If you've watched anything in the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World franchise, or streamed David Attenborough's Prehistoric Planet, you'll know that dinosaurs spanned a range of shapes and sizes — but plenty were big. Huge, even. Massive, in fact. We all think of the Tyrannosaurus rex when we think of hefty dinos, but it was nowhere near the largest. Scientists believe that that title went to the Patagotitan — that it was the largest-known land animal, in fact, and reached 37 metres in length. Yes, that's giant, and visitors to Queensland Museum will be able get a glimpse for themselves thanks to the South Brisbane venue's upcoming Dinosaurs of Patagonia exhibition. Displaying fossils from South America from Friday, March 17–Monday, October 2, 2023, Dinosaurs of Patagonia will feature 13 dino species — including the behemoth that is Patagotitan, which also weighed 70 tonnes and was first discovered in 2008. Also sizeable: the six-tonne Tyrannotitan, which is considered one of the most ferocious predators of the Cretaceous period. [caption id="attachment_872664" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tyrannotitan[/caption] "The sheer size of the dinosaur skeletons in Dinosaurs of Patagonia is something you truly have to see for yourself to get an understanding of these massive, majestic creatures which once roamed the Earth," said Queensland Museum Network CEO Dr Jim Thompson, announcing the exhibition. "Dinosaurs have always been hugely popular at the museum, and this incredible exhibition brings together original dinosaur fossils dating back millions of years, full-scale casts of dinosaurs and new discoveries," Dr Thompson continued. [caption id="attachment_872662" align="alignnone" width="1920"] First femur of Patagotitan found at La Flecha farm.[/caption] Dinosaurs of Patagonia isn't just looking at giant critters, however, even though they're an enormous feature in multiple senses. At the other end of the scale, the Manidens condorensis will also be on display, with the small herbivore dino measuring 75-centimetres tall and among the smallest known to-date. Overall, the focus is on creatures that roamed the earth during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods — so between 252–66 million years ago. Coming to Queensland after its about-to-finish current run in Western Australia, the exhibition also spans 16 skeleton casts, plus 3D animations and video of dinosaurs and digs — and lets attendees peer on like they're palaeontologists themselves, as well as seeing impressive fossils such as a real 2.4-metre Patagotitan femur. [caption id="attachment_872665" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tyrannotitan[/caption] Dinosaurs of Patagonia will display at Queensland Museum, corner of Grey and Melbourne streets, South Bank, South Brisbane, from Friday, March 17, 2023–Monday, October 2, 2023. For more information, or to join the wait list for tickets, head to the exhibition's website. Top image: Patagotitan, MEF. Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio. D Pol.
Alpacas and turtles and goats... oh my! There's so much cuteness in Bundaberg, you'll need to plan ahead to make the most of all the animal encounters you can have in one trip. And that's where we come in. In partnership with Bundaberg Tourism, we've put together a list of five ways you can get up-close to curious creatures, on land and in the water. After all, Bundaberg is only four hours' drive from Brisbane, so when you're escaping the city for a weekend break or longer you can find time to not only snorkel with manta rays and befriend farmyard animals, but also enjoy the incredible dining institutions spread throughout the region. The hardest part is deciding what to do first. [caption id="attachment_788877" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tracy Olive via Bundaberg Tourism[/caption] SWIM WITH TURTLES OK, it wasn't that hard. First on anyone's list when they come to Bundaberg should be ticking off this bucket-list item. Lady Musgrave Island's 3000 acres of spectacular coral reef is home to a fascinating community of sea turtles — and, incredibly, you can swim alongside them. The Lady Musgrave Experience's glamorous catamaran is one of the easiest ways to cruise around the idyllic Southern Great Barrier Reef. You'll be whisked across pristine waters to a serene lagoon where the biodiverse habitat is the best place to get to know these loveable creatures. You can also soak up the sights from solid ground as each trip includes an island walk, where guides delve into the region's striking natural history. The full-day tour ($220 per adult) includes lunch and afternoon tea, as well as four and a half hours at the lagoon, where you'll meet loggerhead, flatback, green and hawksbill turtles. [caption id="attachment_789720" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tracy Olive[/caption] SNORKEL WITH TROPICAL FISH If you don't have the budget to set sail off the coast, you can still experience Bundaberg's natural delights closer to shore. For instance, Barolin Rocks and its heavenly dive site is a short drive from the city. Beneath the depths of this much-loved spot is a stunning coral reef thriving with colourful tropical fish, moray eels and even a dugong or two. Don't forget to pack your snorkel and mask. Meanwhile, cruise further along the Coral Coast to discover a variety of equally impressive beaches, like Kellys Beach, which has beautiful swimming holes and snorkelling spots. When you want to take it up a notch, arrange for a surprise feast to be set up by The Picnic Basket, who'll lay out a spread of local produce at a beach of your choosing. [caption id="attachment_749820" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lauren Bath via Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] SEE HATCHING TURTLES Bundaberg is where some of the world's most important endangered turtle conservation takes place. And the Mon Repos Turtle Centre plays a critical role. It cares for the largest population of nesting marine and loggerhead turtles on Australia's east coast. You can find out everything there is to know about these species by taking part in the Mon Repos Nightly Turtle Encounter ($27.45). Led by an experienced wildlife ranger, the tour includes information about the centre's vital scientific research before taking you into the rookery, where, from November to January, you can watch mother turtles returning to their birth beach to lay their clutches of eggs. If you're visiting between January and March, you'll likely witness hundreds of hatchlings rushing to dash into the ocean for the first time. To ensure social distancing measures, visitor numbers have been reduced for this experience, so make sure you book ahead to avoid disappointment. [caption id="attachment_789716" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tracy Olive[/caption] DIVE WITH MANTA RAYS Bundaberg is surrounded by a wealth of inspiring day trips, but none as unmissable as Lady Elliot Island. Although reaching it requires a quick 25-minute flight from Bundaberg Airport ($465 per person), you won't have any regrets once you touch down in Australia's home of the manta ray. Featuring more than 700 individual manta rays and over 1200 species of marine life, the surrounding waters are where you'll want to spend the whole day exploring. For those in the market for a luxurious getaway, why not stay the night at Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort? This way, you can be snorkelling in the lagoon just as the sun rises. Glamping tents start from $382 per tent, whereas beachfront units start from $415 per person in peak season. [caption id="attachment_788876" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Splitter Farm, Jane Hart Bundaberg Tourism[/caption] FEED A BABY GOAT Set on the fringes of Bundaberg CBD is Splitters Farm — a paradise for animals and their biggest fans. Surrounded by tropical bushland and bordered by the picturesque Splitters Creek, this sprawling 160-acre property is home to a variety of rescued animals who've survived bushfires, drought and neglect. Here, the self-guided Meet the Animals tour ($18 per person) is the best way to fall in love with horses and geese, goats and cheeky alpacas. Once you've finished exploring the paddocks and hand-feeding the animals, unfurl a picnic blanket and enjoy one of Splitter Farm's delicious pre-ordered hampers, which are practically overflowing with locally produced goodies. You can book ahead for the VIP picnic and tour for just $50 per adult. For more must-do experiences in Bundaberg, and to book your turtle tours, visit the Bundaberg Region website. Top image: Lady Musgrave Island by Tracy Olive via Bundaberg Tourism
Eye-catching and thought-provoking art has once again descended upon Sydney's coastline, with the 23rd Sculpture by the Sea exhibition kicking off today. Stretching along two kilometres from Bondi to Tamarama Beach, you'll find 111 sculptures from 19 countries. The exhibition is free, and you can catch it from October 24 through November 10. This year, you'll find sculptures by ten Czech and Slovak artists marking the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, a series of protests that led to the fall of communism in what was then Czechoslovakia, and the collaborative Succah by the Sea, which sets out to re-imagine the Jewish Festival of Succot. You'll also be able to hear directly from the artists every Saturday and Sunday. Among the 100-plus incredible installations, and the 450,000 people expected to visit the spectacle over the 18-day exhibition, it can be tricky to know where to look. And, considering this might be the last year Sculpture by the Sea is held in Bondi, it would be tragic if you missed any of the best pieces. Here are our pick for this year's highlights. [caption id="attachment_747672" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent van der Jagt[/caption] WANG KAIFANG: THE STATUE OF MAD LIBERTY Made of 24-karat gold (and copper and stainless steel, but that's not quite as fancy), Chinese artist Wang Kaifang's The Statue of Mad Liberty reflects the chaotic nature of the modern world. The distorted figure represents the way freedom fills us with joy, before the panic sets in. It is meant to encompass all that goes into society, humanity, science and art. The swirling gold piece sits well among the artist's numerous previous works — Kaifang is considered one of China's most influential cross-disciplinary artists, and while his portfolio covers everything from architecture and fashion, through to painting and photography, shimmering metallics and abstract shapes are recurring motifs. [caption id="attachment_747796" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent van der Jagt[/caption] ANGELA FEMIA, CAROLYN HUNTER, PAULINE PLUMB AND CRISTINA HARRIS: OUT OF REACH This is an artwork you could easily miss or dismiss as part of the scenery on a particularly bright day, but we think it's one you should keep an eye out for. A team of four local artists — all graduates of the Sydney College of the Arts and regular collaborators — is responsible for these quaint ceramic houses, nestled among the rocks alongside the trail. The tiny white homes of all different shapes and sizes were inspired by the current nationwide angst about the unattainability of the Australian Dream — something a lot of millennials can certainly relate to. Artists Angela Femia, Carolyn Hunter, Pauline Plumb and Cristina Harris created Out of Reach as a playful take on the pursuit of that white picket fence. [caption id="attachment_747676" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent van der Jagt[/caption] JOEL ADLER: VIEWFINDER Emerging Sydney designer Joel Adler wants you to look a little closer at the undercurrents and the impacts of constantly demanding more. From its spot on a cliff by Marks Park, Viewfinder reflects the whirling waves below using a toughened double-sided glass mirror, like a periscope. The weighted sculpture is made from weathered steel, creating a rather aesthetically pleasing contrast between the rust orange of the structure and the ocean blue beyond. The sculpture allows you to see parts of the waves below that you can't usually see from the path, which the artist hopes will make you consider the possibilities created by new perspectives and how we view our relationship with the land. [caption id="attachment_747679" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent van der Jagt[/caption] JIAO XINGTAO: YELLOW AND GREEN Another installation that hits close to home is Jiao Xingtao's two-piece Yellow (2015) and Green (2012). While these sculptures are made from painted fibreglass, its easy to see why his work is known for being hyperrealistic — the tears, scrunches and ripples of discarded packaging are carefully replicated. Even for art novices, the screwed up packets of Wrigley's Doublemint and Juicy Fruit gum are a clear commentary on waste and consumerism. If you want to check out more of his work, Xingtao is currently exhibiting as part of White Rabbit Gallery's tenth birthday retrospective Then — here are our picks for that one, too. [caption id="attachment_747680" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent van der Jagt[/caption] LUKÁŠ RITTSTEIN AND BARBORA SLAPETOVA: BIRD OF PARADISE A large steel bird, bright and vibrant, emerges from a car in a symbol of purity and an optimistic outlook for the future, from Czech artists Lukáš Rittstein and Barbora Slapetova. A melding of the technological and the natural world, Bird of Paradise and its brights colours are meant to make you want to dance, love and search for something new. This striking piece is part of a showcase of ten Czech and Slovak artists exhibiting at this year's event, in honour of the 30 years that have passed since the Velvet Revolution (known as the Gentle Revolution to the Slovaks), which saw the end of more than four decades of totalitarian communist oppression of Czechoslovakia. [caption id="attachment_747764" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Clyde Yee[/caption] MORGAN JONES: THE SUN ALSO RISES New Zealand sculptor Morgan Jones is the recipient of the $70,000 Aqualand Sculpture Award for his piece The Sun Also Rises — so it's kind of a big deal. Made from weathering steel, the work is representative of the circular inevitability of our existence, designed to restate its rhythms. In that vein, Jones has referenced a quote from the book of Ecclesiastes, one of the books of the Old Testament, for the sculpture's title: "The sun also rises, and the sun goes down. And hastens to the place where it arose." It seems fitting to take it all in as the sun rises over the sea. Sculpture by the Sea runs until November 10. For more info, visit sculpturebythesea.com. Top images: Trent van der Jagt.
Bowen Hills has yet another new addition, and while the inner-city suburb is now teeming with places to eat, Mercado wants you to not only enjoy its onsite food experiences, but to also take them home with you. A giant 1500-square-metre market hall brimming seafood, meats, cheeses, bread, pastries, chocolates, fruits and vegetables, Mercado aims to give Brisbane the kind of one-stop gourmet shop that it didn't know it wanted. The idea is to make the routine task everyone hates — that is, buying groceries — feel luxe, and something you actually want to do. With that in mind, the site also offers tours and a personal concierge service in case you need a hand filling your pantry. Those after some tips while browsing Brisbane's largest seafood display can either take a guided tour or ask one of the resident 'food specialists' to help you find what you're after. Alternatively, you can place your grocery order with Mercado's personal shoppers — eventually, you'll be able to do this via an in-store iPad — and take a seat at the bar while they gather your shopping for you. Yes, Mercado not only boasts its own bottle shop, but a bar and restaurant, too. The latter serves up dishes from the onsite butcher, delicatessen and seafood counter, such as tea-smoked duck, chargrilled quail and three different types of sashimi. Steaks and woodfired pizzas are also available — and if you'd like an oyster or several, there's a dedicated shucking station. If you're keen on an indulgent dinner, there's also Far Eastern-inspired eatery, The Duck Room. With a Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan-influenced menu where duck — naturally — is the hero ingredient, it serves up duck and miso soup ($9), smoked duck nigiri ($32) and the Mercado signature roasted duck ($42/$79) , as well as everything from kingfish belly tartare with scampi pearls ($35), to beef short rib with kimchi ($26), to Szechuan mud crab plucked from a live tank. And as for the drinks list, as well as a 20-page selection of wine, beer and spirits, the cocktail range is sizeable. The Duck Room ($18) — the beverage, not the restaurant — is made with cognac, cherry liqueur, blackcurrant liqueur, yuzu and orange, while a blood orange sake-tini ($18), Japanese-style whiskey sour ($18) and chocolate rum espresso martini ($18) are also available for your sipping pleasure. Mercado will open a second site, at the Marina Mirage on the Gold Coast, at the end of 2019. Mercado is now open at 3/30 King Street, Bowen Hills, with the marketplace trading from 8am–9pm seven days a week. The restaurant is open from 7am daily, taking last orders at 10pm, while the onsite bottle shop operates from 11am, closing at 10pm from Sunday to Wednesday and 11pm from Thursday to Saturday.
There's no prizes for guessing why Beenleigh's Distillery Road has its name. All you need to do is look for the red building on the banks of the Albert River, where Beenleigh Artisan Distillers has sat since 1884. The heritage-listed site is no longer just a go-to for fans of spirits, however. It's now also home to a restaurant serving pub-style dishes that often come slathered with — what else? — rum sauce. Order the signature beef ribs, the corn ribs and sticky pork belly bites and you'll be eating rum condiments whether or not you've opted for the eatery's beverage of choice to wash down your meal. Thanks to the dessert lineup, you can also finish your lunch or dinner with rum liqueur coffee creations. And yes, from mojitos using Beenleigh Artisan Distillers' white rum and a distiller's iced tea made with spiced rum through to a rum sour, rum old fashioned and rum-based twist on the espresso martini, the drinks list goes heavy on rum as well. Seating 80, Beenleigh's new Distillery Restaurant heroes not only its favourite tipple, but also local produce and Aussie flavours. Other dishes to try include spicy chicken wings, brisket and veggie burgers, char-grilled chilli garlic squid and a 300-gram Darling Downs porterhouse steak. Plus, the sweets range spans a meringue stack paired with dragonfruit compote, as well as a sticky toffee pudding with burnt orange caramel, coffee and wattleseed gelato. Seasonal sips feature alongside the distillery's regular cocktails on the drinks list, plus seven of Beenleigh Artisan Distillers' own drops. El Toro's tequilas, vodka and gin from 23rd Street Distillery, Bearded Lady bourbon, Vale and Fox Hat brews, and Queen Adelaide and Beresford wines round out the libations. Fancy not only stopping by for a meal and a drink, but for rum tastings, tours of the distillery and masterclasses? That's also available. "We are thrilled to introduce The Distillery Restaurant as an extension of the Beenleigh Rum Distillery experience, and believe it will quickly become a favourite with both locals and travellers," said Beenleigh Artisan Distillers' Head of Marketing and Hospitality Chris Illman. "The menu itself has taken classic comfort foods and elevated them with high-quality ingredients, new flavour profiles, unexpected twists — and, of course, a healthy dose of Beenleigh Rum where possible. Find Beenleigh Artisan Distillery and Distillery Restaurant at 142 Distillery Road, Eagleby, with the restaurant open 11am–3pm Wednesday–Sunday for lunch and 5–9pm on Fridays for dinner.
Held at Kurrawa Park in Broadbeach each year, Crafted Beer Festival will unite a heap of Australia's top craft breweries, over 400 different brews, and some good food and live music to line your stomachs and ears when it returns for 2024. The date to pop in your diary: Saturday, September 14. In past years, locals such as Balter Brewing Company, Black Hops Brewing, Currumbin Valley Brewing, Burleigh Barrels, Madocke Beer and Two Mates Brewing have joined up with visitors from elsewhere in Queensland and interstate, such as Ballistic, Slipstream and Revel — and that's but a few of the many beer houses that are represented on the day. More of a cider person? Expect a range of cideries making the pilgrimage to the coast, too. Food-wise, there'll be food trucks and other street food eats. Fingers crossed for truffle gnocchi, German sausages, paella, Brazilian barbecue, low-and-slow meat plates, brisket burgers, Mexican bites and seafood dishes — aka a hearty spread. As well as live tunes, usually on the fest's agenda is beer yoga, where you can perform a few downward dogs before you down your beer — it's all about balance, after all. Or, if the lineup mimics past years, enjoy some comedy, play tipsy Twister and enter a hot wing-eating contest instead.
This article is part of our series on the diverse highlights of NZ's Canterbury region, from city to snow. To book your Lake Tekapo trip, visit the 100% Pure New Zealand website. While those wanting to open bar in Melbourne or Sydney might have to settle for managing one, in Christchurch having your own place is entirely possible. This 'city of opportunity' mentality has spawned a new wave of small bars, each one taking its place in this new cultural landscape of Christchurch. The burgeoning bar culture has been vital to the reinvention of the city, as it will continue to be as it grows, rebuilds and evolves in the years ahead. From local wine and craft beer on New Regent Street to margaritas and Mexican on the north side of the city, here are our five favourite bars in Christchurch. The Last Word The Last Word is the cosiest whiskey bar in Christchurch. Even if it's the only whiskey bar in Christchurch (which is quite likely), its charm certainly isn't diminished — not in our books, anyway. And it's the first bar you should hit should you find yourself in the CBD, whether it's for a pre-dinner or post-dinner drink, or just because it's after 4pm. Nestled on the cute Spanish-style New Regent Street (which houses quite a few gems; read on), The Last Word is all about you drinking fine whiskey in a fine setting. The bar is precisely the place you want to indulge in some 21-year-old Ardbeg single malt Scotch whiskey. You're welcome to sit up at the bar downstairs, or up in the lounge-like den, complete with low leather chairs and low level lighting. If you know your whiskey you might be able to tackle the menu, but for all us mere mortals, it's best to ask the staff for recommendations — the list is huge and these guys know what they're talking about. Give them a vague indication and they'll be able to deliver on either a whiskey — Scotch, Irish, Japanese and New Zealand varietals are all on offer — or a cocktail to your liking. If you want a taste of everything though, get them to put together a tasting plate for you. Otherwise, they have a heaps of non-whiskey spirits behind the bar as well as wine and bottled beers. Basically, they have everything. You don't ever need to leave. 31 New Regent Street, Christchurch, +64 3 928 2381, lastword.co.nz Shop Eight Just a few doors down also on New Regent Street, you'll find — or be drawn to —Shop Eight. The tiny wine bar emanates a soft, golden glow out onto the quiet pedestrian-only street; sometimes there will be a guitarist riffing away in front of the bar, and even on a cold night there are bound to be one or two patrons sitting outside with a glass of red and a blanket over their knees. This place is special, and it's an absolute must-visit. The brainchild of Liz Phelan, Shop Eight is just about as Christchurch as it gets. Pretty much all the food is sourced from the Canterbury region that surrounds the city, with chef Alex Davies using what he can get to create a seasonal menu that changes each day. The cheese comes from down the road in Darfield, the olives are picked from the Peninsula and all the meat is sourced from as close by as possible. And same goes for the wine: it all comes from North Canterbury. Even the fit-out is part of the city, with Rekindle — a social enterprise that repurposes wood waste — building the bar, table and chairs out of salvaged materials. Open for lunch or dinner, it's wine time from midday — but we recommend heading in for dinner as well as a drink. 8 New Regent Street, Christchurch, +64 3 390 0199, shopeight.co.nz The Dirty Land If you can get past the name, you might actually find yourself sitting in The Dirty Land eating a taco and downing a margarita. Because, thankfully, that's about as dirty as it gets. Connected to Mexicano's next door — Christchurch's answer to the modern Mexican craze that we're already very familiar with — this bar is a nice reprieve from the adjoining restaurant that seems to be booked out any night of the week. Inside it's moody and a little bit Day of the Dead, with tables for small groups and a bar for those drinking in a duo or solo. Food comes flying in from the kitchen next door, and before you know it you'll be wolfing down an A-grade taco and some fried chicken with a drizzle of lime. The Dirty Land is one stop on the Victoria Street bar hop — particularly on Friday and Saturday nights — but during the week it's a surefire place to get a seat, a good feed and something in a salt-rimmed glass. 131 Victoria Street, Christchurch, +64 3 365 5340, thedirtyland.co.nz The Monday Room If there was ever a place to get a cocktail in Christchurch, it's at the The Monday Room. With heavy features like an open fireplace, opulent red wallpapered walls and dark timber throughout, the bar beckons a cocktail order as rich as the space would suggest. That's why you'll order the Marmalade Rum Sour, and later maybe a negroni or whiskey some way or another. You'll barely be able to help it. But drinks aren't the only thing they do well here — their Japanese-style menu covers everything from snacking right through to dessert. Share small plates like the super fresh sashimi (you are in New Zealand, after all), soft shell crab and the fried chicken, or go for it with the whole sake-steamed flounder. Everything's relatively well priced but doesn't fail to feel extra decadent. Corner Moorhouse Avenue and Madras Street, Christchurch, +64 3 377 5262, themondayroom.co.nz The Institution Literally the newest bar on the New Regent Street block, The Institution has only just opened the doors to their upstairs craft beer haven little over a month ago. The space is small, but don't be fooled — these guys pack a lot of beer. The five beers on tap are constantly rotating, and at the time of our visit they were pouring a Raindogs Brewing Wee Bairn Bitter and a Four Avenues Amber Ale, both of which are brewed in Christchurch. If you can't choose (the bottled list goes on), the bar staff will be able to make a recommendation. Beer cocktails are also on the cards — just let them know you're game. 28 New Regent Street, Christchurch, theinstitution.co.nz Getting there Air New Zealand offers regular flights from Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney to several North Island airports. A hop across the Tasman takes a comfortable three hours from Australia’s east coast. For more information go to www.airnz.com and www.newzealand.com The Last Word image thanks to pistolkeith via Instagram.
There are many ways that you can show love for your pet pooch, especially in these extremely dog-friendly times. Want to take Fido to a music festival? Head to a pub with Coco? Let Rex loose at a Halloween party for canines? Yes, you can do just that — and have your four-legged bestie's cute face plastered across your swimmers, too, because the list really does go on. Only one adorable pupper can get immortalised in Lego, however. We're not talking about just sticking a few bricks together at home, either. Inspired by International Dog Day, Melbourne's Legoland Discovery Centre will build a life-size replica of one lucky doggo. The celebratory date was actually this past Monday, but the competition runs until 11.59pm on Friday, September 2o. If you're already clearing a spot for your new Lego addition to the family — and wondering how your fluffball will react to their own likeness — you'll need to submit a photo of your pooch on the Legoland Discovery Centre's Facebook page, specifically to its competition post. You'll also need to explain why your dachshund or dalmatian should get the Lego treatment, which shouldn't be hard. Serve up the best answer, and a master builder (yes, that's a real thing) will recreate your dog with in tiny plastic bricks. While the contest terms and conditions don't require entrants to live in Melbourne, the winner will be unveiled there in November — and you'll need to head by in person to pick up your prize. You'll also need to like the Legoland Discovery Centre's Facebook page to enter, and include your pet's name, age, breed and one crazy fact about them with your submission. If your canine can walk on its hind legs or bark to a tune, don't keep that detail to yourself. To enter the Lego Dog Competition, visit the Legoland Discovery Centre Facebook page before 11.59pm on Friday, September 2o.
Brisbane's cultural scene has been calling out for a new performing arts venue for years, to help stop the city being bypassed by big shows, gigs and tours that make their way down south but give Queensland a miss. Thankfully, since 2018, a fifth theatre at South Bank's Queensland Performing Arts Centre has been in the works. It's still currently under construction, but it'll now give Brissie another gift when it does open its doors: a brand-new major piece of First Nations public art. Submissions are currently being accepted for a new commission to sit in the theatre's external entry forecourt, with sharing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and cultures the key aim. "It is anticipated the public artwork will respond to the new theatre's location on a stretch of the Brisbane River around Kurilpa Point that has been a traditional meeting place for the Aboriginal people of Brisbane," said Queensland Minister for the Arts Leeanne Enoch, opening the call for expressions of interest. Three artists will be selected to then submit concept designs. "These selected artists, in a paid competition process, will each work alongside First Nations art and design consultant Blaklash Creative and public art specialists UAP to develop a site-specific artwork," the Minister said. If you're wondering exactly what's envisaged, the piece could include "freestanding sculptural elements, wall or ground painting, etchings or sand blasting," the Minister also advised. Whatever it incorporates, it'll give the new theatre — and Brisbane — a permanent, site-specific public artwork that celebrates Australia's First Nations Peoples, and Indigenous arts and culture. As for the theatre itself, it has been dubbed the New Performing Arts Venue (NPAV) for now, and will feature at least 1500 seats — and, obviously, will up QPAC's spread from four to five theatres. Architecture firm Blight Rayner + Snøhetta won the tender for the new venue, which is replacing the grassed area known as the Playhouse Green. Glass features heavily in the external design, letting Brisbanites see into the transparent foyer from the corner of Grey and Russell streets. The overall look takes inspiration from the nearby Brisbane River and ties into QPAC's original heritage-listed decor, but still makes its own impression. Costing $175 million to build, with the State Government committing $125 million to the project, the NPAV will also boast two new studio spaces below street level, which'll also be visible from the outside spaces. As far as the main space goes, it'll include a single-balcony auditorium. Expect it to be busy, hosting around 260 performances and welcoming approximately 300,000 per year. When it does lift the curtain, NPAV will herald a huge change to the South Bank spot. QPAC first launched to Brisbanites in 1985 after ten years of development, and thousands of performances — more than 26,000 in 2019, when the NPAV's designs were released — have graced its stages and spaces years since then. QPAC's New Performing Arts Venue is currently under construction, and is set to open at QPAC, on the corner of Grey and Russell streets, in the near future. We'll update you with exact opening details when they're announced. For further information in the interim, visit the project website.
It doesn't snow in Brisbane. It doesn't really get all that cold in winter either. But, until the chilliest season on the annual calendar is over for this year, Brisbanites can still walk through snow, build a snowman and make snowballs — all by dropping by South Bank. No, the weather won't be extra frosty just at the inner-city riverside precinct. No, we're not living in a Hollywood disaster movie. Rather, Snow4Kids is returning for 2020. The idea is simple: this winter wonderland brings a heap of real snow to the South Bank Piazza, then lets anyone with a $20 ticket frolic through it, with the space open from Friday–Sunday weekly until August 30. This is a family-friendly event, as the name gives away. If you have littlies to bring along, that'll be welcome news. If you're an adult without any kids in tow, you're still able to head along — but the organisers ask that you be mindful of the fact that you'll have plenty of pint-sized company. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there's no tobogganing this year. And, to keep everyone safe and socially distanced, you'll be allocated your own snow zone with your own small snow mountain. Heavy sanitising will also be happening all over the place, and numbers will be limited — so if you're keen to get snowy on your way home from work one Friday night, or across a weekend, you might want to nab a ticket sooner rather than later. Snow4Kids runs from Friday–Sunday weekly until Sunday, August 30 — open from Fridays from 3.30–7.30pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 9.30am–6.30pm.
It's the film that first made the world fall in love with Hugh Grant, screenwriter Richard Curtis and their brand of British rom-coms — and, just like everything else with a well-known name in the entertainment game, Four Weddings and a Funeral has made a return. This time around, the hit flick has been remade as an American TV miniseries. If you're unsurprisingly a little skeptical, the news that Mindy Kaling is one of the show's creators and writers should change that. Kaling's six-season sitcom The Mindy Project was basically a long-running ode to the romantic comedy genre, complete with plenty of references to plenty of classic flicks. As a result, reworking one of the huge rom-com successes of the past quarter-century really does feel like the logical next step. Across a ten-episode series made for US streaming service Hulu, the latest version of Four Weddings and a Funeral follows four American friends who meet up in London for a wedding. Clearly, given the title, three more ceremonies are in their future, as is a tearful farewell to someone they know. The show tracks a year in their lives, their romantic escapades and even political scandals — all with a cast that includes Game of Thrones' Nathalie Emmanuel as Maya, plus Rebecca Rittenhouse (The Mindy Project), Brandon Mychal Smith (You're the Worst) and John Reynolds (Search Party) as her best buddies. Nikesh Patel (Doctor Who) also features as Maya's potential love interest, who she first encounters in an airport meet cute, naturally. And while Hugh Grant doesn't show up — sorry, 90s obsessives — original Four Weddings star Andie MacDowell does. Because Kaling isn't averse to nodding to other rom-com favourites of the era, My Best Friend's Wedding's Dermot Mulroney also makes an appearance. The series actually dropped in America in 2019, but it's now making its way to Australian viewers via streaming platform Stan. If you're looking for something to watch over your summer break, it'll be available in full from Friday, December 18. Watch the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe8trFdvJPU Four Weddings and a Funeral drops on Stan on Friday, December 18.
With Rhiannon Campbell's first plant-centric venture Botanic Box, she was sending monthly bundles of greenery to eager subscribers. With her second project, she's still keeping things green — but is now welcoming Brisbane plant aficionados into a bricks-and-mortar store. Open on Station Street in Nundah, The Plant Lounge is all about indoor plants and accessories that have been sourced from local nurseries. They've been selected to showcase plenty of variety and chosen to suit Queensland's unique (read: usually warm and moist) climate. Here, you'll find many a leafy gem to brighten up your home, plus a range of artisanal and designer pots to put them in. Giving up her full-time corporate job to embrace her green thumb, Campbell will help you pick the right plant for your space, too. The Plant Lounge also hosts workshops, with its upcoming slate focusing on perennial greenery favourites such as kokedamas, terrariums, pottery and macrame plant hangers. Need some advice on tending to your green babies properly (and not killing them with kindness and enthusiasm)? Classes on that very topic are also on the agenda. Find The Plant Lounge at Shop 1, 8 Station Street, Nundah. It's open from 9am–4pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 11am–7pm on Thursdays and Fridays, 9am–4pm on Saturdays and 9am–1pm on Sundays.
Since emerging out of Byron Bay in 2006, Afends has made a name for itself through its creative and eco-friendly blends of street- and surfwear. Founded by Declan Wise and Jonathan Salfield as a way of producing merch for local punk and hardcore bands, the brand now boasts stores across NSW and VIC, as well as shipping its inventive range of products worldwide. Collaborations have always been a big part of the Afends brand and the latest is possibly its most fun yet. The northern NSW brand is coming together with female-led cannabis-loving media agency Broccoli for a trippy new summer collection. Broccoli runs a thrice-yearly magazine, podcast and twice-weekly newsletter all based on content related to weed and weed-adjacent topics. The marriage of the two brands is a match made in heaven with Afends making use of marijuana's non-psychedelic sibling hemp in their clothes in order to make them more environmentally sustainable. The Afends x Broccoli collab prominently features an optical illusion by Byron Bay artist Josh Galletly. The psychedelic pattern is sure to be a real treat for those that might engage with Broccoli's favourite subject. Highlights from the collection include a huge beach-ready tote, the hemp-based wide-leg pants and unisex collared shirt, and a one-piece bathing suit made from recycled nylon. To explore the full slate of clothes, head to the Afends website, and to stay up to date with all of Broccoli's weed-based conversations, head to the Broccoli Mag Instagram page. The Afends x Broccoli collection is now available from the Afends website and offers worldwide shipping.
Since opening in October 2018, West Village has provided West End with grassy spaces, lively festivals and multiple places to eat. But, the expanding development isn't done yet. Over the coming months, it's adding a new dining and retail precinct, starting with the just-opened Middle Eastern eatery Beirut Bazaar. Taking up residence on the ground level of the Peters Ice Cream Factory building, the 75-seat restaurant is serving up traditional-style feasts, with cumin, sumac and coriander featuring heavily. Expect to taste the spices in specialty dips and breads, Lebanese mezze, savoury pastries and sweet treats — and in the shawarma, the main attraction. Shawarma is Beirut Bazaar's signature dish, in fact. Patrons can expect to tuck into a fillet of lamb, beef or chicken that has been marinated in traditional spices for 48 hours, and is then served on pita with parsley, tomato and legumes. A vegan and vegetarian selection is also on the menu and, drinks-wise, Beirut Bazaar's cocktail list is curated by the bar team from Nineteen at The Star. Owner Andre Samra has taken inspiration from his father, who migrated from Lebanon to Australia — and, continuing the family connection, he has launched Beirut Bazaar with his daughter Vanessa. Featuring both indoor and outdoor seating, Beirut Bazaar will be joined in mid-May by a larger range of stores. Locals will be able to head by to go to a new Woolworths supermarket, check out Harris Farm Markets' second Brisbane location, hit the gym, and shop at specialty and lifestyle retailers. Just which other restaurants will also make the precinct home is yet to be revealed. Find Beirut Bazaar at West Village, 97 Boundary Street, West End — open seven days from 11am–late.
What happens when you take the Australian teen series of the 90s and update it to the 2020s, all while riding a huge wave of nostalgia for all things stemming from three decades back? Even thanks to just the first part of that equation, every fan of beloved 1994–99 hit Heartbreak High could've told you that the end result would be a smash. And, streaming on Netflix since September, that's exactly how the ace new Heartbreak High revival has turned out — so much so that there's going to be a second season. No one has been saying "rack off" to the Sydney-set show's latest run, or its new batch of Hartley High teens, or their fresh dose of teen chaos. Not Aussie audiences, with the series sitting in Netflix's top ten TV shows in the country for the five weeks since its release. Not global viewers either, with Heartbreak High 2.0 also reaching the top ten in more than 43 countries, including in the US and across Europe, Africa and Asia — and spending three weeks in the global top ten, too. The streaming platform also advises that its subscribers clocked up 42.6 million hours watching Heartbreak High in three weeks. That's not bad for the latest high school-focused revival, doing what Beverly Hills, 90210 did, plus Saved by the Bell and Gossip Girl as well, but with a firmly Aussie spin. Unsurprisingly, Netflix has greenlit Heartbreak High for a second season, although exactly when it'll drop hasn't been revealed. Still, if you're keen to spend more time with Amerie (Ayesha Madon, The Moth Effect), Harper (Asher Yasbincek, How to Please a Woman), Darren (screen first-timer James Majoos), Quinni (Chloe Hayden, Jeremy the Dud), Dusty (Josh Heuston, Thor: Love and Thunder), Ca$h (Will McDonald, Home and Away), Malakai (Thomas, Troppo), Spider (Bryn Chapman Parish, Mr Inbetween), Ant (debutant Brodie Townsend), Sasha (Gemma Chua-Tran, Mustangs FC) and Missy (fellow newcomer Sherry-Lee Watson), start getting excited now. Season one started with Amerie becoming a pariah at Hartley after a big revelation — an "incest map" plotting out who's hooked up with who throughout the school — and also struggling with a sudden rift in her friendship with bestie Harper. Attempting to repair her reputation, she calls on help from her new pals Quinni and Darren, all while working through her crush on Dusty and developing feelings for Malakai. And that's just the start of Heartbreak High's 2022-set story so far. It was back in 2020 that Netflix initially announced that it was bringing the series back — and yes, it sure is a 2020s-era take on the Aussie classic. Adolescent chaos is still the main focus, including everything from friendship fights, yelling about vaginas from the top of a building and throwing dildos at walls through to consent, crime, drugs and police brutality. The original Heartbreak High was a massive deal, and was filled with now-familiar faces, including Alex Dimitriades, a pre-Home and Away Ada Nicodemou, and Avengers: Endgame and Mystery Road's Callan Mulvey as Drazic. It painted a multicultural picture of Australia that was unlike anything else on TV at the time. And, for its six-year run across two Aussie networks, the Sydney-shot show was must-see television — not bad for a series that started as a spinoff to the Claudia Karvan and Alex Dimitriades-starring 1993 movie The Heartbreak Kid, too. Check out the trailer for the new Heartbreak High below: Heartbreak High season two doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when one is announced. The show's first season is available to stream now via Netflix. Read our full review.
I, along with many of my fellow Gen-Yers, am at a unique crossroads when it comes to the creation of deliberately grainy photography. I am just slightly too young to have had the childhood pleasure of making pinhole cameras (damn you disposable cameras, damn you), yet I am just old enough to watch on with dismay as every teenager with a smart phone claims the faux artistry afforded to them by Instagram. Designer Kelly Angood's new project the Pop-Up Pinhole Camera is not only a nostalgic throwback to the good ol' days of the DIY camera that Instagrammers can only emulate but still a source of basic wonder as pictures emerge from little more than a cardboard box. While making your own pinhole camera was often nothing short of a total nightmare, Angood has come up with a way of recapturing that old-timey, do-it-yourself feel but without the stress and strain of countless failed attempts: IKEA-style flat-pack kits. Yes, it's just like one of those build-your-own desk sets, except at the end you are left with a beautiful camera, named the Videre (definitely not a Hasselblad), that can take amazingly high-quality pinhole photographs. Best of all, Angood has already managed to raise over 20,000 pounds online to fund the project, and as such has promised her legions of fans that their very own pop-up pinhole camera should arrive on their doorstep by November. But don't let this stop you from donating: Head to her website if you fancy making a donation or picking up your own camera for photographic playtimes more surprising than anything on the end of an app.
In a city where coffee reigns supreme, launching a specialty hot chocolate brand could've easily flown under the radar. But in 2012, the team behind Mörk Chocolate, husband and wife duo Kiril Shaginov and Josefin Zernell, saw a gap in the market. "Back then, Melbourne's attention was firmly on specialty coffee," Kiril tells Concrete Playground. "But specialty hot chocolate was still overlooked. We set out to change that." What began as a niche wholesale business-to-business operation supplying chocolate powder to cafés and restaurants has grown (quietly and organically) into five Melbourne venues and a strong, local business. In partnership with the business solution experts at Square, we sat down with Mörk Chocolate's co-founder and director, Kiril, to learn more about how they scaled a retail brand into a booming hospitality business. [caption id="attachment_1024588" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Mörk Chocolate Centre Place[/caption] From little things While it may be surprising to hear, Mörk Chocolate never set out to have brick-and-mortar cafés. "The core of the business has always been wholesale," says Kiril. "We sell our blends to cafés and restaurants. That's what we set out to do." Mörk Chocolate's first store opened in North Melbourne a decade ago and quickly became a destination for sweet tooths across the city. However, the ensuing venues in the CBD, Queen Victoria Market, and Chadstone weren't the result of any intentional expansion strategy. "They kind of just happened by accident," Kiril says. "We don't have investors. We don't go and borrow lots of money. All the expansion comes from cash flow, and so for us to [launch] a venue, it's a big deal, it doesn't matter how small or big. That's why it happens with time naturally and organically." The challenges Of course, organic growth doesn't equal easy. With five venues in four different suburbs (two are in the CBD), Kiril notes that anticipating what each customer needs is a big part of the work. "Each venue reflects different concepts, archetypes, and customer habits, which means anticipating customer responses and needs is always part of the journey. Each of our locations is tailored to its market; no two stores look or feel the same. Our focus remains firmly on quality and on sharing knowledge about chocolate. We've found that Mörk Chocolate customers truly value this approach," Kiril says. Across every location, the brand's focus remains clear: offer an exceptional hot chocolate experience, without overcomplicating it. "We specialise in hot chocolate — that's what we do. We just focus on that and we don't try to do lots of other things." [caption id="attachment_1024589" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Mörk Chocolate Queen Victoria Market[/caption] Advice for new business owners Kiril notes that having that "pure vision" of knowing what you believe in and excelling at the one thing is really important. "I think a lot of new businesses try to do too many things to capture a bigger part of the market, but then the concept gets diluted a little bit." When asked if good products or good service take priority, Kiril says that both are equally important. "One cannot exist without the other. The key message is maintaining consistency across both." One way that Mörk Chocolate maintains this service consistency is through Square. "Consistency and customer experience are our priorities. We're streamlining POS systems to improve reporting and create a more seamless back-end operation," Kiril says. In the end, Kiril recommends focusing on what you love and believe in. The café side was born from Kiril, and the specialty chocolate side from Josefin. As a business, Mörk Chocolate has proven that focusing your efforts on one well-made product can compound over time. And maybe, a decade later, your business-to-business brand will become a hospitality legend. Square empowers local businesses to thrive by making it easier to run, manage, and grow their operations. Find out how Square can help your business grow.
Troye Sivan has something to give Brisbane: his Something to Give Each Other tour. The Grammy-nominated and ARIA Award-winning 'Rush', 'I'm So Tired...', 'My My My!' and 'Youth' artist has spent part of 2024 playing shows in Europe to sellout crowds, and hitting America for a co-headline arena tour with Charli XCX. After that, he's making an Aussie return. The Perth-raised pop star hits Brisbane's Riverstage on Tuesday, November 26, with Nick Ward in support. Set to get a huge workout: the 2023 album that gives the tour its name, of course, which was Sivan's first since 2018's Bloom, earned a heap of placings on best-of-2023 lists at the end of last year and hit number one on the album charts in Australia. But given that his discography dates back to 2007's Dare to Dream — and includes fellow EPs TRXYE and Wild, plus his debut album Blue Neighbourhood — he has tracks from across almost two decades to bust out. It's been a huge few years for Sivan — as a musician, acting in Boy Erased and The Idol, being parodied by Timothée Chalamet (Dune: Part Two) on Saturday Night Live. Dance to this, obviously.
Each year, thousands of travellers from near and far make their way down to the bottom of Australia to get a taste of gorgeous locations — the type that Tasmania just seems to have an endless supply of. And while it's nice to experience many of them under the sun, winter offers a whole new perspective that visitors will love just as much. From wild ancient forests with awe-inspiring frozen lakes and waterfalls to rocky mountainsides that take on a thick coat of snow, Tasmania's landscape offers something that'll warm everyone's cockles. So, here are six beautiful sights that seem to get even better once the winter chill grabs hold of the scenery. Pack a beanie and scarf and start planning your wintry escape. [caption id="attachment_718788" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Russell Falls by Tourism Tasmania and Michael Walters Photography.[/caption] MOUNT FIELD NATIONAL PARK Mount Field National Park is Tasmania's first and oldest national park, and many consider it to still be the best. If you're looking to get the most out of the Tasmanian winter, then this rugged landscape might just fulfil all your hopes and dreams. Across this sprawling region, there are plenty of highlights to choose from. But don't look past Russell Falls and its alluring tiered cascades, which are widely considered the centrepiece of the entire park. Elsewhere, Lake Dobson's shimmering waterfront can be taken in from many a great nearby hike. And at just over 90 minutes from Hobart, Mount Mawson takes on a brilliant cover of snow that offers skiers and snowboarders a challenging but worthwhile experience — to get to the summit, you'll need to hike 30-minutes uphill through alpine forest then jump on a rope tow. We promise, it's worth it. [caption id="attachment_720512" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ben Lomond National Park by Tourism Tasmania and Brooke Saward.[/caption] BEN LOMOND NATIONAL PARK Located in Tasmania's northeast, Ben Lomond National Park towers above the landscape, reaching up an imposing 1500 metres. The rugged landscape features sharp cliff faces and sheer drops that make it appear almost insurmountable. But once winter arrives, the mountain comes to life with skiers making the most of the steep scenery — and the variety of exciting downhill skiing routes that come with it. If you're not much of a skier, you can also drive up Jacobs Ladder, Ben Lomond's winding ascent, and experience the wonderful alpine plateau from its summit. Up here, you'll catch quite the surreal sight as you peer out upon the distant countryside — looking down on the rocky mountainside and its dramatic outcrops makes you feel completely mesmerised. [caption id="attachment_718784" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cradle Mountain by Jason Charles Hill.[/caption] CRADLE MOUNTAIN There's never a bad time to visit the famed Cradle Mountain, but winter is when this incredible spot truly comes into its own. Part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, the mountain and its surrounds feature ancient rainforests and grasslands that sweep across its boundaries, as well as some remarkable glacial lakes and bubbling creeks that careen between the nearby mountaintops. While exploring, keep your eyes peeled as the surrounding Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is full of native wildlife, including wombats, echidnas, wallabies, quolls and pademelons. Don't forget about the low-lying lakes here either — in particular, Dove Lake, which is circled by an easy-to-access six-kilometre walking track. You might recognise it from photos (like the above) but, in real life, it's something else. As you wind your way around the lake, the trees get denser and the lookouts get quieter, and you'll feel like you've left the country for a European retreat. On a clear day you'll be able to see right across the lake; on a stormy one you'll be able to watch the sky do its thing. If you're lucky, you'll get to visit twice and see both. [caption id="attachment_718789" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Arthur River by Jess Bonde.[/caption] THE TARKINE As the second largest cool-temperate rainforest in the world, The Tarkine should be at the top of the rugged adventurer's list. Set in Tasmania's northwest, the scenery here is largely varied and only becomes more extreme and breathtaking in the winter months. Start your adventure at the Edge of the World (actual name) and look out over the Arthur River — the water here is intense as it's where it meets the Southern Ocean. Or head inland and find shelter by venturing deep into the rainforest at the upper end of the river and discover the spectacular multi-tiered Philosopher Falls. [caption id="attachment_718786" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mount Wellington lookout by Tourism Australia and Graham Freeman.[/caption] KUNANYI / MOUNT WELLINGTON PARK Just a 20-minute drive from Hobart, kunanyi / Mount Wellington is probably the easiest way to immerse yourself in Tasmania's most beautiful sights. kunanyi /Mount Wellington Park showcases more than 18,000 hectares of remarkably picturesque scenery and links Hobart's outer reaches with world-class native bushland. You can drive right up to the Pinnacle, or take the challenge to walk to the summit. Do the whole 14 kilometres from Hobart — stopping at the Cascade Brewery along the way — or choose one of the smaller loop routes to conquer. On the way, you'll be able to enjoy sub-alpine flora and fauna that dots the towering landmass's upper reaches. Winter is a particularly special time to visit as the mountaintop is often dusted in snow (making it prime for snowball fights). Afterwards, warm yourself up with something hot at the Lost Freight Cafe, a shipping container coffee spot halfway up the mountain at The Springs. [caption id="attachment_718785" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Currie Lighthouse on King Island by Andrew Wilson.[/caption] KING ISLAND Set halfway between Tasmania and Victoria, King Island is a hidden gem. Which means you'll be able to nab the island's best (and most secluded) spots all to yourself. Currie is the island's main hotspot. Here you can explore the historic lighthouse built in the 1870s and wander the seaside town's quaint streets. It may be too cold to have a picnic outdoors, but you can do one indoors at the Boathouse. Described as a restaurant with no food, this stunning waterfront dining room if free for you to use as your own — you just have to bring your own nosh. Step things up a notch and see King Island from one of the country's most impressive saunas at Porky Beach Retreat. You'll be able to look out over the beach, wine in-hand, from the warmest spot on the island. King Island is only accessible by plane — but with flights coming in from Melbourne multiple times a day, it's an easy and rewarding place to visit. Top image: Cradle Mountain by Emilie Ristevski.
Sydney has just scored another stunning boutique hotel, in welcome news for both locals and travellers alike. 202 Elizabeth is the sleek new 38-room accommodation spot that's just joined the likes of The Ace Hotel and Paramount House Hotel in Surry Hills. Each of the guest rooms spread across this refined six-level hotel is uniquely designed, providing an elegant accommodation option in the heart of bustling Surry Hills — and just a few minutes walk from Central Station as well. Hotel owner Diana Ren and designer Lisa Madigan have created a relaxing space filled with organic hues and constructed with sustainability in mind; it's built using cross-laminated timber, a carbon-negative structural material. Each room at 202 Elizabeth is brought to life by playful wallpaper from Kingdom Home Design. On arrival, guests will find a complimentary welcome tea waiting for them in their room. From there, patrons can discover a series of simple pleasures around each room, including robes from Australian designer Piyama, toiletries from Hunter Lab, and a mini bar stocked up with complimentary organic sodas and snacks (both sweet and savoury). Shared spaces around the hotel include a rooftop hangout spot boasting views of the surrounding inner-city streets, a ground-floor courtyard, and a soon-top-open new outpost for Handpicked Wines that will allow you to head in for a wine tasting and take a bottle back to your room or up to the rooftop. The sky-high space will also welcome in locals for morning neighbourhood yoga sessions, ensuring that Surry Hills residents get the opportunity to soak in its panoramic views. Plus, a stay at 202 Elizabeth won't mean leaving Fido or Spot at home. The accommodation is dog friendly, with General Manager Adam Males' french bulldog Sochi appointed the official Director of Pet Relations at the hotel. Puppy turn-down treats will be on hand for any four-legged guests, and Soci has ensured the staff know where all of the best dog-friendly cafes and restaurants are in the area. 202 Elizabeth is now open at 202–210 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills. 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.
Back in 2022, the Hard Rock Cafe on the Gold Coast shut its doors. Since mid-2024, the site that the bar and eatery called home — and its giant neon guitar, too — has reopened as The Sporting Globe x 4 Pines. A trip to the corner of Cavill Ave and Surfers Paradise Boulevard previously entailed soaking up music history, but now it involves sports, sports and more sports over a brew. For more than a quarter century, no stint in Surfers Paradise was complete without a sighting of the Hard Rock Cafe's luminous musical instrument. You might not have been heading to the bar and eatery. You mightn't have ever set foot inside it, in fact. But if you were in the vicinity, you still saw the guitar. It also acted as handy meeting point, because everyone — tourists, locals and Brisbanites on weekenders down the coast — could instantly spot it. After Hard Rock Cafe said goodbye to its perch in the Paradise Centre, a brewpub offshoot of sports bar brand The Sporting Globe has taken over, in what marks its second-ever site with 4 Pines Brewing Company. Following a $6.5-million makeover, the prime location has gained a microbrewery, plus the Gold Coast's largest island bar. 4 Pines is taking care of the former, with 14 of its beers pumping through some of the venue's 80 taps. As well as familiar sips, patrons can enjoy special releases whipped up with Queensland in mind. Hard Rock Cafe wasn't small — it needed room to fit in all that music memorabilia — and The Sporting Globe x 4 Pines isn't either, accommodating 1000 patrons. The brewpub also features a restaurant slinging pub-style fare such as wings, pulled pork sliders, mac 'n' cheese bites, salt and pepper calamari, steak fries, wedges, loaded nachos and six types of burgers. The range from the grill includes angus rumps, baby back pork ribs by the full and half rack, and a one-kilogram meat board. Opt for a parmigiana instead and you have nine choices — and yes, a cheeseburger version does sound mighty tempting. Swapping tunes for sports, patrons can now check out their favourite codes on 60-plus high-definition TVs. If you're particularly keen for a big-screen experience, there's a few five-square-metre screens among them.
It's time to get the word "Jellicle" stuck in your head once more: to mark 40 years since it first hit the stage in Australia, Cats is prowling through theatres again in 2025 and 2026. Back in July 1985, Aussie audiences initially experienced Andrew Lloyd Webber's acclaimed production, which turned a tale inspired by poems from T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats into an award-winning theatre hit. In Brisbane, your next chance to see Cats starts from Friday, February 6, 2026. Four decades ago, the show pranced through Theatre Royal Sydney to begin with — and after a stop there, then Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne, too, the new season is scampering across the boards at QPAC Lyric Theatre in the Queensland capital to help you make some new Cats memories. If you're new to Cats, it spends its time with the Jellicle cat tribe on the night of the Jellicle Ball. That's the evening each year when their leader Old Deuteronomy picks who'll be reborn into a new Jellicle life by making the Jellicle choice. And yes, "Jellicle" is uttered frequently. Of late, audiences might be more familiar with Cats as a movie. In 2019, the musical made the leap from stage to screen with a star-studded cast including Idris Elba (Hijack), Taylor Swift (Amsterdam), Judi Dench (Belfast), Ian McKellen, (The Critic) James Corden, (Mammals) Jennifer Hudson (Respect), Jason Derulo (Lethal Weapon), Ray Winstone (Damsel) and Rebel Wilson (The Almond and the Seahorse) playing singing, scurrying street mousers. If you ever wanted to see Swift pouring cat nip on a crowd of cats from a suspended gold moon, or were keen to soothe your disappointment over the fact that Elba hasn't yet been James Bond by spotting him with whiskers, fur and a tail, this was your chance. For its efforts, the Tom Hooper (The Danish Girl)-directed film picked up six Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture. But while the movie clearly didn't hit the mark, you can see why this feline-fancying musical has been such a huge theatre hit thanks to its Aussie stage comeback. Images: Alessandro Pinna.
Spring in southeast Queensland means hanging out in Toowoomba, where the annual Carnival of Flowers takes place. In autumn, folks eager to be surrounded by petals have a date with the Scenic Rim instead. On the agenda: the Kalbar Sunflower Festival, which celebrates golden-hued blooms over a big April weekend, with 2024's event happening from Friday, April 19–Sunday, April 21. Sat just over an hour outside of Brisbane, the Kalbar Sunflowers farm couldn't be more vibrant at this time of year. It's no wonder that its festival has become a much-loved and hugely popular autumn event, with more than 12,000 people attending annually. If you're lucky enough to score a ticket, expect to spot sunflowers as far as the eye can see at the Jenner family farm. In its early years, more than 200,000 blooms reached up to the sky, which is a hefty number. In 2023, over one million sunflowers were planted across 24 acres — and the same number will bloom in 2024. All those golden petals also help the fest play host to a highlight to get lost in, literally: a four-acre sunflower maze. Also on the program, other than picking sunflowers at $3 per stem: yoga sessions among the sea of gold, art classes amid the blooms and helicopter rides over the fields, all of which have been drawcards in past years. Photo sessions will be back, of course, taking Kalbar's eye-catching sight to social media feeds. As always as well, the farm makes one helluva picnic spot. For eating and drinking against a stunning backdrop, Kalbar Sunflower Festival opens with a lunch, is hosting a fundraiser luncheon as well, has a sunset soirée on the itinerary, and will pair jazz with a midday meal. Or, enjoy a stint of Devonshire tea, shop market stalls, then make flower crowns. This year's Kalbar Sunflower Festival won't just be gorgeous to look at and frolic through. It'll also support a supremely worthy cause. To pay tribute to her husband Russell, who battled oesophageal cancer for 18 months and passed away in July 2023, the event's organiser Jenny Jenner is aiming to raise $100,000 for cancer research and care at the Mater. With picking sunflowers a huge part of the event, every sunflower sold during the festival will also see $1.50 go to the hospital and its Cancer Care Centres in South Brisbane and Springfield. The Kalbar Sunflower Festival came about after Russell and Jenny changed direction during Queensland's ongoing drought conditions. Previously, they farmed lucerne but, with water levels low, they opted to switch to a crop that doesn't require as much H2O. And, with all those sunflowers then looking rather striking, the couple wanted to let everyone else enjoy their golden petals.
If you're looking for a unique Las Vegas experience, this is beautiful in every single way: an Airbnb hosted by Christina Aguilera, with the entire weekend booking designed around the the 'Dirrty', 'Genie in a Bottle', 'What a Girl Wants' and 'Lady Marmalade' singer. She'll chat with you over drinks. You'll hit up her favourite Vegas restaurant. You'll also see her intimate show in the Nevada city. And, of course, you'll spend two nights making the most of your reservation, including slumbering just off the Vegas strip. Missed Aguilera at her one-night-only gig in Melbourne in 2023, which was her first Down Under since 2007? This is your chance to go one better — and head to her, too. Here's hoping that your calendar is blank in the near future, however, because the Airbnb stay is only on offer from Thursday, February 29–Saturday, March 2. [caption id="attachment_942172" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dennis Leupold[/caption] "Welcome to Las Vegas! I'm a big believer in self-love and embracing your true, authentic self, so I'm thrilled to host a stay in Sin City for fans to let loose and give themselves some much deserved TLC for the weekend," said Aguilera about her hosting gig. "This glam stay is all about empowerment, pleasure and play. Get ready." Included in the booking, which covers up to four people: that conversation with Christina while drinking cocktails; staying in the luxe four-bedroom, four-bathroom Airbnb for the weekend; a private burlesque lesson from choreographer and dancer Sarah Mitchell, who has worked with the singer for more than a decade; and VIP seats to Christina Aguilera at Voltaire, the star's current Las Vegas residency. You'll also score that restaurant experience; a glam session with Christina's team to learn about — and don — her looks — as well as a boudoir photoshoot. Thanks to Christina's sexual-wellness brand Playground, you'll take some goodies home with you, too. The one-of-a-kind Aguilera-focused stay is the accommodation platform's latest such once-in-a-lifetime experience. Shrek's swamp, Barbie's Malibu DreamHouse, the Ted Lasso pub, the Moulin Rouge! windmill, Hobbiton, the Bluey house, the Paris theatre that inspired The Phantom of the Opera, the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine, The Godfather mansion, the South Korean estate where BTS filmed In the Soop, the Sanderson sisters' Hocus Pocus cottage and Santa's festive cabin in Finland have all featured before (and the list goes on). For you, if this is what a girl (or guy) wants, needs, will make you happy and set you free, you'll need to try to nab the free booking at 5am AEDT / 4am AEST / 7am NZDT on Friday, February 23. Whoever gets these special kinds of Airbnb reservations is usually responsible for their own travel, including for this one. So, making the trip to Las Vegas and back is on your own dime. The rest? Money really can't buy it. For more information about the Christina Aguilera-hosted Las Vegas Airbnb stay, or to book at 5am AEDT / 4am AEST / 7am NZDT on Friday, February 23 for a stay across Thursday, February 29–Saturday, March 2, 2024, head to the Airbnb website. Images: Victor Leung. 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.
2017 has proven a big year for art thus far. Melbourne's National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) has just cut the ribbon on an extensive exhibition of Van Gogh's work, Sydney has launched The National, a new biannual multi-gallery exhibition of new Australian art, and Hobart's Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) has Dark Mofo coming up in June. This year also marks the tenth anniversary of Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA). They've already started the celebrations with a birthday exhibition (which featured a furry wall and Carsten Höller slippery slide), and, at the end of the year, GOMA will also be getting a new permanent work: a brand new light installation by artist James Turrell. You might be familiar with the Arizona-based artist's work if you've been to Mona or the National Gallery of Australia (NGA). He's the one behind the sky-centred installations at both galleries — at Mona, the gazebo-like Armana lights up at sunrise and sunset each day, and at the NGA in Canberra, Within without acts as an outdoor viewing chamber to enhance your view of the sky. All up, Turrell has created 80 'skyspaces' like these around the world. Brisbane's Turrell piece won't be a standalone structure like these other two Australian works; instead, the work will light up GOMA's eastern and southern white façades from within the building with a pattern developed by Turrell especially for the location. The plan is to light up the gallery at dusk each evening — when lit, it will make the gallery visible from across the river and around South Bank's cultural precinct. The work has been commissioned by GOMA with contributions from the Queensland Government, leading benefactors and the 2017 QAGOMA Foundation Appeal. It's set to be installed in early December 2017.
Over the past decade, streaming has become a firm part of every film and TV fan's life — providing more viewing choices, more places to find movies and television shows, and more excuses to while away hours and hours (and then a few more hours) on the couch. But, it has also sparked a familiar dilemma. Too often, thanks to all of the options available, it's easy to spend more time deciding what to check out next than actually watching something. Netflix has just released its intended solution to this problem, via a new feature called 'play something'. First revealed earlier in 2021, and now available globally across the platform, it's basically a shuffle function — and will automatically pick something for you to watch, rather than letting you keep scrolling and scrolling (and scrolling) while you're trying to make a decision. Here's how it works: when Netflix subscribers hit the 'play something' option — and therefore tell the service that they don't want to browse right now — they're instantly met with something new to view. It'll be either a series or film, and it could be something brand new, something you're already watching, a title that's on your list, or a show or movie you hadn't gotten around to finishing yet. Obviously, Netflix will be drawing upon its algorithm — as aided by your past viewing choices — to take your selections out of your hands. And, while it isn't called "I'm feeling lucky", that's the approach Netflix is basically asking subscribers to go with in terms of finding something to watch next. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY2djp46FeY If you don't like the first choice that the new function thrusts in front of your eyeballs, you can click 'play something else'. What happens then is self-explanatory. And, if you're keen to tun the 'play something' function on, you'll find it underneath your profile name, on the tenth row on Netflix's homepage and in the navigation menu on the left side of the screen. The company has been testing this type of functionality in various forms over the past few years — and the concept is hardly new, as users of music streaming services know. In France at the end of 2020, Netflix also trialled a linear channel, which just played films and shows one after the other in the way that broadcast television does; however, there's no news yet as to whether the latter will become a permanent function worldwide. The idea behind these new features — whether they've been implemented or they're just being trialled — is to keep people watching and encourage more folks to join up as subscribers, of course. More and more new streaming services pop up all the time, all vying for your eyeballs, or so it feels at least. That's also the reason that Netflix introduced its Top Ten lists in 2020, if you've been wondering why the platform started telling you that everyone was watching Tiger King, The Queen's Gambit and The Midnight Sky. Netflix's new 'play something' feature is active on the platform now. For more information about, head to the streaming service's website.
A patch of grass, a comfy rug, tasty snacks and refreshing beverages — when summer hits, is there anything better? That's the picnicking holy grail, as well as a recipe for whiling away a lazy day. Still, not all leisurely outdoor meals are created equal. First, you'll need the right spot. In Brisbane, only five parks allow BYO boozing, so it's a short — but still incredibly scenic — list. Next, you need something to sit on, although that's the easiest part to plan. When it comes to something to eat, don't just opt for supermarket fare; gourmet snacks are available to buy right near each of the city's alcohol-friendly parks, and it tastes better than cheap crackers and bread. Plus, we've teamed up with premium French vodka Grey Goose to help with the drinks, too. Consider this our fool-proof template for a cocktail-fuelled summer picnic to remember. [caption id="attachment_668860" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Flickr; Brisbane City Council[/caption] NEW FARM PARK Get snacks from: Sourced Grocer It's every Brisbanite's summer go-to spot, whether you're eager to stare dreamily at the river, kick a soccer ball around between drinks or wander through the rose garden. Yes, that'd be New Farm Park, which also boasts a prime location and plenty of grassy space among its many highlights. You're bound to have ample company here, but there's such a laidback feel to this corner of the city that you'll probably hardly notice. Making a pitcher of Grey Goose Spiked Ice Tea will naturally help — and it'll pair well with anything you decide to pick up from Sourced Grocer. You'll need to call in on your way to the park, but the Teneriffe favourite's loaded sandwiches are worth the trip. On weekends, keep an eye on the changing flatbread menu, too. [caption id="attachment_593131" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Emily Davies[/caption] ROMA STREET PARKLANDS CELEBRATION LAWN Get snacks from: Spring Hill Deli Marking a special occasion — other than Brisbane's warm-weather gloriousness, that is? The Roma Street Parklands Celebration Lawn has you covered, as its name suggests. Its moniker actually reflects the fact that it's where plenty of big events are held, but it's also a nice bit of turf for your own small-scale merriment. Of course, you'll want to check the lawn's events calendar before you make plans. And, before you listen to the cascading waterfalls and smell the frangipani scent wafting through the air, you'll also want to stop by Spring Hill Deli for supplies. From baked goods and cafe staples to salads and fresh fruit, you'll leave loaded up with snacks. Just don't forget to make some suitably laidback Grey Goose Summer Lemonade as well. [caption id="attachment_631246" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Flickr; Bert Knot[/caption] ROMA STREET PARKLANDS LAKE PRECINCT Get snacks from: The Bagel Boys More than once, every Brisbanite has forgotten that there's a lake in the middle of Roma Street Parklands. It's a far prettier colour than the old brown snake that we all call the Brisbane River; it's surrounded by lush grass, and it's filled with fish and ducks. Where better to sit, knock back a Grey Goose Le Grand Fizz and watch the world go by? Or, to roll out your blanket, munch on a few bagels, then take a mosey along the boardwalk? You can find said bagels at the aptly named Bagel Boys, with the outfit's Adelaide Street spot open on weekends. Expect variety, too, including jalapeno, blueberry and choc-chip bagels (not all in one), honey, jam and chive schmears (again, separately), and a lengthy list of filled options. [caption id="attachment_754733" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Flickr; Brisbane City Council[/caption] SOUTH BANK'S RIVERSIDE GREEN Get snacks from: Belle Epoque South Bank isn't short on scenic patches of land, but the Riverside Green ranks up there with the best of them. The grass, the river, the breeze — they all contribute to an incredibly inviting spot. And, even though it's usually well-patronised, and you can see the CBD across the water, it has an unmistakably cruisy vibe. Keep that feeling going by mixing up some Grey Goose French Sangria to bring with you. For snacks, stick to the theme by calling into Belle Epoque as well. Located at the bottom of the Emporium Hotel, the Parisian-style patisserie will make sure your tastebuds are satisfied. Croissants, pastries, sandwiches, chocolate, macarons, elderflower cheesecake — they're all on the menu. [caption id="attachment_750971" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Emily Davies[/caption] SOUTH BANK'S PICNIC ISLAND Get snacks from: The Stores There are no prizes for guessing just what you're meant to do in this leafy corner of South Bank, even if it isn't really an island. It does come with a fish-filled pond, though, and the river isn't far away — and there's ample space to get picnicking, naturally. Or barbecuing, given that you'll find those on site too. To take advantage of those hot grills, stopping by The Stores West End on your way in is a must. Grab some meat and seafood from the butcher, pick up olives from the deli and cheese from the fromagerie, and gather salad ingredients from the fresh produce section. Then, for dessert, baked pastries will do the trick. All that's left is to enjoy a few Grey Goose Coconut Coolers and settle in for the long haul. Upgrade your summer picnic by choosing premium vodka Grey Goose. Each bottle is distilled in France, and the high quality vodka has a 100-percent traceable production process, from crop to cork.
There's no need to feel the cold this winter. Whether you have a date with skis or you'll be trying to get as cosy as possible going about your usual routine, Aldi's snow gear sale is back to keep you warm. Making a beeline to the middle aisle to rug up has become an Australian tradition, and this year marks the first time that the supermarket chain has held two of the sales in consecutive years since before the pandemic. In budget-friendly news, too, nothing will set you back more than $100. Winter is coming, as the country is just beginning to feel — and this batch of bargains, spanning everything from gloves to thermoboots, is on its way as well. Ski trips, snowboarding sessions, building snowmen: there's attire for all of the above, plus just not shivering at home. Mark Saturday, May 18 in your diary, then make a date with your nearest Aldi supermarket. Also, prepare to have ample company. Every time that this sale happens, it draws quite a crowd — and 2024's run again includes more than 70 products, with prices starting from $4.99. Available at stores across the nation, and made to withstand extreme weather conditions, the latest range of gear includes ski jackets from $59.99, both ski pants and hoodies from $49.99, and fleece jackets from $39.99. Or, there's also balaclavas from $9.99, snowboard and ski gloves from $14.99, touchscreen gloves for $9.99, ski socks for $8.99, and scarves and beanies for $6.99. Ski goggles cost $17.99, ski helmets come in at $29.99 and thermoboots are $34.99. Need a heavy-duty boot, shoe and glove dryer? Decided that you do now that you've just read that sentence? They're also on the list, for $79.99. Because layers are pivotal, Aldi's Merino thermal underwear range is also back, with items such as adult tanks and camisoles for $19.99. Kids clothing is part of the deal, too, if you'll be travelling with younger skiers — including being able to dress a children for the snow from top to toe for under $100. 2024's Aldi Snow Gear Special Buys range is available from Aldi stores nationally from Saturday, May 18.
Each of Australia's capital cities has a different shtick. Melbourne's just happens to be a 24-hour culture — or, at least, the closest Australia has to it. It's got all-night public transport on weekends, late-night opening hours for the National Gallery of Victoria's new Triennial and the city's White Night festival will return for its annual all-nighter in 2018. If you haven't been down to White Night before, here's how it works. From 7pm, much of Melbourne's CBD is closed to cars. From then on, the streets give way to pedestrians, who are free to wander between temporary installations, live music and on-street projections — as well as in and out of galleries and cultural institutions — up until the sun comes up at 7am the next day. It's the Australian version of Nuit Blanche, which was founded in France in the 80s. Next year's festival — which will shut down the city for 12 hours on the evening of Saturday, February 17 — features work from a tonne of both local and international artists. Expect to see neon pups, two Burning Man installations and one laneway covered in snow. There are far too many works to list, but here are a few highlights you'll want to look out for. A giant shimming silver net that will hover above Federation Square for White Night (and two weeks afterwards). Drag queens singing from balconies above Collins Street. A laneway filled with virtual neon 'dogs' and another filled with falling 'snow'. A tree that lets you write temporary messages on it with the light from your phone Two installations straight from Burning Man: a fire-breathing serpent outside Melbourne Museum and a giant mechanical insect that doubles at a DJ booth. Mini gigs performed from multiple balconies above Swanston Street. A 360-degree dome in Alexandra Gardens that will feature mesmerising projections. Stories from Australian detention centres projected onto the NGV's façade. White Night will also head out to Victoria's regional centres. It will return to Ballarat on March 17 for a second year, and will take to the streets of Bendigo and Geelong for the first time later in 2018. White Night 2018 will take over Melbourne from 7pm on Saturday, February 17 until 7am on the morning on Sunday, February 18. For more information, visit whitenight.com.au/melbourne.
If there's an occasion worth celebrating, including Christmas, spring and winter, Woolloongabba's South City Square has marked it with markets in the past. The inner-east precinct can still roll out the stalls just because, however — such as on Friday, May 24, when it's hosting a Vegan/Vego Laneway Fest. Running from 4–8.30pm, this after-work event goes heavy on plant-based bites — and also gluten-free wares. Some will be vegetarian. Some will be vegan. Either way, food trucks are taking over the place. [caption id="attachment_949992" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Markus Ravik[/caption] Live tunes are also on the agenda, and are plant and flower market stalls, plus upcycled wares and gift options. Entry is free, as is onsite parking for five hours, as the Vegan/Vego Laneway Fest joins South City Square's monthly series — with an Asian Hawker Market and European Food Trail also set to come in 2024. [caption id="attachment_949993" align="alignnone" width="1920"] All Images[/caption]
If you're travelling to the Sunshine State on a budget, or you're a Brisbanite who knows someone who is, the River City's first pod hotel has opened its doors to give the Queensland capital a new affordable accommodation option. LyLo Brisbane has taken over well-known digs, turning the former Limes Hotel into its first-ever Australian site — and more spots on the Gold Coast and in Fremantle in Western Australia are swiftly on the way. One of EVT's hotel brands — sitting in a stable that also includes QT Hotels & Resorts, Rydges Hotels & Resorts, Atura Hotels and Independent Collection by EVT — LyLo first set up shop in New Zealand in 2022. Across the ditch, you'll find one of the brand's locations in each of Auckland, Christchurch and Queenstown. Now, it's Australia's turn, beginning with its debut abode at 142 Constance Street, where a private sleeping pod starts at $69 per night. Limes Hotel's old digs has been given a complete revamp, and now house rooms with either four or six pods, as well as private ensuite rooms, plus family and group rooms. For pod guests, there's a choice of female-only rooms. If you're booking in for the family or group experience, you'll be in a room with a queen bed, two beds and an ensuite. Of course, the pods come cheaper than the rooms — and for the pod experience, you'll get a king single bed with privacy screens, your own lighting and fan in each pod, a mirror, wifi, and power and USB charging ports, as well as an adjacent luggage storage locker. No matter which accommodation choice you go with, everyone gets access to a wellness space with spin bikes and views over Brisbane, plus a coworking space with free wifi. Where Limes Hotel's rooftop bar and cinema previously sat, LyLo has transformed the upper level into a hangout with a communal kitchen and games. Also on offer: wine, self-pouring beer and tap cocktails. For the hotel's look and feel, IndigeDesignLabs and local Meanjin artist Jordache Gage have turned the building's facade into a tribute to the Brisbane River, and the plants and animals found around it, via a blue-, orange- and purple-hued artwork atop grey. Inside, the decor skews light, bright and airy, with greenery aplenty in shared spaces. "From our innovative communal spaces to our commitment to guest comfort in unique sleeping formats, LyLo Brisbane sets a new standard for travellers seeking affordability without compromising on quality. Opening our doors in Brissie is just the beginning of our journey, and we've already got our next LyLo properties in the pipeline to continue expanding our presence across Australia," said LyLo Managing Director Tim Alpe. "We are stoked to be welcoming adventurers, digital nomads, families and more as they embark on a new way to stay, enjoying our innovative pod rooms and immersing themselves in the vibrant atmosphere of LyLo." Find LyLo Brisbane at 142 Constance Street, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane — head to the hotel's website for further details. Images: Vaughan Brookfield.
If you've ever heard someone mention Botanica, then you've heard plenty of gushing. But if you've never been there, you might be surprised at just what everyone's about: their salads, all 19 of them. Yep, people talk about the plant-focused eatery and their kale, cauliflower and lettuce-heavy offerings with so much enthusiasm, you'd think they were talking about doughnuts and burgers. And while you'll find sweeter treats on their menu (particularly of the gluten-free kind), here you'll also find that dessert can actually be good for you. They're just some of the reasons that their second store has been causing such a buzz — both before it opened its doors on May 5 in Teneriffe, and since. It might look and feel the same as their original Red Hill location, which is definitely a good thing; however given that it boasts a kitchen the size of its sibling shop, the Doggett Street venue just might become the heart of the whole healthy-eating, breakfast box-serving, leaf-loving operation.
The annual festival of lights, art and music has revealed the first three installations in its 2021 program. The three installations include an immersive sound and light display in Cockle Bay, a 3D projection encompassing Circular Quay's Customs House and the projection of an artist's creative process in The Rocks. The announcement came 100 days before Vivid 2021 is set to begin, coinciding with the launch of two luminous clocks counting down to the festival's 'lights on' moment on Friday, August 6. You can visit the clocks which are ticking away at First Fleet Park in The Rocks and Wulugul Walk in Barangaroo. Following a breakout year of immersive walkthrough experiences, Sydneysiders will be able to head to Cockle Bay and wander across a floating walkway surrounded by 200 bubble-like spheres and towering structures scattered across the bay. The installation, titled Ephemeral, is the work of Sydney design studio Atelier Sisu and will be the first time Cockle Bay's waters have been incorporated into Vivid. [caption id="attachment_809931" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ephemeral, Destination NSW[/caption] Hong Kong's Treacle Media are responsible for Circular Quay's VORAX, a three-dimensional projection that will tell the story of a mischievous thief's rise to greatness in front of Customs House. Down the road in The Rocks, local artist Brad Robson and Esem Projects will project Robson's spellbinding portraits, as well as his process of creating them for the installation Point of View. "Vivid Sydney is a bright star on Sydney's events calendar supporting the entire ecosystem of the state's visitor economy," NSW Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney said. "It brings hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city and inspires locals to get out and enjoy Sydney and support our CBD businesses during winter which is typically a quieter period." Vivid will activate a little later than usual this year with the event tipped to run from Friday, August 6 until Saturday, August 28. It follows the cancellation of the 2020 event due to coronavirus. This year's full program is set to be announced in late May. Vivid Sydney 2021 will take place from August 6–28, 2021. We'll update you when the full program is released closer to the event date. For more information in the interim, visit the event's website. Top images: Destination NSW
Do you remember the first time that you saw a pastel-hued facade, ornate interior detailing, or something gloriously symmetrical indoors or out, then thought "that looks like something out of a Wes Anderson film"? For almost three decades now, we've all done it. Since his feature debut Bottle Rocket, the Asteroid City and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar director has firmly established his stylistic trademarks, ensuring that a Wes Anderson movie is always immediately recognisable as a Wes Anderson movie no matter which of the filmmaker's regular actors is in front of the camera. Brooklyn-based husband and wife Wally and Amanda Koval shared this line of thinking to the point of creating an Instagram account around it in 2017. Accidentally Wes Anderson now has 1.9-million followers. The social media feed is a curated selection of images from real life that look like Anderson has staged, styled and shot them, but hasn't — and after taking films as inspiration for an online compilation of images, Accidentally Wes Anderson has taken the IRL route itself via an exhibition. At Accidentally Wes Anderson: The Exhibition, 200-plus images await — and they're all coming to Australia for the first time. Following past runs in Tokyo and Seoul, and present seasons in London and Los Angeles, the immersive art experience will make its Down Under debut in Melbourne from Wednesday, September 18, 2024, complete with ten rooms. Some of the exhibition's walls feature facades that Anderson must covet, others find landscape that'd make the perfect Anderson backdrop, and plenty highlight either vintage vehicles or enchanting hotels. Yes, pastel tones pop up frequently. So does symmetry, including in the exhibition's presentation. The idea is to make you feel like you're stepping into Anderson's flicks by showing how the world beyond his frames often conjures up that sensation anyway. To borrow from a different filmmaker, is this the Wes Anderson version of Inception? Attendees enter an exhibition of real-life pictures inspired by an Instagram account that's inspired by Anderson's moving pictures, particularly his aesthetic within them that takes cues from real life. Accidentally Wes Anderson has also been turned into a book, too, plus a website with a map spanning almost 2000 spots across the planet that fit the theme. At Accidentally Wes Anderson: The Exhibition, patrons arrive via the lobby, then explore a space dedicated to portals, then embrace an array of facades. Checking out sections devoted to coastal scenes, planes and trains (and automobiles, of course), sports, accommodation and nature is also on the agenda. There's a space that'll get you watching big-screen travel adventures, too — and, just for Australia, one about Aussie spots that evoke Anderson. For souvenirs, you'll exit through the Accidentally Wes Anderson shop. The place will clearly look the Wes Anderson part. As for visitors, wearing a blazer and red beret, an Adidas tracksuit, a purple lobby boy uniform or khaki while you're spending an hour wandering around is up to you. There's no word yet if Accidentally Wes Anderson: The Exhibition will display elsewhere across Australia, or if folks outside of Melbourne will need to pack their matching Louis Vuitton suitcases for a trip to the Victorian capital to see it. Accidentally Wes Anderson: The Exhibition displays at 360 Bourke Street, Melbourne from Wednesday, September 18, 2024. Head to the exhibition website to join the waitlist, with tickets on sale from 6pm on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.
Wilding isn't about the butterfly effect; however, those insects do indeed flap their wings in this thoughtful documentary, and the world changes as a result. In 2009, a high-pressure weather system brought a mass migration of painted lady butterflies from north Africa to Europe, and to Britain, in their millions. One of their destinations: Knepp, the 400-year-old West Sussex estate that Isabella Tree and her husband Charlie Burrell call home, and that's been in the latter's family for generations. The 3500-acre property had a creeping thistle problem, threatening not only the land but the couple's way of managing it via rewilding, and also their reputations. Enter tens of thousands of painted ladies, which did the trick through no intervention by Tree and Burrell at all. The butterflies laid their eggs on the creeping thistle, then the hatched caterpillars ate away the leaves, with just the plant's shredded stems remaining. At the turn of the 21st century, battling a £1.5-million debt on their farm, Tree and Burrell made a bold move: to stop toiling on the land and instead let nature reclaim the Knepp grounds whoever it saw fit. Refraining from acting and leaving the earth to its wildlife — plants and animals alike — shouldn't be such a radical idea, but it is now and definitely was then. Wilding works through how the pair's "don't just do something, stand there" philosophy has paid off well beyond their wildest dreams or most-ambitious expectations. The film, Tree's book that it's based on and the rewilding project at Knepp overall are each a testament to the power of nature to rebound; to endurance and perseverance; and to finding a way, including by stepping back and allowing the earth to function as it has long before humans walked upon it. The painted lady butterflies and their role in helping to ensure that Tree and Burrell's plans for a new rewilded landscape at Knepp — an initiative that had already garnered backlash before the threat of creeping thistle — didn't crumble comprise just one of the success stories charted in this inspirational documentary. Storks breeding in Britain again for the first time in 600 years, aiding turtle dove conservation efforts, bringing beavers back to the wild in Sussex after 400 years: they're among the others. A five-time Emmy-winner for National Geographic Explorer, Living with Bugs, Nature and The Serengeti Rules, director David Allen is responsible for chronicling Knepp's transformation here. His efforts have paid off, with the film becoming the highest-grossing UK documentary of 2024. "I can't watch it, seeing my huge face pontificating on the screen. It's very much outside my comfort zone," Tree tells Concrete Playground. "But they did a lovely job, particularly of the footage, I think — the wildlife footage." Tree is Wilding's on-screen guide, as she references — but this is a documentary that devotes as many of its frames to roving through the outcome of her and Burrell's life-changing decision as possible. To venture backwards, it also weaves in recreations with actors (such as Call the Midwife's Rhiannon Neads as Tree), where nature again remains the main star. The movie was made in lockdown and, equally from that period, Tree has penned the ultimate companion piece for those who watch along and want to do the same on whatever patch of earth they have: The Book of Wilding: A Practical Guide to Rewilding, Big and Small. "We have this incredible mailbag from people who've come to Knepp, as you say, and they don't have thousands or hundreds of acres, but they're so motivated and excited to do something on their own. And so we have questions: 'can I rewild my garden, my window box, my churchyard, my orchard, the verges around my street?'. And of course you can," she tells us. [caption id="attachment_1006056" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Olivier Hess[/caption] "This book really has all that advice. It's about how you can think differently with the rewilding mindset in whatever patch of earth you have influence over. So it's going into your garden and thinking like a beaver when you're building a pond. It's thinking about a grazing pony when you're when cutting your rose bushes — thinking in terms of a free-roaming animal. And it's not less work in your garden. It's probably just as much work, but it is incredibly freeing if you think about the natural processes in the wider landscape and how can you relate them to your smaller space. 'How can you allow dead wood and piles of leaves? How can you create a garden that has perhaps got drier parts to it?'. I mean, we've dumped 400 tonnes of crushed brick and concrete onto our lawn and created these mounds and bumps, because nothing in nature is flat." "Just changing the topography of your garden can create all these little microclimates that benefit different plants. The variety, the mosaic of habitats, is what's important," Tree continues. "When you buy a bird box for your garden — lots of lovely nature-friendly gardeners will buy a bird box. Why are you buying a bird box? Shouldn't there be the habitat for them already in your garden? Because that habitat will also be providing insects and berries and the thing they want to eat, as well as protection from predators. So it's thinking about how you can use nature to provide for nature, for wildlife, in your garden. And get messy. Let's forget the leaf blower and the lawn mower, and use them as sparingly as possible." "We can have wonderful spaces for ourselves, of course, in our gardens. We want to have dinner out there. We want our children to play ball games. But just think about nature, too, and how we could share that space." Viewing Wilding, which opened in Australian cinemas on Thursday, May 22, 2025, means marvelling at what Tree and Burrell have achieved, then often wanting to follow in their footsteps and take Tree's advice. It means seeing how the duo started by letting old English Longhorn cattle, Exmoor ponies and Tamworth pigs do what they're driven to — and being well-aware of what a risk they were taking by turning their backs on the estate's farming heritage — then witnessing how, yes, nature is healing. Why is Tree and Burrell's approach considered so revolutionary? How much determination, fortitude and perseverance does it take to actively do nothing? How have some naysayers changed their minds about Knepp Wildland over the years? We discussed this terrain with Tree as well, alongside the pandemic's influence on reshaping how humans feel about nature and other topics, such as which of the project's triumphs means the most to her. On Why Humanity Has Become So Resistant to the Idea of Not Doing Anything and Instead Letting Nature Take Its Course "So that's such an interesting question, and I'm battling with it at the moment. I'm writing a book about the return of our white storks. I think it goes back to Plato, actually. It goes back to the ancient Greeks, that moment when we began to divide ourselves as human beings from nature. We saw nature as something that needed to be controlled, to be won over — that our soul and our intellect, our brains, were separate from nature. We were separate from all other living things. And when you look around the world at native peoples, even today, people who — communities, civilisations that have lived for thousands and thousands of years, successfully and sustainably, they never disassociate themselves from nature. Some cultures, there's no pronoun for the self because you are so much part of the living world. And so I think it all began, the rot began then, with the ancient Greeks — and I'm a classicist, so it's taken me a very long time to say that. But I think this mania with control and tidying up also was just exacerbated with science, and how we approach science as a completely different discipline. How we separate zoology from botany, as if plants and animals just don't coexist. It's the way we think in the western mind. And then, of course, we have the industrial revolution, which gives us fantastic machines that men in particular, may I say, love to use — like chainsaws and mowers and anything with an engine that can just get rid of nature as quickly as possible. So we became fantastically obsessive about tidying up, and that has been nature's downfall, I think — is our disassociation and our mania with tidiness. As well as agriculture, but I'm just thinking about our own personal space." On the Determination, Fortitude, Ambition and Perseverance That It Takes to Actively Commit to Doing Nothing "It's very difficult because it's a shift in mindset, I think, and we've got so many cultural prejudices about what we consider to be responsible or even beautiful. We're often nostalgically tied to these very controlled landscapes because we grew up with them as we were children. We have them in picture books as that's what nature looks like. And so to let go of all that is very, very difficult. And I think that's what we found here at Knepp, is that once we embarked on this experiment and it got very messy and very untidy very quickly, it was a challenge to us. I remember seeing a tree right in our sightline outside the windows that was dying — a huge oak tree that had just succumbed to the amount of chemicals that had been flowing down into that corner of the field over all the years that we've been intensively farming, and it just gave up the ghost. And we watched this tree die, and my husband was saying 'oh god, I know we've committed to not doing anything, but that is right in our sightline. Perhaps we could make an exception?'. And we decided we wouldn't. And that tree largely changed the way we thought, because living with it and watching it die slowly, and actually seeing the life that had attracted — the sparrowhawks that started nesting in it, the whole community of short-tailed voles that were living in its exposed roots, the fox that used to sit there waiting for the rabbits to come by, the perching places for herons — there was life and death. And suddenly we saw the point. That is fantastic habitat. And we learned to love it as a thing of life and beauty. And that skeletal thing became something we thought of as beautiful. So I think it's about changing your aesthetic, and that is a very tricky thing to do. But we had, in the early days, a letter from a woman who was furious and wrote us a kind of 'yours sincerely' disgusted tirade saying 'what you've done to your farmland is an abomination. You've turned something beautiful into a riot of ragwort and thistles. It's hideous. It's depressing'. And about five years ago, she wrote us another letter saying 'I walk at Knepp every week and I have to apologise for that letter I wrote to you back in the day. I now realise that Knepp is beautiful. It's just beautiful in a different way'." On How Knepp Has Changed Perceptions — and Whether Past Naysayers Reassessing Their Thoughts Is Common "Totally, because I think we're so unused to seeing this landscape. When people walk through it, it looks more like the African bush or even the Australian outback. It's scrubby, it's messy, there's animal tracks through it, and people think 'my god, this is just like Africa'. No, it's not. It's like Britain used to be. We just haven't got it anymore. And so, you quite often take someone on safari and they go 'aaah'. Or you take them into our rewilded garden and they kind of brace themselves. And slowly, they begin to relax into it. It's something that I think you have to feel through the heart. You can't just read about it or learn about it in a school classroom — you have to be out there in it and feel that birdsong vibrating in your lungs, literally echoing in your in your guts. And the surprise of turning a corner and finding a beaver or some piglets, then you suddenly have that 'aha!' moment. So that's the power, I think, of having places like Knepp, is that people actually come here and that transformation in their heads begins from their hearts." On If This Response — the Attention, the Books That Tree Has Written About Knepp and Now the UK's Highest-Grossing Documentary of 2024 — Was Ever Expected "Absolutely no idea. We couldn't believe it. We did something because we were forced to do it financially, because the farm was essentially bankrupt. It was one-and-a-half million pounds in debt. We were getting ourselves out of a terrible financial situation. We were doing the wrong thing on our land. And turning it over to nature appealed to us because we felt we could do it — and it would be a wonderful experiment to do. Both Charlie and I love nature. We travelled the ends of the earth to find wildlife, ironically, and never wondered why we didn't have it in our own backyard. So doing something for nature felt incredibly positive. We had no idea that it would — we thought 'if we could increase biodiversity just a little, if we could get just a little wildlife back on our land that had been chemically soaked for decades and decades, wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?'. We never thought that we could have nightingales, turtle doves, purple emperor butterfly, some of the most endangered, critically endangered species in Britain, breeding here at Knepp, and increasing every year. We never expected the abundance of life. It's interesting because it's shifted the shifting baseline in the opposite direction. Ecologists come here and they now are really ambitious, more ambitious, for the kind of life they should be having in their nature reserves — if they just got a bit wilder and perhaps used free-roaming animals, and used some of the ideas of rewilding in their own space. Because you simply can't believe you could fit any more life in here, and yet it still comes. So I think we've been amazed. We've been certainly amazed by the attention, which we're not naturally sort of extrovert, table-thumping bandstanders. And so that's been a surprise. But we do feel passionate about communicating this message of hope, because the joy that it's given us. And the thrill of seeing how it galvanises and excites other people, who then go off and do their own amazing thing — we just can't stop. So we've become those kind of people, I suppose." On Whether the Urge to Connect with Nature Post-Lockdown Gives Wilding and Tree's Experiences a Greater Sense of Timeliness Since — and If People Are Having a Stronger Response as a Result "I think absolutely, definitely. I would even say it was a little bit before COVID, funnily enough. I think my book came out in the UK, Wilding, in 2018. And I always felt that if I'd written it six years earlier — I was busy with another book that was taking me far, far, far much longer than I thought, and I was longing to get to this book about Knepp, but I had to wait to finish the other one. Luckily, because I waited an extra six years, not only did that mean that we even more results and even more proof — we've always been very careful about the science, so we had the proof here that we have this amazing biodiversity uplift. But it also, I think, chimed with stuff that was happening at the time. Greta Thunberg was suddenly bursting onto the scene. We had Extinction Rebellion in the UK. David Attenborough was finally coming out and saying 'this is a massive problem'. His films were getting more radical. We had the plastics problem suddenly hitting the headlines. Suddenly it felt like the zeitgeist, that people were feeling eco-anxiety properly for the first time and not trusting governments to change, to take that worry seriously. And so I think that's why the book did well. And then I think that the film was actually filmed during lockdown, and so I think those audiences were definitely feeling that need for nature in a totally different way. We know how being in nature, now we really appreciate — the first thing we did when lockdown was released was find a patch of nature anywhere. And not just a kind of billiard-table lawn in the middle of a city, we needed something heaving with life that was going to connect us to our living selves again. And so I think definitely that appreciation has helped. Our busy daily lives take over, of course, and we forget. But I think that the reminder is: when we can, ourselves, do something. And if we can remind people that your garden, your window box, could be wilder. We can all rewild. And that is the most-powerful way not only to help the planet even in a tiny way — you can feel part of this movement — but it is also very reassuring and comforting to oneself to be able to plant a particular plant and attract a butterfly. It's magic." On Whether Tree Had Any Specific Aims for Wilding as a Documentary "I think we were really in the hands of Dave Allen, the director, who's wonderful and a friend. And so we trusted him. I have no idea how to make a film and what the arc needs to be, but he was amazing how closely he followed the book. I was really impressed and grateful for that. All we did know — we had so many film companies approach us to make a film about Knepp, and none of them, to our minds, apart from Passion Pictures, took the nature transformation seriously. They wanted it to be about us or about I don't know what, but they weren't interested really in the science. And what I so love about the film is how you see under the soil with the mycorrhizal fungi, that universe. You see the huge migration of painted lady butterflies. And bringing that to life, I think, is so wonderful because I think visuals can show a story in much shorter — it's shorthand, really, for what I was writing. And it's very, very powerful, I think. And when you can actually see on the screen the transformation of our land from farmland to this heaving exuberance of life, that's, I think, where the power is in film. So I always hoped it could do that, but I was absolutely amazed by how brilliantly Dave and Passion Pictures were able to do it." On the Highlights That Stand Out From Tree's Knepp Journey Over the Past Quarter Century "I think always that the bird that I find most moving is the turtle dove, because when I was growing up in the 1960s, we had 250,000 turtle doves in Britain — and we've lost them largely because of intensive agriculture. And also dirty water, we have polluted water everywhere now, and they need clean water. So now we have just a few thousand left in the southeast of England, and they are predicted to go extinct in the next decade or so by the Royal Society for Protection of Birds. And so the fact that we have turtle doves here and you can still hear them — they are still increasing in numbers every year. We probably have about between 20 and 30 singing males every year. And on a lovely summer's evening, like tonight when I go out for a walk, if I'm lucky I will hear that gentle 'turr turr' that Shakespeare listened to and wrote about, that Chaucer wrote about. And it's a bittersweet sound, because it's such a melancholic sound and it's so soothing at the same time, and reassuring, and I don't know if we've done enough quick enough to turn around the fortunes of the turtle dove. Knepp might be the last place where you ever hear it in Britain. But, we have extended its stay and I'm forever grateful that my children have heard a turtle dove." Wilding released in Australian cinemas on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
When Betty's Burgers and Concrete Co started dishing up burgs, fries and shakes, it gave hungry (and grateful) Australian tastebuds a Shake Shack-style burger experience. The chain has done well with that approach, unsurprisingly, expanding from its Noosa beginnings to now boast joints in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth — and a trio of ex-staff members are aiming for the same success with new venture Slim's Quality Burger. There's plenty that's familiar about Slim's template, in fact. Swap out the Shake Shack nods, substitute in a 50s and 60s-inspired setup that takes its cues from American diner culture, and that's the concept. Once again, the focus is on classic-style burgs rather than OTT numbers in this new spot from Michael Tripp, Nik Rollison and Betty's founder David Hales; however, the burgers here are paired with old-school ice cream sundaes instead of Betty's frozen custard 'concretes'. Now open in Marrickville in Sydney, with other stores set to come around the country — details of which haven't yet been revealed — Slim's is all about a lean menu of options made with simple but quality ingredients. Burger-wise, customers can choose between original, cheeseburger, deluxe cheeseburger and 'the works' burgs all made with angus beef, plus five different chicken varieties — including with crispy fried or grilled chook — and a veggie option using a plant-based patty. Sides focus on fries either with sea salt, loaded with cheese and grilled onion, or also featuring maple-smoked bacon. As for those sundaes, they come in hot fudge, salted caramel and strawberry flavours. And to wash it all down, there are spiders — because plonking a scoop of ice cream in some soft drink never gets old — plus post-mix from the fountain, and chocolate, vanilla and strawberry thickshakes. And with its vibrant red bench seating, the same hue beaming up from the chequerboard-tiled floor and a curved order counter — in the Marrickville setup at least — the decor clearly takes Slim's chosen retro aesthetic seriously. Also a feature in Sydney: outdoor dining, plus a blast from the past-meets-modern overall feel. Slim's Quality Burger has opened its first store at 20 Smidmore Street, Marrickville, with more locations to come across Australia — we'll update you when new sites are announced.
Head to any strip of eateries in Brisbane, and you're likely to find a spate of Japanese options. Sushi, gyoza and ramen have all become restaurant and fast food mainstays, and with good reason. Of course, there's a difference between the Australian take on the trio, or the quick-and-easy food court versions, and becoming immersed in the real cuisine and experience. That's what Izakaya Goku aims to offer: delicious, authentic bites to eat with casual, communal dining and traditional hospitality to match. Their vibe is retro and informal, but their menus are serious. That extends to beverages, too — the place does take its name from the Japanese term for a drinking establishment, after all. In terms of sustenance, expect all the staples plus kushiyaki skewers, a choice of okonomiyaki (aka savoury pancakes), and separate hot and cold a la carte selections that include crab, octopus balls, squid legs and seaweed salad. In terms of something to wash it all down with, there's Japanese whisky and a range of cocktails, but choosing from the extensive sake menu — served hot, chilled and room temperature — is the obvious choice. Images: Hennessy Trill
Get ready to unleash your inner Keanu Reeves or Kate Bosworth: the largest surf park in the southern hemisphere is on its way. Western Australia is already home to top-notch beaches, including the third-best beach in the world for 2023, Australia's best beach for 2022 and the best beach in the South Pacific for last year as well — plus all that coastline and plenty of beloved sandy spots, of course — but global surf park brand Aventuur has earmarked it for a massive site in Perth, too. And that site has just received official development approval. Going as big as possible with its $100-million WA venture — which will feature 25 different types of waves, and is forecast to welcome in a million visitors a year — Aventuur's plans were first announced in 2022. Now, however, Perth Surf Park has one round of go-aheads, thanks to the Metro Outer Joint Development Assessment Panel (JDAP). The project also received a decision by the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority that it didn't need EPA assessment because it won't have a significant impact on the environment. More regulatory approvals are needed, but the venue is now another step closer to starting construction in late 2023, working towards a late-2025 opening. "This is an incredibly exciting day for Western Australians, and for the Aventuur team," said Aventuur Chairman and Chief Development Officer Andrew Ross, announcing the development approval. "We've been working closely with the WA Government and the City of Cockburn to design an authentic, inclusive and sustainable surf park, and I couldn't be more stoked that we're one step closer to delivering a new community asset for Perth." Clearly, providing breaks and barrels that everyone can surf — no matter your skill level — is one of big aims of Aventuur's Perth Surf Park, which'll take over a 5.8-hectare site on Prinsep Road in Jandakot, adjacent to the Kwinana Freeway and the Cockburn Central train station. That'll include what it's calling a Wavegarden Cove, aka the huge 56-module surfing lagoon that'll be the key drawcard — and will constantly whip up perfect waves. Also set to feature: accommodation, which'll be handy for anyone making the trip west just for some manmade surf action; a beach club; and bars and restaurants. A wellness and recovery centre and a fitness studio will feature as well, and so will a co-working lounge and spaces for functions with waves as a backdrop. Plus, out-of-the-water facilities also include a skate park, pump track and gardens. Start looking forward to for personalised coaching, fitness and surf skate programs as well, and regular events such as outdoor surf movie nights and photography exhibitions. Yoga and meditation retreats will also make the most of the site, as will live music and cultural festivals — and, naturally, professional surfing competitions. Already an avid surfer? Know someone who might be the next Mick Fanning or Stephanie Gilmore? Then get excited about Perth Surf Park's high-performance surf academy. Whether you're a future superstar or just learning, there'll also be a hire store doing board, wetsuit and equipment rentals — so you won't have to bring your own gear with you. While surfers won't be able to live out their Point Break and Blue Crush dreams until the summer 2025, Aventuur signed a long-term ground lease with the Western Australian Planning Commission for its Perth Surf Park site in 2022. With approval now granted by the JDAP, it'll keep progressing towards starting work to transform the Cockburn Gateway precinct into a hub for tourism, sport and entertainment. The venue will also feature five-star Green Star-rated buildings, which'll help it notch up another achievement: being the first surf park in the world with that classification. Manmade waves have been having their moment Down Under of late. Urbnsurf opened Australia's first inland surf park near the Melbourne Airport in 2020, then revealed plans for Brisbane, Sydney and Perth sites. New South Wales' Hawkesbury region is also getting a giant wave pool and luxury resort, the Sunshine Coast is due to welcome Kelly Slater's second surf ranch, and the Gold Coast has been earmarked for an Endless Surf wave pool. And if you're wondering why surf parks keep popping up — especially in a country girt by sea, and therefore surrounded by so many glorious beaches — they're able to provide controlled and reliable conditions, including waves that aren't daunting for newcomers. Perth Surf Park will feature knee-high whitewater for beginners, for instance, as well as ideal waves for experienced surfers. Aventuur's Perth Surf Park is due to open on Prinsep Road in Jandakot, Perth, Western Australia, in 2025. For more information, head to the venue's website.
It's a question that film festivals face each and every year: how do you kick off? For the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2025, the answer comes courtesy of an award-winner with Australian ties that'll enjoy its Aussie premiere in the Victorian capital. The movie opening the fest on Thursday, August 7: If I Had Legs I'd Kick You starring Rose Byrne (Physical). The dramedy initially debuted at Sundance to significant acclaim, then made its way to the Berlin International Film Festival — and saw Byrne take home that fest's Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance. Scoring the opening-night slot at MIFF is no small feat, either, with attendees set to watch its lead portraying Linda, a psychologist struggling with balancing her clients, an ill child and an abyss on her building's roof. [caption id="attachment_1011660" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nick Robertson[/caption] Fellow Aussie Danielle Macdonald (The Last Anniversary) co-stars, as does Conan O'Brien (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Christian Slater (Dexter: Original Sin) and A$AP Rocky (Highest 2 Lowest). Also among the cast: If I Had Legs I'd Kick You's writer/director Mary Bronstein (Yeast). "I am beyond thrilled to be bringing If I Had Legs I'd Kick You to MIFF. That would have been enough, but I am further honoured and gobsmacked to have been selected to open the festival," said the filmmaker. "My film is built around an unprecedented performance by one of the most-talented actors that has ever come out of Australia: Rose Byrne. It is all the more meaningful for me to be able to personally share Rose's soul-shattering work, along with the stunningly raw co-starring performance of fellow Australian Danielle MacDonald, with such celebration and reverence in their home country." "This New Yorker has never been to the other side of the globe before and I can't think of a better way to first experience beautiful Melbourne than through such deep appreciation for not just my film, but cinema in general, as MIFF is known around the world for." [caption id="attachment_1011661" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nick Robertson[/caption] Added MIFF Artistic Director Al Cossar, "I'm so thrilled the electrifying If I Had Legs I'd Kick You opens this year's MIFF with some of the most intensely accomplished filmmaking you'll see this year. Urgent, funny, and audacious, we couldn't be prouder that Bronstein's singular vision will set the start to MIFF's 18-day immensity of cinema-going, as we welcome Melbourne audiences back once more to our 300-plus film adventure through the world's imagination." Melbourne International Film Festival runs from Thursday, August 7–Sunday, August 24 in 2025, and began announcing this year's lineup back in June, ahead of the full program dropping on Thursday, July 10. Other highlights so far include Parasite composer Jung Jae-il coming to Australia to conduct the movie's score live in an Aussie exclusive, Jafar Panahi's Cannes Palme d'Or-winning It Was Just an Accident, almost-100-year-old masterpiece The Passion of Joan of Arc with a new score by Julia Holter performed live, an Australian time-loop comedy involving tequila, a Baker Boy- and Hugh Jackman (Deadpool & Wolverine)-narrated tribute to David Gulpilil, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind filmmaker Michel Gondry's latest and the world-premiere of natural disaster-focused virtual-reality documentary When the World Came Flooding In. The 2025 Melbourne International Film Festival runs from Thursday, August 7–Sunday, August 24 at a variety of venues around Melbourne; from Friday, August 15–Sunday, August 17 and Friday, August 22–Sunday, August 24 in regional Victoria; and online nationwide from Friday, August 15–Sunday, August 31. For further details, including the full program from Thursday, July 10, visit the MIFF website.
Only one Cantonese eatery in the middle of the Brisbane CBD is located inside a three-storey former shipping office that dates back to the 1800s. Only one such restaurant is nestled into a historic (and heritage-listed) building's top floor, perched above a brasserie plus a supper club-style cocktail bar and lounge, too. That place: The Fifty Six, the latest addition to Naldham House, joining the ground level's Naldham House Brasserie & Terrace and the second storey's Club Felix in the Felix Street building. The site itself relaunched as a multi-venue hospitality hub in 2024, but its final piece was still a work in progress until Thursday, February 13, 2025. Now, the landmark waterfront building's third reason to drop by has started welcoming patrons through the door, then upstairs. Traditional recipes made with modern techniques are the star under Chef Gerald Ong (ex-Tiger Lane, Chairman & Yip, Mrs Wang, Lucky Duck and Golden Panda in Canberra) — and, decor- and vibe-wise, so are arched windows peering out on leafy views, plus looking at the river while getting comfortable on the 48-person balcony. Ong's culinary inspiration: both the initial wave of Chinese immigration to Queensland, and also the influence since that cuisine in both Brisbane and Australia has taken from Chinese culture and food. Accordingly, if you're hankering for familiar Cantonese dishes, they're on the menu, but given a contemporary spin. Seasonal local produce is also in the spotlight. Think: Hervey Bay scallops paired with house XO, Queensland blue swimmer crab baked in its shell and Queensland baby lobster pao fan paired with shellfish broth. Elsewhere on the menu, when scallop and prawn siu mai isn't tempting your tastebuds, or the oysters with pink ginger mignonette and the drunken prawn tart, then raw Hirasama kingfish, salted egg prawns, duck pancakes with house hoi sin, tea quail egg with caviar, sweet and sour Berkshire pork, and steamed Murray cod should be. There's more menu highlights where they came from — including more dishes from the dim sum range curated by Ka Wai Kwok, such as the prawn toast that's paired with house-made chilli sauce; black pepper beef tenderloin and scallops as well as dry-aged five-spiced half duck with davidson plum sauce among the bigger options; and desserts like mango pudding, chocolate brownie mochi and deep-fried toffee ice-cream with char siu caramel. Can't decide what to order? Three separate tasting menus will come in handy, with one dedicated to vegetarian dishes and another focusing on seasonal options. The beverage selection is just as carefully constructed, whether a banana-infused old fashioned takes your fancy, or a margarita made with shiso-infused tequila and yuzu does the trick. The Fifty Six's take on a manhattan uses roast duck fat rye, the wine list is hefty — complete with a section dedicated to 'aromatics of intrigue' — and 11 different picks sit among the premium tea selection. "The Fifty-Six is a beautiful restaurant that will enhance the vibrant food scene of Brisbane and offer a taste of Hong Kong style. I am bringing my love and passion for Cantonese cuisine, and mixing it with modern techniques which I believe will be a very special dining experience," says Ong. Although the year listed above its entrance is from four decades back, Naldham House was first built 141 years ago. The site began its life as a shipping office, then underwent major renovations in 1988. From there, it became the Brisbane Polo Club from 1994–2015. Now, since mid-July 2024, it's one of the River City's newest drinking and dining destinations — still under the name Naldham House. Thank DAP & Co to transforming this patch of the Eagle Street side of Brissie's inner city into a three-venues-in-one haven. The hospitality group co-owned by Andrew Baturo, Denis Sheahan and Paul Piticco, which is also behind The Gresham, Popolo Italian and Walter's Steakhouse and Wine Bar, has made over the site as part of the Waterfront Brisbane project that's revamping this area of town. Find Naldham House at 33 Felix Street, Brisbane City, with The Fifty Six on the venue's top floor — and open from 12–3pm and 5pm–late Tuesday–Saturda. Head to The Fifty Six's website for more details. Images: Dexter Kim and Markus Ravik.
Australia is set to receive a healthy dose of 1920s razzle-dazzle, as record-breaking Broadway favourite Chicago shimmies onto stages across the country later this year. An Aussie production of the smash-hit musical will debut at Sydney's Capitol Theatre in August, before heading to Brisbane's QPAC Lyric Theatre in November and wrapping up at Arts Centre Melbourne from December. The longest-running American musical in Broadway and West End history, the original Kander & Ebb musical has reached the eyeballs of over 31 million people worldwide. Inspiring 2002's Academy Award-winning film of the same name, it tells the tale of a Chicago housewife and nightclub dancer who twirls through a whirlwind of murdered lovers, jail-time, fierce rivalries and tabloid sensationalism set in the decadent 1920s. Taking the stage for Chicago's local run is a cast of well-known Aussie names — catch acclaimed all-rounder Natalie Bassingthwaighte in the lead role of Roxie Hart, musical theatre veteran Alinta Chidzey as her rival Velma Kelly, and ARIA-winning superstar Casey Donovan playing Matron 'Mama' Morton. Based on a 1926 play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, the production showcases music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and choreography by Tony Award winner Ann Reinking. Hot on its black patent heels are two more award-winning musicals heading Down Under. Saturday Night Fever will head to Capital Theatre in Sydney this August, before Waitress hits Aussie shores in 2020. Chicago premieres at Sydney's Capitol Theatre in August 2019, before heading to Brisbane's QPAC Lyric Theatre in November and the Arts Centre Melbourne in December. You can score tickets for the Sydney show or sign up for the Melbourne and Brisbane waitlists over at the website. Images: Paul Kolnik, Peter Brew Bevan, Jeremy Daniel
If your daily life consists of more screen time than time spent outdoors, you're probably itching for a next-level escape — somewhere you can truly disconnect. With such a diverse and lush landscape right at our fingertips in NSW, why not switch up your daily routine, switch off your devices and get off the grid in the great outdoors? We've highlighted some top-notch experiences across the state where you can achieve a true sense of freedom. We're talking floating high above the Byron Bay hinterland as day breaks and hanging out with sea life on the far south coast. Your digital detox starts here.
Since the first jabs started being put in arms around Australia at the beginning of 2021, two words have monopolised the discussion about the country's COVID-19 vaccine rollout: AstraZeneca and Pfizer. They're two of the companies with jabs approved for use in Australia so far, and it's their shots that folks who've been vaxxed to-date have been receiving. But from September, a third company's vaccine will be available to everyone rolling up their sleeves. On Monday, August 9, Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration gave the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine approval to be used in Australia. As announced in a press conference by Prime Minster Scott Morrison, the TGA "has given provisional approval for the use of Moderna for Australians aged 18 and over." In its own statement explaining its decision, the TGA advised that "the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine has shown strong efficacy preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and severe COVID-19 in clinical trials." Elsewhere around the world, the vaccine has also received approval or authorisation to use in emergency situations in countries such as United Kingdom, Canada, the European Union, the United States, Switzerland and Singapore. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (@TGAgovau) has provisionally approved Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for use in Australia.https://t.co/Yr7dj0G0ja pic.twitter.com/Kp0EMpck7V — Australian Government (@ausgov) August 9, 2021 Partly funded by a donation from the one and only Dolly Parton, Moderna's vaccine is actually the fourth to get the nod in Australia, following AstraZeneca, Pfizer and a jab from Johnson & Johnson — the latter of which hasn't been included in the country's vaccine rollout so far. Like the Pfizer vaccine, the Moderna jab is an mRNA-based vaccine. So, it uses a synthetic genetic code called RNA, which tells the cells in our bodies how to make the coronavirus' unique spike protein. Then, once our bodies have done just that, making the protein that's encoded by the mRNA vaccine, we're able to recognise the spike protein as being foreign to our system and launch an immune response against it. Two doses of the Moderna vaccine are required — and while the AstraZeneca jabs are recommended four–12 weeks apart, and the Pfizer jabs three weeks apart, Moderna's should be administered within 28 days of each other. Wondering what that the Moderna approval means in terms of boosting Australia's vaccine ability (because actually getting a jab isn't particularly straightforward as part of the country's slow-moving rollout)? The Prime Minister advised that Australia will be adding 25 million doses of Moderna to the 125 million doses of Pfizer and 53 million doses of AstraZeneca that are already part of the vaccine campaign. "We will have ten million of the Moderna doses arriving before the end of this year. The first one million doses is on track to arrive next month and will go to pharmacies. Then we will have three million in October, three million in November and three million in December," he said. With the addition of the Moderna vaccine, the Prime Minister also noted that he expected that 70-percent of eligible Australians would be fully vaccinated by the end of 2021 — the threshold at which the second phase of National Cabinet's National Plan to transition Australia's National COVID Response is set to kick in. At that stage, which applies both when Australia reaches that figure and each state and territory does as well, restrictions will be eased on folks who've had the jab, including around lockdowns and border controls. Lockdowns are expected to be less likely, low-level restrictions will still help minimise the spread of cases and assist contact tracing, inbound passenger caps for unvaxxed returning Aussies will be restored to previous levels and more vaccinated returning Aussies will be allowed to come home. For more information about the Therapeutic Goods Administration's approval of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, head to the TGA website.
If we're to believe any film about pirates, famous shipwrecks or Pixar fish, there are a lot of secret treasures to be found on the ocean floor. But surely, none as grand as this. English sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor has just laid to rest one of his finest works in the Bahamas. Measuring in at over 5 metres tall and weighing a whopping 60 tonnes, this enormous and serene lady is officially the world's largest underwater sculpture. Though it's hard to imagine that dumping 60 tonnes of foreign material in the ocean can be a good thing, this work, entitled Ocean Atlas, actually doubles as an artificial reef for marine life. The sculpture is made of long-lasting, pH-neutral marine cement and was created in consultation with the Bahamas Reef Environment Education Foundation. "[The work shows] the vital role the local community and especially the younger generation have in conserving the islands' natural resources," said the artist. The artwork's name makes similar allusions to such environmental responsibilities. In Greek mythology, Atlas was condemned to hold the sky on his shoulders — an idea beautifully represented in the hunched female figure just below water level. As the tide draws in and out, locals are reminded of her constant watchful presence off their coastline. Though Sydney in particular is familiar with sculptures by the sea, the idea of underwater sculpture is a bit of a novelty for us. But this artist has been pioneering the concept for nearly ten years; he now has hundreds of sculptures to be found all over the world's most idyllic beaches. His underwater sculpture park in Mexico even features over 400 life-size works — a glorious incentive to take diving lessons. 'Ocean Atlas', on the other hand, is a special case. She is so large she in fact had to be lowered into the ocean in separate portions. Being face to face with this work would be a completely unique experience. Even more so as she gathers spooky seaweed and marine life. Don't be alarmed if you don't hear from us. We're booking flights to the Bahamas and stocking up on snorkelling gear ASAP. Via Forbes and Daily Mail. Photos via Jason de Caires Taylor.
Beach umbrellas aren't new, but they're making a comeback in a big way this spring thanks to the popularity of social-distanced picnics. So, you can enjoy these sun-filled bliss outdoor sessions without worrying about sunburn, we suggest investing in a great shady beach umbrella. It'll be useful now and when summer hits, too. There are enough patterns, prints and fringes to satisfy even your wildest 70s design cravings, as well as clever bamboo and and biodegradable PVC eco designs, laser-prints to create dappled shade where you sit, understated parasols, and many, many, many eye-catching prints. With so much choice, there's really no excuse to be sporting a sunburn this summer. KEN DONE BEACH UMBRELLA, BASIL BANGS It was a hard choice between the many bangin' prints this company has on offer (check out their other options for extra inspiration). But this print by famed Australian artist Ken Done won our hearts. Inspired by tropical reefs with plenty of pinks, oranges and blues, it's a suitably bold park (and beach) accessory. Started by surfer and industrial designer Mike Durante, Basil Bangs has made it its mission to reimagine the vintage beach umbrellas Aussies love. That means the latest fabrics, pop art prints, and hard-wearing fixtures. Oh, and and matching, red-wine-proof picnic rugs. TAKE YOUR PICK FROM SUNDAY SUPPLY CO We couldn't choose between the lush designs at Sunday Supply Co. Each comes with cotton tassels, an extendable timber pole and a sturdy, custom-designed aluminium alloy hinge and hardwares. The premium fabric canopies are UPF 50+ and, with a diameter of two metres, will cast shade aplenty. But apart from all that, they look so damn pretty it's hard not to pick up more than one. BLOCK PARTY UMBRELLA, SUNNY LIFE Sunny Life has a whole range of umbrellas splashed with bold, playful prints. But who could resist this vibrant geometric number to shade their summer beach playground? Like many of the modern beach brollies popping out about the place, this one comes with a carry bag and sturdy, adjustable pole. But it's also waterproof, with a UPF 30 sun protection coating and a nifty 360-degree tilt function. Plus, that bold print is mighty hard to miss, even on a crowded beach. DAYTRIPPER BEACH UMBRELLA, BEACHKIT Here's one for the practical picnickers and beachgoers. While this classic blue-and-white striped number doesn't have quite the same look-at-me factor as some of its bolder counterparts, it does have some great design features that will make your beach trip a whole lot more comfortable. Like the two-piece vented top, designed to stop any gusty winds from flipping it inside out. The Daytripper's also got an extra wide 210-centimetre canopy for full coverage, and a self-anchoring sand lock that should help avoid any fly-away mishaps. WELLEN AND TIER SUN UMBRELLA, LIFE! Available in two hand-drawn prints, these sun umbrellas from lifestyle brand Life! are destined to get a solid workout over the coming balmy months. Each comes with a colour-coordinated carry bag for easy transport and a sand anchor to keep things nice and secure down at the beach. The design also features a UPF 50 canopy coating, a rust-resistant pole and a nifty tilt function to help you stay shaded all day long. Right now, you can even nab one on sale for $80. WHITE COAST, SUNBELLA There's something about the sheer simplicity of this umbrella that we really, really like. A cool white hue reminiscent of those Greek island houses we dream about, a summery cotton-blend canopy, a wooden sand-spiral handle and a UPF rating of 50+. With an 80-centimetre diameter and lightweight frame, this one easily doubles as a personal parasol to shade you while you're strolling around. And shipping to most Aussie locations will only cost around $10. Need more sun shade than this? How about a whole beach tent? Top image: Sunday Supply Co.
If this is the first time you've seen a story about Harvest Rock on Concrete Playground, you're either a first-time reader or you need to pay attention, because we're quite excited. It's the delight of South Australians and visiting festivalgoers alike, and we're here to run you through it one last time — tickets are still available but going fast, so read on quickly to find your ideal package before someone beats you to it. HARVEST ROCK 101 Firstly, some context, in case you haven't been keeping up with the news. Harvest Rock isn't quite a festival mainstay. It's actually a newcomer in the game — this year's festival is only the second iteration. After seeing 15,000 guests per day in 2022, the Festival is returning to Murlawirrapurka, also known as Rymill Park, and Ityamai-Itpina, also called King Rodney Park, Adelaide. Both sites are inner city parks, so this isn't a festival that requires extra travel beyond your flight. When it comes to the lineup, it's all hit and no miss. Starring acts include Jamiroquai, who will be performing their first Aussie show in over a decade, Beck will bring a full band to belt out 90s Californian anthems alongside new hits (both Jamiroquai and Beck are coming to Australia exclusively for Harvest Rock), musical satire and comedy specialists Sparks will draw from 50+ years of repertoire and many more. Expect to be wowed by legends since Harvest Rock is a project of Secret Sounds, one of Australia's leading festival organisers. BUDGET-FRIENDLY Where else to start but good old fashioned general admission tickets? Available in either one-day or weekend options, this is the basic go-to ticket for any first-time or financially-conscious visitor. Single-day tickets for either Saturday, October 28 or Sunday, October 29, are $239.48 for 18+ guests or $169.13 for guests aged 13-17. Two-day passes grant entry for the full festival at $412.79 for 18+ or $290.45. To make the experience even more memorable, you can upgrade to a collector's ticket for an extra $15.29 on either age group ticket fee and get some exclusive Harvest Rock II merchandise — perfect if you're a big fan of Harvest Rock. General admission, of course, grants you entry to the festival precinct and all the activities within, from catching tunes from the 30+ acts, enjoying a celebrity chef experience at the HELLO CHEF stage, accessing food from top-notch South Australian restauranteurs and imbibing in bespoke drinks from SA cellar doors. To unwind between activities, head to The Grape Escape wellness centre, where you'll find hot drinks, tarot readings, massages and more. TREAT YOURSELF There's nothing wrong with a little bit of self-love, as living without an occasional treat is pointless. Treating yourself at Harvest Rock II means booking your experience via the VIP Village or Harvest Lounge tickets. These two tiers offer the same basic VIP experience, with a few minor upgrades on the Harvest Lounge end. Being a VIP at Harvest Rock means you have access to the following: An express entry lane, an elevated viewpoint of the main stage, a concierge, fancy toilets, a cocktail bar, premium food, shading and seating and a complimentary drink daily. That's the VIP Village, comfortable, elevated, worthy of a treat yourself moment. The Harvest Lounge offers all of the above, plus a private lounge bar, an exclusive lawn area by the main stage, exclusive drinks at the VIP cocktail bar, and perhaps most importantly — complimentary phone charging. VIP tickets are only available to guests aged 18 and older. VIP Village tickets start at $341.43, and Harvest Lounge tickets start at $514.74. FEELING LUXURIOUS If treating yourself isn't enough, if you must go absolutely all out for your Harvest Rock II experience, then you've come to the right place. We've arrived at the most luxe and exclusive ticket options. The highest-end packages start with Platinum tickets, perfect to hit Harvest Rock like a rockstar. Platinum tickets include full access to the VIP Village and Harvest Lounge plus a whole range of extra goodies: front row or elevated seats to the main stage, an air-conditioned private bar, complimentary food and drinks, the Wildwood Restaurant dining experience, wine tasting, an exclusive entrance, private parking, lockers and phone chargers. And then, there are the suites. These are luxurious but also quite exclusive tickets — available only to groups of 30 to 50 people. If you have a large group of fellow festivalgoers, this is the ticket for you. Each suite includes elevated views of the main stage, shaded lounge seating and a viewing deck, a private bar, screens and speakers connected to the stages and options for food and drink packages to add on. Both Platinum and Suites are enquiry only, as price varies on the number of guests per booking. For more information on Harvest Rock 2023, including the lineup, how to get there or to book your tickets, visit the website.
Missed out on staying in a replica of the Bluey house when it was temporarily up for rent in Brisbane? The home of Australia's family-friendly animated phenomenon is now welcoming a Bluey attraction so that you can experience the global hit for real life. Set to open in August 2024, Bluey's World will get you walking around life-sized sets that recreate the beloved series — whether you're taking your nieces and nephews along, or know that appreciating the Aussie show about a family of blue heelers isn't just for kids. When Airbnb listed its Bluey abode in 2022, the response was massive. Expect the reaction to Bluey's World to be the same. Opening at Northshore Pavilion in Northshore Hamilton, the space itself will be sizeable, spanning across 4000 square metres. Bluey and Bingo's bedroom, the family's living room and kitchen, the poinciana tree in the backyard: they'll all be a part of the experience. So will hearing "wackadoo!" constantly, we expect. Visitors will also find a playground and a cafe onsite, with interactive play a focus, taking cues from Bluey episodes in the process. There'll also be a soundscape to match, plus a gift shop, all in a purpose-built venue. And, for big Bluey birthday celebrations, the site will host parties as well. Bluey's World will be exclusive to Brisbane, making it a tourist attraction to fans not only locally and nationally but worldwide. Unsurprisingly, that's a big part of the push from both the Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council, who are supporting the BBC Studios- and HVK Productions-produced experience. "Our government has backed Bluey from the very beginning. Brisbane is at Bluey's core and now the show is a global sensation, we want to invite fans from around the world to come and experience Bluey's home," said Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. "Queensland is a world-class place to live and play and I truly believe that is a big part of why Bluey has captured fans around the world," the Premier continued. "Bluey is a homegrown Brisbane superstar who has captured the imagination of families worldwide. With an audience that spans more than 60 countries, Bluey's World is a unique and significant tourism offering that will draw people to our city from around the globe while giving residents more to see and do here in Brisbane," added Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner. Bluey's World will open at Northshore Pavilion, Northshore Hamilton, Brisbane in August 2024 — head to the attraction's website for more information and to join the ticket waitlist.
After giving ramen its own t-shirt range last year, casual-wear retailer Uniqlo has set its sights on another Japanese culinary staple. This time, you can wear your affection for the boozy beverage that goes oh-so-well with a big bowl of brothy soup: sake. The fresh designs showcase prestigious Japanese sake breweries with a long history in making the drink in question, with each brand collaborating on the design. If names such as Suigei, Tengumai, Dassai, Tsukino Katsura and Kenbishi sound familiar from sipping their wares, now you can show your love for them in another way. Eleven different shirts are available — some, like the black option for Dewazakura, feature a green bottle of sake, while others take inspiration from different brewery logos. The sake items all retail for $19.90 as part of Uniqlo's pop culture-focused UT line, which aims to turn simple t-shirts into something more exciting by highlighting different characters, trends, brands and artists. Also currently on offer are a range of super geometric prints, two Mickey Mouse collections, one dedicated to Peanuts, an ode to Dutch typographer Pieter Ceizer, a shirt by Tokyo-based Australian illustrator Grace Lee and a Hokusai-inspired selection. Uniqlo's Sakagura t-shirts are available now for $19.90 each. You can purchase them from all Australian stores or online here.
Brie Larson makes a great Captain Marvel. She's even better as Elizabeth Zott. Since winning a Best Actress Oscar for 2015's Room, Larson's resume has largely been filled by the blockbuster end of town — see: Kong: Skull Island, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Fast X and The Marvels — but it's been screaming for a part like Lessons in Chemistry. In her first non-franchise on-screen role since 2019's Just Mercy, she turns executive producer, too, guiding a page-to-screen adaptation of Bonnie Garmus' bestseller that needs her performance as its star ingredient. A chemistry genius and then a TV cooking show host who is forced to battle sexism as both, Elizabeth is as complicated as the holy-grail project that she works in secret as a lab technician, and as the recipes that she later perfects for television audiences. Regardless of whether you've read Lessons in Chemistry's 2022 source material or are coming anew to Apple TV+'s small-screen version, which has been streaming episodically since October and can be binged in full from Wednesday, November 22, Elizabeth is magnificent to watch because Larson steps into her shoes so completely. The character is direct, determined and conscientious. She's not just nonplussed about being likeable, but near-allergically averse to that being her primary goal. She's curious and dryly funny, too, albeit careful about who she's open with. But being serious and rightly cautious about how 50s and 60s America routinely disregards women doesn't mean that she's anything but authentic, whether she's asserting what she's always held dear, navigating life's traumas or finding space for others in her life. Early in the series, Elizabeth's quest to whip up a flawless lasagne has her up to her 78th attempt — and layers are just as crucial for Larson in playing the show's protagonist. When Lessons in Chemistry begins, it's with a brief jump forward to cameras and adoring viewers, with Elizabeth's Supper at Six series an established hit. It'll take half of the broader show to get back to TV cooking with no-nonsense science explanations, an appreciation for domestic duties and an uplifted fanbase, but the opening burns an imprint, signalling that its lead character's days of being expected to make coffee for male-only Hastings Research Institute scientists are numbered. Although Elizabeth has a master's degree in chemistry, her Southern Californian employer cares little about that, or that she's the smartest person on their books, because she lacks a Y chromosome. Instead, they scold her for after-hours experiments — the only time that she can delve into her own work — and lack of interest in the company beauty pageant, and trot out a misogynistic go-to: that she isn't smiling enough. It's at Hastings that Elizabeth meets Calvin Evans (Lewis Pullman, Outer Range), who inhabits another world when it comes to respect, yet resides on the exact same non-conformist turf. As the reason for much of the institute's funding, he's the organisation's science rockstar as long as he's bringing in grant money. Like Elizabeth, it's solely the work that he's interested in, not the hoops and hoopla around it. Thanks to her research into abiogenesis, aka the origins of life from organic compounds, they're swiftly professional partners. Coming as a surprise to both, they're soon living together in Los Angeles' Sugar Hill, alongside rescue dog Six-Thirty (named after his daily wake-up time). She likes orderly melodies, while he thinks best to jazz. Her ideal lab has everything in its place, but his is where he showers and scatters around saltine crumbs. In both developing the series from the book and penning or co-penning half of the episodes, Little America and Jury Duty creator Lee Eisenberg lingers on how Elizabeth and Calvin jostle as they fall in love, experiencing existence's unpredictability in the process. The tale from there leans on the latter, especially as the reality that so few of life's variables can be controlled becomes baked in via an array of ways. Selling Tupperware, turning her home kitchen into a lab, Supper at Six, becoming a mother to Mad (played by sincere first-timer Alice Halsey as a seven-year-old): these are all sprinkled into Elizabeth's story, too. Unlike in the novel, so is the efforts of her neighbour Harriet Sloane (Aja Naomi King, How to Get Away with Murder) to fight against the razing of their mostly Black area for a freeway. "Look how much things have evolved" is rarely the statement made by period-set TV dramas. With Lessons in Chemistry, just as with Mad Men and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel before it — and dramedies Minx and GLOW as well — spotlighting what is and isn't different between a bygone era and now, and how much the second proves the case, simmers throughout. As Elizabeth faces sexist barriers in chemistry and TV alike, as a single woman and then mum, and while pursuing her career and stressing the importance of cooking, it's plain to see the barriers and prejudices that blocked 50s and 60s women at every turn. As legal aide Harriet campaigns against her neighbourhood being demolished, and the discrimination that bulldozing a predominantly Black part of town represents, Lessons in Chemistry makes the same observations regarding race. Thinking that these issues have disappeared with the period's gorgeous decor and costuming is missing the point. This handsomely and heartfeltly made series might pepper change's inevitability across its tale from start to finish — and speak about it in multiple big moments — but it also spies what happens when nothing moves or shifts. Letting that truth percolate is as much its mission as positioning Elizabeth and Harriet as aspirational feminist and activist heroes, even if Harriet's worthy subplot feels like it's been shoehorned in (because it has) and is deserving of its own entire drama (as it is). Lessons in Chemistry is a comfortable and compelling underdog story about pluck, passion and proficiency versus the patriarchy and oppression, then, but with some bite. That said, it still opts for the massively misguided move of letting Six-Thirty turn narrator, aping the book's similar approach and enlisting the voice of BJ Novak (Vengeance). Barking up A Dog's Purpose's tree is thankfully over fast. Although never free of imperfections, as little in life, science or the culinary arts is, Lessons in Chemistry keeps bubbling — and charming. As the plot finds room for leaps back into Elizabeth and Calvin's respective painful histories, Mad to turn detective, pondering science versus faith, and women's liberation and civil rights pushes, it also benefits heavily from its key casting. Larson doesn't just lead expertly, but also shares wide-eyed affection with Pullman, who has inherited his dad Bill's (The High Note) charisma; a supportive rapport with the luminous King, who steals every scene that she's in; and a heartwarming bond with young find Halsey. Chemistry is on display in multiple ways, including in making watching Lessons in Chemistry a richer experience than reading it. Check out the trailer for Lessons in Chemistry below: Lessons in Chemistry streams via Apple TV+.
It's a common peeve for many Melburnians: the fact that catching the train to another part of town often means hauling all the way into the CBD before you can switch routes and travel back out. Well, that headache could potentially be removed, if the Victorian Government's incredibly ambitious (and pre-election) plans for a huge underground suburban rail network come to fruition. In the latest (and biggest) of the government's policy promises ahead of the November state election, Premier Daniel Andrews this morning released a proposal for a brand new 90-kilometre Suburban Rail Loop, which would link all of the city's major rail lines, from the southeast in Cheltenham all the way to the west in Werribee. It's a huge undertaking, and one that's largely unfunded at the moment — The Age is reporting that the whole thing will cost around $50 billion, but the State Government has only committed 300 million to it so far. For comparison, the current Metro Tunnel project has been estimated at costing around $11 billion. Premier Daniel Andrews took to his Facebook page to announce the plans this morning, posting a video that details how and where the project will operate. The proposed new line would run a loop around Melbourne's outer suburbs, connecting the existing train lines at a point outside of the CBD. The current plans have it starting at Cheltenham on the Frankston line, connecting to the Cranbourne/Pakenham line at Clayton before running through Glen Waverley and to Box Hill on the Lilydale/Belgrave line. From there it will go underground to connect to Heidelberg on the Hurstbridge line, Reservoir on the South Morang, Fawkner on the Upfield and Broadmeadows on the Craigieburn before heading to the new Melbourne Airport station that we'll supposedly have by then. From there it will head down to Sunshine, which is on the Sunbury line, before finishing up at Werribee. All this work could include up to 12 new underground stations and would provide train services to suburbs that don't currently have them, like Monash, Burwood and Doncaster. If all goes as planned, the new network would carry 400,000 people a day, which the government hopes will reduce congestion on both roads and existing train lines. Of course, this is far from a done deal — it's the Andrews Government's flagship promise in the campaign to be re-elected in November. And, if his government does get re-elected, the project will then have to find funding and be passed by parliament to begin on the proposed start date of 2022. At the moment, the government has only committed 300 million towards a business case, design and pre-construction work, which means there is still a lot of work to go to prove that the project is viable (not to mention finding the extra $49,700,000,000). It's not something you want to hold your breath for. That said, the Andrews Government has been the administration to actually make the Metro Tunnel happen, remove multiple level crossings in the city's east and commit to an Airport Rail Link (although that one's not quite confirmed yet), so we'll wait to see what happens both at the election and in the next 18 months. We'll keep you updated.
