Slow living and handmade craft has metamorphosed from bewitching alternative trend to a totally plausible way of life. In what seems to be some kind of conscious resistance to the speed and churn of internet culture, mass production and memes, there's an uptake in the kind of hands-on activities all about a quality time investment and a quality result at the end. Think sourdough starter, knitting, home ceramics kits... hell, even elaborate cocktail-making all fall into this category. Nonna's Grocer, an online concept store that popped up this year is the brainchild of Wollongong-based designer, Madeleine Hoy, and it's all about embracing the 'perfectly imperfect' principles of hand made. Right now, the hero produce on Nonna's Grocer's virtual shelves is a range of beautiful candles made the size, shape and appearance of the fruit and vegetables from your local fruit shop. Lemons, oranges and a family of heirloom tomatoes look so realistically juicy you'd be forgiven for being duped into taking a bite (Madeleine told us that no one's admitted doing that yet). For her next addition to the store, she's teamed up with Marrickville-based studio Defy Design on a fresh product line made from recycled plastic. Tell us a bit about the inspiration behind Nonna's Grocer and the ethos behind the store. Nonna's Grocer evolved about a year and a half ago, the day I learned that my Great Grandparents ran a grocery store in Daylesford Victoria. My dad was showing me these beautiful images of my Great grandfather Giuseppe in front of his shop and I was so inspired by this moment in time, and couldn't believe I hadn't known about it sooner. I immediately began thinking about a way I could combine my design background (I was a set designer) with this beautiful business that was a part of my family history. Thus Nonna's Grocer was born, a conceptual studio where I develop designs that harness the era of a simpler time with a modern twist. A 'Perfectly imperfect' handmade aesthetic is my focus, as well as creating special pieces for humans to encourage them to slowww it down. Whether that's having a bath, a dinner date with your dog, or stretching a hammy, light a candle and enjoy the moment. Your current range is a selection of incredibly true-to-life fruit shaped candles. How do you make them look so life-like? I found a maker in Sydney who casts objects for sculptures and pitched the idea of getting them to cast fruit. We were a bit unsure at the time how well it would work as fruits decompose quickly when encased, so we had to be smart about which fruits could work well. (Turns out peeled fruits don't work well, just so you know). I then started hitting the supermarkets (back in the day when one could tread slowly) and would study 100 lemons at a time to find the perfect one, and my range grew from there. I've got to ask: have you encountered any instances of people accidentally taking a bite? Oh ha, look no one has informed me they have tried to eat one as of yet, but is that really something you would tell people if you accidentally ate a candle? What kind of shopper do you want Nonna's Grocer to appeal to? I like to think Nonna's Grocer appeals to anyone that is interested in quality produce and a slower paced lifestyle. Particularly people that appreciate craftsmanship, design, and looking for creative ways to make their day more playful. What are the craftspeople, brands or concept retailers that you admire and take inspiration from? Oh dear, I love homeware stores that scream 'good quality'. The Provider Store in Surry Hills is pretty special as it celebrates the history and craftsmanship of Japan. Delicious! The New Zealand store KauKau [based in Wellington] is also beautiful, highly recommend checking them out. I am a big fan of designers like Sabine Marcelis and Gustaf Westman who design various pieces in their own aesthetic, never following a trend. I take inspiration from a million different places, but Stephanie Stamatis the art director began styling food in a way that really resonated, and the interior designers from Paris called Studio Classico have a lovely touch when it comes to materials. Oh, and the cheese shop Formaje in Madrid, their packaging and cheese selection is to die for... Honestly, I could go on and on. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Stephanie Stamatova (@stephanie_somebody) You've started with fruit but you've hinted at 'more to come'. What else can we expect to see hit the virtual shelves of your store? I am so excited to share with you what is coming next, but they are all at the back end of development so I am not quite ready to spill the cannellini beans just yet. I can give you a sneaky hint though: one of my pieces will be manufactured at Defy Design in Marrickville, who collect local plastic waste, hand separate them by colour, and then melt them down into new objects. I'm very excited! Discover more about Nonna's Grocer and have a browse at the website or follow on Instagram.
If you think that climbing Mount Everest is a massive endeavour, then wait until you hear about the latest venture from ex-Noma chef James Sharman. As part of his One Star House Party project, he's taking 15 adventurous diners on a 14-day trek of the mammoth Himalayan mountain, complete with a pop-up fine-dining restaurant. Participants will hike to base camp for the meal of a lifetime, setting off on December 10 and returning on December 23. Just what Sharman will whip up when they get there is yet to be revealed; however, given that his roving culinary party aims to showcase the cuisines of each country that he visits and make meals out of ingredients he discovers along the way, inventive takes on Nepalese fare is more than likely. Now that's how you celebrate scaling the world's highest peak above sea level — but, of course, the catch is that attendees have to do the hard work to get there first. And it doesn't come cheap, unsurprisingly. The eager climbers each pay US$1050 per person, which includes accommodation in guest houses along the way and other necessities for the trip. Nepal marks Sharman's fourth stop in his 20-month plan to host 20 restaurants in 20 countries, after starting in Beijing in September, then visiting Ho Chi Minh in October and Bangkok in November. Mumbai is next on the agenda, with the delicious escapade also touching everywhere from Nairobi, Berlin and Reykjavik to Santiago, Vancouver and Kyoto. Yes, Australia is included, with a Tasmanian stopover slated for June 2018. For more information about One Star House Party, visit www.onestarhouseparty.com. Image: Nick Taz.
Advertising all the new films and TV shows coming our way, trailers are designed to get audiences excited. If you're seeing them in a cinema, they're telling you what you should be heading back to watch next. If you're checking out sneak peeks for new television and streaming releases, they want you to add them to your viewing list. Sometimes, however, a trailer stands out because it has fun with the concept — and the sneak peek at Netflix's new Cowboy Bebop series is one such example. Not only does it send its three central characters on a lively bounty and drop plenty of snarky, quippy dialogue, but it also gets them playing with a split-screen setup in quite the slick, vivid and eye-catching way. Hopefully, that's a sign of visually inventive things to come when the show hits the streaming platform on Friday, November 19, and of the tone that both existing fans of the cult Japanese anime of the same name and newcomers can expect as well. Like its source material, this live-action series is filled with space western hijinks — it wouldn't be Cowboy Bebop otherwise — all as bounty hunters Spike Spiegel (John Cho, The Grudge), Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir, The Deuce) and Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) chase down all of the most dangerous criminals in the solar system. Obviously, Netflix's algorithm told it that everyone loves the original animated 90s series — and that everyone loves Searching, Gemini and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle star Cho as well. When it's right, it's right, clearly. Alex Hassell (The Boys), Elena Satine (Twin Peaks) and New Zealand actor Rachel House (Cousins, Thor: Ragnarok, Hunt for the Wilderpeople) also feature on-screen, while the High Fidelity remake's André Nemec leads the charge behind the camera as Cowboy Bebop's showrunner. Check out the Cowboy Bebop trailer below: Cowboy Bebop will be available to stream via Netflix from Friday, November 19. Top image: Geoffrey Short/Netflix.
Shipping container cafes and eateries might be on trend at the moment; however, as always, New York is a step ahead of the latest fashions. While the city that never sleeps has boasted its own four-storey shipping container house since 2013, the tiny abode is now opening its doors to Airbnb bookings. If you have a spare US$297 per night at the time of writing, you can get some shuteye in NYC's first (legal) home built entirely of recycled shipping containers, which you'll find on the other side of the East River in Williamsburg. Guests can stay in a self-contained private container apartment on the ground floor and enjoy what the hosts are calling "sustainable, comfortable, wonderful living". It might seem like a gimmick, but don't be fooled by the 8 foot by 40 foot home's compact dimensions. As your mum probably told you, good things come in small packages. Inside, you'll find everything you could need for a night away, including a wall full of books and boardgames, plus a kitchenette. As well as a full-size bed, the space also features a sofa bed, so four people can spend the night. As for the entire architect-designed structure itself, it was made out of six containers, is insulated by NASA ceramic-infused paint, and has two roof decks on top for outdoor entertaining fun. If you want to see more, the owners live on the second and third levels, and are happy to give interested guests a tour of the house. Via 6sqft/ Inhabitat.
Australia's love of whodunnits and crime stories helped make Jane Harper's Aaron Falk books a hit on the page. In cinemas, The Dry brought the character to the screen back in 2021 and proved a huge success there, too. Next came sequel Force of Nature: The Dry 2, also based on one of the Aussie author's novels, also starring Eric Bana (Blueback) as the determined detective and also helmed by Robert Connolly (Paper Planes) — and now you can check it out at home. The second move in the franchise took its time getting to the silver screen. Initially, Force of Nature: The Dry 2 was the most-anticipated new Australian movie of 2023; however, it was postponed from its planned August 2023 release amid the SAG-AFTRA strike and moved to Ferbuary 2024. The picture is still in cinemas at the time of writing but, if your busy schedule has gotten in the way of you catching it so far, you can make a date to see it on your couch instead. When Bana stepped into Falk's shoes in The Dry, more movies were always bound to follow. On the screen, the film became a massive Australian box-office smash thanks to its twisty mystery, determined protagonist, stunning scenery and spectacular cast. So, throw that formula together again and you have Force of Nature: The Dry 2. This second effort sees Falk again investigating a case, looking into the disappearance of a hiker from a corporate retreat attended by five women. Alongside fellow federal agent Carmen Cooper (Jacqueline McKenzie, Ruby's Choice), Falk heads deep into Victoria's mountain ranges to try to find the missing traveller — who also happens to be a whistle-blowing informant — alive. Also featuring in Force of Nature, which has a powerhouse list of Aussie talent just like its predecessor: Anna Torv (The Last of Us) as missing hiker Alice Russell, plus Deborra-Lee Furness (Blessed), Robin McLeavy (Homeland), Sisi Stringer (Mortal Kombat) and Lucy Ansell (Strife). Richard Roxburgh (Prosper), Tony Briggs (Preppers) and Kenneth Radley (The Power of the Dog) pop up, too, while Jeremy Lindsay-Taylor (Heartbreak High) is back in the role of Erik Falk. Reteaming not just after The Dry, but also Blueback in the middle, Connolly and Bana make quite the pair when it comes to Aussie crime cinema — with Connolly the producer of one of the best local crime movies ever made, aka 1998's unnerving The Boys, and Bana famously the star of the similarly excellent Chopper. Fans of Harper's work also have The Survivors to look forward to, but on the small screen. It's heading to Netflix from the pages of the author's text of the same name, and isn't linked to The Dry or Force of Nature. Here, the Tasmanian-set story follows families still coping with the loss caused by a massive storm in their seaside town 15 years earlier, then faced with a new murder. Check out the trailer for Force of Nature: The Dry 2 below: Force of Nature: The Dry 2 is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and also streaming via YouTube Movies and Prime Video. Read our review of Force of Nature: The Dry 2, and of The Dry — plus our chat about Force of Nature with Eric Bana and Robert Connolly. Images: Narelle Portanier.
The ever-expanding reach of Google has been a contentious topic over the past decade. Though great for reminiscing on an old family home or researching a new one, Google Street View has creepy Big Brother vibes all over it. Their control over our data is unsettling to say the least, and with European privacy clauses changing just last week, many users have opted out of its clutches completely. But some good has finally come from this global panopticon! In a similar effort to Street View, Google is now cataloguing the best street art from all over the world. After its launch today, Google's Street Art Project already has more than 4,000 works available for viewing. The artworks both large and small span all the way from the now defunct exhibition space 5Pointz in NYC to randomly scattered works along the streets of Belgium. As a user of the new system, you can take guided 360-degree tours through graffiti-coated buildings in metropolitan Paris and make your way down a street in Argentina alongside huge murals that may be gone within the month. It's pretty great. Created by the Paris-based Google Cultural Institute, the system works off a combination of images captured via Street View, images from existing cultural institutions and artists, and submissions from random art lovers. Basically, this is what it would look like if Google had an Instagram. Understandably, the project comes with its own problems and debates. With street art still in a legal purgatory, concerns are mounting about such a public endorsement of what is considered by many as vandalism. On the flip side, some artists are known to protest about others benefitting off images of their public work. To quell the latter, Google has ensured its users that if any artists are unhappy with their images being used, they will be removed. Furthermore, any organisations providing images for the project must sign contracts confirming that they own the rights to them. Unlike what's currently happening to Banksy in London, no one will be profiteering off work that was intended for public use. Proponents of the new database include famed street artist Shepard Fairey — the guy behind both Obey and Barack Obama's Hope posters. "I’ve always used my street art to democratise art," he told the New York Times. "It would be philosophically inconsistent for me to protest art democratisation through Google." Either way you look at it, it's undeniably an amazing project for those who love art. Users can search for street art via artist name, location or genre, and there's even a special section devoted to New York walls of the 1990s. Though the real works invariably get painted over or demolished, like everything in Google (for better or worse), these pictures never fade. Get a cup of coffee, cancel the rest of your work for the day and check it out for yourself over here. Via New York Times. Images via Google Cultural Institute.
Seeing the South Pole is a bucket-list dream at the best of times, and even more so in 2020. But, if you have a bit of spare cash to burn, it's actually achievable — including while Australia's borders are closed to international travel. Eager to head overseas just for one day? Then you'd best get in quick to score a seat on the upcoming Antarctica flights out of Australia. As it has in previous years, sightseeing group Antarctica Flights is taking bookings for a series of rare, sky-high charter tours. And if you're wondering how the day trips can go ahead during COVID-19, that's because they're classified as domestic flights. You won't even need to take your passport with you. Departing Melbourne (November 15 and December 31, 2020), Sydney (November 22, 2020 and February 21, 2021), Perth (January 26, 2021), Brisbane (February 7, 2021) and Adelaide (February 14, 2021), these flights will cruise above the dazzling Antarctica Treaty area for around four hours. Each flight path is carefully chosen to maximise viewing from both sides of the plane and to ensure the best views should the weather turn nasty, while some passengers will rotate seats to allow everyone an equal shot at the spectacular scenery below. Travelling on a Qantas 787 Dreamliner, the whole trip clocks in at around 12.5 hours — depending on your departure city — during which you'll hear from expert Antarctic explorers, talking about the polar environment and its fascinating history. All that, while enjoying some better-than-average QANTAS plane food, full bar service and, in the lead-up to the views, a spot of in-flight entertainment — classic flick Happy Feet, or some Antarctic docos, of course. As expected, this kind of plane trip doesn't come cheap — you're looking at $1199 to be seated without direct access to a window. Other options, including the Economy Class Standard ($2199), the Economy Class Superior ($3199) and the Premium Economy Class ($3999) involve seat rotations throughout the flight, so passengers can spend time both close to the window and further away. Of course, you and your favourite travel buddy could drop $7999 each on Business Class Deluxe tickets to have a window seat and the one next to it all to yourselves for the entire flight. Regardless of which type of seat you fork out for, COVID-19 safety measures will be in effect — including temperature testing and pre-flight health and safety forms; providing disposable masks, sanitiser and disinfectant wipes; enhanced cleaning procedures; and not selling all seats in Economy Class. Antarctica Flights' 2021–21 season is open for bookings now, with flights out of Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide between November 15, 2020–February 21, 2021. Images: Antarctica Flights
The full bloom of television should come as no surprise to pop culture junkies. TV isn't the new film. It's just TV — a mature medium capable of developing its own conventions and arcs. Just like film, the quality of the 2013 offering inevitably ranged from abysmal (Two Broke Girls) and 'meh' (Sex Box) to polarising (Girls) and breathtaking (Top of the Lake). But where the major movie studios indulged in a catalogue of cinematic idiocy in the form of sequels, threequels and movie-park adaptations, home viewers were part of the beautifully conceived conclusion of Breaking Bad and the continued excellence of Mad Men, Enlightened, Rake, Puberty Blues and Boardwalk Empire. After all, when were stories ever wholly defined by the medium of their communication — they're all just stories, and they're beamed via digital transit onto small screens as well as projected into cinemas. David Lynch and Michael Frost knew that a whole two decades ago, as did those who grieved for Laura Palmer and loved all the freaks of Twin Peaks. The existential angst of Travis Bickle lives on in Don Draper, the maudlin chaos of Woody Allen in Michael Bluth, and the bleak search for optimism of Lester Burnham in Louie. Hopefully we can start looking forward to full-blooded, cinematically conceptualised feature films that merely debut on TV, with the respect and glory of Steven Soderbergh's HBO work Behind the Candelabra, which scarcely fits the old-school notion of a 'telemovie'. It's 2014, and everything's up for grabs. Here's what looks good in 2014 from the vantage point of January. Gracepoint Although the human race is already surely inundated with gratuitous US remakes, the fact that original lead actor David Tennant is also starring in the American version is a good sign of what's to come. The British original, Broadchurch, has received cultish worship and critical adoration for its exploration of a beachside community in the aftermath of a boy's mysterious murder. How and Why Film's transportation to the medium of television may be well and truly complete with Charlie Kaufman's new FX comedy series. Starring Michael Cera (perfect!), and telling the "story of a man who can explain how and why a nuclear reactor works, but is clueless about life", the longform series could be the peak vehicle for the funny, deadpan, melancholic musings we know from Being John Malkovich and Adaptation. https://youtube.com/watch?v=dunRvRJIm18 Believe Mexican super-director Alfonso Cuaron and The Forgotten's Mark Friedman are writing and steering this sci-fi mystery, executive producing with Lost's J.J. Abrams. The ingredients for profound awesomeness are all there: behind-the-scenes talent, obligatory supernatural child character, potential alien subplots, a solid trailer. In the wake of Gravity's impact on Earth, let's hope Believe will showcase the same science-fiction combo of smart visual effects and big ideas (what are we doing here?!). Jonah Takalua This is a controversial one, given the division in opinion around this year's relentless Ja'mie: Private School Girl. But Jonah was always Chris Lilley's most rounded and interesting character — a disadvantaged, endearing ratbag with a foul mouth and a lost-boy need for affection (from his violent father and Gumnut Cottage remedial teacher, Jan Palmer). Jonah let Lilley flesh out the best and the worst aspects of high school: the boredom, the institution's carelessness, the ill-equipped teachers' frustration, the kids' inflamed sense of injustice and their diehard devotion to their friends. Lilley clearly hasn't forgotten that young people's problems (their social cliques, family, love affairs) are just as real and important to them as adults' problems (rent, career, social cliques, family, love affairs) are to adults. Jonah will be vital viewing. Sense8 More film heavyweights defect to television — in fact, internet television (Netflix)! Matrix directors Andy and Lana Wachowski's ability to create complex longform narratives, engaging characters, surprising cinematic visual worlds and innovative special effects (remember when 'bullet time' didn't even exist?) will be stretched by their ten-episode science-fiction drama, Sense8. A mass of ostensibly disparate characters are linked by a shared and violent vision (of the past, future, or another world?). After the confusing and disappointing narrative experimentation of the duo's last feature, Cloud Atlas, perhaps television will afford them the slow-unfolding freedom they need to realise their filmic aspirations. Also on our radar Better Call Saul (A Breaking Bad spinoff centring on Walter White's crooked lawyer Saul Goodman); the animated and clearly shambolic BoJack Horseman (voiced by Will Arnett with Aaron Paul aka Jesse Pinkman of Breaking Bad); The Secret River, an ABC adaptation of the landmark Australian novel and play; Utopia, a satire from the guys from Frontline that "explores that moment when bureaucracy and grand dreams collide"; and two (two!) untitled Tina Fey Projects to air on Fox and NBC and quench the hollowness in our post-30 Rock lives.
One of the world's most visited multi-sensory experiences will come alive in Sydney this spring From Friday, September 18, Van Gogh Alive will see more than 3000 large-scale images of the Dutch master's works projected onto walls, columns and floors at The Royal Hall of Industries in Moore Park. The project is the brainchild of Melbourne-based Grande Exhibitions, which, for the past 15 years, has hosted immersive exhibitions and gallery experiences in over 140 cities across the world. The company also owns and operates Rome's Museo Leonardo da Vinci. The family-friendly experience will create the sensation of walking right into Van Gogh's paintings. Famous works including The Starry Night and Sunflowers are presented in fine detail using Grande Exhibitions' state-of-the-art technology combining 40 high-definition projectors, while a classical musical score accompanies the vibrant colours in cinema-quality surround sound. The exhibition has already wowed audiences at 50 cities throughout the northern hemisphere and parts of South America — and was was initially meant to be unveiled in Melbourne this year inside a new multimillion digital art gallery in Melbourne called The Lume, but, because of the city's strict lockdown, the Australian premiere will now happen in Sydney. Van Gogh Alive runs at The Royal Hall of Industries, adjacent to the Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park from Friday, September 18 for a limited time. Tickets will cost $30 per person and go on sale at midday on Friday, August 21 via vangoghalive.com.au.
We don't know what you have to do to be considered a 'beach expert', but after Australia's best beaches were revealed over the weekend, we're sure we need to become one. The 2017 list details 101 of the country's most stunning beaches, but the beach that's come out as number one isn't Bondi or Jervis Bay — it's Cossies Beach. Where the bloody hell is Cossies Beach, you say? It's located on Direction Island, which is part of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands about a four and a half hour flight from Perth. It's closer to Jakarta than Perth, which makes the logistics of your escape to the exquisite blue water paradise extremely difficult — but perhaps that's why it's so coveted. Now, the 'best' beach is obviously a hard one to quantify, but Brad Farmer has done a pretty thorough research job. He's the aforementioned beach expert, and for the release of the first edition of 101 Best Beaches he visited, documented and rated a whole heap of beaches alongside coastal geomorphologist Professor Andy Short, who has personally visited every single beach in Oz (there's 11,761 of them, by the way). Eventually the pair landed on the remote Cossies Beach as number one. It's so remote in fact that it didn't even have a name — while conducting his research, Farmer named it after after Australia's 26th Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, after seeking permission from locals. It's obviously insanely beautiful, and the pair have noted it as the best beach of them all due to its shallow water creating a brilliant blue colour, its 300-metre white sand strip, great snorkelling and shade from coconut palms. Other top beaches are ones you probably haven't heard too much about either — Moonee Beach on the Coffs Coast, Turquoise Bay in WA and Dolly Beach on Christmas Island all make the list. Tourist spots Burleigh Heads and Apollo Bay get a look in as well. Have a look at the top ten below. BRAD FARMER'S BEST BEACHES IN AUSTRALIA 2017 1. Cossies Beach, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Indian Ocean 2. Nudey Beach, Fitzroy Island, Far North Queensland 3. Moonee Beach, Coffs Coast, NSW 4. Turquoise Bay, Coral Coast, WA 5. Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast, Queensland 6. Maslin Beach, Adelaide, SA 7. Dolly Beach, Christmas Island, Indian Ocean 8. Shelly Beach, Nambucca Coast, NSW 9. Boat Harbour Beach, North West Coast, Tasmania 10. Apollo Bay, Great Ocean Road, Victoria Images: Rik Soderlund via 101 Best Beaches.
Australia is set to receive a healthy dose of 1920s razzle-dazzle, as record-breaking Broadway favourite Chicago shimmies onto stages across the country later this year. An Aussie production of the smash-hit musical will debut at Sydney's Capitol Theatre in August, before heading to Brisbane's QPAC Lyric Theatre in November and wrapping up at Arts Centre Melbourne from December. The longest-running American musical in Broadway and West End history, the original Kander & Ebb musical has reached the eyeballs of over 31 million people worldwide. Inspiring 2002's Academy Award-winning film of the same name, it tells the tale of a Chicago housewife and nightclub dancer who twirls through a whirlwind of murdered lovers, jail-time, fierce rivalries and tabloid sensationalism set in the decadent 1920s. Taking the stage for Chicago's local run is a cast of well-known Aussie names — catch acclaimed all-rounder Natalie Bassingthwaighte in the lead role of Roxie Hart, musical theatre veteran Alinta Chidzey as her rival Velma Kelly, and ARIA-winning superstar Casey Donovan playing Matron 'Mama' Morton. Based on a 1926 play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, the production showcases music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and choreography by Tony Award winner Ann Reinking. Hot on its black patent heels are two more award-winning musicals heading Down Under. Saturday Night Fever will head to Capital Theatre in Sydney this August, before Waitress hits Aussie shores in 2020. Chicago premieres at Sydney's Capitol Theatre in August 2019, before heading to Brisbane's QPAC Lyric Theatre in November and the Arts Centre Melbourne in December. You can score tickets for the Sydney show or sign up for the Melbourne and Brisbane waitlists over at the website. Images: Paul Kolnik, Peter Brew Bevan, Jeremy Daniel
Thanks to the wonders of technology, overcoming the language barrier isn't as difficult as it used to be. Forget phrasebooks — if you've got a smartphone, these days you're usually covered. Not all translation apps are created equal, however. In fact, only one promises real-time translation of both words and voice in 90 different languages. The free piece of software destined to find a home on every traveller's device of choice is DoTalk, an Australian-made invention aiming to make the process of making friends overseas even easier. And asking for directions, ordering a drink, trying to work out the local public transport system, asking for directions again (we all get lost while venturing far and wide, admit it) — plus all of the other routine holiday situations that involve human interaction. Available now for both iOS and Android, DoTalk offers users two options: translating via text, which is great if you're emailing or trying to read a sign; and translating live voice conversations, which is ace in plenty of other scenarios. For a fee, it can also handle group chats with up to 10 participants, even in multiple languages. As for just where it'll come in handy, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, French and Indonesian currently rank among the app's most popular languages; however you'll also find everything from Albanian to Zulu on offer."Our goal with DoTalk was to create a free, fun and easy-to-use app which provides an open forum for people to easily connect and communicate, regardless of language barriers or location and without delay," says founder Reno Nicastro. For more information about DoTalk, visit their website.
If you watched Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi's vampire sharehouse mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows back in 2014, then instantly found yourself yearning for more, that's understandable. Smart, silly and hilarious, the undead flick is one of the past decade's best comedies. Thanks to two TV spinoffs, that dream has come true, letting viewers keep spending time in the movie's supernatural world — and that's not going to end any time soon. In 2018, the New Zealand-made Wellington Paranormal made it to screens, following the movie's cops (Mike Minogue and Karen O'Leary) as they keep investigating the supernatural. It proved a hit, unsurprisingly, with the first half of the show's second season airing in 2019 — and set to continue in 2020. In 2019, an American television version of What We Do in the Shadows also made its debut, focusing on a group of vampire flatmates living in Staten Island. Featuring Toast of London's Matt Berry, Four Lions' Kayvan Novak, British stand-up comedian Natasia Demetriou, The Magicians' Harvey Guillen, The Office's Mark Proksch and Booksmart's Beanie Feldstein, it sticks to the same basic concept as the original movie, just with memorable new characters. And yes, it too was renewed for a second season — which is due to air this year, and has just released its first puppet-filled teasers. Created and co-written by Clement, and executive produced by the Flight of the Conchords star with Jojo Rabbit Oscar-winner Waititi, the US take on What We Do in the Shadows was first hinted at back in 2017, and then confirmed in May 2018. While the duo don't star in the new-look series, Berry, Novak and company have been doing them proud as the next batch of ravenous — and comic — vamps. Novak plays the gang's self-appointed leader, 'Nandor The Relentless', who dates back to the Ottoman Empire days and is somewhat stuck in his ways. As for Berry's mischievous British dandy Laszlo and Demetriou's seductive Nadja, they're like a blood-sucking Bonnie and Clyde (but much funnier). Guillén plays Nandor's familiar, who'd do anything to join the undead, while Proksch's Colin is an 'energy vampire'. And Feldstein's Jenna is a college student with a new craving. Can't wait to sink your fangs into more? The new batch of episodes will continue the story — charting Nandor, Laszlo, Nadja and the group's undead antics in the New York borough. It wasn't easy being a centuries-old bloodsucker in Wellington in the movie, and it's just as tough (and amusing) on the other side of the world. Check out the first two season two teasers below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il1t77obp-8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9rX8BT97qI What We Do in the Shadows' second season starts airing on April 15 in the US — expect it to hit Foxtel in Australia sometime this year, with exact local airdates yet to be revealed.
If you've locked in your pass to see teams battle it out at the Melbourne stop of the International esport tournament, Intel Extreme Masters, you're probably gearing up for a weekend of pro-level gameplay. But Melbourne doesn't power down after the final match. This is a 24-hour city that lives for the afterparty. Where dinner starts at 10pm, cocktails come with a side of performance art, and themed bars invite late-night play. If you're making the trip to Melbourne, consider this your ultimate cheat code for everything happening off-screen. From cool late-night bars to Viking banquets and kart racing, here's how to unleash your wild side and make the most of everything Australia's cultural capital has to offer. Fortress Melbourne Let's be honest, if you're into gaming, you've probably already heard about Fortress. It's a multi-level gaming venue complete with esports arenas, retro arcades, themed cocktails and a tavern that feels like it belongs inside a fantasy RPG. It's basically your digital playground brought to life. For some late-night fun, grab a drink, smash some rounds on the console setups or join in on one of the many live tournaments. [caption id="attachment_1000007" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Jesse Hisco[/caption] Bodega Underground If you're looking for the best mezcal in town with low lighting and tacos, this is your spot. Bodega Underground on Little Bourke Street stays open until the early hours slinging margaritas, spicy bar snacks and some of the best micheladas in the city. It's underground in every sense of the word: location, attitude and energy. BattleKart Just over the bridge in West Footscray, BattleKart is what happens when go-karting meets video games. You're racing around a real track, but instead of just cutting corners, you're picking up power-ups and dodging digital obstacles projected onto the floor. It's part arcade, part real-world chaos and perfect for anyone who's ever dreamed of playing Mario Kart in real life. Better yet, on Friday and Saturday nights, you can kart until 11pm. [caption id="attachment_794216" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Michael Gazzola[/caption] Ballers Clubhouse This isn't your average sports bar. With locations in both the CBD and Carlton, Ballers Clubhouse brings the energy of a game night house party, if that house had neon lights, a disco ball and a cocktail list. You've got ping pong, darts, shuffleboard, karaoke and VR experiences all under one roof. It's built for banter, rematches and yes, some very Instagrammable moments. If you're with a group of mates, book out a table and settle in for an arvo of drinks and friendly competition. Flight Club If you've only ever played darts at a sticky-floored pub, prepare to be impressed. In the heart of the city, the newly opened Flight Club has flipped the game on its head, turning it into a social, high-tech experience with automatic scoring, neon-lit booths and cocktails you'd actually want to drink. It's a great after-hours hang or a cheeky way to warm up before your next IEM session. St Andrews Beach Brewery, Melbourne Park Just a short stroll from the IEM action at Rod Laver Arena, you'll find St Andrews Beach Brewery Melbourne Park, which is the inner city sibling to the Mornington Peninsula favourite. It offers a refreshing reset when you need to step away from the screens. Expect craft beers, wood-fired pizza, and a beautifully landscaped outdoor space to breathe before heading back to the chaos. It's lowkey, laidback and exactly what you want in the middle of an action-packed day. Bar Clara Tucked in Chinatown with pink neon lights and green velvet seats, Bar Clara is all about adventurous cocktails, low-lit vibes and romantic charm. Their drinks are weird and wonderful and the service always comes with a wink. Think Japanese whisky, smoke guns and unexpected ingredients you can't pronounce but will absolutely want a second round of. Mjølner For something a little more special, head to Mjølner to channel your inner warrior with a feast worthy of Valhalla. Mjølner is an underground Viking and Norse-themed bar and restaurant in Melbourne CBD where the cutlery is literal weaponry, the whisky menu is longer than your most-played Steam library, and the vibes are unbeatable. Whether you're tearing into slow-roasted meats or sipping beer from a horn, it's unapologetically theatrical and, yes, absolutely delicious. [caption id="attachment_684812" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Julia Kingma[/caption] Heartbreaker When the final match wraps and the adrenaline's still pumping, Heartbreaker is where you head next. This late-night haunt is dimly lit, loud in all the right ways and fuelled by a rock 'n' roll jukebox, whisky cocktails and slices of Connie's pizza that taste better after midnight. Whether you're dancing with strangers or dissecting game highlights with your mates, it's the kind of place where the night tends to stretch into the early hours. StoryVille This fairy tale-themed cocktail bar is anything but tame. As the clock strikes 11pm, StoryVille turns into a literal wonderland of music, drinks and entertainment. Hidden in a multi-level building with mushroom lamps, twisted bookshelves and glowing potions, Storyville's drinks menu reads like a sci-fi novel, and its crowd loves an excuse to cosplay. Naked for Satan Naked for Satan is Fitzroy's worst-kept secret: a multi-level bar dishing up infused vodkas, punchy pintxos and panoramic rooftop views of the city. Go early for golden hour, stay late when the mood shifts and the skyline becomes your backdrop for a night you probably won't be home early from. Whether you're chasing a nightcap with a twist, a hidden wine bar with a cult following, or just want to battle your mates on the kart track, Melbourne has all your nocturnal cravings sorted. For more of what makes Melbourne every bit different, visit the website. Images courtesy of Melbourne. Every bit different. By Jacque Kennedy
For the past five years, gin lovers across the country have tripped over themselves to get their spirit-loving fingers on a bottle of Four Pillars' Bloody Shiraz Gin — and that's before they've even had a sip of alcohol. The limited edition shiraz-infused concoction really is that good, so we thought you'd like to know that the next batch goes on sale on Saturday, July 4. If you haven't come across the gin before, it's basically what it says on the label: gin infused with shiraz grapes. This gives the spirit a brilliant deep cerise colour and some sweet undertones (without a higher sugar content). That, along with its higher alcoholic content — 37.8 percent, compared to an average 25 percent in regular sloe gin — makes the Bloody Shiraz Gin a near-perfect specimen. It can be used to make a G&T or in cocktails where you'd usually use your regular gin, but, if you're feeling craft, the Four Pillars team suggests making a Bloody & Lemon (pour 45 millilitres of shiraz gin and 100 of lemon bitter or lemon tonic over ice and garnish with a wedge of ruby grapefruit) or a Bloody Spritz (pour 30 millilitres of shiraz gin and 30 of ruby grapefruit juice into a champagne flute and top with sparkling wine). Four Pillars created the game-changing gin back in 2015 when it came into a 250-kilogram load of shiraz grapes from the Yarra Valley. Experimenting, the Victorian distillers then steeped the grapes in their high-proof dry gin for eight weeks before pressing the fruit and blending it with the gin, and hoping like hell it would turn out well. It did. This year — after selling 50 percent of the company to beer behemoth Lion last March — Four Pillars has acquired more grapes from other Victorian wine regions to make more of the gin than ever before. The gin will go on sale on Saturday, July 4 at selected bottle shops, in the Four Pillars online store, at its Yarra Valley distillery and at the new Four Pillars Laboratory in Sydney (where the bar will also be serving it in cocktails). If you're lucky, you'll also be able to find it served at bars around the country. Godspeed. The 2020 Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin will go on sale around the country for on Saturday, July 4. Head to the Four Pillars website to buy a bottle.
Promoters Live Nation have been forced to postpone tonight's Sydney instalment of Janelle Monae and Kimbra's Golden Electric tour, due to Monae coming down with a sudden illness. The Grammy-nominated singer had to step out of the first show of the tour in Melbourne on Saturday and will hang back in the Victorian capital today — Live Nation issued a statement saying Monae "has been required to remain in Melbourne under medical supervision to assess her recovery." The postponement of the Sydney Opera House show comes at an unfortunate time for moving things around, as the rescheduled show would have to land before Friday when Vivid LIVE takes control of the House for the next few weeks. After the tour-commencing Perth show was already cancelled, it seems The Golden Electric tour is in need of a few lucky rabbit feet. Live Nation are set to make an announcement tomorrow, recommending ticket holders sit tight and hang on to their stubs. https://youtube.com/watch?v=SyqltX5lRhQ Via TheMusic.com.au.
Most people don't imagine themselves making a career out of voicing Disney villains — but, of course, Jemaine Clement isn't most people. So did he see a Disney villain in his destiny? "If I was honest, I'd probably say yes," the comedian, actor and one half of Flight of the Conchords offers. And, lending his distinctive tones to the singing, scurrying character of Tamatoa in Disney's new film Moana, he has well and truly fulfilled that prophecy. Dwelling deep under the sea in the realm of monsters, Tamatoa is a swift-talking 50-foot crab with a fondness for treasure and a David Bowie-esque musical number in which he somewhat joyfully, somewhat menacingly declares: "I'd rather be shiny". He's also one of the formidable forces standing in the way of Moana's titular heroine (newcomer Auli'i Cravalho) as she explores the ocean to save her island-dwelling people, all with a shapeshifting demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) reluctantly by her side. Yes, Clement voicing a cheeky character and singing a glam rock track is the stuff that dreams are made of, and with his frequent collaborator and What We Do in the Shadows co-scribe and co-director Taika Waititi taking a first pass at Moana's screenplay — along with former Flight of the Conchords opening act and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda co-writing the film's original music — it just gets better. With Moana now in Australian cinemas, we spoke with Clement about working on Disney's Polynesian musical, voicing giant characters and channelling his inner Bowie. ON GETTING INVOLVED WITH MOANA Concrete Playground: How did you get involved with Moana? Jemaine Clement: A friend of mine, Taika Waititi, who I work with a lot, was one of the writers. And when he was doing his draft of the film, he told me that Disney, who I've worked with a couple of times before, wanted me to do something in it. It's a Polynesian story and they've gone for a mostly Polynesian cast — and I'm part Maori, so I think it was pretty natural. And I also, I've played a lot of animated villains. So who else would you get? ON PLAYING A LIGHT-FINGERED, SELF-ABSORBED, 50-FOOT CRAB CP: How did you go getting into character for the role of 50-foot crab Tamatoa? JC: Well, I guess I'm not 50 foot — I'm only just approximately six foot, just over. So I had to work on that. It's the second 50-foot character I've played this year. In The BFG, I was also 50-foot. So I guess I must sound pretty big. CP: People are obviously getting that idea from listening to you. JC: "How this big is this guy? He sounds huge." CP: And then they meet you in person, and they realise… JC: "Oh no, he's only about six foot." ON FILLING HIS RESUME WITH ANIMATED VILLAINS CP: You recently played Fleshlumpeater in The BFG — you've got quite the CV when it comes to playing animated villains now. JC: I hope I can get some use out of that. Maybe just telling my son it's bedtime. I'll do the voice. I always was interested in animation, that was the first job I ever wanted to do. When I was five, I remember seeing a thing on The Wonderful World of Disney about the animation process and I wanted to do that as a first job — I aspired to be an animator. And I imagined that I'd do all the parts, you know, like write it, voice it, animate it, — but I haven't gotten to the other two. ON CHANNELLING DAVID BOWIE — AGAIN CP: Between Flight of the Conchords and Moana, your Bowie impression is getting a good workout too. JC: I don't even think my impression's that good. But it stuck with people. In the TV show [Flight of the Conchords]...my comedy partner is having dreams about David Bowie, so I play David Bowie. But I wasn't supposed to play him. It was very last minute that I ended up playing that character, and I've been asked to do it a few times now. CP: You originally tried to get David Bowie to play himself? JC: We did, yeah. But I think that would've been nerve-wracking. I mean, it would've been amazing as well, but, you know. ON REUNITING WITH LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA CP: How was it working with Moana songwriter and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda again? JC: I'd remembered Freestyle Love Supreme [Lin-Manuel Miranda's hip hop comedy troupe], and I'd even seen them again not that long ago — and I hadn't connected him with the guy I had met [previously]. I didn't realise it was the same person until he said, "Oh we met. We met, we were doing that gig in 2004/2005". And yeah, suddenly it came back. Whoa. I've never seen any musical show have the reaction that Hamilton has. He deserves that. He's very clever, bright, and very talented. Moana is in Australian cinemas now. Read our review here.
When you want a stay that feels unique and personal, sometimes an Airbnb offers something that hotels often don't. Now you'll know which stays offer the best of the best experience, as the short-term stay giant has revealed the winners of its 2025 Host Awards — its annual accolades that celebrate "the creativity, care and community impact of local hosts." With six awards up for grabs, these honours cover everything from the best family-friendly stay to the best design experience. Spanning heritage-listed Hobart bakeries, bold coastal escapes on the Sunny Coast and serene Kangaroo Valley retreats, the winners come from far and wide, meaning an award-winning stay might be closer than you think. Host of the Year: Braithwaite (Hobart, TAS) There's no shortage of deserving hosts, but there can only be one Host of the Year. In 2025, that's Alix and John from Braithwaite — a heritage-listed former bakery in Sandy Bay. Wonderfully restored, this courtyard apartment is the perfect base to explore the cultural hub of Salamanca Place, with its restaurants and art galleries just two kilometres away. According to judge Sarah Huang: "[Alix and John] don't just provide a stay, they create a moment in time that's deeply meaningful." Best Family-Friendly Stay: Sassafras (Southern Highlands, NSW) You don't have to trek hours into the wilderness to discover a country retreat when it comes to Sassafras. Set on 98 acres in Kangaroo Valley, this five-bedroom farmhouse carefully balances rustic charm with modern features, offering all the creature comforts you desire alongside a sandstone fireplace and unbeatable valley views. And at just a two-hour drive from Sydney, this peaceful stay is primed for weekend escapes. Best New Host: The Nook (Adelaide, SA) Some Airbnbs have become synonymous with luxury stays over numerous years. Yet others have just begun to earn their reputation. The Nook is the latter, with owners Erin and Rory taking home the Best New Host award in 2025. Set on their family property, guests encounter a modern cottage featuring an airy open-plan design made for easygoing entertaining. Plus, the outdoor terrace is the ideal spot to admire the cottage's surrounding greenery. Best Nature Stay: Ligo (Wolgan Valley, NSW) While living in a tiny house forever might not appeal, Ligo in the Wolgan Valley might convince you it's more than possible. Hosted by Eddie and Ange, this award-winning retreat in the shadow of the Blue Mountains National Park is built from materials reclaimed from bushfires, offering an off-grid stay rich in warm interiors, passive sustainability and bushland views. Take a bath beneath the stars and roam the nearby walking trails when you need to reconnect. Best Room Stay: Short Stay Made Simple (Sydney, NSW) The best Airbnb experiences don't have to be exclusive. In fact, sometimes the warm hospitality of the host can make the mutual enjoyment of a space that much more special. Short Stay Made Simple's Caroline and Daniel received the award for Best Room Stay, with the peaceful upstairs retreat of their Sydney home celebrated for its spotless presentation, full kitchen access and generous touches, like late-night train station pickups and welcoming shared meals. Best Design Stay: Banksia House (Sunshine Coast, QLD) The interiors are impressive enough at Banksia House, but the winner of the Best Design Stay really comes into its own when you consider its outdoor features. Designed by hosts Toni and Kirsti, the latter brought her experience as a landscape architect to conceive the magnesium pool, bocce court, fireplaces and al fresco bathrooms immersed in lush gardens. "Guests highlight its Scandinavian simplicity, earth tones, and calming energy. This is a masterclass in 'rugged luxury,'" says Huang. Looking for more information on the winners? Head to the website to get all the details. Images: Rachel Tagg.
For more than a decade, hiring a bike in Brisbane meant hopping on a yellow-hued City Cycle, with the golden bicycles easy to spot all throughout the CBD. But that's changing from Thursday, July 22, with Brissie's new e-mobility tenders kicking in. Brisbanites, get ready to cruise around town on purple and orange vehicles — and do to a little less pedalling. As first announced back in June, two new companies will unleash their own fleets as part of the tenders, including Beam Mobility. Beam is the latest e-mobility company to set up shop in Brissie, and it's bringing both e-bikes and e-scooters with it. When its fleet starts rolling out this week, it'll include 400 e-bikes and 1000 e-scooters, all with a few features that'll be new to Brisbane. Firstly, while e-bike and e-scooter services are typically dockless, meaning that you can finish your ride wherever you like and just leave your vehicle there, Beam offers designated parking spots. It calls the scheme 'virtual docking', with customers parking the bikes and scooters in predetermined places located by using the company's app. The aim is to solve a familiar problem. As anyone who has stumbled across an e-bike or e-scooter in an inconvenient location knows, these modes of transport can be left everywhere from roadways to the middle of footpaths. Beam users don't have to park the service's vehicles in its allocated spaces, but it is strongly encouraged — including via a $2 credit for doing the right thing. When it comes to that other item that's often spotted in weird and awkward places, aka bike helmets, Beam uses bluetooth to lock them down. And, to deal with errant bikes and helmets, it has a team of rangers who are tasked with collecting them. Beam's Brisbane e-scooter fleet will also be its first with light indicators, so riders can signal to their fellow road and footpath users. The company is also premiering a new 'glide' feature across both its e-scooters and e-bikes, that waives the unlock fee if you take two journeys within 30 minutes. If you're keen to hit the road, Beam will be operating in inner-city Brissie and its surrounding suburbs, so expect to see its vehicles in Fortitude Valley, Bowen Hills, Teneriffe, New Farm, South Bank and St Lucia. They're geofenced to the area, but that still gives you 49 square kilometres of the city to explore via its purple-toned vehicles. And, the company is offering the first 20 minutes of every ride for free for new users, with a $1 unlock fee and a 45-cent per minute rate afterwards. Beam already operates scooters in Adelaide and Canberra, in Bunbury in Western Australia, and in New Zealand, South Korea and Malaysia as well — and its Apollo e-bikes made their worldwide debut in Sydney in 2020. It will join Neuron Mobility on Brisbane's streets, with the latter expanding its existing operations by increasing its e-scooter fleet and launching its own e-bike service. The two companies were awarded new tenders for both e-bikes and e-scooters by Brisbane City Council, with 800 electric bicycles and 2000 electric scooters set to start zooming around town. That means you'll be seeing purple and orange-coloured vehicles aplenty on the city's streets — but no lime. As part of the new contracts, Lime's existing e-scooters will no longer operate in Brisbane. Beam's e-bikes and e-scooters will start popping up Brisbane's inner city and surrounding suburbs from Thursday, July 22. For more information, head to the company's website.
There's no time like the present to explore your own backyard, and if you're feeling like getting off the mainland Tasmania's mountain ranges, white sand beaches, lush wineries and fresh farmer's markets are all ripe for exploring. We've done the hard work for you and pulled together 20 of the most stunning stays scattered around the island. Find your ideal getaway nestled among the trees or backing onto a beach, pack the car and head down for a blissful retreat from your day-to-day routine. Recommended reads: Seven Unexpected Things You Can Do and See in Tasmania Your Essential Guide to Hobart The Best Places to Go Glamping in Australia Blackwood Park Cottage, Mole Creek This beautifully restored 1800s farm cottage provides cosy comfort among the Tasmanian mountain ranges. Relax in a super-scenic countryside setting and stare out at the rolling hills — including while enjoying your complimentary breakfast. From $170 a night, sleeps two. The Ocean Retreat, Falmouth Travelling in a bigger group? Don't shy away from a hefty price tag? This four-bedroom oceanfront retreat is fitted with a heated pool, an outdoor fire pit and floor-to-ceiling windows providing stunning uninterrupted ocean views. If you're lucky, you may even catch sight of a whale or dolphin from your living room. From $850 a night, sleeps eight. Aplite House, Friendly Beaches Run on solar energy and built from Tasmanian materials, Aplite House is an eco-friendly stay on the far east coast of Tasmania, just north of Swansea. Decorated with pieces from local artists and sitting on a 200-acre property within the Freycinet National Park, this is a uniquely Tasmanian stay. From $663 a night, sleeps six. Evandale Cottage, Evandale This recently renovated cottage is full of homely charm. It sits 20 minutes from Launceston, so holidaymakers can bask in the rural country feel of the town while still being a stone's throw from one of Tassie's most exciting cities. From $150 a night, sleeps four. Cressy House Estate, Longford Dating back to the 1800s, this history-rich estate is situated within the town of Longford. Find yourself among farm animals, far-reaching greenery and uninterrupted views of the Great Western Tiers. Make sure to pack your racquets as the estate comes equipped with a tennis court. From $310 a night, sleeps four. Captain's Rest, Strahan Sip coffee or mulled wine on the pier at this ultra-quaint waterfront property. Its remote location and minimalist aesthetic pairs well with the misty Tasmania atmosphere — and makes it perfect for a secluded getaway. From $575 a night, sleeps two. The Stable Lofts, Launceston Find the best of everything Tassie has to offer at this Launceston lodge. You'll be surrounded by a lush garden, and also just a short drive from some of the island's best rivers and reserves while still central to the city. Picnic along the River Tamar, hit up the Queen Victoria Museum and relax beside the property's sequoias — all in one day. From $293 a night, sleeps two. The Trig Studio, Lilydale This one-bedroom eco-friendly lodge on the slopes of Mount Arthur comes with everything you need to unwind and enjoy your holiday. It comes fit with an outdoor bathtub, organic breakfast items, Tassie wines, a wood fireplace, a library and a record player with records, so you may find yourself too comfortable to take on the scenic hikes and bushwalks surrounding the property. From $320 a night, sleeps two. Clock Cottage, New Town Inject some history into your trip to Hobart by staying in the former base of the Tasmanian Watch and Clock Company. This refurbished 1832 building sits across from a bakery, and is also a short distance from both MONA and the River Derwent. From $140 a night, sleeps two. Beehives on Denison, Douglas River This rustic cabin combines the best of the beach and the bush. Listen to the sound of the waves from the deck while surrounded by native Australian trees. From $180 a night, sleeps five. Coldwater Cabin, Miena You'll be hard-pressed to find a better-located stay in all of Australia than this cabin, which is hidden among the trees, looks out onto The Great Lake and is surrounded by superb wineries. Pack for the cold, though, as it's known to snow down here. From $283 a night, sleeps two. Black Wattle Coastal Retreat, Four Miles Creek This three-bedroom bushland property is an ideal stay for bigger groups looking to get away. It comes with stunning water views, a fire pit and an affordable price tag. From $460 a night, sleeps eight. Oceanfront Villa, Falmouth Situated just 50 metres from the ocean, this villa is perfect for a romantic couples retreat. Breathe in the sea air as you enjoy breakfast from the property's bench, then relax in the deep bathtub or take a leisurely stroll along the beach. From $313 a night, sleeps two. Whale Song Oceanfront Escape, Falmouth Originally built by a local fisherman in the 80s, this oceanfront house has been transformed into a comfort-first stay in Tasmania's northeast. It's all here: panoramic ocean views, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, an outdoor bathtub, and a range of beautiful local beaches and hikes. From $458 a night, sleeps four. Sea Stone, Swansea This newly built modern cottage provides panoramic views of Tasmania's east coast, as well as a perfect home base for exploring the beachfront or relaxing from the comfort of the private patio. From $825 a night, sleeps six. Candlebark Ridge, Saint Marys Craving a Tasmanian tiny home experience? Look no further than this off-grid, compact dwelling nestled on 18 acres of bushland. Enjoy the panoramic view of the Tasman Sea from the comfort of the luxurious king bed - uninterrupted by the bustle of civilisation. From $295 a night, sleeps two. At the Bay, Coles Bays At this sleek east Tassie stay, you can gaze upon the mountains surrounding Coles Bay from the comfort of your bed each morning — then hit the water via the local kayak hire. From $780 a night, sleeps four. Hazards Rim, Coles Bay Find this architectural beauty hidden amongst Freycinet National Park, just a short walk from Wineglass Bay. Escape the city to live among the trees with all the comforts of home. From $480 a night, sleeps four. Hobart Hideaway Pod, Kingston This environmentally friendly one-bedroom pod sits at the foothills of Mount Wellington, just 20 minutes drive from Hobart. Its simplicity — and its spot among nature — make it an ideal place to relax on a trip to the island's capital. From $198 a night, sleeps two. The Barn, Hobart This charming converted barn will find you smack-bang in the middle of the Hobart CBD, within walking distance from some of its best cafes, restaurants and bars. Here, you can experience the city without compromising the quaint cottage experience of the Tasmanian countryside. From $353 a night, sleeps two. All images courtesy of Airbnb. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Again and again, fans of slasher films have seen the one about the unhinged murderer butchering teen victims. They've seen more than one, in fact. It's a horror convention: take a bunch of young adults, then dispense with them person by person as a killer works through childhood trauma. Penning and helming his first feature — his short Z Is for Zygote was included in The ABCs of Death 2, and he did special effects work on Psycho Goreman, too — writer/director Chris Nash knows the basics of his chosen genre as much as any other diehard viewer. He's just as aware of the great, and greatly influential, flicks gone by such as Halloween and Friday the 13th. He's well-versed in their tropes in storytelling and in form alike. Making his full-length debut with a picture called In a Violent Nature, he's also clued up on what happens when someone sinister gets a-stalking in scenic surroundings. Plot-wise, Nash isn't trying to break the mould with his account of Johnny (Ry Barrett, Massacre at Femur Creek) and the folks who are unlucky enough to fall across his path. But the filmmaker asks a question: what if a rampaging slaughterer's terrors came not with a score heralding their every menacing move (even when those tunes can become iconic, as John Carpenter's Halloween music has), but with the ordinary silence of everyday life in nature punctuated only by noises just as commonplace, and then by the sounds of a killer at their insidious worst? In its imagery, In a Violent Nature adds another query: what if the audience wasn't biding its time with those likely to perish, tension dripping from not knowing when and where the murderer would strike, but was stuck at the side of the force causing such gruesome mayhem as the inevitable approaches? There's seldom any escape from a slasher; however, Nash finds a new way to take that idea literally. Let's call it the bang-and-whimper method of tackling the genre, because lives cease here with each given as much attention. Johnny still metes out big kills that create a din and sear themselves into memory. One inventively grisly death in particular can never be erased from brains, and ensures that everyone watching is incapable of contemplating its setting or the pastime involved in the same way ever again. Another sequence suggests that it's going a similar way, but becomes unforgettable for the fact that it holds back on grim expectations. And, of course, mewls of pain are hardly new to horror. Here, though, Nash's commitment to the film's ambience gives both its bangs and its whimpers extra impact. This is the way that the world ends for Johnny's prey: not with just a bang or solely a whimper, but with the haunting, echoing combination of the two that compels In a Violent Nature's viewers to reckon with them in the moment. Nash's understanding of horror at its most stock-standard commences with In a Violent Nature's opening, where wandering campers chat while stumbling across a grave beneath an old fire tower. A gold locket hangs in plain sight, which leads Troy (Liam Leone, Eli Roth Presents: A Ghost Ruined My Life) to pocketing the jewellery, opting for the kind of stupid decision that people in a slasher flick love. Yes, it'll come back to taunt him. So awakens Johnny from the earth. So stirs his ire as well. But how the audience might anticipate that this plays out from the above description isn't ever how the feature stages it. The focus is rarely on those potentially awaiting a date with the heavens, to the point that their faces aren't the picture's most-common sight. Neither is Johnny's, whether or not it's under a smoke helmet. Nature isn't merely a location, but the expanse that fills cinematographer Pierce Derks' (Frankie Freako) frames — sometimes in close shots, sometimes sprawling. As Johnny sets off, there's not a shred of doubt lingering that he'll indulge his violent urges — the reasons for which get a backstory layered in, details that are knowingly by the book — via a relentless frenzy. Nash and Derks aren't in a hurry, largely lurking behind their killer with patience as he turns the wilderness into his hunting ground. He walks. He slays. Sometimes the results are splattered across the screen with slaughterhouse-esque gore and guts. Sometimes a savvy cut by editor Alex Jacobs (V/H/S/85) conveys what has happened instead of getting blatant and bloody. The camera remains static more than it roves, and peers on from long-held wide shots more than it zooms forward. Johnny's temperament is expressed by the pace of his stride, which becomes In a Violent Nature's metronome of unease. Masked characters, not the actors who play them, tend to carve their place in common pop-culture knowledge out of horror movies. Michael Myers is the household name, for instance, as much as Nick Castle (Halloween Ends) should be. Barrett deserves the same recognition, making Johnny a petrifying presence even when so frequently spied from a few footsteps back. That said, he isn't carrying the film alone on-screen. The travellers that meet the figure's hooks and other weaponry start out disposable, but leave an impression the longer that they survive, Andrea Pavlovic (Our Mother's Secret Affair) especially. That'll ring familiar, too; to take the risks that Nash does, and to test if a slasher flick can work the way he wants it to — and it can — he leans into the template everywhere else possible. It was a Sundance sensation to kick off 2024, proved a box-office hit in America for independent studio IFC Films and now has a sequel in the works, but a movie like this, with the output of director Terrence Malick (A Hidden Life) as much of a touchstone as the Friday the 13th and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre franchises, is a gamble. Both of the latter two horror sagas earn clear nods, yet there's no mistaking In a Violent Nature's lyrical skew thanks to its ever-present greenery and naturalistic soundtrack. Combine the two and scares still spring, laced with dread that gushes like a limb lopped off by a log splitter. While it's frightening to ponder that ghastly turns of fate can and do occur randomly, as regular slashers capitalise upon, it's bone-chilling to confront that truth when it's presented as an inherent, innate, matter-of-fact certainty of existence. In a violent nature indeed.
A slice of Italy has come to Bulimba and a waterside favourite has undergone facelift. After attracting eager diners to the end of Oxford Street since 2009, The Jetty has sailed off into the sunset, with Il Molo taking its place. Reopening in 2017, the site has a whole new focus for the kitchen and bar, but owners Jason and Katie Coats are still nodding to their past restaurant in a fitting way. If you know much Italian, you'll be smiling at Il Molo's moniker: translated to English, it means The Jetty. Amidst black, white and wooden decor or on the sun-lit outdoor deck, patrons will still enjoy views of the Brisbane River at its most scenic; however the revamped space now serves up flavours and meals that will make you dream of a European jaunt. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Sunday, think prosciutto and mozzarella-filled omelettes, a seven-pizza menu, pappardelle pasta with a pork shoulder ragu, and lamb shanks with parmesan polenta and green tapenade. Il Molo also offers Italian coffees, pastries and cakes to take away, wine and beer for those after a stiffer drink, and a decadent range of desserts. Who can pass up sweet ricotta and orange zest-filled Sicilian cannoli? Italian chocolate and raspberry doughnuts with hazelnut gelato? Here, a change really is as good as a holiday — for your tastebuds, at least.
Whether you tuned in the 90s and early 00s as it aired — staying up late in Australia to catch it on free-to-air TV on a weeknight, or taping it to view afterwards — or binged it via DVDs or streaming later, Buffy the Vampire Slayer has never been a television series that audiences watch casually. Jane Schoenbrun and Brigette Lundy-Paine, writer/director of A24 hit I Saw the TV Glow and one of its stars, have both OG fandom and more-recent obsessions covered. Schoenbrun calls the show their "first love", they explain to Concrete Playground. Lundy-Paine only started viewing it for I Saw the TV Glow but misses it now when they're not watching it, they also tell us. Schoenbrun, Lundy-Paine and audiences everywhere have Buffy to thank for a movie that's cast its own glow since its Sundance Film Festival premiere — and across stops at the Berlin International Film Festival, SXSW in Austin, Sydney Film Festival and Melbourne International Film Festival since, too, before reaching Australian theatres in general release. Earning its praise as an instant trans cinema cult classic, the pair's collaboration doesn't just take inspiration from Schoenbrun's affection for a pop-culture phenomenon about a high schooler that the undead feared. One of the standout films of 2024, and from A24's adored roster of flicks overall, it's the source of all-consuming passions itself, while also contemplating that very topic. With their 2021 debut feature We're All Going to the World's Fair, Schoenbrun has already pondered how screen fixations can help mediate identities. Two movies in, they have a niche — and a pivotal one. Their films examine the space where fandom and pop-culture obsessions overlap with alienation, dissociation and dysphoria. They explore how they filtering who you are through an internet or TV fixation can assist in processing those emotions and states, and aid in unlocking something that you mightn't have had the tools to recognise otherwise. Two features in, Schoenbrun has earned their own adjective as well: their films are positively Schoenbrunian. It isn't just the common themes that mark We're All Going to the World's Fair and I Saw the TV Glow as works from the same inimitable voice, but also a shared dreamlike aesthetic, plus a knack for poetic and revealing dialogue. Watching their movies feels like plunging in, being enveloped and experiencing everything that their characters do; it's no wonder that the filmmaker's fare, especially their sophomore picture, is so easy to obsess over. Where We're All Going to the World's Fair follows a teenage girl making connections through an online horror challenge, with the feature digging into dysphoria along the way, I Saw the TV Glow does indeed have a television show at the centre of its plot. In the 90s, teens Owen (Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves' Justice Smith, plus Let the Right One In's Ian Foreman as the younger version) and Maddy (Lundy-Paine, Atypical) strike up a friendship over the Buffy-meets-Goosebumps style supernatural series The Pink Opaque. The show is their escape from their adolescent reality, and a coping mechanism — one that Owen, especially, didn't know that he needed. It's also where these new friends feel like they finally see their real selves. Then Maddy disappears suddenly, The Pink Opaque is cancelled just as abruptly, and the 00s come calling. I Saw the TV Glow jumps further forward, too, as it uncovers the different ways that Maddy and Owen embrace — or don't — their authentic identities. The parallels with the egg-crack moment, the term used when someone realises that they're trans, are as bright and clear as the light emitted from every screen that bathes the movie's main duo in The Pink Opaque. Schoenbrun is always about showing rather than telling, though, and about viewers stepping into Maddy and Owen's emotional state with them rather than simply being informed about it. Again basking in 90s nostalgia on the big screen after 2020's Bill & Ted Face the Music — where they played Billie Logan, daughter to Keanu Reeves' (John Wick: Chapter 4) Ted — Lundy-Paine was drawn to the raw feeling evident in Schoenbrun's script, as well as their shared perspectives and experiences. We spoke with both Lundy-Paine and Schoenbrun about TV devotions, inspirations, Schoenbrun thematic and stylistic go-tos, telling personal tales, 90s nostalgia and more. On Falling in Love with Buffy the Vampire Slayer — Then and Now Jane: "I was just obsessed. I had other TV obsessions, but Buffy was the biggest one that I'll ever have. When I think back a bit on it, and I mean this quite literally, I think of Buffy as my first love. The amount that I put into that show emotionally, the amount of headspace it took up, each week waiting for the next episode to air, reading about it online — it was just a total obsession. And in many ways, I think — and the film is exploring this as well — it was a coping mechanism, a way for me to express myself in fiction, in a place that felt safe and outside of the quote-unquote real world. How did I fall in love with Buffy? I was flipping channels on the TV in my parents' bedroom, where I would be relegated when they were watching something on the main TV. And I remember coming across a rerun of the episode from the first season called 'The Pack'. It was the summer after the first season aired, and I was like 'I'm watching this show again next week' — and it just developed from there. I'd say by the second season, it was my favourite TV show. And by the third season, I was spending a lot of time with Buffy. I had tapes. I made my own tapes. I had the episode guides. I posted online about it. It really became almost this like space for me to hide and I just loved it so much. I remember when it was ending, thinking 'oh my god, this is like losing family'." Brigette: "I watched up to season five of Buffy before we started [I Saw the TV Glow], and I just totally fell in love with it. I miss it when I'm not watching it now. I fell in love with the community, and the idea that magic was real — that there was no question. I feel like I watched it kind of as Maddy, but I'll always love it as Brigette with the respect of it isn't mine completely, because I didn't watch it when I was young, but I really love it." On How Schoenbrun Obsessing Over Buffy — and Also Admiring Twin Peaks — Inspired I Saw the TV Glow Jane: "I think the experience that the film is trying to talk about — and it's doing this not only in a plot about 90s television, but through the aesthetics and tropes of 90s genre television — is a youth spent in front of the screen. I was a young queer kid growing up in the American suburbs, and the main thing that got me through that, or the main source of romance and mystery and joy in my life in this place where I think I not only couldn't be myself but I wasn't really being given any information to help me understand myself, the main place that I went looking for myself was in the screen. This is ultimately why I think like a show like Buffy or Twin Peaks became an obsession, because it was somewhere where I could catch a flicker of something more mysterious, something more magical. And I do think in many ways this was a queer experience. The movie, I think, talks about this very specific kind of parasocial relationship with fiction about fandom, about obsession, about searching for truth in fiction before you're ready to look inside yourself. And it's doing this using these genre cues that I learned from rewatching my Buffy tapes obsessively. It's a movie about people who love a show like that, but it's also very much a movie that's set in the heightened world of a Buffy or a Twin Peaks or an X-Files." On Lundy-Paine's Equivalent of Buffy or The Pink Opaque Brigette: "I think the first show that I really loved the way that Maddy and Owen loved The Pink Opaque was The OC. I watched it after it had been released, so I would record reruns from the soap channel. But I was really obsessed with the characters, and I felt like they were my friends — and it was the most devastating thing I've experienced when Marissa died in season three." On Making Films About Mediating Our Lives, and Coping with Alienation and Dysphoria, Through Fandom and Pop-Culture Fixations Jane: "I remember feeling like I've always been an artist, and I've always told myself stories and written screenplays or fan fiction, or anything that I could to be creative. It's a need that I have. But I had so much shame for the longest time about what kind of art I could make that would be authentic and not just a rip off of the things that I love, that would speak from a perspective in a place that that was deeply personal, and that could only come from who I was and where I came from. And a lot of that shame was repression. But there was this moment that was sort of in tandem with my coming out and my artistic awakening, where I kind of realised this cheat — which was they say 'write what you know', but what I know is watching. What I know is staring at a screen. And I think I'm enough of a self-reflective person to understand that that experience isn't all good or all bad, but that it is rife with mystery and ambiance and loneliness, and connection and love and sadness. And it can feel scary and alienating. It has political resonance, and it has personal resonance — and it's sort of the thing that we all do that we don't talk about in our art. It mediates our lives so deeply at this point, that in exploring that and not just exploring that from a political perspective but from my own life staring at a screen, and the way that it intertwined with who I was and what I was hiding from in myself, this just became, like I said, a cheat code of sorts to finally unlock my personal voice as an artist. I find the screen as a symbol just very compelling, both thematically and aesthetically, and it's something that I can return to over and over again without repeating myself so far. I find myself just wanting to dig deeper and deeper into that abyss." On Starring in a Movie That Is So Personal and Specific to Its Filmmaker Brigette: "One of the things about Jane that is so exciting is that they're able to communicate these really, really deep experiences and personal feelings in a way that other people feel a part of. I think that was one of the reasons the film was able to get made, was that in meeting after meeting they told their story, and they talked about what it meant for an egg to crack, which is the term of a trans person realising that they're trans. But also for myself, I had been experiencing the same things or very similar things to Jane, and that was one of the things we connected on when we first spoke — and I think one of the reasons that we trusted each other to make this movie together and to be fully vulnerable for it." On How Lundy-Paine Came to Be Involved in I Saw the TV Glow Brigette: "My good friend for a long time, Sam Intill, they sent me the script because they'd met Jane after seeing Jane's first film at Sundance, and they'd come on to produce this second one in its very, very early stages. And Sam connected Jane and I, and Jane and I just got along really, really well right away. We have a very similar sense of humour and experience, our perspectives of what making movies and what Hollywood meant to us — and the rules that we both wanted to break, and the experiences that we both wanted to help convey to the audience. So that was, I think, maybe two years before production. And then it was pretty locked in for Jane and I that we wanted to work together, and it was just a long process of Jane convincing A24 that that I would play the part. I had done a TV show, but I'm not a huge name and I think that was tricky for A24 to believe. But Jane was like 'no, it it has to be us. It has to be me and Brige'. And I was very grateful for that. And I had the script for a long time because of it, so I was able to like get really deep and comfortable with the words." On Lundy-Paine's First Reaction to the Script, What Resonated the Most and What They Saw That They Could Bring to the Film Brigette: "I think I was just so moved by how real it felt — and how it almost felt like mythology. The emotions of it were coming from such a raw place. And I really liked the way that Jane plays with the sort of shallow, cliched teen dialogue and then moves into a realm of almost subconscious communication to explore the actual meanings of what they're talking about. I think I felt the colours of the film really strongly. I felt this blue and pink neon electric sensation, and I also just knew that it was a character that I really wanted to have in my body, and I was really anxious to get to know her. I think I knew that arc very well. If I was different than Maddy myself — but I know, and I really wanted to free myself in the same ways that she did. So I was able to pull from my own angst and fear and love, and obsession with the stories and the worlds that that Maddy finds safety in." On Schoenbrun's Dreamy, Hazy, Like-You're-in-the-Characters'-Heads Aesthetic Jane: "Film as a dream was something that I was really interested in from the earliest stages of thinking about a language as an artist, like the idea of the experience of sitting in a dark room and seeing this thing — the only thing you can see. I had and still have these recurring dreams where I'll be watching something and then all of a sudden I will be inside of it. There were just these repetitions of interest in the process of travelling from watching something to being synonymous with the screen. There's a shot in We're All Going to the World's Fair where we slowly zoom in on a screen until the screen is no longer a screen, and it's our screen. This feels very trance-like to me. This feels like the process of falling asleep or dreaming. It feels very oneiric, and it's just fascinating to me because I think film is a medium so interested in time and space. Another big influence is the experimental film Wavelength, where we spend the entire movie just slowly moving across the room towards a painting. I find it like such a simple reminder of the power of the medium and perspective in the way that the third eye of the screen can help us understand space in a way that our own eyes can't. I just like it. There's a deepness and a mystery to it that I find myself continuing to chip away at. I could speculate about why I'm drawn to it. I read a really great book of queer trans film theory called Shimmering Images — Eliza Steinbock, I believe. I read this after I had made We're All Going to the World's Fair and it was an entire book of theory written about trans people's aesthetic connection to the shimmer, to liminality, to a space that is very transitory in its essence, and that we find some comfort in that space of transitory self because we relate to it. But I think there are so many resonances and so many reasons why I'm fascinated by haze, and by the screen and liminality and lo-fi aesthetics." Brigette: "I had so much fun with it because it's rare to work with a director who has a vision of such specific pacing and tone. And so we would do these scenes with, as I mentioned, sometimes the dialogue almost feels like canned or cliched, but because of Jane's style and the way that they're playing with that type of dialogue, it's about the pace and the rhythm. So we would have rehearsed a lot, but even when we got to set, we would do the scenes too fast. And so Jane had to continuously slow us down and remind us that it was almost as if we were existing in separate universes from each other, Owen and I. And so Jane would say 'this time, do it and don't even expect him to respond'. And I think that brings out some of that eerie, dreamlike quality." On Lundy-Paine's 90s Nostalgia Bent with Bill & Ted and Now I Saw the TV Glow Brigette: "I think it's something that interests me because it's something that activates a real personal and vital process for the directors or for the people who are making these films. I was born in 94, so I didn't experience too much of the 90s, but I obviously understand what it feels like to be nostalgic for, say, 2010. And so I think working on projects that are set in the 90s, it means a lot because it's the childhood, because it's a real place for the people creating these worlds. And also it just feels iconic. I remember I watched like Fight Club and Donnie Darko while we were filming, just randomly, and both times I was like 'I want to make a movie set in the 90s'. And realised 'ohh we are making a movie set in the 90s right now'." I Saw the TV Glow is screening in select Australian cinemas now, after opening on Thursday, August 29, 2024. Images: A24.
Ningaloo Reef is the only large reef in the world that you can access straight off the shore. Whether you’re lazing on the sand in Exmouth or Coral Bay, all you have to do is slip on your snorkelling gear, paddle out a few metres and, within minutes, you’ll be hanging out in dazzling coral gardens, along with dolphins, turtles and manta rays. You’ll find the UNESCO heritage-listed wonder 1,200 kilometres north of Perth, from where it runs north along the coast for 260 kilometres, between North West Cape and Red Bluff. Like the Great Barrier Reef, its fragile environment is under constant threat — from both development proposals and excessive tourism. Here's your eco-friendly guide to spending time in Ningaloo, while treading carefully. For the best prices on flights and accommodation on the WA Coral Coast, check out Wotif.com. SWIMMING WITH WHALE SHARKS Ningaloo is most famous for the hundreds of mammoth-sized visitors that come around once a year — between April and July. Even though they’re called whale sharks, they’re so gentle you can swim alongside them. And they also happen to be the biggest fish in the world. In few places do they gather in big crowds, but when you have 18 metres of body to feed, Ningaloo’s plankton feasts are hard to pass by. To swim, snorkel or dive with whale sharks, book yourself into a day tour. Needless to say, we don’t want to bombard them with strangers, so tours are tightly controlled, with only ten people allowed to hang about each creature at a time. If you happen to be in Exmouth between 21 and 24 May 2015, you’ll be right on time for the Whale Shark Festival. HUMPBACKS, TURTLES AND DUGONGS Whale sharks aren’t the only underwater life seeking out Ningaloo’s culinary abundance. Where other habitats have been over-fished and stripped of their diversity, Ningaloo is still thriving (so far). 30,000 humpback whales breach and spout their way past between June and November, on their 11,000 kilometre journey from Antarctica to the warm breeding grounds just off the Kimberley. Minke, southern right and blue whales pop by frequently, too. Excellent spots for whale watching include Exmouth’s main beach, Bundegi Beach and Vlamingh Head, but if you’d like to get closer, join a whale watching tour. Then there are dolphins, manta rays, one thousand dugongs and Jacques Cousteau knows how many fish. Six of the world’s seven marine turtle species call Ningaloo home, four of them vulnerable or endangered, and the reef is one of the most important nesting grounds on the planet for green and loggerhead turtles. To watch hundreds of hatchlings making their dangerous dash to the sea, you’ll need to visit between November and February. The breeding process is incredibly delicate, so you’re asked to follow the guidelines outlined in the Ningaloo Turtle Watchers’ Code of Conduct, which you can pick up from the Exmouth Visitor Centre, or join a tour. PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION Back in the 1960s, the WA branch of the Australian Marine Sciences Association recommended that Ningaloo be turned into a marine reserve, but it wasn’t until May 1987 that their suggestion was realised, and not until November 2004 that the park boundary was expanded to incorporate the entire reef. At present, 34% of the reef is made up of protective sanctuary zones. Regardless of such legislation, however, Ningaloo hasn’t been immune to threat from developers. In 2003, a plan to build a 2,000-bed resort at Mauds Landing was rejected, largely thanks to the Save Ningaloo Reef Campaign. Then, in 2010, sustained opposition successfully defeated a proposal to develop a salt mine in Exmouth Gulf. Now, the focus is on ensuring that development of, and tourism in, the area happens along sustainable lines. If you’re visiting, be sure to opt for eco-friendly activities and choose ethical tour operators.
The mercury is soaring, cold and cloudy days have become a distant memory and enjoying a few hours of sunlight after knock-off time is a daily occurrence. Yes, it's summer — which means that soaking in Australia's sultry weather is the number-one pastime across the nation. Well, that and finding something refreshing to drink on those hot days and nights when you're hanging with your mates and having a fiesta. Enter spritzes. They're light, they couldn't pair better with our climate and they have long been a warm-weather favourite. Feel like you've tried every type of spritz there is, though? Don't want to simply serve the same old drinks to your friends next time you're kicking back by the barbecue or pool? That's where the tequila versions come in — and they're sure to get the party going at any at-home do. We've teamed up with top-notch tequila brand — and, fun fact, Matthew McConaughey's go-to agave juice — Jose Cuervo to bring you four incredibly easy spritz recipes to add to your must-drink list. THE CUERVO SPRITZ Serves one Sometimes, you don't need a complicated recipe — you just need a tasty beverage. This zesty spritz is big on fruit flavours, but still impossible to get wrong. Ingredients 30ml Jose Cuervo Especial Silver 20ml lychee liqueur 10ml lemon juice 15ml simple syrup 2 dashes Angostura orange bitters 120ml soda water 1 mint sprig (optional) Method Add ice to a tall glass, then fill with Jose Cuervo Especial Silver, lychee liqueur, lemon juice, simple syrup, Angostura orange bitters and soda water. To finish, garnish with a mint sprig. THE TEQUILA BUCK Serves one Every buck cocktail features two key ingredients: ginger beer and something citrusy. This version also adds tequila, plus raspberry cordial or grenadine and aromatic bitters for a rosy-hued tipple. Ingredients 45ml Jose Cuervo Especial Reposado 15ml raspberry cordial or grenadine 20ml lime juice 2 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters 120ml ginger beer 1 lime wedge or candied ginger (optional) Method Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, then add Jose Cuervo Especial Reposado, raspberry cordial or grenadine, lime juice and Angostura aromatic bitters. Shake for about 30 seconds. Strain into a wine glass and top with ginger beer. Then, garnish with lime wedge or candied ginger. Or, you could just watch this quick how-to video below. https://youtu.be/lxpNiYKB514 ELDERFLOWER T'N'T Serves one Tequila pairs mighty well with tonic, as this take on an old favourite shows. You'll also enjoy the distinctive taste of elderflower here, so you won't confuse this for any other spritz. Ingredients 30ml Jose Cuervo Especial Silver 20ml elderflower liqueur 10ml lime juice 2 dashes Angostura orange bitters 120ml tonic 1 cucumber slice (optional) Method Fill a wine glass with ice, then add Jose Cuervo Especial Silver, elderflower liqueur, lime juice, Angostura orange bitters and tonic. Stir, but only briefly, then top with a cucumber slice as a garnish. SPARKLING MARGARITA Serves one A margarita, but make it sparkling? This spritz is as simple and straightforward as it sounds. It's also a perfect go-to for when you only have a few ingredients on hand. Ingredients 45ml Jose Cuervo Especial Reposado 120ml lemon soda 1 lemon wedge (optional) Method Fill a wine glass with ice, add Jose Cuervo Especial Reposado and top with lemon soda, then garnish with a lemon wedge. See? Simple. Find more Jose Cuervo cocktail recipes by visiting the brand's website.
What would you do if you were a little less freaked out by consequences? Would you talk to more new people, fear a bit less, dance a little more like FKA Twigs, quit your desk job and start that no-guarantees creative career you've always had in the back of your mind? Some sparkling young Australians are already flinging their inhibitions into a ziplock bag and seizing this little ol' life with both hands. Concrete Playground has teamed up with the Jameson crew to give you a sneak peek into the lives of bold characters who took a big chance on themselves. They've gone out on a limb and rewritten their path, encapsulating 'Sine Metu', the Jameson family motto which translates to 'without fear' — getting outside your comfort zone and trying something new. After all, we only get one shot at this. Take notes. From a very young age, we're all asked the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" We're told to pick one path, one profession, to neatly label the rest of your life. Our responses change as we grow up, from astronaut to engineer, princess to PR, and for Sydney-based Cole Bennetts, from Penguin Boy to renowned photographer taking the Prime Minister's portrait. You can read the interview over here. Want to experience a little bit of 'Sine Metu' yourself? Cole's being a total legend and helping us give away the chance to be a photographed like the biggest names in the music business. Cole will work with you and a lucky friend to create a unique shoot for your own use, be it the ultimate profile pic or your next step to stardom — so you can see for yourself what happens when bold humans take big creative chances with big payoffs. Enter here to win.
Nine months after Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu's passing, the Indigenous musician has posthumously achieved a historic feat with his final album. Released this week, Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow) now sits at the top of the Australian charts, becoming the first record in an Indigenous language to do so. A project that took over four years to come to fruition — and was completed only weeks before Yunupingu's death — Djarimirri presents 12 traditional Yolngu songs and harmonised chants with orchestral arrangements, with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra providing the latter. "This album is a testament to this great Australian and his family, all Yolngu and the greater Aboriginal population," said Skinnyfish Music's Michael Hohnen, Yunupingu's friend, collaborator and producer. "The history he has made taking a true Australian language and heritage to number one proves the strength of the underlying cultural identity of this nation." Born blind on Elcho Island off the coast of Arnhem Land, Yunupingu was already Australia's highest-selling Indigenous artist before Djarimirri's release. His three previous studio albums — 2008's Gurrumul, 2011's Rrakala and 2015's The Gospel Album — all peaked at third position on the ARIA album charts, with Gurrumul earning triple-platinum status and Rrakala also going platinum. A documentary about Yunupingu's life, which premiered at last year's Melbourne International Film Festival and also screened at this year's Berlinale, opens in Australian cinemas on April 25. Image: 6 Seasons Productions.
Gravity promises to be the most stressful film of 2013. For those yet to hear about the Alfonso Cuarón-directed thriller, it features George Clooney and Sandra Bullock as astronauts separated from their spacecraft after a collision. They must then try to survive floating through space. Oh, and there has been absolutely no hint one way or the other as to if they live. Intense, right? As if imagining that or watching the trailer was not enough to whip us into a frenzy of tense anticipation, Warner Brothers has now released a truly terrifying film promotion tool. To simulate what Bullock and Clooney's characters experience, they have created an online 'game' that requires you to navigate through the vast loneliness of space. Free and playable on iPhone, iPad, Google play or through your browser, it's certainly worth a go. Given nothing but the instructions of "You are floating alone in the vastness of space. Use your thrusters to navigate", you are confronted with the scariness of this task. It is made all the more bleak by the incessant breathing of your character and static radio transmission. The tone of desperation and despair is set brilliantly and will certainly leave you wanting to see the film even more than you did already. Via Fast Co.Create.
Just over two weeks ago, the Australian Government announced a ban on non-essential mass gatherings of more than 500 people. Tonight, Sunday, March 29, that number has dropped to two. During an announcement made after the latest national cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that any public gatherings should be limited to two people, excluding family members. If you're not with those you live with — your parents, children or partner, for example — you should only be with one other person. The previous limit was ten. States and territories will decide if this is an enforceable limit. On-the-spot fines are currently in place in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, for individuals and businesses not following other COVID-19 containment regulations, such as self-isolation and unlawful mass gatherings. It was also announced that public playgrounds, outdoor gyms and skate ramps will close from Monday, March 30. The new two-person limit on public gatherings does not apply to weddings (which have a current limit of five people) and funerals (which have a limit of ten), but it does apply to group bootcamps. The Prime Minister also reiterated that Australians should only be leaving their homes for one of four reasons: shopping for what you need — such as food and other essential supplies — "as infrequently as possibly"; for medical care or compassionate reasons; to exercise, in-line with the new two-person limit; and for work or education if you cannot work or learn remotely. Another new announcement made tonight and set to be expanded on by individual states and territories over the coming days is a moratorium on evictions for the next six months. Which means that individuals and businesses cannot be evicted from their residential or commercial properties for not paying rent. The Australian Government also urges anyone that does leave their house to follow its social distancing guidelines. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Top image: Kimberley Low
If you are thinking about planning a really big trip in the next couple of years, the sky may no longer be your limit. Space tourism has long been touted as the new frontier for the seriously adventurous traveller, and it looks like it may become more commonplace in the not-so-distant future. Orbital Technologies, Sierra Nevada Corporation and NASA have collaborated to develop the Dreamchaser Vehicle, a multi-purpose commercial space craft which will primarily be dedicated to scientific research and tourism. The Dreamchaser, which will also act as an emergency station for passing space craft, will include a space hotel with four hotel cabins to accommodate seven guests. And while guests will not be able to expect all the conveniences of home (internet access may prove a bit tricky), they will have access to zippered sleeping bags, waterless flushing loos, shower facitlities and gourmet meals —a little more luxury than your average astronaut is afforded. And, no doubt, the views from the hotel portholes will be entirely out of this world. Five nights in the space hotel will set you back about $165,000, and the transfer to and from your hotel another $826,000 - a pretty penny for an experience that gives a whole new meaning to sleeping under the stars.
The next dancefloor filler from 'Love Tonight' favourites SHOUSE is on its way, but it needs your help in the best possible fashion: by taking part in a huge music party that'll fill Melbourne's St Paul's Cathedral for RISING 2024. The Victorian capital's major annual arts festival has announced its first commission for next year, with Ed Service and Jack Madin overseeing Communitas — where hundreds of people will make tunes, then a single will be released. Free to attend, Communitas wants its participants to form a choir; however, not only using their voices but dancing and making sound vibrations will be on the agenda. Think of it as a huge gathering that's also a jam and a ritual, composing collectively and spontaneously as everyone parties and communes. There's no audience here, just folks joining in, connecting and chasing shared joy. The date to pop in your diary: Saturday, June 15, for what's certain to be a standout event on the full RISING lineup. Nothing else has been announced for the fest so far, but the entire program of art, music, installations and performances for its third year will run from Saturday, June 1–Sunday, June 16. Jon Madin is creating handmade instruments for participants to use, while Deep Soulful Sweats is in charge of the choreography. While the end result is something to experience, the single that springs will give everyone who is there a songwriting credit as it aims to share the fun beyond Communitas' one massive night. "Communitas is more than a musical event; it's a collective celebration of the human spirit, a symphony of shared joy that transcends boundaries," said Service. "We're thrilled to collaborate with RISING, and invite hundreds into the heart of St Paul's Cathedral to join us in forging connections through the language of music. Join us in the beat of drums, a chorus of voices, a mass of humanity, finally together in space and time." Getting its audience participating en masse, and not just passively watching, is one of RISING's focuses, including at 2023's fest when 11,000 people formed a kazoo orchestra. RISING 2024 runs from Saturday, June 1–Sunday, June 16 across Melbourne, with Communitas taking place on Saturday, June 15 at St Paul's Cathedral, Flinders Street. Head to the festival's website for further information and to register to take part in Communitas.
From the ruthless world of magazine publishing to the blood and guts of an Aussie hens weekend gone supremely wrong: that's been Aisha Dee's journey of late. There's far more to the Gold Coast-born actor's career so far, of course, including coming to fame as a teenager back in 2008 courtesy of The Saddle Club, subsequent parts on Dead Gorgeous and Sweet/Vicious, and showing up in St Vincent-starring satire The Nowhere Inn. Still, on screens big and small alike, she's been garnering attention for navigating pressure-filled situations — and revelling in them. In Sissy, her latest role and her return to Australia after years working in the US, Dee is in positively savage territory. She plays the titular character, better known as @SincerelyCecilia on Instagram to the tune of 200,000-plus followers. Liking and subscribing is what her devotees do all day, responding to her calming and inspiring missives about being yourself and finding your bliss, and Cecilia's whole sense of self is built on that online adoration. Sissy is a comedy, too, with writer/director duo Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes having ample fun parodying the wellness and influencer industries. That said, when the movie's namesake attends a bachelorette shindig for her long-lost childhood BFF, old torments resurface and this proves firmly a horror flick as well. Dee wasn't initially approached to play Cecilia. When the script came her way, she was earmarked for Fran, fiancée to Emma, Cecilia's primary school bestie. But Dee felt an instant bond with Sissy's eponymous figure. She felt protective of her. "Honestly, I read the script and immediately I felt like I had to defend Cecilia," she tells Concrete Playground. "I cared so deeply for her. I really felt really connected to her and had a lot of empathy for what she was experiencing in the moment, and how easy it would be under those circumstances to kind of just slip and fall." Once you've seen Sissy, Dee's words obviously come with a caveat: clearly, she hasn't found herself in the exact same situation, behaving in the exact same way. But in a film that happily, smartly and entertainingly rips into a whole heap of targets — with humour and as a slasher flick alike — she makes Cecilia a compelling protagonist amid all the chaos. It's a bold performance, because The Bold Type isn't just an entry on Dee's resume. The international film festival circuit heartily agrees, with Sissy premiering at SXSW 2022, enjoying its Australian premiere in June at the Sydney Film Festival, and doing the rounds everywhere from Melbourne and Perth to South Korea and Scotland since. Dee hit the Harbour City midyear with the movie, which is now in cinemas across Australia — and chatted to us about social media, knowing that she had to play Cecilia, preparing for the part in hotel quarantine, making a different kind of Aussie movie and getting an opportunity she didn't think would happen. ON SOCIAL MEDIA'S PREVALENCE — AND SILLINESS "The film doesn't offer solutions, but I do think it poses questions and forces us, in a way that feels quite uncomfortable, to question our own relationship with social media and how we interact with it. I think it's hard to be a human in the world right now and not have some kind of relationship with social media, because it is such a prevalent part of our society now. Personally, I don't use social media in the same way [as Cecilia] — I wish I was better at it, it's not something that comes super naturally to me, to be posting on Instagram all the time. My relationship with social media has always been really about creating boundaries, because I find it a very triggering environment in terms of even just having the confidence to post something. I second-guess myself a lot, and I get very existential. Every time I post something, I'm like, 'well, what's the point? What is Instagram? What is a telephone?'. It's all pretty silly." ON NEEDING TO PLAY CECILIA "It was towards the end of 2020 — and, you know, we were all there for 2020. I had been in LA for most of that year, really only seeing a select few people and kind of feeling quite isolated socially, a bit awkward, and reexamining a lot of my relationships. And my manager sent me this script. Initially they wanted me for the role of Fran, and I could see that, because Fran felt really similar to a couple of characters I had played before. But literally, I couldn't shake the feeling that I felt like Cecilia was my little sister or my best friend, or just someone that I loved so deeply and cared so deeply for. It wasn't something that I planned or knew was going to happen when I read the script, but I felt like I had to honour it. I called my manager and I said 'please tell them that I really love the script, but I just don't feel connected to Fran as a character — but I feel really connected to Sissy, tell them that I love Sissy'. I said that knowing it was kind of presumptuous but not expecting them to ask to meet me at all, but they were really into the idea. I think they had had someone very different in mind — she was described as having blonde hair and being very petite and pale, and I am none of those things — but I just felt like something felt right. ON DRAWING ON 2020'S CHAOS FOR THE PART — HOTEL QUARANTINE AND ALL "There's the year of 2020 as a whole. But then, in order to get back home to Australia, I had to do two weeks of quarantine in hotel quarantine where you literally see no one. It is the most extreme version of isolation. I was on a really low floor in this big tall building, and every day at like 12pm, I would lose the sun. I would be out my window — like I needed the sun and I needed the fresh air, and I felt like I was going absolutely insane. So while I was in quarantine, I was actually sending Hannah and Kane, the writers and directors of the film, I was sending them videos as Cecilia. Just every morning I would wake up and do a different kind of like sermon or meditation or something, just because I did't really have anything to do. Getting out of quarantine, I definitely felt like Bambi on ice a little. I felt very awkward. I'm an awkward person to begin with, but having those two weeks alone in a room — it wasn't intentional but I do think it kind of leant itself to getting into some kind of headspace." ON RETURNING HOME TO MAKE A DIFFERENT KIND OF AUSSIE MOVIE "Something that jumped out to me when I was reading it was the way that there was this really heavy female gaze on the movie — which I think is rare for genre films to have such a strong female gaze. And beyond just Cecilia the character, you had a very small cast that consisted of an interracial lesbian couple, a gay man with disability and an Asian woman. And the only man that you really saw was a queer man." I loved this this. I just loved the world that I could see imagining it and reading it. It didn't feel like any other Aussie movie that I had seen. It really reflected the colourful, diverse, beautiful Australia that I know. I think unfortunately, up until kind of recently, Australian film and television really hasn't reflected that same colourful melting pot that like we all know actually exists here — so that was another big reason why I wanted to be a part of it." ON GETTING AN UNEXPECTED OPPORTUNITY "I definitely had hoped that I would be able to play a character like this. But, being realistic, opportunities like this don't come up every day for someone who looks like me, especially in the Australian film space. So I had always hoped that maybe I would be able to play a role like this, but the fact that the opportunity was actually presented to me is really, really, really cool. I guess it kind of was on my bucket list. But when I think about it, I don't know that I ever could've anticipated that this would be an opportunity that I would've had. And to me, it really meant nothing whether people were going to see it or they weren't, it didn't matter to me — because with independent film, you really are rolling the dice, chances are nobody's going to see it. The fact that like it's doing such big things is really cool. I think that honestly it's a testament to what can happen if the Australian film industry embraces diversity the way they should." Sissy released in Australian cinemas on November 3. Read our full review.
Australia's love of culinary mashups isn't new, given we're the home of everything from lamington cruffins to Iced Vovo bavarians, but our sweet treat brands sure do like teaming up with beloved beverage brands at the moment. First came Allen's new range of Pasito, creaming soda and lemonade lollies, all based on the Kirks soft drinks. Next on your shopping list: Oak's collaboration with Streets on a new type of Golden Gaytime. Once again, as these hybrids always are, the end result is as simple as it sounds: a Golden Gaytime, but flavoured like Oak chocolate milk. Two local favourites, one new must-try dessert — that's it, that's this new ice cream. Specifically, the new flavour features an Oak-inspired ice cream in the centre, surrounded by a layer of chocolate, and then the usual Golden Gaytime biscuit pieces on top. That said, the latter have had a chocolate makeover as well. Chocaholics, this is obviously for you. This isn't the first time that Streets has mixed up its Golden Gaytime range, or taken cues from other food favourites. Last year, Fruit Loops and Crunchy Nut Golden Gaytimes hit shelves for all cereal-loving ice cream fans, and a Coco Pops versions arrived before that as well. You'll find the new Oak ice creams in some stores now — at IGA, Ritchie's, Drakes and Romeo's — retailing at $9.50 for a box of four. Come September, they'll also hit Coles, convenience stores and petrol stations, ready for frosty spring and summer sweet treats. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Streets Ice Cream (@streetsicecreamau) Streets' new Oak chocolate milk-flavoured Golden Gaytimes are now available at IGA, Ritchie's, Drakes and Romeo's, and will hit Coles, convenience stores and petrol stations from September — retailing at $9.50 for a box of four.
Home ownership. It’s the great Australian dream. And the American dream. And probably a dream for quite a few other nationalities too. But with house prices almost constantly on the rise, the dream can seem unattainable. So how about a home that costs just $200? That’s what this ‘Gypsy Junker’ cost, built from abandoned shipping pallets and recycled materials by Derek Diedricksen, a micro-house enthusiast in Massachusetts. The aim was to design and build a shelter for homeless people, for as little as possible. With only 24 square feet of space, estate agents would no doubt dub it ‘extremely cosy’. While the ‘Gypsy Junker’ was built by a hobbyist to prove the concept, smaller and more affordable housing is a goal for architects too. Revelations Architects in Wisconsin have focused on the fundamental uses of a home – eating, bathing, sleeping and communal fellowship – and worked out they could squeeze it all in to a footprint of just 340 square feet. Named the E.D.G.E (Experimental Dwelling for a Greener Environment), the building is pre-fabricated to simplify construction, and the reconfigurable interior is designed to optimise the use of space. The architects are already working on the next version, and hope to see it put to use as a holiday retreat or full time residence. If you’re thinking: “Tiny houses are fine in America, but we don’t need that here,” think again. There are already plans for a micro-house in Sydney, where a judge wants to build a four story house on a 2.7 metre wide block of land. Down-sized dwellings might be the way of the future for all of us. [Via Neatorama and PSFK]
Playing fictional movie star Vincent Chase in eight seasons of Entourage — and in the forgettable Entourage movie, too — Adrian Grenier got pretty comfortable playing someone who was constantly in front of the camera. That trait remains in his latest project, twisty new Netflix thriller series Clickbait. This time, Grenier steps into the shoes of a man who disappears suddenly, leaving his loved ones distraught. Then, when he pops up afterwards, it's in an online video that makes a shocking claim. In the clip, Nick Brewer (Grenier, Stage Mother) holds a card that says "I abuse women. At 5 million views, I die." His sister (Zoe Kazan, The Big Sick) and wife (Betty Gabriel, Get Out) are already distressed, but their nightmare only worsens once the video starts doing the rounds — unsurprisingly. Across eight episodes, the show then follows their efforts to find and save him, as well as the information they uncover along the way about the man they thought they knew. Swapping between different perspectives throughout its run, and stepping up the stakes in the process as well, Clickbait ponders the big, broad, important and constantly relevant intersection between our identities and our increasing use of social media. Just how our online and real-life selves can differ — and what types of behaviours we might indulge virtually that we wouldn't IRL — is only going to continue to garner the world's attention, which this Melbourne-shot series clearly attempts to tap into. Yes, if you spot any familiar sights while you're binging Clickbait from Wednesday, August 25 — or while you're watching the suitably tense just-dropped first trailer for the series — that's because it was filmed in the Victorian capital. It's a big month for high-profile shows that were made in Australia and are now hitting streaming, actually, with Amazon Prime Video dropping the Byron Bay-shot, Nicole Kidman-starring Nine Perfect Strangers as well. Check out the trailer below: Clickbait will be available to stream via Netflix from Wednesday, August 25. Top image: Ben King/Netflix.
New voices, same interdimensional chaos: that's what Rick and Morty will start beaming in October. The sci-fi animated sitcom has locked in its return date for season seven, hitting on Sunday, October 15 in America. That's Monday, October 16 Down Under, where it gets schwifty in your streaming queue via Netflix. If you're wondering what kinds of chaos are in store this time around, Adult Swim — which airs the series in the US — isn't giving much away as yet. "We ride together. We die together. We're buried in the backyard together," it teased in a first poster for the new season. And if you're also wondering how the show's titular chaotic scientist and his grandson will sound the new episodes, that hasn't yet been announced. Earlier in the year, the network dropped Justin Roiland due to domestic violence charges. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rick and Morty (@rickandmorty) Anything can happen in Rick and Morty, with a change of vocal tones for Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith one of the least out-there developments within the show's narrative. Given that the show clearly gleaned inspiration from Back to the Future, there's some obvious dream casting right there just waiting to happen — but whoever gets the gigs will be lending their tones to a genius scientist going on wild adventures with a high schooler. Viewers can still expect the show's eponymous pair to keep wreaking havoc, and the series to keep zipping between as many universes as it can. And, for Rick and Morty's hijinks to still draw in Morty's mother Beth (Sarah Chalke, Firefly Lane), father Jerry (Chris Parnell, Archer) and sister Summer (Spencer Grammer, Tell Me a Story). Spanning ten episodes, season seven will hit everywhere that it can in this dimension — in more than 134 countries, and also in 38 languages. If you're keen to rejoin the smartest Rick and Morty-est Morty in the universe, start getting excited. There's no trailer for Rick and Morty's seventh season yet — we'll update you when one arrives. Rick and Morty's seventh season will premiere globally on Monday, October 16 Down Under. It streams via Netflix in Australia and New Zealand.
On most weekends, somewhere in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane is hosting a beer festival. They might not happen every single weekend, but they definitely pop up with frequency. Only one is called the Great Australasian Beer Spectapular, however, and dedicates itself to weird, wild, wonderful and inventive varieties that are made exclusively for the booze-fuelled party. And that very fest has locked in its dates for 2023. If you're a newcomer to GABS, as the festival is known, it started off as a Melbourne-only celebration of ales, lagers, ciders and more. Then, it started spreading along Australia's east coast capitals, as well as to New Zealand. So far, its 2023 plans will see it return for its Aussie run to see out autumn and welcome in winter. While only dates and venues have been confirmed so far, and not brewers heading along or the beers they'll be whipping up, attendees can look forward to an event that's considered to be one of the best craft beer and cider festivals in the Asia Pacific region. One big reason: it'll pour at least 120 brews, which in past years have been inspired by breakfast foods, savoury snacks, desserts, cocktails and more. In 2022, peanut butter, coffee, earl grey tea, chicken salt, pizza, fairy floss, bubblegum and sour gummy bears all got a whirl. The event surveys both Australian and New Zealand breweries, with more than 60 set to be pouring their wares this year. Also on the bill: other types of tipples, including non-alcoholic beers, seltzers, whiskey, gin, cocktails and wines. GABS is known for dishing up a hefty lineup of activities to accompanying all that sipping, too, which'll span a silent disco, roaming bands, circus and sideshow performers, games and panels with industry leaders in 2023, as well as local food trucks and vendors to line your stomach. GREAT AUSTRALASIAN BEER SPECTAPULAR 2023 DATES: Friday, May 19–Sunday, May 21 — Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne Friday, June 2–Saturday, June 3 — ICC Darling Harbour, Sydney Saturday, June 10 — Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane GABS will take place across Australia's east coast throughout May and June— head to the event's website for further details.
Coffee is a complicated game. You need to source the right beans, grind them correctly, filter them for the specified time, perhaps froth the milk to that just-right temp and you need some pure-ass water. That's because coffee is 98 percent H2O, so some average water will mean your coffee will taste average — which is a damn shame if you've shelled out for some luxe Panama Geisha beans. Specialty coffee cafes are all over this and filter their water extensively, but baby home baristas aren't so diligent. So, to ensure they don't waste those beans on sub-par water, some genius has created a type of purified water specifically for making coffee. It's called Aquiem, and it's labelled its product as 'enhanced water'. While that sounds like total wank, it's essentially water that's been distilled to take all the extra stuff out of it. Then, a blend of good minerals that are supposedly meant to enhance the flavour of coffee are added back in. Then they're packaged and sold for a couple of dollars a pop. "What you definitely do not want is to have things like zinc and lead, fluoride, chlorine and large amounts of calcium in the water. All of that effects the taste of the coffee," co-founder Rob Vidacovich told Daily Coffee News. "What does have a favourable effect on coffee are things like magnesium, potassium, and a certain right blend of calcium." The whole idea is to allow non-pro baristas to make the most of their beans and drink a damn good cup of coffee every time. The Louisiana-based company has been working on the product for six years, but officially launched at the start of this year. Aquiem is currently sold in retailers in the state, but can be ordered online. Via Daily Coffee News.
To say 2021 was a massive year is a bit of an understatement. But with the the new year in full swing, it's officially time to let go of the trials that last year brought and start afresh with a relaxing holiday. If you, like us, are keen to extend your summer this year, consider locking in a trip to Tropical North Queensland to enjoy some much-needed time in this balmy paradise. From private island retreats wreathed in the Great Barrier Reef to secluded treehouses poised in World Heritage-listed rainforest, we've uncovered ten luxury stays to check out. These spots are not only champions of ecotourism, with initiatives like water recycling and single-use plastic and amenities bans evident across most properties, but will also tick the box if you want to wake up immersed in nature. [caption id="attachment_827699" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Tropical North Queensland[/caption] BEDARRA ISLAND If you're looking for somewhere to truly disappear to, put Bedarra Island at the top of your list. The secluded tropical haven is part of the Family Islands National Park, approximately two hours drive south of Cairns. To get to the island, you can take a helicopter transfer from Cairns Airport or a 30-minute boat ride across the Coral Sea from the idyllic coastal village, Mission Beach. With just 11 private villas on the island (all with ocean views), Bedarra is ideal for travellers looking for secluded, laidback luxury. The island is totally off-grid and uses solar power for energy. The best part? It's an all-inclusive experience. Here, you'll have unlimited access to snorkelling gear, sea kayaks, motorised dinghies, stand-up paddleboards, tennis equipment and stunning rainforest walks. Plus, all your meals, snacks, cocktails and celebratory champagne will be organised for you. Want to take a gourmet picnic on your personal dinghy to a deserted island? How about enjoying a candlelit dinner on your private deck? At Bedarra, you can have both. [caption id="attachment_828271" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Tropical North Queensland[/caption] SILKY OAKS LODGE If you've ever wondered what it's like to live in a treehouse, just like Brendan Fraser in George of the Jungle, Silky Oaks Lodge in Mossman is the place to bring that foliage fantasy to life. Wedged between the breathtaking Daintree Rainforest and peaceful Mossman River, Silky Oaks Lodge has six treehouse-inspired stays to choose from so you can sleep among the treetops of the tropics. Each accomodation option has been designed to embrace the property's natural surrounds and will indulge your senses in the lush rainforest when it comes alive in autumn. If you want to wash off under an outdoor shower, wake up to floor-to-ceiling rainforest views and relax in a bath on your very own private deck while overlooking a cascading river, look sharp to Silky Oaks Lodge. THE REEF HOUSE BOUTIQUE HOTEL AND SPA If spending your holiday lazing opposite a palm tree-lined beach sounds like something you have to go overseas to do, guess again. The Reef House Boutique Hotel and Spa is an award-winning luxury beachfront stay in Palm Cove where you can experience that balmy (and palmy) escape without needing to dig out your now dusty passport. Your stay here includes a drink on arrival, complimentary twilight refreshments, poolside cocktail service and access to the fully stocked Honesty Bar where you can help yourself to your favourite drinks. The adults-only retreat also offers cocktail classes, wine tasting, beachfront yoga, a tranquility pool, jacuzzi, day spa, unlimited bicycle use and a library to keep you occupied in case you get tired of oscillating between the pool and the impressive Reef House Restaurant. [caption id="attachment_827698" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Tropical North Queensland[/caption] THE CANOPY TREEHOUSES If you're planning a tropical holiday with a group, look no further than The Canopy Treehouses. Set on a lush 100-acre property, this place is ideal if you want to steer clear of other holidaymakers as you venture — quite literally — off the beaten track. The two-bedroom Riverfront Treehouses sleep six guests and, as the name suggests, are built on the banks of the river surrounded by ancient rainforest. Or, if you're after something a little larger, the three-bedroom Bower House can accommodate up to eight guests and overlooks the rollings hills of the Atherton Tablelands. Both are fully self-contained and come equipped with barbecue facilities, spa baths and, most importantly, rainforest views. [caption id="attachment_827697" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Tropical North Queensland[/caption] LIZARD ISLAND RESORT If you want to see the Great Barrier Reef without spending hours on a boat, Lizard Island Resort is the ideal place to base yourself. This luxury lodge is quite literally surrounded by the reef meaning you can roll out of bed and right into one of the world's natural wonders in minutes. But it's not just its proximity to the reef that lures people to the island. The all-inclusive accomodation helps take the guesswork out of holiday planning with meals, drinks, snorkelling gear, paddleboards, sea kayaks and more included in your stay. The toughest choice you'll make during your trip will be deciding which of the opulent day spa treatments will make you feel the most relaxed. If you do want to explore a little further, the resort has an on-site naturalist that hosts guided walks to share the island's cultural heritage, particularly that of the Traditional Land Owners, Jiogurru of the Dingaal Aboriginal people. [caption id="attachment_827693" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Tropical North Queensland[/caption] CRYSTALBROOK RILEY If you want floor-to-ceiling ocean views at a centrally located hotel, Crystalbrook Riley is for you. This five-star luxury resort is perched on the Cairns Esplanade, placing you within walking distance of many of the tour operators, restaurants and bars that Cairns has to offer. For a picturesque waterfront wake up, check in to a Panoramic Sea room or Riley's Suite and you'll awaken to uninterrupted views of the Coral Sea and beyond. There's a lush pool that wraps around the entire resort, a day spa to destress at and two in-house restaurants to try — Paper Crane and rooftop bar Rocco. The resort makes an effort to reduce food miles by sourcing 80 percent of ingredients from within a 3.5-hour radius of Cairns, including all of its beef products which come from Crystalbrook's own 85,000-acre cattle station. [caption id="attachment_828717" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Wilson Archer[/caption] MT MULLIGAN LODGE When you think of Tropical North Queensland, the outback probably doesn't come to mind. But if you drive 160 kilometres northwest of Cairns to Mt Mulligan Lodge, that's exactly what you'll find. As the name suggests, this boutique accomodation overlooks the immense tabletop mountain that is Mount Mulligan. Here, you can experience an all-inclusive luxury outback stay featuring hikes, all-terrain vehicle adventures, barramundi fishing, stargazing and more. The sprawling 28,000-hectare property ensures all 20 guests it can accommodate have ample privacy during their stay. Plus, each guest room gets a buggy to buzz around the property on, so you can get from your bed to sunset drinks at the bar with ease. Mt Mulligan Lodge has lots of worthy initiatives in place, too, from a waste minimisation program to a partnership with Ganbina to help local Indigenous students secure employment after school. NIRAMAYA VILLAS AND SPA Port Douglas is a favourite for folks travelling to Tropical North Queensland. If you want to find out what all the fuss is about, take a scenic one-hour drive north of Cairns and stay at Niramaya Villas and Spa to experience the laidback coastal town for yourself. This luxury accommodation features a number of rooms that vary in size from couple-friendly one-bedroom villas to much larger options that can cater to groups of ten. Regardless of the size you need, the soaring ceilings will make you feel like rainforest royalty. Throughout the property, you'll have access to a fully equipped gym, day spa, tennis court, bike hire, saunas, pools and a restaurant and bar to keep you refreshed. [caption id="attachment_828743" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Liam Brennan, Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] DAINTREE ECOLODGE Situated in the heart of the World Heritage-listed Daintree Rainforest, about 90 minutes north of Cairns, is Daintree Ecolodge — boutique accommodation with just 15 bayans (treehouses) perched beneath lush tropical canopies. For the adventurous traveller, this secluded rainforest retreat has its own dedicated walks and a private waterfall to explore. And for those needing something more relaxing, the on-site bar, swimming pool, wellness spa and rainforest restaurant overlooking the lagoon will provide ample opportunity to unwind and disconnect. If you want to discover more about the First Nations people in the area — the Kuku Yalanji people — book into the Culturally Curious package which includes your accommodation, a full-day Walkabout Cultural Tour, a Daintree River cruise and more. The property also assists in the reforestation of the area through a partnership with Rainforest Rescue. [caption id="attachment_828745" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Philip Waring, Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] MT QUINCAN CRATER RETREAT If you're seeking somewhere romantic for your next holiday, check out the couples-only luxury accommodation on offer at Mt Quincan Crater Retreat. Elevated 2500 feet above sea level on the edge of an extinct volcano in the Atherton Tablelands, this award-winning escape boasts breathtaking views that look over the volcanic crater and beyond. Each treehouse has its own private spa that captures these vistas. and some even have an al fresco shower for you to enjoy under the stars. Plus, there are in-room dining options available for fuss-free cook ups and tailored packages to help you celebrate special occasions. Ready to book your tropical escape? For more information and to discover more about extending your summer in Tropical North Queensland, visit the website. Image: Lizard Island, Tourism Tropical North Queensland
UPDATE: MAY 5, 2020 — Fat Dumpling is offering delivery via UberEats is available for both its Fortitude Valley and Bowen Hills outposts. Its Bowen Hills digs is open for takeaway and you can score 20 percent off if you order through the restaurant and pick up in person. To order, call (07) 3216 1261. Dumpling lovers, rejoice! There is yet another player when it comes to the Valley dining scene, adding to the likes of Harajuku Gyoza and Brunswick Social. Step off Brunswick Street and into the tiny hole in the wall that is Fat Dumpling and you'll immediately feel as though you've just stepped off a hidden laneway into a quirky cool Melbourne eatery. With exposed red brick walls; a giant white painted hand with chopsticks; and funky, Asian-inspired interior embellishments (figurine soldiers and oriental adornments), this place is screaming nonchalant eclectic vibes. The front of the restaurant is occupied by a handful of dining tables built mainly for two, while up the back you'll find an impossibly small kitchen where you'll see these guys turning over bamboo baskets and plates of pan-fried deliciousness nonstop. Of course, with dumpling in their name, you'd expect it to be their specialty. Choose from poached, steamed and pan-fried with fillings of pork and cabbage, fish, prawn and chives, chicken and asparagus, or vegetarian. But it's the pork xiao long bao (which only come steamed) that are highly recommended. Arriving like small money bags expertly rolled and twisted at the top to capture the filling and soupy juices, it is super tasty, and a serve of eight pieces is far too easily devoured. Dishing up a small selection of other Chinese-style dishes such as shallot pancakes (crispy, golden and simply delicious), salt and pepper prawns, Chinese broccoli (the sauce is ridiculously moreish) and a sweet pork belly makes Fat Dumpling a great destination for a quick post-work meal or a pre-night out feed.
Last year, we scored a musical adaptation of Aussie flick Muriel's Wedding. Now, another classic 90s flick is getting the stage musical treatment and heading on down to Melbourne: Adam Sandler's smash-hit film The Wedding Singer. Hitting the Athenaeum Theatre from Friday, June 19, The Wedding Singer: The Musical Comedy is an all-singing, all-dancing stage show based on its hilarious namesake 90s flick. And it's from the same crew that propelled it to sell-out success on Broadway and across the UK, including the writer of the original movie, Tim Herlihy. This one promises to yank you right into The Wedding Singer's 1980s world of big hair and classic wedding bangers, thanks to a toe-tapping score that's sure to prompt a few hearty crowd singalongs. It retells the story of party-loving wedding singer and wannabe rock star Robbie Hart, who's left stranded at the altar at his own nuptials. Heartbroken, he sets out to destroy every other wedding he's a part of, until a chance encounter with a waitress: Drew Barrymore's character Julia. Now, he just has to win over the girl... and somehow put a stop to her own upcoming marriage along the way. The Wedding Singer: The Musical Comedy hasn't announced runs in any other Aussie cities just yet, but we're crossing our fingers and warming up the vocal cords in readiness. We'll keep you posted as soon as any news drops. In the meantime, you can watch the OG nostalgic film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yjOXMTa6vA The Wedding Singer: The Musical Comedy shows from Friday, June 19, at the Athenaeum Theatre, 188 Collins Street, Melbourne. Join the ticket wait-list over at the website.
Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye is swapping screens for stages, and ditching playing a sleazy nightclub owner on HBO for his usual music superstar beat. Fresh from starring in The Idol, the Canadian singer-songwriter has locked in Down Under dates for his After Hours Til Dawn stadium tour, heading to Australia and New Zealand in November and December this year. The 'Starboy', 'I Feel It Coming', 'Can't Feel My Face', 'The Hills' and 'Blinding Lights' artist will hit up arenas in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland, as part of a tour that's been notching up soldout shows far and wide. In the UK, The Weekend saw 160,000 folks head to London Stadium across two nights, smashing the venue's attendance record. And in Milan, he became the first artist to sell out the Ippodromo La Maura for two nights. Those feats are just the beginning. In Paris, he scored Stade de France's biggest sales this year — and in Nice, the 70,000 tickets sold across his two shows are the most in the city's history. Will his Down Under dates add to his record-breaking run? Australia in particular has been loving the return of huge international tours. See: the Taylor Swift frenzy. The reason for the Aussie and Aotearoa gigs, other than just because, is to celebrate The Weeknd's 2020 record After Hours and its 2022 followup Dawn FM. Obviously, he'll be playing tracks from 2013's Kiss Land, 2015's Beauty Behind the Madness and 2016's Starboy as well. In support across The Weeknd's four Down Under shows: Mike Dean and Chxrry22. The tour will help a good cause, too, other than your need to see The Weeknd live. The artist has been contributing funds for his shows to the United Nations World Food Programme's XO Humanitarian Fund, as one of the organisation's Goodwill Ambassador, raising over $1 million from his Europe run alone. THE WEEKND'S 'AFTER HOURS TIL DAWN TOUR' 2023: Monday, November 20 — Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Friday, November 24 — Accor Stadium, Sydney Friday, December 1 — Marvel Stadium, Melbourne Thursday, December 7 — Eden Park, Auckland The Weeknd is touring Australia and New Zealand in November and December 2023. For more information, and for pre-sale tickets from Friday, August 25, then general tickets from Friday, September 1, head to the tour website.
Whether you like them filled with jam and cream or prefer plain cake all the way, the lamington is a perfect dessert. It's a piece of sponge cake covered in chocolate sauce and desiccated coconut — what's not to love? And, as excellent as it is on its own, it also fares exceptionally well when it's combined with other foods. Everything from lamington gelato to lamington milkshakes have already proven this fact, as has lamington-flavoured vodka, too. One particularly creative and ace take on this Australian favourite? A lamington-cruffin hybrid — which turns one food mashup into a bigger food mashup like the baked-goods version of Inception. Sorry, lamington purists, this definitely isn't cube-shaped. But it exists thanks to Lune Croissanterie. The Kate Reid-founded bakery fills its Frankenstein's monster of a lamington-croissant-muffin with raspberry jam and whipped cream, then dips it in chocolate ganache and desiccated coconut. Without the latter, it just wouldn't be a lamington. And if that description has got your tastebuds in a tizzy, you can nab one — or several — in-store only at Fitzroy, Armadale, South Brisbane and Burnett Lane until Saturday, September 30. The lamington cruffins lead Lune's September specials menu, because the chain likes serving up a different mix of limited-edition treats each month. Some are returning favourites, like these coconut-topped numbers, while others are newcomers. Either way, your stomach will be thankful. Also on the list across the first month of spring: baklava ka, aka Lune's take on the Greek dish. Instead of filo, this version uses Lune's laminated pastry, then fills it with orange blossom, honey, walnut and pistachio. Or, depending on the store, you can tuck into Lune's carrot cake croissants, complete with carrot and walnut frangipane; Middle East-inspired beetroot goat's curd pastry, which is made with beetroot hummus, beetroot powder, goat's curd and za'atar; and The Turtle, aka a pain au chocolat that goes big on chocolate (frangipane), pecans (candied) and salted caramel (gooey). Lune's September specials are available until Saturday, September 30. Different stores — including Fitzroy, the CBD and Armadale in Melbourne, and South Brisbane and Burnett Lane in Brisbane — boast different specials. From Armadale, South Brisbane and Burnett Lane only, you can also order some online. Images: Peter Dillon.
Two years in the making — as anyone that spotted the constant construction site on James Street will know — the seven-storey, this 175-room spot is calling itself 'Australia's first urban resort'. Yes, that means that going for a splash in the central pool, lazing around in cabanas or on a sun lounge, and eating on the hotel's outdoor deck are all on the agenda. So is hanging out at the spa, which is also open to the general public, and just making the most of Brissie's climate. The white brick design, by architects Richards and Spence, certainly highlights the tropical side of things. Think open-air spaces and breezeways, natural ventilation and plants aplenty, as well as a cool, soothing colour scheme. Inside the rooms, guests will find oak furniture, cork floors and sisal matting in the bathrooms, day beds for afternoon naps, linen robes and a mini bar stocked from local suppliers. Recognising how sunny the city gets, every room is also fitted with motorised blackout blinds. If you need to escape the glow, the in-suite Chromecast and sound bar will help as well. Rooms start from just over $200, with The Calile also featuring nine suites and two premier suites, complete with poolside and terrace-style balconies as well as two private rooftop terraces — for when you're feeling like splashing some cash around. Operated by TFE Hotels Collection, other drawcards include the all-day Lobby Bar, the opening of Hellenika's first Brisbane digs — bringing the Gold Coast's favourite Greek eats to town — and meeting and function rooms that can cater for up to 500 people, including an outdoor amphitheatre.
When you've already spent 2025 singing and dancing with Robyn at Saturday Night Live's 50th-anniversary concert, then releasing the Saoirse Ronan (Blitz)-starring first-ever music video for 'Psycho Killer' 48 years after the song's debut, what comes next? For David Byrne, the answer is a new album in September, plus a new world tour that kicks off the same month — and heads Down Under in January 2026. The iconic Talking Heads founder and frontman has dropped two huge pieces of news at once, revealing his impending latest record Who Is the Sky? and the live shows to support it. In Australia and New Zealand, he'll be playing his first gigs since 2018, when he brought his American Utopia tour — which none other than Spike Lee (Da 5 Bloods) turned into a concert flick also called American Utopia, aka one of 2020's absolute best films — this way. [caption id="attachment_1008708" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Shervin Lainez[/caption] If you're in Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth and you're thinking "this must be the place", then you're right: Byrne is venturing to each of these cities. First, he'll hit up Spark Arena on Wednesday, January 14 on his sole NZ stop, before kicking off his Aussie dates on Saturday, January 17 at Brisbane Entertainment Centre. From there, he'll play ICC Sydney Theatre on Wednesday, January 21; Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne on Thursday, January 22; Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena on Saturday, January 24; and Perth's RAC Arena on Tuesday, January 27. If you caught his American Utopia gigs or watched the film, you'll recognise some other familiar faces on the Who Is the Sky? tour. Byrne is taking to the stage with 13 musicians, singers and dancers, some of whom were part of the American Utopia band. Just like in those famous shows, his fellow performers will all be mobile throughout Byrne's latest set. Like tour, like album: Who Is the Sky? isn't just Byrne's first set of live gigs since American Utopia, but also his first record since that Grammy-winning release came out in 2018. Launching on Friday, September 5, 2025 — with first single 'Everybody Laughs' out now — the new album features St Vincent, Paramore's Hayley Williams, The Smile drummer Tom Skinner and American Utopia percussionist Mauro Refosco among its guests. Byrne has long been a must-see live performer — and there's long been filmic proof of that fact. Forty-two years ago this December, he made concert film history with Talking Heads when he walked out onto a Hollywood stage with a tape deck, pressed play and, while standing there solo, began to sing 'Psycho Killer'. Then-future The Silence of the Lambs Oscar-winner Jonathan Demme directed cameras his way, recording the results for Stop Making Sense. David Byrne Who Is the Sky? World Tour Australia and New Zealand 2026 Dates Wednesday, January 14 — Spark Arena, Auckland Saturday, January 17 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Wednesday, January 21 — ICC Sydney Theatre, Sydney Thursday, January 22 — Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne Saturday, January 24 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena, Adelaide Tuesday, January 27 — RAC Arena, Perth David Byrne is touring Australia and New Zealand in January 2026, with ticket presales from 2pm local time on Thursday, June 12, 2025 and general sales from 1pm local time on Friday, June 13, 2025. Head to the tour website for further details. Live images: Raph_PH via Flickr.
You might normally associate the rockstar lifestyle with big boozy nights and sure-fire hangovers, especially when you're talking about a band that actually owns a bar. But Peking Duk are completely bucking that trend with their latest project — the electro duo of Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles have just released their own booze-free brew, dubbed the Fake Magic Lager. Named after one of the ARIA Award-winning band's hit tracks, the new beer has been crafted in collaboration with the experts at First Nations non-alcoholic drinks company Sobah Beverages. "We've been riding the non-alcohol wave for a while now — especially when we're on tour and want to have a few pre-show drinks, without the headache," explained Styles in a statement. It's this lifestyle shift that inspired the pair to team up with Sobah, which has set out to destigmatise the art of socialising sober. Not only has it got some additional healthy connotations thanks to an infusion of lion's mane mushroom, but the limited-edition canned sip will be helping a great cause, with all proceeds going straight to supporting Sobah's work promoting First Nations' arts, culture, language and history. [caption id="attachment_874695" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Peking Duk with Sobah's Dr Clinton Schultz[/caption] If you're keen to try the booze-free beer, you've got just one place to head. The lager will be available exclusively via the new ING Good Finds Market — the banking company's new online store dedicated to social enterprises that are committed to doing good in the world. Think: The Social Outfit, TABOO Period Products, Juluqarly Art Group, Two Good Co, Kua Coffee and stacks more. Profits from all products sold on the site will be funnelled right back into the organisations' various causes and initiatives. It's designed to make it a whole lot easier for Aussies to shop from and support businesses with a conscience. Running across four Saturdays from October 29–November 19, the Good Finds Market will be launching three other exclusive collaboration products over the coming month. That includes a new limited-edition collection by Good Citizens Eyewear featuring all-recycled frames crafted from plastic bottles. Find the Fake Magic Lager exclusively online at the ING Good Finds Market from Saturday, October 29. It'll cost you $19 for a four-pack of tinnies, with a 24-pack coming in at $92.
Sorry Sydney. Melbourne is getting the country's first-ever 67 Pall Mall outpost, due to launch some time in mid-2025. This incredibly luxe, global private members club is set up exclusively for wine lovers who want to sample the very best drops out there. It's not for those of us hunting down $15 bottles of ok wine at the local bottle shop; it's for top-tier wine drinkers who are willing to spend big. The joining fee is $3500 per person (being waived for a limited time!) and the current discounted yearly fee for members who sign up early is $2300 on top of that. If this is beyond your spending limits, perhaps shoot this article over to your rich sister or that well-to-do mate who always shouts the good drinks — because they might be able to bring you in as a guest. [caption id="attachment_942250" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 67 Pall Mall Singapore[/caption] So what's the deal with 67 Pall Mall? Memberships for 67 Pall Mall are highly sought after around the world. The group has sites in Singapore, London, Switzerland, France and Hong Kong. The venues are known for being some of the most incredibly designed spaces, filled with the world's greatest wines that are served and chosen by accredited master sommeliers. A huge selling point for wine connoisseurs is the fact that 67 Pall Mall offers an unmatched selection of wines by-the-glass to members — 1000 to be exact — and sells them with very minimal markup. Most of these drops are never offered by the glass so it presents a rare opportunity. What's in store for Australia's first club? The first Australian site is touted for Melbourne's Spring Street. Spread across the top three floors of the 16-story building, the private members club will let folks sip on fine wines while taking in views across the Treasury Gardens, MCG and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Floor 14 will boast a wine bar and all-day dining room with impressive 270-degree views of the surrounding area. One level up, members will get access to private rooms and semi-formal dining experiences. And the top floor will feature an extensive champagne menu, a raw bar, open air balconies, and a secluded whisky bar. This is top-end luxury stuff that's hard to come by in Australia. 67 Pall Mall's CEO Grant Ashton says, "Melbourne was chosen above all other cities as our first outpost in Australia due to its close connection to independent and outstanding wine producers, allowing us to engage with a passionate wine culture and a knowledgeable collector community." Peter Gago, chief winemaker of Penfolds, whose wines are poured in 67 Pall Mall Clubs across the globe, also commented: "From London to Singapore, 67 Pall Mall has evolved into the world's premier wine Members' Club. Now, expanding to a prime site overlooking the MCG in Melbourne, it's truly remarkable. "Melbourne, a strategic gastronomic hub, with Yarra Valley vineyards and Mornington Peninsula nearby, will soon boast 67 Pall Mall as a wine mecca. It'll attract wine enthusiasts and curious minds alike, continuing the Club's tradition." 67 Pall Mall is set to open in mid-2025 at 85 Spring Street and is currently taking applications for new members (at heavily discounted prices). For more information, head to the club's website here.
Music festivals can happen almost anywhere — or so contends the crew behind Wine Machine, Snow Machine and Dream Machine. Tunes amid the vineyards? Yes please. Dancing in alpine climes between skiing and snowboarding? That's a winter treat in both New Zealand and Japan. Hitting a scenic resort for a huge party soundtracked by big music names? That's on the agenda as well — including in 2024. Dream Machine started in 2022 at a secluded beachside resort in The Whitsundays, after initially planning to go ahead in 2021 but getting waylaid by the pandemic. Then, in 2023, it moved to Nusa Dua in Bali. That's where it's returning next year, complete with a packed roster of talent. The dates: Thursday, May 30–Monday, June 3, 2024. The lineup: it starts with Genesis Owusu, Snakehips and Hayden James leading the charge. They'll be joined by everyone from The Jungle Giants and Kimbra to Poolside and Cosmo's Midnight, plus Cub Sport, Miami Horror, Lazywax and more. So, if you've been longing to hear your favourite tunes while surrounded by your friends and also taking a trip to a beachside resort in Indonesia, this fest has you covered — again. 2024's Dream Machine will take place over a five-day, four-night once more, too, for a party-forward good time. Other activities promised, apart from the music, include a 500-person long-table lunch on the sand and a poolside conga line. If the simple activity of grooving to tunes in tropical surroundings, including by the pool and ocean, isn't enough motivation for you, festivalgoers have ten resorts to choose from among the fest's ticketing packages — at The Grand Hyatt and other spots to slumber that are connected to the main site via a beachside path, such as The Laguna, Kayumanis Villas, Mercure Nusa Dua, Novotel Nusa Dua and The Grand Bali. Keen to treat yo'self to a waterfront stay? You can add that to your itinerary. Enjoying kayaking, paddle boarding, jet skiing and waterside cocktails is usually available as well. Unsurprisingly, this isn't a cheap festival to attend, starting at $799 per person. Accommodation, transfers and festival tickets are all included in the fest packages; however, you do still need to buy flights on top. Folks feeling particularly flush can also upgrade their tickets to gain VIP access, which includes a welcome party, plus VIP areas to catch the tunes that come complete with table service and access to private toilets — and start at $299 per person on top of your ticket. DREAM MACHINE 2024 LINEUP: Argonaut Cosmo's Midnight Cub Sport Dice Genesis Owusu Hayden James Jimi the Kween The Jungle Giants Kimbra Lazywax (DJ set) Leisure Mell Hall Miami Horror (DJ set) Old Mervs Poof Doof Poolside Shouse Snakehips Y.O.G.A Dream Machine 2024 takes place from Thursday, May 30–Monday, June 3, 2024 at Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, with pre-sales from 12pm AEDT on Tuesday, October 31 and general sales from 12pm AEDT on Wednesday, November 1 via the festival's website. Dream Machine images: Danny Clayton / Khan Ong. 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.
Everyone loves Jamie's Italian. Or at least that's what we discovered when, back in November last year, we reported that the Jamie Oliver had officially bought back his Australian restaurant chain after its parent company, the Keystone Group, went into receivership. People were ecstatic. Now the deal has officially gone through and the man, the myth, the legend himself is heading to our shores to relaunch his six Jamie's Italian restaurants with a greater Aussie focus in mind. Oliver will visit Sydney between May 8 and 12 to launch a brand new menu that will centre on Australian produce and wine, collaborating with local suppliers including Sydney's Joto Fresh Fish and Serendipity Ice Cream, Adelaide's Boulangerie 113 and Melbourne's That's Amore Cheese. He's also got managing director Ben Shaughnessy in the fold, who moved to Sydney earlier this year after seven years at the Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group UK – no doubt to get this Aussification process started in advance of the big boss' arrival. The menu will continue to feature Italian classics, but will now be more focused on sustainable and locally sourced ingredients — think wild mushroom ravioli (made fresh daily on-site), 12-hour slow-cooked oxtail lasagne and slow-roasted juicy porchetta stuffed with garlic, chill and herbs. The updated wine list will be decidedly more Australian too, which is a welcome (and necessary, in our opinion) change for the restaurants. To celebrate the launch, Jamie's Italian will offer a signature pasta dish for only ten bucks, starting May 8 through to the end of the month and changing every Monday. Oliver is also introducing 'kids eat free' during the Easter holiday in all six of the restaurants, with a selection of six 'award-winning' kids' menu dishes available for every main course ordered. To maintain brand consistency, Parramatta's Jamie's Italian Trattoria will change names and become the sixth Jamie's Italian in Australia, joining existing locations in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth and, of course, Sydney. Perhaps Oliver's arrival in Australia will even see him scope out a location for a venue in Melbourne, which has oddly been left out of the Jamie's Kitchen fold. Either way, we can't wait to dig in to some delicious, lovely jubbly pasta and know that it was made with the Australian climate and produce in mind. Jamie Oliver will visit Sydney from May 8–12 to officially relaunch Jamie's Italian. But you can visit any of his six restaurants at any time. For more information, visit jamieoliver.com.
