Across the 92-year history of the Oscars, only five women have ever been nominated for the Best Director award. Only one has won, too, with Kathryn Bigelow emerging victorious in 2009 for The Hurt Locker. Indeed, if anyone needs a reminder that gender inequality is still a big issue in the film industry, the situation at the Academy Awards paints a strong picture. When it comes to what viewers watch, one new streaming service is attempting to push more female filmmakers to the fore — and more movies and shows both starring and about women, too. Called Femflix, it has just launched in Australia and New Zealand with a growing catalogue of titles, all of which feature a female-identifying creative as its director, producer, writer, cinematographer or lead protagonist. The aim, obviously, is to support and champion stories about women and made by women — with Femflix developed to promote gender balance, tear down stereotypes and showcase a wide variety of female characters on-screen. And if you think that the timing is perfect for a women-focused streaming platform following the emergence of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, that's exactly what helped inspired the service. Among its launch catalogue, audiences Down Under can watch local films such as 52 Tuesdays, Strangerland, Tracks, Strange Colours and Waru, international flicks including Julieta, The Third Wife and Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts, plus star-studded cinema releases from the past few years like Suffragette, Madame Bovary and Testament of Youth. Or, you check out thrillers such as Compliance, sci-fi films like Before We Vanish and documentaries including I Am No Bird, Janis: Little Girl Blue and The Song Keepers. Offering free 3o-day trials, and costing $8.99 per month afterwards, Femflix can be streamed online, including via Chromecast and Airplay, with video apps for smart TVs under development. The new service arrives at a busy time for new streaming and online viewing services, with 2020 not only seeing everyone spend more time watching things at home, but giving viewers more to watch — including the launch of horror streamer Shudder Down Under, the global launch of short-form platform Quibi, the debut of architecture and design-focused platform Shelter, and cinemas including Palace in Australia and Roxy in New Zealand releasing their own pay-per-view options. For more information about Femflix — and to sign up — visit the streaming platform's website.
Australia mightn't be home to any of the globe's top restaurants for 2023, but love is pouring out for our wineries. Among the many lists of the world's best — which also includes bars and steak joints — the World's Best Vineyards ranking names the planet's top wine destinations. Earning a spot this year: three South Australian winemakers. From the Aussie contingent, McLaren Vale's d'Arenberg nabbed the highest placing, coming in at 17th. Sprawling around a giant cube might've helped. That five-storey square is quite the centrepiece, but the Osborn family's organic and biodynamic tipples score plenty of attention on their own. The awards also praised the vineyard for living "up to its billing as 'more than just a cellar door'". Next on the list: Henschke in Eden Valley, which boasts a vineyard that was planted more than 150 years ago, and nabbed 26th spot. Then comes Magill's Penfolds Magill Estate, which dates back to 1844 and is particularly known for its shiraz, in 44th place. None of these wineries were anointed the best in Australasia, however. That honour went to New Zealand's Rippon, in Central Otago, which also sits in 11th spot in the top 50. The awards heaped praise onto the Southern Alps favourite for producing "a highly lauded range of pinot noir from this magnificent landscape and its biodynamically farmed vineyards". While Down Under was well-represented among the Best 50 Vineyards, 23 vineyards in this year's list hailed from Europe. France alone scored nine spots, the highest number for any single country. That said, the top placing went to Argentina's Catena Zapata, which also won overall South American vineyard. Next came Europe's first listing, for Spain's Bodegas de los Herederos del Marqués de Riscal, followed by Chilean vineyard VIK in third, Creation in South Africa in fourth, and France's Château Smith Haut Lafitte in fifth. Completing the top ten: Bodega Garzón in Uruguay, Montes in Chile, Germany's Schloss Johannisberg, and both Bodegas Salentein and El Enemigo Wines in Argentina. If you plan your getaways around vino, consider this list a handy piece of travel inspiration. If you're just interested in the drops, consider it a guide for your next trip to the bottle shop. The World's Best Vineyards also names a 51–100 list, which saw New Zealand's Craggy Range come in at 58th, Man O' War at 77th and Kumeu River Wines at 81st, plus Australia's Seppeltsfield Barossa at 98th. To check out the full World's Best Vineyards Top 50 and 100 lists, head to the awards' website. 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.
There's no forgetting the opening moments of Scrublands, Australia's latest rural noir entry. For viewers streaming along via Stan, where the four-part series is available in full, there's no chance of not being instantly hooked, either. After an otherwise ordinary Sunday congregation, as his worshippers disperse slowly from his rural church's car park, Riversend priest Byron Swift (Jay Ryan, Muru) starts shooting with a sniper rifle. Five locals — farmers Alf (Fletcher Humphreys, The Stranger) and Tom Newkirk (Scott Major, Heartbreak High), shop owner Craig Landers (Martin Copping, The Dunes), mechanic Hugh Grosvenor (debutant Ben de Pagter) and accountant Gerry Torlini (Adam Morgan, The Royal Hotel) — are killed, with the man of the cloth not living out the fray himself. After that introduction, the bulk of Scrublands picks up a year later as the small, remote and deeply drought-stricken town is still attempting to live with an event that it'll never get over. In drives journalist Martin Scarsden (Luke Arnold, True Colours), who has been dispatched from Sydney to write about the situation 12 months after the unthinkable occurred. Capturing the colour of the situation is his remit, in an article that his Sydney Morning Herald editor wants for weekend supplement reading, and is also meant to be Scarsden's easy way back to the job after a traumatic last assignment. To the shock of no one but the investigative reporter, his welcome is mixed. It also won't astonish viewers that the journo's time interrogating the truth behind the tragedy proves anything but straightforward and uneventful — and neither director Greg McLean (Jungle) nor screenwriters Felicity Packard (Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries), Kelsey Munro (Bump) and Jock Serong (a scripting debutant) expect that basic framework to come as a surprise. Scrublands remains a mystery; however, it's the why that haunts its frames, not the who. That question lingers over the townsfolk that cross Scarsden's path, although there's already been an official tale since the massacre occurred. In the rubber-stamped version doing the rounds and fuelling news headlines, abuse allegations were levelled at Swift just days before the incident. So, in external law enforcement's minds, that's long been the case closed. But Scarsden is increasingly unconvinced. Far from writing the "torture porn" that he's initially accused of, he begins digging deeper, despite as much hostility about him endeavouring to unearth the facts swirling as surrounds to his presence in Riversend at all. Bookstore and cafe proprietor Mandy Bond (Bella Heathcote, C*A*U*G*H*T), a single mum and the first local that Scarsden meets, swings from cordial to frosty and then more open. Police officers Robbie Haus-Jones (Adam Zwar, Squinters) and Monica Piccini (Freya Stafford, New Gold Mountain) vary in their cooperation. Resident chief landowner Harley Reagan (Robert Taylor, The Newsreader) is blunt but reluctant about imparting anything but his family's generational history in these parts. Among those who lost fathers and husbands — such as teenagers Allen Newkirk (Stacy Clausen, True Spirit) and Jamie Landers (Zane Ciarma, Neighbours), and the latter's mother Fran (Victoria Thaine, Nowhere Boys) — the response is equally as complicated. Recurring among most of Riversend's inhabitants: the certainty that the picture painted of the cleric that changed everything isn't what it seems. The list of Australian films and TV shows that involve a big-city outsider galloping in to run through a regional area's problems, struggles and secrets is considerable, including The Dry, Black Snow, Limbo and Deadloch in recent years. Scrublands happily fits the bill. As those past movies and series have shown, and this page-to-screen effort based on Chris Hammer's novel as well, such a setup can provide the basis for weighty and compelling stories when presented with care, thought and style. McLean isn't in Wolf Creek or Wolf Creek 2 territory. While the eye-catching imagery that the filmmaker and his cinematographer Marden Dean (Clickbait) offer up can lean on familiar visual tropes, relying on standard formula isn't the approach overall. Any narrative scenario, no matter how well-used — including to the point where it feels like a national genre — can feel worth diving into when fleshed out with riveting details. Scrublands is a clear case in point. This isn't a story backdropped by parched red earth as far as the eye can see, but by the dry scrubby landscape as the name suggests. Like picture, like themes, then. Emotional complexities between characters intertwine, spread and hook in like undergrowth, in that remote small-town way. In other series such as The Clearing and The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart as well, and in The Royal Hotel on the big screen, too, Australia's recent screen output has kept making plain the ties, secrets and lies that can bind when everyone knows everyone, or thereabouts — plus the thorns that lurk for outsiders. A sense of stifling often courses through Australia's rural noir efforts, even when filled with vast expanses. When it seems like all there is is space, often there's nowhere to run to. As Scrublands' take on the interloper mining for answers, Arnold adds an arresting and grounded performance to a resume that flits from The Tunnel, Black Sails, Glitch and Home and Away to playing Michael Hutchence in Never Tear Us Apart: The Untold Story of INXS. This genre needs not only a gripping mystery but an involving protagonist, and TV's new addition ticks both boxes. While Ryan's casting as a charismatic and beloved priest, at least until he started gunning down parishioners, gives away that there's a twist to come involving Swift — and that the man of god won't just be seen in the series' introduction — he's still expertly deployed given the role's charming, empathetic and no-nonsense turns, as seen in flashbacks. And as Bond segues between the past and the present sections, Heathcote wears both hope and grief like a second skin. Hammer, a former journalist himself, penned a rich and atmospheric novel that screamed to reach the screen. As well as the non-fiction The River and The Coast, both of which preceded 2018's Scrublands to bookshelves, he's also given Scarsden two more stints on the page so far: Silver in 2019 and Trust in 2020. Expect them both to appeal to streaming powers that be, giving Australia a new Jack Irish- and Mystery Road-like franchise. If Hammer's Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan novels — 2021's Treasure and Dirt, 2022's The Tilt and 2023's The Seven — also get the same treatment, that wouldn't be a surprise, either. Check out the trailer for Scrublands below: Scrublands streams via Stan.
From agrarian restaurants and picturesque wineries to après-ski drinks, a foraging and cooking class, a farmers' market and even an oyster festival, Aotearoa New Zealand has a multitude of culinary experiences across every season. New Zealand's hospitality scene is known for using seasonal produce that's locally sourced or foraged, paired with drinks by local winemakers, brewers and distillers. To really take advantage of this mindful approach, time your visit with the epicurean experiences you want to sample or partake in, so you can savour the seasonal ingredients and admire the creative ways they're used. The beauty of Aotearoa New Zealand really starts to come to life through the different seasons. Cooler temperatures mean cosying up with award-winning cool-climate wines against views of the changing foliage and snowfall, while the warmer days of spring bring about al fresco dining, outdoor adventures and fresh seasonal produce. No matter when you visit, you're sure to be well looked after with a warm welcome and sense of manaakitanga, as locals share their knowledge and passion for the land. We teamed up with 100% Pure New Zealand to highlight some delectable drinking and dining destinations around New Zealand for each season, so you can plan your trip based on the time of year that most appeals to you. Flick the switch for seasonal dining experiences in autumn, winter and spring. Jump to switcher
Talk about a show that delivered on its promise the first time around: when a fresh-from-Russian Doll Natasha Lyonne teamed up with Knives Out and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery filmmaker Rian Johnson on a whodunnit-of-the-week TV series, Poker Face did indeed prove a delight. A second season was quickly greenlit, in fact, and now it's on its way to your streaming queue. The sleuthing gem has also just dropped its full season two trailer. While the combination of Lyonne (Fantasmas) and Johnson was always set to be an ace, Poker Face gave the detective setup a particular spin. Protagonist Charlie Cale has a handy gift: being able to tell when someone is lying. In each weekly episode, she then worked her way through resolving a different crime, all while on the road in a Plymouth Barracuda. Then and soon, when season two kicks off on Thursday, May 8, 2025 Down Under — where it streams via Stan in Australia and TVNZ+ in New Zealand — Lyonne also has a heap of other well-known faces for company. Where season one boasted The Brutalist Oscar-winner Adrien Brody, to name just one high-profile figure, season two will feature fellow 2025 nominee Cynthia Erivo (Wicked) in multiple roles. If you're a fan of John Mulaney's wonderful Everybody's Live talk show, rejoice: not only Mulaney but also Richard Kind (Mid-Century Modern) are guest starring in Poker Face season two. From there, this season's roster also includes John Cho (AfrAId), Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets), Katie Holmes (Rare Objects), Awkwafina (Black Mirror) and Giancarlo Esposito (The Residence), as well as Alia Shawkat (Severance), BJ Novak (Lessons in Chemistry), Carol Kane (Between the Temples), Corey Hawkins (The Piano Lesson), Saturday Night Live pair Ego Nwodim (Mr Throwback) and Ben Marshall (Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain), Sam Richardson (It's Florida, Man) and Margo Martindale (The Sticky). Then there's Cliff 'Method Man' Smith (Power Book II: Ghost), Haley Joel Osment (Blink Twice), Justin Theroux (Running Point), Kathrine Narducci (The Alto Knights), Kevin Corrigan (Deli Boys), Kumail Nanjiani (Only Murders in the Building), Patti Harrison (The Electric State), Sherry Cola (Nobody Wants This), Gaby Hoffmann (Zero Day), Simon Rex (Red Rocket) and more. As well as the stellar lead turn from Lyonne and the show's smart writing, part of the fun of Poker Face stems from seeing how the series weaves in such a dream supporting lineup. The above list follow in the footsteps of The Menu's Hong Chau and Judith Light, Lil Rel Howery (Deep Water), Danielle MacDonald (The Last Anniversary), Chloë Sevigny (Bones and All), Ron Perlman (Nightmare Alley), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Pinocchio), Ellen Barkin (Animal Kingdom), Nick Nolte (The Mandalorian), Cherry Jones (Succession), Jameela Jamil (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law) and Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once) in season one. And yes, you'll have two chances to get a mystery fix from Johnson in 2025, given that Wake Up Dead Man, the third Knives Out movie, is also on its way this year. It too boasts another stacked cast, this time surrounding Daniel Craig (Queer) with Josh O'Connor (Challengers), Glenn Close (Back in Action), Josh Brolin (Outer Range), Mila Kunis (Goodrich), Jeremy Renner (Mayor of Kingstown), Kerry Washington (The Six Triple Eight), Andrew Scott (Ripley), Cailee Spaeny (Civil War), Daryl McCormack (Bad Sisters) and Thomas Haden Church (Twisted Metal). Check out the full trailer for Poker Face season two below: Poker Face season two streams from Thursday, May 8, 2025 via Stan in Australia and TVNZ+ in New Zealand. Read our review of season one. Images: Sarah Shatz/PEACOCK.
Brisbanites, get ready for mud crab mayhem at Eagle Street's Kingsleys. That's right, the epic steakhouse overlooking the beautiful 'brown snake' can do a lot more than just grill a mean piece of beef. Throughout May, it's celebrating the return of mud crab season with $69 muddies for the whole month. They're usually sold at market price — which can push $100 a kilogram — so this deal is one not to be missed. The hefty crustaceans come served one of three ways: steamed with tarragon and lashings of red wine butter; piled high with chilli, tomato and coriander; or chilled with lots of mayo for dipping. With plenty of (sea)foodies expected to take advantage of this crab extravaganza, pre-ordering is highly recommended. If mud crab doesn't quite tickle your fancy — or you have a dining partner who's not (yet) convinced — there are also oysters, Moreton Bay bugs, local fish and, of course, Kingsley's famed steak cuts. It's a butcher's (and a carnivore's) dream, with everything from Angus eye fillet to sous vide kangaroo and wagyu rump. You can also trade your usual desk sandwich for Kingsleys' fab (and affordable) Let's Do Lunch. Choose from two($35) or three($45) courses, and dive into (among other things) natural oysters, truffle arancini, a Kingsleys Burger and a caramelised honey crème brûlée. For a fancy waterside lunch that's under 50 bucks, it's a no-brainer.
Getting creative is a tried-and-tested way to de-stress. Sometimes, you don't just want to whip up a masterpiece, though — you also want to blow off steam. Enter splatter rooms, aka the paint-flinging alternative to smash rooms such as Rage Cage, which lets you hit stuff with a baseball bat. At this imaginative activity, you can throw colours at the canvas in the name of art and catharsis. Keen to get a-splattering? Meet The Splatter Room, which is part of Portside Wharf's new Art Month in May. You'll find it next to the Dendy cinema from Friday–Sunday across the month, letting you get messy in a space that'll be white when you enter, then covered in paint when you leave. The paid activity costs $60 per session, which includes all of the supplies that you'll need and an hour to use them. An obvious word of warning: don't wear something that you're not comfortable with getting covered with paint, even though you'll be donning a protective garment over the top. The Splatter Room sits on the Art Month lineup alongside a big street party at the Hamilton precinct, and also dedicating the month's markets to local creatives and artists. At the first, which takes place from 1–6pm on Saturday, May 4, there'll be free art activations, plus pop-ups serving up bites to eat and sips to drink. At the second, more than 35 stalls will sling their wares. The street party will also include free splatter sessions at 3, 4 and 5pm four groups of ten — until booked out. And, away from the paint, there'll be live tunes thanks to a roving brass band, Caribbean percussion and a DJ. The folks from Pink Flamingo, which opened in Hamilton late 2023, will also be family-friendly circus shows. Fancy lawn games instead? That's also on the bill. As for the food, Fosh, Rise Bakery, Bird's Nest Yakitori, Byblos and Gusto Da Gianni are among the venues taking part. Then, when it's time for the Portside Wharf Creative Market on Saturday, May 18, free splatter sessions will be on offer again at the same times — and for the same group sizes. You'll also be able to shop for pottery, homewares and art. Pet portraits will be available, too, for free for the first 25 folks or for $10 afterwards. You'll either need to bring your furry best friend or a photo of them. Your dog can also get creative via peanut butter lick painting, which is exactly what it sounds like. [caption id="attachment_819236" align="alignnone" width="2560"] Claudia Baxter[/caption]
For the past 18 years, two things have sat at the top of Brisbane's Myer Centre: cinemas and arcade games. Prior to 2000, however, the shopping complex's upper levels were home to an indoor theme park — and, as anyone who headed up from 1988 through until the end of 1990s will remember, the beloved dragon coaster. It was everyone's favourite school holiday pastime, making the Myer Centre precinct — called Tops — an absolute must-visit destination for the young and the young at heart. And, not only has the now-discarded rollercoaster been found, but a plan to bring it back to Brisbane and transform it into a trackless train is currently being considered, according to the ABC. Photos of the dragon coaster surfaced on the Old Brisbane Album Facebook group on Friday, with Brisbane's Dean Davis sharing snaps taken at his friends property in Geelong. The coaster has reportedly sat there for the past decade, and is now the subject of talk about restoring it to its former glory and getting it operational. Just how that would play out is yet to be seen, though Davis suggested number of inner-city spaces such as South Bank, the Queen Street Mall, Botanical Gardens and Roma Street Parklands to the ABC. For the time being, even just hearing about the dragon coaster is a big blast from the past for theme park-loving '90s Brisbanites. Via the ABC. Image: Twenty20.
If things seem a little impressionistic at QUT Art Museum for the next few months, that's by design — Australia's female abstract artists have taken over the gallery's walls. Until August 26, the CBD space will be highlight the significant contribution that women have made to the country's abstract and modern art thanks to touring exhibition Abstraction: Celebrating Australian Women Abstract Artists, which comes from the National Gallery of Australia. Expect shapes, colours, lines and any other abstract representation you can think of, all as part of an array of paintings and sculptures. There's 74 works by 38 artists, to be specific, with historical greats such as Margaret Preston, Dorrit Black, Grace Crowley, Margo Lewers, Janet Dawson on display beside into contemporary artists like Virginia Cuppaidge, Elizabeth Coats, Melinda Harper and Debra Dawes — and Indigenous talents including Emily Kam Kngwarray and Sally Gabori. If this kind of showcase sounds a little out of the ordinary, redressing that reality — and shining a spotlight on the country's creative ladies — is also part of the plan. The exhibition offers "a timely reminder of the role of women in the development of abstract painting, at a time when major art institutions have a tendency to applaud male artists," explains QUT Art Museum Curator Kevin Wilson. Image: Grace Crowley. Abstract painting 1947, oil on cardboard. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Purchased 1959. Courtesy National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.
UPDATE: NOVEMBER 6, 2019 — We knew that ABC's perennially popular music quiz show Spicks and Specks was making a comeback with the OG crew, and now we have an air date. It has been announced that the first of four specials will hit small screens at 7.40pm on Sunday, November 24, as part of the network's Ausmusic Month celebrations. The other three will drop sometime in 2020 — we'll let you know when dates are announced for those, too. What's better than watching a heap of top Australian talent sit around and talk about music? Watching them do all of the above while answering questions, competing for points and just generally being funny, too. That's the concept behind ABC TV show Spicks and Specks, which took a few cues from the UK's Never Mind the Buzzcocks, pit Aussie musos and comedians against each other, and has proven a hit several times over. A weekly favourite when it first aired between 2005–2011, it just keeps coming back — and is about to do so again for four brand new specials. When the program was first revived back in 2014, it returned with a new host and team captains. This time, it's going back to the original lineup. That means that Adam Hills, Myf Warhurst and Alan Brough will all step back into the quiz show realm yet again. When the trio did just that back in 2018, for a one-off reunion special, it became the ABC's most-watched show of the year. Unsurprisingly, that huge response played more than a small part in inspiring this new comeback. If you're already eager to show your own music trivia knowledge and play along — we all know that's as much a part of the Spicks and Specks fun as seeing the on-screen stars unleash their own skills (or lack thereof) — then look out for the first special this November. It'll air on Sunday, November 24 as part of the ABC's network-wide celebration of Ausmusic Month, and it'll naturally focus on all things local. Then, at some point in 2020, three more specials will hit the airwaves. The Spicks and Specks crew obviously hope you're feeling suitably retro, with each show focusing on a different decade — the 90s, then the 00s and finally the ten-year period we've all just lived through. And, if you need a refresher, this comedic chat about a Star Wars Christmas album will do the trick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KNMtDu7TAY Spicks and Specks will return to ABC TV on Sunday, November 24 at 7.40pm and then again in 2020. We'll keep you updated with exact dates when they come to hand.
With Lacoste tennis dresses donned, twee baked goods in hand and Famous Friend bingo card at the ready, we checked into Wes Anderson’s newest and wildly anticipated new pop-up book of a cinematic endeavour, The Grand Budapest Hotel. Murder, art theft, pastry and Adrien Brody's moustache — Anderson serves up his most diabolical, zany undertaking yet, using every trick in his own book. FUTURA IS DEAD Looks like Anderson has relinquished his hold on his longtime minimalist typeface go-to Futura, handing the reins to Lorde and Vampire Weekend and opting for a more weighted, slab serif font called Archer. Often featured in credits sequences of old Italian films, Archer is described by developers Hoefler & Co. as "sweet but not saccharine, earnest but not grave, Archer is designed to hit just the right notes of forthrightness, credibility, and charm." Film schools worldwide will undoubtedly be mass-installing the new typeface immediately. POLITENESS GETS YOU EVERYWHERE, EVEN OUT OF JAIL Sporadically reciting romantic poetry, giving lectern-delivered philosophical orations to the hotel staff about guest rudeness, serving up mush in prison with five-star finesse, Ralph Fiennes solidifies himself as downright godly in his role as M. Gustave, the flamboyant, charming and silver-tongued concierge of The Royal Budapest Hotel. Winning as many friends as he makes enemies, Fiennes sees Gustave balancing art theft, jailbreaks and cologne appreciation with breezy, theatrical conviction. Goes to show, a little complimentary affection will get you everywhere, darling. CELEBRITY BINGO MEANS A TOPNOTCH CAST A well-known fact, Anderson has accrued quite the crew of illustrious buddies simply by sticking with familiar faces all career long. Zissou-Tenenbaum-Rocket leads Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman have stepped back from the top spots for cheer-inducing pop-ins and supporting roles, making way for the new Wanderson Posse of Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton and Adrien Brody. Prompting constant outbursts of “Ohhh, it’s that guy!” from cinemagoers, we’ve come to actually wait for Anderson’s flurry of crafty cameos. Once again, Anderson’s cohort of well-liked celebs play dress up and wear All The Moustaches, with every screen guru from Tom Wilkinson to Jude Law and Harvey Keitel making their fleeting moments count. Now with added newbies Lea Seydoux and Saoirse Ronan, being in a Wes Anderson cast is now the hottest bill around. JEFF GOLDBLUM MAKES LEGAL JARGON SOUND UNBELIEVABLY EROTIC Jur-is-diction. Ex-ec-u-tor. If Jeff Goldblum wasn’t mystical and unnervingly alluring enough, he’s gone and landed himself one of his most potentially meme-worthy roles to date, with circular, thick-rimmed spectacles to boot. Using flashcards to describe a murder scene without taking one eye off the camera, dumping his dead Persian in a trashcan and being chased through an art museum by Willem Defoe aren’t nearly as exhilarating moments as Goldblum simply reading the contents of a last will and test-a-ment. IF IT AIN'T BROKE DON'T FIX IT Meticulously premeditated and artful mise en scene, idiosyncratic scripting, perfectly flawed and outlandishly eccentric characters and a ukulele-fuelled soundtrack have become a formidable formula for Anderson, slowly developing into an extreme form of his own genre. After being royally reprimanded by critics for Moonrise Kingdom being a little too cute for their liking (heartless bums), TRBH sees the Twee King back on form with all the artful weirdness of The Royal Tenenbaums peppered with The Life Aquatic’s epic storybook set detail and The Fantastic Mr. Fox’s jolly good humour. With super zooms, painted landscape backdrops, frontal character portraits, horizontal tracking shots and whole lot of font, Anderson seems more settled in his own style than ever. And that’s quite alright, darling. The Grand Budapest Hotel opens April 10.
It's not every festival feels like a country weekend fete that just happens to be headlined by say, Courtney Barnett. Fairgrounds, Australia's country boutique camping festival descends on the small NSW town of Berry each December. Taking over the local Berry Showgrounds, Fairgrounds boasts all the trimmings of a major music festival with the essence of a local fair. And this December, it's back for another two-day round. Running over November 30 and December 1, the two-day festival is making a triumphant return. In a huge coup for the small festival in its third year, they've secured big time festival favourites Courtney Barnett and Vance Joy to headline, alongside local legends Pond, Winston Surfshirt and more. Oh, and British punk poet Billy Bragg, US alternative rock band The Breeders and Zambian hip hop singer Sampa the Great will also join the lineup from across the globe. With a strong focus on the local NSW South Coast area, Fairgrounds isn't just about the tunes. Last year local nosh, market stalls and the local swimming pool played equally starring roles at this multifaceted festival — something we're sure made Berry residents pretty happy. Between dips in Berry's local pool (within the festival grounds), punters feasted on local delights, including fresh rock oysters harvested less than half an hour from the festival site. The festival's super-popular long-table dinners will return, too, which take place overlooking the live music. But we know what you're here for. Here's the full lineup. FAIRGROUNDS 2018 LINEUP: Vance Joy Pond Rolling Blackouts C.F. Saba Body Type Oh Pep! Tia Gostelow Courtney Barnett Billy Bragg Winston Surfshirt The Breeders Sampa the Great The Teskey Brothers Waxahatchee Kevin Morby Maddy Jane Carla Geneve Fairgrounds runs November 30–December 1 at Berry Showgrounds, NSW. Tickets on sale from Moshtix at 10am, Monday, August 13. Festival entry starts at $110, with camping $230. Image: Ian Laidlaw and Gabriel Vallido
A new year has begun, and for us that means one thing — it's time to book new travel destinations for 2020. This time around, instead of searching for things like 'best beaches' or 'best cities', plan your travel from a different angle. An arts and culture angle, that is. Planning your calendar around the world's many festivals is a fun way to change up your regular trip routine. Think a biennale in India, a mountain burning festival in Japan and one celebrating 24-hours-of daylight in Russia. Here are seven lesser known arts/culture festivals to travel overseas for this year. [caption id="attachment_757197" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jirka Matousek via Flickr.[/caption] PINGXI LANTERN FESTIVAL, PINGXI DISTRICT, TAIWAN Taking place just outside of Taipei, the Pingxi Lantern Festival marks the end of Chinese New Year with one stunning illuminated display. Visitors write a message and place it inside a paper sky lanterns, then set it aflame and release it into the night — alongside thousands of others. It's an impressive sight that holds an air of magic around it. While the lanterns float overhead, the streets are filled with folk performances, street carnivals and contests. The annual festival has been taking over Taiwan for over 2000 years, having begun during the Xing Dynasty. We can't think of a better way to ring in the (lunar) new year. When? February 1–8, 2020 KOCHI-MUZIRIS BIENNALE, FORT KOCHI, INDIA Every two years, the charming seaside town of Fort Kochi becomes a mecca for all things art in India. The Kochi-Muziris Biennale showcases contemporary Indian and international art in heritage properties around the city — this year includes a townhouse, project space, art cafe and converted warehouse. Each biennale is curated by an artist who is chosen by a committee of artists, scholars and collectors. Now in its fifth edition, the 2020 curator for the festival is artist and writer Shubigi Rao. She was born in India but is based in Singapore, and is known for her layered installations across mediums like books, etchings, drawings and puzzles. The festival runs for over three months each year, so you have a good window in which to book your trip, too. When? December 2020 – March 2021 [caption id="attachment_757203" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nwhitely via Flickr.[/caption] WAKAKUSA YAMAYAKI, NARA, JAPAN For one seriously fiery sight, make sure you're in Nara, Japan on the forth January of the year. An ancient version of Burning Man festival, the Wakakusa Yamayaki festival sees the dead grass on Mount Wakakusayama set on fire — and that's followed by one big ol' fireworks display. No one quite knows the origin of the festival, leaving it shrouded in mystery. Some accounts claim the mountainside burning began due to boundary conflicts between the Kohfukuji and Todaiji Temples. Others claim the fires are meant to scare away wild boars, and even ghosts. Regardless of the origin, it's an impressive sight. The blazing mountain can be seen from any point in the city — with Nara Park being the best lookout. When? January 25, 2020 [caption id="attachment_757204" align="alignnone" width="1920"] This Is Edinburgh via Flickr[/caption] HOGMANAY, EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND Scotland's capital city of Edinburgh really knows how to ring in the new year. While parties happen all over the world on New Year's Eve, no one does it quite like the Scots — their celebration runs for two full days and features street parties, carnival rides, Christmas markets and a full on music festival to boot. The multi-stage festival takes place on December 31 straight into the new year, with at least five bands playing simultaneously. Alongside the festival is a torchlight procession on December 30. Also on the docket is an ice rink, ferris wheel, polar bear plunge in icy waters (dubbed he Loony Dook race) and even an arts festival that takes over nine unusual venues across the city. When? December 30, 2020 – January 1, 2021 ART FAIR PHILIPPINES, MANILA PHILIPPINES The Philippines' vibrant art scene is on full display each February when Art Fair Philippines transforms The Link carpark into a cultural marketplace. The weekend-long festival was only just founded in 2013, and has since become the top art event in the country. A wide range of contemporary art is available to view and purchase, ranging from paintings and sculptures to photographs and more experimental installations. All of the artists are on hand alongside their work, so you can chat to the makers of your favourite pieces. If you're travelling with a friend or partner, it's also a fun way to start out the evening — the exhibition stays open until 9pm each night and there are heaps of food and drink vendors available, so you can peruse with bubbly in hand. And entry tickets cost just a tenner. When? February 21–23, 2020 [caption id="attachment_757202" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sandra Cohen-Rose and Colin Rose via Flickr.[/caption] WHITE NIGHTS FESTIVAL, ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA While images of Russia's picturesque city of St Petersburg often depict a blanket of snow, the summer months actually see nearly 24 hours of daylight here. And the city celebrates these long days for three full months each year — specifically from mid-May through mid-July. Stars of the White Nights is a massive collection of arts and culture events spanning music, film, ballet and opera premieres (including at the Mariinsky Theatre, pictured above) and outdoor festivities. Many of the city's top museums stay open overnight during this period, too. Or simply wander along the River Neva, where gypsy bands, jugglers, fire eaters and other carnival acts can be seen performing all night long. When? May 22 – July 21, 2020 ART BASEL, MIAMI BEACH, USA Started over 40 years ago, Art Basel is considered to be the premiere art event of the year by many. It's held annually across Hong Kong, Basel, Switzerland and Miami Beach. The USA instalment takes place over three days in December and features works from over 250 leading galleries across North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa and even Australia. It showcases masterpieces from modern and contemporary artists, alongside exhibitions by emerging artists — and this year has partnered with KickStarter specifically to support up-and-comers. Art forms span paintings, sculptures and photographs, as well as large-scale installations films, and editions from master artists. And you have the added benefit of being next to one of the States' best beaches, too. When? December 3–6, 2020 Top image: Jirka Matousek via Flickr.
Lately, the world has seen all sorts of weird and wonderful shoe creations, from sneakers made from recycled ocean plastic to beer-proof kicks to those chicken-and-waffles-inspired Nikes. But this latest sneaker design find might just be the strangest yet, with some bright sparks in Amsterdam crafting a shoe with soles made from chewing gum collected from the city's streets. Dubbed Gumshoe, it's a collaboration between companies Gum-tec and Publicis One, plus local shoe brand Explicit Wear, and it's out to stomp all over The Netherlands' costly chewing gum problem. Apparently, the country's streets rack up around 1.5 million kilograms of the stuff each year, creating the second biggest litter issue after cigarettes. The Gumshoe sole features a special kind of rubber crafted from used gum that's been recycled into a sustainable material. They're available in black or hot pink, with a map of Amsterdam stamped into each sole. On Gumshoe's website, Mustafa Tanriverdi, from Marketing and Investments, Amsterdam Metropolitan Area said, "with these shoes, we take a step closer towards gum-free streets and at the same time create awareness amongst gum users without being preachy." If you fancy a pair of gum-based kicks for your own feet, head over to the Explicit Wear website. Via Designboom
If you're a lover of contemporary art, there are two things you've probably found yourself in repeated fights over. Firstly, why a canvas with naught but a single monotone colour deserves to hang in a gallery and, secondly, why live art is more than just 'crazy for the sake of crazy'. So, the artist nailed his arm to a wall? It's about politics. She had all her clothes cut off by strangers? Gender. It's an artist's job to test the bounds of acceptance and cover unchartered ground, but some artists are notorious for taking that extra step into the unknown. We thought we'd take a look into the extreme history of the artform — the highs, the lows, and all the wilfully mutilated body parts. (TW: self harm and sexual content.) Pyotr Pavlensky nailed his testicles to some cobblestones November last year saw millions of men sympathetically shift in their seats as Russian performance artist Pyotr Pavlensky drove a decent-sized nail through his scrotum and into Red Square. After receiving worldwide attention (that headline is clickbait in any language), Pavlensky stated his actions were a form of political protest against Russia's ever-increasing "police state". "The performance can be seen as a metaphor for the apathy, political indifference and fatalism of contemporary Russian society," he said. Such tactics were not new to this ballsy artist either as 2012 saw him sew his mouth shut in support of the recently imprisoned Pussy Riot. It's one way to get people talking, but at what cost? Vito Acconci hid under gallery floorboards while masturbating While we're on the topic of male genitals, it's definitely worth bringing up American artist Vito Acconci and his seminal work 'Seed Bed' (pun entirely intended). First performed in 1972 at New York's Sonnabend Gallery, this controversial and generally well-regarded work involved the artist hiding under a makeshift ramp in the gallery space and masturbating for eight hours a day. While it outwardly seems like the engineered scheme of a sexual deviant, the work is famous for being enormously effective on its audience members. While standing in the desolate gallery space, gallery-goers could hear Acconci murmuring explicit sexual thoughts via a loudspeaker, and were uncomfortably conscious of his presence under their feet. 'Seed Bed' has since been re-performed by Marina Abramovic in a very welcome inversion of the original work's testosterone overload. Marina Abramovic stared at thousands of strangers in silence until they cried This woman is the queen of all things performance art. Aside from taking on 'Seed Bed', she has a wealth of her own legendary artworks including 'The Artist is Present', a piece that inspired a documentary in its own name. For 736 hours and 30 minutes, Abramovic sat in silence at the Museum of Modern Art staring at whoever sat opposite her. The piece proved so cathartic for audience members it has spawned not only a film, but a fan blog called Marina Abramovic Made Me Cry — the artwork had this effect on the artist herself too when her ex-lover came to visit. Don't be fooled though; Abramovic is tough as guts. In her work 'Rhythm 0' she had audiences inflict pleasure and pain on her body with objects including honey, a scalpel, a rose, and a loaded gun; and in 'Rhythm 10' she played a Russian knife game dodging her fingers with 20 knives in quick succession. There are a lot of men in live art, but this woman may be the most hardcore there is. Tehching Hsieh punched a time clock every hour, on the hour, for a year Abramovic has described Hsieh as a "master" of the form. He's done the dirty stuff — he lived alone in a wooden cage unable to read, write, or listen to radio or TV for an entire year. He then went the other way — wilfully living outside for another whole year. But in the time in-between, he undertook 'Time Clock Piece'. From 1980-1981, Hsieh punched a factory-style time clock every hour, on the hour. After shaving his head at the outset, the artist took a photo of himself each hour and the subsequent documentary evidence, as the hair grows and grows, shows a passing of time equal parts beautiful and woefully depressing. Santiago Sierra tattooed these women's backs in exchange for heroin It's impossible to be indifferent to the kind of work that Sierra does. With most pieces including people from disadvantaged backgrounds in less than desirable positions, to many the art looks a lot like exploitation. In '160cm Line Tattooed on 4 People', Sierra found four heroin-addicted sex workers who were willing to have their backs tattooed in exchange for a single shot of heroin. While on the surface this seems outright despicable, the self-aware nature of the act did serve as a counter-point for many. After all, structures of power can never change if they aren't first exposed. Taras Polataiko had women contractually obliged to marry strangers In the live art piece 'Sleeping Beauties', Ukrainian artist Taras Polataiko found five female volunteers to feign sleep in an art gallery and endure the kisses of thousands of strangers. And here's the kicker: if they ever opened their eyes after a smooch, they were contractually obliged to marry the kisser. The agreement stood for gallery-goers too — in order to gain kissing privileges you had to present a valid ID and sign a legal document promising you to marriage. The performance ended on a meaningful note however, as the beauty opened her eyes to find a woman's lips. As Ukraine still hasn't legalised same-sex marriage, the work raised important questions about the issue and thankfully gave the participants a loophole to wriggle out of . Chris Burden was crucified to a Volkswagen There's nothing artists love more than a good crucifixion to dredge religion up in their work. If you thought Madonna jumping on a cross for a music video was out there, in his 1974 work 'Trans-fixed', American artist Chris Burden actually crucified himself to a Volkswagen Beetle. For no immediately apparent reason, either. The car came out of a garage for two minutes, revved a little, then returned inside. Obviously he was never one to shy away from pain. In 1973's 'Through the Night Softly' he got down to his underwear and crawled through glass, and in his aptly-titled 1971 work, 'Shoot', he was shot point blank in the arm with a rifle. More power to him. Joseph Beuys spent three days in a small room with a coyote The creeper to inspire all creepers, Joseph Beuys was an influential German artist whose 1974 work 'I Like America and America Likes Me' consisted of him skulking around a gallery in New York with naught but a coyote, some straw to sleep on, and a disturbing get-up that made him look like a gothic shepherd. He was taken from the airport via ambulance, never having stepped on American soil and stated of the work, "I wanted to isolate myself, insulate myself, see nothing of America other than the coyote." Once his time was up, he shared an awkward hug with the somewhat domesticated creature and boarded a plane home. Mike Parr had his lips, eyes, and ears sewn together The only Australian addition to this list, Parr has made a name for himself in the field of self-mutilation. This six-hour endurance piece, 'Close the Concentration Camps', was done in protest to the prolonged detention of asylum seekers during the Howard era, and has a disquieting resonance to this day. In 2002 there were reports some detainees had sewed their mouths shut in protest, but the trauma felt very distant to many Australians. Parr's act of solidarity at the Monash University Museum of Art brought this violence uncomfortably to the fore. Francis Alys enlisted the help of 500 volunteers to move a sand dune 10cm to the left One of the main arguments people have against modern art is that it's inconsequential, and Francis Alys' work certainly makes a good case for them. In his most-famous piece, 'When Faith Moves Mountains', this Belgian artist took to the outskirts of Lima and recruited 500 people to move a sand dune, one shovel at a time, slightly to the left. In response to intense confusion from everyone in the world, he responded, "Sometimes making something leads to nothing, sometimes making nothing leads to something." Artists are nothing if not riddlers, I guess.
UPDATE, Friday, June 20, 2025: 2025's First Nations Film Festival — National Reconciliation Week has been extended until Wednesday, August 6 (from its original end date of Tuesday, June 10). This article has been updated to reflect that change. As part of the flurry of streaming services always competing for our eyeballs, FanForce TV joined the online viewing fold during the COVID-19 pandemic as a pay-per-view platform. The service runs all year round, of course, but it goes the extra mile for National Reconciliation Week, which is when it hosts one leg of the First Nations Film Festival (previously known as the Virtual Indigenous Film Festival). In 2025, the National Reconciliation Week season is taking place between Tuesday, May 27–Wednesday, August 6, all solely online. The returning fest has four features and a collection of shorts on its lineup, starting with The Moogai — which sees writer/director Jon Bell (Cleverman) turn his own short into a full-length film, explore how Australia's past continues to haunt in the process, and brings back his stars Shari Sebbens (The Office) and Meyne Wyatt (Troppo) as a couple grappling with Stolen Generations trauma with their growing family. Also excellent: Like My Brother, a must-watch documentary that follows four young Indigenous women from the Tiwi Islands as they set their sights on playing AFLW at the highest level. With Blown Away, the impact of Cyclone Tracy upon Darwin is in the spotlight four decades later — and Winhanganha, which was commissioned by the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, sees Wiradjuri artist Jazz Money examine archives through a First Nations lens. To view this at-home screen celebration, you'll need to buy an all-access pass, which lets you catch everything for $38.
Founded by twins Cam and Chris Grant back in early 2017, Unyoked's tiny houses have been in high demand since the outset. There are 13 cabins across NSW, Victoria and Queensland, including one designed by Matthew McConaughey. All properties have been placed in secret patches of wilderness, in the middle of nowhere, allowing you to escape all the hustle and bustle of the city. The off-the-grid experience brings you the convenience and comforts of four solid walls, alongside the adventure, spontaneity and closeness-to-nature of camping. Unyoked's ethos is to connect back with nature to help unplug, alleviate stress and anxiety. Each cabin is designed to make you feel like you're part of the surrounding landscape, too. Think timber, oversized windows, solar power, composting toilets and a blissful lack of wi-fi. At the same time, though, simple comforts are taken care of, so you get a cosy bed, kitchen appliances, firewood, coffee, milk, herbs and the like. [caption id="attachment_745749" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Luisa Brimble[/caption] Images: Unyoked and Luisa Brimble
You know the feeling of not being able to put a face to a name? Well, that's the feeling you just might get when you're looking at Soda Mouf's work. You've seen Mouf's pieces before — but you probably don't know who they're by, or where you spotted them. On July 1, that will change, with the artist and illustrator's latest efforts lining the walls of Beach Burrito Fortitude Valley. It's a leap from the streets to the gallery for the Aussie graffiti fiend — and it's also a fitting way to celebrate a whole year of the Brunswick Street Mexican joint showcasing creativity as well as meat-filled tortillas. Expect Mouf's usual highly original style, as influenced by pop, skateboard and '90s hip-hop culture, all plastered across a new collection of prints. Expect beer and burritos to celebrate, too, because that's what a BBFV art show is all about. Well, that, having a fun night out, and hopefully buying a cool piece of art to take home with you.
When a well-loved venue gets a sibling, the connection between the two spots usually earns a lot of chatter. You sit, you enjoy, you compare, you discuss all those times spent at the first watering hole — all while you're scoping out the new location. And, at Newstead's Stratton Bar & Kitchen, that's likely to be the case. It's the latest venture from Mrs Brown's Bar & Kitchen owners Ben and Tarryn Brown, so there's plenty to talk about. That said, this newcomer's ties to another Newstead go-to isn't the only thing that's worth noticing. Conversation topic number one: the fact that that Stratton calls two old World War II hangars home, which the Browns have converted into quite the impressive hangout. Thanks to not only the site's curved roof, but all of its exposed beams hovering above while patrons eat and drink, that history is inescapable. More than that, it's downright striking to look at. The 920-square-metre venue boasts four sections: a 150-seat dining area, which still retains the laidback vibe that's such a feature at Mrs Brown's; a central bar perched under that eye-catching curved ceiling; a 150-person function space; and a covered courtyard. That gives Brisbanites plenty of reasons to drop by, but one of the biggest comes from its address. As the name makes plain, you'll find the bar and kitchen on Stratton Street — and right next door to The Triffid to be specific. Whether you're heading in pre- or post-gig, or just because, Stratton serves up a menu that goes heavy on home-style share plates and one-handed bar snacks, with chef Andrew Toms overseeing the food. Culinary highlights include cheeseburger dumplings, chicken karaage milk buns, sweet and sour broccoli and roast duck breast with citrus sauce. Or, there's peanut butter soba noodles, cacio e pepe udon, bolognese and burrata pizza, and a choc-orange delight of a dessert dubbed 'jaffa garden' that features orange jelly, burnt orange puree, burnt orange curd and dehydrated chocolate mousse. When it comes to washing down those dishes — with a sizeable amount of gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options also covered — the drinks list hits around 70 bottles in 250-millilitre pours, plus a hefty cocktail range. Standouts include the Kill Bill (Nikka whisky from the Barrel, Midori, Oscar.697 Rosso vermouth and pineapple), the cheeseburger bloody mary (which adds an in-house blend of herbs and spices to vodka and tomato juice to make your tastebuds think they're drinking a cheeseburger) and the Cherry Ripe (Wildflower vodka, cherry, Borghetti coffee liqueur and Tempus crème de cacao). Or, you can show some homegrown love with the Lamington (Wildflower lamington vodka and lemon) and the Aussie negroni (Four Pillars olive leaf gin, Rhubi Mistelle and Davidson plum aperitif). The non-boozy cocktail list spans four drinks, too — and, back on the hard stuff, Aussie spirits get pride of place.
The name Knowles may be synonymous with Beyoncé — AKA Kween Bey— but her li'l sis Solange isn't standing in any shadows. The singer, songwriter, actress, model and fashion icon has won a Grammy, starred on the front covers of magazines and released a chart-topping album — and now she's coming to Sydney. It was announced this morning that Solange will be headlining Vivid LIVE 2018, performing four shows on June, 1, 2, 3 and 4. They will be her only Aussie performances this time round. This will be her first Australian performance since she toured back in 2014 (aside from a one-off performance at H&M in 2015). And she has released a tonne of sweet tunes since — including her award-winning album A Seat at the Table, which hit number one in the charts in late 2016. So, in June, expect to hear Solange belt out hits such as 'Don't Touch My Hair' — the lyrics of which the London Evening Standard's editors probably should've heeded — and 'Cranes in the Sky', which won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance. To get your hands on tickets, you'll need to enter a ticket ballot. To do so, head to the Opera House's website between now (Monday, February 26) and midnight on Sunday, March 4 and register. Successful applicants will be notified on Thursday, March 8. No other live music acts have yet been announced for Vivid LIVE 2018 — with the rest of the lineup expected to be announced in the upcoming weeks — but if it continues anything like it has started, this year is going to be a banger. Solange will perform four shows at Vivid LIVE 2018 at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall between June 1–4. Registrations for the ticket ballot are now open.
Ask just about any international visitor and they'll tell you how it is: Australia is packed full of creepy crawlies that are all dangerous and mostly deadly. We locals know the situation's not quite as sketchy as all that, but that there are plenty of native snakes, spiders and insects you probably wouldn't want jumping on your face. Well soon, you'll be able to determine the nasty ones from the nice ones with just a quick snap on your smartphone camera, thanks to new app Critterpedia. Currently in the beta testing phase with an artificial intelligence training platform being developed with CSIRO, Critterpedia is the brainchild of a regular Aussie mum and dad, Nic and Murray Scarce. The idea was spawned after fielding continuous questions from visiting British friends and family regarding our scary local wildlife population. So, how does this creature-identification app work? You simply use your device to take a photo of any snake or spider, then Critterpedia will call on its trained algorithm system to classify the beast, also offering details on its family, genus or species. It's designed to educate and raise awareness about our much-maligned Aussie creatures, while removing some of that fear factor. While Australia is home to more than 2000 species of spiders of 170 species, many of them don't pose a serious threat. As you can imagine, there's been a stack of AI work behind Critterpedia's hefty catalogue of info, with hundreds of thousands of images fed to the platform to help train its speedy identification function. CSIRO's digital specialist arm Data61 is collaborating on a special machine-learning engine that can sort through the masses of data to accurately classify species in just moments. While the app is in this development stage, users can do their bit to help train up the algorithm by submitting their own photos of local snakes and spiders. The extra imagery will assist in fine-tuning the platform's recognition systems in the lead-up to its launch. The Critterpedia app is currently in development. You can sign up here to become a tester and contribute photos to help train its algorithm.
From dead characters to killer plants, M Night Shyamalan's films are known for veering off in out-there directions, as everything from The Sixth Sense and The Village to The Happening and Split has shown. So, when a trailer for one of his movies drops, you can expect that it'll tease a strange twist. That's what the first sneak peek at Old did back in February, with the feature's new full trailer now fleshing out a few more details. As already established in the first 30-second clip, Old follows a family led by Gael García Bernal (Ema) and Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread) as they head off on a beachside holiday. Finding a particularly secluded spot online, they lap up their scenic surroundings — even when a few more people show up. But then a dead body is spotted floating in the water, putting everyone on edge. Next, the couple's kids disappear behind a few rocks, only to return looking much older than they did mere seconds ago. There's an eerie tone to both the initial sneak peek and the new trailer, unsurprisingly. If you're wondering where Shyamalan will take the concept from there, you'll have to wait until the thriller releases in cinemas in July. The filmmaker has penned the movie's script, too; however, he's based it all Pierre Oscar Lévy and Frederik Peeters' graphic novel Sandcastle. Hoping that it turns out more like Unbreakable and less like The Visit is understandable. As well as Bernal and Krieps, Old has amassed a hefty cast, including Rufus Sewell (The Father), Alex Wolff (Hereditary), Australian actors Abbey Lee (Lovecraft Country) and Eliza Scanlen (Babyteeth), and New Zealand's Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit) — the latter of whom will be hitting our screens a few times this year, given that she also stars in Last Night in Soho. If you're already getting big Lost vibes, Ken Leung (Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens) also features. And no, neither him nor any of his co-stars say "I see old people" in the new trailer. Hopefully that'll remain the same in the movie itself. Check out the new trailer below: Old opens in Australian cinemas on July 22. Top image: Universal Pictures.
Hankering for a fresh cup of caffeinated goodness, but just don't know whether you feel like an espresso or a flat white? We've all been there and agonised over that, and Kelvin Grove's latest coffee stop knows this. And, it has come up with a solution. Meet Earth & Steam Coffee Co. and their potentially life-changing tasting board, aka Brisbane's first foray into coffee flights. You'll get a taste of both of the above hot beverages, plus an accompanying cold-pressed on ice. Yep, it's a caffeine fiend's dream, whether you just can't choose the brew that suits your mood, or want to sample a range of styles. A full array of specialty coffees are also available at the Earth & Steam's Brissie offshoot from their Helensvale Northquarter store, should you decide that just one drink will do — as are a selection of teas for those who prefer steeped leaves to roasted beans. Add a range of healthy brekkie and lunch bites, and that's your weekday daytime meals and breaks covered if you're an inner-northerner of just happen to be in the vicinity.
For a few days, the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre is hosting a sales event of most peculiar stock. Strange things they are, full of pages, rampant with words and with covers of the most beautiful colours. You can't charge them, they don't run out of battery, their brightness is unalterable, and they won't smash when you drop them and have them lost forever. Yes, Lifeline Bookfest is back for another round of vintage bargains and startling ranges of everything from Australian Women's Weekly Cookbooks to a bit of cheeky erotica, with the mid-year sale running from Saturday, June 23 to Sunday, July 1. If you're been before, you'll know there are warehouse quantities of books for sale – your grade five diary is probably hidden under a copy of Shantaram and multiple versions of Harry Potter, and you'll come across at least three copies of Cooking with Days of Our Lives. Prices range from cents to the big bucks — bring a trolley and your glasses and absorb yourself in books. Or, head along after work on Friday, June 29, when Bookfest is pairing late-night shopping with live tunes.
Sweltering sunshine, praying for a cool breeze and always wishing that you were in the water: welcome to summer in Brisbane. When the warmest part of the year rolls around, this bright city becomes obsessed with three things. We're either talking about how hot it is (answer: very), trying to wash away the heat with a cold one or jumping into the nearest body of H2O. Sometimes we're doing all three simultaneously. Of course, the last two options are much more fun than the first — think kicking back, soaking in the sun and cooling down at the same time. If you choose to do so with a brew in your hand, that's where Gage Roads Brewing Co's Single Fin summer ale comes in. And if you'd rather splash around, we've teamed up with these gifted beermakers to find five watery options for a refreshing summer. [caption id="attachment_702583" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland.[/caption] TOUR SHIPWRECKS ON AN UNDERWATER SCOOTER AT TANGALOOMA Tangalooma's shipwrecks are one of southeast Queensland's most famous attractions. They're also the kind of spot that many Brisbanites know about and know they should visit — yet never make the effort to see. If snorkelling through 15 sunken boats isn't enough motivation to get you over to Moreton Island, then perhaps this will be: touring these submerged vessels on an underwater scooter. It's not the type that you sit on, but rather a motorised scooter that you hold on to while you zoom beneath the water. How better to get up close to the coral that's starting to form in and around the wrecks and to spy more than 200 species of local sea life? And, you'll be able to zip through more of the ships — a motor is faster than your arms and legs, obviously. SNORKEL WITH TURTLES NEAR COOK ISLAND You know Fraser and Bribie and Moreton and Stradbroke — but do you recall the isle boasting a thriving marine flora and fauna? While Cook Island mightn't rank among the most well-known, the marine reserve park does boast both hard and soft coral, provide a thriving home for underwater life and feature a large population of green turtles. If you'd like to snorkel with the latter, this is the place to head for a scenic three-hour trip. It's also relatively close to home for water-loving Brisbanites, with the volcanic outcrop located one kilometre off of the Tweed Coast's Fingal Headland, with tours departing from just south of Coolangatta. [caption id="attachment_621822" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brisbane City Council.[/caption] CATCH A FLICK SUBMERGED IN THE SPRING HILL BATHS Maybe you're not fond of regular cinemas. Perhaps you like to splash around while entertainment plays in the background. Or, you could just like watching films anywhere and everywhere that you can. Cooling off at a dive-in movie is the kind of watery experience that never gets old — and, because you can see a different flick each time, is never the same twice. The Spring Hill Baths hosts regular sessions, showing grown-ups-only titles like Jaws 2 and Pulp Fiction. If you're day-tripping or staying down the coast this summer, the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre also cranks up the projector for occasional family-friendly screenings. WANDER THE AQUARIUM LIKE YOU'RE A KID AGAIN If your childhood holidays involved road-tripping to Mooloolaba to visit Underwater World, we have good and bad news. The massive aquarium still exists, but it's had a name change — so if you're looking for a nostalgic day out, you'll now need to head to Sea Life. A celebration of marine life by any other name still offers the same amount of fun, so prepare to see seals, sharks, seahorses and more. Prepare to spend as much time as possible in the 80-metre-long ocean tunnel, too. Fancy looking as well as touching? That's where the tidal touch pool comes in. Yes, it's still as great as you remember. SCUBA DIVE WITH MANTA RAYS OFF STRADDIE One island, 15 different dive sites — a multitude of ways to get your scuba on. If you're an experienced diver, then fish, coral, manta rays and more await. If you need a little help — or you've never made the scuba plunge — you'll still find all of the above, as well as classes to teach you the ropes. Located on North Stradbroke Island, the Manta Lodge and Scuba Centre runs one-day sessions that will take you through the basics and out into the ocean (nope, you won't just be pool-bound here). If you want to really dive deep, then opt for the three-day open water diver course and become fully certified. As an added bonus, the Manta Lodge also doubles as a backpackers, so you'll have somewhere affordable to slumber when you're not in the water. Make a splash this summer, and afterwards, keep cool with a Single Fin. The light-bodied ale is packed with plenty of hoppy flavour to keep you smiling all season.
For more than 60,000 years, the world's largest sand island has been known as K'gari by its Traditional Owners. From now on, that's the World Heritage-listed southeast Queensland spot's official name again. Two years after announcing that it'd make the change, the Queensland Government has officially restored the 122-kilometre coastal locale's Indigenous moniker, with the spot no longer called Fraser Island. Pronounced with a silent k, K'gari is the original Butchulla name for the island, and it now applies across its entirety. Back in 2017, the island's national park was renamed the K'gari (Fraser Island) section of the Great Sandy National Park. Then, in 2022, the island's World Heritage Area was renamed K'gari (Fraser Island) World Heritage Area. This new move clearly goes a step further. The Queensland Government worked through the formal steps required to put in place the name change, in conjunction with the Butchulla people, stakeholders and the community. In 2022, it received almost 6000 public submissions about the move, the majority in favour. The suburb of Fraser Island also changes its name to K'gari. "It was through disrespect to the Butchulla people that her name, K'gari — the home of the Butchulla people — was taken away. Thankfully, it is now through respect to the Butchulla people that K'gari — her name — has been reclaimed," said Gayle Minniecon, Chair of the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation. "Our oral history, our creation story will now be told and learnt as it should be. Our ancestors understood and committed to the importance of caring for K'gari since time immemorial, and today we continue this cultural obligation." Back in 2021, then-Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation Chairperson Jade Gould explained why the Butchulla people had been campaigning for years to change the name. "The name Fraser Island is a tribute to Eliza Fraser — a woman whose narrative directly lead to the massacre and dispossession of the Butchulla people," Gould said. "A word meaning paradise in Butchulla language is a much more fitting name for such an iconic place." "I'm proud that today we can officially welcome K'gari home, and reinstate the name used by Traditional Owners for all these years," advised Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. "We will continue to recognise Indigenous languages through place names, in the spirit of truth-telling and reconciliation as we walk the Path to Treaty. While steps like this can't change the wrongs of the past, it goes a long way to building a future where all Queenslanders value, trust, and respect each other." "This always was and always will be Butchulla Country." Along with reinstating K'gari as the island's name, more than 19 hectares of land was transferred to the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation — land that used be used to benefit the Butchulla people, the island's Traditional Owners, and isn't allowed to be bought, sold or mortgaged. K'gari isn't just the biggest sand island in the world; it's made up of 184,000 hectares of the stuff, in 72 colours and mostly in the form of magnificent dunes, much of which are covered in rainforest. It's also home to more than 100 freshwater lakes, including the crystal-clear waters of Boorangoora (Lake McKenzie), a perched lake made up of rainwater and soft silica sand. For more information about K'gari, head to the Queensland Government website. Images: Queensland Government.
A coffee roaster opening its own cafe is the caffeinated equivalent of a beloved movie or TV character scoring their own spinoff. This version sparks a different kind of buzz, though. Australian favourite Single O is no stranger to slinging its own brews, thanks to cafes in both Sydney and Tokyo — but finally launching in Brisbane is a new and welcome leap. If you're a fan of the 20-year-old brand, then you might be familiar with its self-serve tap system in its cafes elsewhere. In more excellent news, that's now in place in the River City as well. Single O is currently pouring — and getting customers to — on Austin Street in Newstead, where it opened at the end of August. Since 2019, coffee lovers nabbing their caffeinated brews from Single O's Surry Hills cafe in Sydney have been getting their cuppas themselves — basically, it's the coffee you make when you're not actually making the coffee — which Brisbanites can also enjoy at the first coffee-on-tap setup in the Sunshine State. The filter brews on offer will rotate through single-origin batch options. Crucially, Single O's beloved oat iced latte has earned the tap treatment, too. Also among the standout sips made on La Marzocco machines, then drunk from Malcolm Greenwood's ceramic cups: Single O's Reservoir signature blend for espresso fiends, which customers can pair with either dairy or plant milks. With local gelato makers Allora Black, the roaster has also brought its Affogato Project to town. The Brisbane version starts with coffee-infused-gelato — favouring Kenyan and Costa Rican beans — then pours on a shot of the same brew. Teaming up with Newmarket's Allora Black is just one of Single O's local collaborations. Working with Agnes Bakery is another, in an excellent development for pastry fiends. Plates come from Noosa's Kim Wallace Ceramics, while Brisbane-born artist Gemma O'Brien has given the Austin Street spot its bespoke artwork, including her first-ever hometown large-scale mural. For bites to pair with your caffeine fix, Single O owner Dion Cohen has tapped into nostalgia. Sandwiches and toasties might sound rather standard, but Cohen has taken cues from his time spent as the chef at Single O's OG location in 2003. From Surry Hills, banana bread with espresso butter makes the jump north, as has the brunch favourite that is the Avo Show (yes, it's avocado on toast, but Single O's eye-catching version). While you're eating and drinking, you'll be sat in space that heroes eco-conscious practices both in making its coffee and in decking out its cafes. Design-wise, think: raw materials aplenty, and Defy Design whipping up bar tops and stools made from recycled plastic. The venue is also Single O's new distribution and training facility for its wholesalers, aka the places you've been drinking its coffee at before now. "We've been working behind the scenes with some of Queensland's best cafes and hospitality partners from Gold Coast and Brisbane for over ten years, including places like Bread Social, Paddock Bakery, Gramps Cafe and Told You So, to name a few," explains General Manager Mike Brabant. "Brisbane particularly is a place that's changing everyday with amazing hospo venues opening and more people moving to Queensland each year. The food culture is becoming one of the best in the country, and opening our humble Newstead coffee bar, which is connected to our coffee training and distribution space where we service our local cafe clients from, is big for us." "It gives us a touchpoint for our cafe friends, and a chance to serve the local community, sharing the Single O spirit of having fun, honouring quality and brewing up differently." Find Single O's Newstead coffee bar at 16 Austin Street, Newstead QLD — operating from 6.30am–1.30pm Monday–Friday and 7am–1.30pm on Saturdays — with Sunday trading coming soon.
After sending Brisbanites to great heights at Lina Rooftop and Soko Rooftop, and serving them Italian dishes at Mina as well, Potentia Solutions Leisure is now welcoming fans of Latin American cuisine into its latest venture. Meet Rumba, which takes inspiration from Cuba, was first announced back in January, and is now trading on St Paul's Terrace in Argentinian eatery Evita's old site. It's a case of farewelling one favourite and welcoming in another for the hospitality group; new year, new focus, clearly. Rumba goes heavy on tequila cocktails and bites to share amid colourful but raw decor. The atmosphere: relaxed yet boisterous, and stripped back while soundtracked by Latin jazz. Azulejo prints and bright hues cover the place, and there's even the remnants of a car in a hole in the wall. Vibe-wise, a roster of DJs and bands help set the mood, too, in the kind of space that's worlds away from Lina and Soko's luxe rooftops — but proves lively and enticing in its own way. On Fridays, that includes a mariachi trio, while a Columbian reggaeton night is also on the venue's roster. Of course, the big drawcard is the food and drinks spread, which spans kingfish ceviche, tune poké tostadas, corn with chipotle mayo and spicy chicken wings among the smaller options. There's also guacamole platters for two; empanadas made with smoky ground beef, olives and chimichurri; grilled octopus with yellow beetroot; and beef brisket, battered fish and braised lamb tacos. And, for dessert, diners can tuck into a share spread of churros, dessert empanadas with mascarpone and apple, and lemon and tequila sorbet. To wash all of the above down with, the 22-drink cocktail list features sangria jugs, rum and sparkling wine Cuban bowls, two fruity frozen options and pisco sours. Or, there's a small range of beer and wine, a larger spirits collection, and four options for bottle service. Rumba also does a daily 5–6pm happy with $10 cocktails and $15 beer jugs, plus$25 all-you-can-eat tacos on Thursday nights. Feel like a night brunch? That's what it's dubbing its $69 Wednesday evening specials, which spans a five-dish banquet over two hours, plus wine and beer for the same period — and a slushie or spritz on arrival. Find Rumba at 365 St Paul's Terrace, Fortitude Valley, open 5pm–late Tuesday–Saturday.
UPDATE, January 27, 2023: Sissy is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Scroll, swipe, like, subscribe: this is the rhythm of social media. We look, watch and trawl; we try to find a sense of self in the online world; and when something strikes a chord, we smudge our fingers onto our phones to show our appreciation. If wellness influencers are to be believed, we should feel seen by this now-everyday process. We should feel better, too. We're meant to glean helpful tips about how to live our best lives, aspire to be like the immaculately styled folks dispensing the advice and be struck by how relatable it all is. "You saved my life!", we're supposed to comment, and we're meant to be genuine about it. The one catch, and one that we shouldn't think about, though: when it comes to seeking validation via social media, this setup really does go both ways. As savvy new Australian horror film Sissy shows, the beaming faces spruiking easy wisdom and products alike to hundreds, thousands or maybe hundreds of thousands of followers — 200,000-plus for this flick's namesake — are also basking in the glory of all that digital attention, and getting a self-esteem boost back in the process. Sissy starts with @SincerelyCecilia, an Instagram hit, doing what she does best. As played by Gold Coast-born Australian actor Aisha Dee of The Bold Type in an astute and knowing stroke of casting, she's a natural in front of the camera. Indeed, thanks to everything from The Saddle Club and I Hate My Teenage Daughter to Sweet/Vicious and The Nowhere Inn as well, the film's star knows what it's like to live life through screens out of character. She's been acting since she was a teenager, and she's charted the highs of her chosen profession, all in front of a lens. So, it's no wonder that Dee conveys Cecilia's comfort recording her videos with ease. The actor hops into the spotlight not only once but twice here, but she's just as perceptive at showing how the world crumbles, shakes and shrinks whenever there's no ring light glowing, smile stretched a mile wide and Pinterest-board background framing her guru-like guidance. "I am loved. I am special. I am enough," is Cecilia's kind of mantra. Through her carefully poised and curated videos, such words have sparked a soaring follower count, a non-stop flow of likes and adoring comments. But she's so tied to all that virtual worship that her off-camera existence — when she's not plugging an 'Elon mask', for instance — is perhaps even more mundane than everyone else's. It's also isolated, so when she reconnects with her childhood best friend Emma (co-director/co-writer Hannah Barlow) during a chance run-in at a pharmacy, it's a rare IRL link to the tangible world. Cecilia is awkward about it, though, including when Emma invites her to her out-of-town bachelorette party that very weekend. Buoyed by memories of pledging to be BFFs forever, singing Aussie pop track 'Sister' by Sister2Sister and obsessing over movie stars, she still agrees to go. Sissy's first act is a Rorschach test: if you're already cynical about the wellness industry and social media, unsurprisingly so, then you'll know that nothing dreamy is bound to follow; if you're not, perhaps the blood and guts to come will feel like a twist. Either way, there will be blood thanks to Barlow and fellow co-helmer/co-scribe Kane Senes' game efforts, reteaming for their second feature after 2017's For Now. There will be chaos as well, and bad signs aplenty, and a rousing body count. Hitting a kangaroo en route to their remote destination clearly doesn't bode well, and also kicks off casualty tally. Then the old schoolyard dynamics bubble up, especially when Cecilia's playground tormentor Alex (Emily De Margheriti, Ladies in Black) is among the fellow guests. Pre-teen taunts resurface — "Sissy's a sissy" was the juvenile and obvious jeer spat her way back in the day, and repeated now — and the @SincerelyCecilia facade starts to shatter. If Mean Girls was a slasher film set in an off-the-beaten-track home in Australia, it might look something like Sissy, which is a compliment multiple times over. Every horror movie wants to be smart and savage on an array of levels, but Barlow and Senes manage it again and again, and with grisly fun. Their latest feature weaponises everything from influencer culture and pastel, rainbow and glitter colour palettes to toxic friendships and troubling childhood dynamics, all while spinning a clever, cutting and comedic take on the impact of bullying. Their targets are blatant — well, if you only see terrible things in the picture's version of inkblots, as per above, they are — but that doesn't dull or dampen any point that Sissy makes. That it premiered at SXSW 2022 at the same time as Bodies Bodies Bodies feels oh-so-fitting; they both involve remote houses plagued with twentysomething mess, mayhem and mania, share many of the same points, are delightfully entertaining to watch and would be a stellar double. Would Sissy work quite so well with someone other than Dee playing its eponymous figure, though? Thankfully, that's a question we'll never know the answer to. Her portrayal is as shrewd, amusing and engaging as the movie she's in, and as wonderfully layered — which couldn't be more pivotal in a flick that's also about the vast chasm between our Insta selves and our off-social reality, and how any group of people is mere hours from tearing each other to pieces verbally, emotionally and physically in the right/wrong circumstances. She's in fine company, however, including Barlow's on-screen efforts and De Margheriti relishing her antagonistic part. As Emma's fiancée Fran and friends Tracey and Jamie, Lucy Barrett (Halifax: Retribution), Yerin Ha (Halo) and Daniel Monks (Pulse) each also steal more than a few standout moments. One helluva lead performance, as gloriously diverse a cast as Australian cinema has boasted, grim fates awaiting half the coat of arms, schlock and viscera galore, scathing social commentary: that's Sissy. A knowing-but-never-too-winking vibe, neon hues paired with unsettling images, canny framing, needling sound design: that's Sissy, too. If Carrie was set in today's always-online world, amid cancel culture and plentiful praise at the press of a button, it'd look like this as well. That said, this new instant Aussie horror classic takes its own bold stab at plenty of things, and genres — plus tropes and people — and always remains its own film. Cecilia and her followers could learn from it, because appreciating your faves, incorporating them into your existence but never losing yourself in them is a lesson far removed from their Insta-curated world.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and when it comes to press photography, the adage rings true. News stories accompanied by striking imagery always stand out above the rest. The best photojournalists prove that the camera can be mightier than the keyboard in getting to the essence of an issue. Every year, the Nikon-Walkley Awards for Excellence in Photojournalism recognise the best in the field, and every year, the cream of the crop feature in a corresponding photography exhibition. 2014's finalists and winners are now touring the country. Latest stop: Brisbane. The 2015 Nikon-Walkley Press Photography Exhibition revisits the snaps that didn't just make headlines, they made people read the headlines, and the corresponding articles, too. From media moguls arguing to cricket bats breaking, this is a photography show combined with a time capsule, showcasing the outstanding moments in sports, daily life and news reportage captured over the past 12 months with stunning artistry. Image: Sylvia Liber, Illawarra Mercury, Little Princess.
Grab your togs, plus your mates or date, then get ready to indulge your love for swims, sips and breakfast: The Westin Brisbane has relaunched what's fast becoming an annual River City summer highlight. The Mary Street hotel doesn't just feature 298 rooms and suites with views, onsite eateries and bars, and a spa — it's also home to a swim-up spot for drinks, aka Nautilus Pool Bar, which opens its doors to the public when the weather is warm. From now until Sunday, April 28, you don't need to be a guest at the Marriott-owned international brand's first Queensland location to go for a splash while enjoying a cocktail in the water. As it did across 2022–23's hot temperatures, The Westin Brisbane is turning Nautilus Pool Bar into a beach club. This year's inspiration: The Maldives. Again dubbed Nautilus Beach Club, this seasonal stint includes live DJs spinning tunes on the deck, poolside cabana service and, for the first time, floating breakfasts. Yes, your food will be served to you literally in the pool, with the $280-per-person spread spanning fruit, pastries, juice, Mumm champagne, your choice of tea or coffee, and a number of hot breakfast dishes. If that sounds like your way to spend a morning, it's on offer from 10am–11.30am on Fridays and Saturdays. Nautilus Beach Club: Maldives Moments runs from Friday–Sunday until the end of March, then Saturday–Sunday in April, with its regular menu offering slow-braised octopus in a tomato chilli ragout; yellowfin tuna ceviche in a curry powder rub with red onion, chilli, coriander and tomato; and seafood platters that feature Moreton Bay bugs, tiger prawns, kingfish ceviche and green lip mussels. Drinks-wise, special cocktails include a Maldivian take on the piña colada and spritzes Attendees have a couple of other options for Mediterranean-influenced lounging by the pool, with a $49 ticket covering access, a towel to use while you're there and your first spritz. If you and a date or mate are feeling like treating yo'selves, there's also a cabana experience for $269 for two, which gives you your own cabana to hang out in, a seafood platter and a bottle of rosé. And the pool itself? It's heated to 28 degrees, perfect for comfortable swims during Brisbane's sultry summer.
You can finally take those lung-belting ABBA sing-along sessions from the car to the next level — by taking them to the drive-in. On Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10, Yatala's resident automobile-friendly cinema is dialling up the volume for a Mother's Day weekend ABBA-thon — which promises the ultimate socially distant vocal workout for fans of the Swedish pop superstars and their iconic tunes. The main attraction: a screening of the ABBA-filled musical flick Mamma Mia!, where punters can jam along to favourites like 'Dancing Queen', 'SOS' and 'Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!'. Head along at 8.30pm on Saturday night or 6pm on Sunday evening. And, given the occasion, you might want to bring your mum. As always, your night at the flicks will cost $35 per car, which covers up to six people. If you choose to wear sparkly jumpsuits, well, that's obviously up to you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkN-A00WLYE Since reopening over the Labour Day long weekend, the venue has implemented some new rules and procedures to keep everyone safe and healthy. They include contactless entry, hand sanitiser stations, restricting capacity to 50 percent or less, only making restrooms available for emergencies, and limiting the candy bar to ten patrons at a time. Keeping in line with social-distancing requirements, cinephiles are asked to only attend with folks they live with, or with one person who doesn't live in the same household. If you're choosing to go out and support local businesses, have a look at the latest COVID-19 advice and social-distancing guidelines from the Department of Health.
If it wasn't for Violet Crumbles, the world wouldn't have quite a few things. Firstly, we wouldn't have the pleasure of biting into those chocolate-honeycomb bars themselves, and tasting that delicious flavour combination. We also wouldn't have the slogan "it's the way it shatters that matters", which is up there with the catchiest advertising lines of all time. And, Bertie Beetles wouldn't exist, because the showbag favourite was initially created to use the pieces of honeycomb left over from making — you guessed it — Violet Crumbles. Thankfully, no one needs to live in a world without either Violet Crumbles or Bertie Beetles — or, thanks to your next must-try cocktail, without Violet Crumble espresso martinis, too. The latter has just hit the market thanks to the Melbourne-based Feminaè Beverage Co, and it is indeed exactly what it sounds like. Now it's the way your caffeinated boozy tipple shatters that matters, too. Sold in hefty two-litre ready-to-drink casks, the VC espresso martinis are made with cold-drip coffee, vodka and Australian cream, and then infused with Violet Crumble honeycomb, caramel and chocolate flavours. A box will set you back $79.90, and includes 24 standard drinks — for parties, or just to keep in the fridge for when the urge strikes. You'll also get a Violet Crumble bar to shatter over the cocktails — or just to eat if you'd prefer. (Let's face it, if you're keen on this kind of espresso martini, you're already a fiend for the chocolate bar itself.) Feminaè is only releasing a limited run, which means ordering sooner rather than latter is recommended — and they're already shipping the casks out. The company also has a passionfruit and pavlova cosmo in its range — now sold out, sadly — if you're already thinking about what other sweet treats deserve to be turned into cocktails. Our suggestion: Bertie Beetles, naturally. Feminaè Beverage Co's Violet Crumble espresso martini casks are available to buy online for $79.90 while stocks last.
Every year, before Brisbane Festival drops its full lineup, it teases the city's arts fans with a few sneak peeks. In 2019, the event's early reveals have included a blazing garden of fire, an immersive theatre production that takes over an entire warehouse and a screening of No Country for Old Men with a new live score — but they're just a taste of the whole program. Just unveiled in all of its glory, the festival's entire feast of arts, music, performance, comedy, cabaret, installations and culture promises everything from amazing mazes to ambitious theatre productions to music-fuelled birthday bashes, which will all liven up the city between September 6–28. By the numbers, Brisbane Festival 2019 will feature 454 performances of 83 shows over 23 huge days. Performer-wise, it'll boast 908 artists from around the globe. And for artistic director David Berthold, it'll commemorate his fifth year at the helm. After House of Mirrors proved such a hit in 2018, it should come as no surprise that Christian Wagstaff and Keith Courtney are bringing their equally mind-bending 1000 Doors to this year's fest. As the name suggests, you'll navigate your way through a huge setup of doors, which'll be located at Brisbane Festival's Arcadia hub at the South Bank Cultural Centre Forecourt. Also in the expected and thoroughly welcome camp: the return of the event's biggest-selling show to date, aka Strut & Fret's Blanc De Blanc. The hedonistic cabaret's encore version won't be exactly the same as its last, so that's reason enough to head along. With this year marking 30 years since the Brisbane Riverstage hosted its first gig, Bris Fest is throwing the famed outdoor venue a shindig — and, with the help of Hot Dub Time Machine, partying like it's 1989. Much of the event's music lineup will also takeover the site, including The Amity Affliction, City and Colour and the enormously popular (and free) Symphony for Me orchestral show. There'll be tunes over at The Tivoli, too, including a 90s-themed throwback for opening night, featuring Groove Terminator with a gospel choir, plus the likes of Paul Dempsey and Emma Louise in the rounds. Other highlights include Kate Miller-Heidke, fresh from her dazzling Eurovision performances; Chinese choreographer Yang Liping's Rite of Spring; both Sam Simmons and John Safran, with each breaking out their inimitable comedy stylings; Bryony Kimmings' acclaimed I'm a Phoenix, Bitch; the world premiere of Fangirls, which ponders teenage obsessions. Or, you can enjoy a dance-off eisteddfod featuring ordinary folks, Regurgitator doing a family-friendly show, and a stage production that sees four people recreate Tetris — yes, the classic video game — with their bodies. In the old fave camp, Riverfire is back to close out the fest with a literal bang, plus River of Light returns to cast another laser-filled glow over the city's central waterway while drawing upon local Indigenous history. As always, the spiegeltent will once again set up shop and welcome a host of musicians, such as Girlpool, Justin Townes Earle and Bruno Major, while the performance-focused Theatre Republic will host modern takes on ancient myths, an apocalyptic drama that combines climate change and Chekhov, and a cycle of stories about love, death and friendship. Brisbane Festival runs from September 6–28 across Brisbane. For the full 2019 program, or to book tickets, visit the festival website. Compagnie Carabosse Fire Gardens images by Vincent Muteau
Next time that you're looking for a cocktail spot, follow the pins. That's what The Pinnacle Guide, the new bar recognition system that's throwing some love at the top watering holes around the world, gives out. Michelin does stars, this ranking does pins — and on its just-announced first batch of picks, two Australian bars have made the cut. Scoring one pin apiece: El Primo Sanchez and Maybe Sammy, both in Sydney. The duo both hail from the same crew, in fact, and now have bragging rights over Australia's other cocktail havens. In total, 25 bars received one pin and 12 were given two pins. Nowhere has nabbed three pins so far. [caption id="attachment_889906" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] Created by three folks behind London Cocktail Week — Hannah Sharman-Cox, Siobhan Payne and Dan Dove — The Pinnacle Guide doesn't just make its selections based on beverages and bar service. Also considered: an establishment's approach to sustainability, diversity and philanthropy. The idea is for the guide's pinned watering holes to reflect everything that's required to be a cocktail bar, and that The Pinnacle Guide is the kind of list that heroes versatility as well. Bars submit to be considered, which requires them to provide information on their drinks program, how they manage their staff, and both the venue's aesthetics and its vibes. From there, anonymous reviewers comprised of mixologists, industry experts and bar enthusiasts undertake in-person reviews to decide which places deserve a place in the guide. [caption id="attachment_941736" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] To get a pin, a bar must be considered excellent, outstanding or exceptional both in front of and behind the bar. Securing three pins requires both the written application and the service during the reviewer's visit to be exceptional, and no venue has achieved that so far. Other overall considerations by The Pinnacle Guide include that commitment to sustainability, and ensuring that the drinks list expands beyond booze, with at least two curated non-alcoholic drinks required on the menu (so, thoughtful mocktails, not basic soft drinks). [caption id="attachment_889910" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] "We've been overwhelmed by the incredible response to the first round of applications for The Pinnacle Guide. In revealing this first list, we have been able to realise our goal of celebrating the extraordinary range of cocktail bars the world has to offer — from tiny drinking dens to majestic hotel bars," said Dove. "We're proud of our unique submissions process, which has allowed these deserving bars to shine — and we're excited to shed light on many many more in the months and years to come." In the first picks made since The Pinnacle Guide's applications opened in November 2023, entries came from around the globe, including Australia, the UK, the US, Singapore, Spain, Mexico and Dubai. Maybe Sammy's inclusion adds another accolade to its lengthy collection, including being named the number-one bar in the data-driven Top 500 Bars list for 2023 and also coming in 15th on The World's 50 Best Bars list for last year. The Pinnacle Guide's Pinned Bars: Three-pin bars: None Two-pin bars: ATLAS, Singapore Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour, Phoenix, USA Nipperkin, London, UK Origin Bar, Shangri-La Singapore, Singapore Panda & Sons, Edinburgh, UK Paradiso, Barcelona, Spain Pretty Decent, Louisville, USA Selva, Oaxaca, Mexico The American Bar at Gleneagles, Auchterarder, UK The Spy Bar at Raffles London, UK Thunderbolt, Los Angeles, USA True Laurel, San Francisco, USA One-pin bars: Artesian, London, UK Ballroom by Barbary Coast, Singapore Blue Bar at The Berkeley, London, UK Couch, Birmingham, UK Cure, New Orleans, USA El Primo Sanchez, Sydney, Australia Kiki Lounge, Isle of Man, UK KOL Mezcaleria, London, UK Kwant Mayfair, London, UK Little Rituals, Phoenix, USA Magnus on Water, Maine, USA Maybe Sammy, Sydney, Australia Meteor, Minneapolis, USA Milady's, New York City, USA Nightjar Shoreditch, London, UK Passing Fancies, Birmingham, UK Rattlebag, Belfast, UK Roka Dubai, UAE Sexy Fish, London, UK Sexy Fish, Manchester UK Side Hustle, London, UK Swift Soho, London, UK The Dead Rabbit, New York City, USA The Guards Bar & Lounge at Raffles, London, UK Velvet by Salvatore Calabrese, London, UK For more information about The Pinnacle Guide and its pinned bars, head to its website. Find El Primo Sanchez at 27–33 Oxford Street, Paddington, Sydney. Find Maybe Sammy at 115 Harrington Street, The Rocks, Sydney. Top image: Steven Woodburn.
Aspiring culinary wizards of Brisbane should already be familiar with Newstead's Golden Pig. In fact, if you've ever wanted to pick up a few kitchen tricks, you've probably taken a class there. Boosting your cooking skills is no longer the only reason to stop by, however, with the Ross Street venue adding a new pan-Asian restaurant to its warehouse building. Now called The Golden Pig Restaurant & Cooking School, the brick abode still lets everyone whip up a few dishes on Sundays and Mondays, hosting sessions on curry, Greek cuisine, gluten-free cooking, sour dough and bread-making, summer salads and more on its upcoming class calendar. Every other night of the week, the timber-accented 80-seat space will be filled with an array of Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese and Japanese-influenced dishes. Think Sichuan spiced duck with mandarin and miso, turmeric curry of pork belly, vegetarian ma hor with sticky fried peanuts, and king salmon with black bean, sweet soy, chilli and ginger. Working with head chef Sarah Hockings, owner and chef Katrina Ryan has designed a menu that aims to showcase a range of tastes and flavours, as well as matching Brisbane's usually sunny weather. "I think Asian cuisine and ingredients are a beautiful match with our subtropical climate," she explains — and Golden Pig's dessert selection of lemongrass tapioca, deep-fried banana ice cream, lime and coconut sugar delicious pudding typifies that sentiment. Two banquets are also available for those keen to try a little of everything, and the drinks list has been crafted by bar manager Cameron Silk. Overlooking the central open kitchen, the bar itself opens from 5pm Tuesday to Saturday — prior to the restaurant opening at 5.30pm — and serves up bao, potstickers and scallops alongside wine, beer, cider and fruit-heavy cocktails. Find The Golden Pig Restaurant & Cooking School at 38 Ross Street, Newstead.
It has been 11 art-filled years since Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art first opened its doors, and the creative riverside hub just keeps going from strength to strength. As unveiled on Friday, July 13, GOMA is now home to an illuminating new permanent work: Night Life, a brand light installation by artist James Turrell. You might be familiar with the Arizona-based artist's piees 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 isn't a standalone structure like these other two Australian works. Instead, Night Life lights up GOMA's eastern and southern white façades from within the building, using an 88-minute-long shifting pattern of vibrant coloured light developed by Turrell especially for the location. GOMA director Chris Saines describes it as "a permanent solid light installation that is a deeply immersive field of slowly changing colour." When illuminated — which it will be from sunset to midnight each and every night from this point onwards — the gallery is visible from across the river and around South Bank's cultural precinct. Commissioned for GOMA's tenth anniversary, while Night Life is a new addition, it actually ties into the gallery's history. As Saines explains, "during the development of GOMA, lead architects Kerry Clare, Lindsay Clare and James Jones envisaged an artist-illuminated 'white box' on the gallery's main pedestrian approaches. More than a decade on, Turrell's architectural light installation realises the potential of GOMA's white box façade, and completes a major aspect of the architects' original design intention." Images: James Turrell's architectural light installation at Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art. Photograph: Natasha Harth, QAGOMA. By Lauren Vadnjal and Sarah Ward.
If the Scream franchise can make another comeback — and, come January 2022, it will again — then another late 90s horror series can pop up again, too. Both Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer were penned by the same screenwriter, they each followed slashers terrorising teens and, on-screen, they pushed Party of Five cast members to the fore. Now, as Scream already did between 2015–19, I Know What You Did Last Summer is heading to the small screen. We know what you'll be doing this spring, clearly. Once again, Lois Duncan's 1973 novel of the same name will come to life — and yes, a car accident will play a pivotal part here as well. This time, the show's group of teenagers find themselves being stalked by a killer a year after their graduation night turned bloody. You know how it goes from there, with I Know What You Did Last Summer's central characters forced to try to stay alive while they're also still attempting to hide their secret — and they need to work out who's swinging weapons their way, obviously. To flesh out the underlying concept over the course of the series, this version of the story is set to ponder everything else that lurks in the key figures' seemingly perfect town, so it's taking a few more cues from Scream there as well. On-screen, Madison Iseman (Jumanji: The Next Level), Bill Heck (Locke & Key), Brianne Tju (47 Metres Down: Uncaged), Ezekiel Goodman (Dragonfly), Ashley Moore (Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping), Sebastian Amoruso (Solve), Fiona Rene (Underwater), Cassie Beck (Joe Bell) and Brooke Bloom (The Sinner) will be endeavouring to survive — or, maybe one of them is the killer? Australian director and horror genre hitmaker James Wan (The Conjuring, Saw, Insidious) executive produces the series, while Sara Goodman is in the writer's chair. Amazon Prime Video will start airing I Know What You Did Last Summer from Friday, October 15, with new episodes dropping weekly until Friday, November 12. The streaming platform has also just dropped an initial teaser trailer, if you're wondering how the premise shapes up almost a quarter-century after the original film. And no, there's no word if Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe or Freddie Prinze Jr will make cameos in the series. Check out the first teaser trailer below: I Know What You Did Last Summer starts streaming via Amazon Prime Video on Friday, October 15.
Last year the State Government announced some ambitious (and unprecedented) plans to expand Melbourne's rail network — ones that we were, admittedly, unsure whether to get too excited about. But it's happening. The long-debated $11 billion Metro Tunnel project has been funded and the Andrews Government has just revealed who will design and build the project, along with a first look at what it will all look like. Just to catch you up, the Metro Tunnel will see two new nine-kilometre twin tunnels and five underground train stations added to Melbourne's inner city. These new stations will be located in Parkville, North Melbourne, CBD North, CBD South and the Domain, and create a new path into the city that doesn't rely on (but connects to) the City Loop. The idea is that it will ease congestion in the City Loop and allow more trains to be getting in and out of the city. In a media release published yesterday, the Andrews Government announced that, after an extensive tender process, they've created the Cross Yarra Partnership to build and design the tunnel and stations. This partnership will involve a number of companies, led by Lendlease Engineering, John Holland, Bouygues Construction and Capella Capital. Along with the announcement, the first station designs have been been revealed too. They look a hell of a lot different to the inside of Melbourne Central, with first renders showing a preference for arches and what most underground stations lack: natural light. At street level, some of the new stations will also add public space. Here's a quick look at the five stations. ARDEN If you're travelling via Footscray, you'll bypass North Melbourne to get onto the Metro Tunnel, and this will be your first stop. This new station will be located in the largely industrial area of North Melbourne on Laurens Street and will service the growing residential population there. Plans for Arden show lots of natural light and bike parking at street level. PARKVILLE This station will provide an easy connection to the Royal Melbourne, Children's and Women's Hospitals, as well the University of Melbourne — at present, people looking to get here either have to get a bus from North Melbourne Station or a tram from the CBD. Parkville Station will sit on Grattan Street. CBD NORTH Located at the north-end of Latrobe Street, this new station will provide an alternative for Melbourne Central, but will still be linked via underground walkways if you do need to change lines. The new entrance at Franklin Street will also include this new green space. CBD SOUTH CBD South Station will be located just near Flinders Street Station, and you'll be able to access it from City Square, Federation Square, Swanston Street and the Degraves Street underpass. If you need to access Flinders Street Station, you'll apparently be able to do so through an underground connection. Lots of white arches planned for this one DOMAIN This station will be a gamechanger for anyone who currently has to deal with the mayhem that is changing trams at Domain Interchange. And all with a floating timber canopy on top of it. Trains from here will continue to Pakenham and Cranbourne. Construction on all this is expected to begin next year and the target completion date is 2026. We'll keep you updated on any new plans for the Metro Tunnel. Images: Metro Tunnel.
If blitzing the ARIAs and taking out the number one spot in this year's triple Hottest 100 wasn't enough for Sydney producer Flume, he's just landed himself a Grammy. The 25-year-old has just won Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 2017 Grammy Awards for his runaway May 2016 success Skin, beating Jean-Michel Jarre, Tycho and Louie Vega to the trophy. It's the first Grammy win for Flume, aka Harley Streten, who was also nominated for Best Dance Recording, for triple j Hottest 100 winner 'Never Be Like You', but was pipped to the post by The Chainsmokers with their popular single 'Don't Let Me Down'. Watch Flume's delightful acceptance speech here, which includes a mad shout out to Australian music: Check out Flume's exclusive anthem for Keep Sydney Open here. Image: Cybele Malinowski.
He's had his heart broken during a lusty Italian summer, romanced Saoirse Ronan in a Greta Gerwig film not once but twice, spiced up his life in a sci-fi saga and sported a taste for human flesh. The next addition to Timothée Chalamet's resume: a sweet time worshipping chocolate. Get ready for a big Timmy end of 2023, with Dune: Part Two hitting cinemas Down Under in November, then Wonka giving Roald Dahl's famous factory owner and candy man a Chalamet-starring origin story. First gracing the page almost six decades back, in 1964 when Charlie and the Chocolate Factory initially hit print, Willy Wonka has made the leap to cinemas with Gene Wilder playing the part in 1971, then Johnny Depp in 2005. The difference this time: not just Chalamet plunging into a world of pure imagination, but a film that swirls in the details of Wonka's life before the events that've already been laid out in books and filled two movies. As the just-dropped first trailer for Wonka shows, the picture's main man has a dream — and, after spending the past seven years travelling the world perfect his craft, he's willing to get inventive to make it come true. Starting a chocolate business isn't easy, especially when the chocolate cartel doesn't take kindly to newcomers. "You can't get a shop without selling chocolate, and you can't sell chocolate without a shop," the bright-eyed Willy is told early in the debut sneak peek. From there, brainwaves, optimism, determination and life-changing choices all spring, plus big vats of chocolate, chocolate that makes you fly — "nothing to see here, just a small group of people defying the laws of gravity," comments a police officer — and Willy's dedication to making "the greatest chocolate shop the world has ever seen". Also accounted for: a mood of wonder, and not just due to the umbrella-twirling dream sequences and cane-whirling dance scenes, or the leaps through fairy floss and chats with Hugh Grant (Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves) as an Ooompa-Loompa. Indeed, the magical tone doesn't just fit the tale; it's exactly what writer/director Paul King and his co-scribe Simon Farnaby have become known for on the Paddington films. King helmed and penned both, while Farnaby also did the latter on the second (and acted in each). The duo also worked together on wonderful and underseen 2009 film Bunny and the Bull, and on The Mighty Boosh, of which King directed 20 episodes. On-screen, Wonka's cast is as jam-packed as a lolly bag, with Chalamet and Grant joined by Farnaby (The Phantom of the Open), as well as Olivia Colman (Secret Invasion), Sally Hawkins (The Lost King), Keegan-Michael Key (The Super Mario Bros Movie), Rowan Atkinson (Man vs Bee), Jim Carter (Downton Abbey: A New Era) and Natasha Rothwell (Sonic the Hedgehog 2). Yes, you'll want a golden ticket to this. Check out the first trailer for Wonka below: Wonka releases in cinemas Down Under on December 14, 2023.
Back in 2020, the Hella Mega Tour tour was meant to come to Australia, bringing Green Day, Weezer and and Fall Out Boy our way all on the same bill. Dates were announced, tickets went on sale, but then the pandemic hit, so the event didn't go ahead. Now, three years later and within the space of mere days, both Weezer and Fall Out Boy have either locked in or teased trips Down Under. Weezer have made everything official, unveiling dates for three shows along the east coast in October. Fall Out Boy, however, are just dropping hints at the time of writing. But you don't post an Aussie flag, a kangaroo emoji and a clip from The Simpsons' Australian episode if you're not going to follow through — we hope. 🇦🇺🦘🔜 pic.twitter.com/34YUSb2dr8 — Fall Out Boy (@falloutboy) August 14, 2023 So far, the above tweet is all that fans have to go on — so watch this space for actual tour details when they're announced. If you haven't heard the name Fall Out Boy for what seems like ages, the Chicago-formed band weren't just big in the 00s — they reformed in 2013, complete with both new music and new live gigs. [caption id="attachment_913087" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rufus via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] If Pete Wentz, Patrick Stump, Andy Hurley and Joe Trohman do make the trip Down Under sometime soon — adding dates to a tour that's also taking them to Japan this weekend, then to Europe until November — they'll do so of the back of their eighth studio album So Much (for) Stardust, which released in March this year. And, of course, they'll treating audiences to everything from 'Sugar, We're Goin Down' and 'Dance, Dance' to 'Uma Thurman' from their couple of decades together. Fall Out Boy haven't announced Australian tour dates yet, but we'll update you if/when they do. Keep an eye on their website and social media in the interim. Top image: Drew de F Fawkes via Wikimedia Commons.
If you've done your dash with the dalgona coffee and all those failed attempts at sourdough, here's a little culinary project that might just revive your kitchen-weary soul. The minds over at global sauce company Heinz have released recipes for a series of unconventional ice creams — dubbed Creamz — starring some of the brand's most iconic condiments. Yep, mayo ice cream is a thing and it can be on the menu at your house this weekend. Over on its UK website, Heinz is now selling a range of ice cream-making kits, filled with all the ingredients and equipment needed to whip up a batch of these frozen 'Creamz', crafted on the likes of its salad cream and barbecue sauce. Unfortunately, the DIY packs are only available to UK locals, but the recipes themselves are free to download from anywhere in the world. Basically, all you'll need to do is stock up on milk, double cream and sweetened condensed milk, grab an extra bottle of your favourite Heinz condiment, and jump in the kitchen to give those crafty folk at Messina a run for their money. You can have a crack at variations like the Ketchup Creamz — which apparently works a treat topped with meringue and raspberry coulis — and a mayo-infused edition they reckon pairs well with apple and blackberry compote. Or perhaps the barbecue sauce number is more your speed, garnished with some maple syrup and crispy bacon bits. Wherever your sauce obsession lies, we recommend you clear some space in your freezer — things are about to get a little crazy. You can find all five of Heinz's Creamz recipes over at the website.
If you weren't aware, loveable hitmaker Post Malone has his own rosé. Created with award-winning Provence winemaker Alexis Cornu alongside music manager Dre London and Global Brand Equities' James Morrissey, Maison No. 9 is a classic Provencal pink wine, sporting a name inspired by Post Malone's favourite tarot card the Nine of Swords. The wine is crisp, dry and savoury, and comes in a sleek minimalist bottle sporting a tarot-inspired sword with a rose wrapped around it. The bottle also mirrors the theme of swords and knights, with a solid-glass cap shaped into battlements reminiscent of a historic medieval castle that's located near the vineyard where the wine is made. "Rosé is when you want to get a little fancy," says the diamond-certified, Grammy-nominated pop star. Following successful launches in the US and the UK that saw immense popularity — the wine sold 50,000 bottles in its first 48 hours in the UK — Malone has brought Maison No. 9 to Australia for a limited run of just 10,000 bottles. So, you're going to have to act quick if you want to get your hands on a bottle. Currently, the only way to order the rosé in Australia is through Dan Murphy's website, where you can nab a bottle for $42.99. Accompanying the Australian release of the wine is a line of merch available through the Maison No. 9 website. T-shirts sporting an image of Post Malone with the wine are available, as well as hoodies, crewneck jumpers, wine glasses, dog toys, socks and beanies, all with the wine's logo and signature sword printed on them. While you're at the website, you can also find recipes for a series of cocktails that you can make with the wine, including sangria, spritzes, rosé bloody marys and rosé palomas. 10,000 bottles of Post Malone's Maison No. 9 are available now via Dan Murphy's online.
If you're bored of holidays spent idling by a pool, sunbaking on a beach and ambling in a park, step up your holidays with these next-level adventures. With Intrepid Travel, we have selected six adventures that will take you to the planet's most extreme corners, from Antarctica's pristine icy beauty to the Himalayas' rugged peaks. Whether you seek the roar of cascading water or the silent majesty of remote landscapes, prepare to be immersed in experiences that redefine the meaning of epic. Antarctica There's nowhere on the planet quite like the extreme icy desert that is the unspoiled Antarctic wilderness. Spy penguins, whales and seals (oh my), snowshoe to the best viewpoints and learn from the talented expedition team. Start your adventure at the world's southernmost city, Ushuaia, Argentina, before boarding a vessel to the ends of the earth. Cross the infamous and unpredictable Drake Passage — it can be calm as a lake or rough and turbulent. Experience the temperature falling as you reach the Antarctic Peninsula. Daily excursions will take you to Anvers Island, Deception Island and the South Shetland Islands. Explore the icy wilderness, with backdrops of towering icebergs, impressive glaciers, imposing snow-capped peaks, and waters dotted with ice flats. Mt Everest If bushwalking and hiking are your usual weekend activities, take your excursions up a notch (or 50) with a trek to the highest peak on our planet. Tick the mighty Mt Everest off your bucket list with an expedition to Base Camp. This trip of a lifetime to Mt Everest Base Camp will take you past unfathomably high peaks, stunning alpine lakes, icy glacial plains, unforgettable vistas and to the limits of your strength. Hiking the mighty Himalayas is no walk in the park. This trip includes 12 days of hiking for up to eight hours a day, reaching altitudes of over 5000 metres. Are you up for the challenge? Iceland What's more extreme than a hike to the highest mountain? How about an island created by volcanic eruptions? Iceland is a geographical marvel — but there's more to this island than ice (and Björk). This Nordic island nation is defined by its dramatic landscape of actively rumbling volcanos, scenic fjords, natural hot springs, gushing geysers, massive glaciers and gigantic waterfalls. Iceland is frequented by volcano-loving tourists who love to take a dip in the famous Blue Lagoon, gasp at the giant Skogafoss and Detifoss waterfalls and spy the aurora borealis as they circumvent this North Atlantic island. Madagascar Madagascar isn't just a lush jungle island overloaded with cartoon characters who like to move it, move it. This lush island nation has white sand beaches, steamy, humid jungles and numerous lemur species. Connect with nature as you travel down bumpy roads bordered by baobab trees and explore the national parks, reserves and lush rainforests. This adventure isn't for those who love to watch wildlife from the comforts of sleek bedsheets and spa baths. This is for wildlife lovers who want to get up close and personal with local animals in the rainforest. Scotland Embarking to the Orkney Islands promises a captivating adventure through untamed landscapes and rugged beauty. Located off the tip of Scotland in the North Sea, these islands boast an otherworldly charm, where ancient history collides with the raw forces of nature. The Orkneys are a haven for wildlife enthusiasts, offering a sanctuary for diverse bird species, seals, and other marine life. As you traverse the untamed terrain, be prepared to witness dramatic sandstone cliffs, windswept beaches and ancient Neolithic sites, all contributing to the untamed allure of the archipelago. From the mysterious standing stones of the Ring of Brodgar to the ancient village of Skara Brae, the Orkneys tell a story of a wild, resilient landscape shaped by natural forces and its inhabitants' resilient spirit. Central Asia Kyrgyzstan's rugged mountainous terrain, including the formidable Tian Shan range, beckons adrenaline seekers with challenging trekking opportunities and high-altitude landscapes. Uzbekistan captivates with its ancient mosaic-tiled ancient cities and arid deserts. Explore both on the trip to these contrasting landscapes, encountering nomadic traditions in Kyrgyz yurt camps and exploring Uzbekistan's historic cities like Samarkand and Bukhara. Witness where the past meets the present, offering an unforgettable journey for those seeking a blend of adventure and history. Get out, explore, dive into adventure and find your WOW with Intrepid Travel. Find out more on the website.
This year's Brisbane Festival is going big on art, featuring the event's largest-ever visual arts program. That means that it's going big on free fun, too — because plenty of its dazzling sights are popping up around town in outdoor spots, letting Brisbanites enjoy their wonders without spending a cent. Head to the Festival Garden at South Bank from Tuesday, September 6–Saturday, September 24 to see one such glorious display, which hails from New York artist Jen Lewin. The Pool is bringing its 100-plus light pads to Brisbane and, yes, you're allowed to hop on them. Also, you won't need your wallet. The piece is inspired by Australia's tidal pools, and asks its audience to step, jump and dance across its floating circles. As you skip, bounce and shuffle, those discs beam and swirl with light — activated by your footsteps, changing with your every move and always creating something new to marvel at. You might've seen images and videos of The Pool from its past berths, because it's a well-travelled installation. Doing the rounds since 2008, it has brightened up Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Lisbon, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York City, Prague, Shanghai, Sydney and Taipei and more. Now, Brisbane joins the list. Top image: Marcus Carter.
There are few things in this life as uniquely satisfying as lounging in a hotel room. The sheets are softer and straighter and somehow cleaner than you can ever achieve at home. That fluffy robe inscribed with the hotel's initials elicits an overwhelming sense of contentment as soon as you throw it on. The kettle always works. And if it doesn't? Call reception and someone will magically spirit one onto your door step. Whether it's on a work trip, a sneaky staycation, or a blowout weekend away with your bestie or beau, if you're in the market for the next hotel to put on your list, we have the stay for you — no matter your budget — with our Hotel Hitlist 2024. BUDGET: Holiday Inn Express Southbank If Melbourne is on your travel list in 2024, you can't beat the location of this Holiday Inn Express — or its budget. Located in the Southbank arts hub, where you can count the National Gallery of Victoria, Arts Centre Melbourne and the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art as next-door neighbours. Experience this hotel's smart rooms that include a pillow menu, complimentary grab-and-go express breakfast (as well as a breakfast buffet), and free wifi. Ink Hotel Melbourne Another spot along the Melbourne Southbank is the stylish Ink Hotel. Designed to suit all kinds of travellers, the chic hotel offers guest rooms from pocket-size (just there to sleep) through to spacious suites. You don't have to go far for a good cup of coffee (it's Melbourne, after all) but breakfast and brunch are available from 7.30am until 3pm daily, and the cafe is open from 7am until 11pm. There's also an on-site bar serving drinks and bar snacks every day until late — there's even a daily happy hour from 5–8pm. Holiday Inn Sunshine Coast If the Sunshine Coast is calling, this Holiday Inn Express and Suites is another can't-beat stay when you're travelling on a budget. Located in Maroochydore, it's an ideal spring-off point for exploring one of Queensland's most popular regions. Each morning, sit down to a complimentary breakfast buffet or choose a grab-and-go option. Whether you're here for work or play, the hotel offers all the essentials and some fun extras, like the pillow menu, guest-only rooftop pool and shopping hub at the ground-floor level. Waters Edge Port Macquarie The once-sleepy town of Port Macquarie is now a popular vacation location for hikers, kayakers and beach lovers (there are eighteen beaches in the area to choose from). The picturesque spot is now home to plenty of Gen X and millennials who left city life for more scenic shores. Explore the area for yourself while staying at Waters Edge Port Macquarie. Perched on the banks of the Hastings River and only a short stroll from beaches, retail hubs and all the sites. BOUTIQUE: Kimpton Margot Sydney If a city stay is on your trip list for 2024, head to Sydney's CBD and stay in one of the city's iconic Art Deco buildings, reinvented as a stylish boutique hotel: Kimpton Margot Sydney. This hideaway heritage hotel boasts a great location, a recently opened rooftop bar (the biggest in the city), and restaurants and bars helmed by legendary Australian chef Luke Mangan. It's pet-friendly, too. Hotel Indigo Potts Point If Sydney is calling, you could stay in the cosmopolitan inner east suburb of Potts Point at this just-opened retro hotel tucked behind the iconic Kings Cross Coca-Cola sign. Only officially open on January 29, Hotel Indigo Potts Point celebrates the area's famed cabaret scene with homages to the locale's entertainers and musicians. The lobby features artist portraits, lush velvet red curtains, digital NFT artwork projections, and a vintage vinyl collection you can play on the lobby's turntable. In your room, you will find similar artwork, retro phones and an in-room cocktail station to get you in the party mood. VOCO Brisbane If BrisVegas is your destination in 2024, get involved in the hustle and bustle of Queensland's sun-drenched capital city from your comfy stay at voco® Brisbane City Centre. It is located along the city's waterfront, close to many of the city's top sights, including King George Square, the Museum of Brisbane and the South Bank Art Precinct. Enjoy some sips at Kraft & Co. restaurant and bar, take a dip in the rooftop pool or borrow a bike (for free) and explore the city on two wheels. Hotel Indigo Melbourne If you're looking for a creative haunt in the heart of Melbourne's CBD, you can't get better than Hotel Indigo Melbourne on Flinders. You'll be ideally located in the culture hub of Flinders Lane from hole-in-the-wall bars, fresh street art, museums, galleries, and excellent eateries and cafes. Situated close to photographer Helmut Newton's studio (whose artistry inspired the hotel's kit-out), this hotel is a celebration of fashion photography. Explore its large collection of artworks by local artists or take your own Newton-esque selfie at the on-site photo booth. BLOWOUT: Next Hotel Melbourne Located in Melbourne's CBD east end district, Next Hotel Melbourne is a super chic city stay next to hospitality and high-fashion hot spots and footsteps away from the city's theatres. Relax in the hotel's guest-only Club — with an aperitivo hour every evening with local wines by the glass, local spirits and snacks to graze on — or dine at the on-site restaurant La Madonna. It encompasses the entire third floor with a cocktail bar and Italian-Asian-inspired restaurant run by chef Paul Turner. Southern Ocean Lodge This local favourite on Kangaroo Island was damaged during the Black Summer bushfire of 2019, leading to its closure. It has been lovingly restored and reopened in late 2023, making it a must for luxury lovers heading to Kangaroo Island in 2024. Its guest suites now point southeast so guests can enjoy uninterrupted views of the Southern Ocean. All suites have private decks, an EcoSmart fireplace and a sink-in bathtub. There's even an ultra-premium Ocean Pavilion, where guests can stay in a single four-bedroom owner's residence; or two separate two-bedroom suites, an on-site spa, and a wet-edge pool at The Great Room terrace. Intercontinental Sorrento Mornington Peninsula Forget heading to Sorrento, Italy, for a luxe summer; instead, head down to Victorian wine country and sip on some local sangiovese at the luxury seaside hotel Intercontinental Sorrento Mornington Peninsula. It's got a Mediterranean-inspired guest-only pool deck you won't want to miss, Aurora Spa & Bathhouse to relax in, and a suite of food and drink venues from the dapper speakeasy Barlow, the terrazzo-floored public bar and lofty, glass-ceilinged beer garden to the light-filled Atrium with all-day wining and dining. [caption id="attachment_936260" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Diah Lateri[/caption] W Sydney Sydneysiders had long awaited the opening of this luxury hotel in Darling Harbour. The hotel has 588 stylish rooms and a bevy of world-class amenities, including an openair infinity pool, a restaurant and dessert bar, two cocktail bars and a luxe spa. Footsteps away from Friday fireworks, the ICC, Imax cinema, and the waters of the iconic Sydney Harbour, W Sydney is definitely one hotel that should be on your list for 2024 — maybe even more so if you're based in Sydney and are keen on a budget blowout staycation.
Yoda? Cartoon characters? Pamela Anderson emerging in slo-mo from the surf, flicking her hair to the Baywatch theme? Such are the visions that come to mind when viewing the high-speed photographs of violently shaking dogs, shot by Carli Davidson for her new book, Shake. With plenty more flabby skin and saliva at their disposal, our furry friends put human jowlers utterly to shame. Davidson appears to be a bit of a badass known for her wildlife photography, and according to her bio, was "raised on a secret volcano island by cheetahs". (Her biopic is recommended viewing). She first began photographing animals while working at the Oregon Zoo. The shake project was inspired by her pet dog Norbert (a name which I choose to interpret as an Angry Beavers reference), whose drool Davidson is apparently obliged to scrub from the walls of her home with some frequency. In Shake, she shares 130 high-speed photos of 61 dogs from a range of pedigrees, including a Chinese Crested, that exquisite breed famed for its tendency to win the World's Ugliest Dog competition each year. Different textures of fur coat and jowl surface area contribute to the extremity of 'shake', floppy ears and eyelids flying in opposing directions with a majesty comparable to that of hawks swooping above the Far Northern tundra. One can only imagine the sheer volume of drool lopped onto Davidson's bystanding studio assistants, who by the end must have resembled the victims of some terrible slug fight. The resulting portraits truly inspire — buy them singly as prints, ideal for your stylish home or super tasteful office wall. If that's just not sufficient, order the book on Amazon to be reminded of just how cute and demented doggies really are. The video below, created in conjunction with Variable, is an instant mood-lifter, as all kinds of puppies rattle and roll to an appropriately sentimental soundtrack. Via Colossal.
Escaping to Tasmania has long been a popular way to get away from it all, especially if you're keen to swap the Australian mainland's hustle and bustle for the Apple Isle's stunning surroundings for a brief spell. Vacationing in a tiny house has also become a beloved way of leaving the daily grind, your usual routine and everyday stresses behind — so a tiny house in Tassie is clearly a holiday dream. Make that two tiny houses, actually, thanks to eco-friendly tiny house company Tiny Away. Good things definitely come in small packages here — and in scenic locations, too, with the accommodation network making its first leap to Australia's southern-most state. The two new spots join Tiny Away's 120-plus tiny house lineup, with each small-scale home architecturally designed, set on private land in rural and regional locations, and available for short bookings. If you're keen for a getaway in a fishing village around 45 minutes from Hobart, then Quirindi in Dunalley is your ideal destination. It sits on an eight-acre property, in the middle of wildlife-filled bush and grassland, that's been in the same family for three generations. The small abode even comes with its own nine-hole putting course — which, yes, you can use amid warming up by the fire pit, cooking on the barbecue or exploring the area. Nearby drawcards include the coastline at Eaglehawk Neck, plus seafood joints The Cannery and Bangor Wine & Oyster Shed. If you're eager to venture to Launceston — well, around half an hour away — then Cottesloe in the small town of Hagley is for you. This tiny house sits among a small farming operation on the edge of Meander Valley, which means that green pastures and farm animals come with the territory. Here, local highlights include Georgian and Victorian buildings in the town of Deloraine — and bakeries for a snack — plus the Western Tiers Distillery and the limestone caves at Mole Creek Karst National Park. With not only getting back to nature but respecting the natural environment a key part of Tiny Away's ethos, each of the company's homes is fashioned out of sustainable materials, and also includes waterless compost toilets, rainwater collection tanks for showers, plus solar panels. Checking that leave balance already? Scouring your calendar for a free weekend getaway slot? We understand. Tiny Away's new Quirindi and Cottesloe tiny houses are available to book online. For more information, head to the company's website.
It was true in 2023 and it's the case again in 2024: The Calile in Brisbane is the best hotel in both Australia and Oceania. After earning those honours on the inaugural World's Best 50 Hotels list last year, the Fortitude Valley venue has backed up the accolades for a second year. This time, it isn't the only Aussie accommodation spot to make the cut, but it still ranked higher than anywhere else Down Under. In 2023, The Calile came in at 12th place. In 2024, it sits in 25th. The awards called the James Street hotel an example of "laid-back, sun-soaked, chic Aussie hospitality", noting that it "riffs on modernist Miami and Palm Springs while also nodding to the design stylings of 1960s Australia". Also getting some love: its onsite dining and drinking spots, such as Hellenika, Biànca, Sushi Room, SK Steak and Oyster, and Lobby Bar, some of which have scored Nigella Lawson's approval as well. "Brisbane is becoming an increasingly interesting place to dine and The Calile's six restaurants have been instrumental in making that a reality," the World's Best 50 Hotels noted. Praise was also showered upon the site's ability to ensure that indoors meets outdoors, the 30-metre pool surrounded by cabanas and the service. "The Calile's stunning botanical pool deck is undeniably the hotel's centrepiece, with sun lounges filled with tanned and leggy guests, overlooked by the curved balconies of the hotel's poolside rooms. The seven cabanas can be booked for dinner or cocktails, which are the best place to observe all the action of Brisbanites at play," the accolades continued. The Tasman in Hobart is the other Australian spot to nab a place in the top 50, coming in at number 48. It received attention for its "three distinct architectural eras cleverly melded into one seamless, luxurious whole". "What binds this eccentric collection of styles together is an uncompromising attention to detail, a sense of relaxed luxury and a uniquely Tasmanian style and pace," the awards also advised. If you're looking for Aussie spots for a staycation or vacation, there's your top two suggestions sorted. If you're keen to say at some of the world's best hotels beyond Australian shores, you have 48 choices, capped by Capella Bangkok — which was 2023's Best New Hotel — in first place. [caption id="attachment_973399" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Capella Bangkok[/caption] Passalacqua in Moltrasio in Italy dropped down from top spot last year to second this year, while Rosewood Hong Kong came in third and Cheval Blanc in Paris ranked fourth. From there, The Upper House in Hong Kong sits in fifth place, Raffles Singapore came in sixth, Aman Tokyo ranked seventh, Soneva Fushi in The Maldives nabbed eighth place, and The Atlantis Royal in Dubai and Nihi Sumba on Sumba Island in Indonesia round out the top ten. Per continent, as well as The Calile being named the best spot in Oceania, Capella Bangkok did the same in Asia, Passalacqua was named Europe's top hotel, Chablé Yucatán in Mexico did the honours in North America, Rosewood São Paulo notched up the feat in South America and Mount Nelson in South Africa scored the title in Africa. [caption id="attachment_918889" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Passalacqua © Ruben Ortiz[/caption] The World's Best 50 Hotels sits in the 50 Best stable alongside the World's 50 Best Restaurants, the World's 50 Best Bars, Asia's 50 Best Bars, Asia's 50 Best Restaurants and more. Debuting in 2023, the countdown highlights excellence among places to stay, and initially favoured Europe heavily among its selections — but its second year sees Asian hotels earn more spots on the list than anywhere else with 19 in total, including four from Bangkok alone. European accommodation spots are represented in 2024 by 13 places, North American hotels nabbed nine, Africa features four, Oceania scored four as well and South America has one. The World's Best 50 Hotels winners for 2024 were picked by more than 600 international travel experts, all with a significant number of stamps on their passports, with the list unveiled in London. [caption id="attachment_819667" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rosewood Hong Kong[/caption] "To have been selected two years in a row marks a significant affirmation of The Calile's place on the global hotel industry stage. This is a win for our team, our collaborators, our loyal guests and a win for Brisbane as a destination, and we are humbled to again represent Australia and be recognised as leading in the Oceania region," said The Calile Hotel co-owner Catherine Malouf, who attended the ceremony in the UK. Brisbane keeps garnering the international spotlight, as does the broader Sunshine State as well. The River City was named one of the best places to go in 2024 by The New York Times, travel guide Frommer's also selected the city as one of 2024's best spots to visit and TIME put it on its world's greatest places list for 2023. Further north, Palm Cove near Cairns topped Condé Nast Traveller's beach list for 2024, and was named the home of the best hotel in the South Pacific, and also Australia, by Tripadvisor. For the full World's 50 Best Hotels list for 2024, head to the awards' website. The Calile images: Cieran Murphy.
