled the country's biggest-ever light installation. Now it's back for another luminous outing in 2018. Taking place between September 28 and October 7 at the Alice Springs Desert Park, Parrtjima – A Festival in Light returns with its another big feat: its biggest program yet. The focal point is the fest's ten nights of light installations, all crafted by Aboriginal artists and set against the MacDonnell Ranges. Attendees can feast their eyes on a light show that spans along more than two kilometres of the land mass, with this year's theme "from sunset to sunrise" — or walk across projections on the desert sands, wander among large-scale sculptures and mosey through a tunnel of light. An interactive experience also allows visitors to select a series of colours, then see their choices brighten up the bush using more than 500 LEDs. In addition, this year's event will also feature a second showcase of light in the Todd Mall, complete with a new installation about the area's caterpillar dreaming stories. It forms part of the festival's second hub, with curator Rhoda Roberts' program of music, film, dance performances and talks spread across the festival's two sites. Music-wise, that includes headliners Electric Fields, who'll play against the stunning scenic backdrop of the MacDonnell Ranges. The Tinkerbee Dancers lead the dance component, while a nightly cinema program will showcase local and national filmmakers. And for those so entranced by the lights — understandably — that they want to know more, Parrtjima's Behind the Lights session will feature Roberts, the festival's lighting designer Richard Neville and AGB Events project director Rodney Cambridge chatting about their glowing creations. The 2018 event marks Parrtjima's third instalment — and while it'll be back for a fourth in 2019, it's heading to a new timeslot. If you're planning a trip next year rather than this year, mark April 5–14 in your calendars. Parrtjima – A Festival in Light runs from September 28 to October 7 in the Alice Springs Desert Park, Alice Springs, Northern Territory. For more information, visit the festival website.
Think of Box Hill's cuisine, and you'll most likely picture the best Chinese food in Melbourne. With its large Asian population, the Eastern suburb is a mecca for world-class noodles, soups and dumplings. But, after living in Box Hill for over a decade, hospitality veteran Sam Hatherley identified a gap in his neighbourhood and, in 2024, opened the cafe and bistro, UNA UNA. "Can you imagine a hidden bistro tucked under an apartment building in Box Hill, run by ex-hatted restaurant staff? We wanted to bring something fresh," Sam says. "[UNA UNA has] modern European-style, semi-fine-dining dishes with seasonal menus and thoughtful, unhurried service." Local Influence To ease into the suburb and build rapport with locals, Sam launched UNA UNA as a cafe by day, serving focaccia sandwiches, coffee, and specialty drinks and a bistro by night on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. "For many of our bistro customers, their first experience was actually trying our sandwiches. It's a great way to connect with the neighbourhood during the day, give people a chance to get to know us, and create a natural introduction to the bistro experience in the evenings." For nearly a century, Box Hill was deemed a dry zone. A hangover from Australia's temperance movement, the laws required residents to vote for a liquor licence to be granted to a new restaurant or venue, with residents facing fines if they failed to vote. As a result, Sam found that there was a gap for a bistro that offers quality cocktails and a relaxed drinking experience. The cocktail menu at UNA UNA is just that. Simple yet refined, reflecting Sam's 20 years of experience, including a stint in Japan. During the day, guests can sip from hand-shaken Italian Whipped Coffee Cream, Whipped Orange Coffee, and house-made Almond Lemon Soda and Walnut Cola. The specialty drinks are creative and refreshing, crafted with the same care and attention as the evening cocktails. From Little Things Like many people in hospitality, Sam always dreamt of opening his own place. "Nothing huge, just a small spot that really felt like me." The seeds of UNA UNA becoming a reality first emerged during COVID, when Sam stepped away from the fast-paced, relentless industry where he worked as a chef and bartender to become a stay-at-home dad. "I loved working in hatted restaurants and bars, but the pace is intense, and most nights I'd be getting home around 2 am," Sam reflects. "I realised I wanted to be more present for my family, and if I didn't start the bistro I'd been imagining for years, I might never do it. It just felt like the right moment to finally build something of my own." The result is restaurant-quality food in a casual bistro setting. "With the rising cost of living, people are more cautious about spending, so I didn't want UNA UNA to be a fine-dining restaurant with a big price tag." Instead, UNA UNA keeps it personal. Comprising of just four tables and a casual lounge area, Sam wanted to ensure that everyone could be looked after properly. For UNA UNA's menu, Sam says it had to be simple, classic, and free from gimmicks — no edible flowers or smoke gun just for Instagram. The Spring Dinner Menu was recently launched, featuring dishes such as Tuna Crudo, Chargrilled Calamari, Lamb Katsu, Tête de Moine, and the signature Roasted Duck Breast. "Our menu is simple but ambitious," says Sam. "We change it every three to four months to reflect what's in season and what's available at the markets. Box Hill has amazing fresh vegetables, meat, and fish stalls, so we make the most of that, keeping everything fresh, local, and full of flavour." At its core, UNA UNA is a reflection of its neighbourhood. Sam's 14-year-old son can often be found helping out on weekends, greeting customers and making coffees. His daughter, Una, tells her friends and teachers about "her coffee shop". "We want UNA UNA to be a place where people can come together — enjoy good food and drinks, and feel part of the community as the neighbourhood grows. It feels like one big extended family," says Sam. "UNA UNA is still young and evolving, and there are so many possibilities ahead — much like my kids, learning and growing every day." Visit UNA UNA. Image credit: UNA UNA
West End is known for food. For drinks. For being a place where you can go on dates, group hangs and sit-down dinners. Whether you're on Boundary Street for beers or Hardgrave for pho, you can pretty much guarantee a good time. And while we love our tried and trusted haunts, we could hardly ignore the huge new pub on Montague Road. Aptly named The Montague Hotel, this new spot — which has room for a whopping 400 people — has been christened The Monty (because four syllables are way too many) and apart from turning out some pretty great feeds, they also do $10 espresso martinis. All the time. Got your attention? Good. If you're lucky enough to work closeby, you shouldn't have too much trouble wrangling a crew together for a post-work drink and some snacks. For grazing, their sweet potato fries ($9) are chunky, decadent and crispy. The haloumi fries ($13) also definitely warrant a look in. If there's a few of you, a sharing board with buffalo wings, beer-battered pickles, assorted fries and onion rings ($39) is the business. If you're in here for dinner, you might grab a cheeseburger ($14), a lemon and rosemary half roast chicken and veggies ($26), or share a pizza. At lunch, The Monty is doing a $14 superfoods menu, which lets you pick up a mushroom burger, a detox salad or a rainbow wrap between noon and 4pm. It's a smart move to persuade some cafe-goers to the pub at lunchtime. The interior is all greenery and polished copper, with an eye-watering number of beers to choose from (last count was 17 on tap) snaking from a massive vat above the bar. There are numerous spots to sit — once you've locked down your food order and got the first of your espresso martinis on the way, you can people-watch on the street or take it easy on the terrace. Not too arduous a task in such a fine location. The Monty is still a new bar, but they seem to have nailed the vibe of the perfect after work or weekend drinks spot, and with great food and a pretty spot-on drinks list it's just a matter of time before they're one of you West End go-tos.
Good news hasn't been easy to find in Sydney of late. Being in lockdown to combat the COVID-19 pandemic — and having those stay-at-home conditions expanded, extended and tightened as case numbers rise — will do that. But one infectiously adorable bundle of joy has just entered the world, and it's the heartwarmingly cute kind of sight that we all definitely need right now. If you're reading this from elsewhere in the country, trust us — you need this, too. Taronga Zoo has announced the arrival of a southern hairy-nosed wombat joey that was born in October last year. Yes, that's more than a few months back now, but the as-yet-unnamed baby critter has only just started to emerge from her mother's pouch in recent weeks — so she's still big news. The joey was born to experienced mum Jetta. Wombat joeys are the size of a jellybean when they first enter the world, and then they remain in their mother's pouch for between seven and nine months as they grow. "The little joey has just reached the size where she no longer fits in the Jetta's pouch; we have seen her try to get back into the pouch a couple of times, but Jetta just won't allow it — she is just too big!" advises keeper Rebecca Russell-Cook. "At the moment the joey is out and about quite regularly exploring both the burrow and outside areas, on her own as well as with mum and sister Wanyi," she continued. "In the next few weeks, the joey will become even more active — so once Taronga starts welcoming guests back, they will definitely get the chance to spot the little joey at Taronga's wombat burrow at our Backyard to Bush precinct." That's enough words about this loveable little critter, because we all know that you're here to get a glimpse — and Taronga Zoo has helpfully released a video that shows the joey just doing super-cute joey things. Check it out below: [video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://cdn.concreteplayground.com/content/uploads/2021/07/Taronga-zoo-ES-edit-09072021-78.mp4"][/video] If you're after further information, you can also watch keeper Rebecca Russell-Cook chat about the joey — if you can hear her above all the "awwwwwwwwwws" you'll be exclaiming, that is. [video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://cdn.concreteplayground.com/content/uploads/2021/07/Wombat-Joey_VNR_P2C.mp4"][/video] Taronga Zoo is currently closed during Sydney's lockdown, but you can check out more videos of its cute animals via its online Taronga TV channel.
They're small, they're located off the beaten path and they're nestled among nature — and they're your next reason to make your way to Byron Bay. You probably don't need an excuse to head to the popular New South Wales town now that the country is opening back up, but Unyoked's new tiny cabins in the surrounding hinterland are as good a motivating factor as anything else, especially if you're keen to end 2020 or start 2021 with a stint of seclusion. If your idea of a perfect escape is a remote cabin, surrounded by wilderness with no Wi-Fi, this news may just have you hitting 'book' straight away. The Aussie startup already has a number of compact cabins located around NSW, Victoria and Queensland, but it has just launched its first two in NSW's Northern Rivers region — about an hour out of Byron Bay, at the end of a valley and surrounded by citrus trees (and plenty of quiet, obviously). Like its other properties, newcomers Ashi and Pana have been placed in secret patches of wilderness on private properties, in the middle of nowhere. Ashi is located next to a creek, and both tiny houses boast their own outdoor bath. So, yes, they're perfect for summer stays. [caption id="attachment_794493" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] trentandjessie[/caption] The exact locations are still under wraps as Unyoked aims to make sure your stay is a bit of an adventure, by only revealing the address for your chosen house two days before you're due to set off. It has revealed that it's upping its food game, though — with Unyoked launching packages called 'Food Sorted' to help take care of your sustenance needs while you're switching off. A collaboration with Ragazzi Pasta and Wine and Fabricca, they're available for Sydneysiders to pick up before they head to their chosen cabin, and include Ragazzia pastas, toasted sandwiches, a range of meats and cheeses, and pre-prepared restaurant-style desserts in jars. Everything is designed to be cooked over the fire or in the tiny house, too. [caption id="attachment_794498" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] If you're wondering about Unyoked's story in general, it was founded and is run by twins Cam and Chris Grant, with the company's off-the-grid cabins bring you the convenience and comfort of four solid walls — alongside the adventure, spontaneity and closeness-to-nature of camping. With the help of Fresh Prince, the brothers have designed and built Unyoked's houses, and they're all sustainable and solar-powered. Bookings for the two new spots are already open, so we suggest you hover over the website if you're keen to book one in. Once you've booked on in, all you need to do is jump in your car, disconnect and recharge. The two new Unyoked cabins are located across in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, and are available to book via unyoked.co. Looking for more off-the-grid escapes? Check out our favourites in NSW, Victoria and Queensland. Top images: trentandjessie,
If films like The Darjeeling Limited or Slumdog Millionaire weren’t enough to convince you that India should be your next travel destination, cyber architect James Law's new concept is sure to challenge your stance. The Aquaria Grande is a breathtaking residential complex design thought up by Law for real estate company, The Wadhwa Group, in Mumbai, India. Aesthetically and architecturally stunning, the signature features of the facility are the floating pools located at the edge of each apartment’s balcony. Although the pools may not be ideal for those of us who are prone to vertigo, The Aquaria Grande boasts 37 storeys of 200 luxurious, eco-conscious, energy efficient apartments. In the densely populated city of Mumbai, it provides a fresh new outlook on the direction of the architectural industry in India where there are increasing pressures on the land. Designs like James Law's are not only innovative but necessary to provide sustainable living in a increasingly developed city like Mumbai where cars and high rise buildings make the prospect of eco-friendly living fragile. By raising the bar on architectural aesthetics and design, the Aquaria Grande is sure to place India on the map in terms of the international architectural scene. Now all we need is someone to build one of these complexes in Australia.
Craving the kind of cake your mum definitely doesn't make, but find yourself in the CBD rather than Newstead or South Bank? Sweet treat fans, rejoice — Chester Street Bakery has set up a third store in the centre of the city. Since late July, Brissie's favourite bakers have been slinging their creative creations from their new digs inside the entrance to the King George Square bus station. Just like its express setup over the river, expect another small in size, big in taste location from the same dessert-focused empire as Doughnut Time and Mister Fitz. Delicious from start to finish, CSB's menu features their signature cakes, hot chocolates and other edible items; if you're already fan, you know the drill. Their big cakes have garnered a huge reputation over the years, whether rainbow layers, death by chocolate, cookie dough or doughnut offerings take your fancy. Or, opt for frozen goodness courtesy of cookie monster, red velvet and banana split ice cream cakes. With Oreo-crusted unicorn cream pie Nutella pavlova, Kit Kat cheesecakes, M&M Brownies, Ferrero choc tops, and peanut butter whip shakes also served up, the list well and truly goes on.
Since 2011, DJ Tom Loud's travelling dance party Hot Dub Time Machine has ripped up stages the world over, offering a rolling crossfade of the last six decades of pop-music. But seeing as you can't go out and party at a club or even a vineyard at the moment due to the Government's ban on mass gatherings, Hot Dub is bringing the good times to your living room instead. Expect everything from 50s rock 'n' roll tunes to disco hits like ABBA's 'Gimme Gimme Gimme' and Donna Summer's sultry 'I Feel Love'; ballads and some glam rock from the 80s; Alex Dyson cutting aerobics-style moves to 90s hit 'Steal My Sunshine'; Darude's epic 'Sandstorm'; and Britney's 'Toxic' — you get the idea. Sure enough, this online dance party will have you pushing your furniture aside and heating up a makeshift at-home dance floor in no time. To add to the vibe, there'll be disco lights and a live chat going so you can socialise with other partygoers, plus Loud's family dancing in the background, keeping things wholesome. Hot Dub at Home occurs every second Saturday, kicking off a 6pm, and can be viewed on Twitch. Hot Dub has also launched podcast Decades by Hot Dub Time Machine which will keep you grooving till the next online boogie fest rolls around. Top image: Pat Stevenson
If your ideal cafe visit includes shopping for homewares either before or after your coffee and a bite, St Lucia's latest go-to for a caffeine fix 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 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. "Food is far from foreign to us. We've always stepped in and out of working within the businesses since we were teens — we've grown up surrounded by a deep appreciation for good food, company and style. We're all hands-on — you'll likely see a Tognini in the business most days of the week," explains Madeleine, who is also a a paediatric nurse. "Dad's always been food-obsessed — scouring cookbooks, looking for a new dining experience. He loves simple food done brilliantly. It's what started them in the industry all those years ago and why it's still thriving today," adds Nastassia, a commercial lawyer. Sorelle takes its cues from its elder sibling venue; Madeleine describes it as "rooted in the Tognini's legacy", but bringing "the same delicious taste of tradition with a fresh new twist". Menu-wise, that's where everything from coconut yoghurt panna cotta through to that mortadella, mozzarella and japaleño toastie comes in, as well as ricotta, chocolate chip and pistachio crumble cannoli. 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 — and no, it's no coincidence that Sorelle has launched just in time for Mother's Day. Find Sorelle Eatery at 242 Hawken Drive, St Lucia — open from 7am–4pm Wednesday–Sunday. Images: Callie Marshall.
