World Chocolate Day (Wednesday, July 7) is on the horizon, so what better excuse for two of the country's top dessert masters to join forces? Aussie chocolate brand Koko Black and the ever-innovative, Sydney-born cake maestros Black Star Pastry have dreamed up some sweet-toothed magic, available for one day only this July. The Meteor Cake is the brainchild of Koko Black Head Chocolatier Remco Brigou and Black Star's Group Head Pastry Chef Arnaud Vodounou. First up, there are the neat layers of dark chocolate financier, caramel-infused chocolate, muscovado sponge, dense hazelnut cremeux, choccy mousse and praline. Crowning that delicious tower is a flying 'meteor' — a hazelnut truffle coated in black cocoa nibs — trailing a blazing edible flame crafted from luxe Sao Thome chocolate. There's even a pile of meteor 'rubble', made of crumbled cocoa nibs. It's here for a good time, but a very fleeting one, hitting stores for one day only on (you guessed it) Wednesday, July 7. The Meteor Cake comes in at $15 a slice, available to purchase only from select Koko Black stores in Melbourne. After the first half of this year, you bloody well deserve it.
The #OccupyWallStreet movement has really ignited the spirit of the disenfranchised in America. Anecdotes from ordinary people describing their economic plights has seen anger directed towards the 1% that continue to control the economic agenda in the USA. Through extensive use of Twitter and other social media tools, the increasingly large and angry mob are attempting to convey their message across the internet to gain support for their cause. But as thousands rally against social and economic inequality, corporate greed and the increasingly close relationships between politicians and financial institutions, this message is getting lost in seas of online rhetoric. According to the movement's own mission statement, 'Occupy Wall Street is leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%.' Without a clear purpose and no set goals, though, the message is becoming murkier. Most Australians have little idea about the extent of problems facing youths in America. With rising unemployment, little to no health care and increasing student debt, young graduates are increasingly anxious about their futures. And rightly so. According to a NY Times report, the jobless rate for college graduates in the U.S.A under the age of 25 has averaged 9.6% over the past year. For high school graduates, the average is 21.6%. Whilst the actual demands by the group remain a little unclear, a poll conducted by David Maris for Forbes has outlined a tentative set of demands or issues that are really aggravating the protestors. With many stating that the American Dream has now turned into a nightmare, the protests are continuing to spread like wildfire throughout the U.S. And whilst a rumoured Radiohead appearance at Liberty Square was later confirmed by the band to be a hoax, the movement has been getting increased backing from influential supporters. With Slavoj Zizek speaking at the rallies, Anti-Flag playing a set in Liberty Square, and Kanye West dropping in to say hello (without removing his gold chains) this protest doesn't seem to be quietening down any time soon. With an evolving approach to their demands, the 'We are the 99%' catchcry has now started to take a hold across the world, not just in New York. The movement has now spread to cities such as Chicago and Seattle, and there are also calls for global demonstrations, with planned protests as far afield as Italy, Spain and the London Stock Exchange. https://youtube.com/watch?v=r3ptmm8lAMM
From Monday, February 21, Australia will say goodbye to its remaining international border ban on double-vaccinated travellers and hello to plenty of overseas tourists. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced that the country will allow all visa holders to head our way — including folks simply coming out for holidays, and business travellers — as long as they've had two COVID-19 vaccine jabs. When the border fully reopens to all double-vaxxed visitors in two weeks, it'll do so just a month shy of the two-year anniversary of Australia's indefinite international border closure back in March 2020. Plenty has changed since then, and the nation — and the world — has seen various lockdowns and other restrictions come and go, and faced multiple new variants. Since November 2021, Australia has been slowly reopening its borders, too, but this new change will allow back anyone that's double-vaccinated, including tourists and business travellers, from all countries. Announcing the news, the Prime Minister said that "the condition is: you must be double-vaccinated to come to Australia. That's the rule. Everyone is expected to abide by it. And it's very important that people understand that requirement if they're seeking to come to Australia." He continued: "but if you're double vaccinated, we look forward to welcoming you back to Australia — and I know the tourism industry will be looking forward to that. And over the next two weeks they'll get the opportunity both for visitors to be coming and for them to be gearing up to welcome international visitors back to Australia." Exactly how many tourists and business travellers will be able to fly into Australia will still depend upon state-based caps — and on state-specific rules as well. Western Australia's border is still set to remain closed to not just international travellers but the rest of the country and, after delaying its last plan to reopen this past weekend, it hasn't yet set its new reopening date. Unjabbed travellers — which includes anyone who has only had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccination — will still need to apply for permission to enter Australia, unless they can "provide proof that there is a medical reason that they cannot be vaccinated", said Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews. They'll also need to go into hotel quarantine if they are permitted to enter. If you have pals or colleagues eager to make the trip Down Under, this'll be fantastic news. Whether airlines will increase their flights to Australia as a result hasn't yet been revealed, but it wouldn't come as a surprise. Australia will reopen its international borders to all double-vaccinated travellers from Monday, February 21. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
When the theatre powers that be wondered if Moulin Rouge! could leap to the stage from the screen, the answer was simple: yes it can can can. And when the hit Broadway version notched up 14 Tony nominations, another question arose. Could Moulin Rouge! The Musical become the first Australian-produced show to win the coveted Best Musical Tony Award? Again, yes it can can can. After being delayed due to the pandemic, the 74th Annual Tony Awards were held on Monday, September 27 Australian time, recognising the best that theatre had to offer in the 2019–20 season. And, Moulin Rouge! The Musical did indeed emerge victorious. Including Best Musical, it took out ten gongs in total. Produced by the Sydney-based Global Creatures — and marking the first Australian-produced show to originate on Broadway — Moulin Rouge! also nabbed prizes for Best Direction of a Musical (f0r Alex Timbers), Best Choreography (Sonya Tayeh), Best Orchestrations (Justin Levine with Matt Stine, Katie Kresek and Charlie Rosen), Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Aaron Tveit) and Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Danny Burstein). And, it won Best Scenic Design in a Musical (Derek McLane), Best Costume Design in a Musical (Catherine Zuber), Best Lighting Design in a Musical (Justin Townsend) and Best Sound Design of a Musical (Peter Hylenski) as well. The Tonys sweep comes as Australians will finally get to see the stage production later this year, after its long-awaited local premiere season in Melbourne was delayed due to lockdown. It was set to open in mid-August, but is now selling tickets for shows from early November in line with Victoria's roadmap out of stay-at-home conditions. When it was announced back in 2016 that Moulin Rouge! was being turned into a stage musical, fans around the world thought the same thing in unison: the show must go on. Since then, the lavish production hit Broadway in 2019, and now has a date with Melbourne's revamped Regent Theatre. Based on Baz Luhrmann's award-winning, Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor-starring movie — which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year — the stage musical brings to life the famed Belle Époque tale of young composer Christian and his heady romance with Satine, actress and star of the legendary Moulin Rouge cabaret. Set in the Montmartre Quarter of Paris, the film is known for its soundtrack, celebrating iconic tunes from across the past five decades. The stage version carries on the legacy, backing those favourites with even more hit songs that have been released in the two decades since the movie premiered. Moulin Rouge! The Musical wasn't the only production soon headed to Australia to nab a Tony, with Jagged Little Pill the Musical also collecting two ahead of its Sydney premiere in December. Elsewhere at the high-profile awards, A Christmas Carol nabbed five gongs in the play categories, while The Inheritance picked up four. Moulin Rouge! The Musical is due to make its Australian debut at The Regent Theatre, at 191 Collins Street, Melbourne from November — depending upon Victoria's COVID-19 restrictions at the time. To buy tickets, and for further details, head to the production's website. Images: Matthew Murphy.
Last summer, Australians sat down in front of their televisions to watch a famous train cross the country. And, it proved a hit. In fact, a three-hour documentary about Adelaide-to-Darwin locomotive The Ghan was such a success that SBS aired a 17-hour version that followed the entirety of the train's daytime trip. Yes, 17 whole hours. It cut out the evening parts, where the screen would just be black, for obvious reasons. Come January 2019, The Ghan will have company in the very niche genre that is TV docos about super-lengthy Aussie train journeys — and, once again, there's two versions. Following the Indian Pacific, the transcontinental railway line that crosses Australia from Perth to Sydney, the documentary will air on SBS in a three-hour format at 7.30pm on Sunday, January 6. It'll then be followed by the entire 17-hour marathon, which'll run on SBS Viceland from a yet-to-be-confirmed time on Saturday, January 12. Now, The Indian Pacific: Australia's Longest Train Journey could've been longer. Much, much longer. In fact, the whole 4352-kilometre trip takes 65 hours from coast to coast, with stopovers in places such as Broken Hill, Adelaide, the Barossa Valley, Kalgoorlie, Rawlinna and Cook depending on the direction of the journey. A train with a hefty history, the Indian Pacific first ran along the rails on February 23, 1970, and is now considered an Aussie icon. The lengthy doco forms part of the slow TV movement, and it's not the only instance that's coming to SBS this summer. Like boats? Multiple types of transport? The broadcaster is also airing The Kimberley Cruise: Australia's Last Great Wilderness, which follows a Broome-to-Darwin route through the Top End; plus North to South, which ventures from Auckland on New Zealand's north island down to the Southern Alps and Milford Sound on the country's south island, including railways, sailing and driving the route. Both will screen three-hour cuts as well as lengthier versions up to 18 hours, with the Kimberley getting its time to shine on Sunday, January 13 and Saturday, January 19, and NZ in the spotlight on Sunday, January 27 and Saturday, February 2. If that's not enough, SBS Viceland will replay the whole The Ghan experience on Saturday, January 26 too. If staring at transport trekking across landscape is your kind of thing, there's your Saturdays in January well and truly sorted. For further details, visit the SBS website. Image: Great Southern Rail.
Trying to pick the best line from Succession isn't just a difficult task; it's almost impossible. The series is one of the best-written shows on television, and best in general, in no small part thanks to how well it hurls about bickering dialogue. Before the HBO series first graced TV screens back in 2018, you mightn't have realised exactly how entertaining it is to watch people squabbling. Not just everyday characters, either, but the constantly feuding and backstabbing — and ridiculously wealthy and privileged — family of a global media baron. It's not only the arguing and power plays that make this hit compulsively watchable, however, but the witty words flung about, the scathing insults shot back and forth, and the pitch-perfect performances that deliver every verbal blow. Due to the pandemic, Succession hasn't actually been on our screens for a couple of years now. So, since 2019, we've only been able to enjoy its scheming chaos by re-binging its first two seasons. But the acclaimed drama is set to return next month — and, based on both its initial teaser back in July and the just-dropped full trailer, all those Roy family antics and the bitter words they inspire are in full swing once again. Yes, it's time to soak up your latest glimpse of a fictional family that could be Arrested Development's Bluth crew, but much, much more ruthless. And, after the big bombshell that son Kendall (Jeremy Strong, The Trial of the Chicago 7) dropped at the end of season two, the third season has plenty to dig into. Obviously, always-formidable patriarch Logan (Brian Cox, Super Troopers 2) is far from happy, and the rest of his children — Connor (Alan Ruck, Gringo), Shiv (Sarah Snook, Pieces of a Woman) and Roman (Kieran Culkin, Infinity Baby) — are caught in the middle. If you've seen the past two seasons, you'll know that this brood's tenuous and tempestuous relationship has only gotten thornier as we've all watched, and that doesn't ever look set to change. For Succession newcomers, the series follows the Roys as Logan's offspring try to position themselves as next in line to his empire. It's clearly set among the one percent, in lives that most folks will never know — but the idea that depiction doesn't equal endorsement is as rich in Succession and its brand of satire as its always-disagreeing characters. There is something different this time around, however, with Alexander Skarsgård (Godzilla vs Kong) and Adrien Brody (The Grand Budapest Hotel) joining the drama. Created by Peep Show's Jesse Armstrong — someone who knows more than a thing or two about black comedy — this Emmy, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Critics' Choice, Writers Guild and Directors Guild Award-winner is savagely smart, darkly biting and often laugh-out-loud funny about its chosen milieu. And in the words of cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun, Zola) in this year's earlier sneak peek, yes, that sounds kinda dramatic. As well as dropping the full season three trailer, HBO has also announced that Succession will return mid-October — and Foxtel, which airs the series in Australia, has revealed that the third season will start airing Down Under from Monday, October 18. Check out the full Succession season three trailer below: Succession's third season will start airing on Foxtel and Foxtel On Demand from Monday, October 18. Image: HBO.
Are you feeling a bit left out at work when people are discussing their weekend whisky sour at Shady Pines because you are at a loss as to what is in that drink or where that bar is? Or do you miss the camaraderie that comes with a university pub crawl but feel your palette has matured beyond fire engines and snake bites? Do not fret if so, Sydney Bar Tours has arrived. Headed up by two of Sydney's most illustrious foodies, Alex Adams from EatDrinkPlay.com and Simon McGoram, drinks editor of Australian Bartender magazine, the tours are aiming to illuminate the ever changing Sydney nightlife landscape. The experience is simple but unique, a small group of ten (friends or strangers) introduced to Sydney's best new bars. You'll meet the owners, managers and bartenders, sample the bars menu and even have cocktails and drinks designed just for you. McGoram points out: "In short, you'll get the rock star treatment." Currently offering two tours focusing on the small bars in Darlinghurst and the CBD, the operation looks to expand to the locales of Surry Hills, Bondi Beach and Kings Cross. The tours run for a little over three hours, include food and drinks, and tickets are limited. Check out Eat Drink Play for more details.
If you haven't yet discovered the charms of the humble pisco sour, you've really been missing out. But it's okay because Brunswick's new Latin American haunt Tino is here to help you get acquainted. World Pisco Sour Day is coming in hot on Saturday, February 4 — and this Sydney Road bar and eatery is getting into the spirit with a whole week of pisco-infused celebrations. It has created a trio of bespoke riffs on the classic cocktail, which it'll be serving at the very reasonable happy hour price of $15 a pop from Tuesday, January 31–Sunday, February 5. Choose from a tropical-leaning sip made on melon liqueur and a mango shrub, then garnished with a melon ball; or a spicy number spiked with rocoto chilli paste and finished with Tajin seasoning. Or, there's the lovechild of the pisco sour and the espresso martini — a fusion of Pisco Quebranta, cold-drip coffee, and bush honey and wattleseed coffee liqueur, with a milo crumb. Of course, it'd be a shame not to pair your pisco with some of Tino's top-notch eats, including crisp empanadas, house-made chorizo and classic Peruvian ceviche.
When Josh and Julie Niland announced in 2024 that they're launching their debut Queensland restaurant this year, with Hamilton Island their destination, it was huge news. As the venue gets closer to welcoming patrons in the door — from Thursday, April 24, in fact — it remains one of the big culinary openings of 2025. You'll find the pair's first Sunshine State eatery at The Sundays, a brand-new hotel that's launching on the same date. But Catseye Pool Club, as the Nilands' venture is called, stands out from the pair's other restaurants. There's the location, of course — and eating here does indeed mean dining at an oceanfront spot in The Whitsundays. Then there's the fact that Catseye Pool Club isn't a seafood joint. Whenever Josh and Julie's names come up, it's usually in the same breath as their preferred form of protein. Acclaimed Sydney restaurants, award-winning cookbooks, global kudos, a sustainable seafood restaurant in Singapore: championing a fin-to-tail approach to the ocean's finest, their footprint spans all of the above. Whole-fish cookery remains a feature at Catseye Pool Club, though, but it's just one part of the menu. The plan is to hero Australian ingredients and celebrate shared dining, with dishes designed to be tucked into communally. Taking your time in the sun, making the most of the fact that you're on an island and relaxing in general are also key aspects of the vibe — and the pool club part of the restaurant's name says plenty. Yes, it the eatery is by the pool, too, so you'll be peering at water from multiple sources. "Whilst 'family-style' or 'share-style' dining is very much a way restaurants have operated for many years, the Catseye Pool Club approaches its menu with each item very much designed to be enjoyed as a whole table, with all the trimmings coming with each dish," explains Josh. "The menu is still undergoing final deliberation, but guests can expect beautiful fresh pastries made by the team, 'CPC' spanner crab royale, and coconut and verjuice honey bircher." The Nilands have released a sample menu, to give a further idea of the types of dishes that might be on offer. Think: eastern rock lobster with white bread rolls and tarragon mayonnaise; roasted chicken for two and four, paired with slow-cooked zucchini, chicken-fat roast potatoes, and tomato and grilled bread salad; grass-fed beef rib eye for four, accompanied by boiled greens and house fries; hard line-caught coral trout in salt pastry, again for four; and a neapolitan sundae for dessert. Catseye Pool Club will also serve up breakfast just for hotel guests — and you'll be able to enjoy its range of meals if you're hanging out by the pool rather than sitting at a table. "It's about creating an atmosphere where everyone can detach, unplug and simply enjoy being together. We will also extend our hospitality offering to the guest's pool and sun loungers, with a Queensland ingredient-focused cocktail menu curated by Sam Cocks, the Saint Peter Bar Director," explains Josh. While The Sundays is a luxury boutique hotel, being family friendly is part of the point of difference for the 59-room venue at Catseye Beach's northern end. That mindset applies to the new restaurant, too, with catering to family holidays a guiding principle. At a hotel run by Hamilton Island Enterprises, which is also behind qualia, guests can also look forward to that oceanfront swimming pool surrounded by private cabanas, alongside a pickleball court and tropical gardens. Room options include balcony and terrace, plus interconnecting family rooms, all decked out in calming hues. Find Catseye Pool Club at The Sundays, Catseye Beach, Hamilton Island, from Thursday, April 24, 2025. Head to the hotel's website for more details in the interim. Images: Hamilton Island Photography, Sharyn Cairns, Adam Rikys, Nick Leary.
It's been a heck of a long time coming, but retail giant Amazon will this week open the doors to the first of its automated grocery stores in Seattle, USA. As reported by CNBC, the Amazon Go concept is out to shake up the retail industry, by doing away with the queues, checkouts and registers of traditional grocery stores. Instead, customers scan their Amazon Go app upon walking into the store, cameras and sensors are used to track which products are taken from the shelves and make their way into a virtual shopping cart, and shoppers are charged accordingly and emailed their receipt after leaving. But while it all sounds pretty nifty, there's always a swag of hype surrounding Amazon's new technologies and launches, and lately the company seems to have had some issues bringing them to fruition. The Seattle store was scheduled to open to the public back in early 2017, but was delayed for testing nearly a year due to kinks in the automated check-out technology. There has been speculation that Amazon is aiming to open bricks-and-mortar stores in Australia as well, namely its grocery service Amazon Fresh. But given the long-overdue launach of Amazon's Australian online retail service late last year, we won't hold our breath waiting for the Amazon Go concept to arrive Down Under for a little while. Via CNBC.
Moon Dog announced its plans to transform Footscray's iconic Franco Cozzo building into a huge drinking and dining venue at the end of 2022, and now we finally have news on when it's going to open. Come early March 2024, the team will swing open the saloon doors to its new Moon Dog Wild West brewery bar that's set to be twice as big as the already enormous Moon Dog World in Preston. The new 800-person venue will span three storeys, and have over 100 taps pouring Moon Dog beers and seltzers. Once guests pass through the swinging saloon doors on Hopkins Street, they'll be met with a huge bucking bull surrounded by horseshoe-shaped booths, an old western-inspired arcade and a barrel-ageing room. Up on level two, there'll be a honky tonk bar, live music stage, some pool tables, a balcony and a secret Pianola Bar. On this floor, the menu will be stacked with American barbecue eats — very on theme for the Moon Dog Wild West brewery bar. The new Moon Dog Wild West in Footscray will even have a sun-drenched rooftop with views over the city. There'll be another bar up here, plus food will come in the form of Tex Mex bites and classic gastropub dishes (it seems that no matter how far it leans into the US stylings, it can't get rid of the Aussie parma — and we're not mad about it). "With a venue of this size, we know we could achieve something that hasn't been seen before and really go bigger than we ever have. We're hoping to create somewhere for people to enjoy the outrageousness of it all!" said Moon Dog CEO and Co-Founder Joshua Uljans. [caption id="attachment_880996" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gavin Anderson via Flickr[/caption] [caption id="attachment_744580" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Moon Dog World, Kate Shanasy[/caption] Moon Dog Wild West will be located at 54 Hopkins Street, Footscray and is set to open in early March 2024, operating from 11am–11pm Sunday–Thursday and 11am–1am Friday–Saturday. For more information, head to the venue's website. Images: Sam Schultz.
The Kook is a short film made on a small budget that's taking the US independent film festivals by storm (and walking away with all the awards too). Already given the Official Selection title at a number of festivals, including Austin, New Orleans, Riverrun and Slamdance, the film is set to screen at several others in the US and Europe too. The film's story follows Fa, a gentle and unassuming member of an eccentric religious sect, as she inadvertently discovers an unsettling truth about the cult's leader. It's a dark comedy that plays with the realisation that everything Fa has ever believed in is fake, but it's not just The Kook's universal themes of truth and deception that has won audiences over. Although the cult's yellow jogging suits and dark bowl-cut hairdos probably make a lasting impression for many of the film's audiences, it's an 18-minute film that feels like nod to '80s soft-focus cinematography and the creation of a kooky world that's, worryingly, not too unlike our own. Actress T. Sahara Meer, who plays the naive Fa, recently received an award for best actress at a comedy festival in LA and, just a few days ago, the film's directors - New Yorkers Gregory Mitnick and Nat Livingston Johnson - took home the Audience Award at LES Film Festival in Manhattan. It looks like it'll be a big year for this little film. Now we just need to convince them to show it off down under. https://youtube.com/watch?v=t8u284szuk4
New year, new chance for Hollywood to pat itself on the back. That's how every January starts, even if things are a little different in 2022. After multiple controversies surrounding the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organisation behind Golden Globes, the first batch of film and TV awards for the new year weren't given out at a star-studded event — but a long list of worthy movies and shows still won glittering trophies. When the Globes announced its nominees back in December 2021, it went big on plenty of the year's best. The Power of the Dog, Succession, West Side Story, Ted Lasso, Hacks, Squid Game — they all earned nods, and deservedly so. Today, Monday, January 10, they all just scored a spot on the winners' list as well. In fact, most of them nabbed more than one accolade. Highlights include The Power of the Dog's three wins, and particularly Jane Campion taking out the Best Director field. Her directing gong really can't be underestimated — it's just the third time that a female filmmaker has won the award, and the second in a row after Chloé Zhao won last year for Nomadland. Also for The Power of the Dog, Aussie actor Kodi Smit-McPhee nabbed the Best Supporting Actor award, while the exceptional film itself won Best Drama. And, still skewing local, Succession's Sarah Snook scored a Best Supporting Actress award in the TV categories — and Nicole Kidman is a Best Actress winner, in the Motion Picture — Drama camp, for playing Lucille Ball in Being the Ricardos. Obviously, the list goes on, spanning more big-screen and small-screen highlights. If you're wondering what else emerged victorious, the full rundown is below — and you can also check out our picks for the 12 winners you can watch right now. GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINEES AND WINNERS: BEST MOTION PICTURE — DRAMA Belfast CODA Dune King Richard The Power of the Dog — WINNER BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE — DRAMA Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos — WINNER Lady Gaga, House of Gucci Kristen Stewart, Spencer BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE — DRAMA Mahershala Ali, Swan Song Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog Will Smith, King Richard — WINNER Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth BEST MOTION PICTURE — MUSICAL OR COMEDY Cyrano Don't Look Up Licorice Pizza Tick, Tick … Boom! West Side Story — WINNER BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE — MUSICAL OR COMEDY Marion Cotillard, Annette Alana Haim, Licorice Pizza Jennifer Lawrence, Don't Look Up Emma Stone, Cruella Rachel Zegler, West Side Story — WINNER BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE — MUSICAL OR COMEDY Leonardo DiCaprio, Don't Look Up Peter Dinklage, Cyrano Andrew Garfield, Tick, Tick … Boom! — WINNER Cooper Hoffman, Licorice Pizza Anthony Ramos, In the Heights BEST MOTION PICTURE — ANIMATED Encanto — WINNER Flee Luca My Sunny Maad Raya and the Last Dragon BEST MOTION PICTURE — FOREIGN LANGUAGE Compartment No. 6 Drive My Car — WINNER The Hand of God A Hero Parallel Mothers BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE Caitríona Balfe, Belfast Ariana DeBose, West Side Story — WINNER Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard Ruth Negga, Passing BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE Ben Affleck, The Tender Bar Jamie Dornan, Belfast Ciarán Hinds, Belfast Troy Kotsur, CODA Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog — WINNER BEST DIRECTOR — MOTION PICTURE Kenneth Branagh, Belfast Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog — WINNER Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter Steven Spielberg, West Side Story Denis Villeneuve, Dune BEST SCREENPLAY — MOTION PICTURE Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza Kenneth Branagh, Belfast — WINNER Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog Adam McKay, Don't Look Up Aaron Sorkin, Being the Ricardos BEST ORIGINAL SCORE — MOTION PICTURE Dune — WINNER Encanto The French Dispatch Parallel Mothers The Power of the Dog BEST ORIGINAL SONG — MOTION PICTURE 'Be Alive', King Richard 'Dos Orugitas', Encanto 'Down to Joy', Belfast 'Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)', Respect 'No Time to Die', No Time to Die — WINNER BEST TELEVISION SERIES — DRAMA Lupin The Morning Show Pose Squid Game Succession — WINNER BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES — DRAMA Uzo Aduba, In Treatment Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show Christine Baranski, The Good Fight Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid's Tale MJ Rodriguez, Pose — WINNER BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES — DRAMA Brian Cox, Succession Lee Jung-jae, Squid Game Billy Porter, Pose Jeremy Strong, Succession — WINNER Omar Sy, Lupin BEST TELEVISION SERIES — MUSICAL OR COMEDY The Great Hacks — WINNER Ted Lasso Reservation Dogs Only Murders in the Building BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES — MUSICAL OR COMEDY Hannah Einbinder, Hacks Elle Fanning, The Great Issa Rae, Insecure Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish Jean Smart, Hacks — WINNER BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES — MUSICAL OR COMEDY Anthony Anderson, Black-ish Nicholas Hoult, The Great Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso — WINNER BEST TELEVISION LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION Dopesick Impeachment: American Crime Story Maid Mare of Easttown The Underground Railroad — WINNER BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION Jessica Chastain, Scenes From a Marriage Cynthia Erivo, Genius: Aretha Elizabeth Olsen, WandaVision Margaret Qualley, Maid Kate Winslet, Mare of Easttown — WINNER BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION Paul Bettany, WandaVision Oscar Isaac, Scenes From a Marriage Michael Keaton, Dopesick — WINNER Ewan McGregor, Halston Tahar Rahim, The Serpent BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus Kaitlyn Dever, Dopesick Andie MacDowell, Maid Sarah Snook, Succession — WINNER Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TV Billy Crudup, The Morning Show Kieran Culkin, Succession Mark Duplass, The Morning Show Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso Oh Yeong-su, Squid Game — WINNER For further details, head to the awards' website. Top image: The Crown, Des Willie/Netflix.
Step inside a great hotel and the staff will make you feel welcome. Check in for a stay at QT Melbourne and you'll now be greeted by a very special (and adorable) employee: Russell the wellness dog-cierge. The accommodation chain's Victorian site has announced a partnership with Guide Dogs Victoria to enlist the help of a four-legged friend at the hotel — bringing cuteness, joy and companionship to patrons. If you know where QT Melbourne is located, then you'll know where this cute pooch gets his name. Russell Street's newest resident trained as a guide dog, but it was decided that he's better suited to aid with wellbeing due to his affectionate and friendly nature. While his job at the hotel from Thursday, February 27, 2025 involves being charming, greeting guests and leading walks, he also gives the venue a walking, tail-wagging tribute to the work done by Guide Dogs Victoria, even if he hasn't been dispatched to assist people with blindness or low vision. Consider this your latest reason to book in a staycation if you're a Melburnian — and great motivation to pick where to slumber on your next trip to the Victorian capital if you're located elsewhere. "We're incredibly proud to welcome Russell to QT Melbourne," said the hotel's General Manager Kristen Foat. "His presence represents not just a commitment to our guests' wellbeing, but also a deep appreciation for the important work Guide Dogs Victoria does in the community. Through this partnership, we're able to give back in a meaningful way while creating an environment of joy, connection and compassion." For more pup-centric fun, QT Melbourne is also launching a trio of experiences for or involving pooches, all of which will donate their proceeds Guide Dogs Victoria. Fancy bending and stretching on a rooftop with puppies in training to be guide dogs? Monthly Pups & Poses sessions have you covered. Keen to drop by with your own barking bestie instead? Puppacinos are on offer, as are pup staycations. You'll be heading to Deli QT, the hotel's sandwich bar, for a pup-friendly sip from 8am–3pm Monday–Saturday. And during pet-friendly sleepovers, your pooch will be able to get snacking thanks to the in-room menu for dogs. Russell joins QT Melbourne, 133 Russell Street, Melbourne from Thursday, February 27, 2025 — head to the hotel's website for bookings and more details.
How much better will you feel after spending a few days — or weeks, if you can — somewhere far away from your normal routine? How much happier will you be with a getaway to look forward to? Flight sales tick both boxes, sending you on a vacation and letting you revel in anticipation first. So if you were contemplating a holiday sometime between now and the middle of 2025, you might want to make the most of Virgin Australia's latest batch of discounted flights. Get your suitcases ready and book that annual leave: the Aussie carrier has dropped a week-long sale on international and domestic fares with prices starting at $49. There's over one million cheap flights on offer, covering trips to and from Tokyo, Bali, Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa and Queenstown among the overseas destinations — and also The Whitsundays, Hamilton Island, Byron Bay, Cairns, Hobart, Darwin, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and more locally. As always, the Sydney–Byron Bay route has the lowest cost, which is $49 one-way this time around. From there, other discounts include Melbourne–Launceston from $59, Sydney to the Sunshine Coast from $69, Brisbane–Proserpine (aka The Whitsundays) from $79, Melbourne–Gold Coast from $89, Sydney–Hamilton Island from $119, Adelaide–Alice Springs from $165 and Sydney–Perth from $219. For those excited about travelling further afield, cheap international flights span a heap of return legs, such as Melbourne–Queenstown from $405, Gold Coast–Bali from $499, Brisbane–Port Vila from $499, Sydney–Nadi from $529 and Cairns–Haneda from $609. This sale kicks off on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, running until midnight AEST on Monday, October 28 unless sold out earlier. And the cheap fares, which cover both directions between each point in the discounted route, start with Virgin's Economy Lite option. If you're wondering when you'll need to travel, these deals cover periods between Monday, November 25, 2024–Monday, June 30, 2025, with all dates varying per route. Inclusions also differ depending on your ticket and, as usual when it comes to flight sales, you'll need to get in quick. Virgin's 'let's get the plans out of our group chat' sale runs until midnight AEST on Monday, October 28, 2024 — unless sold out earlier. 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.
Made in Japan using hakumai — 100 percent Japanese polished short-grain white rice — and filtered through bamboo charcoal, Haku Vodka is as refined as vodka gets. Hakumai is prized for its purity and subtle flavour, and it's what gives Haku Vodka its smooth and subtly sweet profile and clean finish. It's a spirit that rewards slow sipping and thoughtful pairing — an ideal base, in other words, for a martini. This July and August, a handpicked selection of Melbourne bars and restaurants are spotlighting the Japanese vodka with limited-time creative martini serves and paired snacks to match. From sultry laneway cocktail dens to buzzy Euro summer-channelling hot spots, here's where to experience Haku Vodka in its most elegant form.
When Sleater-Kinney, aka Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein, take to the stage Down Under in May 2024, they won't just be touring their latest album. And they aren't simply making their first trip this way in eight years, since 2016, either. Started under the riot grrrl movement, the group will also celebrate 30 years since forming, plus just as long since they recorded their self-titled first record in a single night in Australia. That album has been followed by ten more studio releases, with Little Rope their latest. That gives the duo — after Janet Weiss left the band in 2019 — plenty to play through on a five-city visit to Australia and New Zealand. The tour commences in Auckland, then heads to Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide, hitting up theatre-sized venues. "For all intents and purposes, Sleater-Kinney got its start in Australia. We recorded our first album and played our first-ever shows there," said Brownstein, announcing the Down Under leg of the tour. "Because of that, Australia feels like one of the band's spiritual homes, and returning there always feels like a homecoming, a reunion." [caption id="attachment_941986" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Raph_PH via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Sleater-Kinney have a stack of US dates locked in before hitting Australia and New Zealand, and will then make their way around Europe in August. Everywhere they play, fans can expect tunes from Little Rope — including singles 'Hell' and 'Say It Like You Mean It' — likely alongside past tracks such as 'One More Hour', 'Worry with You' and 'Jumpers'. As well as their three decades together — with a hiatus between 2007–13, between 2005's exceptional The Woods and 2015's No Cities to Love — Tucker has stints with Heavens to Betsy, Cadallaca, The Corin Tucker Band and Filthy Friends to her name, while Brownstein co-created and co-starred in Portlandia. Carol, Transparent, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Irma Vep are also on Brownstein's filmography. [caption id="attachment_941987" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Raph_PH via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Sleater-Kinney Little Rope Australian and New Zealand Tour 2o24: Wednesday, May 15 — Powerstation, Auckland Friday, May 17 — Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane Sunday, May 19 — Forum, Melbourne Tuesday, May 21 — Enmore Theatre, Sydney Thursday, May 23 — Metropolis, Fremantle Sleater-Kinney are touring Australia and New Zealand in May 2024, with ticket pre-sales from 10am local time on Wednesday, February 21 and general sales from 10am local time on Friday, February 23. Head to the tour website for further details. Top image: Justin Higuchi via Wikimedia Commons.
Nineties kids, Disney fans and everyone who's ever cried over a lion cub that just couldn't wait to be king, it's time to climb onto a rock and yell your lungs out. The circle of life has struck again, and The Lion King is back. It's in live-action form this time around, and the first teaser trailer for the new movie has just dropped. Releasing in mid-2019, the film will once again tell the tale of Simba, who's set to take over the pride from his father Mufasa, only for his malicious uncle Scar to get in the way. You know where it goes from there — and while you're watching extremely life-like lions prowl around Africa, you'll be hearing the voices of Donald Glover as Simba, none other than Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as his childhood pal Nala, and James Earl Jones as his dad. Yes, the latter is reprising his role from the original film. Other big names attached include Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, John Oliver as Zazu, and Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen as Timon and Pumbaa. Elton John is back working on the soundtrack with Tim Rice, as they both did on the first film. They'll reportedly have some help from Beyoncé, naturally, while The Jungle Book's Jon Favreau is in the director's chair for the entire production. If you're anxious about how it might turn out, it's worth taking Timon and Pumbaa's advice at this early stage — although this initial look should help get rid of your worries for the rest of your days. The Lion King hits Australian cinemas on July 18, 2019. Feel the love for the first trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJbI5f3z3Po&feature=youtu.be
Australia, we're now one step closer to the potential music collaboration of the year: Lil Nas X and The Wiggles, that is. After the rapper tweeted about his wish to tour with the Aussie national treasures mere weeks ago, Falls Festival is now making that dream a reality — for one of its big headliners, and for audiences. At the beginning of 2022, plenty of people tipped that The Wiggles would win the Hottest 100. That's been just the start of the skivvy-loving group's huge year, though. Embracing their love of rainbows, they also played Mardi Gras. And, because folks who definitely aren't toddlers love the band, too, they've been touring a string of adults-only shows, too. So, taking to the stage at all three Falls Festival events over the summer of 2022–23 is clearly the next logical step. We're ready to wiggle with you! 💛💜💙❤️ — The Wiggles (@TheWiggles) April 27, 2022 Whether you're heading to Falls at Pennyroyal Plains, Colac in Victoria from Thursday, December 29–Saturday, December 31; North Byron Parklands, Yelgun in New South Wales from Saturday, December 31–Monday, January 2; or Fremantle Park, Fremantle in Western Australia from Saturday, January 7–Sunday, January 8, The Wiggles will be on the bill. The fest will host the group's OG lineup, too — aka Anthony Field, Murray Cook, Jeff Fatt and Greg Page. Naturally, they'll be playing all the usual songs — and Falls attendees can expect cameos from characters such as Captain Feathersword, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Wags the Dog and Henry the Octopus as well. The words you're looking for: yummy yummy. Whether The OG Wiggles and Lil Nas X will share the stage at the same time is yet to be seen, but we're betting that punters will hear the words "wake up Lil Nas X" at some point. When Lil Nas X' tweeted about wanting to tour with The Wiggles back at the end of April, the group responded that they were keen — and now they're taking their big red car on the road. The news comes just as Falls tickets go on sale — at 9am today, Thursday, May 12. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Wiggles (@thewiggles) And if you're keen for the full Falls Festival lineup, here's the rundown as it currently stands: FALLS FESTIVAL 2022 LINEUP: Arctic Monkeys Lil Nas X Peggy Gou Chvrches Jamie xx Aminé Ocean Alley Camelphat Spacey Jane DMA's G Flip Pinkpantheress Rico Nasty Amyl and the Sniffers Mall Grab Ben Böhmer DJ Seinfeld Genesis Owusu TSHA CC:DISCO! Young Franco Anna Lunoe Luude Lastlings MAY-A Choomba The Vanns King Stingray Peach PRC Beddy Rays Jean Dawson Telenovela Biscits Barry Can't Swim Elkka Floodlights Wongo Yng Martyr 1300 Moktar Magdalena Bay Dameeeela Ebony Boadu Rona. Elsy Wamayo Juno Mamba The OG Wiggles and more FALLS FESTIVAL 2022 DATES: Pennyroyal Plains, Colac, VIC — Thursday, December 29–Saturday, December 31 North Byron Parklands, Yelgun, NSW — Saturday, December 31–Monday, January 2 Fremantle Park, Fremantle, WA — Saturday, January 7–Sunday, January 8 Falls Festival 2022 will take place in December 2022 and January 2023 in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia. General ticket sales kick off at 9am on Thursday, May 12. For more info and to buy tickets, visit the festival's website.
Every last trilby-wearing tween celebrity, former President's daughter and your smug, smug US-based friends will be rubbing their paws together after this afternoon's Coachella festival lineup announcement. Running over two weekends from April 12–21, the Californian festival has delivered their usual jaw-dropper of a lineup — including Australia's own Tame Impala headlining both Saturdays. Kevin Parker and his touring bandmates have big-name company, of course. Childish Gambino hasn't rescheduled his cancelled 2018 Australian dates yet, but he will be leading the charge on Coachella's two Fridays sessions. As for the Sunday shows, Ariana Grande doing the honours. Elsewhere, a bonafide metric fucktonne of squealworthy acts fill out the rest of the bill — Janelle Monae, Solange, Weezer, Aphex Twin, Khalid, Diplo, CHVRCHES, Jaden Smith, Idris Elba and Aussies Rüfüs Du Sol, to name a few. Anyway, let's be honest, you haven't truly read any of those words — you'll be wanting this: Coachella runs over two weekends, from April 12-14 and 19-21 in Indio, California. Tickets go on sale at 11am PST on Friday, January 4. For more info, visit coachella.com.
Call this 'The One with Familiar But Still Exciting News': Friends! The Musical Parody is bringing its comedic, song-filled take on a certain 90s sitcom to Australia in 2022. Yes, this announcement has been made before, and more than once. The show has even opened its umbrellas in some parts of the country already. But we all know how the past two years have turned out — so the fact that the production is doing the rounds again should still make your day, week, month and even your year. This time around, Friends! The Musical Parody will kick off its tour in Adelaide in May, before being there for audiences in Hobart, Wollongong, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne. So, wherever you live, get ready to spend time with the show's versions of Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe — hanging out at their beloved Central Perk, of course, and sitting on an orange couch, no doubt. The musical starts with caffeinated catch-ups, but then a runaway bride shakes up the gang's day. From there, you'll get to giggle through a loving, laugh-filled lampoon that both makes good-natured fun of and celebrates the iconic sitcom. Yes, no one told you that being obsessed with the Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer-starring show about six New Yorkers would turn out this way — with on-stage skits and gags, recreations of some of the series' best-known moments, and songs with titles such as 'How you Doin?' and 'We'll Always Be There For You'. And no, no one told us that being a Friends aficionado would continue to serve up so many chances to indulge our fandom 17 years after it finished airing, either. FRIENDS! THE MUSICAL PARODY AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2022: May 4–15: Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide May 20–21: Wrest Point Entertainment Centre, Hobart May 26–28: Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, Wollongong June 10–18: Riverside Theatres, Parramatta July 13–15: The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra July 20–24: The Tivoli, Brisbane September 9–11: Regal Theatre, Perth November 23–December 17: Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne Friends! The Musical Parody tours the country from May–December 2022. For further details, and to buy tickets, visit the production's website.
Lockdowns might have robbed us of some fun things this year, but if all goes to plan, our annual celebration of King of All Fruits — aka the cherry — won't be one of them. Another Victorian cherry season is set to kick off early November, heralding two glorious months spent orchard-hopping, picnicking among the fruit trees and staining one's tongue pink gorging on locally-grown cherries. Some of Australia's most popular cherry varieties are cultivated right here in Victoria, with orchards spread throughout the Sunraysia region, northern and central Victoria, and around Melbourne. And once restrictions allow, your best bet for exploring them all is with a jaunt along the dedicated Victorian Cherry Trail. [caption id="attachment_828684" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yarra Valley Cherries[/caption] Put together by the experts at the Victorian Cherry Association, the harvest trail identifies eight orchards and cherry-related businesses located across the prime cherry-growing regions of the Upper Goulburn Valley; the Yarra Valley and Yarra Ranges; the Macedon Ranges and the Mornington Peninsula. Favourites like Red Hill Cherry Farm, Seville's Yarra Valley Cherries and Cherryhill Orchards — home of the annual Blossom Festival — are all on the list. Download the digital brochure and plot a fruit-filled tour around the best local spots where you can pick your own cherries, buy farm-fresh fruit and stock up on various other cherry products, including cherry ice cream. With the fruiting season running from early November through till mid-January, you've even got enough time to tackle one new location each weekend. Images: Yarra Valley Cherries
It's a great time to be a fan of movies and musicals, and of films that make the all-singing, all-dancing leap to the stage in particular. Think of a beloved flick and odds are that someone has turned it into a theatre production — including Cruel Intentions, Moulin Rouge!, Back to the Future, Frozen, 9 to 5, The Wedding Singer, Bring It On, Shrek and more. We could keep naming movies that've earned the musical treatment — Muriel's Wedding, An American in Paris and Hairspray, plus Round the Twist in the future, for instance — but we all know that it's a long list. Here's another one: Freaky Friday, the body-swap story that started out as a novel, has been brought to cinema screens multiple times, and is now heading to Melbourne as a musical in September. Whether you loved the 1972 book by Mary Rodgers as a kid, or you've watched and rewatched 2003's Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis-starring flick too many times — or the 1976 Jodie Foster-starring first movie adaptation, and the 1995 remake with Gaby Hoffman as well — you'll want to make a date to visit Chapel Off Chapel from Thursday, September 8–Sunday, September 18. That's when newly launched musical theatre company Theatrical is putting on the Victorian premiere of Freaky Friday in its musical form, based on the Disney stage version that first debuted in the US in 2016. Fans will already know the story. Here, a teenager and her mother get a bigger taste of each other's lives than they ever imagined possible when they find themselves not only in each other's shoes, literally, but bodies as well. Indeed, even if you've only seen the horror spin, Freaky, from a couple of years back, you'll also know the main two things: body swapping, and chaos afterwards. In this stage version, the tale has been updated to today, as set in Chicago — and this time the teen finding out what it's like to be her mum is called Ellie, not Annabel (in the book and first two movies) or Anna (in the Lohan-Curtis version). In its musical form, Freaky Friday features music and lyrics by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, aka the Pulitzer Prize-winning composers of If/THEN and Next to Normal. And, for its Melbourne run, Lyla Digrazia plays Ellie and Stephanie Powell plays Katherine, her mother. Need a refresher on the general story, and the vibe? Check out the trailer for the 2003 movie below: Freaky Friday will play Chapel Off Chapel, 12 Little Chapel Street, Prahran, from Thursday, September 8–Sunday, September 18. For more information, or to buy tickets, head to the production's website. Images: Nicole Cleary.
The ongoing saga that is Daft Punk's new album Random Access Memories continues. Last week, the French duo had us shakin'-in-our boots with excitement over the release of a 1 minute teaser from their newest single "Get Lucky" featuring Pharrell Williams, and now, they've given us the whole thing. While we've become increasingly disenfranchised by the slow drip reveal of pop culture (I mean, do we really need a teaser and three separate trailers for The Great Gatsby?), somehow the Daft Punk fellas are getting it just right. With the leak of each new detail, Daft Punk have managed to get the internet drooling; drawing us in with each juicy new shred of information and leaving us hungering for more. Whether its their unexpectedness (I mean, Wee Waa, who saw that coming?), their enigmatic anonymity (those once annoyingly kitsch helmets have become something of a cultural phenomenon) or just how damn infectious their music and videos are, we're addicted. And what about the song itself? We absolutely love it! "Get Lucky" manages to sound both brand new and yet naggingly familiar all at the same time, immediately hooking the listener in with its funky-as-hell groove. It's kinda like the aural equivalent of meeting an old girlfriend who has got herself a sexy new haircut. It's comfortingly familiar, but somehow intoxicating in a whole new way. On top of this, the whole Earth, Wind and Fire vibe they've got going on means "Get Lucky" looks set to dominate every radio station and dancefloor for the rest of 2013. Keep doing exactly what you're doing you ridiculously talented Frenchmen! Update: On Saturday night, a limited number of tickets to Daft Punk's album launch party in Wee Waa were made available via The Crossing Theatre's website. To book, click here. https://youtube.com/watch?v=vxp0PFoIdmU
Australia's reigning gelato kings are back at it. Gelato Messina, which transformed from a single Sydney store in 2002 into a bona fide national empire, has just launched two Woolworths-exclusive flavours — and we are running, not walking, to get out hands on these ones, winter be damned. Landing now in freezers nationwide and online, the brand-new P.B. Peanut Butter Fudge & Praline and Super Flan sound exactly like the types of indulgent flavours that has seen Messina become a household name, stacked with in-house sauces and signature mix-ins. Channeling strong 'give the people what they want' energy, each of the new flavours is a riff on a beloved Messina signature. Long-time devotees might find the P.B. Peanut Butter Fudge & Praline familiar, and they wouldn't be mistaken — it's a supermarket-ready take on one of the brand's most in-demand scoop-shop specials. Each tub is a flavour bomb of creamy peanut butter gelato swirled with house-made peanut praline and rich peanut fudge. Meanwhile, Super Flan brings one of the brand's biggest fan faves to the masses: a creamy vanilla custard gelato rippled with Messina's in-house dulce de leche, made the proper Argentinian way. Each flavour comes in a 475ml pint, and joins the five Messina tub flavours lining Woolies shelves — namely, Pistachio Praline, Tiramisu, Dulce de Leche, Hazelnut Praline and Dulce de Leche, and Robert Brownie Jr. Since its October 2024 launch, the tub line has become one of the supermarket's best-selling frozen dessert lines, with over 500,000 pints already having flown off the shelves. While you're likely more concerned with what's going on inside the tub, the artwork on the front is worth a second look. The colourful characters that adorn each tub have been designed by Bondi-born, New York-based artist Jeremyville, who was also responsible for the vibrant murals in Messina's original Darlinghurst store. "Gelato Messina has always been about quality, creativity, and making people happy, and pushing the boundaries of flavour and quality," says Gelato Messina founder, Nick Palumbo. "Expanding into Woolworths has allowed us to share our passion with more Australians, while staying true to our roots." Messina's new P.B. Peanut Butter Fudge & Praline and Super Flan flavours are available now and exclusively at Woolworths, in the freezer aisle or online. For more info, head to the Messina website.
Motoi Yamamoto’s sculpture is bringing a new meaning to ‘living in the moment’. The supremely disciplined artist from Hiroshima creates installations out of grains of salt. Using intricate techniques that involve layering, shaking, sweeping and infinite amounts of patience, he has made a labyrinth, a set of steps, a ‘corridor to remembrance’ and a series of complex patterns that imitate biological systems. When the works have run their course, he sends them back to the sea. Yamamoto’s engagement with salt as a form started eighteen years ago, when he lost his sister to brain cancer. She was just 24, and struggling to cope with the loss, Yamamoto sought a way to recall his memories through his art. His very first piece was a bed comprised of bricks and the second, a three-dimensional representation of the human brain. In Japan, salt symbolises the processes of cleansing and mourning. Its use forms an important part of funeral rituals. Restaurateurs and small business owners often place salt at their doors, in the belief that it deters evil spirits and magnetises forces for good. “I can’t tell if my feelings of death have been changed by the passage of time or by the process of creating my work,” Yamamoto told the Daily Serving in June last year. “I don’t have any way to compare to the two alternatives because I’ve only experienced this through my work, not through a more conventional mourning process. I would like to think that it altered my thoughts on loss gradually, but I don’t know.” Yamamoto’s salt installations have been exhibited in galleries all over the world, from the Ierimonti Gallery in Milan to the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art in Charleston, USA. Last month, they were on show at the Mint Museum in Charlotte.
Take a must-visit Paris art museum, an acclaimed Victorian gallery, an iconic French painter and one of the world's most influential architects, mix them all together, and Australia's latest huge exhibition is the end result. So is something unsurprisingly stunning: the world premiere of Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi at the NGV International in Melbourne. The National Gallery of Victoria's revolving door of blockbuster exhibitions shows no sign of slowing, with this exceptional meeting of creative minds announced earlier in 2023, and now gracing its halls from Friday, June 9–Sunday, October 8. When the temperature dips each year, the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series kicks in — and, as created in collaboration with the Musée d'Orsay, home to the world's largest collection of Bonnard works, this ode to Bonnard and Mahdavi is the current centrepiece. On display: more than 100 pieces by the famed French artist, but seen through a fresh lens. Helping provide that new perspective is scenography by internationally renowned architect and designer Mahdavi, in a major showcase that was originally slated to debut in 2020 before the pandemic did its thing. An icon of late 19th- and early 20th-century art, and a good mate of Henri Matisse, Bonnard is known for his colourful, textural depictions of French life, offering stylised yet subtle glimpses of intimate domestic scenes, urban backdrops and natural landscapes. Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi includes a hefty collection of the artist's own paintings, drawings, photographs, prints and other decorative objects, alongside works from his contemporaries — including Édouard Vuillard, Maurice Denis, Félix Vallotton and cinematic pioneers the Lumière brothers. Attendees can expect to step through Bonnard's early artistic days in the 1890s, highlighting his focus on Parisian street life; his evolution from there, including when he started focusing on more domestic scenes as inspired by his relationship with his companion Marthe Bonnard; and his love of landscape, especially from 1910 onwards, and as influenced by his fellow pal Claude Monet. Numerous pieces are on loan from the Musée d'Orsay, as well as other museums and private collections in Europe, Australia and the USA. The NGV's own collection also includes significant works, however, including Bonnard's 1900 painting La Sieste (Siesta). Considered one of the world's most influential architects, multi-award-winning Mahdavi has been commissioned to help bring the historic pieces to life via her scenography, tasked with creating a setting that complements Bonnard's signature use of colour and light. The results aren't just spectacular — they're dreamy. "Monsieur Bonnard and I share the same passion: colour," Mahdavi explains of the exhibition. "I love his subjective perception of colour — the way he transforms the intimacy of everyday life into something sublime." "Pierre Bonnard is one of the most captivating artists of the post-impressionist movement. This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to experience his work within a vivid scenography designed by India Mahdavi, one of the world's leading designers working today. Both the artist and the designer are celebrated for their ingenious use of colour, which made them a natural and authentic pairing for this NGV-exclusive exhibition," adds Tony Ellwood AM, the NGV's director. Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi runs at the NGV International, St Kilda Road, Melbourne from Friday, June 9–Sunday, October 8. For more information, see the venue's website. Images: Installation view of Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi, on display from June 9–October 8, 2023 at NGV International, Melbourne. Photos: Lillie Thompson.
When staring at a new page, a blank screen or an empty plate, what inspires us to take that first step into the unknown? Is it the wish to emulate the greats or is it a wish to add to the canon or is it simply a matter of sustenance? The Greeks gave a name to the thing that pushes you into the dark. It was the muse, an elusive source of creation that was part divination, part nature but was the driving power behind mankind's greatest creations. Modern day muses take many forms and the Sydney Film Festival is looking to explore six of them. Creative Drive is a collection of six movies designed to engage and produced to inspire - with some of the movie industry's biggest names going back to their roots to discover what inspired those who have inspired them. In A Letter to Elia, Martin Scorsese looks at the director behind On The Waterfront and A Streetcar Named Desire, controversial Hollywood filmmaker Elia Kazan. The documentary, El Bulli: Cooking In Progress goes behind the scenes of El Bulli, the Spanish restaurant which is the most exclusive and the best in the world. The Mill and the Cross exmaines Pieter Bruegel's 1564 masterpiece, The Procession to Calvary, and some of the stories behind it - the SFF points out that it may be the closest a feature film has ever come to being a painting. How to enter If you wish to uncover genius approaches, dissect the masters' processes or simply enjoy an engaging film, Concrete Playground has a double pass to each of the 6 films. To go in the running, simply subscribe to our newsletter and tell us which one of the six films you'd like to see by email at hello@concreteplayground.com.au. Entries close on Wednesday, June 25 at 5pm. https://youtube.com/watch?v=qzbbYinuTWc
Barry, the latest cafe to hit Northcote, is as relaxed as the name itself. Tucked into the corner space on High and Barry Streets, it offers floor-to-ceiling windows, bright white walls, hanging light fittings and an array wood and green touches. Designed by Techne Architects and owned by the family behind Pillar of Salt in Richmond, this cafe is dishing up more than just good looks. A beautiful, long communal bench spans out both ways from the coffee machine — a perfect spot for a lone bruncher. Smaller tables, both inside and out, offer privacy if you desire. Breakfast might come in the form of crunchy peanut butter, heirloom tomatoes, salt and pepper peanuts on toast ($10), or char-grilled bruschetta with crushed avocado, mint, chilli, lime, manchego and seeds ($16) or even the Benedict poached eggs with potato rosti, slow-braised free range ham hock, apple cider hollandaise and granny's apples ($19.50). The lunch menu covers all bases, with anything from the Californian superfood salad — tri-coloured quinoa, shredded kale, wild organic rice, charred corn, salted ricotta, black turtle beans, heirloom tomatoes and lime and jalapeno vinaigrette ($15) — to the raw zucchini lasagna with cashew, kale and sun-dried tomato pesto ($16). The Barry wagyu beef burger with zucchini pickles, cheddar, tomato, spicy relish and rough-cut potatoes ($17.50) is also set to be a menu favourite. 5 Senses coffee is made on a Synesso machine and served up in endearing pastel green cups — a lovely colour addition to the white space. Pour over, cold drip and Aeropress round out the coffee offering ($3.80-5), while blended juices ($8.50), coconut water ($4.50), a bloody mary with jerky ($9) and a small handful of beers and wines make choosing your poison rather difficult. A newcomer on the High Street block, Barry already feels at home. Northcote just got a little bit better.
"I'm a muddler freak," laughs mixologist Tomas Vikario. He's talking, of course, about the bartenders' tool which is used to muddle or mash ingredients together at the bottom of a cocktail glass. (Tomas has an unhealthy collection of 20 muddlers; one is even custom-made). Concrete Playground's favourite cheeky mixologist is showing us how to make a simple summer cocktail that's easy to recreate in the comfort of your very own herb garden. (Or kitchen. We just couldn't resist making ours in the sunshine.) For Tomas, a muddler is an essential tool for a good mojito. Tomas has been a mixologist ever since a graphic design course drove him to drink*, over eighteen years ago. Born in Croatia and now living in Sydney, he first shared his passion and experience with CP for our first DIY cocktail recipe 'A Perrier Tea Break'. Today, Tomas shows us his fresh, fruity twist on the classic Cuban mojito. "I like to put a twist on every classic drink," Tomas tells us. "The Perrier Summer Berry Mojito actually improves with every sip – the mint, rum, berry and lime flavours become more intense as the ingredients have time to mingle together." And mingling at home with friends and Ernest Hemingway's tipple of choice is exactly what we fancy doing this summer. Here's how you can too. *Half true. Tomas assures us that the end of his graphics design career and the beginning of his passion for mixology has no correlation. Ingredients: 30ml lime juiceWhite cane sugarBlueberriesStrawberriesMint50ml Havana Club rumPerrier sparkling mineral water STEP 1 It's just not a mojito without that fine balance between sweet and sour. So to start, add two spoons of white cane sugar to a tall glass; Tomas suggests using a highball or Collins glass. (Too many friends, not enough highballs? Tomas has the answer for that one too: old jam jars or tin cans. Be sure to clean them out first, obviously. Take a look at the final image for an example.) STEP 2 Add 30ml of freshly-squeezed lime juice (that's the juice of approximately one lime). STEP 3 Add two chopped strawberries and six blueberries, before gently pressing the sugar, berries and lime together using a muddler. This extracts the juice and aromas of the fruit. STEP 4 Now add two stalks of fresh mint (approximately 10-15 mint leaves). Tomas recommends tapping or scrunching the mint before adding it to the glass, this helps to release the flavour and aroma of the herb. Muddle the ingredients together and try not to break the leaves – 0r the glass! STEP 5 Add 50ml of rum. Tomas uses Havana Club rum for that authentic Cuban taste. STEP 6 Using a long-handled spoon, stir in a few cubes of ice. STEP 7 Top up with more ice and add chilled Perrier sparkling mineral water for 100% natural, long-lasting bubbles. STEP 8 Decorate with a sprig of mint. Place a straw next to the mint for extra minty aroma as you drink. MIX IT UP: FLAVOUR VARIATIONS "People have so many childhood memories of eating mangoes – so it's a great alternative flavour instead of the berries," says Tomas. If you like the sound of a Perrier Mango Mojito or a Perrier Watermelon Mojito, simply replace strawberries and blueberries with half a small mango, or four cubes of watermelon. Or, try all three. ¡Qué rico!
Cinematic conversation densely populates a significant proportion of the internet, and finding a site that addresses your interests can be exhausting. But brand-new website The Dissolve looks to provide a comprehensive and accessible online complex for discussion that cinephiles can enjoy liberally. The Dissolve is the newest cultural offspring of the team behind Pitchfork and is ready to talk anything and everything film related, in a way that is appealing to all film aficionados. "There's a lot of great film writing on the Internet," says Keith Phipps, editorial director of The Dissolve, in an interview with Mashable, "but there really wasn't anyone doing what Pitchfork has done for music, which is smart, opinion-driven, critic-driven, review-driven, and written for an audience that was passionate about film but not necessarily coming at it from an academic view." With the jargon out of the way, The Dissolve facilitates cinematic conversation between cinephiles — a discussion simplified by the broadcasting of their net. Not only will they discuss the latest films, but they will also explore where cinema has come from as well as the endless ephemera generated by the craft, right down to film-inspired board games. Where The Dissolve stands out from the crowd, though, is its appreciation of modern cinematic digestion. "With moviegoing changing (and continuing to change) in the 21st century, The Dissolve wants to account for the many different ways our readers experience movies, whether they’re at the multiplex, in their favorite New York City arthouse, or watching a new indie On Demand at home in Des Moines," says site editor Scott Tobias. The introspective and retrospective site is ambitious in its comprehensiveness, so whether you want to talk about the newest blockbuster or your favourite monster from that Japanese romance-horror, The Dissolve has got you covered. The feature we are anticipating most is their 'Short Cuts', a weekly selection of lunch-hour friendly films to fill the time whilst eating that chicken salad.
There's nothing better than combining two of our favourite things into one amazing adventure: the outdoors and drool-worthy food. Because let's face it, Sydney has to be one of the best places in the world for dining in the open air. Here are ten of the best places to do it. The Grounds of Alexandria The Grounds of Alexandria is less outdoor restaurant than inner-city country fair. The garden grows produce for the kitchen and doubles as an outside eating area for takeaway meals, and there's also outdoor seating within the bar the Potting Shed. The only downside of this experimental paradise that we can see is the time you're likely to wait to get fed. Turn up early, plan a weekday visit, or pack your patience and wait for a table with the animals in the garden. Building 7A 2 Huntley Street, Alexandria The Commons In the midst of Darlinghurst's shoulder-to-shoulder apartments, congested streets and endless noise, The Commons acts as the voice of reason. Relax. Slow down. Enjoy yourself. The heritage building has been kept intact, with sandstone lining the walls and exposed brickwork peeking through. Long, communal wooden tables line the main dining room, while a trot downstairs reveals a cosy little bar with magazines, books and, if you're lucky, a jazz trio plucking out the tunes. The whole place is dusted in an amber glow, candles and low lighting, but outside there's a relaxed airiness that never gets old. 32 Burton Street, Darlinghurst Bondi Beach Burrito Co A bucketful of icy Coronas? $10 frozen margaritas? Beachside location? Consider my arm twisted. Indeed, it's pretty hard to fault the notoriously popular Bondi Beach Burrito. Suitably loud and colourful, the restaurant knows its market (bare-footed Bondi beach dwellers, backpackers and party-goers) and caters to it well with low-fuss, pay-as-you-go Mexican fare that rarely pushes the $15 mark. 252 Campbell Parade, Bondi The Winery One of Surry Hills' quirkiest dining experiences, The Winery's whimsical outdoor setting matches their unexpected menu adventures and adorable staff aprons. Think wrought iron patio furniture, picket fences, umbrellas, fairy lights and mismatching garden ornaments. Paired with The Winery's formidable (and recently award-winning) wine list, show-stopper cheese offerings and genuinely excellent service, this is prime date material. 285A Crown Street, Surry Hills Oxford Tavern For those who like their inner-west pubs with character. Known originally for its topless barmaids, cheap booze and pokie machines, the Oxford Tavern is now an all-out American BBQ beer house, complete with sport, eats and beer garden out back. The place churns a healthy mix of Aussie pub classics and American-style BBQ feeds, courtesy of the beloved Black Betty smoker out the back. On offer are asado steak tacos (with house-made tortillas) and chook san choy bow, as well as pub staples like schnittys, steak and an absolutely monstrous, stadium-sized double dawg. 1 New Canterbury Road, Petersham Balmoral Boathouse If you've ever wanted to know how a billionaire feels when they eat their lunch, you should probably check out the Boathouse at Balmoral. Because, let's face it, it's a hell of lot easier than making a billion dollars. For eats, it's hard to look past the seafood when you're sitting outside in the sunshine on a deck suspended over the ocean. Try the salt and pepper squid served in an adorable tin bucket ($24) or the battered flathead served atop a mountain of thick cut chips ($28). 2 The Esplanade, Balmoral Beach El Loco at Slip Inn While this place can't hold a candle to the original in terms of atmosphere, the ample outdoor seating happening at Slip Inn's El Loco offshoot counts for a lot. It's the place to head if you're a fan of spicy tortilla, colourful flags, icy margaritas, floral oilcloth or general happiness. The killer snack menu features Dan Hong's infamous tacos and cheese-drowned hot dogs, as well as a "secret taco" that always tends to increase in appeal as the bucket of Coronas diminishes. 111 Sussex Street, Sydney Miss Peaches Soul Food Kitchen Welcome to a pseudo-Louisiana where Miss Peaches and her Soul Food Kitchen are waiting. The spacious brick bar has old-school Southern charm with plenty of comfy booths plus a blues-infused vinyl collection to get any feet dancing. But if you've managed to nab a seat on the balcony, overlooking the hustle and bustle of King Street, then you're having one of the best nights of anybody in Newtown. The menu is the antithesis of all diets and not for the faint of heart. 201 Missenden Road, Newtown The Courthouse Hotel Grungy though it may be, this is one of Sydney's most loved courtyards, and the default of any inner westie wanting to eat outdoors. From the wooden veranda, you gaze down onto a maze of long wooden benches surrounded by frangipani trees and tropical plants which, bafflingly, still manage to grow amongst the spilled beer and cigarette butts. You need to get there early on in the night to get a table, particularly on a Friday or Saturday night, but because they're so big and packed together, you're more likely to make friends at The Courthouse than at most drinking establishments in Sydney. Food-wise, some of the gourmet options don't stack up, but a standard bowl of wedges or nachos to soak up the beer is really all you want at a place like this. 202 Australia Street, Newtown. Image: Newtown grafitti via photopin cc. The Bucket List This Bondi-hipster haven by the sea has long been famous for buckets of beer and prawns (different buckets) in the sun on Sundays, or a chilled cocktail on Friday and Saturday nights. Gaze out over Bondi Beach while nomming on spaghetti with crab and zucchini flowers, chicken Cobb salad, or a bowl of comforting beer-battered pickles and onion rings. While outdoor space is ample here, the Bucket List actually works year round; in winter you can forget the oceanside squalls by the fireplace inside. Shop 1, Bondi Pavilion, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Bondi Beach By the Concrete Playground team.
It's bright, bouncy, witty and fun, but Bob's Burgers isn't a show to just watch casually while you're doing other things. Unless you give it your full attention, you might miss the details — every line of the hit animated sitcom's delightful food-themed songs, and each one of its culinary puns, too. Both help tell the story as much as the ordinary dialogue. Take the latest trailer for The Bob's Burgers Movie, for instance. It serves up another sneak peek at TV's favourite burger-slinging family on their first-ever cinematic jaunt, following the last trailer drop back in January. And, in a moment that has happened in every single small-screen episode or thereabouts, the chalkboard inside the Belcher family's burg joint sports a glorious and fitting gag. On the menu and in the movie, everything is stuck between a broc and a chard place. Set to hit cinemas in May, The Bob's Burgers Movie sees Bob Belcher (H Jon Benjamin, Archer) and his nearest and dearest facing two big dilemmas: financial troubles, and also a ruptured water main that causes a huge sinkhole right in front of the store. But that isn't all that the film promises to dish up, with a mystery that only Belcher kids Tina (Dan Mintz, Veep), Gene (Eugene Mirman, Archer) and Louise (Kristen Schaal, What We Do in the Shadows) can solve also part of the fun. This flick has been a long time coming — and not just because the series it springs from has been on the air for a whopping 12 seasons now. The Bob's Burgers Movie was originally due to reach the big screen back in mid-2020, but the pandemic got in the way. Think of it as the movie version of IRL supermarket shortages. Thankfully, 2022 is here, and The Bob's Burgers Movie is a real thing that we'll all get to feast our eyeballs on soon — before winter hits, in fact. And if your appetite for a movie-length musical comedy-mystery-adventure flick about the Belchers wasn't already ravenous, it will be after watching the latest trailer. Also, The Bob's Burgers Movie does something that no other episode of the show has been able to do so far. That'd be offer a solution to the feeling that every fan has felt more than once: not wanting this colourful, hilarious and engaging animated meal to end when you're binging through it in 20-minute episode blocks. Check out the new trailer for The Bob's Burgers Movie below: The Bob's Burgers Movie will open in cinemas Down Under on May 26, 2022. Images: Courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Last month, Ian Strange turned a Richmond house into an artwork, to explore urban isolation, vulnerability and the universal need for shelter. Now, a bunch of teachers from Swinburne Uni have similarly treated the home as canvas. But, this time, they've plastered it with mirrors. Every square centimetre of wall surface on the dwelling at 27 Dorset Road, Ferntree Gully is covered with mirrored bricks. There are over 1800 altogether. Called Untitled House, the project is part of Knox City Council Immerse Arts Festival, which runs 11 November to 11 December. "The Great Australian Dream of home ownership is being challenged in contemporary Australian life," artists Roh Singh, Larry Parkinson and Morganna Magee explain on the festival website. "[It's] becoming an ephemeral idea, one that many are watching slip from the horizon. The concept of the tangible disappearing out of sight and out of reach is one of the central intentions." The mirrors represent this ephemerality. As the house occupies a high position, they mainly reflect the sky and distant views of the Dandenong Ranges. "This clad structure reflects and absorbs the changing ambience of its surroundings," the artists write. "We hope to echo a sense of disappearing, bringing a symbolic impression of the house being lost to the environment." Meanwhile, the interior has been transformed into a gallery. A series of artworks draw on installation, sound art, photography and architectural interventions to explore notions of home and place, compelling viewers to reflect on their memories and ideas. The house is open on Wednesdays (10am – 1pm) and Saturdays (10am – 4.30pm) between November 15 and December 9. Admission is free but you should book a spot through the website in advance. Images: Rhiannon Slatter.
Cafe, designer's paradise and overall very cute space Cibi expanded in a big way back in 2018. Having spent the past decade on Keele Street in Collingwood, it outgrew the original site — filling it to the brim with Japanese homewares and cafe customers — but it didn't move far. Just a few hundred metres down the same street, actually. Taking up residence in a huge 800-square-metre warehouse, which was once a garment factory, Cibi could stretch out across a space four times the size of the original. Although the word "cibi" means "little one" in Japanese, little it no longer is. Sticking with the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi (acceptance of beauty in imperfection), the warehouse now has exposed beams, concrete and brick finishes, with owners Meg and Zenta Tanaka purposefully leaving things untouched. The cafe has expanded its cafe menu, too, with food available from breakfast through to afternoon tea. You can try dishes for the store's recently published cookbook, Cibi: Simple Japanese-Inspired Meals to Share with Family and Friends, and its super-popular Japanese Breakfast — with grilled salmon, omelette, seasonal greens, rice and miso soup — will now be available every morning, instead of just weekends. In terms of the homewares, the brands exclusively imported by Cibi (such as Hakusan porcelain and Sori Yanagi cutlery) have been built on, with the addition of larger items — such as furniture — and more brands. Love the food at Cibi in Collingwood? Buy the cookbook and recreate such dishes at home. Equally enamoured by the plate it was served on? Those are for sale, too. Even the chair you sit on could have a price tag underneath it. Synergy is in full swing here. Appears in: Where to Find the Best Breakfast in Melbourne for 2023
It's a classic cycle: we say we want to discover somewhere new, then we end up at the same holiday spots. We're creatures of comfort, after all. But, with such fantastically varied landscapes at our Australian fingertips, it's the year to switch things up. Let's start with your coastal weekender. Instead of another (delightful) beachside vacay, why not opt for some riverside charm? The serenity of the Murray Region is overlooked by city-slickers, but it's an area enlivened by passionate locals, immense natural beauty and deep history and culture. The riverside towns here are jam-packed with rich First Nations history, a thriving contemporary arts scene and some seriously niche slices of Australia's past. So, if you're ready to hit the road, the banks of the Murray will take you on a journey through time — think ancient lakebeds, a giant shed dedicated to Aussie beers from decades gone by and an insanely intricate display of replica paddlesteamers. Together with Destination NSW, we've got you covered with this extensive list of ways to enjoy the region. [caption id="attachment_894057" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] MURRAY ART MUSEUM ALBURY Opened in 2015, Albury's contemporary art museum is a cultural hub for Australian artists, both established and emerging. With a backdrop of quaint, small-town charm, the Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) brings vivid modern creations to this regional centre. From now until mid-July, the museum is hosting No Easy Answers. The exhibition invited artists — such as Ella Barclay and Tracey Moffatt — to use their creativity as a medium to tackle the issues of today. If regional charm meeting arty creations sounds good to you, opt for two nights at the Mercure Albury, just around the corner from MAMA. [caption id="attachment_894595" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Wentworth Victoria[/caption] BARKINDJI WIMPATYA MURRA CENTRE Right on the banks of the river, the Dareton region is thriving with stunning natural wonders, culinary delights and rich cultural history. A trip to this country locale would not be complete without a visit to The Barkindji Wimpatya Murra Centre (Bmeet), a spot where you will be sure to learn about the area's unique Indigenous history. This Aboriginal art gallery showcases an array of local art ranging from traditional to more contemporary work and artefacts. Expect a warm welcome at Bmeet, with local artists often in the workshop and happy to answer any of your curiosities. YARRAWONGA-MULWALA PIONEER MUSEUM Located in the fishing town of Mulwala, The Yarrawonga-Mulwala Pioneer Museum is a treasure trove of local history. This complex, established by the Historical Society, contains a range of exhibits to fascinate any visitor. From aviation to agriculture, vintage vehicles to photography, the curated collection delivers a snapshot of time in this riverside locale. THE GREAT AUSSIE BEER SHED & HERITAGE FARM MUSEUM We all know that beer is a big part of Aussie culture. That's why, in 2003, Neil Thomas opened The Great Aussie Beer Shed. Displaying an unbelievable array of Australian paraphernalia — including over 20,000 beer cans — this museum really is a must-see, located in northern Victoria just three kilometres from Echuca. Proudly showing off a collection that's taken him over 45 years to build, Neil himself will guide you through his treasures. And, it doesn't stop at beer. This 5000-square-foot shed is filled with iconic Aussie products, machinery and more. Afterwards, check out Neil's Farm Museum and its extensive display of equipment dating back to the late 1800s. [caption id="attachment_894059" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] OLD WENTWORTH GAOL The historic Old Wentworth Gaol gives a fascinating peek into our regional history. The lock-up is the oldest Australian-designed gaol in the country, built between 1879 and 1881. Until 1927, it operated with harsh conditions, though now is a popular tourist attraction and an important historical landmark. The structure has been well maintained, meaning you can get a pretty good idea of what it was like to be a resident back in the day. There's plenty of information on display, including an Indigenous history collection, so you're set to school-up on your visit. [caption id="attachment_894058" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] RIVERBOAT ROD'S MODEL PADDLESTEAMER DISPLAY Not only does Wentworth contain the country's oldest Australian-designed gaol, this charming NSW town was also once our country's busiest inland river port. If you want a better idea of what the turn-of-the-century paddle steamers looked like — or simply appreciate some dedicated craftsmanship — look no further than Riverboat Rod's. The charming space is home to a pretty incredible display of over 30 handmade paddlesteamer replicas. This collection is possibly the largest and only of its kind in the world and showcases a lifetime of attention to tiny, intricate details. Whether you are interested in aquatic history or not, these models are impressive just as they are. [caption id="attachment_894055" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] HOLBROOK SUBMARINE MUSEUM Holbrook is a great stopover town when exploring the Murray. Where else could you uncover a life-size submarine hanging out in the middle of rural NSW? This, and the accompanying fascinating history, can be discovered at the Holbrook Submarine Museum. After you've seen the HMAS Otway out front, head to the museum and stroll through its impressive display of submarine memorabilia from the depths, while you busy yourself learning some WWI history. [caption id="attachment_894763" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] MUNGO NATIONAL PARK Mungo National Park is a remarkable destination that cannot be missed when exploring the Murray. It's home to ancient lakebeds and plenty of incredible relics of early Aboriginal culture. This national park is truly an experience to remember. But to make the most of it, make the Mungo Visitor Centre your first stop. Here, you can view amazing displays and learn of the area's First Nations heritage and the archaeological evidence that revealed the once-full Lake Mungo. [caption id="attachment_895130" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] EXPLORE DENILIQUIN Deniliquin is a locale found on the Edward River — a tributary of the Murray — making it a primo spot for any riverside activities. Whether you're into water skiing, fishing, bushwalking or just soaking up beautiful surrounds, you're covered here. Stay at Centrepoint Motel, where you'll be just a five-minute walk to the centre of town. What's nearby? The Long Paddock Touring Route, the stock route that's still used today and dishes up a slice of history with a side of tranquillity and art. Along the track, which starts in Echuca Moama and heads out to the Outback, there's both local history on sporadic info boards and public artworks — plus plenty of country pubs. This area is also home to the flattest, most open natural plains on the planet, which deliver spectacular expansive vistas into the horizon (pictured above). Here, you'll also find a cycle loop, The Depot and its incredible collection of automobiles and memorabilia, a vibrant towering mural splashed across a water tower and plenty more. Looking to visit later in the year? The Deni Ute Muster takes over the town in September, and is a celebration of the region's 'ute culture' and unique landscape. For more ways to enjoy the Murray region, check out our foodies guide or guide to a rejuvenating trip. Or, to start planning your history and culture trip to the Murray region, head to the website. Top images: Destination NSW (Walls of China; Barmah National Park; Mungo National Park).
Mass environmental protests will flood the streets of Australia on Friday, September 20, when thousands of people across the country walk out of school and work to demand action on climate change. Part of the Global Climate Strike movement, and organised locally by School Strike 4 Climate, events will be held in cities and towns across the nation — not only in state capitals such as Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, but in more than 100 Aussie spots. With the United Nations' Climate Change Summit happening on Monday, September 23 in New York, the huge worldwide protests are timed to send a message. Taking place in 120 countries, they're the latest initiative to take the climate crisis to the streets, building upon the outcry expressed in other rallies this year. In March, a Global Climate Strike for Future attracted 1.4 million people around the globe. This week's strikes have significant community backing this time, too — thousands of Australian school students are expected to walk out of class to attend, more than 30 unions have pledged their support, and over than 1200 Australian and global businesses have committed to giving their employees time off so that they can head along as well. As well as drawing attention to Australia's horrific two years, weather-wise — as seen via soaring temperatures, prolonged drought conditions and the horrific bushfires that have plagued the Queensland and NSW for the last fortnight — protestors are fighting for three specific demands. They're asking for a ban on new coal, oil and gas projects, including the recently approved Adani mine; that 100-percent energy generated and exported by 2030 comes from renewable sources; and the funding of fair transition processes, including the provision of jobs, for fossil fuel industry workers and the communities currently reliant upon the sector. Unsurprisingly, most places across Australia can expect disruptions and delays on Friday as a result of the strikes, including possible road closures and traffic diversions. If you're planning to join the crowds or you're pondering your transport options for the day, here's how the events will go down in your city. And here are a few placard ideas, too: https://www.instagram.com/p/B2ev1lbHuwE/?igshid=yaz9l9ueayup SYDNEY Sydney protestors will converge on The Domain on Art Gallery Road at 12pm, then march to Hyde Park — heading down Macquarie Street, then along Elizabeth Street and ending on Park Street. For those keen to march through the city beforehand, a Global Climate Strike bridge walk will set off from Bradfield Park near Milsons Point Station at 10am. Accompanied by a marching band, walkers will stroll over the Harbour Bridge, then continue along the Cahill walk to The Domain. If you're looking for a caffeine hit before the strike, Single O in the CBD and Surry Hills will be doling out free coffees to protesters between 10–11.30am — don't forget to BYO cup (obviously). For public transport and traffic updates on the day, check Transport NSW and Live Traffic Sydney. MELBOURNE Melburnians will start their protest at the Treasury Gardens on Spring Street at 2pm, with people advised to arrive from 1.30pm. After a Welcome to Country, speeches and performances, a march will take place from 3pm. Protestors will walk down to Collins Street, keep going until Exhibition Street, then head down to Flinders Street — which'll bring them back to the gardens. If you're commuting to the strike via train, you may want to join one of the four pre-strike train parties — on the Belgrave, Mernda, Craigieburn and Upfield — where there'll be snacks, chanting, singing and dancing. For public transport and traffic updates on the day, check Yarra Trams and Vic Traffic. BRISBANE Brisbanites will assemble in Queens Gardens on the corner of George and Elizabeth Streets from 12.30pm, with speeches commencing at 1pm and a march to Musgrave Park — via Victoria Bridge — starting at 1.30pm. More speakers and performances will follow in West End's Musgrave Park until 4pm. Unions and workers will also be marching to Queens Gardens beforehand, meeting at 12.30pm at Brisbane Square in Reddacliff Place. For public transport and traffic updates on the day, check Translink and Qld Traffic Metro. Australia's Global Climate Strike protests will take place at various times on Friday, September 20. For further details, visit the School Strike 4 Climate website. Top image: School Strike
Just look at that hair. This large-scale installation — which not-so-subtly resembles the dome of Donald Trump — is the work of Canadian-born visual artist Callum Morton. Titled Monument #32: Helter Shelter 2018, the giant protruding head is now on display along Barangaroo Wharf, and you're welcome to sit inside its cavernous fiery interior, too (if you feel comfortable doing so). Morton's thought-provoking and shelter-providing sculpture is on display along with two other works as part of Carriageworks' annual art fair, Sydney Contemporary. Joining the head is Cameron Robbins' installation Remote Sensor, which combines elements of nature, wind, the tides and light in a series of drawings, photographs and moving images that will take residence along the Barangaroo foreshore. If you visit at the right time, you might also catch Mel O'Callaghan's breath-based performance, Breath repertoire. O'Callaghan and Sydney Dance Company will perform an intense movement-focused performance that uses intersecting graphic lines as a language and musical score for the dancers at 12.30pm on September 6, 7 and 13 at Barangaroo's Exchange Place. All three installations are free to view and will be on display until September 24. Sydney Contemporary will return to Sydney for its fourth year on the weekend of September 13–16. The lineup is overflowing with performances, exhibitions, tours, talks and afterparties that celebrate both homegrown and international art. The installation works at Barangaroo for Sydney Contemporary are now open from August 31 through September 24. Check the website for more information.
From futuristic Supertrees to idyllic beaches and tropical gardens, Singapore weaves leafy stretches of nature throughout its bustling urban landscape. But reconnecting with nature doesn't have to mean trekking through forests or sleeping in a tent — it can also be farm-to-table dining with local produce, urban parks and luxe hotels with verdant spaces. In partnership with Singapore Tourism, we've pulled together a few imaginative ways to eat, stay and play in nature around Singapore, without straying too far from the middle of the city. [caption id="attachment_976861" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Marklin Ang[/caption] Play Known as the Garden City, Singapore is home to both hidden pockets and wide expanses of greenery, even in the middle of the city. Take the iconic Gardens by the Bay, which boasts temperature-controlled conservatories filled with exotic plants and flowers from around the world, towering Supertrees, freshwater wetlands and a Japanese zen garden. The UNESCO World Heritage-listed Singapore Botanic Gardens is equally impressive with a more classic slant — think elegant swans, a heritage museum and bandstand, and a national orchid garden with over 1000 species. [caption id="attachment_980992" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Danny Santos[/caption] For a dose of history on your outdoor adventure, head to Fort Canning Park to explore nine historical gardens, a spice garden dating back to 1822, two informative galleries and various colonial monuments. Fort Canning was home to the palatial resorts of Malay kings during the 14th century, before it was used by the British as military headquarters until WWII. As you exit to Penang Road near Dhoby Ghaut station, be sure to admire the sunlight and foliage streaming in from the top of the Fort Canning Park Tree Tunnel. If you're looking to get out of the city for a day, hop on a 15-minute ferry ride to Pulau Ubin from Changi Point Ferry Terminal. One of Singapore's former kampongs (villages), the island still retains some of the landmarks from its rich history, including a model kampong house, Fo Shan Ting Da Bo Gong Temple and the German Girl Shrine. For wildlife lovers, Pulau Ubin is home to a diverse range of native plants, birds and animals, many of which cannot be found on the mainland. Discover these critters at sites such as Butterfly Hill, Chek Jawa Wetlands and Sensory Trail Pond on foot or by bike. Eat and Drink You don't have to venture out to get a taste of the great outdoors. Sample fresh local produce while paying respect to the land at these sustainability-driven restaurants. Located a short distance from Orchard Road, Open Farm Community's menu focuses on produce sourced from its very own urban farm, along with local suppliers. Visitors are welcome to join in on a farm tour before enjoying farm-to-table fare with locally inspired flavours. Kaarla also boasts its own urban farm — at 51 stories high, the 1-Arden Food Forest is the tallest urban farm in the world. The restaurant prepares Australian cuisine on a wood-fired grill, with produce sourced from the surrounding farm, as well as Singaporean and Australian producers. Helmed by chef LG Han, Labyrinth's new Singaporean cuisine and sustainable efforts have been rewarded with a Michelin Star and the Flor de Caña Sustainable Restaurant Award. Han takes inspiration from hawker fare and traditional Singapore flavours to create his innovative dishes, using locally sourced ingredients and carefully utilising all parts of the produce. Influenced by Danish principles of sustainability, FURA is a sleek cocktail bar that uses environmentally friendly ingredients with a low carbon footprint, such as insect proteins, invasive species or produce that is widely available throughout Asia. For a picturesque dining experience among the trees, look no further than 1-Flowerhill. The elegant chateau houses three restaurants — Camille, Wildseed Cafe, and Wildseed Bar and Grill — and sits atop Sentosa's Imbiah Hill with views across the island. Stay Bring nature to you at one of these luxe hotels in the heart of Singapore, which champion sustainability and integrate greenery into their design. Aptly named, the ParkRoyal Collection hotels in Pickering and Marina Bay incorporate environmentally conscious processes, including solar panels, filtered water systems, biodegradable amenities and rooftop urban farms. Similarly, The Pan Pacific Orchard adopts sustainable practices throughout the hotel, such as energy-saving glass, motion sensors and integrated energy, water and waste systems. The hotel also features four nature-inspired terraces — the Forest, Beach, Garden and Cloud Terraces — with abundant tropical foliage. You can't miss Oasia Downtown amongst the Singapore skyline — the 27-storey building is wrapped in over 20 species of plants woven throughout the aluminium mesh exterior. As the plants continue to grow across the building, they provide shade and a cooling effect throughout the building. The greenery continues inside, with 33 species of plants in communal areas such as the lobby, rooftop pools and Sky Terrace. A short stroll from the Singapore Botanic Gardens, The Singapore Edition is a tranquil retreat with lush tropical plants, a rooftop pool and trendy bars. The hotel's eco-friendly initiatives include using carbon-neutral and biodegradable room keys, recycled materials and green cement. The hotel restaurant, Fysh, is also acclaimed Australian chef Josh Niland's first international foray, with an emphasis on sustainable seafood and responsibly sourced produce. Book your Singapore holiday now with Flight Centre. All images courtesy of Singapore Tourism Board.
What has Jedi, Wookiees, a spate of deaths, and a new villain swinging around a red lightsaber and wearing a zipper-faced black mask? According to the first trailer from back in March and the new sneak peek that's just dropped for May the fourth, The Acolyte does. Star Wars, but make it a murder-mystery thriller? If that's your dream for a galaxy far, far away, it's looks like it's coming true in the sixth live-action series in the George Lucas-started sprawling saga to hit Disney+. This eight-episode effort will plunge into a grim spree — someone is killing Jedi — when it joins your streaming queue this winter, debuting its first two instalments on Tuesday, June 4. The Acolyte follows a Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae, Squid Game) who is forced to face a mysterious warrior (Amandla Stenberg, Bodies Bodies Bodies) from his past when bodies start piling up. Also in the stacked cast: Manny Jacinto (Nine Perfect Strangers), Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll), Jodie Turner-Smith (Sex Education) and Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix Resurrections). Rebecca Henderson (You Hurt My Feelings), Dean-Charles Chapman (Game of Thrones) and Joonas Suotamo (who played Chewbacca in Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi, Solo: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker) also co-star. It was true in the first trailer and it remains that way now: the vibe in these two first glimpses is deeply moody, leaning into the dark side and filled with confrontation. Visually, there's a gloomier look to much of the trailers as well, with creator Leslye Headland (Russian Doll) adding something distinctive to the ever-expanding space-opera franchise. Also different is the fact that The Acolyte takes place during High Republic era, which means that its events precede Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace by a century. Don't go expecting a heap of familiar faces popping up, then, whether Stenberg's assassin is attempting to slay Moss' Jedi, lightsabers are being swung, or a Wookiee or a never-bef0re-seen Sith are making an appearance. On the small screen, The Acolyte slips into the Star Wars realm after The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor and Ahsoka, all of which have arrived since 2019. Both Andor and Ahsoka also have second seasons on the way. Only one film in the saga has been released in that period, with The Rise of Skywalker closing out the third big-screen trilogy in the franchise just a month after The Mandalorian premiered. The next movie expected: The Mandalorian spinoff The Mandalorian & Grogu. Check out the new trailer for The Acolyte below: The Acolyte will stream via Disney+ from Tuesday, June 4, 2o24. Images: ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
By now, the fact that any new season will likely be hotter than average in Australia should hardly come as a surprise. It's a recurrent trend, especially in autumn and winter, when things are supposed to cool down. And, now that summer is behind us for 2021, this year is staying true to form. According to the Bureau of Meteorology's climate outlook for the March to May period, much of the country is in for both warm weather and wet conditions over the coming months. If you live in Australia's north, Tasmania, southern Victoria or along the west coast of Western Australia, expect toastier autumn days this year, with a more than 60-percent chance that'll be the case. Nights are also expected to be warmer over the same period, hitting an 80-percent likelihood in the northern tropics, eastern Queensland, southern Victoria and Tasmania. For folks in New South Wales, you could buck the trend. BOM is currently forecasting cooler than average autumn days for parts of the state, with a 60-percent probability. But, overall, even when Australia gets down to its minimum temperatures between March and May, they're expected to be higher than average across most of the country (other that parts of southern WA and western and central South Australia). To give an idea of exactly what that all means, the average daily maximum temperature for March sits at around 23.9 degrees in Melbourne, 24.8 in Sydney and 28 in Brisbane. In May, it's around 16.7 degrees for Melbourne, with 19.5 for Sydney and 23.2 for Brisbane. BOM is forecasting that in all three cities we'll see warmer temperatures than that across the three months — and in Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra and Darwin as well — although some rises might be minimal. In good news for farmers, much of the nation's east looks set for more rain, too. That's predicted to be the case in most of NSW, southern and eastern Queensland, Arnhem Land in the NT, eastern SA and eastern Tasmania — although, the higher probability of that happening (over 70 percent) is largely concentrated to small parts of southern Queensland and northeast NSW). In WA, the rest of the NT, Victoria, and the western parts of Queensland, SA and Tasmania, there's no indication that it'll be much wetter or drier than normal. Autumn's predicted wetter and warmer conditions across parts of the country follow Australia's rainiest summer for four years, BOM announced, topping figures since 2016–17 everywhere except greater southeastern Queensland (from the NSW border up to the Capricornia region). To finish off 2020, the country actually experienced its third wettest December since national records began in 1900; however, the nation's summer temperatures also look set to be our lowest since 2011–2012, only reaching above average in parts of Queensland and WA's west coast. If you're wondering why rain has been such a feature lately, BOM attributes it to La Niña, but notes that it is starting to subside. Bureau climatologist Dr Naomi Benger says that "the tropical Pacific Ocean is forecast to return to neutral conditions (neither El Niño nor La Niña) during autumn, consistent with the typical lifecycle of La Niña events. However, it is not uncommon for the effects of La Niña to still be felt as the event declines. That means an increased chance of above average rainfall, particularly for eastern regions". For more information about forecast weather conditions between March–May 2021, head to the Bureau of Meteorology's climate outlook.
With its "funny Broadchurch" premise, Deadloch gave murder-mysteries The Kates treatment. In its first season, the Australian hit served up both crime drama and comedy, as well as a whip-smart subversion of the usual tales about detectives investigating a spate of killings, in one of the best new TV shows of 2023. No one familiar with Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan's past work could've expected anything different — and the pair delivered, so much so that a second season is on its way. Those prior shows? Before the pair got satirical with whodunnits — while also making a stellar whoddunit — McCartney and McLennan gave television cooking programs a spin, then morning TV. The Katering Show and Get Krack!n were the end results, and both remain as hilarious now as they each did when they debuted, as you can now see on The Kates' YouTube channel. Viewers have been able to enjoy The Katering Show online for years, but season one of Get Krack!n has just joined it. If you're still trying to fill the Deadloch-shaped hole in your viewing until more episodes arrive, this is the solution — whether or not you've already seen the hit series, which spoofs breakfast television in sharp and side-splitting fashion. While they didn't appear on-screen in Deadloch, McCartney and McLennan are front and centre in Get Krack!n as the titular show's hosts. For company, everyone from Sam Neill (Apples Never Fall), Hannah Gadsby (Sex Education), Miranda Tapsell (The Artful Dodger), Deborah Mailman (Last Days of the Space Age) and Aunty Donna (Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe) to Adam Briggs (Boy Swallows Universe), Celia Pacquola (Utopia), Nakkiah Lui (Preppers), Charlotte Nicdao (Mythic Quest) and Michelle Lim-Davidson (The Newsreader) pop up. "We can't wait to bring our topical, satirical satire Get Krack!n to the world. We think it will be just as relevant to audiences now as it was the day it was filmed ... seven years ago," said The Kates. The Northern Territory-set second season of Deadloch is shooting now, with Kate Box (Boy Swallows Universe), Madeleine Sami (Our Flag Means Death), Nina Oyama (Utopia) and Alicia Gardiner (The Clearing) all returning from season one. New to the series this time around: Luke Hemsworth (Next Goal Wins), Steve Bisley (Human Error), Shari Sebbens (The Moogai) and plenty more. Check out the first season-one episode of Get Krack!n below — and the entire season via The Kates' YouTube channel: Get Krack!n is available to stream via The Kates' YouTube channel.
If you're looking for a city break with a difference, head to a place where urban creativity meets Indigenous bush-tucker gardens meets a riverside retreat. That place is Parramatta, Sydney's city outside of the city, just 25 kilometres west of the CBD. In winter, a weekend in these parts means wandering along the Parramatta riverfront, feasting on authentic international food, strolling the Aboriginal Landscape Trail and drinking creative cocktails. Skip the traffic by catching a train or ferry — or better yet, book yourself into one of the AccorHotels nearby, and get stuck into the soul-nourishing activities below. EAT AND DRINK For one of the best brekkies in town, claim a table on Circa Espresso's sunny terrace — or the lamp-lit, book-filled back room. Among the Middle Eastern-inspired offerings are Ottoman eggs with crumbed eggplant, garlic labneh, burnt chilli, sage butter and seeded sourdough. The coffee is roasted in small batches: choose from Three Ropes — a buttery, chocolatey blend of Colombian, Guatemalan and Peruvian beans — or a single origin. Other spots for a good morning brew and bite are White Henry Espresso, tucked away in Fire Horse Lane, and country farmhouse-esque Paper Plane, which serves up Little Marionette coffee. Come lunch or dinner time, head to hybrid eatery-retail space Butter. Yep, this is the sibling of the Surry Hills original, but it's twice the size. Stay downstairs for fried chicken, Champagne and hip-hop; head upstairs for sneakers, hoodies, caps, socks and bags. Another couple of inner-city favourites to have set up digs in Parramatta are BL Burgers and Neil Perry's Burger Project. For a more local experience, try dining at Temasek. Prepare to queue for a table: foodies pack out this friendly, no-frills eatery for excellent Malaysian and Singaporean dishes, from laksa to nasi goreng. Meanwhile, just one train station — or five minutes' drive — away is Harris Park's cornucopia of Indian restaurants, where Chatkazz does tasty, affordable, vegetarian street food and Not Just Curries an array of regional dishes from all over India. Or, for something fancier, head to 350 Restaurant and Bar, the refined offering within the Novotel Parramatta Sydney, for a three-parter of blue swimmer crab with sweet corn veloute, Cape Grim beef cheeks and Frangelico panna cotta. It's recently nabbed a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence, which goes to the spots with the top user reviewers. A couple of sweet spots for pre-dinner bevvies are ALEX&Co., whose cocktail bar overlooks Parramatta River, and the Riverside Brewing Company, which offers an ideal winter beer in the chocolatey Eighty-Eight Robust Porter. Note that the cellar door is only open Friday and Saturday, 2pm—6pm. After dinner, swing by Uncle Kurt's, a street-art-plastered small bar hidden away in a car park that feels as though it's straight out of Brooklyn and where head bartender Alex Colman makes every cocktail from scratch. Among his winter-friendly signature creations is the Westside, a heartening concoction of kaffir lime leaf-infused gin, yellow chartreuse, citrus, sugar snap peas, honey and ginger. DO Parramatta knows how to throw a festival just as well as the Sydney CBD. Coming up from October 9–12 is Parramatta Lanes, which takes over the area's laneways, plazas and hidden nooks. Roam the night and you might stumble across bands, street eats, pop-up bars, projections, glowing sculptures and interactive art installations. Before or after, book a ticket to a show at Riverside Theatres — the diverse program features everything from political satire to orchestral performances. During the day, Parramatta's surprisingly bushy outdoors offer stacks of escapades. To immerse yourself in Indigenous culture, head to Parramatta Park, where the Burramatta Aboriginal Landscape Trail travels through terrain that's been regenerated to reflect its state before European arrival. Meanwhile, among Parramatta Lake's 73 hectares of bushland, you'll find the Arrunga Bardo Bush Food Garden, crowded with edible and medicinal plants. Need to get warm? Jump on your bike and conquer one of Parramatta's many and varied cycle paths. The Heritage Ride takes in 27 historical spots; the Parramatta Park Ride is an easy, 3.5-kilometre loop through greenery; and the riverside route travels (mostly) along the waterfront to Sydney Olympic Park. If you have more of a lazy winter weekender in mind, then head to the Wentworth Atelier, a revamped Victorian terrace, for a blow dry or hot towel shave — with a top-shelf whiskey — at Dapper & Doll or to get measured up for a shirt or suit at the old-school Tailor & Co. SLEEP When you're on a wintry break, sleeping over in a snug spot is half the fun. For a stay right on the river — and just a minute's walk from the CBD — check into the Novotel Sydney Parramatta. The 4.5-star digs vary from Standard Rooms with queen or twin beds to Spa Suites with jacuzzis, but all come with massive windows that let in buckets of winter sunshine and splashes of earthy colours. There's an on-site gym, steam room, outdoor pool, restaurant and bar. For a more affordable option, book a room at the Mercure Sydney Parramatta, right near Rosehill Gardens Racecourse. You can count on a spacious, peaceful room, plus there's a tennis court, outdoor pool and the M Restaurant and Bar, serving contemporary Australian cuisine from head chef Roshni Bista. The new winter menu includes macadamia-encrusted barramundi with New York cheesecake for dessert. It's located near the M4, meaning getting back to Sydney or journeying on to the Blue Mountains is easy as pie. Go to the AccorHotels website to book your stay in Parramatta, and to discover more of NSW, swing by Visit NSW.
Macquarie Park will be the site of a huge $2.2 billion residential development — but it's not the high-price high-rise apartment complex that you might have come to expect from Sydney. This new development, which will be partially government funded, will provide a 3000 new homes to Sydneysiders — about 950 of which will provide social housing. A further 128 will be classed as affordable. As part of its Communities Plus project, the NSW Government this week announced the successful tenderers for the Ivanhoe Estate development as the Aspire consortium, which is made up of Mission Australia and developers Frasers Property Australia and Citta Property Group. The consortium will work with the government to develop housing that is affordable and sustainable for those who need it most. "The redevelopment will provide $120 million towards social and community infrastructure and $21 million towards social housing programs within the Ivanhoe estate," said Premier Gladys Berejiklian. "This will see services including tailored and personal plans to connect social housing tenants with education, training and employment." On top of the housing will be a stack of community facilities, including a high school, two childcare centres, an aged care centre, playgrounds, green spaces, gardens and a basketball court. Some commercial interests will be getting a look-in too, with retail shops, a supermarket and cafes all in the plans. Social housing residents will be able to access on-site Mission Australia offices, which will offer social services, including personalised support for tenants and community programs. "Everyone deserves a safe place to call home and everyone who lives in the Ivanhoe community will have the opportunity to fulfil their potential and connect with people in the neighbourhood, as well as having easy access to education, transport, jobs and services in the area," said Mission Australia CEO, Catherine Yeomans. Apart from bringing together people of varied social-economic backgrounds, the development has some pretty weighty sustainability goals. The aim is a six-star Green Star Communities Rating and overall carbon neutrality. To that end, water will be caught and reused, recycled materials will form part of construction, roofs will be green and a photovoltaic system will power a whopping 1.5 megawatts. Ivanhoe Estate — which is located close to Macquarie University and the train station — is part of the government's $22 billion Communities Plus project. Construction is set to start later this year, with the project to be delivered in stages of the next ten to 12 years. It's the first site to be developed; developments in Waterloo, Arncliffe, Telopea and Riverwood are set to follow.
Here's some news worth slathering whichever type of food you love in McDonald's coveted Szechuan sauce: in less than a month, Rick and Morty will return for its sixth season. Anything can happen in the animated show's next batch of episodes, because that's the kind of dimension-hopping sci-fi series it is. Don't just take our word for it, though — the just-dropped full trailer for the upcoming season drips with chaos, unsurprisingly, and also paranoia. Well, actually, the sneak peek is set to the sounds of 'Paranoid' by Black Sabbath, but it's also a rather apt theme tune for the show's titular duo. When you're zipping around the galaxy and sliding through time, changing multiple worlds, making a whole lot of enemies and just generally causing interstellar mayhem in the process, being suspicious and mistrustful is bound to come with the territory. As for what'll occur from there, the trailer teases lectures about Die Hard, killer robots, vanishing from reality, alien armies, Wolverine-style claws, using Jerry as a human shield, arcade shootouts and exploding cars. So, just your usual Rick and Morty shenanigans. As always, anyone keen to get schwifty with the episodes can probably expect that Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith (both voiced by show co-creator Justin Roiland, Solar Opposites) will keep wreaking havoc, and that the series will keep zooming between as many universes as it can. And, because that's the way the news goes, Rick and Morty's hijinks will keep drawing in Morty's mother Beth (Sarah Chalke, Firefly Lane), father Jerry (Chris Parnell, Archer) and sister Summer (Spencer Grammer, Tell Me a Story). Everywhere across earth where television is screened and streamed — interdimensional cable, too — Rick and Morty is set to return on Sunday, September 4 in America. That's on Monday, September 5 Down Under, where the series beams into your queue via Netflix. And if you're wondering what kinds of chaos are in store this time around, Adult Swim, the US channel behind the show, has advised that the new season will pick up with its titular pair "where we left them, worse for wear and down on their luck". "Will they manage to bounce back for more adventures? Or will they get swept up in an ocean of piss! Who knows?! Piss! Family! Intrigue! A bunch of dinosaurs! More piss!" the network also teased. Check out the trailer for Rick and Morty's sixth season below: Rick and Morty's sixth season will premiere globally on Monday, September 5 Down Under. It streams via Netflix in Australia and New Zealand.
We enjoyed the tenth annual Bicycle Film Festival last year, and the 2011 instalment is already brewing. But obviously, there can be no film festival without films – that’s where you, dear cycling-and-film-making reader come in! BFF want you to make a bike film and be a part of the global event. Submitting an entry is free, and films can be of any style, as long as they’re bike-related. With the festival travelling to over 25 cities worldwide, successful entries are guaranteed some great exposure, and being an entrant will give you a great excuse to attend the screenings, parties and other events that make up the festival itself. If you’re in need of some inspiration check out the BFF trailer below, or consider using your bike in the film-making process. Entries close on April 1 so get your camera and get on your bike!
After Christmas 2020 saw Australians explore their own backyards, 2021's festive season will welcome the return of a familiar end-of-year tradition. If your summer break usually involves venturing overseas, that'll be back on the cards again as the nation reopens to international travel from November. And if you're still eager to enjoy the sunny, beachy weather, you'll be able to head to Fiji. On Monday, October 11, Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama announced that the Pacific nation will reopen its borders to Australian tourists, with quarantine-free visits restarting from Thursday, November 11. Australia is on a list of travel partner countries — which also includes New Zealand, the US, the UK, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Qatar, Germany, Spain, France, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, Japan, and most Pacific Island countries and territories — that are being prioritised by Fiji due to their widespread vaccination status. There will still be protocols in place, however, so that's something you'll need to factor into your plans if you can now see a tropical holiday in your future. Firstly, there'll be a no jab, no fly policy, so you'll have to be double vaccinated with the Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Johnson and Johnson vaccines. You'll also need to test negative to COVID-19 within three days of departure — and, you'll have to download the country's Care Fiji app to your phone when you arrive. After that, tourists will also need to spend their first two days in Fiji in their hotels. You'll be free to use the facilities and amenities, but you won't be able to mosey any further until you take another COVID-19 test 48 hours after arrival. Once that comes back negative, you'll then be able to visit spots deemed 'safe-travel areas'. While exactly where these regions will cover is still being worked out, the Fiji Prime Minister advised that "they will be large enough for tourists to enjoy the best of Fiji, but restrictive enough to protect areas with low vaccination coverage." The two-day hotel period is expected to relax as more Fijians become double vaccinated. In response to Fiji's announcement, Virgin Australia was quick to reveal that it'll restart its flights to Nadi from Thursday, December 16. It'll fly return from Sydney up to twice daily, return from Melbourne once a day and return from Brisbane three times a week — and, it's doing a sale on fares from $289 one-way. Virgin's Fiji flights will mark its first relaunched international routes, ahead of restarting its services from Australia to New Zealand and Bali sometime in 2022. For more information about Fiji's reopening plan, head to the Fiji Government's website. For further details about Virgin Australia's Fiji flight sale, head to the airline's website.
