If you didn't know that 10 Toes Brewery was based on the Sunshine Coast — and, not only that, that it first sprang to life in an industrial shed by the beach back in 2016 — then you could hazard a fair guess from its tinnies. Its Lucid Dreams IPA features crashing waves on its artwork, after all, and its Pipeline Pale Ale clearly references surfing in its moniker. Also unsurprising: the fact that this Alexandra Headlands outfit began as a hobby, is committed to making great brews for the local community, and favours a laidback approach to both making and drinking its beers. It's the epitome of a cruisy coastal brewery, and that attitude shows in every sip. 10 Toes' brewery and taproom is open Wednesday–Sunday, or you can order its brews via the company's online store.
It might be mere months old; however Bakery Lane remains the pint-sized Fortitude Valley precinct that keeps on giving. Their latest gift is to your stomach, courtesy of the crew behind West End's Fat Dumpling. Meet Mi + Mian. Traditional Chinese fare is on offer, of course, though anyone who has been to the Boundary Street mainstay won't be complaining about getting more of the same over on Ann Street. There's just something about their home-style cuisine that tantalises the tastebuds and keeps loyal customers coming back from more. With that in mind, a new outlet on the other side of the city can only be a good thing. Staying simple, both food and décor wise, serves Mi + Mian well — even with a changing menu that retains the staples but mixes up the flavours and ingredients. Rice bowls, noodle soups and salads of the week are always a given, as are the northern Chinese pan-fried buns that are the closest they has to a must-devour specialty. Then, grab an outdoor table to soak in everything the laneway eatery has to offer, or head home with some of the best takeaway you could hope for.
Walk into Melbourne's Napier Quarter, and you'll smell the aroma of coffee. Just don't expect to leave with a cup in your hand. The Fitzroy cafe is doing something that might seem at odds with today's always-caffeinated, always-on-the-go culture: it's phasing out takeaway coffees. There are two reasons for the Napier Street hangout's decision, and the first is exactly what you'd expect. At a time when reusable and recyclable takeaway cups are gaining prominence — including a world-first reusable cup made from recycled coffee cups — Napier Quarter is going one step further and eliminating the source of potential waste altogether. https://www.instagram.com/p/BrgCQlWgES7/ As stated in Napier Quarter's December 18 Instagram post, the other reason is all about getting Melburnians to slow down and actually enjoy their chosen brew, rather than drink it in a hurry. That queue of people usually hovering around any cafe counter, waiting for their orders so that they can walk straight out the door? Soon, you won't find that here. Napier Quarter also announced that you'll now be able to enjoy a flat white in-house for $3.50. Find Napier Quarter at 359 Napier Street, Fitzroy. Image: Brook James. Updated: December 20, 2019.
Mission Beach is the jewel in Tropical North Queensland's crown. The quiet coastal town is made up of four villages — Bingil Bay, North Mission Beach, Wongaling Beach and South Mission Beach — and is a scenic two-hour drive south of Cairns. [caption id="attachment_842236" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Tropical North Queensland[/caption] Start with breakfast at the much-loved Bingil Bay Cafe before completing the picturesque Kennedy Walking Track. The eight-kilometre trail winds through lush rainforest, deserted beaches and around a rocky headland featuring spectacular views of the Family Islands. After your walk, head to Lacey Creek in Djiru National Park to cool off in a pristine rainforest pool and a picnic lunch. Then, treat yourself to a luxe hot stone massage at the beachfront spa Drift before finishing the day with poolside cocktails and local seafood at restaurant and bar Buko next door. Top images: Tourism Tropical North Queensland
Mid-week treats from Philip Johnson's imaginative and decadent tasting menu at the landmark e'cco bistro are always a good idea. Coming in at a very agreeable $89 per person, you're likely to dine on dishes like venison tartare, pumpkin agnolotti, local organic chicken, steak with sweet soy and a cheeky mango tart for dessert. Not a bad way to enjoy the best of e'cco without putting too much strain on your wallet. Image: @eccobistro via Instagram
Ah, the martini. Such a classy yet potent little concoction. Housed (but not for long) in its trademark dainty inverted-cone glass, it is the international symbol of refined drinking. Its origins are debated somewhat, but the cocktail has been a celebrated, debonair crowd-pleaser since before the US Prohibition era. The late, legendary American journalist H.L. Mencken described the martini as "the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet". Well, we here at Concrete Playground think it's a pretty tasty beverage at least, in all its forms (okay, baring the Scrubs appletini), and we've scouted the speakeasies of Brisbane to to unearth the ten best martinis in town. We still feel it's hard to top a classic, dry (gin, of course) variety, but we've included a few adventurous interpretations of the tipple, and it's not just about what's in the glass but also the ambience and appeal of the venue one is sipping in. Now, let's drink to good health. THE BOWERY Our pick: Classic martini You can't really get more definitive-cocktail-bar than Valley stalwart The Bowery. Taking its name from the famed dive bar/savvy New York street, it is the perfect hub to channel your inner Jay Gatsby or Daisy Buchanan, sip a martini and soak up some fine live jazz, old sport. We couldn't really look much further than a quintessential dry martini with olive garnish. While Winston Churchill preferred merely to "observe the vermouth from across the room while I drink my martini", we do prefer a touch more than that. Whether you're a dry, sweet or dirty type, your order is safe in the virtuosic hands of the Bowery bar staff. Best to start the night here, as the narrow bar can get mighty crowded late at night — for good reason. 676 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley PUBLIC Our pick: Vesper We ascended a sleek, neon blue-lit escalator to one of the city's best cocktail haunts to sample a classic variation under dim lights. The "shaken-not-stirred" Vesper, as immortalised by Ian Fleming in Casino Royale (1953) and named after the duplicitous femme fatale Vesper Lynd, the potent beverage consists of, in 007's words, "three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?" Needless to say, it's a strong 'un, and Public doesn't disappoint. Sure, $19 might seem a bit steep, but it's worth every (Money)penny. Level 1, 400 George Street, Brisbane DUTCH COURAGE OFFICER'S MESS Our pick: Martini-Henry We went a little off-script at Dutch Courage Officer's Mess, the impressive new colonial-style gin bar on Alfred Street, next to Kwan Brothers and Alfredo's and just around the bend from Alfred & Constance and Limes Hotel. In such a delightfully old-world, gin-touting venue, one would think we'd opt for a conventional martini made from a stiff British gin, but instead we crazy Concreters went right ahead and tried one of the house specials: the Martini-Henry. Named after a rifle, the cocktail is a daring, eclectic gunshot of flavour that pays off, combining Feral Hop Hog IPA (yes, you read correctly: beer in a martini — but it really does work), Bulleit bourbon, maple, chilli, chocolate bitters and Angostura bitters. It's enough to make a martini purist's blood boil. It almost literally does do that, but in a good way. The Martini-Henry is certainly strong, but the maple and chocolate flavours round out a very pleasing drink in a great, new themed nightspot. We dare you to give this creative concoction go. Ground floor, 51 Alfred Street, Fortitude Valley FOURTH WALL Our pick: Classic Martini Yep, another classic dry — hey, they're just that good. Easily one of Brisbane's coolest urban small bars, Fourth Wall is a must-go destination for lovers of the martini. While the quirkily fitted candlelit bar has earned a reputation as a bespoke cocktail venue, we were simply in the mood for a standard. Fourth Wall expertly stirred Tanqueray, the self-proclaimed "world's finest gin" (though we tend to agree), with just a dash of dry vermouth and a tangy twist of lemon to make a crisp, dry wonder of the drinking world. Whatever your variety, this bar knows its martinis. 743 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley < SLING LOUNGE Our pick: Martinez The expert beverage-builders at quirky West End bar Sling Lounge are dab hands at crafting old-timey and new, original cocktails for every tastebud. The venue's list states, "This is a cocktail menu that is as eclectic as the surroundings you have immersed yourself in." Well, there's synthetic grass on the ceiling, so things look pretty good from the outset. Despite myriad modern interpretations listed in their boozy bible, we opted to step back in time and sample the alleged forerunner to the martini, the Martinez. Derived from Jerry Thomas's 1887 recipe, this all-class affair merges gin, sweet vermouth, bitters, maraschino liqueur and a lemon twist as garnish. Sweeter than the average martini, the Sling Martinez is a standout beverage we wholeheartedly recommend. 153 Boundary Street, West End BREW Our pick: Espresso Martini Brew has established itself as one of Brisbane's best laneway bars. A renowned CBD cafe by day, the venue turns its expertise to craft beers, wines and cocktails at nightfall. The espresso martini has taken on a life of its own in the cocktail world and really is the measure of a good mixologist. Brew already has the espresso nous down pat and brings 666 Pure Tasmanian Vodka to the fore to create the ultimate caffeinated, alcoholic wonder. Simply the the tastiest and classiest way to start your night out with a buzz. Lower Burnett Lane, Brisbane LARUCHE Our pick: Sloe Loris While a mere stumble next door from The Bowery, Laruche is a whole different world. Eschewing retro-chic for a more flamboyant, whimsical-yet-chilled vibe with comfy, gothic chairs and dim lighting, Laruche is a Brisbane cocktail-bar bucket-list must. Come for the crazy chandeliers, zany lounges and good times, stay for the Sloe Loris. Punnily named after the toxin-secreting slow loris primate, this brilliant, fruity variation on the martini is also an deceptively adorable sight; its tart but easy-drinking mix of Absolut Citron, Plymouth Sloe gin, saffron, grapefruit, lemon and orange tends to draw in rather than repel jungle predators. Stuck for Saturday ideas? Let Laruche mesmerise your eyes and tastebuds. (Just to be clear, the martini doesn't contain monkey poison. Cool, back to the bar.) 680 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley RESERVE RESTAURANT Our pick: French martini Away from the inner-city rat race and inside the vintage bar of Reserve Restaurant's majestic, Heritage-listed walls overlooking the river is a truly relaxing and luxurious way to enjoy a martini. Not always a favourite of this Concrete Playgrounder, the French Martini ($17.90) sprung out from the fine-dining establishment's cocktail list and for some reason screamed "when in Milton". And, it must be said, a splendid choice was made — fans of the now famous Francofied answer to the 'tini will not be disappointed in Reserve's handiwork here. This is a sweet, foamy mix of Polish Wyborowa vodka, Chambord, pineapple juice and dried pineapple that is not to be missed. 6/249 Coronation Drive, Milton LYCHEE LOUNGE Our pick: Watermelon Martini Lychee Lounge, which is owned by the same crowd as Laruche, is an established little nook in West End that's been shaking and stirring cocktails long before "small bar" was a Brisbane-nightlife buzz word. Its intimate, east-meets-west decor and art provide the perfect setting for an evening martini — especially if you can nab a spot in the comfy back-corner seating area. Award-winning mix-master Pez Collier has created an impressive list, and we opted for the delightful Watermelon Martini ($15) — a smooth melange of vodka, watermelon, rhubarb and lime. A refreshing, not-too-sweet marvel that gets our thumbs-up. 2/94 Boundary Street, West End EMPORIUM COCKTAIL BAR Our pick: Caramel Popcorn Martini Emporium Cocktail Bar never fail to deliver the goods when it comes to excellent cocktails. Grab a seat at the bar or a set of plush couches with friends and decide on a drink from the seasonally changing menu. The bar staff like to experiment with a range of the local Tambourine Mountain Distillery liqueurs, and the results are good. The Caramel Popcorn Martini is made up of popcorn-infused vodka, Tamborine Mountain caramel butternut liqueur and caramel syrup. It tastes as good as it sounds — salty and sweet, buttery and smooth. 1000 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley
Keeping the romance alive can be difficult when your girlfriend is thousands of miles away and sometimes phonecalls, frequent visits and even video chat don't cut it. But Walter C. May has officially upped the ante on romantic gestures with this viral love letter. With his roommates, who just happen to be a band called the Daylights, May wrote a song called "I Hope This Gets To You", filmed silvery hands coming together to form faces that mouth the lyrics and unleashed it upon the Interwebs. It's already been tweeted by Katy Perry. May is hoping this video reaches his girlfriend, who's on the other side of the country at grad school, solely through the power of the viral internet, because he wants to show his lady that they "can feel close without having to be close every day." All together now: Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. https://youtube.com/watch?v=EjgtxVxE14A [via Gizmodo]
Watching television can't solve many problems, but some woes can be temporarily soothed by spending your evenings enjoying cartoons from three decades ago. Had a terrible day at work? Feeling overstretched and underappreciated? Stuck hovering under a cloud of meh? You can now feast your eyeballs on Australia's new free-to-air Nickelodeon channel and its retro lineup each weeknight for a pick-me-up. Switching to channel 13 from Tuesday, August 1 Down Under now means being greeted by Nickelodeon's wares. It's the first-ever premium free-to-air Nickelodeon channel in Australia, and it's catering for all ages. That includes adults via the Nick@Nite lineup, which also makes its Aussie debut on free-to-air, and will feature Ren & Stimpy, Angry Beavers, Rocko's Modern Life, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters and Catdog. It was true when you were a kid — whether you grew up in the 90s or discovered it later — and it's true now: watching a perennially angry chihuahua and a good-natured cat fight and pal around is cathartic viewing. Nickelodeon will also screen late-night movies, digging into the brand's catalogue. Here's hoping that the SpongeBob films get a run — they're as much of a delight for adults as they are for kids, as any big-screen franchise that features What We Do in the Shadows' Matt Berry as a talking dolphin and John Wick's Keanu Reeves as a sage is meant to be. During the day, the new channel will focus on Nick Jr preschool fare such as PAW Patrol, Blue's Clues & You!, Baby Shark's Big Show! and Santiago of the Seas. In the afternoons, it'll air season 12 of SpongeBob SquarePants, plus everything from The Smurfs and Double Dare to iCarly and The Thundermans. Indeed, if you have children or sometimes babysit nieces and nephews, you might want to take note of the daylight programming, too. Watching SpongeBob will always be for everyone, though. Find Australia's new free-to-air Nickelodeon channel at channel 13 from Tuesday, August 1.
Help the environment, save money, restock your wardrobe: buying secondhand fashion ticks all three boxes. Tired of your old threads? Want to save perfectly good textiles from landfill? Feeling a budget crunch? Then plan a trip to the brand-new Portside Wharf Love Me Again Markets. The broader Love Me Again Markets aren't new, but this excuse to turn someone else's unwanted outfits into your next favourites is now hitting up Hamilton's riverside precinct in 2024. Find it in its new home on the second Saturday of each month, near Rise Bakery. You'll be indoors, too, and with change rooms on hand. Here, you'll have more than 20 stalls to peruse. Clothes, shoes, accessories: they'll all be on offer. Among them, so will designer wares and popular labels, and a range of shapes and sizes. The market runs from 9am–1pm, so you'll want to roll out of bed early to head along. Live tunes will provide a soundtrack, and entry costs $3 — and you'll need your card to pay. Updated Tuesday, September 10, 2024.
Byron Bay might steal the headlines, but we'll let you in on a secret: neighbouring Brunswick Heads, just a 15-minute drive north of Byron, provides the truly serene beach holiday you've always dreamed about. Thanks to its location on the Brunswick River and among mangrove forests, this welcoming coastal community is teeming with spots for stellar scuba diving, hiking and dining. If you're ready to hit up the Northern Rivers, we've teamed up with Wild Turkey to present an alluring selection of activities that ensure your visit is simply unbeatable. Whether you prefer wildlife encounters or hanging out in celebrated restaurants, Brunswick Heads has both in spades. [caption id="attachment_745641" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Centophobia (Flickr)[/caption] GO WHALE SPOTTING The next whale-watching season is coming up fast, and Brunswick Heads provides the ideal spot to catch these majestic creatures cruising northbound from May to July. The team at Blue Bay Whale Watching has been leading on-water expeditions since 2011, meaning an incredible sighting of a majestic humpback whale or two is almost guaranteed. Each adventure only takes ten passengers on board the Bay Warrior, an 8.5-metre catamaran with 360-degree views of the ocean. There's plenty of shelter if the weather unexpectedly turns, too, so there are indoor and outdoor vantage points for you and your crew to get a glimpse of these magnificent creatures up close. [caption id="attachment_702566" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sebastian Pena Lambarri (Unsplash)[/caption] TAKE A DIVE A visit to this part of the world would not be complete without experiencing the striking underwater world that exists off the coast of Brunswick Heads. Julian Rocks is widely recognised as one of the region's premier dive sites, with this craggy outcrop providing several moorings that make reaching this location a relatively straightforward affair. There are suitable spots here for divers of all experience levels, meaning just about anyone can explore the surrounding waters frequented by manta rays, leopard sharks, and yes, the occasional great white, too. While this subtropical oasis certainly isn't for the faint-hearted, diving at one of Australia's top scuba locations will give you plenty of stories to tell. [caption id="attachment_805448" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sam Forson (Pexels)[/caption] PADDLEBOARD AT TORAKINA BEACH Torakina Beach should be your number one choice for stand-up paddleboarding. Set at the mouth of the Brunswick River, this sheltered paradise sees barely a ripple for waves, so pushing yourself along the crystal-clear waters is relatively hassle-free. You're also well within touching distance of Brunswick Heads, with the community's thriving cafe scene just a five-minute walk away for a post-paddle refuel. Want to keep it a bit more rustic? With picnic areas, barbecues and showers spread throughout the surrounding bushland, Torakina Beach is a truly dreamy spot for a day in the sun. [caption id="attachment_844191" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mia (Flickr)[/caption] TAKE A GUIDED KAYAK TOUR Brunswick Heads and its surrounds are renowned for kayaking — the series of creeks and tributaries ensures you can get up close with lush landscapes and native wildlife. If you're looking for an expert to give you the inside word, there's no shortage of guided kayaking tours available to book. Byron Bay Eco Cruises provides a comprehensive three-hour tour where you'll take part in a river cruise that delves deep into a rainforest before loading into kayaks to scout out local wildlife (with binoculars provided, too). Finally, there's the chance to stand-up paddleboard amid the Brunswick River's serene environment. [caption id="attachment_844211" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Christy Gallois (Flickr)[/caption] EXPERIENCE A LOCAL RITE OF PASSAGE It seems like every small town has a slightly hazardous rite of passage that provides endless stories — both good and bad. In Brunswick Heads, this initiation involves making the leap from the South Beach Road Bridge into Simpson's Creek about four metres below. With the creek providing a wonderful swimming spot at high tide, dozens of people, young and old, test their mettle on a hot summer's day. There's every reason to get involved, but do take caution if you decide to take the leap from this 85-year-old wooden bridge. DISCOVER BRUNSWICK HEADS' DINING SCENE Don't assume the pinnacle of Brunswick Heads' dining starts and finishes with fish and chips on the beach (though we would absolutely recommend doing this). The town has a growing reputation for fine-dining institutions that will knock your proverbial socks off. Fleet (pictured above) is one such venue, but with seating for only 14 guests, you'll have to book early to sample its award-winning hyper-local tasting menu. La Casita is another stellar example of the region's booming culinary scene. The team here works alongside the region's top makers and producers to create its mouth-watering dishes, which feature hearty Mexican flavours that put many city-centric options to shame. Plus, the boozy cocktails ensure you depart with an extra bounce in your step. [caption id="attachment_844194" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Elliot Kramer[/caption] TAKE A HIKE AND PICNIC IN THE RAINFOREST There are so many incredible vistas to enjoy throughout the Northern Rivers region, but you don't have to bust a gut to experience some of the best. The easygoing North Head walking track, located on the edge of town in the Brunswick Heads Nature Reserve, is a 30-minute trail guiding you through the coastal rainforest. As you break through the canopy and look down upon the Brunswick River, you'll find several spots perfect for unfurling a picnic rug and basket. Once you're back on your feet, the trail leads you through fascinating wildlife habitats and eventually out to the ocean beach. Find out more about Wild Turkey's Discovery Series at the website. Top image: Graham Cook (Flickr)
Whether having a hit on the greens is your idea of fun in the sun or you've never picked up a golf club in your life beyond mini golf, you have a reason to head to Cannon Hill's course. Minnippi Golf & Range opened in September 2023, becoming Brisbane's first public golf course in more than 70 years. From February 2024, the site is also home to a cafe and restaurant — with Cooee catering to 200 diners for coffee, lunch and brunch seven days a week. Weekend breakfasts and dinner from Wednesday–Sunday are also on offer. The scenery is obviously a big drawcard, as eating with a grassy view always is. Sit outside to make the most of the location and you'll be sitting on picnic benches. Overseeing the kitchen is Head Chef Lenes Pawar (Corbett & Claude, Cannon Hill Tavern), serving up a menu filled with familiar bites given a luxe twist. So, the fries are covered in parmesan and served with truffle aioli. The sliders use tiger prawns as their source of protein. The signature burger features a wagyu patty, and the slow-cooked pork belly comes stuffed Italian sausage and herbs. And among the desserts, the chocolate sundae features brownie chunks. Other dishes span mushroom arancini and chicken wings served with blue cheese dipping sauce for snacks; crispy-skinned barramundi and truffle mushroom gnocchi from the bigger dishes; and clubhouse classics such as steak sandwiches, battered fish and chips, and a vegetarian burger. Pizzas get their own section, including a calzone. And if you're just grazing, a build-your-own tacos board is one of three platter options alongside antipasto and a selection of the eatery's top starters. When weekend breakfast hits, pulled pork benedict, a breakfast burger featuring hash browns and an Oreo biscuit crumb pancake stack are highlights. And for drinks, Revel, Your Mates and Fortitude Brewing Co provide the beers on tap, while you find Balter among the canned choices. Or, if you're in a cocktail mood, there's the Dai-Cooee (which is made with white rum, dragonfruit and lime), the Minnippi-rita (agave, orange curacao and lime), and jugs of pear and mandarin spritz. You can also sip wine, smoothies and milkshakes, and get your caffeine fix via Bear Bones Coffee.
Here's one way to add eight movies to your must-see list in 2025: Australia's Alliance Française French Film Festival has not only unveiled its dates for the event's next tour of the country, but has also started dropping a sneak peak of its lineup. As proves the case every year, autumn Down Under will mean venturing to Paris and beyond from your cinema seat. Head along to AFFFF and you'll also be helping the fest to celebrate its 36th year. If you're in Sydney, mark Tuesday, March 4 in your diary. Melbourne's season opens the following day, then Brisbane and Canberra the day after that. Perth's turn arrives the next week, while Adelaide gets into the action the week afterwards. In all locations, the festival runs through until at least early April. Already the largest celebration of French cinema outside of France itself, AFFFF will be even bigger in 2025, hitting up 18 cities — and adding five new locations, in Darwin, Ballina, Ballarat, Warriewood and Warrawong, to its slate. Across its full run, the festival is set to host 5500-plus screenings. If you like Gallic films, that's a whole lot of sessions to say "oui" to. While the complete lineup will arrive in early February 2025, the fest has kicked off its program announcements with the Tahar Rahim (Madame Web)-starring Monsieur Aznavour, about singer-songwriter Charles Aznavour, as its opening-night pick. The movie has been doing big business in France, selling 1.8-million-plus tickets. Now, it's Australia's turn to head along. Also on the bill: the latest version of the The Count of Monte Cristo, which features Pierre Niney (The Book of Solutions) in the lead and takes AFFFF's centrepiece slot; Meet the Leroys, a road-trip dramedy that marks Charlotte Gainsbourg's (Alphonse) latest film; and Prodigies, a tale of sibling rivalry with Emily in Paris' Camille Razat. Beating Hearts, which is helmed by Gilles Lellouche (Sink or Swim) and stars Adèle Exarchopoulos (Inside Out 2) and François Civil (The Three Musketeers), played at Cannes International Film Festival 2024 — as did the music-loving My Brother's Band from The Big Hit writer/director Emmanuel Courcol. Viewers can also look forward to The Divine Sarah Bernhardt, with Sandrine Kiberlain (Meet the Barbarians) as the eponymous actor. And last — for now — but not least is All Stirred Up, a comedy focusing on a customs officer on the border between Quebec and the United States, plus her daughter's attempts to win a cooking contest. Alliance Française French Film Festival 2025 Dates Tuesday, March 4–Wednesday, April 9 — Palace Central, Palace Norton Street, Chauvel Cinema, Palace Moore Park, Hayden Orpheum Cremorne, Roseville Cinemas, Warriewood, Sydney Wednesday, March 5–Wednesday, April 9 — Palace Cinema Como, The Kino, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Westgarth, Pentridge Cinema,The Astor Theatre, Palace Penny Lane, Palace Regent Ballarat, Melbourne Thursday, March 6–Tuesday, April 8 — Palace Cinema James Street, Palace Cinema Barracks, Brisbane, QLD: Thursday, March 6–Wednesday, April 9 — Palace Electric Cinemas, Canberra Thursday, March 13–Wednesday, April 16 — Palace Raine Square, Luna on SX, Luna Leedeerville, Windsor Cinema, Perth Wednesday, March 19–Wednesday, April 23 — Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Adelaide The Alliance Française French Film Festival will tour Australia in March and April 2025. For more information, visit the AFFFF website. Check back here on Wednesday, February 5, 2025 for the full program.
For years, enjoying a feast of Turkish cuisine in Brisbane'e east meant heading along to Ahmet's in Bulimba. When the popular restaurant closed its doors, your stomach was far from happy; however that's where Downtown Istanbul comes in. Operated by Ahmet's former owners, the brand new eatery is serving up all the meals you know and love — plus a few fresh additions, too — just around the corner in Hawthorne. Nestled within the suburb's new cinema complex, Downtown Istanbul will take care of your Turkish cravings over lunch and dinner seven days a week, with takeaway also available, and weekend breakfast selections coming soon. Yes, that means you can start picking between share plates of falafel and iman bayildi, devouring gozleme with your choice of fillings, trying to select pide toppings or savouring char grilled shish as soon as you can make it to Hawthorne Road. Turkish delight is on the dessert menu, of course, while Turkish-style twists on sangria, margaritas and other cocktails are also on offer. Plus, midday diners can munch on one of four different Ottoman burgers. Yep, Brissie's favourite trend just went Turkish as well.
After hosting a sellout weekender in 2024 to celebrate its 15th birthday, Strawberry Fields is turning sweet 16 in 2025 with another three-day festival filled with impressive acts hitting the decks and the stage, all on the banks of the Murray River. When you're not catching Detroit Love featuring Carl Craig and Moodymann, Gilles Peterson, Chaos in the CBD and Interplanetary Criminal at Tocumwal in regional New South Wales this November, you'll be seeing Tommy Holohan, Malugi, Lady Shaka and ISAbella. They're a mere few of the 80-plus DJs and live acts on the lineup. Other names on the bill across Friday, November 21–Sunday, November 23 include KOKOROKO, WITCH, and Circle of Live featuring Albrecht La'Brooy, Move D and Sebastian Mullaert — plus Dita, Wax'o Paradiso and Horse Meat Disco. Or, for more than three hours, Mama Snake, DJ Scorpion and Andy Garvey will play B3B. Aurora Halal, DJ Sweet6teen, Fafi Abdel Nour, DJ PGZ B2B Yikes and Karen Nyame KG are on the roster, too. Strawberry Fields is among the Australian music festivals that aren't just about who's providing the soundtrack, even though it clearly doesn't skimp on talent. This fest boasts a setup and setting worth spending a weekend enjoying no matter which acts are on the bill, with its location is a hefty drawcard all by itself. Having multiple stages pumping out tunes in leafy surroundings, and also a bush spa for a soak between sets, will do that. Folks lucky enough to nab a ticket can look forward to epsom salt baths, plunge pool sessions and sauna trips, then, plus hanging out in the festival's Mirage Motel space again, and hitting up an expanded range of workshops and talks — alongside onsite glamping and camping. Strawberry Fields 2025 Lineup DJ Afrodisiac Anu Aurora Halal Ayebatonye Baby J Bella Claxton Chaos In The Cbd Dameeeela Detroit Love (featuring Carl Craig and Moodymann) Dita DJ Friday B2B Sweetie Zamora DJ Pgz B2B Yikes DJ Sure DJ Sweet6teen Fafi Abdel Nour Gene On Earth Gilles Peterson Horse Meat Disco Interplanetary Criminal ISAbella Jenny Cara Josh Caffé Karen Nyame Kg Kirollus Kuzco B2B Quicksticks Kyle Hall Lady Shaka Malugi Mama Snake B3B DJ Scorpion B3B Andy Garvey Mazzacles Messie Mismeg Move D Myles Mac B2B DJ Possum Naycab Neptunes Trident Poli Pearl Regularfantasy Roka Sampology B2B Frank Booker Slothboogie Super Flu THC Tommy Holohan Toni Yotzi Vanna Wax'o Paradiso Wolters B2B Ned Bennett Zalina Live Asanti Beats Becca Hatch Bumpy Circle of Live (featuring Albrecht La Brooy, Move D, Sebastian Mullaert) Close Counters Corto.Alto D.D. Mirage Devaura Drifting Clouds Drmngnow / Bricky B Ella Haber Ella Thompson Empress Ferrari Party Flewnt Inkabee Jerome Thomas Juman Kokoroko Mathew Jonson Minyerra Moontide No News Rodriguez Jr. Serebii The Pro-Teens (MF Doom Tribute) Waari Wilson Tanner Witch Wrong Way Up Xpress Point Images: Duncographic / Will Hamilton-Coates / Max Roux.
Add another date into your doggo's diary — the NewBARKet Markets are upon us. On Saturday, July 16, Newmarket Village is going to the dogs again, but in a good way, with the adorable event taking over the inner north shopping centre. Take your pupper along from 11am–3pm, with plenty of treats and pats on offer. One place your cute canine will want to head to: the bone bar, where free bones will be given out to all good woofers (while stocks last). The main attraction, as the name makes plain, is stalls selling all kinds of goodies for your four-legged friend. Expect dog food, accessories, threads and grooming, and usually dog desserts as well — dog ice cream and pupcakes have been on offer in past years. For attendees of the two-legged variety (no, your clever canine standing on their two back legs doesn't count), there'll also be food for humans. And if you're sadly lacking in the pooch department, don't worry — everyone else will have you covered, so you'll be in for a top day of dog-watching.
The Mungalli Creek Dairy farm in the Atherton Tablelands is much more than cows and pasture — it's one big living organism. With over 30 years of organic biodynamic farming practices under its belt, this family-run farm has mastered the art of cultivating delicious dairy products for decades. At the heart of the property you'll find The Farmhouse Cafe, which was once the house that owners and brothers Rob and Danny Watson grew up in. Take a seat on the cafe's verandah overlooking the Johnston River Gorge, World Heritage-listed rainforest and Bartle Frere — Queensland's highest mountain — and enjoy a meal loaded with the farm's biodynamic dairy products and locally sourced organic produce. The cafe is also BYO, so take a bottle of tropical wine to pair with one of its cheese platters. Hot tip: make sure you leave room for the crepes — they're a family recipe and are served with Mungalli's luxurious, lactose and gluten-free Broken Nose vanilla ice cream.
Are you ready to laugh? Of course you are — and hopefully your stomach muscles and lung capacity are primed for the next month of funniness, too. That’s right, from February 24 to March 22 it’s Brisbane Comedy Festival time, when the Brisbane Powerhouse becomes the home of humour, and your insides hurt from constant chuckling. It is easy to forget that BCF is still a relatively new event, probably because each festival’s lineup reads like a seasoned comedy roster. In only the seventh year that Brisbane has had its own celebration of hilarity, the best in local talent and a smattering of overseas stars combine once more, with more than 40 acts stepping up to the mic. Ogling the program is the easy part; narrowing down who and what to see is much harder. For that, here are our top ten BCF picks.
First, Vincent Lombino and Jared Thibault gave Woolloongabba a stylish neighbourhood-style Italian trattoria. Now, they've added a new Chinese Peruvian restaurant and bar to the same precinct. Open since late July 2022, Casa Chow has followed in Sasso Italiano's footsteps, joining the inner-east suburb's South City Square. The former Ovolo and QT Food and Beverage Directors are heroing Chino Latino cuisine, aka Chifa, in their latest 100-seat venture — a culinary style that matches Cantonese flavours with Peruvian staples. On the menu: dishes such as lomo saltado, a stir fry made with marinated wagyu, onions and aji amarillo chilli, and served over fries, as well as anticucho marinated skewers, plus a blend of dim sum and ceviche. Executive Chef Gabriele Di Landri focuses on Chifa dishes that are designed to share. And, patrons tuck in while listening to Latin tunes spun at the venue's DJ booth, and sitting within a pastel-hued space with blue and pink walls, flowing curtains, booth seating and an open-style bar. To wash Casa Chow's bites down with, Thibault and Bar Manager Shawn Brown are going big on pisco, the brandy made in Peru and Chile's winemaking regions. Expect to sip Scorpion bowl cocktails, pick from a hefty rum list and enjoy the best vinos that South America has to offer. In collaboration with Aether Brewing, there's also be a bespoke rice lager, which features hints of Peruvian purple corn.
'Bonjour!' will be the first thing you hear as you're swept off the street and into this small slice of France. Sending your mind into a momentary panic, you rack your brain for your best French phrases before remembering teleportal is yet to be invented and (sadly) you're still in New Farm, but luckily you've found Choquette. For those lucky enough to have travelled to France, remembering the quickly adopted daily ritual of visiting Parisian patisseries and boulangeries will have your travel bug rumbling hungry. While a travel addiction can't be cured with a nicotine patch, a good croissant here or there won't hurt. If you manage to step past the first counter displaying a mouth-watering selection of reasonably priced petit cakes you'll find a selection of pastries, fresh baked artisan bread and the all-mighty coffee machine. We recently crowned Choquette king of Brisbane's best croissant, and rightly so. Offering a huge crispy shell and a soft buttery flesh, it's a definite winner here. But let's not get off track. To reach a croissant you first have to wade past the likes of the Tarte au Citron ($6.40), a sweet pastry filled with lemon creme and topped with Italian meringue; the Le Pina Corianas ($7), coconut and pineapple dacquoise, vanilla cremoux with fresh pineapple, coriander and white chocolate; or the Shades of Chocolate stack ($7), a crisp praline feuilletine base with three chocolate mousse layers. One word describes each piece of sweet edible art. Delicieux! Opened in 2006, owner Lara Simple pulled this slice of France from her family's heritage, and after completing a short patisserie course used her contacts to recruit and convince French chefs and bakers to join her back in Brisbane. I think we owe one big 'merci beaucoup ' to Lara.
When Valley Hops Brewing was first announced a few months back, we noted that it combined two of Brisbane's favourite current hospitality trends. When this city loves something, it really loves it — and, now that rooftop bars seem to soar over street corner and craft breweries have popped up all around town, it's clear that Brisbanites adore sipping their beverages with a sky-high view and getting our beers straight from the source. Fortitude Valley's new rooftop brewery, Valley Hops sits atop Cloudland — and yes, it was only a matter of time until a venue like this graced Brisbane's skyline. Now open, the leafy brewpub looks like a garden in the sky, towers over Ann Street below and makes its own beers in a two-vessel 15BBL brewing setup. It's also designed to be the Valley's new lofty neighbourhood hangout, complete with brews named after people, places and moments in the the suburb's history. Here, you'll drink those beers that nod to the location — as Valley Hops' name makes plain, that's a big influence — while peering out over the inner-city spot. So, get ready to knock back a light-bodied lager called Diehards, which references the local rugby league team, as well as Exhibitionist tropical ale, Fiesta Mango and Passionfruit sour, Herbalist IPA, Interloper Hazy IPA and 21 Pubs pale ale. Those beers benefit from Josh Warren's (ex-Green Beacon) touch, too, with Valley Hops' Head Brewer adding another local venue to his list. "The Valley's awesome and I'm excited to see people from the community coming up to the rooftop. It feels great to be open, to see people trying new varietals and enjoying the beers," says Warren. "I can't wait to try some new recipes out and see what people like." This might be a brewery, but those yeasty beverages are clearly only part of the attraction. The decor does plenty of heavy lifting, thanks to its blend of metalwork, stone, brick and plants. Vines creep over the metal arbour; wooden picnic-style, booth and high bar seating is peppered around the place; and there's also a large fire pit with built-in benches — not that that'll need much of a workout for a few months. Launching just in time for sunlight summer sessions, Valley Hops also features a bespoke multi-coloured glass leadlight sat behind the entire length of the bar itself — because, from the decor to the view, there's plenty here that catches the eye. Patrons can get up to the brewery via lift, and pair all those beers with woodfired pizzas, skewers from the charcoal grill and cheeseboards, as well as salt and vinegar chicken wings, chicken and spiced cabbage spring rolls and pineapple fritter. The culinary focus is on bite-sized options, with the entire menu designed to be eaten without cutlery. Valley Hops Brewing is now open on Cloudland's rooftop at 641 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley — operating from 4pm–12am Monday–Tuesday, 11am–12am Wednesday and 11am–late Thursday–Sunday.
Forget the "find someone who looks at you like…" meme. That's great advice in general, and absolutely mandatory if you've ever seen a Céline Sciamma film. No one peers at on-screen characters with as much affection, attention, emotion and empathy as the French director. Few filmmakers even come close, and most don't ever even try. That's been bewitchingly on display in her past features Water Lillies, Tomboy, Girlhood and Portrait of a Lady on Fire, any of which another helmer would kill to have on their resume. It's just as apparent in Petite Maman, her entrancing latest release, as well. Now 15 years into her directorial career, Sciamma's talent for truly seeing into hearts and minds is unshakeable, unparalleled and such a lovely wonder to watch — especially when it shines as sublimely and touchingly as it does here. In Sciamma's new delicate and exquisite masterpiece, the filmmaker follows eight-year-old Nelly (debutant Joséphine Sanz) on a trip to her mother's (Nina Meurisse, Camille) childhood home. The girl's maternal grandmother (Margot Abascal, The Sower) has died, the house needs packing up, and the trip is loaded with feelings on all sides. Her mum wades between sorrow and attending to the task. With melancholy, she pushes back against her daughter's attempts to help, too. Nelly's laidback father (Stéphane Varupenne, Monsieur Chocolat) assists as well, but with a sense of distance; going through the lifelong belongings of someone else's mother, even your spouse's, isn't the same as sifting through your own mum's items for the last time. While her parents work, the curious Nelly roves around the surrounding woods — picture-perfect and oh-so-enticing as they are — and discovers Marion (fellow newcomer Gabrielle Sanz), a girl who could be her twin. The Sanz sisters are identical twins IRL, and why they've been cast is right there in Petite Maman's name. Spelling out anything further would be saying more than is needed going in; flitting through the story's intricacies alongside Nelly is one of its many marvels. Like all kids, she's naturally inquisitive about her parents' upbringings. "You never tell me about when you were children," she complains to her dad, who counters that, actually, he and her mother do. Like all kids, she's also keenly aware of the special alchemy that comes with following in your mother and father's youthful footsteps, all just by being in the house and roaming around the woods where her mum grew up. There's nothing as immersive in helping to understand why one of the people that brought you into the world became who they are. Indeed, it's no surprise that Sciamma and her cinematographer Claire Mathon (Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Spencer) shoot the film in golden and glowing autumnal hues. Nelly has questions for Marion, too, and vice versa; however, spending time in each other's company, watching the connection that springs and embracing every emotion it evokes is Sciamma's plan for the quickly thick-as-thieves pair. Explanations about what's happening are unnecessary; only the experience itself, the mood and the resonance it all holds are what matters. So, the girls do what kids do, whether amid all that ethereal greenery or inside Marion's home, decked out in vintage decor as it is, where Nelly meets her new pal's mother. The two girls play, including in a teepee-like hut made out of branches. They write and perform their own play, costumes and all. They share secrets, talk about their dreams for the future, make pancakes, bust out boardgames, and also float through their new friendship as if they're the only people who matter — in that intimate, serious and earnest way that children do with their friends. Sciamma is exceptionally skilled at many things, creating richly detailed and textured cinematic worlds high among them. She doesn't build franchises or big fantasy realms, but surveys faces, spaces, thoughts and feelings — exploring them like the entire universes they are. The Sanz duo's pint-sized features whisper and bellow about the world whenever Mathon's lens looks in their direction, as Sciamma is well-aware. The young actors welcome Petite Maman's audience into their own insular zone, in fact, and it's a revealing place to inhabit. The landscape that surrounds them is just as laden with meaning and mood, brimming with possibilities as it is to Nelly and Marion. It's a playground, as all forests are to young hearts, minds and limbs. It's also the place that brings them together. That it never appears anything short of magical is hardly astonishing, even for a filmmaker as acutely attuned to her characters' relationship with their scenery as Sciamma has always been. That love for observing, soaking in the minutiae and letting what's seen speak louder than what's said — and doing all of the above with sensitivity and matter-of-fact naturalism — pulsates through every frame of Petite Maman like a heartbeat. The film resembles a gentle but soul-replenishing breeze in its rustic look and serene pacing, but it thrums with feeling and insight about forging one's sense of self and navigating generational angst at every moment. It's a modern-day fairy tale, too, complete with its glorious twist, musing deeply on mothers, daughters and the ties that bind in the process. It predates them on the festival circuit, but it'd make a heartfelt triple bill with Turning Red and Everything Everywhere All At Once. With Sciamma returning to the adventures and emotions of childhood again after dancing with adult longing in her breathtaking last movie, Petite Maman is as radiant, affecting, smart and perceptive a reminder there is that the links between parents and kids are their own unique realms. With French cinema's abundant array of coming-of-age tales — from François Truffaut's French New Wave masterpiece The 400 Blows through to Sciamma's pre-Portrait of a Lady on Fire films — Petite Maman springs from a rich history. It's a movie about history, in its own manner, but it also never treads in anything else's footsteps. That's one of its filmmakers many gifts, because no story she's brought to the screen yet has ever felt like it's been told this way before (and if Petite Maman had to be compared to another director's work, it'd by the enchanting and spellbinding visions of youth that Hayao Miyazaki has committed to animation). Here, Sciamma is clearly working in miniature. Her protagonists are petite, as the title makes plain. Her choice of locations is condensed, and her style and storytelling is modest. The movie itself only runs for a concise 72 minutes, not that it ever feels rushed. There's nothing tiny about a film that's as potent and wondrous as this, though, or as deeply moving.
Finding a beach Down Under isn't hard. According to Tourism Australia, this nation girt by sea has 11,761 such coastal spots. But each year, only one is named the best beach in the country by beach expert Brad Farmer AM. When you stop being envious about his dream job, you can use his selection as travel inspiration for this year's sun-, sand- and surf-fuelled getaways. Your 2024 destination: Squeaky Beach. The Wilsons Promontory spot in Victoria has taken top place on Farmer's annual top ten for the year ahead, after South Australia's Stokes Bay, which is located on Kangaroo Island, earned the honours for 2023. Past winners include Misery Beach in Western Australia in 2022, Cabarita Beach in New South Wales in 2020, Nudey Beach on Fitzroy island in Far North Queensland in 2018 and Cossies Beach in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, in the Indian Ocean, in 2017. [caption id="attachment_939139" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mark Watson[/caption] Squeaky Beach emerging victorious as Australia's Best Beach for 2024 is the first time that a Victorian beach has placed number one on the ranking. Farmer, who is one of Tourism Australia Friends of Australia, called the location 220 kilometres out of Melbourne — which is a three-hour drive — an "acoustic squeaky-clean delight of compressed quartz and silica sand underfoot" and "one finely tuned favourite to its many fans". "The crashing waves and clear waters of Squeaky Beach stretch for some 700 metres, gracefully enclosed by impressively coloured granite boulders at either end. It's also one of the region's most photographed beaches for good reason. It's simply beautiful," Farmer continued. He also gave Victoria's Bells Beach an honourable mention after his first-place pick — which would make the OG 1991 Point Break proud. [caption id="attachment_939141" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kramer Photography[/caption] Officially in second spot on 2024's list is The Farm in Shellharbour in New South Wales, followed by Tasmania's Cockle Creek, which is Australia's southernmost beach, in third. Spreading the love around the mainland and beyond, Farmer's fourth placing went to Madfish Bay in Western Australia, his fifth to Pulu Blan Madar Island in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and sixth to Cylinder Beach on Queensland's North Stradbroke Island. Lord Howe Island's Lagoon Beach came in seventh, South Australia's Long Beach in Robe sits at eighth and Queensland's Cow Bay in Far North placed ninth. Tenth takes the rankings to the Northern Territory, to Casuarina Beach in Darwin. [caption id="attachment_939131" align="alignnone" width="1920"] @jmax[/caption] "The list of 'best beaches' attracts headlines both here in Australia and in key international tourism markets around the world. That's why I take the chance to uncover some of those destinations that might not be well-known but are home to some of Australia's and, in my opinion, the world's best beaches," explained Farmer. "The year's list includes at least one beach from each state, the Northern Territory and even an Australian external territory, which is well off the coast of Australia, but the search for best beaches extends far and wide and one island on the far-flung archipelago caught my eye." [caption id="attachment_939136" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Colby James[/caption] "Of course all of the 'best Australian beaches' for 2024 are worthy of the recognition and so are the many thousands of others in Australia and off our coast, making it a tough, sometimes controversial job to come up with a list of just ten but it has been an honour to do just that once again," Farmer said. You know what to do from here: start making holiday plans that involve your togs. Given the spread of spots across the top ten in the 2024 Australia's best beach list, Aussie in every state and territory except the Australian Capital Territory can hit up one of the year's picks without travelling interstate. For motivation to travel further afield, though, you can't get much better. [caption id="attachment_939137" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jaxon Roberts[/caption] The Top Ten Best Australian Beaches for 2024: 1. Squeaky Beach, Wilsons Promontory, Victoria 2. The Farm, Shellharbour, New South Wales 3. Cockle Creek, South East, Tasmania 4. Madfish Bay, Great Southern, Western Australia 5. Pulu Blan Madar Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands 6. Cylinder Beach, North Stradbroke Island, Queensland 7. Lagoon Beach, Lord Howe Island, New South Wales 8. Long Beach, Robe, South Australia 9. Cow Bay, Far North, Queensland 10. Casuarina Beach, Darwin, Northern Territory [caption id="attachment_939133" align="alignnone" width="1920"] @in focus studios[/caption] [caption id="attachment_939134" align="alignnone" width="1920"] @_markfitz[/caption] [caption id="attachment_939135" align="alignnone" width="1920"] @visualjon[/caption] For more of Brad Farmer's beach tips, head to his Best Australian Beaches website. Top images: travelsoftnt, @lillypollard and P Fleming. 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.
When Fortitude Valley restaurant Agnes hosted bakery pop-ups during Brisbane's lockdowns, it quickly became one of the city's favourite pastry spots. The sole problem: it only served up its baked goods while we were all stuck at home. Yes, that's why there was often a line stretching around the block. Making stay-at-home stints brighter — and tastier — is a worthy cause, which Agnes Bakery has championed multiple times now. Giving Brisbanites all the pastries they're hankering for all-year-round is just as great an aim, though. So, Agnes is now spinning out its bakery to its own site on the corner of James and Harcourt streets in Fortitude Valley, with the doors opening on Thursday, October 21. Making its new home in a heritage-listed cottage, Agnes Bakery will serve up a range of different sourdoughs and other pastries, spanning both sweet and savoury options. And, while the full menu hasn't been revealed as yet, it's also bringing over a few dishes from Agnes restaurant — so diners can enjoy them in a far more casual setting. Here, the Agnes team is keen is to keep exploring the art of cooking with fire — and how that specifically applies when you're working with grains. Coffee from a yet-to-be-revealed local roster will also be on the menu, with Agnes Bakery operating from 7am–2pm Wednesday–Sunday. Design-wise, Agnes Bakery's eye-catching home has been given an interior revamp by local architects Richards and Spence. The pastry spot joins not only the OG Agnes — which is located in an old brick warehouse at 22 Agnes Street, hence the name — but also a growing list of venues by the same crew, with the team of Ben Williamson, Tyron Simon, Bianca Marchi and Frank Li also behind Same Same, Honto and Bianca. Find Agnes Bakery at 85 James Street, New Farm, from Thursday, October 21 — open from 7am–2pm Wednesday–Sunday.
Brisbanites, if your flight routine involves checking in, going through security, stocking up on snacks and then having a cheeky pre-flight drink, you now have a new place to do the latter. Newstead Brewing Co has just set up shop inside Brisbane Airport's domestic terminal, launching its new taphouse on the facility's second level — and giving you a new excuse to say cheers to your next trip. The airport venue marks Newstead Brewing's third site — after its original location in Newstead, obviously, and its second home in Milton. Originally due to open in 2020, but delayed due to the pandemic, the domestic terminal bar sprawls across 300 square metres near gate 38, and has room to welcome in 120 pre-departure beer-lovers. While you're sipping a brew from the 12 taps, you'll look out over the runway. That's what airport bars are all about, after all. Here, you'll be able to choose from Newstead Brewing's core range, or knock back pints of its exclusive airport beer — the fittingly named Tailwood Ale. The site will also pour the brewery's limited-release brews as they pop up. If you're feeling hungry before hopping onboard, the taphouse's pub-style food menu spans Moreton Bay Bug rolls, chicken parmigianas, burgers and pizzas, plus a range of vegetarian, gluten-free and vegan dishes. And, decor-wise, Newstead Brewing has stuck with the same industrial look as its other sites, bringing a touch of the brewery aesthetic to the new venue. Opened in partnership with Airport Retail Enterprises — who are also behind the onsite Coffee Royal, Graze Grill & Bar, Merlo Caffee, Mezze Za Za, Seeds by Bruno Loubet and New Farm Confectionery stores — the Newstead Brewing taphouse forms part of Brisbane Airport's $40 million revamp of the domestic terminal.
Running from October 16 through January 31, 2021, the annual Tarnanthi program brings together the best of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art from around the country and showcases it across multiple Adelaide venues — with the largest exhibition taking centre stage at the Art Gallery of South Australia. The guiding theme for this year's edition is Open Hands, which pays tribute to the role of senior artists who share cultural knowledge with the younger generations; it also calls attention to the unseen cultural work of women in Indigenous communities. Including works from 87 artists, the exhibition features mother-daughter collaborations, grand installations, talks and tours — all of which aim to fully immerse visitors in the rich culture of Australia. Online art sales and other AGSA activations are on the docket, too. [caption id="attachment_792442" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Saul Steed[/caption] Images: Tarnanthi: Open Hands installation by Saul Steed
When Bisou Bisou opened its doors in 2021, the Fortitude Valley restaurant brought a taste of French fine-dining to Brunswick Street. Taking over the ground level of Hotel X, which also launched the same year, the eatery was all about letting patrons pretend that they were on the other side of the world. Two years later, change is afoot, with Ghanem Group revamping the venue's focus — and a more casual French experience is the end result. Your tastebuds are still largely being spirited away to Europe, but the hospitality outfit behind Iris Rooftop upstairs in the same building — plus Byblos Bar and Restaurant, Blackbird Bar and Grill, Boom Boom Room Izakaya and Donna Chang elsewhere around Brisbane — is out to show that French restaurants aren't just for swanky outings. Steak frites remains on the menu, of course, and the freestanding rotisserie is still a big feature. Indeed, the brasserie is now heroing those kinds of French staples. Accordingly, opt for rotisserie chicken — whole or half, or whatever the special is that day — and you'll be able to pair it with classic French sauces like bearnaise and beurre noisette. Or, tempt your tastebuds with another big standout dish: pot-cooked mussels, which come in half- and one-kilo serves accompanied by a baguette, and also with a range of sauces. Bisou Bisou remains an all-day eatery, with catering for breakfast — especially if you're slumbering in the hotel — as well as lunch, dinner, snacks over drinks and just beverages all on its lineup. If you're just heading by for a bite, the new menu has exactly that in mind with its salted cod and herb croquettes with saffron aioli, whipped goat's curd and vegetable crudites, and chicken liver parfait with prune jam and toasted brioche. Or, you can choose any of those options as a starter before a main if you're settling in for the long haul. Other food highlights to say bonjour to include warm custard-filled cronuts, loaded croissants, banana crumpets and croques both monsieur and madame on the brekkie lineup; charcuterie and ocean trout rillettes among the snacks; bacon cheeseburgers and pork schnitzel from the mains menu; and sorbet, dark chocolate mousse, and watermelon and strawberries in sparkling pinot shiraz for dessert. Drinks-wise, the wine and spirits list remains hefty, and tap beers are poured from behind the lobby bar. The cocktail selection will change seasonally; however, taking cues Harry's New York Bar in Paris is a drawcard with Bisou Bisou's takes on the sidecar, boulevardier and French 75. Find Bisou Bisou inside Hotel X at 458 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley — open from 6.30am–late daily. Images: Markus Ravik.
Not content with selling sweet and savoury treats from their James Street base, Brisbane's favourite bread, cake, pastries and provisions providers are spreading the love this festive season. If you're fond of the amazing array of edible items that Jocelyn's Provisions bakes up and you're in the city's east, then you'd best put on your stretchiest pants and hightail it over to their Camp Hill pop-up. Until December 21, expect scrumptious wares aplenty at Jocelyn's temporary digs at Camp Hill Marketplace on Samuel Street. Whether you're keen on a caramel, pear and pecan cake, chocolate swirl cheesecake or trusty lemon tart — to name a just a few items from their menu — it's the stuff food lover's dreams are made of. Feasting on all of the above until the big day is completely understandable — and to be expected, really. Drop on by from Monday to Friday between 10am and 5pm, or on Saturday from 9am to 4pm.
Next time you sip gin, you could be hanging out in a double-decker bus in scenic surroundings — and either enjoying free tastings of strawberry eucalyptus-flavoured gin on the vehicle's bottom level, or heading upstairs to work your way through a three-drink cocktail flight. Thanks to Brisbane Distillery, this very experience is now on the menu, with the West End-based spirits company launching its new True Spirit of Brisbane bus. Debuting at the Riverside Markets in the City Botanic Gardens on Sunday, May 9, the True Spirit bus sports a blue exterior, serves samples out of the window and features booth seating under the pop-up roof on the top deck. For those happy with a tasting (or several), you'll be able to choose from Brisbane Distillery's Game of Eucalyptus Gin, Queensland Dry Gin and Brown Snake Rhum. You'll also be able to buy bottles to take home with you, too. Fancy hanging for a bit longer? The cocktail flights cost $24.99, and feature three beverages, each coming in at half a standard drink. Two different flight menus are available — both starting with a G&T, of course. From there, you can opt for a tomato-flavoured tipple and a citrusy drink called Parks and Recreation. Or, you can channel your inner Paddington with a marmalade cocktail, then follow it with a pink concoction. Brisbane Distillery will be taking the True Spirit Bus on the road, so expect future market pop-ups. If drinking on a stationary bus sounds like your kind of party activity, the vehicle can also be booked for weddings, birthdays, markets, promotions and other events. When it makes its first appearance, it's doing so on Mother's Day — so if you still haven't nabbed your mum a last-minute gift, or made a restaurant booking for a nice meal, you now have another option. Brisbane Distillery's True Spirit bus will debut at the Riverside Markets in the City Botanic Gardens on Sunday, May 9, and then host sessions every Sunday. For further details and to book tickets, head to the distillery's website.
Way before The Wiggles were ever hopelessly convincing us to eat fruit salad, Peter Combe was telling us to throw caution to the wind and wash our faces with orange juice. His crazy lyrics and unforgettable tunes carried us Gen Yers through early childhood and evidently dominated Australian children’s music. That was, until Peter disappeared into oblivion, leaving us to clutch onto our Juicy Juicy Green Grass dreams, wondering if he'll ever come back (chorus: will you come ba-ack?). Each night of his pub and club tour, Peter has seen crowds of over 18s crowd-surfing and stage diving to childhood faves “Newspaper Mama” and “Mister Clinkety Cane”. For those still a bit foggy, I doubt you've forgotten the words to Spaghetti Bolognese if you can accurately remember every word to Britney Spear's Hit Me Baby One More Time. The point of the matter is that even though it may have been 20-odd years since you've heard these songs, there is every chance your brain has retained their sheer awesomeness and is ready and willing to crack them out at an opportune moment. Obviously no better than this Saturday night, where you can see Peter Combe make your young dreams come true at the Globe.
Willing to head off the beaten track to find a quality swimming hole? Then head a couple of hours north of Cairns to beat the heat at Emmagen Creek. You'll bounce down an unsealed road to reach this picturesque pool located five kilometres north of Cape Tribulation in the Daintree National Park. From the carpark, head toward the Emmagen Creek road crossing and take the track on the left-hand side to the swimming section of the creek located a few hundred metres upstream. If the water is high, consider plonking yourself in the clear rainforest water via the rope swing. Or, clamber down the twisting tree roots to enter the freshwater swimming hole slowly and try to spot a cassowary from the creek. [caption id="attachment_829633" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption]
When it comes to art exhibitions, second chances aren't common. A big-name showcase may display at several places around the world, but it doesn't often hit the same venue twice. French Impressionism is about to become an exception, then, when it returns to the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne in 2025 after initially gracing the institution's walls in 2021. When it was first announced for that debut Australian run, French Impressionism was set to be a blockbuster exhibition — and with 100-plus works featuring, including by Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt and more, it's easy to understand why. But 2021 wasn't an ordinary year, like 2020 before it. Accordingly, when this showcase of masterpieces on loan from Boston's renowned Museum of Fine Arts opened Down Under, it was forced to close shortly afterwards due to the pandemic. [caption id="attachment_977038" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Camille Pissarro, French (born in the Danish West Indies), 1830–1903, Spring pasture, 1889, oil on canvas, 60 x 73.7 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Deposited by the Trustees of the White Fund, Lawrence, Massachusetts, Photography © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. All Rights Reserved.[/caption] Cue another season in this part of the world four years later, thankfully, with French Impressionism returning to NGV International from Friday, June 6–Sunday, October 5, 2025. This is one of the largest collections of the eponymous art movement to ever make its way to Australia, complete with works that've never been seen here before. The exhibition's Australian comeback is the result of "long dialogue and negotiation with the MFA Boston", Dr Ted Gott, NGV's Senior Curator of International Art, tells Concrete Playground. "I think both parties, the NGV and the MFA, realised what a tragedy it was that this fantastic show closed after just a few weeks in 2021 due to COVID." [caption id="attachment_977037" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French, 1841–1919, Woman with a parasol and small child on a sunlit hillside, c. 1874–76, oil on canvas, 47.0 x 56.2 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Bequest of John T. Spaulding Photography © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. All Rights Reserved.[/caption] "It's just extraordinary that it was sort of stuck here in aspic for months with the doors locked, because COVID also froze all the flights, so it couldn't go back automatically. So we had this bizarre situation where the whole exhibition was sealed up inside the NGV, and not even staff were allowed in to have a look at it," Gott continues. "Those who saw it in those first few weeks were amazed, and word of mouth got out very quickly that it was an extraordinary show, so we had really good numbers for those first few weeks." [caption id="attachment_977035" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Claude Monet, French, 1840–1926, Grand Canal, Venice, 1908, oil on canvas, 73.7 x 92.4 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Bequest of Alexander Cochrane Photography © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. All Rights Reserved.[/caption] Again part of the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition series, French Impressionism isn't short on gems, especially given the array of artists with pieces on display, which also includes Camille Pissarro and Berthe Morisot. But one certain must-see is the presentation of 16 Monet pieces in one gallery, all in a curved display to close out the showcase — and focusing of his scenes of nature in Argenteuil, the Normandy coast and the Mediterranean coast, as well as his Giverny garden. In total, there's 19 Monet works in French Impressionism from the Museum of Fine Arts' collection (Water Lilies among them), and that still leaves the US gallery almost as many to display in Boston. Another section digs into early works by Monet and his predecessors, such as Eugène Boudin — and Renoir and Pissarro's careers also get the in-depth treatment. As the exhibition charts French impressionism's path across the late-19th century, visitors will enjoy three never-before-seen-in-Australia pieces, with Victorine Meurent's Self-portrait one of them. Ten-plus Degas works, as well as two pieces that were part of the very first exhibition of French Impressionism that took place in 1874, also feature. [caption id="attachment_977042" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Claude Monet, French, 1840–1926, Water lilies, 1905, oil on canvas, 89.5 x 100.3 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Gift of Edward Jackson Holmes Photography © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. All Rights Reserved.[/caption] "People just feel excited and uplifted when they look at a glorious impressionist painting, and I think that's why they haven't lost their perennial fascination and value," notes Gott. If you made it along to the showcase's first trip Down Under, you will notice changes, with the exhibition design reimagined for its latest presentation. "I'm sure that those who saw it in 2021 will come back again, and we want them to have a completely different experience. Also, we just didn't want to do the same thing. That's too easy," says Gott. "So we've completely reimagined the design of the show, and also the catalogue has been redesigned. So it'll be completely fresh, and the design is going to be absolutely sumptuous — and that will also make people feel warm and fuzzy inside." [caption id="attachment_977040" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Vincent van Gogh, Dutch (worked in France), 1853–90, Houses at Auvers, 1890, oil on canvas, 75.6 x 61.9 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Bequest of John T. Spaulding Photography © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. All Rights Reserved.[/caption] French Impressionism will display at NGV International, St Kilda Road, Melbourne, from Friday, June 6–Sunday, October 5, 2025. Head to the NGV website for more details and tickets. Top image: excerpt of Claude Monet, French, 1840–1926, Grand Canal, Venice, 1908, oil on canvas, 73.7 x 92.4 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Bequest of Alexander Cochrane Photography © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. All Rights Reserved.
Already the home of Kabuki Teppanyaki, and enticing in travellers and locals alike, Brisbane's riverside Stamford Plaza has expanded its culinary range. Diners can now mix up their Japanese feasts with a trip to La Boca, the hotel's new Argentinian eatery that takes ample advantage of the site's prime CBD location. As well as that riverfront perch, Argentinian grilling and cooking techniques are the star of the show at La Boca Bar and Grill, which also joins sibling venues in Sydney and Adelaide. At Brisbane's outpost, those South American culinary methods are unleashed upon local Queensland produce — much of which the ends up on the parrilla grill. La Boca opened its doors over summer, and does breakfast, lunch and dinner service seven days a week — all with that Argentina-meets-Australia blend. Here, you can pair short ribs with pecan- and toffee-stuffed dessert empanadas, and sip Argentinian sangria and mango chilli margaritas. Or, opt for grilled octopus with potato salad, a half-split grilled spring chicken, and burnt Basque cheesecake with strawberry gelato. The lunch lineup heroes sweet corn and cheese empanadas, grilled chorizo in chargrilled flatbread topped with pico de gallo salsa, and wagyu rump with truffle fries. Come dinner, seafood is a hefty focus, including Moreton Bay bugs with paprika and garlic, and grilled rock lobster with butter and lime. Or, there's a citrus-heavy red emperor dish, and two barramundi options. Also a highlight: the asador menu, where you can choose your pick of meat — pork belly, dry-aged lamb shoulder, wagyu shoulder blade and grain-fed scotch fillet — to be slow-cooked over the wood fire pit. And, La Boca also does meat- and seafood-stacked platters to share (one including asador dishes and saltbush lamb sausages, the other mixing the ocean's finest in chilled and parrilla-grilled forms), serves up Australian and Argentinian wines, and features orange espresso cocktails and roasted sugarcane daiquiris among its drinks selection. Find La Boca Bar and Grill at the Stamford Plaza Brisbane, corner of Margaret and Edward streets, Brisbane — open daily from 6.30–10.30am for breakfast, 12–2pm for lunch and 6–9pm for dinner.
On Bram Stoker's pages, as penned into gothic horror history 128 years ago, Count Dracula travels to the UK. It's fitting, then, that Sydney Theatre Company's cine-theatre take on the all-time classic vampire novel is following the same voyage. While pop culture's most-famous bloodsucker ventured from the Carpathian Mountains to London, Kip Williams' inventive interpretation of Dracula is making the trip from Australia — as the theatre-maker's fellow one-actor horror adaptation The Picture of Dorian Gray similarly did. Also shared by Williams' iterations of Dracula and The Picture of Dorian Gray: a big-name actor with international clout stepping into the production's sole role. Sarah Snook (Memoir of a Snail) did the honours for the director's Oscar Wilde adaptation, won an Olivier Award for it, then moved to Broadway with the show and is now nominated for a Tony. Taking the lead for Sydney Theatre Company's dance with the undead: Cynthia Erivo (Poker Face). [caption id="attachment_1004199" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mark Seliger[/caption] Erivo's West End stint in Dracula will start on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, playing the Noël Coward Theatre — and if you're wondering whether she'll add to her trophy cabinet for the production, any awards for her efforts here will join the stacked lineup of accolades that she's already collected. For 2016's The Colour Purple, she won a Tony. For that musical's album, she won a Grammy. And for performing from it on America's Today Show, she won an Emmy. This year, Erivo was also an Oscar-nominee thanks to Wicked, joining her two past nominations for Harriet. Dracula marks her return to the stage, premiering in London after Wicked: For Good hits cinemas globally in November 2025. Erivo will portray all 23 characters in Stoker's story. Yes, that means Count Dracula, obviously, but also spans vampire hunter Van Helsing, solicitor Jonathan Harker, his fiancée Mina Murray and her friend Lucy Westenra, among other figures. "Returning to the stage feels like a homecoming, one that I've been craving for a long time. To do so with a story as rich, complex and haunting as Dracula offers a beautiful opportunity to delve into character, into myth and into the heart of what makes us human," said Erivo. "From the moment I was asked, I could not get the role out of my mind. Kip's vision is thrilling, terrifying and deeply resonant, offering a chance to sit with not only the darkness in the world, but also the light we fight to hold onto. It's a rare gift for an actor to inhabit so many voices and perspectives in one piece, and I'm honoured to do it for West End audiences in this extraordinary production. The prospect of doing this show scares me and I know it will be a huge challenge. This show will ask everything of me — and I'm ready to give it." Added Williams: "I am thrilled to be returning to the West End to direct my adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula and to collaborate with the extraordinary Cynthia Erivo, as she brings to life the many iconic characters of this much-adored tale." "Our production expands upon Stoker's exploration of the tension between fear and desire, offering a contemporary perspective on the vampire as a monster that lurks not beyond, but within. I am excited to reunite with many of my Dorian Gray collaborators on this project, and it is an immense privilege to have such a singularly gifted artist as Cynthia at the heart of it. I can't wait to share this piece with London audiences, especially in the West End, a place where Bram spent so much of his creative life." Dracula is the third instalment in Williams' trilogy for Sydney Theatre Company, following not only The Picture of Dorian Gray but also The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. In Australia, Zahra Newman portrayed every part in this bite of spectacular theatre. Given how popular its namesake, or versions of him, is in cinemas (see: Nosferatu, Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter and Renfield just in the past two years), don't be surprised if Williams' Dracula also gets picked to make a stage-to-screen leap, as The Picture of Dorian Gray has. Dracula will play the Noël Coward Theatre, 85–88 St Martin's Lane, London, from Wednesday, February 4, 2026 — for more information and tickets, head to the production's website. Dracula images: Zahra Newman and camera operator Lucy Parakhina in Sydney Theatre Company's Dracula, 2024, Daniel Boud ©.
It's a shot favourite with lemon and salt. There's a surf instrumental track that shares its name. Just thinking about it likely gets the early-90s hip hop cover of that tune stuck in your head. Although it's a famous spirit, tequila isn't always the best-appreciated tipple. Head to Carmen, James Street's newest bar and Mexican eatery, however, and the latter might change. Running through Fortitude Valley and New Farm, this stretch of road has long had Brisbanites flocking to the city's inner north for a sip and a bite to eat, adding dining and drinking options aplenty over the two decades since it rebadged its industrial stretch into an urban precinct. The new reason to head is this 80-seater tequileria from aka Potentia Solutions Leisure, joining a hospitality stable that also features rooftop joints Lina and Soko. While Carmen is an eatery, bar and lounge in one, tequila- and agave-heavy drinks take pride of place on the menu. Standout sips include the El Tigre, which is made on Patron Reposado, plus grapefruit bitters, agave and dehydrated grapefruit; Sueno de Sandia, a citrusy number featuring Patron Silver, watermelon juice, lime, agave and basil syrup; and the Aventura, a mix of The Lost Explorer Espadin, Grand Marnier, St Germain elderflower, lime, lemon and raspberries. In addition to cocktails, plus a hefty list of tequila and agave in general — including a focus on small-batch mezcals — Carmen boasts Coronas, naturally, plus a premium wine list ready for the swilling. Australian vinos get ample attention, as do New Zealand, French and Italian drops. Food-wise, patrons can tuck into poached lobster tacos, Mexican popcorn chicken, charred corn rillettes, kingfish ceviche with fermented pineapple and wagyu steak crudo tostaditos, as well as dulce de leche cheesecake and Patron tequila sorbet. Other dishes also glean their influences from elsewhere around the world, as seen with Sydney rock oysters and beef short rib rendang. Seafood is a big feature, as tends to be the trend no matter what style of cuisine is on offer in Brisbane. Also, sustainability is a hefty focus across both the food and drinks spread. Carmen is working towards a zero-waste cocktail list, setting itself a goal to achieve waste-free tipples — but launching with a menu that's as close as possible in the interim. As Soko does, Carmen is collaborating with the One Tree Planted program, too, donating a portion of funds from some drinks to support global reforestation. And in terms of decor, visitors will find the space decked out in neutral tones amid white walls and curved archways. Find Carmen Tequileria at 70 James Street, Fortitude Valley — open 4pm–late Monday–Tuesday and 12pm–late Wednesday–Sunday. Images: Fortem Media.
So far, 2020 has dished up some tough times all round and you're probably busy hunting for ways to up your quota of good days. Sydney couple Jacob Leung and Sarah-Jane Ho certainly were, but they've now landed on the answer. The pair has dreamt up a nifty cure for the pandemic blues with their new feel-good online gift store, Good Day People. This local-loving business is reimagining the humble gift hamper, swapping out the standard bath soaps and boring bickies for fun, quality goodies, and finishing it all off with some bright, mood-boosting packaging. It's serving up a smart edit of gifts and themed gift packages you'd actually want to receive, heroing small Aussie businesses and doing some good for the environment at the same time. If you're forever left stumped by that fussy friend who's 'impossible to buy for', consider this a treasure trove. You'll find 36 different hampers at the moment, including one for 'Gourmet Greg' — packed with Drunken Sailor relish, Maya Sunny honey, a bottle of local wine, Olsson's sea salt and some Bramble & Hedge nougat — and, for 'Perky Pam', an assembly of Bottl(ed) cocktails, Grandvewe sheep whey gin, a pack of cowhide coasters from Mr and Mrs White and Hey Tiger Fairy Wings vegan milk chocolate. The 'Casual Clare' curation comes stocked with some Wondaree macadamias, Poor Toms gin and bottles of Strangelove tonic; while other hampers might star the likes of Noble's luxe maple syrup, batched negronis, Mayde teas, boozy treats from Love Can, a Horse watch, or Hey Bud's moisturising hemp facial mask. There's even a pack for 'Pregnant Polly' including some all-important booze-free rosé. With this lot, it's a safe bet you'll be making someone's day a very good one. Prices start from an easy $49, ranging up to $359 for the top-of-the-line collection. You can say goodbye to the cardboard box and cellophane situation, too. These gift hampers come packaged in your choice of five funky printed cans, splashed with bold colours and cheeky messaging. And as an added bonus, Good Day People also carbon offsets its deliveries, so that ol' planet of ours can have a good day as well. Check out the Good Day People online store to shop the full range of hampers.
Watching I Hate Suzie Too isn't easy. Watching I Hate Suzie, the show's first season, wasn't either back in 2020. A warts-and-all dance through the chaotic life, emotions and mind of a celebrity, both instalments of this compelling British series have spun as far away from the glitz and glamour of being famous as possible. Capturing carefully constructed social-media content to sell the fiction of stardom's perfection is part of the story, as it has to be three decades into the 21st century; however, consider this Stan- and Neon-streaming show from Succession writer Lucy Prebble and actor/singer/co-creator Billie Piper, and its blood pressure-raising tension and stress, the anti-Instagram. I Hate Suzie's unfiltered focus: teen pop sensation-turned-actor Suzie Pickles, as played with a canny sense of knowing by Piper given that the 'Honey to the Bee' and Penny Dreadful talent has charted the same course. That said, the show's IRL star hasn't been the subject of a traumatic phone hack that exposed sensitive photos from an extramarital affair to the public, turning her existence and career upside down, as Suzie was in season one. In episodes named after emotions — shock, denial, fear, shame, bargaining, guilt, anger and acceptance — the eight-part initial go-around stepped through the fallout, as unsurprisingly frenzied as it was. Suzie's professor husband Cob (Daniel Ings, Sex Education) reacted with fury and selfishness; their young son Frank (debutant Matthew Jordan-Caws), who is deaf, got swept up in the tumult; and manager and lifelong friend Naomi (Leila Farzad, Avenue 5) endeavoured to save Suzie's career. As I Hate Suzie's name makes plain, sentiment didn't often flow Suzie's way — from Cob, the media, everyone pulling the strings behind her professional opportunities, and also the world at large. In I Hate Suzie Too, she has a new manager Sian (Anastasia Hille, A Spy Among Friends) and a new chance to win back fans, returning to reality TV after it helped thrust her into the spotlight as a child star to begin with. Dance Crazee Xmas is exactly what it sounds like, and sees Suzie compete against soccer heroes, musicians and more. But when I Hate Suzie Too kicks off with a ferocious, clearly cathartic solo dance in sad-clown getup, the viewers aren't charmed. In fact, instantly damaging her already fragile self-esteem, Suzie is the first celebrity voted off. Although arriving a couple of years later, season two takes place six months after the first, which ended with Suzie all over the papers — again — and facing another life-changing development. Spanning three episodes, I Hate Suzie Too is a chronicle of a comeback that isn't quite allowed to be, because that's the relentlessness of being in the public eye when you're a woman who's deemed to have erred. Suzie herself simply wants to work to be able to share custody of Frank, the fight over which is cruel and demanding at the hands of the still-vicious Cob. She wants to dance, too, because that was always her first love. What she gets is the unceasing pressure to be flawless, as dictated by everyone else around her, but with zero interest in what'd truly make her content, safe, secure and fulfilled. Fearless, audacious, honest, dripping with anxiety, staggering in its intensity, absolutely heart-wrenching, always unflinching: with Prebble and Piper reteaming not just after season one, but also 2007–11 series Secret Diary of a Call Girl, all of these terms fit. This is a head-in-your-hands dark dramedy, a reaction incited by everything that comes Suzie's way as well as the choices she makes in response. The demands and decisions don't stop. Everyone always needs something, and needs Suzie to make a call. In this season, that still includes her mother (Lorraine Ashbourne, Bridgerton), father (Phil Daniels, House of the Dragon) and younger sister (Elle Piper), who are now joined by Suzie's first ex-husband Bailey Quinn (Douglas Hodge, The Great), plus former footballer-turned-streamer Danny Carno (Blake Harrison, The Inbetweeners) — both fellow Dance Crazee Xmas contestants, and reasons that the press' attention hones in again and again. With its claustrophobic cinematography constantly staring Piper's way — and, more than that, usually getting closer than anyone would feel comfortable with — I Hate Suzie Too apes what Suzie's fans and detractors are always doing: surveilling intently. No one performs well under such meticulous examination, with the series pondering the exacting standards placed upon well-known figures and the hypocritical reactions when they don't handle the scrutiny faultlessly. Steely eyed but empathetic, it's an exploration of mental health as well, and the fraying space that takes over when the world's wants take precedence over your own. "The team are choosing between you looking needy and you looking miserable,' Suzie is told about Dance Crazee Xmas' behind-the-scenes footage, to which she replies "well, those are my two states". I Hate Suzie Too shows how untrue that comment is, and how deeply it has been internalised. When she starred in a 2016 UK stage production of Yerma, Piper won six Best Actress awards for her performance — all six that she could — but, on-screen, she's never been better than she is in I Hate Suzie's two seasons. All that up-close peering at Suzie's face is revelatory, conveying every twitch of thought and emotion as she navigates the persistent onslaught of everything everywhere all at once, and attempts to package and repackage herself to be all things to all people. The focus and adaptability required on Piper's part is stunning, especially given I Hate Suzie Too's fondness for long, unbroken shots onstage and careening through backstage corridors. She's equally phenomenal whenever Suzie does snatch a quiet moment to herself, usually brimming with uncertainty, and she's heartbreaking when she's just trying to be a mum to her son. Like Suzie, Piper benefits from her own popstar background in I Hate Suzie Too, with Dance Crazee Xmas' dance numbers — for an audience and in rehearsals alike — proving the powerhouse centre of the series' latest run. Spectacularly choreographed and performed, and incisively paired to Suzie's inner state like a musical, they almost tell this season's tale without anything else needed around them. And, they help emphasise that this story isn't Suzie's alone. Too many women in the spotlight, and in general, have been held to unrealistic ideals, then pilloried for not meeting them. Much lingers when I Hate Suzie Too comes to an end in a whirlwind of distress, that fact included. Check out the trailer for I Hate Suzie Too below: I Hate Suzie Too streams via Stan in Australia and Neon in New Zealand.
Now, you can't talk about the top hotels in Brisbane without fawning over the Emporium Hotel South Bank. Up until a few years ago, if you were looking for the Emporium, you'd need to head to Fortitude Valley. But, after a bout of musical chairs among the city's accommodation providers, the hotel can now be found at South Bank. And this spot is pure opulence. Starting from the top – you've got their much-loved and often photographed 23m rooftop infinity pool with insane views over the city. You can even book a poolside cabana suite for extra easy access to the pool life. Moving on down the Emporium Hotel South Bank, the rooms are larger than you'd expect, and each comes with all the best amenities including marble and bronze finishings, mirrored TVs and in-suite wine fridges (they even have a pyjama menu for those who forgot to bring their own). Then move from the Piano Bar (where you get great live jazz throughout the year), to the main dining room or The Terrace before visiting the Belle Époque where you just have to try the afternoon tea experience. This contemporary hotel aims to stand out – boldly showing off all its luxury features.
In a year that's brought news that more Ted Lasso is on the way and is also delivering a 29-years-later sequel to Happy Gilmore, Stick is the right series for the right moment. There's no American in the UK at its core. None of its characters would prefer to be playing ice hockey, either. It's a golfing underdog story about attempting to score a pivotal tournament spot, however, and hails from the streaming platform that made the world now think of soccer whenever Jason Sudeikis pops up. Stick also knows that warmhearted, big-feeling comedies about the supportiveness of found families make for must-see viewing when they find the right swing — and, with that task, it hits the TV equivalent of a hole in one. The show's namesake is Pryce 'Stick' Cahill, a professional golfer-turned-golf store salesman — and a figure with the type of laidback yet vulnerable demeanour that Owen Wilson (Loki) excels at. He's not the person trying to make it into the sport's big leagues, though. Pryce has been there and done that, reaching number 18 in the world until his career ended unceremoniously with an on-the-green meltdown. Little has looked up for him since, and he starts the series mid-divorce from but still yearning for Amber-Linn (Judy Greer, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever) while living in their old shared home. Then, at a driving range, Pryce spies teenager Santi (Peter Dager, Insidious: The Red Door) smashing golf balls off the turf with pure raw talent. Stick, the show, now has its prodigy. Stick, the character, has a mission to help him unlock his talent. Initial roadblocks come courtesy of Santi's disinterest in Pryce's plan, the latter's fondness for a hustle, and needing to convince the 17-year-old's doting single mother Elena (Mariana Treviño, Caras Vemos) that the three of them should take to the road to chance a shot at getting into the amateur championships. Requiring wheels, Pryce then enlists his gruff ex-caddy Mitts (Marc Maron, The Order) to join them, RV in tow. Soon, this quartet adds a fifth member as well, when Santi befriends golf-club bartender Zero (Lilli Kay, Yellowstone). What appealed to Wilson about starring in Stick? "I really liked the idea of a second chance and the idea of needing people to believe in you. And Santi needs that, but Pryce certainly needs it," he tells Concrete Playground. "I find that a moving dynamic and something that I really believe in in real life, that people benefit so much when somebody has some confidence in them. And I just see that — even learning to drive, my dad was uptight and I was more likely to make a mistake with my dad driving because I could feel his energy. And then sometimes you have somebody like my grandmother, just loved me and I could do no wrong, and you'd sometimes do better with that. So I just like that part of the story." Series creator Jason Keller, who also co-penned the screenplays for films Mirror Mirror and Ford v Ferrari, has described Pryce as being at "a place in his life where the story he tells himself no longer works anymore". Wilson quickly came to mind for the part — as did Maron for Mitts — but as the former flags, he's not the only one in need of a new start in Stick. Accordingly, this ragtag crew's journey shares a key commonality with the path of every ball hit on a green: trying to find where they fit. Grief, loss, disappointment, unreasonable expectations and life's unfair twists have haunted this group, leaving them searching for their own niche. Stick is also about caring, even if that means that sometimes that heartbreak or other negative emotions arise as a result. Greer's only experience of the show's main sport going in was "watching my father come home after playing golf in the worst mood I've ever seen a man be in in his life", and so would think to herself "as a child, 'why would anyone do this to themselves? Why?'," she explains. Wilson has the perfect take on that. "Is it that thing of 'it's better to feel bad than not feel anything at all?'. So, rather than just being kind of an automatron, like sometimes we can get into, maybe feeling terrible is good?" he notes. "Because the idea that you care about something, that something has the ability to make you feel that way — because if it can make you feel that bad, well, there's going to be a day where you do connect and it's going to make you feel really good." That insight is indicative of a series lead who Maron notes is "a collaborative guy" and "always willing to work with you and elevate the scene", Treviño describes as eager to "engage emotionally and in the level of comedy that we had to do it, but also on the human level" — and who Dager, who secured the part of Santi via a self-tape audition after the producers had looked at around 600 other actors, advises that he learned from in a similar way that his character does from Pryce. We also spoke with Wilson, Dager, Maron, Treviño and Greer about everything from Dager's pivotal casting to golf's lessons (and golfing lessons), underdog stories, RV life, intergenerational tension and more. On What It Meant to Dager to Score Such a Key Role in Stick Peter: "I couldn't quite believe it. I still remember the day — I got cast the day after my 21st birthday. I was with my dad and I got the call from Jon and Val [Ruby Sparks and Battle of the Sexes' Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris], the directors and executive producers, and I just really couldn't believe it. But it was such a long audition process. I think there were six rounds. And so by the time I had finished the audition process, I'm like 'I know I did good work. If it goes my way, it does. And if it doesn't, I did what I could'. And so I was also just, when I got it, I was kind of like 'okay, cool'. I couldn't believe it, but then there was another part of me that was like 'cool, I feel like I earned this one, and they saw what they needed to see'. And I was excited to get started. I was so excited to get started, really, more than anything." On How Wilson Approached Portraying Someone Who Is at a Place in His Life Where the Story He Tells Himself No Longer Works Anymore Owen: "You know, Jason didn't say that exactly to me, but that sounds really nice, and I feel it when you say it. And I don't know — I know that initially I was sort of nervous about playing a golfer, because my dad was a good golfer, I'd never learned the game and 'oh, how do you make it seem kind of real?'. But of course, golf's just the backdrop for the story and Jason really had a lot of faith in me that gave me confidence that maybe I could do it and play the character. And there's a lot of stuff with Pryce that I could kind of relate to — that wanting a second chance or feeling that you need somebody to believe in you, that you can't do it alone. I think that's a powerful message. And so I really like that part of the story, because I find it funny and also moving." On Maron Being Thought of Quickly as Stick's Ideal Mitts Marc: "I think I have a fairly varied and broad personality, but I think one of the more compelling elements is my ability to be pretty cranky and irritated. And I think people find that entertaining. So he clearly locked in on that. But I do think he also sensed that there was a depth to it, in that I was able to handle the emotional side of this guy, along with being my cranky self. And I appreciate that. But I'm not as cranky as Mitts. I'm not." On What Dager Was Excited to Bring to the Role of Stick's Teenage Golf Prodigy Peter: "I think the first thing that I really was excited to dive into was the idea of greatness and playing a prodigy — playing somebody who's spoken about as the next Tiger Woods, somebody with all this potential and all this talent. And so the idea of what greatness is and what it takes, the sacrifices you make to achieve it, the negative impacts that it can have once obtained — all of that was super interesting to me. And so I started to examine my own life and see the similarities, what I could take. The rest, I had to imagine. And then beginning to study golf, and the likes of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and Jack Nicklaus and all the greats, that was just so exciting. And then the rest of it, everything else that came after that was a plus — meeting everybody, meeting Owen, Lilli, Marc, Mariana, Tim [Olyphant, Havoc]. But at first, the exciting thing was the idea of greatness — playing somebody great." On What You Learn About Not Just Golf But Life When You're Trying to Pick Up the Sport Owen: "Oh gosh, we were joking — we've joked a lot today about golf being a metaphor for life. And I think doesn't it seem like everything that you say is a metaphor for life is always something hard, and is frustrating and challenging? And so I think that it's a game that you can't seem to master — so someone like Tiger Woods, as great as he was, can still feel that he needs to redo his swing. And so it's like chess — you can't kind of ever totally figure it out. And the thing for me was learning that this thing, this sport that I was kind of intimidated by, that I actually can do it. But it's two steps forward, one step back — or one step forward, two steps back — because there's some days where I just can't do it. But it's definitely something that I will be playing the rest of my life. And so I'm so happy that I learned for this show." On the Keys to Portraying Determination for Treviño When That's Such a Pivotal Character Trait for Elena Mariana: "I think it's just the force that is with a mother that wants to make her son go in the right path — to save the family, and to save and to keep moving. I think they're in kind of a desperate moment when the show starts. Maybe not desperate, but they're a little stuck and stagnant because they don't know where to pull after a big loss that they had as a family. So I think that the mother's instinct just says 'this is not right, we are not living as we should and he's not owing up to a talent, the natural-given talent that he has'. So I think that determination is not even rational with Elena. It just is a force working inside of her, just because she has her son's best interest in heart and she's going to do whatever — even if she doesn't understand, if she doubts what she's doing is right, the determination is stronger than her doubts, and it's what makes this force of movement, and to embark on this journey and this adventure of self-discovery." On What It Takes to Believably Portray a Phenomenal Golfing Talent, to the Point of Doing Golf Scenes Yourself, When You've Never Played Before — and Only Had Baseball Experience to Go On Peter: "It took a while. It took a while. I don't think I felt — I don't think I saw my progress until maybe three weeks in. And it wasn't because I was hitting the ball good, because I would go out and play with my first trainer named Beau Lardner. It was moreso because I felt the swing feel comfortable. I felt it becoming a fluid motion. And it wasn't always there. I was still going outside in, instead of inside out, but I was getting the rhythm of the swing, the club speed. So three weeks into it, I was starting to see the progress. But I didn't feel ready up until maybe two months into it, so we had already started filming. But by the time we get to episode five, six and seven — and really eight and nine, where you see Santi playing golf for two whole episodes — a lot of those shots are my own because that was done with like five months of training, four months of training. And by then, my club speed was up, the striking distance was sort of increasing and I felt really good with my swing. And yeah, actually a lot of the baseball, that sort of inside out that you have naturally when swinging a baseball bat, it really lends itself to the process of swinging a golf club." On Why Sports-Centric TV Comedies Telling Underdog Stories Keep Popping Up on Maron's Resume Marc: "No, I didn't seek out any of it. GLOW was this a random audition that I put on my phone. I think those two guys are slightly different types of cranky. I think that Sam in GLOW had no real self-awareness around his swagger, his ridiculous swagger, and he wasn't really neurotic at all. And I think that Mitts is a very reflective guy, and a guy who sits in a certain amount of sadness. But I guess they are of the same spectrum of bravado on some level — of kind of slightly futile bravado, you know." On How Dager Learned From His Co-Stars Like Wilson, Greer, Maron, Treviño and Kay Peter: "Everybody has their own process with acting, which was really cool, because I have my own — and I can think it's so special, and you're like 'oh my god, they don't work like I do', but everybody's different process and encountering it and being around it for four months straight, it's a lesson in perspective. And you start to really question your own process, and you see the benefits of other people's. So you learn a lot without even having conversations about it. You just learn a lot by watching these people who have worked for so long approach the work the way they approach the work. But yeah, then there were moments with Owen specifically, where that Pryce-Santi relationship really became real off camera. Especially early on when — Owen's a great leader, he knew exactly when to give me a talk, and it always felt natural because he wanted to. He was compelled to. It never felt forced. And he wasn't absent either. It was a sort of perfect mix of both. Yeah, him especially, it was truly a treat to work with him because of that, that mentorship." On What Treviño Learned From Working with Dager Mariana: "A lot. Of course, as an actor, we're always constantly learning from each other. It doesn't matter your experience, your age, because it's a human interchange of emotions and contents that sometimes you're not even very conscious of. So many things come into play when you are making a scene come alive that it's really beyond what you think of experience. It is about experience, because it's the contents of your soul that are being exchanged and shaped into this reality. But Peter, he's a lovely young man. He's super mature. He's very outspoken. He has a wonderful, joyful personality. And he's really, really smart — and he was really keen into getting into something with all his heart. He played golf all the time while we were in Vancouver. His determination as an actor to get it right — to not play confidence, but to experience it doing golfing himself — I love that. So I learned that from him, among many other things. And how you have to be very approachable, because you don't know where the exchange is going to happen. And he's like that — he's a very approachable person and actor, he's very open, and that I think sometimes it's important for things to be discovered." On How Wilson Worked Through the Emotional Journey of Playing Ex-Spouses with Greer Owen: "I know that Judy and I, that we had no problem connecting — just we were sort of on the same wavelength with sense of humor. And I think when you're on the same wavelength sense of humour-wise, it means that you're also same wavelength sensitivity-wise. And so I think it was easy for us — or not easy, but when we had to do some of the emotional stuff, because I'm clearly still in love with her, she's kind of moved on, it was easy for me to feel those things and to see that in her. So it was just, for us, lucky casting that we had Judy doing it." On Dager's Task Juggling the Many Facets of Santi, Including His Talent, Growing Up Fast, Being Temperamental and His Coming-of-Age Journey Peter: "I think it's just taking the moment as it is. Being in each moment, exploring that moment to your fullest as an actor, just finding everything you can in that moment. And with TV and film, it's a luxury because you get to repeat the moment, so you find things and you can find a way to put them into the next take. But rather than worrying about a general story arc, if you just can concentrate on the moment that you're trying to execute and explore and bring to life, you've just got to hope and pray that when you see the final cut, every moment was explored to its possibility, and when they're all cut together you see the whole thing pan out. But yeah, that's the sort of mindset I would approach it with, focusing on the moment rather than feeling 'man, I have to play with all these things and have a balancing act'. Now, there are things that you have to remember that you've said in other scenes, but that's more than nitty gritty and very specific moments. But focusing on the moment is the more general approach that I had." On Stick's Intergenerational Tension — and Why That Clash Is Such a Go-To On-Screen Owen: "Well, with working with Peter and with Lilli, who play Santi and Zero, I think it's that familiar generational argument — that one generation thinks the other generation doesn't get it, had it too easy, and so that plays out with how I am struggling to connect with Santi. And with Zero. And I think it's hopefully funny, their inability to connect. And then I think there's some moving stuff when any human beings try to connect. And so that's certainly there, and that struggle for us that we have to kind of connect — and that's good." Judy: "I think it's always funny to watch two different generations duke it out, and argue with each other and try to decide who is more right. I don't know why. I just think that's universal comedy to me." On the RV Having Such a Pivotal Part in the Series Marc: "I feel like just the idea of a confined space with people who were relative strangers brought up the stakes of their ability to connect and interact — and overcome minor obstacles, because you are in this space. And I think the RV, for my character, carried a lot of emotional weight. And I think that the nature of the RV as a character was really taking Mitts out of his grief. There's a lot of reference to it being a mausoleum to his wife, who passed away. I don't think that spoils anything. So it was pretty loaded for Mitts. But it was also like it was an adventure, and you were being taken to all these different places and all these different environments. So it was a fairly complex character in the show." Mariana: "And it's also the idea of the moving home. These characters decide to embark on this journey in this car that is really becoming a home for them. And that is like a tiny home — they all sleep there, they cook. So it becomes, without them knowing, their place of safety and comfort during this whole journey. And it becomes a home for this new found family that is being created. And so of course it's a really important character, a really important presence in the show, because of the symbolic meaning of this — the idea that even if you're out there in the wilderness, you can find a family and they will all unite with a common purpose. And they become your allies in this confined space. All of a sudden we're all here — and you see that on top of the RV, we're allies, and outside we become allies, too." Stick streams via AppleTV+.
Australia's first Angelika Film Centre. Italian bar and eatery Sasso, Chinese Peruvian joint Casa Chow, Palm Springs-inspired gin-pouring garden bar Purple Palm, and European-influenced wine bar and wine shop South City Wine. Two holes in the wall, one a La Macelleria gelateria and the other taqueria Los Felix. They're just some of the reasons to drop by South City Square in Woolloongabba — and now, if you have a hankering for Japanese rice bowls, so is Uncle Don. The chain already boasts eateries in Paddington and West End slinging donburi and, with its newest location, it has brought 20-plus variations of the dish to its biggest venue yet. You'll find Uncle Don catering to up to 100 guests in the Logan Road precinct, complete with both indoor and outdoor seating — to begin with, for lunch Wednesday–Friday and also on Sundays, and for dinner Wednesday–Sunday, but seven-day trading is on the way. On the menu, Uncle Don splits its donburi offering into seven sections: seafood, chicken, beef, pork, vegetable, curry and keto. Within each, a heap of choices await. So if you're having a hard time picking between salmon sashimi and baked salmon, grilled eel, chicken katsu, karaage and egg, grilled duck, wagyu steak, crispy pork, shiitake mushroom and scrambled egg curry varieties, for instance, that's understandable. Among the starters, lotus root chips with miso pumpkin dip, a tower of eggplant chips, pork gyoza, parmesan chicken karaage and pork katsu sandos are all options. And for dessert, there's also a don — a matcha tiramisu don, which is made with mascarpone ice cream, honeycomb, biscuits and matcha syrup. Uncle Don hails from Sunshine Coast-based hospitality group Eastern Culinary Collective, which also includes Nonda in Newstead, plus Soka and Choo Choo Sushi in Maroochydore, and Jango Korean BBQ in Kawana in its stable. South City Square is also set to welcome two-level brewpub The Wright House, which was initially slated for a 2023 launch, but is now due to open in 2024. Find Uncle Don's Woolloongabba outpost at South City Square, 148 Logan Road, Woolloongabba — opening from 11.30am–2.30pm Wednesday–Friday and also on Sundays for lunch, and 5–9pm Wednesday–Sunday for dinner, with seven-day trading coming soon. Head to the chain's website for further details.
When the ABC announced that Spicks and Specks would return in 2024 after sitting 2023 out, it was big news, as anything to do with the hit Australian take on the UK's Never Mind the Buzzcocks always is. IRL, here's something just as exciting: the Brisbane-born and -based Not on Your Rider is also back for this year, although it didn't take a year off. On the agenda: playing a music quiz show filled with well-known faces live not just in the River City, but also in Sydney and Melbourne as well. And yes, the audience gets to play, too. You'll be peering at a stage, rather than a screen. You'll be answering questions, of course. And if it has you thinking about pub trivia nights, they don't include The Creases' Aimon Clark — who is also behind Isolation Trivia — hosting, or Patience Hodgson from The Grates and Jeremy Neale from Velociraptor captaining the two teams, let alone a heap of entertainment-industry guests. At past events, guests have included Murray Cook from The Wiggles, Broden Kelly and Mark Samual Bonanno from Aunty Donna, Boy Swallows Universe author Trent Dalton, Agro, Cal Wilson, Ben Lee, Steven Bradbury, Kate Miller-Heidke, Robert Irwin, Ranger Stacey, Craig Lowndes and Tim Rogers. Among the other musicians who've featured, Powderfinger, Dune Rats, DZ Deathrays, Ruby Fields, Ball Park Music, The Jungle Giants and The Go-Betweens have all had members take to the stage. Brisbane's 2024 season kicked off in mid-February, and now has seven more dates locked in for the rest of the year, all at The Triffid. Yes, given there's a Thursday, October 31 event, you can probably expect another Halloween celebration. And, come Thursday, December 19, a Christmas show as well. In Sydney and Melbourne, Not on Your Rider has a show in each city locked in. For the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, it's popping up on Thursday, April 18 at Brunswick Ballroom. And at Sydney's equivalent, head to Factory Theatre on Sunday, May 5. Here's how it works: Not on Your Rider takes something that everyone loves — showing off their music trivia knowledge — and dials it up a few notches. While the two on-stage teams are always filled with musos, comedians, drag queens and other guests, anyone can buy a ticket, sit at a table and answer questions along with them. The quiz element is accompanied by chats about the music industry, plus other mini games involving attendees. Not on Your Rider 2024 Dates: Brisbane: Thursday, April 4 — The Triffid Thursday, May 9 — The Triffid Thursday, June 13 — The Triffid Thursday, August 1 — The Triffid Thursday, September 12 — The Triffid Thursday, October 31 — The Triffid Thursday, December 19 — The Triffid Melbourne: Thursday, April 18 — Brunswick Ballroom Sydney: Sunday, May 5 — Factory Theatre Not on Your Rider's 2024 season runs on various dates until Thursday, December 19 at The Triffid in Brisbane, and on one-off occasions in Sydney and Melbourne. For more information or to buy tickets, head to the Not On Your Rider website. Images: Dave Kan / Bianca Holderness.
A Brisbane market favourite since 2015, Le Fromage Yard has made the jump to a bricks-and-mortar shop, opening its first permanent base on Wynnum Road in Morningside. That means that dairy lovers can pick up more cheese more often, thanks to a real-world version of its popular online cheese room. Or, you can combine the two — ordering your favourite truffle brie or whisky cheddar from the website, and then collecting it in person. Cheese is the main attraction, obviously, but Le Fromage Yard is also expanding its remit. It already has its central ingredient covered, and custom-made cheese towers, too — however, every gooey slice of camembert and crisp sliver of pecorino needs something go with it. That means meats, pâté, terrine, olives, sweet garlic, crackers, pastes and honey, with the Morningside location designed as a one-stop destination for all things cheesy and all its accompaniments. That said, if you're after breads and baked goods to go with your feast, owners Stephanie Stevenson and Pierre Lantourne recommend heading a few stores down to much-loved Morningside mainstay Flour & Chocolate. If picking up the gouda stuff is a firm part of your market-going routine, don't worry — Le Fromage Yard will still continue to pop up at markets as well. Find its stall at regular berths in Queen Street, Brisbane Powerhouse, Kevin Grove, Mitchelton and Manly. Le Fromage Yard is now open at 7/611 Wynnum Road, Morningside. It's open from 9.30am–5.30pm Tuesday and Wednesday, 9am–6pm Thursday and Friday, and 7am–2pm Saturdays.
Since it premiered at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival, earning Nicole Kidman the event's Best Actress prize in the process, two scenes from Babygirl have received the internet's ample and avid attention. In one, intern Samuel (Harris Dickinson, The Iron Claw) orders CEO Romy Mathis (Kidman, The Perfect Couple) a glass of milk, unprompted on her part, in a public bar at after-work drinks with their colleagues, keeping his eyes affixed in her direction from across the room as she sips it. In another, George Michael's 'Father Figure' soundtracks a slinky hotel-suite dance — a romp that's equal parts seductive and awkward — that's given by Samuel as Romy watches on. As it charts the duo's heated affair, and the yearning for satisfaction that's driving it so deeply, Babygirl is filled with moments that linger. It's teeming with sequences that other movies to follow are bound to nod to, remake, covet and wish that they had conjured up first, too. It starts with one, with Romy and her theatre-director husband Jacob (Antonio Banderas, Paddington in Peru) getting intimate at home in bed, then Romy rushing to another room to finish the job alone. Another pivotal scene arrives early, as the picture's central pair initially meet on a New York City street. They're both headed to the same place — it's Samuel's first day at Romy's robotics automation company, in fact — but before she knows who he is or that he's working for her, she's spellbound by how he calms down a dog that lunges her way. With her third feature behind the lens — her debut, 2019 Dutch drama Instinct, inspired Kidman to get in touch; 2022's Bodies Bodies Bodies, her second, saw the filmmaker give horror-comedy a delightfully entertaining spin — writer/director Halina Reijn clearly knows how to get viewers to submit. Watching Babygirl means surrendering swiftly to a smart and savvy exploration of desire, identity, control and vulnerability. It means being plunged into Romy and Samuel's thorny relationship, and all of the emotions that it swirls up, as Kidman and Dickinson turn in magnetic, raw and fearless performances. It also means being taken in by a reimagining of the erotic thriller with an unyielding female gaze. And yes, Reijn is well-aware, as viewers also should be, that a film like this, that addresses the orgasm gap and follows a woman seeking sexual fulfilment, mightn't feel so bold and rare in a perfect world where more such movies existed. Part of Babygirl's complexity is the dynamic of submission and domination between Romy and Samuel. Often daring, confident, assertive and brazen, he's largely in the latter role, but he can also be vulnerable and uncertain. At the office, in their professional realm, at the business that she founded and now leads, she has the power. One thing is certain chatting with Reijn and Dickinson, however: making a picture that's not just an erotic thriller, but a comedy of manners in its own way, a clear fantasy, a relationship drama, a kinky romance and a workplace thriller as well, they both happily submit to Kidman worship. When he chats with Concrete Playground, Dickinson has his pile of discs from the Criterion Closet, aka every cinephile's dream location, within reach. Taking us through his picks, he holds each DVD up: "one of them is our dearest Nicole," he beams with To Die For in his hand. Reijn's admiration for Kidman started as an actor herself, with her performing career dating back to the 90s. For challenging theatre parts, the Black Book and Valkyrie star would think about the Aussie talent, and attempt to channel her bravery. "She's god," Reijn tells us. Dickinson's role in Babygirl joins a resume that features one of the all-time great big-screen debuts, with his also-hypnotic turn in 2017's Beach Rats instantly marking him as a certain star. His filmography since constantly proves that true; after parts in TV's Trust and as a Disney prince in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, the 2020s have kept him busy. See: everything from franchise entry The King's Man and the page-to-screen Where the Crawdads Sing to whodunnit See How They Run, Palme d'Or-winner Triangle of Sadness, Emma Corrin (Nosferatu)-led TV must-see A Murder at the End of the World and the World War II-set Blitz. With Beach Rats, The Souvenir: Part II, Scrapper and now Babygirl, he's also enjoyed a stellar run working with female filmmakers. "I've always been really lucky with the films that have come my way and the directors that have come my way, and a lot of them being women, and I've just been grateful for that," Dickinson advises. "Whether it's coincidence or not, I think that a lot of these women you're talking about have a deep access to a certain sensitivity, and an understanding and a humour, that maybe other people don't have. I guess I'll go where they go — and I'll go where they lead me." A couple of trends pop up with Babygirl for Reijn as well. Kidman sits at the heart of them. Casting her female lead in a New York-set, and Christmas-set, erotic thriller about a complicated marriage, Reijn sees the film as a female-skewed response to Eyes Wide Shut, which ticks all of the same boxes. As Australian viewers can't avoid noticing, there's more than just one Aussie touch to Babygirl, too, with Talk to Me's Sophie Wilde playing Romy's assistant Esme and 'Never Tear Us Apart' by INXS on the movie's soundtrack. "It is coincidental, but I don't think it is coincidental," Reijn notes. How did the writer/director shape Babygirl from hearing from a story about another woman from a friend? How did she purposely invert the status quo of 80s and 90s erotic thrillers — and also approach juggling her movie's eager mix of tones? Why was Dickinson initially a little reluctant to sign on, and what did he tap into as Samuel? What goes into a great dance scene for him? We also spoke with Reijn and Dickinson about all of the above, plus much more. On How Babygirl Evolved From Reijn Hearing From a Friend About a Woman Who Had Been Married for 25 Years Without Orgasming with Her Husband Halina: "Honestly, what happened was my response to it. Which was 'what, that's insane!' — something like that. And I went home and I was like 'wait, why did I react like that?'. It was almost like I was judging it. I was like 'no, that can't be true'. Then I started to think about my own experiences that I often had thought about in the past, that it took too long for me to orgasm at the hands of a man — and that I was very insecure, and that I had faked it on occasion just to make him feel better or to just get it over with, or because I was so ashamed and I didn't dare to really ask for him to change the way he was doing it or whatever. Then I started to talk to other women. I was losing it because I was so afraid to do it, but I just forced myself to talk to my girlfriends, to ask them like this, like 'can I ask you something?'. And then it turned out that a lot of my friends had similar stories. Then I started going online to research it, and then I just found out there's a huge orgasm gap. And we're not talking about it. Not enough, not in Hollywood movies. And part of the problem is that the stories that we see, for all the pornography that we see, but also the Hollywood movies — TV is a little bit ahead of us — Hollywood movies are letting women have orgasms in ways that are not possible physically. Even movies that are arthouse, even movies that are supposed to be half produced by women. So I felt it was time to really talk about that — and as a symbol for women in general, for women not orgasming or women not daring to ask for what they want on a deeper existential level, and women not having space enough to even explore themselves." On the Run of Projects That's Led Dickinson to Babygirl — and What It Means to Enjoy Such a Diverse Range of Work Harris: "It's been just a dream, and I've been so lucky that people have let me do this as a job still. I pinch myself every day with the realisation that I get to act and play all these different people, and get to do it with people that I admire. Triangle of Sadness was a huge thing for me. Being part of that was a real turning point. And same with Scrapper and The Iron Claw — all of those things you mentioned are just all in such different worlds. That's the goal for me, is to step into really different, unusual worlds that challenge me as a performer and force me into new versions of myself as well — new skins. Not to sound pretentious, but that's all I ever wished for, is just to have a versatile set of experiences and roles. And I've really been able to, I've been offered that, so I'm grateful." On How Reijn Fleshed Out Babygirl's Narrative Around a Woman in a Sexually Unfulfilling Long-Term Marriage Halina: "I think it all came from the question that I had, because I felt as women, we are so conditioned to become what others — or what we think others — want, and want us to be. So what society expects of us: that we should be perfect mothers and perfect career women and perfect daughters and perfect lovers, and have a perfect vagina and a perfect face. And look young. I felt that all of that, and the idea that we're playing all these different roles and that we're performing all of these different roles and forget to be our authentic self, that made me ask the question: is it possible to love all the different layers of myself? Because if I would accept the darker sides of myself, I would maybe be able to be more my authentic self and let go of all these ideas of perfection. So that is where all the ideas came from. I just thought 'what is the best profession, then, for her to have?'. It's all about chaos and control, really, and so I thought it would be very appropriate for her to be a CEO of a robotics company. Because she's a product of the sexual revolution, she grew up in cults and communes, she was named by a guru — and her whole life is an answer to that, which is the white picket fence, total control. And I thought it's kind of like the beast against machine, if you want to exaggerate it. And the whole movie is informed by that contradiction between control, surrender — the beasts, the civilised layer of ourselves." On What Dickinson Drew Upon to Play a Character Swinging Between Control and Surrender Harris: "Everything. Insecurity and pain and anger and love, it's all part of it, isn't it. It all boils down to what it means to be a human — and I think just normal everyday stuff as well. But the stakes for them, the stakes for them were higher. The stakes of the relationship and the affair, they were high. Confusion as well. Navigating something that you don't understand. Navigating feelings of your own that you don't understand." On How Reijn Knew That Dickinson Was Babygirl's Samuel Halina: "The moment that Nicole said 'I want to do this', first I couldn't sleep for joy and I was overexcited and full of adrenaline. But the next thing is, of course, who's going to play that young man opposite her? Who's going to be able to not only be challenging her as an actor, but be dominating her in these scenes? Someone like her, a total icon and one of the best actors on the planet, how are you going to find a young person to be able to match that? And then, weirdly, during that time I saw Triangle of Sadness. And I had never seen him before. I was so intrigued. And then I went home, and that night I saw Beach Rats, and I was mesmerised. Already Triangle of Sadness had me completely intrigued. But Beach Rats — and then I just saw all of his work, anything he did, the shortest movies, the old movies, everything. I a) got obsessed — and then I also found out that he was very tall, which might sound weird, but it is very important me. As an actress, I've had so many scene partners where I didn't feel that I could show my full strength because I was afraid that they couldn't hold it, not only physically but also emotionally. And so I felt 'this is just a perfect guy, he is the perfect age'. I was lucky enough to get a Zoom with him after he read the script, and and that only made me more confident that I had to have him. But it took me a couple of conversations with him because he was quite — he's very British, he's a very strong-willed person, and I really had to convince him that my movie would be an exploration of consent and power and surrendering control in a layered, complex way, and it was not going to be 50 Shades of Grey. And then he said 'yes', and both me and Nicole knew, even without — she didn't even meet him — we both knew it was going to work out. They met at the most-crazy place, they met at the Met Gala, because they were both there. I texted them both, I was like 'try to find each other'. And I was like a mother sitting here in my apartment — 'aaah, I hope it's going to work out'. Then they both texted me that they felt the other person was amazing, and then we were off to the races." On What Convinced Dickinson After His Initial Reluctance — and What He Was Keen to Explore Harris: "I think it was that initial fear that made me want to do it. And Halina, Halina, I trusted Halina, talking to her and understanding her vision for it and her approach. It made me trust her. It made me intrigued. I wanted to be in her world. I think the character itself was really complex. The opportunity to play someone that was kind of unreliable in their approach, they share information that is unreliable, I liked that. I liked that there was unanswered questions around who he was and where he came from and how he got there. I enjoyed those ambiguities. Also his manner and his directness, and his chameleon-like capabilities. They were all qualities that intrigued me about him. And getting to have fun within those scenes, play the humour and play the embarrassment, I thought it was all very nuanced and human stuff — so always exciting for an actor to jump into." On Reijn Casting Her Long-Held Source of Inspiration in Kidman Halina: "She contacted me after my first movie and that was, of course, a moment of total insanity for me. I thought I was having a psychosis when she contacted me, because I literally carried her around in my heart for so long as a torch against fear. Because I was part of a theatre group that made very, very radical theatre, so I had to do very scary things and I would always channel her. So it was insane to me when she called me. And then we just immediately hit it off, because I think what really connects us — and I mean, for me she's god, so I would never compare myself to her — but what is similar is that we both, however, in life we all have ego, we all have fear, we all have vanity, we all have all these worries about small things, but when she starts to act, or when she embarks on a creative journey, her vanity and ego is at the door; I think that is for me exactly the same. So whatever I am in my daily life, which is a totally a flawed, weird clown, when I start to be creative, there's ego death. There's complete ego death. And that is what connects us and makes — it's almost like a twin soulmate feeling. She calls it sometimes that we communicate through telepathy. And so working together became this really strange, almost-spiritual experience, in which we both just felt such an urgency to tell this story, and such dedication — and also to the humour of it and the playfulness of it and the lightness of it. And to bring warmth to this story, and to hopefully inspire women to liberate themselves a little bit more. That's what I think connects us." On What Excited Dickinson About Collaborating with Kidman Harris: "She's just got such an incredible body of work. She's so impressive. And everything that she's done, she's worked with some of our finest directors. I just was massively excited to get to watch her work, but also work alongside her and really get a chance to be close to that as a performer. But separate to that, she's just a lovely person. She makes everyone around her feel very encouraged and collaborative and creative, and that's just all you could ever ask for in this scenario. It's a difficult subject and it's some vulnerable stuff, and you want someone that's going to go there all the way with you." On Reijn's Embrace of the Eyes Wide Shut Connection, Knowing That Audiences Would Bring Their Knowledge of Kidman's Filmography to the Movie Halina: "When she came onboard, when she said 'I want to play this character' — and what also happened, so first of all, that, of course that it was going to be her, but then the strike happened. And I wrote the whole movie for summer, so I wrote that the second home is going be in The Hamptons, and they were going to be swimming in the ocean. It was completely, in that sense, a very different energy field. Then, because of the strike, we had to reschedule to Christmas. And A24 called me and said 'after the strike, the moment the strike ends, you need to rewrite, you need to rewrite the whole thing. It needs to be Christmas'. And then, of course, I thought Eyes Wide Shut, because it's the best Christmas movie ever. [caption id="attachment_652177" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Eyes Wide Shut[/caption] But I also thought about Eyes Wide Shut that it was funny that, if you look at Eyes Wide Shut, of course it has a lot of similar themes about midlife crisis, about sexual exploration, about monogamy versus polygamy, and all of these things — but she only tells him her fantasy, then we go on the whole journey with him, almost as a revenge, as a kind of Pandora's box is opened and now he has to go on this journey. It's an amazing journey but what is her journey? We don't know. We don't go there. We just hear her talk about it. We get some flashes. So I thought it is actually an answer in a way, but I only thought this after the fact, to be honest with you — it's an answer to Eyes Wide Shut. It is a female's journey into what is sexuality, what is monogamy, what do I really want and how hard is it to talk about that in an intimate, very long-term relationship, and how easy, weirdly, is it to be with a stranger and to reinvent myself with this young, strange man? That paradox is amazing to me. I am very grateful that there is some sort of strange magical connection between those movies." On How Dickinson and Kidman Brought Both Chemistry and Awkwardness — and Attraction and Uncertainty — to Romy and Samuel Harris: "Well, we didn't do loads of work. We had some rehearsals, but we really tried to focus on just getting the reality there and finding the nuance. But mostly it just came from not discussing stuff and just trying it. And we didn't talk a bunch. We didn't get to know each other loads. We just did it and tried it and didn't get in the way of ourselves too much, and I think that ended up working out for the best." On the Babygirl's Tonal Balancing Act Harris: "It's always tricky figuring out the tone, what kind of thing you're in. But it starts to fall into place, especially when you have a very strong, assertive voice with a director like Halina — you end up just trusting them and trusting their vision for it, and you fall into place. And it becomes the film it's supposed to be. All of that stuff that you try, it gets mixed up into the pot and then the dish gets made. You throw it all in, you throw the ingredients and you see which ones come out the other side." Halina: "I thought it was incredibly hard to — I really, as an actress, I'm retired now, but I got so many scripts in my life that I didn't understand the tone. It was like 'what do they want?'. So I felt it was my duty to make it very clear, especially because I take this challenge of 'oh, I'm going to make my own genre' —well, then you better know what you put on the page. So I really try to capture the tone in my writing — and on purpose, because this is how I feel. This is where we stand, I feel, as women. We just got the right to vote. Until 1987, we had to have a male guardian with us to get a business loan. It's still proven that if we lose ten pounds of weight, that we get a promotion in our work easier than if we get a master's degree. We're nowhere. So I wanted to show that in how I use genres. So I start out with these very masculine sexual thriller references,of the 90s. And then I venture into a world where everybody turns out to be ambiguous, and it's way more relatable and human and complex and nuanced. I'm using, on purpose, I'm swapping gender — like the scene in 9 1/2 Weeks where Kim Basinger is stripping to a Joe Cocker song and Mickey Rourke is sitting there watching her, I wanted to really copy that scene, but then reverse the gender, swap the gender, where Nicole is sitting there and he's dancing to 'Father Figure'. And all these little Easter eggs, so that you can continually be confused about who has the power, who's chasing who, who's blackmailing who — and is the woman in control, or is she the mascochist, or is her masochism super dominant? And that is where the comedy of manners element steps in and it becomes more of a fable and a fairy tale. And yes, what was hard about it is that I wanted it to be funny. And sex and humour is not always easy to connect, just like horror and humor in Bodies Bodies Bodies was a hard balancing act. But I just love that kind of challenge. Not everybody gets it, because some people feel that when people are laughing in the audience at Babygirl, they feel they don't want that. They want people to not laugh about it because they take it so seriously. But it's meant to make you laugh. It's meant to show you how we're all helpless as humans. We're just trying to control the chaos, but we can't. And that's what my movie is about, it's about pure vulnerability. So it was a balancing act, but I really enjoyed it." On What Goes Into a Memorable Dance Scene, Such as Babygirl's Seductive-Yet-Awkward Hotel Moment, for Dickinson Harris: "Well, I think you said it: seductive, awkward. You don't want it to be too rehearsed. You want it to be silly. You want it to be meaningful. You want it to be awkward. You don't want to be like some Magic Mike planned thing — it's got to feel authentic to the character. But also, I think in that particular scene – well, there's the two dance scenes. There's the rave, which is something different, that's just total hedonism. And then in the hotel, it's almost like a little mating call. He's feeling it out. He's performing to her a little. He's embarrassed. But he's also kind of enjoying the freedom of it. It's like a little bit of liberation for him as well. So there was a lot a lot going on in that scene." Babygirl opened in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, January 30, 2025.
Woolloongabba isn't short on places to enjoy a drink, especially on game days, but only one craft beer pub and brewery sits directly opposite the Gabba. Brisbane's famed football and cricket ground literally casts a shadow over Easy Times Brewing Co. Stop in for a pre-match brew, and you won't have to venture far to get into the stadium. Heading by on a regular day, during the venue's Wednesday–Sunday operating hours, is welcome as well. Open since 2020, Easy Times is a laidback addition to the Logan Road precinct. The name gives that away, obviously. Here, you can sip beers made onsite, with 20 taps pouring different varieties — or, there's a wine and spirits selection for those after something not-so-yeasty. With two levels and two street frontages, patrons can pick their view, including onto Stanley Street. When it comes to food, you'll be selecting from a SoCal-inspired menu. Pair pints of Gabba Draught, Hazy Times IPA and Sunshine State of Mind pale ale with five different types of tacos, including pulled pork with pineapple salsa verde, braised beef with salsa roja, drunken mescal beans, barbecue chicken with corn guacamole, and grilled saltwater barramundi with pickled slaw — or, opt for four kinds of tortas, nacho boxes and burrito bowls. To spice things up, the venue makes two hot sauces in-house, too, so you can hop out the door with an extra spring in your step. On Sundays, Easy Times also hosts live tunes — and for weekday lunches, it does $20 beer and taco deals. Top image: Darren Ward.
Towards the river end of Bulimba's Oxford Street (past the main cluster of restaurants and cafes) stands local favourite Thai Legend. Not a fine dining or even a family dining establishment, Thai Legend is strictly a takeaway affair, and their prices reflect this. The most expensive dish on the menu is $18, and there is also a page-long list of budget items ranging from $6.70 to $12.50. When it comes to the food itself, do not underestimate this modest suburban takeaway shop. Staples like pad Thai, tom yum goong, red duck curry, jungle curry and coconut rice are first rate but the entrees are in a different league altogether. All of the entrees at Thai Legend (curry puffs, steamed sago balls, tod mun pla and more) are excellent, but the stuffed eggplant (eggplant stuffed with minced chicken and herbs, crumbed and fried) must be tasted to be believed. Though this dish takes a little longer to prepare, it is very generously portioned and exceptionally delicious. A restaurant with no dine-in option may discourage those who live far away, but if you find the time to stop by, it's unlikely you'll be disappointed.
It's the market equivalent of one of cinema's new favourite gimmicks — instead of all your favourite superheroes jumping into one film, two of Brisbane's markets are joining forces for one day. At Carseldine's Christmas in July Markets on Saturday, July 25, the weekly northside market is teaming up with the folks at Love Handmade Markets and focusing on all things crafty and handmade. And Christmas-themed too, because this market mash-up is pretending it's five months down the track for some extra fun (and, given the year we've all had so far, a much-needed distraction). You could always browse, buy and go home with all your gift shopping taken care of well in advance — or that's what you could tell yourself, at least, while you tuck into some festive bites to eat. There'll be Brisbane's biggest array of local handmade artists and makers, as well as Carseldine's usual 150-plus food, flower and fresh produce stalls. The market opens as normal at 7am, entry is free and it all runs until midday. [caption id="attachment_776684" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Carseldine Markets[/caption] The Carseldine Christmas in July Markets run from 7am–12pm on Saturday, July 25. Image: Carseldine Farmers & Artisan Markets.
Sometimes, only your favourite coffee order will do. At other times, your caffeine-loving tastebuds crave the taste of something new. Toby's Estate's Brisbane flagship, which has opened in Newstead, can cater for both instances. And if you're keen to try a heap of different types of coffee, it'll serve up more than 84 different kinds each year. Sleek digs, a hefty array of specialty brews, a full kitchen: they're all part of Toby's Estate's new River City setup as well. The brand has made its home on Longland Street, adding its Brissie base to a global footprint that includes similar sites in Chippendale, where its Sydney roastery is located, as well as Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and the Middle East. You won't miss the curved coffee bar when you walk in — which is by design by Melbourne architects Russell & George. Sitting in the middle of the room, the round centrepiece includes an espresso bar, filter bar and training bar. While perched at it, you also won't miss the chance to witness the coffee-making process and hear from the baristas pouring your brew. Otherwise, in a venue that uses sustainable vinyl and raw ply heavily — and aims for a look that mixes 70s-style retro with modern touches — tables and chairs are scattered around the place for you to settle in and sip cuppas at. Caffeine fiends can choose from a wide range of choices on the coffee menu, including the limited-edition Flavour Savour blends and the single-origin picks that'll offer new picks monthly. Food-wise, cooked meals and sweet treats are available.
The year was 1992. Aladdin, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Batman Returns, Lethal Weapon 3 and A Few Good Men ruled the international box office. Slipping into a habit and sliding in next on the list, becoming the sixth-biggest hit of the year: Sister Act. The film about singing nuns spawned a sequel, with word of a third movie floating around for years since — and, as everything from Mean Girls and Muriel's Wedding to Groundhog Day and Beetlejuice has also done, it inspired a stage musical as well. The theatre take on the Whoopi Goldberg (The Color Purple)-led film franchise debuted in California in 2006, then hit West End in 2009 and Broadway in 2011. Now, it's finally Australia's turn — including in Brisbane. After seasons in Sydney and Melbourne, Sister Act has locked in a stint at QPAC's Lyric Theatre in the River City from Saturday, February 8, 2025. The first movie was filled with songs like 'Rescue Me', 'My Guy' and 'I Will Follow Him', ensuring that its soundtrack was a smash, too, so the film was always primed to tread the boards. The Sister Act musical features original tunes, with Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid) doing the honours. Among the show's rewards so far: five Tony Award nominations and six Olivier Award nominations.Story-wise, the production follows Deloris, who witnesses a murder and has to go into protective custody. Her hideout: a convent. It's there that the nightclub singer finds a struggling choir, which she begins to help. For the Australian run, Casey Donovan (& Juliet) is leading the cast, while Genevieve Lemon (Billy Elliot) co-stars as Mother Superior. Images: Daniel Boud.
Street artist Rone has a well-documented knack for taking on unexpected spaces as canvases for his distinctive large-scale works. In 2017, he staged an immersive installation in an abandoned weatherboard house for The Omega Project, while last year saw him reimagine the deserted Art Deco Burnham Beeches mansion for sell-out installation Empire. Now, the celebrated artist returns to his hometown of Geelong to transform Geelong Gallery into an immersive, experiential exhibition. Featuring the first comprehensive solo survey of Rone's long-running career, Rone in Geelong captures the artist's fascination with the concepts of beauty and decay. Visitors will be treated to a sprawling collection of street art, early stencil works and photographs from the many abandoned spaces he's reimagined as temporary art installations over the years. One of these past exhibitions will be reborn with a specially commissioned 3D recreation, while an exclusive new installation will see Rone overhaul the precinct's historic Douglass Gallery into a derelict space decked out with plenty of his signature painted murals. Exploring the inevitability of decay, he'll play on the room's grand architectural features with help from interior stylist and longtime collaborator Carly Spooner. A haunting soundtrack by Nick Batterham will bring the installation to life. Throughout the exhibition, you'll also catch plenty of references to Rone's youth and his own connection to the Geelong Gallery, from glimpses of portraits to pieces capturing the region's distinctive landscape. Initially set to take place in winter 2020, the exhibition has — thanks to the pandemic — been rescheduled for summer 2021. It's now set to run from Saturday, February 27 to Sunday, May 16 — and tickets are on sale now. [caption id="attachment_762250" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rone, Powerhouse Geelong (2014). Photo by and copyright of Rone.[/caption] Geelong Gallery is open from 10am–7pm daily. Top image: Rone, 'I've seen fire and I've seen rain' (2016) from the Empty series, Geelong Gallery. Purchased with funds generously donated by Geelong Contemporary, 2019. Copyright Rone.
