After more than a month of cycling in and out of stay-at-home conditions, the bulk of regional Victoria will come out of lockdown at 11.59pm on Thursday, September 9. While nothing will ease in Greater Melbourne until 70 percent of the state has had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, Premier Daniel Andrews floated last week that changes might be possible in regional parts of the state before that milestone is reached — and now that's exactly what's happening. At Victoria's daily COVID-19 press conference today, Wednesday, September 8, the Premier announced that "the five reasons to leave the home will be removed in regional Victoria, except for Greater Shepparton." Lockdown will remain in place in Greater Shepparton for the time being; however, the Premier said that "we would hope to have Shepparton catch up to the rest of regional Victoria some time next week, and we'll make those announcements as soon as we have tidied up the last bits of the outbreak there." Regional Victoria has been in lockdown again since mid-August, after initially joining the entire state under stay-at-home conditions at the beginning of the month, then being released from lockdown a few days later. So, it has been a seesawing month or so of changing conditions — and now folks in regional parts of the state are getting another early mark. On the advice of the Chief Health Officer, Regional Victoria's lockdown will be lifted. There remains a significant risk of cases seeding, so we all have to continue to work hard to keep regional Victoria, and all of us safe. pic.twitter.com/0vqNEhQfng — Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) September 8, 2021 Just like back in your school days, if you live anywhere in regional Victoria other than Greater Shepparton, you'll be allowed out of the house for whatever reason you like from Friday, September 10. As always happens after a lockdown, however, a number of other restrictions will be put in place. These restrictions will largely mirror the rules in effect before this lockdown — so yes, they'll sound familiar. The five-kilometre rule is being scrapped, so you can roam far and wide without worrying about the distance. Of course, the state's border rules, and those of other parts of Australia, may hamper your trip if you're planning on heading interstate. And, if you're planning to head to Melbourne, you can only do so for a permitted reason, and you'll still have to follow Melbourne's lockdown restrictions while you're there. Obviously, that travel rule doesn't work both ways. People in Melbourne still can't venture more than five kilometres from home, and therefore can't leave their house to visit regional parts of the state. Also permitted in regional Victoria when lockdown lifts: catching up with your nearest and dearest, but you'll have to gather outdoors in public, and only in groups of up to ten people. You still won't be able to have anyone come over to your house, so nothing is changing there. Masks will still remain mandatory both indoors and out, too — so the rules there aren't changing there, either. Also, food and hospitality businesses will be able to open for seated service only, with a cap of 20 people outdoors and 10 people inside. Retail stores, gyms, hairdressers and beauty salons can reopen as well, with a density quota of one person per four-square metres. Entertainment venues can welcome in up to 300 people per outdoor space, or 25-percent capacity, whichever is smaller, while indoor spaces can have 20 people. That said, businesses that are permitted to reopen in regional Victoria but must remain closed in Melbourne — so places like restaurants offering dine-in meals, beauty services and venues — will be required to check the IDs of everyone they serve. [caption id="attachment_823288" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Mattinbgn via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] The lockdown changes come as Victoria now has 1920 active COVID-19 cases, including 221 new cases identified in the 24 hours to midnight last night. All of the current stay-at-home rules remain in effect in Melbourne until that 70-percent single jab threshold has been met. So, that means that Melburnians can still only leave home for five reasons: shopping for what you need, when you need it; caregiving and compassionate reasons; essential work or permitted education that can't be done from home; exercise; and getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Lockdown in Regional Victoria, other than in Greater Shepparton, will end at 11.59pm on Thursday, September 9. For more information about the rules that'll be in place from that time, head to the Victorian Department of Health website. Top image: Robert Blackburn via Visit Victoria.
UPDATE Monday, July 19: Lift those spirits and treat yourself to an at-home Mexican fiesta, courtesy of Mejico's latest delivery meal boxes. They arrive ready to heat and serve, packed with a two-person menu of starters, sides, dessert and a main dish — like the hibiscus mole chicken. A range of food and drink add-ons are also available. For more details on Victoria's current restrictions, see the Department of Health and Human Services website. As the CBD slowly emerges from its 2020 hibernation, it's welcomed an especially lively newcomer in Mejico — a vibrant eatery that opened its doors this week, transforming Pink Alley into a permanent fiesta. Sibling to Mejico Sydney, which launched back in 2013, the restaurant's serving up a diverse menu of regional Mexican fare, alongside what's pegged to be Melbourne's largest selection of tequila and mezcal, clocking in at over 260 varieties. The two-storey space sports an edgy fit-out full of black and neon pink accents, with an all-weather glasshouse-style dining room on the ground floor, and a more intimate tequila bar and cocktail lounge upstairs. It's decked out with hand-drawn mandalas, striking murals by local artist Ash Keating, and a leafy vertical garden. Unlike most of the Mexican joints you've been frequenting, this one's an early riser, kicking off each day with a breakfast offering from 7.30am. Settle in with the likes of a reworked eggs benny with chipotle hollandaise, dulce de leche crumpets and mezcal-cured salmon, or grab a fresh croissant and coffee to-go. [caption id="attachment_793263" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Arianna Leggiero[/caption] Come lunch and dinner, the menu expands to a colourful lineup of street snacks — think, grilled haloumi with burnt honey, fire-glazed salmon tacos and empanadas stuffed with Daylesford beef brisket — alongside larger plates like the pasilla-spiced roast chicken and a Yucatan-style pulled pork matched with smoked eggplant. Here, the all-important guacamole element is prepared tableside in front of your eyes, served with plantain chips and customised with your choice of garnishes. Or, you can tuck into a classic ($62) or deluxe ($79) 'feed me' menu, the latter of which includes a serve of Mejico's signature margarita cheesecake. Late-night cravings are sorted, too, with a special post-11pm snack menu, featuring bites like blue corn chips with a roasted pineapple and habanero salsa, brisket empanadas, and crispy chicharrones. Tequila and mezcal reign supreme on the drinks list, though the agave-focused cocktail lineup is also set to get a solid workout. You'll find fruity creations like a jalapeño margarita and the Guadalajaran — featuring a blend of pineapple-infused tequila and passionfruit. Rounding out the fun is a tidy crop of wines, crisp beers, and sangria by the glass or jug. Images: Arianna Leggiero
Oceans cover 70 percent of the world’s surface. With most of our population hugging the coast, Australia has a unique relationship with the water. Our beach and surf culture has evolved uniquely from the rest of the world and the sea holds an important place in most Australians hearts. Photographer Mark Tipple has set about capturing unique moments not just from the sand but from underneath the breaks. Tipple combines his documentary photography skills and his surfing background to reveal a hidden and amazing world. Always curious about what he looked like whilst duck-diving under waves, Mark tried several strategies (including helmets, cameras and weight belts) before realising the best approach would be to jump off the board. Tipple’s Underwater Project is the culmination of several years of shoots, capturing the interaction between man and the waves, and the unfolding narrative of everyday nature. There seems a natural connection between photography and surfing. Both rely on certain elements out of your control coming together at the right time in the right combination. Fortunately for us, Tipple has had plenty of luck and caught some amazing shots.
SHOP225 is on a roll after being named Australia's Best Pizzeria by the 50 Top Pizza Awards back in September. Now the hole-in-the-wall Pascoe Vale hotspot — and its Moonee Ponds sister restaurant, Il Caminetto — have received three more major accolades, cementing their reputation as must-try destinations for Italian cuisine. Guided by the belief that everyone deserves pizza, SHOP225 has long been committed to making gluten-free innovations, serving an unbeatable slice that's also celiac-friendly. Now, this boundary-pushing research has been honoured at the 24th World Spicy Pizza Championship in Scalea, Italy, positioning the pizzeria as a global trailblazer. While SHOP225 is forward-thinking in its pizza-making philosophy, the team was also recognised for its respect for tradition. Picking up another award, the Movimento Italian Pizzaioli, a global organisation committed to the art of Italian pizza, gave the pizzeria its flowers for preserving the spirit of a tried-and-true slice. In a similar vein, SHOP225's Sicilian heritage was also lauded with a third award. Respected culinary guide Sicilia da Gustare gave the pizzeria a special nod for its promotion of traditional Sicilian recipes and culture, helping to spread the delicious word about the region. With both venues renowned for their Sicilian-focused menus, Il Caminetto was awarded for its Sicilian-inspired wine list. Serving homemade pasta and woodfired pizza from its inviting corner restaurant, guests encounter regional reds and crisp coastal whites that evoke a sun-drenched Italian summer. Now with even more accolades to hang on the wall, SHOP225 was already big news after beating out more than 1000 other pizza restaurants from around the globe at the 50 Top Pizza Awards. Currently ranked 28th in the world and number one in Australia, perhaps it's time for an award-winning slice, gluten-free or otherwise. Head to SHOP225 at 225 Melville Rd, Pascoe Vale South, or find Il Caminetto at 114 Pascoe Vale Rd, Moonee Ponds. Visit the website for more information.
They started as an opening act for the Beastie Boys. They've been fighting the power for almost four decades. They're no strangers to big hats and giant clocks, or for fighting for a worthy cause. They've been in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2013. They'll forever come to mind whenever Def Jam and Long Island come up. They're Public Enemy, of course, and they're about to get Australia believing the hype when they bring the noise — and their latest tour — Down Under in October 2024. Chuck D, Flavor Flav and company are playing Melbourne's Margaret Court Arena on Saturday, October 5. Audiences, you're gonna get yours when the icons take to the stage to play through 37 years of tunes that began with 1987 singles 'Public Enemy No 1' and, yes, 'You're Gonna Get Yours', all from their debut studio album Yo! Bum Rush the Show. Expect tracks from 1988's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and 1990's Fear of a Black Planet — two of the most-influential records of the period, and home to 'Bring the Noise', 'Don't Believe the Hype', 'Rebel Without a Pause', '911 Is a Joke' and 'Fight the Power' — as well, through to songs from 2020's What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?, their most-recent album. For company, Public Enemy have AB Original in support, pairing one classic duo with another in Briggs and Trials — and matching the US group's commitment to social rights activism with an Australian act just as devoted to standing up against injustice. Public Enemy last played in Australia a decade ago, on a 2014 tour that included Golden Plains, plus gigs in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Launceston.
When you get cosy on the couch with Netflix for entertainment in 2025, you'll be getting sleuthing and tap, tap, tapping; returning to the Upside Down and Nevermore Academy; seeing Oscar Isaac bring Jacob Elordi to life; and discovering which new twisted visions of humanity's use of technology that Charlie Brooker has dreamed up now. They're just some of the movies and TV shows that are set to join your streaming queue this year, with the platform unveiling its annual overview (see also: 2022, 2023 and 2024) of what's hitting its catalogue. 2025's slate also boasts Squid Game's final season, a sequel to The Old Guard, a new Fear Street flick and more Nobody Wants This. From the above, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery marks the third film in the Benoit Blanc franchise, this time with Daniel Craig (Queer) joined by Josh O'Connor (Challengers), Glenn Close (Back in Action), Josh Brolin (Outer Range), Mila Kunis (Goodrich), Jeremy Renner (Mayor of Kingstown), Kerry Washington (The Six Triple Eight), Andrew Scott (Ripley), Cailee Spaeny (Civil War), Daryl McCormack (Bad Sisters) and Thomas Haden Church (Twisted Metal). Adam Sandler (Spaceman) is back on the green in Happy Gilmore 2, which arrives almost three decades after the franchise's first golfing comedy. And, after riffing on Frankenstein in various ways for much of his career, Guillermo del Toro (Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio) has finally officially adapted Mary Shelley's novel — with Isaac (Moon Knight) as its namesake and Elordi (Priscilla) as his creature. As well as more of Charlize Theron (Fast X) in action mode and more RL Stine-based horror, Netflix's list of upcoming movies also sports more Sandler — this time with George Clooney (Wolfs) and Laura Dern (Lonely Planet) in Noah Baumbach's (White Noise) comedy Jay Kelly. Netflix's roster also features Conclave director Edward Berger's The Ballad of a Small Player, a gambling drama with Colin Farrell (The Penguin) and Tilda Swinton (The Room Next Door); Vanessa Kirby (Napoleon)-led page-to-screen thriller Night Always Comes; and Matt Damon (The Instigators) and Ben Affleck (The Flash) sharing the screen again in the Miami-set RIP, which co-stars Steven Yeun (Beef). Or, there's Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) portraying a fraying teacher in Steve — and Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow making her first film since 2017's Detroit, with Idris Elba (Sonic the Hedgehog 3), Rebecca Ferguson (Silo), Anthony Ramos (Twisters) and Greta Lee (Past Lives) among the cast. Australian filmmaker Simon Stone (The Dig) adapts The Woman in Cabin 10 into a movie, starring Keira Knightley (Black Doves), Guy Pearce (The Brutalist) and Hannah Waddingham (The Fall Guy). Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club is hitting the screen with Helen Mirren (1923), Pierce Brosnan (Four Letters of Love) and Ben Kingsley (The Killer's Game); Roald Dahl's The Twits is getting the animated treatment; and documentaries on Eddie Murphy, the Manson murders and the Titan submersible are on the way. Even just among the movie options, the lineup goes on. So, a reboot of 1975 Japanese thriller The Bullet Train, this time called Bullet Train Explosion, sits alongside the Omar Sy (The Killer)-led French Lover, South Korean missing-person flick Revelations and Troll sequel Troll 2 — and plenty more. TV fans can get excited about the returns of Stranger Things and Wednesday, with the former saying farewell — but the Duffer brothers have advised that they're executive producing two new shows, The Boroughs and Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, that'll debut in 2026. Back on 2025, the television comebacks also span Black Mirror, A Man on the Inside, The Vince Staples Show, Alice in Borderland, The Sandman, The Witcher, Cobra Kai, You, Big Mouth, Emily in Paris, The Diplomat and MONSTER. There's much to look forward to among Netflix's new TV shows for the year as well, such as heading back to 1850s Oregon with Lena Headey (Beacon 23) and Gillian Anderson (Scoop) in The Abandons, Claire Danes (Full Circle) playing a writer facing grief in The Beast in Me, Jude Law (Skeleton Crew) and Jason Bateman (Carry-On) starring in Black Rabbit, and the Danish Department Q novels receiving an English-language adaptation led by Matthew Goode (Abigail). Tina Fey (Mean Girls), Steve Carell (Despicable Me 4), Will Forte (Bodkin) and Colman Domingo (Sing Sing) team up for The Four Seasons, playing friends going away for a weekend; The Residence sets a whodunnit in the White House; Last Samurai Standing journeys back to 19th-century Japan; and Italian historical drama The Leopard, which already jumped from a novel to cinemas in the 60s, is now headed to television. Plus, you can also make a date with Agatha Christie adaptation The Seven Dials Mystery, with Helena Bonham Carter (One Life) and Martin Freeman (The Responder) featuring — plus Sirens with Julianne Moore (May December), Meghann Fahy (The Perfect Couple), Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon), Kevin Bacon (MaXXXine), Glenn Howerton (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Josh Segarra (The Big Door Prize). Conspiracy thriller Zero Day boasts Robert De Niro (Killers of the Flower Moon), Angela Bassett (9-1-1), Lizzy Caplan (Fatal Attraction) and Jesse Plemons (Kinds of Kindness) among its stars; Victoria Beckham gets her own documentary to match her husband's; Eric Bana (Force of Nature: The Dry 2) plays a special agent for the National Parks Service in Untamed; and Hacks' Megan Stalter leads Lena Dunham's Too Much. Apple Cider Vinegar and The Survivors are among the new shows made in Australia, the first ripped from the headlines and led by Kaitlyn Dever (Good Grief), and the second adapting The Dry author Jane Harper's Tasmania-set novel. Check out Netflix's ads and teasers for its 2025 slate below: New movies and TV shows will hit Netflix throughout 2025 — head to the streaming platform for its current catalogue. Images: Netflix.
Melbourne's avocado aficionados are either in for a serious treat, or are the butt of an elaborate breakfast joke (or both), with this week's revelation that a smashed avo and music 'festival' is coming to town. The event, announced via Facebook, looks set to take over a secret location in Docklands on Saturday, May 19. Apparently, festival-goers will get to revel in a bunch of 'amazing avocado-based activities' — like avocado and spoon races, and smashed avo masterclasses — while enjoying 'avocado and activated almond cocktails', and the unique works of some 'brunch-based' performance artists. Those last two points had us thinking this was an elaborate brunch-based hoax, but organisers have confirmed the legitimacy of the event and tickets are very much on sale. If you fancy heading along to indulge your smooshy green desires, the first round of tickets can be bought for for $20. Sales for 'ripe' tickets begin on April 23. And it's not just about the green stuff, either. To help you dance it all off, there'll be a locally focused music program headed up by Melbourne DJ legend Spacey Space — a diehard avo fan himself, they say. Smashed Avo will take place at a yet-to-be-disclosed location in Docklands from 2pm on Saturday, May 19. You can buy tickets here.
It has been ten years of Young Henrys, the Sydney brewery responsible for changing Australia's relationship with craft beer. That's no overstatement. Young Henrys was the first of the small-batch and independent brewers to genuinely crossover into the mainstream and started a movement. And despite ten years of expansion, high-profile collaborations and regular new product development (including the launch of a RTD gin and tonic), the business has remained steadfastly independent. Like all great ideas, Young Henrys was first conceived in a pub after an undisclosed number of schooners. The difference is that unlike most ideas that start out as excitable pub chat, this one actually panned out. THE ORIGIN STORY Founders Richard Adamson and Oscar McMahon were running a beer club at a pub in Glebe where punters could sample and discuss craft beers from far and wide. Their enthusiasm and well-trained palate for beer naturally evolved into a plan to give brewing a whirl themselves. According to the story as McMahon tells it, one thing just kind of led to another. "One night after beer club Richard said to me: 'How cool would it be to make a beer company that was in touch with the people drinking the beer, like the feeling of beer club.' We'd obviously had quite a few," he notes. "And then the next morning we actually followed up with a phone call and said 'hey... are you kind of serious about that?' And that began the journey of getting together some like-minded people and it took us about two years to find this site in Newtown and ten years ago this week we sold our first keg." That keg contained the now-ubiquitous Young Henrys Natural Lager. Ten years later, this loose and instinctive approach to developing the brand is warmly described by Dan Hampton, Young Henrys' Head of Sales, as 'the Young Henrys way'. Hampton explains: "The YH way or Young Henrys way is our way of saying that we don't always need to reinvent the wheel — and you can spin your wheels a lot trying to reinvent the wheel. But we go: how can we take good ideas, proven concepts and do them in our own unique way, and put our unique lens on it? Or take something that already exists and completely spin it on its head." A SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION The Young Henrys way has resulted in projects, events and creative collaborations that cross cultural intersections. They did a project with You Am I to create a collaborative beer 'Brew Am I' for the band's 20th anniversary tour — a partnership the founders cite as one of their favourite ever. They have since followed that up with partnerships with bands like DZ Deathrays and Foo Fighters, multi Grand Slam-winning tennis champ Dylan Alcott and the Rabbitohs, to name a few. Collaboration has been an important part of the business from the beginning. "We assume that people who are into craft beer will seek out and find and educate themselves on craft beer and craft breweries. We always thought it was a really interesting concept to take a craft beer company and find collaborators in other creative, interesting industries and work on a project," Oscar McMahon explains. "It not only brings new audiences into Young Henrys but into craft beer. It actually spreads that conversation. Also, we're a creative company. We're always coming up with new products and designs and themes and events, so pushing yourself to collaborate with someone means you're not only pushing yourself to be creative to your own standards, but to someone else's as well. And that can create some really great internal pressure." [caption id="attachment_610876" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Young Henry's collaboration with Dune Rats in 2017[/caption] THE TEN YEAR BEER No big name collaborations or great internal pressure went into the beer brewed specially to commemorate the 10th anniversary. The limited edition creation '10 Years Strong' is a red ale that was aged in rum and port casks, balancing bitterness and body, and has a hefty ABV of 8%. The beer will be given away to customers whenever they buy any two six-packs or four-packs of any Young Henrys product as a way of saying thanks to the people who have supported them for the past decade. 10 Years Strong is a birthday gift available with any Young Henrys purchase from bottle shops nationally.
If we can glean any positive takeaways from 2020, one of them has been our renewed appreciation for a casual get-together with friends. While nothing replaces the joy of hitting up your local for a few cold ones with your mates, the benefits of staying home include having the time to play games, the freedom to listen to your own music and the chance to show off the cooking skills you perfected during lockdown. To help you make the most of barbecue season, we've partnered with Jim Beam to bring you a guide to flexing your hosting skills around the grill this summer. [caption id="attachment_786631" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Erik Mclean[/caption] SWAP SAUSAGE SIZZLE FOR GOURMET SANGAS Snags are easy, which is precisely why you're going to give them a miss this time around. When you want to level up your grilled feast, swap out the sausages for a platter of steak sandwiches topped with caramelised onions and gruyere (for when you're really flexing). Pick up a ciabatta loaf, flank steak or bavette, and a few large onions, red wine vinegar and brown sugar to make the caramelised onions. You can caramelise the onions ahead of time, and warm up the ciabatta just before serving time. For those who'd like a little helping hand, Jamie Oliver has a good steak sandwich recipe, as does Gourmet Traveller. It's your turn to play MasterChef contestant, so get creative, and if you've got fussy eaters, present each ingredient individually at a serving station so that everyone feels part of the process. [caption id="attachment_786453" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] SWAP CHIPS AND DIP FOR PIMPED-UP POTATOES Leave the corn chips on the supermarket shelf. Instead, pick up some chats, corn on the cob and prosciutto and create bowls of potato salad fancy enough to match your gourmet steak sandwiches. First, bring a pot of potatoes to the boil and cook until they're soft but still retain their shape. Leave to cool and slice into halves or quarters. Bring a pan to high heat and crisp up chunks of prosciutto until crispy. Now, make up some spiked sour cream (silken tofu, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, chilli powder and cayenne pepper) and add it to the cooled potatoes along with strips of prosciutto and a pinch of smoked paprika. To add to the feast, grill corn on the cob and leave part of the husks intact for hands-on snacking. [caption id="attachment_786622" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] SWAP FRIDGE BEERS FOR PREMIXERS OR COCKTAILS Your mates aren't going to turn up at your house empty handed, and we bet they'll bring a couple of beers along as usual. So, as you're the host, make sure you have a slab of something else to change up the booze options. We suggest picking up cans of Jim Beam and Cola, a premixed drink of Jim Beam's famed American bourbon and cola that pairs well with barbecued meat flavours. Keep the cans on ice, chilled and ready for your guests to drink from the can or to serve themselves over ice in a glass. If you like to add a little something extra, prep some wedges of lime for a citrusy addition to the premixed drinks. Or, if you have a bottle of Jim Beam in your drinks cabinet, make up a quick cocktail with 15ml of lemon cordial and 30ml of bourbon in a highball glass. Fill the glass with ice and top up with soda and a wedge of lemon. [caption id="attachment_762521" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Eric Nopanen[/caption] SWAP ARVO FOR SUNSET It can be hard to pin people down for a date if your event runs all through the day and into the night. So, make things easier for everyone by hosting yours after the peak sunshine hours when everyone can relax into their evenings and enjoy dinner together. If you have epic views from your abode, make the most of golden hour and take lots of photos just before the sun sets (trust us, you'll look amazing). And, when the sun has gone down, have lots of atmospheric lighting ready to go — think vintage festoon lighting, or a lit fire pit if you have one. Need inspiration? The Party People has clear, colourful, disco ball-shaped and festive lights for sale with delivery available across Australia. [caption id="attachment_787327" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cottonbro[/caption] SWAP TABLES AND CHAIRS FOR PICNIC RUGS Use the best of what you already have to your advantage. Got a picnic rug? Camping chairs? Cushions? You can make a cosy and super casual chill out area in your backyard, no matter how much space you have. Your mates will love your creativity, and it'll create an environment where everyone feels relaxed and able to kick off their shoes without feeling trapped at a dining table. Go one better and gather all your pot plants from around the house and bring your green friends to the party, too. It'll create a mini oasis where you might otherwise have had a lifeless concrete patio. Looking to add to your indoor jungle? The Plant People delivers low-maintenance plants across Australia. Or see our lists of the best places to buy new plants in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. Top image: Cassandra Hannagan
With its massive deserts, wild seas and expanses of ancient forest, Australia offers space a-plenty for sculpture parks. Here, we take a look at eight of the most spectacular – from Mornington Peninsula's Pt. Leo Estate, set among vineyards and wildflowers, to Western Australia's Inside Australia, where metal figures appear on the surface of a gigantic salt-crusted lake. Next time you're in the mood for an arty road trip, pay a visit to one of these wonders. [caption id="attachment_641338" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anson Smart[/caption] PT. LEO ESTATE, VICTORIA Set among vineyards, flowers and oceanic backdrops on the Mornington Peninsula, this 135-hectare park features epic works by local and international artists, all belonging to multibillionaires John and Pauline Gandel (owners of Chadstone Shopping Centre, FYI). Among the main attractions are the late Australian sculptor Anthony Pryor's Horizons (1988) — a spiral staircase that seems to disappear into the sky — and the late Israeli-American artist Boaz Vaadia's Ma'aseyahu. In between wandering, sample wines at Pt. Leo Estate's cellar door and feast at Laura, the stunning on-site restaurant, headed by ex-Rockpool Bar & Grill chef Phil Wood. Where? 3649 Frankston–Flinders Road, Merricks — about an hour south of Melbourne. [caption id="attachment_696465" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Australia[/caption] NGA SCULPTURE GARDEN, ACT While many sculptures are made with a particular site in mind, at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA), things are topsy-turvy. The Sculpture Garden was landscaped to fit the artworks. Built in 1981, the grounds stretch between the NGA building and the sparkling waters of Lake Burley Griffin. There are 26 sculptures by Australian and international artists, including Japanese artist Fujiko Nakaya's Foggy wake in a desert: An ecosphere, a cool, mist-filled forest through which you can wander, and a collection of Pukamani burial poles from the Tiwi Islands. Where? Parkes Place, Canberra — about three hours southwest of Sydney and seven hours' northeast of Melbourne. BROKEN HILL LIVING DESERT RESERVE, NSW The best time to visit Living Desert Reserve is sunset. This is when the sculptures look their most dramatic, backdropped by endless plains, flooded with the last rays of the day. There are 12 sculptures in total, created in 1993 by artists from all over the world during a sculpture symposium led by Australian artist Lawrence Beck. Each artwork has its own story, told through an accompanying plaque. While you're there, take a stroll through the Flora and Fauna Sanctuary, where you'll find stunning displays of Sturt's Desert Peas and learn about the site's significance to the area's Aboriginal people. For more tips in and around Broken Hill, check out our weekender's guide. Where? Living Desert Reserve, Broken Hill — a hefty 13 hours west of Sydney. MCCLELLAND SCULPTURE PARK AND GALLERY, VICTORIA Also on the Mornington Peninsula is McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery. Its origins lie back in the 1920s, when artist Harry McClelland and his poet sister, Annie May, moved to Long Island, Frankston, where they surrounded themselves with arty, bohemian types. Harry built his studio on the current site of the gallery, which was designed by modern architects Munro and Sargent and opened in 1971. Dotted among open fields and pretty lakes are more than 100 sculptures by well-known Australian artists, including Inge King, Lenton Parr, Clement Meadmore, George Baldessin, Robert Owen, Norma Redpath, Rick Amor, Lisa Roet and Ken Unsworth. Where? 390 McClelland Drive, Langwarrin — about 45 minutes southeast of Melbourne. GLENORCHY ART AND SCULPTURE PARK, TASMANIA Located one kilometre from the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), this extraordinary space is a fusion of art and nature. It occupies nine hectares along the shores of Elwick Bay, accessible by a boardwalk that passes through parklands and wetlands. The artworks respond to the site – often through their watery or amphibious qualities. James Guests' Refraction Principle, for example, launched in October this year, is a piece made of marine grade aluminium that marks the spot in the River Derwent where fresh and salt water meet. Where? Brooker Highway, Elwick Bay, Glenorchy — about 15 minutes' drive north of Hobart. HEIDE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, VICTORIA Like McClelland, Heide Museum of Modern Art began its life at the centre of a bohemian community. Philanthropists John and Sunday Reed bought 15 acres 16 kilometres northeast of the Melbourne CBD and it wasn't long before artists, writers and intellectuals were dropping by, such as Sidney Nolan, Albert Tucker and Joy Hester (who is soon to have an exhibition at TarraWarra). In 1950, the duo established the Gallery of Contemporary Art on the property, which, in 1958, became the Museum of Modern Art of Australia and went public in 1981. The program focuses on temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary works, including major surveys. Among previous shows are Modern Times: The Untold Story of Modernism in Australia (2009), Cubism & Australian Art (2009–10) and Less is More: Minimalism and Post Minimalism in Australia (2012). Where? 7 Templestowe Road, Bulleen — about 20 minutes northeast of Melbourne. GALERIA ANIELA, NSW Surrounded by the rugged Kangaroo Valley escarpment, Galeria Aniela's sculpture park gives you 7.9 acres of green, landscaped gardens to explore. In between perusing works by Australian and international artists, rest beneath cherry blossom trees and among herb gardens. If you're lucky, you might meet a wombat or wallaby. Indoors are three gallery rooms dedicated to temporary exhibitions. While you're in the area, stop by Southern Pies for a cheeseburger pie and swing by Fitzroy Falls. You'll find more Kangaroo Valley ideas over here. Where? 261A Mount Scanzi Road, Kangaroo Valley — about two hours southwest of Sydney. [caption id="attachment_696466" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Australia[/caption] INSIDE AUSTRALIA, WA Inside Australia, created by one artist, is the biggest outdoor art gallery in Australia. Its setting is Lake Ballard, a completely flat expanse that lies 11 hours' drive northeast of Perth, in the Western Australian goldfields. The artist is Antony Gormley, a Turner Award winner, who made the sculpture series in 2003, to celebrate the Perth International Arts Festival's 50th anniversary. He has scattered 51 metal figures across the lake, which stand out vividly against its dazzling, salt-crusted surface. Where? Lake Ballard, Menzies — about 11 hours northeast of Perth.
Among the many ways to decide which wine next swirls around your glass, then across your tastebuds, Australia's Young Gun of Wine stands out. Since 2007, the awards have thrown some love at up-and-coming wine labels and winemakers across the nation, and not just because they make top-notch vino. These accolades take into account the whole story behind their tipples of choice each year — and 2024 now has its top 50. "Every year, we're seeing new ideas from the emerging talent, and they're shaping the environment that we get to enjoy. It's also not just about the products — it's the learnings that peers can take from their adventurous winemaking. It's also how they're presenting, labelling and talking about their work — how they're connecting with wine professionals and consumers," said Rory Kent, who founded YGOW, about 2024's picks. "That's why, uniquely and since day one, the wines for the Young Gun of Wine Awards are not tasted blind. These awards are as much about vision and leadership as they are about the quality of wine in the glass." 2024's top 50 spans drops from around most of Australia. Victoria is home to more spots on the list than anywhere else with 20, followed by South Australia with 17. New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory account for six wine labels and winemakers, Western Australia for four and Tasmania for three. The range also goes big on new names, which covers half of the finalists. This is the 18th year that YGOW has taken place, with the top 50 just one element. Now that Kent and his fellow 2024 judges — Jeremy Shiell from Winespeake, winemaker Meg Brodtmann, wine critic Nick Stock, Atlas Vinifera's Abby Moret and Orbis Wines' — have shared their favourites, winners of the accolades' six annual trophies will be unveiled on Tuesday, June 18. [caption id="attachment_681000" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Adam Bruzzone, South Australian Tourism Commission[/caption] The Young Gun of Wine is the overall prize, while the Winemaker's Choice is a peer-chosen gong, Best New Act goes to a first-time finalist, Danger Zone to a boundary-pushing wine product, and The Vigneron to makers who show love in tending to their land and vines. The People's Choice award is self-explanatory, and currently open for votes until Tuesday, June 18. [caption id="attachment_773167" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria[/caption] Young Gun of Wine 2024 Top 50: New South Wales / Australian Capital Territory: Agitate (Andrew Ling) Aristotelis Ke Anthoula (Tony Zafirakos and Maddison Park-Neilson) Intrepidus Wines (Chrissie Smith) Linear Wines (Nathan Brown) M&J Becker Wines (Meagan and James Becker) Sabi Wabi (Peta Kotz) South Australia: Agricola (Callum Powell) Alpha Box and Dice (Sam Berketa) Cape Jaffa Wines (Giulia Fiorovic and Federico Pezzino) Curator Wine Co (Daniel Zolotarev) Guthrie (Hugh Guthrie) J & S Fielke (Jemma and Steven Fielke) Jean Bouteille Wines (Jean-Baptiste Courdesses) Kenny Wine (Andrew Kenny) Mountadam (Caitlin Brown) Parley Wine (Melissa Woods and Sarah Feehan) Poppelvej (Uffe Deichmann) Saltfleet Wines (Kyle Egel and Jonny Cook) Scanlon Wines (Harry Scanlon) Turon Wines (Turon White) Wangolina (Anita Goode) Worlds Apart Wines (Louis Schofield) XO Wine Co (Greg Clack and Kate Horstmann) Tasmania: Aunt Alice (Alice Davidson) Marco Lubiana (Marco Lubiana) Utzinger Wines (Matthias Utzinger) Victoria: Alessandro Stefani (Alessandro Stefani) Alkimi Wines (Stuart Dudine) Allevare (Lucy Kendall and Alysha Moscatt) ECK Wines (Emily Kinsman) Gum Wine (George McCullough) Honky Chateau (Chris Ryan) Jones Winery & Vineyard — J6 Wines (Benjamin Jones) Juliard Wines (Jules Morey and Bernard Morey) Little Frances (Erin Frances Pooley) Mac Forbes Wines (Hannah Maltby) Meredith Wines (Ben Luker) Mise En Place Wines (Doug Lilburne) Musical Folk (James Becker) Nomads Garden (Ben Dahlenburg) Patch Wines (Matt Talbot) Port Phillip Estate (Tim Perrin) Portsea Estate (Matt Lugg and Will Ross) Scion (Rowly Milhinch) Tillie J Wines (Tillie Johnston) Werkstatt Wine (Bridget Mac) Western Australia: Fervor (Callum Garland) Chalari Wines (Alexi Christidis) Mon Tout (Nic Bowen and Richard Burch) Vallée du Venom (Rhys and Emma Parker) For more information about Young Gun of Wine, head to the awards' website. 2024's winners will be announced on Tuesday, June 18.
Do you remember making time capsules when you were younger? You'd fill a little shoebox with your most prized possessions like an Eiffel 65 CD, a daisy chain your friend made you, and a battered magazine cut-out of Titanic-era Leonardo DiCaprio, and then write a letter to your future self. Twenty years later when it came time to open it you'd either forgotten where it was entirely or found it and wished you hadn't. Well, legendary author Margaret Atwood is essentially doing that with her latest book. It may be housed in a more sophisticated version of your shoebox, but her current work-in-progress will be stowed away unread for the next 100 years. This will all take place because of a larger initiative started by Scottish artist Katie Paterson. The Future Library Project will see one author per year contribute to a collection of works to be published in 2114. This year organisers planted 1,000 trees in Norway that will be used to print the books in 100 years time. Atwood is the first author to take part, but she seems unfazed by the project and its absolutely crippling reminder of our collective mortality. "When you write any book you do not know who's going to read it, and you do not know when they're going to read it," she told The Guardian. "You don't know who they will be, you don't know their age, or gender, or nationality, or anything else about them. So books, anyway, really are like the message in the bottle." In fact, the project raises many questions about the nature of writing and reception. Will people still have books then? Will we speak exclusively in emojis and gifs? How will they convert the text into the direct brain waves they use to input information from their flying cars and jetpacks? In speaking about the project, Paterson stated the 100-year time span was very deliberate. "[It's] not vast in cosmic terms ... it is beyond many of our current lifespans, but close enough to come face to face with it, to comprehend and relativise," she said. It's a scary prospect, and an extremely daring project to take on as a writer. Where an author's job is usually to articulate and discuss life in historical and social context, this throws everything out of whack. The people who will read and review this upcoming work haven't even been born yet! Personally, we've got out fingers crossed we're going to make it. Modern science and all, right? Either that, or we'll just give our great, great grandkids the heads up. Via The Guardian.
If trams are a part of your everyday commute, the concept might have lost its shine a bit. But get ready to rekindle the romance because there's a Yarra Valley getaway where you can spend the night in your very own, very comfy, refurbished 1930s-era tram. You'll find The Oaks located on two leafy acres in Lilydale, right at the doorstep of Yarra Valley wine country. The property boasts three accommodation options, including two quaint heritage-style cottages, but there's no denying the star of the show is Doris. She's an 86-year-old W Class Melbourne tram that's been carefully restored by her new owners and transformed into a cosy suite with space to sleep up to four. The fitout is cheerfully retro, with chequered floor and vintage furniture pieces, and vinyl tram seats in place of a couch. The two double bedrooms sit at either end in their own carriage compartments, while the outdoor deck areas have been designed to look like Doris has just cruised into the tram stop. She's held firmly onto her roots, too, decked out with plenty of yellow and green trimmings, and with her handles, poles and sliding doors kept intact. The tram's even sporting a fresh exterior paint job, resplendent in glossy green and yellow. Of course, guests won't be stuck dealing with 1930s-era mod-cons — the stay features all the usual luxuries, including air-con, heating, a full bathroom with proper shower and toilet, a TV, a kitchen and even an outdoor fire pit. Find Doris at The Oaks Lilydale Accommodation, 500 Maroondah Highway, Lilydale. Prices start from $450 per night for four guests. After more unique stays? Check out our roundup of extraordinary escapes around Australia.
After creating an instant hit with inner-north food truck park Welcome to Thornbury, the 300 Burgers Group is back for round two. The team is continuing its northside foray with a new venture in collaboration with famed Sydney-based brewery 4 Pines. Together, the duo has opened a new 450-person food precinct, brewery and beer garden in Brunswick. Located behind Sydney Road's Brunswick Mess Hall, 4 Pines Welcome to Brunswick is a little smaller than its Northcote sibling indoors, but outside it boasts a much roomier, park-like outdoor zone, decked out with loads of lush greenery, paintings by local artists and a solid spread of both sunny and shaded areas. And yes, it's all as dog-friendly as it sounds. The food offering comes courtesy of a rotating food truck lineup, with up to four vendors on-site each night. Expect regular appearances from favourites like Mr Burger, Woking Amazing, Sparrow's Philly Cheesesteaks and Nem n Nem, all backed by dishes from the Mess Hall kitchen, which you can also order from. Meanwhile, the beer lineup is set to feature entirely 4 Pines brews — and, come 2020, all of them will be brewed in the on-site brewery. Signatures like the summer ale, pale ale, pacific ale and kolsch star alongside the brewery's seasonal Keller Door releases, which, at the moment, includes the Margarita gose and the El Dorado IPA. An environmentally sensitive design by Breathe Architects is heavy on the recycled and reclaimed materials, which include kegs that've been up-cycled into stools. Welcome to Brunswick's commitment to sustainability also includes composting 100 percent of its organic waste (including all of its bowls and plates) and future solar panels, with a long-term aim of producing all of its energy on-site. Find 4 Pines Welcome to Brunswick at 1 Frith Street, Brunswick. It's open from 5–10pm Wednesday, 12–10pm Thursday, 12pm–midnight Friday–Saturday, 12–10pm Sunday.
Two Fat Indians in Berwick takes its name from the two brothers who founded it, Kush and Michael, and is a cheeky homage to their insatiable appetites. Having grown up in the kitchen with their father, chef Ajit Singh, teaching them, the two brothers learnt not just how to cook, but how to love cooking. Since 2006 they've been serving up a delicious array of traditional Indian food in an environment where the diner is encouraged to sit back, relax and go with the flow. With a casual yet elegant dining room, the atmosphere is the perfect place to eat, drink and be happy. The menu offers up a traditional banquet for groups, featuring classics such as butter chicken, lamb rogan josh and butter naan, with tea, coffee or port to accompany. Then the a la carte menu gets more experimental. Get around dishes such as sour lime chicken with mango chutney, or goat curry served on the bone. For vegetarians there is a butter kofta, a mixed vegetable korma and a chickpea curry in an onion based sauce. The desserts are laid back and fun, like the venue itself, with our pick being the drunken dumpling drowned in Kahlua. The drinks menu is as extensive as the food, which shows the vibe it's trying to create. The reds range from Pepperjack shiraz by the glass, to Wolf Blass Grey Label Shiraz by the bottle. There are whites from all over Australia, with the Henschke chardonnay standing out. All up, Two Fat Indians is exactly what the name suggests — a fun, laidback, cheeky restaurant run by chefs who are deadly serious about their food. And their wine, too.
When The Afterparty arrived on Apple TV+ in 2022, riding a wave of revived murder-mystery comedy love that Knives Out and Only Murders in the Building had helped wash over screens big and small, it made one big risky move. Throwing a motley crew of characters together, then offing one? Tried, tested and a favourite for a reason. The ensemble cast attempting to sleuth its way through a shock death? Flawless. The genre-bending setup that saw each episode in the season parody a different style of filmmaking? Perfectly executed. Having the words "how great is this party?" uttered over and over again? That's what could've proven dicey if The Afterparty wasn't in fact great; thankfully, it very much was. There's a reason that phrase kept being uttered, because superfluous detail isn't this show's style: as in all great whodunnits, everything happens, is mentioned or can be spotted with cause. Creator Christopher Miller and his fellow executive producer Phil Lord, a duo with Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street, and The Lego Movie on their resumes as co-directors, know the format they're working with. Crucially, they know how carefully their audience will scrutinise every clue and element. And, in the show's first season and now the just-arrived second season — which streams from Wednesday, July 12 — they also know how to equally honour and spoof. Fittingly, The Afterparty feels like a murder-mystery comedy party as a result. Affectionate, adoring, irreverent, willing to get loose and shake things up: that's the vibe and approach. In season one, the series' title was literal thanks to a high-school reunion with fateful post-soiree hijinks. In season two, a wedding brings a disparate group together — and, following the nuptials and reception, The Afterparty's moniker comes into play again. To the horror of the returning Aniq Adjaye (Sam Richardson, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson) and his ex-classmate, now-girlfriend Zoe Zhu (Zoe Chao, Party Down), another body then puts a dampener on the festivities; however, this second go-around doesn't get a-solving just in one night. Aniq and Zoe have recovered from their last confrontation with a killing at a celebration by diving into their romance, but it's the latter's younger sister Grace (Poppy Liu, Dead Ringers) who's getting hitched. Her groom Edgar (Zach Woods, Avenue 5) sports both family money and a cryptocurrency-aided bank-balance boost, he's an all-work-no-play socially awkward type as a result and, when he's alive, he's more fond of his pet lizard than most humans. Then he's found face down after the afterparty, plus his reptilian friend as well. Experiencing a hefty case of déjà vu — season two's episode, which focuses on him, is even called 'Aniq 2: The Sequel' — Aniq calls in the also-returning Danner (Tiffany Haddish, The Card Counter). His plan: to get his now former-cop pal to help him find the culprit before the real police arrive. This season's suspect pool spans another murderers' row of talent. Liu is distraught as Grace, but perhaps not as upset as one might expect in the circumstances. Elizabeth Perkins' (Barry) Isabel is standoffish and snobbish before her son is dead, and doesn't improve amid her gin-sipping afterwards. As Edgar's adopted sister Hannah, Anna Konkle (PEN15) plays the family eccentric — and as his business partner Sebastian, Jack Whitehall (Jungle Cruise) trots out a charm offensive. On Grace's side, Vivian Wu (Irma Vep) and Ken Jeong (Community) dote as the elder Zhus, and also worry about their baobing business. John Cho (Cowboy Bebop) plays absentee uncle Ulysses, and Paul Walter Hauser (Bupkis) a pining ex. All could have motivation to help shuffle Edgar off this mortal coil. As is The Afterparty's template, all have different perspectives on his demise, as well as the events leading up to it and then following his next-morning discovery. Miller has set himself a trickier task with season two, since The Afterparty's debut run took most of the obvious genres, worked in a murder-mystery and got lampooning. Aniq's new dedicated chapter is a rom-com follow-up, which the cast and writers alike have a ball playing with. From there, everything from Wes Anderson flicks, period romances and black-and-white gumshoe noirs to Hitchcockian suspense, Jane Austen romances and melodrama get a spin. The perceptive thinking behind the show's gimmick remains astute, demonstrating how differently each and every one of us sees not just shared events, but our overall lives. The Rashomon effect, cycling through varying takes on the same incident, also muses cleverly on cause and effect. And the execution largely remains smart and savvy; having to dive deeper with its genre homages only sometimes dulls the series' usually sharp writing. Swapping and hopping between stylistic filters has helped The Afterparty counteract the threat of formula and familiarity, too. Each batch of episodes takes place in one setting, after all, and retraces the same death again and again. Even if flitting between erotic thrillers and heists (and more) wasn't on the agenda, season two's main players would be a treat together — and most make the utmost of their stint in the spotlight. Cho scores a glorious 'Careless Whisper' dance, Hauser is a comic delight in his hard-boiled spoof, and Konkle makes certain that following in The Royal Tenenbaums' footsteps doesn't feel like a social-media meme or AI copy. Still, as the mismatched duo going all Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings, Richardson and Haddish are the show's MVPs — and hilarious. Odd-couple detectives are a sleuthing staple, but when they're done this well and with such fine-tuned performances, including in a caper comedy with Miller and Lord's penchant for mile-a-minute gags, they're the scaffolding that everything else hangs off. Richardson plays Aniq as sincere yet shrewd, fretting over impressing the potential future in-laws and doing everything he can to get in their good graces — and the Detroiters, Veep, Ted Lasso and I Think You Should Leave star is indeed the life of this party. Haddish's timing never falters, nor her pace and energy, nor her ability to ensure that Danner is never a stock-standard inspector in any way. Death at a Funeral has already been done, and twice, but a must-attend bash awaits however and wherever Miller reteams his two leads for a hopefully soon-to-be-greenlit third season. Check out the trailer for season two of The Afterparty below: Season two of The Afterparty streams via Apple TV+ from Wednesday, July 12. Read our full review of season one.
What does a gin made on a farm in far north Queensland have in common with beer brewed in the middle of Adelaide? Or with a nice vino from a winery located outside Geelong, a premix sangria from New South Wales, a rum hailing from a Western Australian property and a cider from southern Tasmania? As well as offering a top-notch choice for your next beverage, they've all been named among Australia's favourite local drops as part of BWS' Local Luvvas initiative. In an effort to not only gauge which smaller and independent homegrown tipples Aussies love, but also to give the country's breweries, winemakers and distilleries some extra support, BWS asked the nation to name their go-to local beverages. From all of those votes, the bottle shop retailer has now announced the top picks, spanning drinks in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania. It's a sizeable list — and, as part of the campaign's overall aim, it isn't just filled with names you'll already know. You might be a Brisbanite who's been singing your local brewery's praises; however, you may not have heard about a stellar outfit pumping out great beers down south. Or, even if you consider yourself very well-acquainted with Aussie wines, it's likely that there's still some labels you haven't come across. In their respective states, 18 winners will be given an extra helping hand with getting their products stocked in more BWS stores. And if you're currently wondering which tipples you should be looking out for — whether it's for a cold one after a busy day, a glass of nice wine with lunch or dinner, or a cocktail just because — we've run through the entire list of fan favourites state by state. [caption id="attachment_787625" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] NEW SOUTH WALES From New South Wales' variety-filled lineup of local drinks producers, four brands emerged victorious. That's more than other states, because wine lovers gave themselves two choices — this is a state that's clearly serious about its vino. For a straight drop, NSW residents selected Audrey Wilkinson from the Hunter Valley. For something a little different, Local Luvvas voters also highlighted Nueva Sangria, which serves up an Aussie twist on the Spanish drink. In the beer category, Sydneysiders made their preference known, picking craft brew outfit Akasha out of Five Dock in the city's inner west. And just like in the wine field, premixes obviously have a hefty amount of fans among spirits drinkers, too, with Lust Liquor's low-calorie range getting the nod. VICTORIA When you're Melbourne's oldest independent brewery and boast a 17-year history, you've had plenty of time to rustle up hordes of beer-loving aficionados. So it should surprise absolutely no one that Thornbury's 3 Ravens has been named Victoria's favourite local brew. Victorians also showered some affection on another brewery, Billson's, but for the Beechworth-based company's spirits range — which includes bottles of gin and vodka, as well as vodka premixes. And, as picked from all the local wineries that the state has to offer, 6Ft6 has been dubbed Victoria's most-loved. Based in the Moorabool Valley in Geelong, it focuses on seven specific varieties spanning both white and red drops. QUEENSLAND Queensland's far north isn't just home to tropical greenery, picturesque beaches, and a climate that's even warmer and sunnier year-round than Brisbane. It's also home to Mt Uncle Distillery in the Atherton Tablelands. That's where the state's favourite spirit springs from, in the form of its Botanic Australis gin. When it comes to the Sunshine State's preferred beer, a Brisbane local has won out — and it's one with a considerable following around the city. That'd be Aether Brewing, the family-owned brewery that started in the city's west, is now based in Brissie's north and has been doing its beer-making thing since 2016. WESTERN AUSTRALIA Just shy of 400 kilometres south of Perth sits the vineyard responsible for Western Australia's favourite vino, Ferngrove Wines, which has been making top-notch drops since 1998. Keep heading down and, once you hit Albany, you'll find WA's best-loved beer as well. Wilson Brewing Company has seven different brews among its range, including lighter session and blonde ales, plus heavier dark and brown ales. Wondering which type of spirits WA residents like best? That'd be Illegal Tender Co's rum. Fans can also be forgiven for dreaming about following in the brand's footsteps — it's a labour of love from an electrician who decided to leave his career behind and follow his passion instead. SOUTH AUSTRALIA Even if you've never been to South Australia, or to its famed wine regions, every Australian knows that McLaren Vale and vino go hand in hand. It's also where Never Never Distilling Co is based, and where the company whips up beverages made from juniper instead of grapes. Obviously, we're talking about gin. For SA's favourite wine, you'll actually want to sip a drop from the Adelaide Hills, and from the tiny 343-person township of Paracombe specifically. There's no prizes for guessing where Paracombe Wines gets its name from, of course. And, in the beer category, Adelaide's Little Bang Brewing Company topped the poll thanks to its yeasty brews made in its inner-city base in Stepney. TASMANIA Tasmania's well-known nickname has clearly struck a chord with fans of a nice crisp drink. In the brewery category, the state's residents have chosen Plenty Cider as their pick. It's made from 100-percent local apples on the Apple Isle, which is patently a winning combination. In the vino field, Pepik Wines nabbed top spot, hailing from Josef Chromy Wines and its 61-hectare vineyard at Relbia, just south of Launceston. For Tassie's preferred spirits, your tastebuds are heading to Marion Bay. Hellfire Bluff Distillery launched in 2017 out of a potato farm, and it now not only makes vodka but also gin, coffee liqueur and limoncello as well. For more information about BWS' local range — and to pick up one of the above beers, wines and spirits — head to the retailer's stores in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania.
There's no better way to brush off the many months spent at home than with a trip to Victoria's High Country. While you might think the state's alpine peaks are only worth a visit during winter, we're here to tell you that there are adventure activities, cultural experiences and all-round summertime beauty to be found when the weather is warm. This is particularly true of Falls Creek — so plan a summer trip and discover a different side to the popular winter destination. And with plush accommodation in the alpine village and beyond, there's no need to rush these excellent warm weather experiences. [caption id="attachment_833444" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Victoria's High Country[/caption] EXPLORE THE DEPTHS — AND HEIGHTS — OF ROCKY VALLEY LAKE Australia's mountainous regions are home to numerous alpine reservoirs, but few are as impressive as Rocky Valley Lake. At 1600 metres above sea level, this aquatic wonderland is the highest significant body of water in Australia, and can be easily explored thanks to a great variety of activities, including fishing, swimming, kayaking and more. While it's just a 10-minute drive from Falls Creek Village or the Pretty Valley campground, carting your own kayak or boat to the lake isn't required. Just see the team at Peak Adventure to rent kayaks and paddleboards for all your on-water needs. Plus, the company also hosts guided tours and private lessons, so you can get an inside perspective on this striking part of the world. [caption id="attachment_833921" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Victoria's High Country[/caption] VISIT HISTORIC CATTLEMEN'S HUTS Victoria's High Country has a long and storied past when it comes to cattlemen. Following the landmark Hume and Hovell expedition of 1824, these rugged landscapes became some of the country's prime pastoral terrain. Today, visitors to Falls Creek can still explore the historic cattlemen's huts that sheltered livestock farmers from the harsh conditions. These huts date back to the 1860s, with each one linked to a fascinating tale. To make the experience even more unique, head out on an e-bike tour with Falls Creek Guides and set your sights on existing monuments such as Wallace's Hut (pictured above) and Cope Hut. [caption id="attachment_833939" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lauren Bath[/caption] CHASE WATERFALLS Falls Creek's alpine location helps keep the temperature more bearable than the sweltering city, even on the hottest of summer days. To keep you even more refreshed, head to one of the area's several highland waterfalls that provide the perfect spot to keep cool. Fainter Falls is the most renowned in the region, situated just a short trip from Bogong Village. As you complete the easygoing trek through dense ferns, superb views stretch along the Kiewa River and its majestic falls. If you're in the mood for more sightseeing, the nearby Falls Creek Falls is also worth a visit. [caption id="attachment_833458" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Victoria's High Country[/caption] GO MOUNTAIN BIKING The snow might have melted away, but you can still get your downhill thrills by completing some of the mountain bike trails surrounding Falls Creek. If you consider yourself quite adept on two wheels, the Falls Creek Mountain Bike Park features 40 kilometres of top-notch gravity trails that highlight some incredible vistas. For a trip that'll test the heart rate and provide views of remarkable natural beauty, the Cope Hut Return loop is a breezy ride that takes travellers to some of the region's most scenic and historic spots. Meanwhile, the world-class Fainter Trail features a myriad of challenging obstacles en route from Falls Creek to Mount Beauty's township. [caption id="attachment_833448" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Victoria's High Country[/caption] HAVE A MEAL AT THE FRYING PAN INN Situated in Falls' Village Bowl, the Frying Pan Inn was one of the first eateries in the area when it was established in 1965. Having undergone several evolutions over its years as a bustling après-ski favourite, this spot is just as popular during summer thanks to a woodfired menu featuring sustainably sourced ingredients. There's a great selection of tasty burgers, ranging from soft-shell crab to miso-glazed vegan options. Plus, delectable barbecue dishes, including pork ribs, lamb shoulder and scotch fillet, make for a hearty American-style lunch. Alongside a seasonally rotating menu of local craft beers on tap, a meal at the Frying Pan Inn never disappoints. UNWIND IN STYLE AT DIANA ALPINE LODGE Set within Falls Creek Alpine Village, Diana Alpine Lodge is the ideal base for your holiday if you're exploring the region with pals. You can also relax in the cosy lounge with an ice-cold drink from the bar or crank up the barbecue on the balcony and take in sprawling mountain views. Heading to Falls Creek with your mountain bike? You can lock it securely inside the lodge's bike storage facility. Plus, bike wash facilities will no doubt be much appreciated if you're planning to conquer the area's epic trails. For more information on things to see and do at Falls Creek this summer, head to the Victoria's High Country website. Top image: Victoria's High Country
After years of work and countless headlines, the Metro Tunnel is finally set to open, with passengers invited to experience the landmark $15 billion project from early December. Now, to celebrate its grand reveal, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has announced the public can travel for free every weekend from opening day until Sunday, February 1. Set to double the size of Melbourne's underground rail network, the Metro Tunnel will undoubtedly attract plenty of passengers from day one. Yet the announcement comes as a gesture of thanks to commuters, given that the big build has caused frequent disruptions to travel plans over the last few years. "To say thank you to Victorians for their [patience, we are] delivering free public transport for everyone every weekend, everywhere in our state," said Premier Allan, speaking to Today. "From the opening of the metro tunnel in early December through to the first of February, when we integrate this amazing piece of infrastructure into the [public transport network]." Representing the most significant change to the City Loop since it opened almost 45 years ago, the opening of the Metro Tunnel is being implemented through a two-phase process. At first, services will run mainly between West Footscray and Westall. Then, on February 1, the so-called Big Switch arrives, with Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury Line services running exclusively through the Metro Tunnel. In real terms, that means over 1000 new weekly services added on the Sunbury Line, with another 100-plus added to the weekly timetable for Cranbourne and Pakenham passengers. Meanwhile, Frankston Line trains will return to the City Loop, and Werribee and Williamstown line services will run directly to and from Flinders Street. Arriving on the back of more free transport news, this soft launch approach provides a little more runway to bed down new infrastructure, technology and procedures. According to Allan, "This is how you do it to get a smooth, safe start, to get passengers using this infrastructure at the earliest opportunity." Weekend travel will be free on Melbourne's public transport network from the soon-to-be-announced opening date of the Metro Tunnel until Sunday, February 1. Head to the website for more information. Top image: iStock.
If you're already thinking ahead to summer, here's three trends that'll be shining in Australia: spots, gourds and kaleidoscopic reflections. You'll see them all over your social feeds. You'll spy them in exhibition merchandise sported by anyone who visits NGV International. And, most excitingly, you'll be surrounded by the trio at the Melbourne art gallery, which will be hosting a huge Yayoi Kusama retrospective as its summer blockbuster. When we say that Yayoi Kusama, the exhibition, is big, we mean it. While the Japanese artist's work is no stranger to Aussie shores — and was the focus of a comprehensive showcase at Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art back in 2017–18 — NGV International's ode to the iconic talent will be the largest that country has ever seen. When it displays from Sunday, December 15, 2024–Monday, April 21, 2025, more than 180 works will feature, the world-premiere showing of a brand-new infinity mirror room among them. It's a massive endeavour for the NGV, too. "It's the largest space that's been given a living contemporary artist, across the entire ground floor," Wayne Crothers, NGV's Senior Curator of Asian Art, tells Concrete Playground. [caption id="attachment_950475" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Installation view of Yayoi Kusama's Chandelier of grief 2016/18 at Tate Modern, London, © YAYOI KUSAMA[/caption] The NGV has curated Yayoi Kusama with input from Kusama, with the end result stepping through the 95-year-old artist's eight decades of making art via a thematic chronology. Some pieces hail from her childhood. Some are recent. Her output in her hometown of Matsumoto from the late 30s–50s; the results of relocating to America in 1957; archival materials covering her performances and activities in her studios, especially with a political charge, in the 60s and 70s: they'll all appear. Half of the exhibition will be devoted to the past four decades — so, pumpkins galore; giant paintings; and an impressive and expansive range of room installations, complete with her very first infinity room from 1965, plus creative interpretations since from the 80s onwards. Again, this is a hefty exhibition. It's one of the most-comprehensive Kusama retrospectives ever staged globally (and the closest that you'll get to experiencing her Tokyo museum without leaving Australia). "We've been wanting to do a major exhibition with this artist for a long time. We're very focused on contemporary art. We're very focused on Asian art. And Kusama hasn't had a big solo show in in Australia for some time — and she's still very active. So there's past works, but also some contemporary works being produced right at the moment," continues Crothers. [caption id="attachment_950477" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yayoi Kusama, Pumpkin 1981, Collection of Daisuke Miyatsu © YAYOI KUSAMA[/caption] If you're keen to be one of the first people in the world to be wowed by Kusama's new infinity room, it'll be as immersive as such spaces always are when she's behind them. Even the NGV team don't know the full details of the piece that's being produced especially for the exhibition, so it'll be a surprise to everyone. It'll be complemented by the aforementioned array of rooms, which is "one of the largest displays, for our audience, of those immersive rooms that have ever been assembled globally," Crothers advises. Eager to see a five-metre-tall bronze sculpture of a pumpkin? 2020's Dancing Pumpkin, which has just been acquired by the NGV, will feature. And, for the first time in Australia, 2019's THE HOPE OF THE POLKA DOTS BURIED IN INFINITY WILL ETERNALLY COVER THE UNIVERSE will unleash its six-metre-high tentacles — as speckled with yellow-and-black polka dots, of course. Almost six decades since first debuting at 1966's Venice Biennale — unofficially — Narcissus Garden will be a part of Yayoi Kusama in a new version made of 1400 30-centimetre-diameter stainless silver balls. Now that's how you open an exhibition, as this will. NGV's Waterwall is also scoring a Kusama artwork specific to the space, while the Great Hall will be filled with the giant balloons of Dots Obsession floating overhead. [caption id="attachment_950474" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Installation view of Yayoi Kusama's Flower Obsession 2017 on display in NGV Triennial from 15 December 2017 – 15 April 2018 at NGV International Melbourne. Image courtesy of NGV[/caption] Basically, wherever you look across NGV International's ground level, Kusama works will be waiting, spanning paintings, installations, sketches, drawings, collages and sculptures, as well as videos and clothing. Dots will obviously be inescapable. One section of the gallery will replicate Kusama's New York studio. Over 20 experimental fashion designs by the artist will also demand attention. Infinity Net paintings from the 50s and 60s, Accumulation sculptures and textiles from the 60s and 70s, and a Kusama for Kids offshoot with all-ages interactivity (fingers crossed for an obliteration room) are also on their way. The must-see exhibition for Melbourne locals and travel-worthy event for art lovers located outside of the Victorian capital will benefit from pieces from the artist's own personal collection — and rarely seen photos, letters (including to and from fellow artist eorgia O'Keefe), posters, magazines, teen sketch books and films — while others will be sourced from Japanese and Australian institutions. [caption id="attachment_950473" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yayoi Kusama. The obliteration room 2002–present. Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art © YAYOI KUSAMA[/caption] "Kusama's imagery has become part of the general common visual vernacular of the society," notes Crothers. "And I think our role in the exhibition, or what I've really taken on, is to introduce how profound the journey has been that's led her to this point of global visual recognition, going right back to a very ambitious teenager in rural Japan, and then the letter correspondence and New York, and delving into a lot of archival material." "There are few artists working today with the global presence of Yayoi Kusama. This world-premiere NGV-exclusive exhibition allows local audiences and visitors alike the chance to experience Kusama's practice in deeper and more profound ways than ever before," said NGV Director Tony Ellwood AM in the summer showcase's official announcement. "We are indebted to Yayoi Kusama for her passion and collaboration on this special project. Without the artist's personal dedication to this exhibition — and excitement to share her worldview with Australian audiences — none of this would be possible." [caption id="attachment_950480" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yayoi Kusama, 2022 © YAYOI KUSAMA[/caption] [caption id="attachment_950479" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Portrait of Yayoi Kusama c. 1939 © YAYOI KUSAMA[/caption] [caption id="attachment_950478" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Installation view of Yayoi Kusama's Infinity mirror room – Phall's Field 1965 at the Castellane Gallery, New York © YAYOI KUSAMA[/caption] Yayoi Kusama displays at NGV International, St Kilda Road, Melbourne from Sunday, December 15, 2024–Monday, April 21, 2025. Head to the NGV website for more details and tickets. Top image: excerpt of Yayoi Kusama, 2022 © YAYOI KUSAMA.
It's that time of year again, you guys. A glorious season when we cancel all plans, diets and PT sessions and flock joyfully to Birrarung Marr for a smorgasbord of noodley wonder. The menu is exceptional this year with several exciting trends popping up. One such trend is gourmet loaded fries — and not just the kind piled with meat and cheese. Loaded fries have existed in various forms for a while. We, as a society, are always looking for ways to legitimise our french fry consumption by dressing them up in toppings. But at the Night Noodle Markets, they're going gourmet and getting even more extreme — these aren't your standard poutine or chilli fries. We've compiled a list of the best-loaded fries going round (and beer pairings from Beer The Beautiful Truth to wash 'em down with) so you can beeline straight for the good stuff. CLOUD THIEF (FORMERLY BAO STOP) Duck might not be something you would naturally pair with fries, but peking duck-loaded fries take the concept of 'chicken and chips' to the next level. This year Cloud Thief, previously Bao Stop, have brought us a rich serve of duck slathered with peking sauce and served on crispy fries. And we mean crispy. The crunch of the fries really works with the duck fans of Bao Stop will not be disappointed with this dish. To complement the rich Peking sauce, we recommend indulging in an equally rich beer. White Rabbit Dark Ale is one of Australia's best dark beers, and the caramel and toffee notes work perfectly with the duck. [caption id="attachment_645210" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kimberley Moore.[/caption] POKLOL Poklol has decided to do what they do best (Korean barbecue meats) and combine them with everyone's favourite potato staple. They beer-battered their fries and deep fry the heck out of 'em before topping with the choice of bulogi beef, chilli chicken or chili pork. And as if that's not enough to sell you, they smother the fries in cheese, kimchi, shallots, Japanese mayo and sweet Korean barbecue sauce. A Little Creatures Pilsner will finish the combo off with a not-too-heavy, not-too-light flavour profile and cool down that chilli burn. MR MIYAGI Now, some of you might question the logic of a sushi and french fry hybrid, but dare to be different with Mr Miyagi. His fries are like nothing you've had before — they're made from rice. He takes rolled seasoned sushi rice, batters and deep fries it into thick-cut fries served with creamy, spicy sauce and a ramen dressing. To balance this carby, crispy, gooey mess, we recommend a light bev. Go for a Little Creatures Pilsner, a light but slightly bitter brew, to cut through the intensity Mr. Miyagi has wrought. HOY PINOY Hoy Pinoy knows that if you only eat fries for dinner, your mother will appear out of thin air and start berating you about not eating right. So to transform their fries from a snack to a semi-square meal, they've pushed the limits with a cheeky protein addition. Their crispy fries come topped with wholesome roasted chicken smothered in a soy, pepper and vinegar glaze — they're so tasty you'll have trouble sharing. We recommend a mild Hahn SuperDry so as not to overwhelm the delicate balance of the glaze and to counterbalance the peppery element. [caption id="attachment_645213" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kimberley Moore.[/caption] BOSOZOKU Bosozoku is a relative newcomer on the scene, but don't let that fool you — their Night Noodle menu is up there with the big names. They've started with shoestring fries (already winning) and smothered them with katsu curry sauce. Then they add seaweed salt, fresh spring onions and fried shallots, and bang — you'll never be able to eat chicken katsu curry again without wishing it was a pile of fries. It's a rich and moreish dish, we recommend pairing it with a Little Creatures Pilsner, a distinct but light lager that'll pull all the flavours together nicely and compliment the sweet/salty dynamic of curry sauce and seaweed salt. Hungry for more? See the ten dishes to try at the markets here, and feed all your cravings at the Melbourne Night Noodle Markets with expert beer pairings presented by Beer The Beautiful Truth from November 9–26. Entry is free.
2023's working year might've only just begun, but it's already time to book in a big overseas holiday. Put in that leave request ASAP. Block out your calendar. Bust out your suitcase, too, and make sure your passport is up to date. Your destination: the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, because Coachella is back for 2023 with a characteristically impressive roster of acts. Mark April 14–16 and April 21–23 in your diaries — including if you you're just keen to check out the livestream. (Remember, Coachella was livestreaming its sets long before the pandemic.) The full bill is a jaw-dropper, as usual, with Bad Bunny headlining the Friday nights, BLACKPINK doing the Saturday nights and Frank Ocean on Sunday nights. Also on the bill: a stacked array of acts that also spans everyone from Calvin Harris, Gorillaz, The Chemical Brothers, ROSALÍA and Blondie through to The Kid LAROI, Björk, Fisher, Charlie XCX, Porter Robinson and Idris Elba. Whether you're after new tunes, the biggest music names right now or dripping nostalgia, it's on offer at Coachella 2023. Anyway, let's be honest, you haven't truly read any of those words — you'll be wanting this: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Coachella (@coachella) For music lovers planning to watch along from home, Coachella will once again team up with YouTube to livestream the festival. That's no longer such a novelty in these pandemic times but, given the calibre of Coachella's lineup, it's still a mighty fine way to spend a weekend. For those eager to attend in-person, you can signup for access to tickets over at the festival's website — with pre-sales starting at 11am PT on Friday, January 13 (aka 5am AEST/6am AEDT on Saturday, January 14). At the time of writing, the festival advises that there are very limited passes left for weekend one, so your best bet is the second weekend. COACHELLA 2023 LINEUP: $uicideboy$ ¿Téo? 070 Shake 1999.ODDS 2manydjs A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie Adam Beyer AG Club Airrica Alex G Ali Sethi Angèle Ashnikko Bad Bunny Bakar Becky G BENEE Big Wild Björk BLACKPINK Blondie Boris Brejcha boygenius BRATTY Burna Boy Calvin Harris Camelphat Cannons Cassian Charli XCX Chloé Caillet Chris Stussy Christine and the Queens Chromeo Colyn Conexión Divina DannyLux Dennis Cruz + PAWSA Despacio Destroy Boys Diljit Dosanjh Dinner Party featuring Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper and Kamasi Washington DJ Tennis + Carlita Doechii Dombresky Domi & JD Beck Dominic Fike Donavan's Yard DPR LIVE + DPR IAN DRAMA EARTHGANG El Michels Affair Eladio Carrión Elderbrook Elyanna Eric Prydz presents HOLO Ethel Cain Fisher + Chris Lake FKJ Flo Milli Fousheé Francis Mercier Frank Ocean Gabriels GloRilla Gordo Gorillaz Hiatus Kaiyote Horsegirl Hot Since 82 IDK Idris Elba Jackson Wang Jai Paul Jai Wolf Jamie Jones Jan Blomqvist Joy Crookes Juliet Mendoza Jupiter & Okwess Kali Uchis Kaytranad Keinemusik Kenny Beats Knocked Loose Kyle Watson Labrinth Latto Lava La Rue Lewis OfMan Los Bitchos Los Fabulosos Cadillacs LP Giobbi Maceo Plex Magdalena Bay Malaa Marc Rebillet Mareux Mathame Metro Boomin Minus the Light MK Mochakk Momma Monolink MUNA Mura Masa NIA ARCHIVES Noname Nora En Pure Oliver Koletzki Overmono Paris Texas Pi'erre Bourne Porter Robinson Pusha T Rae Sremmurd Rebelution Remi Wolf Romy ROSALÍA Saba Sasha & John Digweed Sasha Alex Sloan Scowl SG Lewis Shenseea Sleaford Mods Snail Mail SOFI TUKKER Soul Glo Stick Figure Sudan Archives Sunset Rollercoaster Tale Of Us TESTPILOT The Blaze The Breeders The Chemical Brothers The Comet Is Coming The Garden The Kid LAROI The Linda Lindas The Murder Capital Tobe Nwigwe TSHA TV Girl Two Friends UMI Uncle Waffles Underworld Vintage Culture Wet Leg Weyes Blood WhoMadeWho Whyte Fang Willow Yaeji Yung Lean YUNGBLUD Yves Tumor Coachella runs from April 14–16 and April 21–23 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. Find out more information and register for tickets at coachella.com — with pre-sales starting at 11am PT on Friday, January 13 (aka 5am AEST/6am AEDT on Saturday, January 14).
The patch of greenery at the heart of Werribee City Centre is set to score a glow-up this autumn, as it's transformed into a luminous after-dark wonderland for the return of immersive installation Lit at Wyndham Park. Come 8pm each night from Friday, March 17–Sunday, March 26, Wyndham Park will come alive with a collection of glowing artworks set against its leafy natural spaces. You're invited to wander through the pop-up openair gallery for free, where you'll encounter a cast of colourful characters and creations. Among them, catch a touch-controlled work by Yandell Walton featuring ever-shifting projections of native flora, and a laser show lighting up the main lawn every half hour. Elsewhere, award-winning art experience crew The Indirect Object has created an inflatable glowing installation inspired by mangroves, an 800-metre trail of luminous creatures stars as part of Skunk Control's The Great Escape, and you're invited to lose yourself in the interactive installation of glowing streamers that is Morphology. Plus you'll catch 40 supersized mirror balls sparkling amongst the tree canopies and light-drenched foliage sparkling from every corner of the park. As for refreshments, you can pack a picnic or hit one of the many nearby eateries for a range of dine-in and grab-and-go options.
Kicking off a new side hustle or small biz idea can be a challenging quest, but with the right connections and resources it doesn't have to be. In partnership with Fiverr, we're spotlighting budding entrepreneurs who are getting their businesses off the ground in style. Like most of us, Amy Silver vowed to use her time in lockdown productively. But unlike most of us, Amy actually followed through, launching The Dough Co with her dad, Mark. The pair's successful side hustle serves up ready-to-bake cookie dough to people living in and around Melbourne and, after numerous on-again off-again lockdowns, the business is one sweet win that's come out of the pandemic. Amy is in her sixth year of a double degree — Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts — at Monash University, and works as a paralegal one day a week. Mark, on the other hand, runs a corporate catering company that services businesses located in Melbourne's inner suburbs. When the pair suddenly found themselves with more time on their hands, they passed long days at home devouring books and podcasts about successful entrepreneurs and startups. The idea for The Dough Co was sparked when Amy, inspired by the home baking craze that swept the globe (and social media), found her local supermarket shelves devoid of packet bread and DIY cookie mixes. "I came home and said to my dad, 'I've got it! Let's make cookie dough," Amy told Concrete Playground. [caption id="attachment_817446" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mark and Amy Silver. Photo: Melanie Desa[/caption] While it's no Betty Crocker (yet), Amy and Mark had all the right ingredients to put this half-baked idea into action — the business concept, a captive audience in locked-down Melburnians and, as it happens, a commercial kitchen staffed with chefs. It was a rare opportunity, and one they used to funnel their time and resources into developing their chocolate chip cookie dough recipe. "The chefs started experimenting with the cookie dough and, every night, Dad and I would bring it home… We'd all stand around — me, my dad, my mum and my brother — and taste the cookies, then circle back the next day with our feedback," Amy told CP. "By the time we came out of [lockdown], we had everything ready to go for the launch." Amy's foray into baked goods is rather ironic, describing her own baking abilities as "quite hopeless". But, making a fresh batch of baked deliciousness from packet-mix brands — and having that sweet scent wafting through the house — was something she enjoyed between online classes and exams. She figured other people were probably seeking the same kind of pastime — and comfort food. She figured right. Launched just three months ago, The Dough Co already has hundreds of Melburnians placing orders for ready-to-bake dough through its e-commerce platform, or purchasing in-person at farmers markets around Melbourne. And, after "a lot of really good feedback [and] a lot of return customers", The Dough Co is, much like a perfect soufflé, on the rise. [caption id="attachment_817445" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Melanie Desa[/caption] It's fortunate, then, that The Dough Co is supported by a $5000 grant from Fiverr as part of a competition run by Monash University, which Amy won through her participation in The Validator program run via Monash University's central startup hub, The Generator. Hold up, Fiverr? For those not yet in the know, Fiverr is a freelance marketplace that connects experts from a range of disciplines with businesses requiring their services. Its user-friendly design and global database of freelancers makes it simple-as to get started and give your side hustle a leg up. Thanks to the grant, Amy scored thousands to put towards her and her dad's biz. When The Dough Co was still baking in the proverbial oven, Amy did all the marketing herself. "I have next to no business experience… and obviously my degree is very different to business — and cooking," says Amy. Now, the business plans to use Fiverr's grant — and its network of freelancers — to "completely overhaul" its website and merchandise offering, as well as improve discoverability and attract even more cookie-loving customers. "A big problem we had when we first started was that we were on the third page of Google, so we had to pay to advertise at the top. Getting an SEO specialist will definitely help." On top of that, Amy and Mark have got a freelance videographer/animator working on an animated, step-by-step video of how to make The Dough Co cookies, and, in the future, hope to get someone designing some sweet merch. [caption id="attachment_817435" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Melanie Desa[/caption] Currently, The Dough Co has four flavours: classic choc chip, chocolate orange, choc mint, and white chocolate and raspberry. The OG is the fan favourite but, if you're struggling to pick just one, you can opt for The Dough Co's bundle pack and taste 'em all. And, with the more nitty gritty side of things now covered thanks to Fiverr, Amy and Mark are busy developing new cookie dough flavours, along with vegan and gluten-free options. Sure, many Aussies share Amy's affinity for fresh-baked cookies. But there aren't many people her age with a law degree and a burgeoning small business under their belts. With her dad's support, she plans to defer her degree to focus on The Dough Co full-time for the first half of 2022, although still has ambitions to get qualified and work as a lawyer in the future. Her long-term plan? Establish The Dough Co as a self-sufficient business so she can focus on the most important part: "I'd like to stick to being the taste-tester." Have your own booming side hustle — or need a hand getting it off the ground? Check out the Fiverr website and connect with freelancers around the world, all just a click away. Images: Melanie Desa
"Nobody likes you when you're 23," blink-182 once told the world, but that sentiment doesn't apply to long-running music events that take over Brisbane every year. When BIGSOUND reaches that very number in 2024, there'll be plenty to like and downright love. The festival has already dropped a heap of names on its conference lineup, including Kelis and Amyl and The Sniffers frontwoman Amy Taylor, and now it has revealed a batch of 70 acts that'll be getting the River City's venues echoing. Between Tuesday, September 3–Friday, September 6 in Fortitude Valley, attendees are in for not one but two Peking Duk experiences, with Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles — the former as Keli Holiday, the latter as Y.O.G.A. — making their solo BIGSOUND debuts. Alex the Astronaut, Gretta Ray and Sly Withers are also on the bill, as are dust, Dear Seattle, Stand Atlantic, PEPTALK, total tommy and Noah Dillon. The list goes on from there, including Australian First Nations talent Maanyung, Ray Dimakarri Dixon and Kiwat Kennell, plus New Zealand's NO CIGAR, Dick Move, Paige, Park RD, Reiki Ruawai and DARTZ. [caption id="attachment_907796" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dave Kan[/caption] BIGSOUND Music Programmers Casey O'Shaughnessy and Katie Rynne have had the job of whittled down their picks from more than 1200 applicants. "We are blown away by the calibre of artists that applied this year, and we've discovered so many amazing new artists in the process," they advised. If you're keen to see the results of the pair's curatorial efforts but can't stretch your budget, BIGSOUND is offering two cost-of-living crisis-friendly ticketing options this year: $25 one-night Music Festival tickets if you're under 25 years of age, and also $75 three-night Music Festival tickets if you purchase before Wednesday, July 31. [caption id="attachment_851424" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lachlan Douglas[/caption] BIGSOUND's latest 2024 announcement adds to a roster of names that also spans London-based DJ, artist manager and Butterz co-founder Elijah among the speakers — and Korda Marshall, who started his record label career in 1983 making coffee and scouting talent at RCA. Casper Mills from independent record label 4AD will also share wisdom and experiences, as will Naomie Abergel, fka Mark Johns, plus AEG/Goldenvoice Concerts Vice President Elliott Lefko. Performance-wise, the event's commitment to showcasing impressive acts, artists and bands usually sees more than 150 talents hit its stages at 20-plus River City venues. If you're a BIGSOUND regular, you'll know that this entails filling as many Brisbane spaces as possible with musos, industry folks and music-loving punters, all enjoying the latest and greatest tunes and talent the country has to offer. [caption id="attachment_861894" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lachlan Douglas[/caption] [caption id="attachment_907800" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Simone Gorman-Clark[/caption] BIGSOUND 2024 Artist Lineup: AKA Lui Alex the Astronaut Austin Mackay Belle Haven breathe. Cap Carter Charlie Pittman Charlotte Le Lievre Cooper Smith DARTZ Dear Seattle Dick Move DoloRRes dust Erik Sanders Flow Kobra Fool Nelson FRIDAY* Front Row Garage Sale Georgia Mooney Gretta Ray Hellcat Speedracer Homegrown Trio Hudson Rose ISHAN Jerome Blazé Juice Webster Julian Munyard JUNO Keli Holiday Kiwat Kennell Lotte Gallagher LUPO.THEBOY Maanyung Mac The Knife MARVELL Matahara Matt Joe Gow & Kerryn Fields Mau Power Medhanit MUDRAT NO CIGAR Noah Dillon Paige Park RD PEPTALK Playlunch Prink R.em.edy Ray Dimakarri Dixon Reiki Ruawai Rowena Wise SAME PAINS Sesame Girl Sex Mask Sly Withers Sonic Reducer Squid the Kid Stand Atlantic Stocker sunbleached The Belair Lip Bombs The Velvet club This New Light total tommy Vetta Borne Vinnie Brigante Wade Forster Y.O.G.A BIGSOUND 2024 will take place between Tuesday, September 3–Friday, September 6 in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. For more information and tickets, visit the event's website. Top image: Dave Kan.
To the casual observer, the rise in plant-based eating has seemingly come about overnight. Brands like Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods and V2Food have signalled a major shift in the way we think about meat, while thought-provoking documentaries like Food, Inc., The Game Changers and Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret have sparked conversations around our relationship with food and behaviours of consumption. Elsewhere, online resources like Vegkit — a new initiative by Animals Australia — offer a world of resources that have made it more accessible than ever before to embrace the many ways to eat plant-based. From a culinary choice you used to associate with your kooky aunt to now seeing legitimate alternatives lining supermarket shelves — could it be that plant-based eating has suddenly become cool? It's more than just marketing spin. Factors such as increased awareness of the environmental impact of agriculture, rising meat prices and the health benefits linked to a reduced meat intake have seen Australia's meat consumption hit a 25-year low, according to research released earlier this year. While plant-based diets and meat-centric ones might have once been seen as a one-or-the-other thing, the increased visibility of meat-free options is helping many shift to full- and part-time veganism. Sure, the merits of lab-made meat alternatives are certainly open for debate. But that's kind of missing the point: these products have become a successful gateway to reducing meat intake for the otherwise disinclined. PLANT-BASED EQUALS CREATIVITY Many venues around Australia are embracing the creativity offered by cooking without meat. Karl Cooney of Sydney restaurant Yulli's and brewery Yulli's Brews has been vegetarian for nearly 25 years and vegan for the past seven. He considered his decision to switch to plant-based cooking as both a blessing and a curse. "Being from a very food-oriented background, I wanted to eat good shit, so it forced me to learn ways of seeking out and creating well-rounded dishes that didn't seem lacking for not having meat," Cooney tells us. Co-owner of plant-based Brisbane diner Fitz + Potts, Cassie Potts (pictured above), had a similar experience: "When a meal doesn't revolve around one central, dominating ingredient, [which] is often the case when you cook with meat, you can explore how a range of ingredients and flavours can work in balance and harmony." For celebrated American chef Matthew Kenney (pictured above), plant-based eating and cooking represents a new frontier. "This is the most exciting food sector and the future of how we cook, eat and live," says Kenney, who recently opened Alibi, an entirely plant-based restaurant and bar inside Ovolo Woolloomooloo and his first Australian venue. "Cooking and eating plant-based connects us with seasonality and local ingredients," he continues. "It is also incredibly motivating to work with a cuisine that is not fully developed, allowing us an opportunity to craft a path toward the future." Potts agrees that when it comes to exploring food options that go beyond animal ingredients, we're only just getting started: "I feel like a bit of an alchemist in the kitchen, because plant-based cooking is still such a new concept. When I first became a vegan, there weren't all the [current] meat- and dairy-alternative options, so I learnt to cook creatively," she says. "Coming up with new versions of meat-based recipes or experimenting with fresh new combinations of vegetables, grains and plant-based proteins is hugely exciting stuff for me." This creativity benefits diners, too — walk into any of these chefs' restaurants and you'll be treated to a cracker of a meal. [caption id="attachment_798372" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yulli's Surry Hills (supplied)[/caption] PEOPLE THRIVE ON A PLANT-BASED DIET The idea of plant-based cooking being 'new' might seem a little strange — after all, humans have been cooking plants for more than 10,000 years. What has changed, though, are perceptions around a plant-based meal as 'missing' something. "Ironically most people probably think a vegan lifestyle is all about denying yourself of things, but I've always been obsessed with food, and enjoy it in excess," says Potts. Cooney has also found himself responding to many doubters over his years of plant-based eating and cooking. "The biggest misconception [around cooking plant-based] is that you can't create flavour," says Cooney. "The obvious response is well, you're doing it wrong." "[Another] misconception is that you get tired on a vegan diet," Cooney adds. "I don't think I've ever eaten meat in the couple of decades I've worked [in] hospitality — and we all know what a brutal industry it is — and the one thing I never lack is energy. Sometimes I lack patience but that's another story." Kenny adds to this: "The reality is that we always had to overcome perceptions of plant-based not being fulfilling or not having enough protein. However, with elite athletes, many of the world's highest-performing CEOs and the general public thriving on plant-based diets, those misconceptions are thankfully put to rest." [caption id="attachment_663302" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alibi (supplied)[/caption] Perhaps, though, it's a cultural thing? "Many cultures don't think anything of eating a purely plant-based meal," says Potts. "I think it would benefit people's health, the planet and of course animals, if western society didn't think it was so unusual to appreciate a tasty meal without getting hung up on the fact there isn't a lump of flesh central on the plate. Plant-based eating is honestly no different to eating any other meal. Good food is good food." Looking for more plant-based meal inspo? Check out Vegkit — it's loaded with hundreds of plant-based meals you can enjoy any time of day.
UPDATE Friday, September 3: Victoria is currently under stay-at-home orders, with all venues restricted to offering takeaway and delivery. Right now, you can get your Sonny's fix by ordering takeaway here, or hitting up UberEats or Doordash for delivery. You can stay up to date with the developing COVID-19 situation in Victoria, as well as current restrictions, at the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services website. Making its home within legendary rock 'n roll pub The Curtin, Sonny's is a finger-lickin' casual eatery specialising in proper old-school, US-style burgers and fried chicken. Here, in the front bar, red-and-white gingham and red plastic baskets work as a fitting backdrop to a menu of American classics, served alongside a lineup of Aussie tap beers. Southern-style chook is brined for 24 hours and then pressure fried to crisp perfection, while the burgers are unashamedly beast-like. Stock up on napkins before you dive right on into options like the four-piece feed — 1/2 a Bird ($16.50) — loaded bacon or vegan fries ($15), a classic cheeseburger ($13.50), or the standout spicy fried chicken burger piled high with zesty slaw and whole-egg mayo ($14.50). To match, you'll find all the southern favourites, including an ultra-creamy mac 'n cheese ($7), iceberg wedge salad ($7) and gravy-drenched mash ($7). Be sure to add on some deep-fried pickles ($9) and popcorn cauliflower ($9) for full effect. It's delightfully far from virtuous, though if you're feeling guilty, you can always burn off some of your feed with an energetic session in the band room next door.
If you've ever been caught at a tram stop without a way to top-up your Myki, then you've probably wished that the Victorian Government would ditch physical cards and replace them with an app. For nearly a year, it has been testing that very idea — and now Melburnians are able to use an Android smartphone to manage their public transport fares. After an industry-only trial in May last year and a second 'Mobile Myki' trial during the first few months of this year, the government has announced the rollout of digital ticketing via Google Pay. Android users can download the app, then use it to check their Myki balance, top up their account on the go, and touch-on and off — all using their phone instead of a physical card. That means no more fumbling around in your wallet, bag or pockets to find the pesky piece of plastic, or walking an inconvenient distance to a ticketing machine, or just risking the fine. The custom-built app integrates seamlessly with existing Myki card readers and ticket barriers, and is available for travel on trams, trains and buses across the state. And, crucially, it's available across full fare, concession, child and senior tickets. It isn't all good news, however. With the new system developed in partnership with Victoria's ticketing provider NTT Data and Google, it's only available for Android users, leaving iPhone owners stuck with their old Myki cards at present. The government is currently trying to work out how to make Mobile Myki available on other smartphone platforms, but hasn't advised a timeframe. [caption id="attachment_706052" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Myki reader, Beau Giles via Flickr.[/caption] Victoria was one of the first spots in the world to trial mobile ticketing technology across multiple transport modes on an entire public transport network, without incorporating any new infrastructure or equipment. The initial announcement came just a couple of months after Transport for NSW enabled contactless card payments on Sydney's Opal system for the first time. Mobile Myki is now available for Android smartphone users. For further details, head to the Public Transport Victoria website. Image: Josie Withers, Visit Victoria. Updated: May 2, 2019.
How do you solve a problem like the dreaded middle seat, everyone's least-favourite spot to sit on a plane? While Qantas is letting customers pay extra to have no one next to them, Virgin has taken a different approach: hosting a Middle Seat Lottery to encourage passengers to nestle in, with a heap of prizes on offer as incentives. One such reward for slotting into the middle? Limited-edition Virgin bar carts. If you've always wanted your own at home — and, based on how quickly Qantas' fully stocked versions sold when it put them up for grabs during the pandemic's early days, you do — you just have to agree to sit somewhere you usually wouldn't by choice to go in the running. There are four money-can't-buy Virgin bar carts on offer, all with a different theme. These ones don't just come stocked with booze, either, with each hand-refurbished cart filled with goodies focused around either disco, day spas, watching flicks at home and sports. The first cart, which is the prize for whoever wins the lottery for flights between November 14–20, includes a spinning mirror ball, cocktail shaker, Bluetooth speaker and smoke machine. That'd be the disco fever cart, clearly, and it's all shimmery on the outside as well Exactly when the other carts will slot into the Middle Seat Lottery's prize pool hasn't yet been revealed, but they're all similarly packed. The day spa cart comes covered in rattan, and features a robe, eye mask, slippers, aromatherapy diffuser and candles, while the at-home cinema cart includes a customisable cinema-style letter board, a popcorn maker, candy bar and movie projector (and it's upholstered in red velvet). Or, sports fans can enjoy a cart with a removable esky, drinks coolers, a Marshall speaker, an AFL Sherrin and a pop-out basketball hoop. Running since late October until Sunday, April 23, 2023, the Middle Seat Lottery is as self-explanatory as it sounds. Plonk yourself down in the abhorred seat — with a ticket, of course — and you could score goodies for your trouble. The freebies change each week, but there's more than $230,000 in prizes on offer across the six-month competition — only if you either select the middle seat or you're assigned it. As well as the bar carts, those prizes span Caribbean cruises with Virgin Voyages, complete with flights to and from the USA; a helicopter pub crawl in Darwin, again with flights there and back included; and a Cairns adventure package, which covers flights, accommodation, bungy jumping, river rafting and other activities There's also flights and tickets to your AFL team's away games in 2023 — and, still on Aussie rules, an AFL Grand Final package, covering a lunch, tickets to the game, being on the boundary line before the match, merch and an after party. One prize will be given out each week, with 26 prizes in total across the competition's duration. And if your week doesn't coincide with a holiday giveaway, platinum Velocity Frequent Flyer status with one million points is also on the freebies list. An hour or so in a seat you wouldn't normally pick for the chance to win holidays, heaps of footy or frequent flyer points to book more holidays? Worth it, probably. To go in the running to win any of the above, you do need to be a Velocity Frequent Flyer member over the age of 18. And, you'll have to fly somewhere within Australia, on a Virgin Australia-operated domestic flight, during the competition period — in a middle seat, obviously. Also, to enter, you then need to use the Virgin Australia app within 48 hours of your flight's scheduled departure time, tapping on the Middle Seat Lottery tile, finding your flight and entering your details. From there, winners will be drawn each week and contacted if they're successful. Virgin Australia's Middle Seat Lottery runs until Sunday, April 23, 2023. For more information, head to the Virgin website. Images: Carly Ravenhall. 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.
At the beginning of 2012, when the world discovered that Channing Tatum was starring in a movie about male strippers — and that it was based on his own experiences working in the field — everyone was a little sceptical. Which was understandable. Magic Mike boasts a great director in Steven Soderbergh, and a cast that also includes Matthew Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Olivia Munn, Riley Keough and peak McConnaissance-era Matthew McConaughey, but, on paper, it was hardly a sure thing. Of course, once the film hit the screens, it was a hit. More than that — it was a smart and sensitive look at men chasing the American Dream by taking off their clothes. Sequel Magic Mike XXL, which released in 2015, not only repeated the feat but added more depth, and Tatum successfully turned what could've been a forgettable chapter of his pre-fame life into a successful big-screen franchise. Actually, he's turned it into a stage and screen franchise. Yes, Magic Mike was always going to go back to where it all began. In Las Vegas, London and Berlin, Magic Mike Live has been letting real-life male dancers strip up a storm for eager audiences. Not to be confused with Magic Mike the Musical — because that's something that's also happening — the "immersive" dance show is coming to Australia in 2020. When its Aussie leg was first announced last year, the show was set to debut in Melbourne in May 2020; however, then the pandemic hit. After delaying those dates, Magic Mike Live will now unleash its stuff in Sydney from Thursday, December 17. It'll then head to Melbourne from Tuesday, June 8, 2021, with Brisbane and Perth seasons set to follow at yet-to-be-revealed dates. In each city, Magic Mike Live will steam up a 600-seat spiegeltent called The Arcadia. It's the world's largest spiegeltent, because clearly this kind of show has plenty of fans. This is the first time that the performance will be held in the pop-up two-storey spot, which comes with 360-degree views of the stage, a glass lobby, custom bars, a mini food hall, and a lounge area both inside and out. And while it's blazing a trail venue-wise, on the stage, the Aussie show will combine elements of the Magic Mike Live's three other international productions. While Tatum came up with the idea for Magic Mike Live and co-directs the show, the Step Up, 21 Jump Street, Logan Lucky and Kingsman: The Golden Circle star isn't actually one of the performers. Instead, a cast of 20 — including 15 male dancers — will showcase a combination of, dance, comedy and acrobatics. Continuing her role from the films, stage show co-director and choreographer Alison Faulk is behind the sultry moves, drawing upon a career spent working with Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Missy Elliott, P!NK, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin. It probably goes without saying, but if you're already thinking about buying Magic Mike Live tickets, expect to have plenty of hens parties for company. MAGIC MIKE LIVE AUSTRALIAN TOUR Sydney — Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park, from Thursday, December 17, 2020 Melbourne — Birrarung Mar, from Tuesday, June 8, 2021 Brisbane — TBC Perth — TBC Magic Mike Live tours Australia from Thursday, December 17, 2020, when it kicks off its shows in Sydney. It'll then hit Melbourne from Tuesday, June 8, 2021, with Brisbane and Perth seasons set to follow at yet-to-be-revealed dates. For more information, or to buy tickets for the Sydney leg, the website. Top image: Jerry Metellus.
After an intolerably long break from international travel, the end is finally nigh. Yes, my friends — borders are reopening and the holiday planning can officially begin, with overseas adventures no longer a pipe dream. If your ideal getaway is one spent unwinding on white sandy beaches, lounging by infinity pools, indulging in water-based activities and soaking up the spicy temperatures of a tropical climate, then Fiji should be top of your holiday hit-list. Its borders are set to reopen to Aussie tourists from this Thursday, November 11 and we can already taste the coconut cocktails. So, we've rounded up some next-level Fiji escapes you can book right now for a tropical sojourn; from group-friendly hilltop villas to beachside stays for two. You've waited too long for a holiday to settle for anything less than luxurious — hunt down that passport and lock in one of these dreamy Fijian stays. MARAVU PARADISE, SAVUSAVU This secluded beauty boasts endless water views, 2.5 acres of lush gardens and a stunning infinity pool to take all the views in. How much? From $457 a night, sleeps six. TOKORIKI ISLAND RESORT, TOKORIKI ISLAND Bliss out at this highly awarded adults-only oasis, where the rooms feature absolute beachfront settings, private infinity pools and leafy tropical surrounds. How much? From $835 a night, sleeps two. Larger room options also available. SAVASI ISLAND RESORT, SAVUSAVU Set amongst jungle-like gardens and endless beaches, this private island resort feels like a true holiday escape. Sparkling pools, modern villas and relaxation aplenty await. How much? From $583 a night, sleeps two. Larger room options also available. DENARAU ISLAND HOME, DENARAU ISLAND A luxe, two-bedroom resort pad nestled amongst acres of tropical gardens, with lagoon-style pools and a private beach on its doorstep. How much? From $1331 a night, sleeps six. YOUR PRIVATE FLOATING HOTEL, DENARAU ISLAND The ultimate floating escape, all to yourself — this spacious catamaran boasts a suite of luxury mod-cons and fancy finishes for a true taste of the holiday high life. How much? From $472 a night, sleeps eight. [caption id="attachment_831413" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Amber Toms[/caption] SIX SENSES RESORT, MALOLO ISLAND This resort's 24 designer villas are surrounded by crisp white beaches, sparkling ocean and all the holidaying facilities you could want. Plus, each opens onto its own private pool. How much? From $1525 a night, sleeps four. Alternate room options also available. DENARAU GARDEN VIEW VILLA, DENARAU ISLAND Located within a lush five-star resort just metres from the sand, this stylish garden villa is the contemporary island paradise you've been craving. How much? From $1163 a night, sleeps four. KOKO SAVUSAVU HONEYMOON VILLA, SAVUSAVU Soak up sweeping views from the infinity pool and deck at this high-set honeymoon villa, surrounded by nature and primed for romantic getaways. How much? From $410 a night, sleeps three. THREE PALMS VILLA, SIGATOKA A roomy, group-friendly getaway with breezy indoor-outdoor living and panoramic ocean views. Split your days between poolside lounging and frolicking on the adjacent beach. How much? From $675 a night, sleeps six. THE WARWICK FIJI, SIGATOKA A luxurious suite at this five-star property involves ocean views from the balcony, pampering at the spa and some knockout dining experiences — all in one stunning spot. How much? From $372 a night, sleeps two. Alternate room options also available. VALE I YATA, MALOLO ISLAND This spacious, group-friendly retreat is nestled right on the water, surrounded by palms and with views for days. Expect high-end finishes and a blissful poolside terrace. How much? From $601 a night, sleeps eight. NAVUTU STARS RESORT, MATAYALEVU An intimate, eco-friendly resort where you'll wake to the sound of lapping waves, surrounded by nature. In your own beautifully kitted out beachside bure, no less. How much? From $409 a night, sleeps two. Alternate room options also available. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy. Top Image: Tokoriki Island Resort
Can't be stuffed hitting the kitchen on Christmas Day? Or maybe you're hunting a spot to enjoy some post-lunch cocktails with the crew? Luckily Melbourne's got no shortage of cafes, restaurants and bars that are dishing up the goods — even on December 25. Here are a few spots that are open and ready to whet your whistle and fill your belly on Christmas Day, 2022. [caption id="attachment_671311" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bentwood, by Kate Shanasy[/caption] CAFES Tall Timber, Prahran: 7.30am–3pm Friends of Mine, Richmond: 7.30am–3pm Juliette Coffee & Bread, Malvern East: 6am–12pm (takeaway only) Prior, Thornbury: open for limited bookings — enquire online Glovers Station, Elsternwick: 7am–12pm (takeaway only) Bentwood, Fitzroy: 8am–12pm (takeaway only) St Ali, South Melbourne: 7am–5pm Clubhouse Malvern, Malvern: 7.30am–12pm (takeaway only) [caption id="attachment_755809" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Panda Hot Pot[/caption] RESTAURANTS Panda Hot Pot, Carlton: sittings at 11.30am, 5pm, 7.15pm and 9.30pm Hofbrauhaus, CBD: 12pm–late Chef David, CBD: 5.30pm–10pm Ichi Ni Nana Izakaya, Fitzroy: 5pm–late Maha, CBD: set-menu Christmas lunch, bookings online The Smith, Prahran: three-course lunch menu, sittings at 11am and 2.30pm — bookings online Tim Ho Wan, CBD: 10am–8pm Botanical Hotel, South Yarra: shared Christmas banquet, bookings online The Station Hotel, Footscray: four-course lunch menu, sittings at 11am and 2.30pm — bookings online The Imperial, CBD: three-course lunch menu, bookings online Bang Pop, South Wharf: from 12pm Newmarket Hotel, St Kilda: three-course lunch menu, sittings at 11.20am and 2.30pm, bookings online [caption id="attachment_807470" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Molly Rose, Amanda Santamaria[/caption] BARS Molly Rose, Collingwood: 11–11.30am — owner Nic Sandery is opening the brewery bar and spreading Christmas cheer with free pots for all Arbory, CBD: 12pm–late (limited dining packages also available) Arbory Afloat, CBD: 11am–late State of Grace, CBD: three-course lunch menu, sittings at 11.30am and 2pm, booking online Section 8, CBD: 12pm–11m (annual Orphans Xmas and barbecue) The Espy, St Kilda: noon–late, (various banquets also available) New Guernica, Collingwood: 9pm–4am (Eat the Beat Christmas Party, tickets online) Top Image: Arbory Afloat, by Arianna Leggiero
A disco ball spins in a courtyard toilet with kaleidoscopic squares dancing off the walls where Patti Smith stands, hand reaching for her shirt collar. In the bar, David Bowie looks down, quietly observing the musical jives from the decks below. The barkeeps and mistresses float about with ease, as dirty martinis are shaken, and wood-fired Lebanese pizzas delivered through a crack in the courtyard fence from neighbouring Mankoushe. Uncle Joe's is quite rightly, an easy add to your Lygon Street crawl. Take your date, take a mate, or take a visiting relative and show them what a nice, welcoming community you've found yourself in.
Chasing the sounds of summer? Ocean Alley is one of the first Aussie names that come to mind, beloved for their brand of sun-soaked psychedelic surf rock, tinged with funky basslines and buttery-smooth lyrics. Now the band is embarking on a massive national tour, taking their sound on a jam-packed road trip that spans beachy regional towns and capital cities. The upcoming tour comes on the back of Ocean Alley's landmark 2025. The band played to a huge crowd at London's Alexandra Palace, while performing their first dates to fans in Brazil, Chile and Mexico. At the same time, their tracks rocketed up the charts, with breakthrough hit 'Confidence' landing at 65 on triple j's Hottest 100 of Australian Songs. The band has also been busy serving up surprise releases, such as Live in Melbourne '23 — a live album and concert film recorded at John Cain Arena during their last Australian tour. Meanwhile, Ocean Alley just released a brand-new music video for their much-loved tune, 'First Blush'. Shot in Hawaii, it captures the many shades of love reflected in the song. As for the 2026 tour, Ocean Alley is kicking things off in Melbourne on Saturday, January 24, in Catani Gardens before hitting Brisbane Showgrounds on Friday, January 30. Dates in Sydney, Tasmania, Perth and beyond follow soon after, with the tour wrapping up at Glenelg Beach in South Australia on Saturday, March 21. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRZYOPRLh2Q Of course, the band isn't taking to the stage alone. For those catching Ocean Alley on the East Coast, support acts include Nothing But Thieves, Rainbow Kitten Surprise and Ruby Fields. For those in the West, expect Skegss, Ruby Fields and Smol Fish, with the likes of Allah-Las, Babe Raindow, The Grogans, Mid-Drift, Le Shiv and Seaside also appearing at various dates. Ocean Alley National Tour 2026 Dates Saturday, January 24 — Catani Gardens, Melbourne Friday, January 30 — Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane Saturday, January 31 — The Domain, Sydney Friday, February 6 — Party In The Paddock, Carrick Saturday, February 21 — Freo Esplanade, Fremantle Sunday, February 22 — 3 Oceans Winery, Margaret River Saturday, March 7 — Exhibition Park, Canberra Sunday, March 8 — Torquay Common, Torquay Saturday, March 14 — Speers Point Park, Lake Macquarie Sunday, March 15 — Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast Saturday, March 21 — Glenelg Beach, Adelaide Ocean Alley's national tour kicks off in Melbourne at the Catani Gardens on Saturday, January 24. Head to the tour website for further details.
If you've spent any chunk of time stuck in isolation these past couple of months, you're likely itching to get outside and recalibrate with some fresh air and open skies. And soon, you'll have a new option for zipping around outdoors, as two electric vehicle share companies gear up to launch a fleet of e-scooters on the streets of Melbourne. One of them is US-born Lime, which first introduced its dockless electric bike share system across Melbourne and Sydney back in 2018, with its bright green e-scooters initially trialled in Brisbane. And, while the latter's rollout has experienced its fair share of hiccups since thanks to community complaints and issues with legislation, the company says Lime vehicles have hosted almost 11 million trips collectively in Australia and New Zealand to date. Various e-scooter share companies currently operate in cities including Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra. Now, Melbourne's getting a fleet of its own, with Lime and Neuron Mobility selected to deliver a trial electric scooter share program across the City of Melbourne, City of Yarra and City of Port Phillip. [caption id="attachment_840393" align="alignnone" width="1920"] A Lime e-scooter[/caption] From February 1, the trial will see 1500 e-scooters hit local streets (750 from each company), in a bid to reignite some city buzz by providing punters with another eco-friendly and cost-effective way to travel. The vehicles will be available to rent via a smartphone app, able to travel up to 20 kilometres per hour on bicycle lanes, shared paths and low speed roads. They won't be allowed on footpaths, however. Riders will have to abide by most of the same rules as bike riders, and the scooters will use geofencing technology to enforce speed limits in some restricted areas. This system will also be used to help riders locate nearby vehicles and to scout out parking spots. You can brush up on Victoria's scooter road rules here. The Victorian Government will use the 12-month trial to determine what a long-term city-wide electric scooter rollout might look like. Of course, it's yet to be seen just how many of the new fleet will go the way of those countless ill-fated dockless share bikes back in 2017, that ended up wedged into trees and floating in the Yarra. Lime and Neuron Mobility e-scooters will launch as a trial in City of Melbourne, City of Yarra and City of Port Phillip, from February 1.
Whether you love 70s tunes, are obsessed with 80s tracks, live for the 90s or can't get enough 00s vibes, getting a musical blast from the past is rather easy in Australia at the moment. Every week or so, an iconic name seems to be dropping tour dates — from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Elton John and Beck through to Blink-182, the Backstreet Boys and Vengaboys, plus everyone from TISM to TLC. The latest to join the list: Sir Rod Stewart and Cyndi Lauper. They're teaming up and coming Down Under in 2023 for a string of dates across arenas and wineries. Yes, that means that 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?', 'Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright),' 'Time After Time' and 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun' are all going to get a whirl at the same gig. Stewart is the headliner, with a huge focus on his hits, including 'You Wear It Well', 'You're In My Heart', 'Sailing', 'Rhythm Of My Heart' and 'Maggie May' as well across a massive two-hour set. But having Lauper onboard is a huge drawcard, whether you love 'True Colours' or appreciate her Tony Award-winning work on the Kinky Boots musical, where she became the first solo woman to win the acclaimed prize for Best Original Score (music and lyrics). She'll play for an hour before Stewart. The pair will be joined by Noiseworks and INXS' Jon Stevens — playing arena shows in Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney and the Hunter Valley. If you're a wine-and-dance kind of gig-goer, all three are also gracing the stage in Geelong, Mount Cotton and Bowral as part of A Day on the Green, too. ROD STEWART'S THE HITS! AUSTRALIAN 2023 TOUR WITH CYNDI LAUPER DATES: Saturday, March 11 — RAC Arena, Perth Tuesday, March 14 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Tuesday, March 21 — AEC Arena, Adelaide Wednesday, March 29 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Saturday, April 1 — Roche Estate, Hunter Valley A DAY ON THE GREEN DATES: Saturday, March 18 — Mt Duneed Estate, Geelong Saturday, March 25 — Sirromet Wines, Mount Cotton Sunday, April 2 — Centennial Vineyards, Bowral Rod Stewart and Cyndi Lauper are touring Australia in March and April 2023. For more information about the arena shows, head to the Live Nation website. For the A Day on the Green shows, head to the festival's website. Tickets for all gigs go on sale at 1pm local time on Thursday, November 17.
For eight years now, being in the room where it happens has been the only thing that's mattered in musical theatre. Back in February 2015, Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton officially opened off-Broadway. By July the same year, it was previewing on Broadway itself. The rest is Tony-, Grammy-, Olivier-, Drama Desk- and Pulitzer Prize-winning history — including a stint in Australia since March 2021, starting in Sydney, then playing Melbourne and now treading the boards in Brisbane. Anyone lucky enough to be in the room where Hamilton has been happening — and everyone who has watched the smash-hit show in its filmed form, too, courtesy of a recording from 2016 that's been streaming on Disney+ since 2020 — has experienced a phenomenon. They've also enjoyed a crash course in American history, no matter where they're from or where the musical is playing. That's always been part of the excitement for Miranda, who made the trip to Australia over the weekend of Saturday, March 4–Sunday, March 5 to be in the room where the Aussie production's Brisbane leg is happening, much to the delight of Sunshine State audiences. "My kind of dirty secret answer is we don't know much about American history in America," Miranda advised at a press conference to discuss the show. "I didn't learn any of this. All I knew about Hamilton when I picked up that book was that the dude was on the $10 bill. I knew his son died in a duel because I wrote a report about him in my junior year. I knew his son died in a duel and that he died in a duel in nearly the same spot three years later." Miranda is talking about American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, of course, and about the Ron Chernow-penned 2004 non-fiction book about him that Hamilton is based on. After finally seeing the Australian show, which features Jason Arrow as Alexander Hamilton — the role Miranda originated — the acclaimed talent chatted through the musical's beginnings, its commitment to diversity, his songwriting process and more at a Brisbane press conference. STEPPING BEYOND WELL-KNOWN US HISTORY — AND CHALLENGING WHOSE STORIES GET TOLD Most folks don't take someone they've vaguely heard of at school and turn their tale into the biggest musical of the 21st century. Miranda isn't most folks, clearly. Armed with exactly that amount of knowledge, Miranda began to adapt Chernow's book, a process that took seven years. At its centre: the Caribbean-born "bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman", with Miranda's musical charting Hamilton's impact upon America from his arrival in New York in the early 1770s. As the show's opening number explains, Hamilton went on to become "the ten-dollar Founding Father without a father" — and also "got a lot farther by working a lot harder, by being a lot smarter and by being a self-starter". Bringing that tale to the stage wasn't just about picking a figure from US history and unpacking their tale, though, but also about exploring whose stories get told. "One of the secret ingredients in the recipe is my excitement in the fact that not a lot of people knew this story — at least, this is not a story I learned. We got a few highlights, but we didn't learn this story in our AP history classes. And so, I think that the story is just a compelling one, and I think one of the central themes in it is which stories get told and which don't depending on who survives us," Miranda noted at his Brisbane press conference. "And their reputations rise and they fall because people are complicated. There are no heroes or villains in this piece, there's just really flawed people making a really flawed country." "It's funny, the emails I would get when we first opened were always 3am emails. They weren't like 'thank you, I like your show, thank you for inviting me'. They were like 'what am I doing with my life?'. Because when you have a show that documents several lives over the course of many years, it makes you ask your own questions. And I think that's the secret also — it starts as being this very specific history piece, but it really invites you to think about what kind of legacy you'll leave." CREATING OPPORTUNITIES AND CHAMPIONING DIVERSITY Hamilton doesn't just question who gets immortalised in history, who becomes a mere footnote, who is forgotten and why. It also confronts and challenges how representation and diversity have typically been handled in theatre, in the tales told in general and in who's telling them. "It's my prerequisite for being in the room talking to you," said Miranda at the press conference about Hamilton's diverse casting, including in Australia. "I began writing musicals because I didn't see roles for myself in musicals." "I was in love with this art form, and at the same time I knew I don't dance well enough to play Bernardo or one of the Sharks [in West Side Story], and that's kind of all there is for Puerto Rican guys in musical theatre — it's just what there was, what existed," he continued. "So I really began writing the first show, In the Heights, out of this desire to write what was missing, and also represent my neighbourhood in a way that I didn't see it portrayed in mainstream media, to speak nothing of musical theatre." [caption id="attachment_846530" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daniel Boud[/caption] "An amazing side effect of that, and with Hamilton, I realised that I'm trying to create opportunities in my shows. The concept of this piece is that we are living 200 somewhat years past when this story was told and the country looks very different than it did then, and so we get to tell this story with all its messiness — we get to tell it, too." "It also just gets us new stories. That's the other exciting part of it — to invite more people into the room means to invite new stories and to invite new narratives." [caption id="attachment_774807" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hamilton filmed version courtesy Disney+.[/caption] FINDING HAMILTON'S SONGS ANYWHERE AND EVERYWHERE Hamilton's meaningful and essential aims will always remain crucial to its success. As anyone who has had 'My Shot', 'You'll Be Back' or 'The Room Where It Happens' stuck in their head knows, however — so, anyone who has ever seen Hamilton in any form, or even just heard its soundtrack — the show's songs are also pivotal. "I'm really egalitarian," Miranda explained about his songwriting process. "I'll take it whatever way it wants to show up. I do believe they show up, and different songwriters have different theories about it. There's the famous story of Michael Jackson's insomnia, and someone said 'Michael, why don't you get some sleep?'. And he said 'if I go to sleep, god will give the song to Prince'. I love that story." "Hamilton is a fantastic example where every kind of song got written in every kind of way," Miranda continued in Brisbane, giving examples. "'My Shot' took over a year, and it was six months before I even sat at a piano. It was very much a lyrics-first song, because I knew that my thesis was [that] Hamilton's the best writer of that circle, [so] his bars better be good. And I just worked on his bars because I wanted his bars to be good over this beat and this beat before I even put my hands on the keys." "'You'll Be Back' showed up on my honeymoon, without a piano anywhere in sight. The 'ya-da da-da da' got stuck in my head, and I think the reason it's so catchy is because I had to remember it for the two weeks I was in Bora Bora with my wife until I could get back to piano in the real world — because I was in a cabana." FINALLY MAKING THE TRIP DOWN UNDER TO SEE THE AUSTRALIAN CAST When Hamilton wraps up its Brisbane season at QPAC's Lyric Theatre on Sunday, April 23, the show will leave the country for a New Zealand run. Miranda acknowledges that he's left it late in the musical's Australian tour to make a visit — two years to the month it premiered Down Under, in fact — but, given the events of the past few years, there's a good reason for that. "Honestly, the timing was as soon as I could make it work," Miranda told the Brisbane press conference. "I think you guys know there was a moment during the global pandemic when Australia was the only company of Hamilton running in the world. That was a real beacon of hope to our actors and other companies that theatre would come back, and they'd hopefully be able to one day put on the show again." "But it was also harder to visit. You had a 14-day quarantine, and you had to really — that was the kind of time I didn't get to have, because I was writing, making and editing Tick, Tick… Boom!. So this has really been the soonest that I could see it. I made a promise to see the Australian company while it's still in Australia, and they're leaving soon, so I came as soon as I could." As every Aussie fan of Hamilton already knows, getting to see the musical is always worth the wait. "I mean, they're so fantastic," Miranda noted of the local cast, who he helped assemble virtually. "I remember seeing Jason Arrow's audition — it had to have been April or May of 2020, and it was around the time that we were watching and editing Hamilton for [the Disney+] release. So they were really stacking up against the originals in a very tangible way, and so we were really proud of the incredible company that we were able to put together from there locally." "Every original cast is like a four-minute mile," Miranda continued. "They said scientists proved you couldn't run the mile in under four minutes, and then someone did it, and then suddenly everybody's running it — and I feel like original casts are like that. It's impossible to find that first cast, and then it attracts the people who know they can do it." "So it's been wonderful to meet OG cast members last night, and also members who joined it in Melbourne or joined it in Sydney — they're really wonderful. I mean, I saw it last night, they're wonderful." Hamilton's Brisbane season runs until Sunday, April 23 at QPAC's Lyric Theatre, South Bank, with tickets available via the musical's website.
When the Victorian government committed to funding the Melbourne Metro Rail project, easing inner-city congestion was the topic on everyone's minds. With new transport infrastructure comes new names, however. With five new underground train stations set to join the city's network from 2026, suggesting those monikers has now been tasked upon the state's residents. If you've always wanted to name a piece of Melbourne, here's your chance. Naming is now open for stations at Arden, Parkville, Domain, and under the northern and southern ends of Swanston Street, with a deadline of October 22 for submissions. Entries can be lodged online, must be no longer than three words or 25 characters unless they're in an Indigenous language, and should be relevant to the geography or heritage of the place in question. Names of people held in high regard by the community will also be accepted, although participants are asked to avoid those of people who are still living. Alas, before you go thinking what we're all thinking, one idea has already been ruled out: Station McStationface. "Try to come up with something more original," the Premier posted on Facebook, clearly hoping to stop a repeat of the British Boaty McBoatface situation. That said, Trainy McTrainface was ruled a perfectly fine name in Sweden. "We want as many Victorians as possible to have their say on what they'd like the five new underground stations to be named," is the Premier's official statement, but entries will go through a vetting committee according to The Age. As for the new Metro Rail itself, it will includes two new tunnels as well, and create a new path into the city that doesn't rely on (but connects to) the City Loop. Here's what it will look like: Image: Binayak Dasgupta via Flickr.
Potential is such a loaded term. Everyone is meant to have it. We're all petrified that we're not realising it. Chasing it, searching for it, grappling with it and coming to grips with possibly not living up to it — and that it can change and evolve as well — can all knock a person off-kilter. That's true of life, and also within Apple TV+ dramedy The Big Door Prize in both its 2023-premiering first season and now 2024's second season. Lead Chris O'Dowd, like everyone, knows that the baggage that comes with the word is inescapable. "I think you're right in that potential is such a loaded term and such an arbitrary one, really. We've just decided that this could be a thing. There isn't any proof for anything, if we want to buy into the premise that a potential is something that exists at all," The IT Crowd, Bridesmaids and Juliet, Naked talent tells Concrete Playground. "So I shudder to think, but it's probably true that it comes from some sense of entitlement to something better than you have or you are. And I think that keys into all of our egos. And, I suppose as a structure for a series, therefore it makes a lot of sense." Adapted from MO Walsh's novel of the same name, with Schitt's Creek alum David West Read bringing the text to the screen, The Big Door Prize pushes the concept of potential in more than just a general sense. At its heart is a machine that could be magical and is definitely mysterious: the Morpho, which turns up in the fictional US town of Deerfield out of the blue to spit out blue cards with white text proclaiming what everyone should be. Dusty, O'Dowd's high-school teacher character, is told by the contraption that "teacher/whistler" is his destiny — once he slowly warms up to giving the gadget a go after being the local cynic at first. But for him, as for his loved ones and neighbours, receiving a piece of paper that proclaims to inform you of your life's purpose doesn't provide all of the answers. Big questions sit at the heart of this thoughtful and contemplative dramedy, clearly. Also navigating how to react to the Morpho — and, of course, to the idea that anything can advise you what you should be devoting your existence to — is Deerfield's resident ex-hockey player-turned-Italian restaurateur Giorgio. As played by Josh Segarra, he's a dose of almost-constant optimism, as the Scream VI and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law actor also was in now-dearly departed comedy The Other Two. Giorgio doesn't share Dusty's uncertainty about the Morpho, but a card announcing "superstar" doesn't set him on a straightforward path, either. Getting existential comes with the series, then — a show that feels perfectly timed for the pandemic era, O'Dowd notes, as everyone reassesses what they want out of life and who they want to be after such a jolt of a period. But when you're starring in The Big Door Prize, your job is to take the audience on that journey, Segarra advises. "We just have to play each moment to each moment and make it as believable as possible, and then allow the viewers to ask the questions," he explains. Acting in the series doesn't stop you wondering what you'd do if a Morpho appeared in front of you, though, or what you'd want your card — or vision, the machine's next level, which features 32-bit clips instead — to show. With season two of The Big Door Prize now streaming, plunging back into a community that's flocked to a clairvoyant console to give them the answers that everyone wants, we chatted with O'Dowd and Segarra about their first reactions when a series about a mysterious machine that tells everyone their life potential crossed their paths — and also their dream Morpho fortunes, the show's mix of comedy with hope and tragedy, what gets them excited about a new project and more. On O'Dowd and Segarra's Initial Reactions to a Show About a Small Town That's Upended by a Mysterious Machine That Tells Everyone Their Life Potential Chris: "I was intrigued. I read the book first — because I always find if you have that opportunity, and sometimes that's not the case, but if the opportunity arises where you can read the book first, I think it's a better process of doing it. Because it means that you first find what the intention of the writer is, and then the person who's adapting, you know instantly what their intention is by what they've left out. And I thought as a premise it was very intriguing and promising. Reading this mid-COVID, it kind of offered this reset to life that I think people were discussing anyway, and that something could act as a catalyst for that reset and this recharging of their new versions of themselves. In a post-pandemic world, it felt very attractive to get on-screen. That's what I thought initially." Josh: "I love what you said about that because that's the truth. The way the book reads, MO Walsh's book, it reads very spiritual — and it's fiction, and you're still following these characters, but in a way, it also felt like a self-help book, because as you're reading it you are in your time with the characters asking the same questions. So then you get to our show, that's no longer our job to ask the big questions that we're delivering. We just have to play each moment to each moment and make it as believable as possible, and then allow the viewers to ask the questions." On Dusty's Journey From Being a Cynic About the Morpho to Using It as a Guide — and What That's Like for O'Dowd to Play Chris: "Poor old Dusty is clutching his straws. Emotionally and mentally, he doesn't know how to deal with these huge upheavals in his life. He felt fairly settled, so it's fun to play somebody who goes from probably the biggest cynic in town about this new machine — they put up a kind of ideological forcefield against the idea of it being anything — and then becomes really the rabble-rouser for it and the Pied Piper, leading people back to. It speaks to how much upheaval it has had on his own mentality. So there's a lot of nice little meandering changes going on for Dusty, so I feel very lucky for that." On What Appeals to Segarra About Playing a Character with Such Outward Optimism in The Big Door Prize – and in The Other Two as Well Josh: "Probably the way that it makes me feel after I'm done every day. I like playing positive characters because they allow me to put their shoes on for a day and allow me to feel pretty positive. I feel like it always feels better when you're putting out love, when you're putting out kindness — so when I play characters like that, it makes me feel like I went through like a like a flight simulator. I was in the flight simulator, I didn't have to fly the plane, but it sure felt like I did. And I like finding the heart of the characters, so sometimes they might be written one way and I'm going to try my best to figure out what makes them tick, what makes them move. But these, thankfully, are written with a lot of heart, both Lance and Giorgio." On Contemplating, or Not, the Human Need for Answers and for Validation When You're Making a Show About a Magical Machine That's Giving Life Advice Josh: "I try not to think about it too much. It was Chris yesterday that said something that I've been thinking about. He dropped so many gems on me. Yesterday, he said 'our jobs are playing the triangle in an orchestra, and we can't concern ourselves with what the drums are doing'. So the drums in our case are David and our writers room. They're taking these ideas, these big questions and making sure that they're seamlessly strewn about. But our jobs are to take the moment and make it as believable as possible, get from A to B and tell the story the way it needs to be told." On Finding the Balance of Comedy, Hope and Even Tragedy in The Big Door Prize Chris: "There's so much pathos going on with Dusty, and a lot of ups and downs. And tonally, it can be tricky sometimes, because you want people to be invested in the sadness of a breakup while also not letting the laughter completely die out. I think it's important for us to always keep those balls in the air. Otherwise, you're just watching a single ball — and that's the worst job I've seen." Josh: "The worst." Chris: "I'll watch it for a while just because I like seeing people do stuff with their hands." Josh: "That would be a funny act, if you never added the second and third ball. It'd be like an Andy Kaufman bit." Chris: "Yes, it would really depend on how it was lit." On What Gets O'Dowd and Segarra Excited About a New Role, and a Project Like The Big Door Prize, at This Point in Their Respective Careers Chris: "For me, this one was fun because it was such a big idea. And I think getting inside the guts of that can be very satisfying. Because you're really just trying to make a lot of it — when you're playing the kind of role I am, anyway — relatable. You're the audience, really. When you're kind of the grounded person in a show saying 'this doesn't make sense, guys' a lot and then become romantic about what would happen, actually, if it were all true — that's probably how we want the audience to feel. You want them to feel a little cynical at the start so you have to somehow reel them in. I was interested by the prospect of that. And I grew up if watching those Amblin movies where you tell very detailed truths through a very high concept. In the same way that ET was about divorce and Jaws was about getting old, this is in many ways about the great reset. And so to be part of the big idea like that was enticing." Josh: "Exactly that. Plus the idea that I'd get to work with Chris. I'd get to play a former professional hockey player." Chris: "Woo!" Josh: "I'd get to wear track suits for my entire wardrobe. And we got to live in Atlanta while we did it. All pretty good things. I'm still asking Apple to let me jump to the front of the line at the Genius Bar, but they haven't really approved that that request quite yet." On Whether O'Dowd and Segarra Would Use the Morpho If It Was Real — and What They'd Hope Their Card Would Say or Vision Would Show Josh: "Absolutely." Chris: "Oh yeah, I'd do it. I'd do it. In like Flynn, why not?" Josh: "In a heartbeat." Chris: "Rich poet." Josh: "That'd be fun." Chris: "I don't know what, maybe it's inherited — but you know, it's a magic card, so it doesn't really matter." Josh: "I like that. I'd like to go with a chef. I wish I knew how to cook better. I can cook a couple mean meals, like I make a nice chicken parmesan, I make a good breakfast. But I'd like to be able just to kind of — you know those people that can look in their fridge and see what's left and then throw together an amazing meal? I'm not one of them and I wish I was." The Big Door Prize streams via Apple TV+. Read our reviews of season one and season two.
It's happening again, musical fans: Wicked is returning to Australia. That statement also applies to a mighty magical chance to see the smash-hit show for cheap. Yes, TodayTix is doing another of its ticket lotteries. When a big musical heads our way, there are often two reasons to get excited: the fact that the particular stage show is coming Down Under, and possibly getting to catch it without breaking the bank. That budget-friendly option has spanned everything from Hamilton and Moulin Rouge! to Mary Poppins and Tina — The Tina Turner Musical in recent years — and now it's Wicked's turn. This is an enchanted opportunity to enjoy The Wizard of Oz-inspired show at a discount, with tickets costing just $45. To take part in the lottery, you will need to download the TodayTix app — which is available for iOS and Android — and submit your entry each week for the next week's performances. The lottery will go live at 12.01am AEST every Thursday morning, and is already up and running for its first week. Then, the winners are drawn after 1pm on the following Wednesday. If your name is selected, you'll have an hour to claim your tickets from when you receive the good news. If you need a reminder, you can also sign up for lottery alerts via TodayTix, too. Opening in Sydney on Friday, August 25, Wicked returns to Australia two decades after composer Stephen Schwartz and playwright Winnie Holzman initially took a book that gleaned its influences from The Wizard of Oz, put it to music and turned it into one of Broadway's biggest hits of the 21st century. Even if you haven't seen the blockbuster show before, including on its past Aussie run from 2008–11, then you've likely heard of it. Following the Land of Oz's witches — telling their untold true tale is the musical's whole angle, in fact — Wicked has notched up more awards than you can fit in a hefty cauldron over the years. That includes three Tonys from ten nominations, a Grammy, an Olivier Award and six Drama Desk Awards. Story-wise, Wicked starts before The Wizard of Oz and continues its narrative after Dorothy Gale lands, adapting Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. The text itself has sold 5.5 million copies, including five million since the musical first opened. Here, before Dorothy blows in, two other women meet in the Land of Oz: Elphaba and Galinda. One will later be known as the Wicked Witch of the West, while the other will become Glinda the Good Witch. Exactly why that happens, and how, and the pair's relationship from rivals to unlikely friends to grappling with their new labels, fuels the show's tale. There's no word yet if Wicked will also hit up other Aussie cities, with only a Sydney season locked in so far. Pop on your ruby slippers and click your heels three times in hope that'll defy gravity in Melbourne, Brisbane and more afterwards — or make a Harbour City date ASAP. Wicked will open its Australian-premiere season at Sydney Lyric from Friday, August 25. To enter the TodayTix $45 lottery, download the company's iOS or Android app, and head to the company's website for more information — and to set up an alert. Images: Joan Marcus.
Aunty Donna's approach to their career and to comedy boast more than a little in common. Think about either, and it also brings a recent movie title to mind. Beloved for their absurdist mile-a-minute humour, the Australian group recent loaned their voices to Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, but it's the name of 2023's big Oscar-winner that seems to sum up their whole ethos: Everything Everywhere All At Once. Zachary Ruane, Mark Samual Bonanno and Broden Kelly aren't in that film; however, they have been touring, making a Netflix series, and releasing Aunty Donna's $30 bottle of wine and an Always Room for Christmas Pud picture book all in just the past few years. And, they've now returned to the ABC nine years after a Fresh Blood iView stint in 2014, this time with six-part sitcom Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe. For fans watching on, Aunty Donna's jam-packed recent slate has felt like a whirlwind. Chatting to Concrete Playground about the release of Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe — which is now streaming in full on ABC iView, and also airs weekly on ABC TV — Ruane goes one better, while also noting how much hustle it took to get the now world-famous comedy troupe to this point. "I think the last ten years for us at least have felt like a whirlwind. In a way, it feels like we've slowed down in the last couple of years, even though everything's a bit more in the public. We used to tour a lot more than we do now. We used to make a lot of content for online, possibly more than we do now," Ruane advises. "So even though there's heaps happening and it's nice to be reminded, it actually in some ways feels like we've slowed it down a bit, which gives you an indication of what the last ten years have been like for us." Aunty Donna formed in 2011, then took their first live show to the 2012 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. They haven't stopped inciting laughs since. Anywhere they can possibly spread their wild, weird and wonderful brand of comedy, they have — a lengthy list of stage shows all around the world, their YouTube channel, a podcast, two albums, multiple webseries, pilots, Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun, that book, the vino and now Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe included. The latter sprang after their Netflix success, and from Ruane, Bonanno and Kelly's eagerness to try the sitcom format. The end result: a workplace comedy skewering cafe culture, specifically Melbourne's caffeine-sipping scene, with an Aunty Donna spin. When it comes to satirising its setting and anything even tangentially connected — kidulting bars, cereal cafes, awful bosses and terrible landlords, for instance — the gags and bits keep coming. So too does Aunty Donna's beloved grab-bag approach, giving a show about working in a cafe an entire episode about a court case with Richard Roxburgh (Elvis) reprising his role from Rake, then a real-estate agent parody featuring Looking for Alibrandi's Pia Miranda, plus yet another instalment making fun of the very platform that Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe streams on. "We just went for it. We definitely caused a few headaches for our director Max [Miller, a fellow Aunty Donna member] with some of our setups," Ruane explains. Scoring a second show, being self-described "Melbourne wankers", getting nervous performing with Miranda, what comes next: Ruane told us about all of that, too — plus the dream of making an Aunty Donna movie. ON HOW AUNTY DONNA'S COFFEE CAFE COME ABOUT "It's our second longer-form thing, and I think we always knew that we wanted to keep pushing ourselves. Every time we come to a new platform or do a new thing, we want to it a little bit differently. We were really keen to do something a bit more narrative-focused, a bit more in that traditional sitcom structure. So that was the goal for us. I don't know how much that will read to an audience. Maybe it will all read as our crazy stuff, and in the same lineage of everything we do. But we wanted to challenge ourselves to make it a little more like a traditional sitcom, at least structurally, but still be as crazy and wild as what we've always done." ON COMING UP WITH THE CONCEPT — AND NOT JUST THANKS TO 'MORNING BROWN' "'Morning Brown', it's more of a nod to that song. We play around with different things, but we've always found that the things that we do that resonate the most are when there's a sort of a — I call it a sandbox, but there's a setting that resonates with people that I think people have an emotional connection to and understanding of. When we have that kind of setting that resonates, it allows us to go more crazy, more absurd. So, we've done it with the YouTube and our live shows. There's 1999, which was a webseries which is set in an office in 1999. We also did Glennridge Secondary College, which is a live show and a webseries set in a high school. I think we find whenever it's set somewhere recognisable and accessible, it actually allows us to go weirder and crazier and more absurd because people have a hook in. So we were looking for something like that — something that people would recognise, feel comfortable in, but then would also allow us to go in any direction we wanted." ON SKEWERING CAFE CULTURE "One thing we wanted to avoid going into — there's a territory of cliches in that space. We had to keep reminding ourselves to not just do the cafe stuff and the coffee culture stuff. But we've worked in hospitality, we're all Melbourne wankers, we've been customers at these cafes. It just feels so ripe, and it feels like the kind of thing you can pull from multiple different experiences. You can go into the kitchen and do a whole episode there. You can just focus on the staff, do a whole episode there. That's what we loved about the idea." ON MAKING A WORKPLACE COMEDY "It's really interesting. We've done other things set in workplaces, but also found it in the school one as well — there's something about a workplace where very different personality types and very different things can happen. I think also what we really loved about the cafe compared to our last series, which was set in a house: it's really hard to get people from the outside world into the house. We love to play lots of different characters, and it's really hard to get weird characters to come through the door. With a cafe, that's exactly what it is. Structurally, it's all a cavalcade of people coming through the door. Anyone you can envision, you just imagine them wanting to get a coffee and they're there in your world. That was the best part about it." ON GETTING GUEST STARS LIKE RICHARD ROXBURGH AND PIA MIRANDA "We were expecting Roxburgh to be a firm no. And not only that, we had to get so many layers of approval to get that joke in. I remember when it was floated, it was like 'oh, that's fun but it will never happen'. Because we had to get the creator of Rake onboard. We had to get ABC to sign off on it. We had to get Roxburgh to sign off on the character and then to want to do it — and then to be available to do it. Which is like, there are so many barriers here, it's not going to happen. We'd already started thinking of alternative jokes to him. Then I remember we were in the writers room and each day we'd get another person who'd said yes to it, we just kept getting this run of emails, and then when he was available to do it. We did not expect it to happen. Which I think made it more fun, because I don't think we put too much thought into it — we just wrote this stupid joke and were like 'surely he'll say no and then we'll figure something else out'. So it was very amazing that he said yes. I mean, same with Pia Miranda. I think I was more nervous performing with Pia Miranda than I was with Roxburgh. I had to act opposite her — that's crazy! Intimidatingly, she doesn't look like she's aged a day since [Looking for Alibrandi]. So it's like, I feel like I've been teleported. I'm like 'am I Kick Gurry right now?'. It was very cool." ON MAKING FUN OF THE ABC ON THE ABC "Insanely, they were so chill. It was funny how much. They were like 'you can tease us more if you want'. And we were like 'we'll see'. They were so up for it. I definitely thought we had pushed it too far with iView, because we really go at the platform. We thought they'll come back with 'you can make a bit of a joke but maybe not about technical issues'. But they were just like 'haha, yeah'." ON RUANE'S FAVOURITE AUNTY DONNA PROJECT SO FAR "It's hard to say. I mean, I was super proud of the picture book. It was one of those things that we had to keep explaining to people that we saw it as a little piece in its own right and it wasn't just a merch cash in. It was really fun to just do something completely different and to just discover a different world, and play around in a different space — and just to get people who really got the joke. I had such a specific vision in my mind of an early 90-style of Australian picture book — and to have it come out looking like that was pretty special. So that's, of the recent stuff, probably the thing I'm most proud of. But then I also love crazy stuff. Like I think $30 Bottle of Wine, which is a video on our YouTube that goes for about eight minutes and it's just repulsive, that's probably my favourite still." [caption id="attachment_791048" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun, Netflix.[/caption] ON THE ORIGINAL AUNTY DONNA DREAM — AND LIVING IT NOW "I think it's always evolving and always changing. To be honest, in a really real way, I feel like it has surpassed so many of the original dreams and goals years ago. Very early on, I would've been perfectly happy if it was my full job — that became the goal really early in my twenties. If I can be entertaining people or doing something like this as my full-time job, that would be enough. To have hit that, and then had all these other things happen — we've got an ABC show, Wednesday night, that was the dream as a teenager for sure. That's what I grew up watching. To have had another show seen around the world. We've got a world tour coming up. So many of these things weren't even in the dream, weren't even a part of the picture. So to have achieved it, it's really cool and lovely and so — people say humbling, but it's the opposite. It's not that, it's cool and amazing." ON WHAT COMES NEXT FOR AUNTY DONNA "It's always about the creative, and always about doing new things. I don't think it's about [doing] more or [moving] up — I think it's just about different ways. If we can find different ways to make people laugh and to bring joy, then that's for me what it is. So who knows? Maybe it's a video game, maybe it's a board game, maybe it's more TV, maybe it's more YouTube — there's so many options, and I'm excited to just see where it goes." ON MAKING AN AUNTY DONNA MOVIE "How we would do it and how we would go about it is such a big question, but that's definitely on the list as something that I'd love to do. Our big one was that we always wanted to do like The Rugrats Movie, just a real crazy adventure. Yeah, we would love to do something like that for sure." Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe streams via ABC iView, and also screens weekly on the ABC at 9pm from Wednesday, April 12. Read our full review. Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe images: Richard Lowe / Jackson Flinter / ABC.
Melbourne has added to its ever-growing collection of basement drinking dens with the arrival of The Mulberry Group's latest venture, Dessous. Gracing the Flinders Lane space beneath newly launched sibling Hazel in the1920s T&G Building and joining a stable of venues that also includes the multi-faceted Liminal and Geelong's Common Ground Project, this is the city's new hideaway wine bar. The same minds that first brought us The Kettle Black, Top Paddock and Higher Ground, The Mulberry Group has here created yet another inviting hospitality destination with plenty of attention to detail. Like both its recent siblings, Dessous is sporting interiors by award-winning design firm The Stella Collective. It's a warm and moody assembly of deep greens, plush velvet and dark timber — a comfy, subterranean escape you'll be in no rush to leave. [caption id="attachment_748021" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jana Langhorst[/caption] Chef Dan Sawasak (Movida, Higher Ground) has pulled together a menu focused on snacking and sharing. Settle in over the likes of a pork belly sandwich with Bull-Dog sauce (a popular Japanese brand of tonkatsu sauce), a savoury comté panna cotta teamed with almonds, nettle and asparagus, or perhaps a main of skate dressed with crushed hazelnuts, jamón and warm grapes. Potatoes are done with fennel, 'nduja and crisp chicken skin, while a magical-sounding 'unicorn' doughnut stars corn custard, sea urchin (uni) and salmon roe. The drinks lineup is an extensive one, with an international wine list that caters to just about every mood and taste. A strong contingent of by-the-glass options is sure to prove a hit with the after-work crowd, as is the tight, but proudly local craft beer selection and the hefty selection of spirits. Signature cocktails are crafty and refined, with options like the strawberry and cream-infused Peach Blow Fizz and the Hollowman: a fruity blend of mezcal, ginger, apricot and lemon sherbet. Find Dessous at Lower Level, 164 Flinders Lane, Melbourne. It's open from Monday–Saturday, 5pm–11pm. Images: Jana Langhorst
We're a nation of coffee obsessives. Many of us only consider a day to have truly begun once we've had our first sip of the life-giving elixir in the morning. Melbourne is one of the world's great coffee cities with a cafe to suit every mood. Good baristas and reliable coffee are worth investing in, especially if you take your daily caffeine with an alternative milk choice. So, together with oat milk purveyor Oatly, we've picked out the best coffee slingers, the greatest brunch pedlars and, yes, the top oat dealers to give you what you need to get your day off to the best possible start. If You're All About Good Vibes For those looking for a relaxing space to take a beat away from the non-stop grind of modern life, Acustico has got you. This Brunswick team of oat dealers prides itself on its atmosphere, having provided an intimate haven for the hungry, thirsty and soon-to-be-caffeinated of Melbourne for over a decade. Over in Fitzroy, there's Archie's All Day. The Instagram bio says it all, "brunch and good vibes – all day". There's a manifesto that anyone can get behind. The oat dealers at Archie's are dedicated to serving you the best coffee and the tastiest food, and they have a wicked way with cocktails if you arrive later in the day. Aesthetically, Collingwood's City Saints might have more in common with your favourite brewery than your local cafe. This might be a curious statement, but its commitment to having a great range of beans and roasters alongside hearty sandwiches and scrumptious fresh-baked goodies means every trip brings a new flavour experience. If you're in Collingwood and are looking for something a little different, you can't go wrong with Plug Nickel. The oat dealers at this establishment put a twist on the traditional flat white or cappuccino. Here, you can get a sparkling cold brew, an organic spiced chai or even a coffee-based winter toddy. Finally, Proud Mary in Collingwood is a wholesale store and a top oat-dealing cafe. Its ambience and attention to detail make it successful in both regards. It offers a wide range of specialty brewing products and by-the-bag beans while also acting as a welcoming community space. It's a great location to catch up with friends, eat good food, and enjoy a killer cup of coffee. [caption id="attachment_972077" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Coffee tasting at Calēre[/caption] If You're a Coffee Obsessive Tucked away on Brunswick Street is Calēre, a cafe that proves the old adage that good things come in small packages. This Fitzroy nook takes its coffee extremely seriously, offering masterclasses and experiences from its highly skilled baristas and oat dealers. If you fancy a brew, you can buy beans by the bag and pair them with a house-made toastie. Another outlet that takes its coffee seriously, Bench Coffee Company Roastery, keeps things clean, simple and deliberate. Think warehouse vibes, a plethora of coffee-making equipment for true aficionados and one of the most important things a coffee emporium can offer: consistency. Plus, it offers a subscription bean delivery service so you can perfect your coffee skills at home. Brunswick's Kōhī No Deshi is from the same team behind Disciple Coffee, which only serves its coffee black. Unlike its older sibling, it takes the exact opposite approach when it comes to milk. In fact, here, you have the choice of eleven different types of milk (oat included, duh), plus a myriad of other variety drinks to change up your usual coffee order — think toffee apple and caramel peach. Finally, Wood and Co. scour the globe for the very best. These oat dealers are driven by the desire to find that elusive perfect cup of coffee and even offer step-by-step brewing instructions on their website alongside their superbly stocked online store. [caption id="attachment_972076" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Archie's All Day[/caption] If You Need a Quality Feed with Your Cuppa In Collingwood, there's Alimentari. This is more than just a cafe. It's a kitchen serving the best in Lebanese and Middle Eastern cuisine, it's a store offering sweet treats alongside stylish home décor and it's a beloved Fitzroy deli. More than all of these, though, it's part of the oat-dealing community thanks to its Smith Street kitchen and patisserie. Also in Collingwood is Chiaki. The name translates to "a thousand autumns," and this is reflected in its vibes. Step inside this oat-dealing establishment, and you'll feel as though time slows down. You'll want to savour every sip of excellent coffee and every bite of the Japanese breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. If you want some South American flavour with your morning cup of joe, head to Sonido in Fitzroy and enjoy authentic arepas and empanadas with your coffee. Aussies do cafes well, but we all could benefit from a little Latin flair in our lives. For the sweet treat fiends out there, Brusnwick's Green Refectory is a cake lover's heaven. The team here bake a wide selection of cakes, from traditional favourites like carrot cake to their own signature creations, like the Tim Tam cheesecake. Not much goes better with cake than a good cup of coffee, so this is definitely a match made in heaven. If you want the ambience and design of a West Coast American diner but in Brunswick, you need Walrus in your life. These oat dealers offer stacked burgers and thick slices of pie and even have their own vintage filter coffee machine to fully commit to the bit. Finally, you've likely heard of Tarts Anon. With tarts so good that they're announced in drops via Instagram that sell out instantly, it's fair to say this Collingwood spot has been a huge word-of-mouth success since its 2020 launch. However, you still have the option to go in person, grab a coffee and enjoy the creations of former 'Dinner by Heston' pastry chef Gareth Whitton here or its Cremorne sibling. Explore all these venues through the Oatly oat dealer network, which will be active from Monday, September 16, to Sunday, September 22. For more information, to hear oats mooing, leave a message or redeem a code for a free oat coffee at participating cafes, dial 1800-OATFIX.
If sunning yourself on a beach, surrounded by palm trees and crystal blue waters, sounds like total bliss, we'd say you're not alone. Most of us have a pang of wanderlust from time-to-time and, after a pretty stressful year, kicking back in a bikini or boardies with a cocktail in hand sounds like paradise. Sure, you can't yet jet off to the sandy white shores of Puerto Rico, the turquoise seas of the Maldives or the buzzing streets of Havana, but you can still get plenty of vacay vibes in Australia. We've teamed up with our friends at go-to rum label Bacardi to bring you four cruisy cocktails that you can whip up fuss-free over summer. We bet these tasty tipples will transport you to a tropical island in no time. So, don your favourite holiday outfit, whack on some bossa nova tunes and get ready makes some next-level drinks. THE COOL ONE: FROZEN DAIQUIRI Serves one Aussie summers are hot, so you'll want an ice-cold beverage on those days where the cicadas thrum and the air is thick and sticky. Enter the frozen daiquiri, a cool riff on the classic daiquiri. Basically, it's summer in a glass. To make it, you'll need a blender, so you can make multiple serves at once, meaning it's the perfect party drink. Just be sure to stick to the ratios to ensure you're serving up a sweet-but-equally-tangy concoction. Ingredients 60ml Bacardi Carta Blanca 30ml sugar syrup 30ml fresh lime juice 1 lime wedge (optional) 3/4 cup ice Method Combine all ingredients and ice in blender and blitz until a slushie consistency is achieved. Serve in a highball glass, or, if you're feeling fancy, a martini glass. Garnish with lime wedge and serve. THE PARTY STARTER: SPICED PIÑA COLADA Serves one If you like this fun drink and getting caught in the rain on a sweltering summer evening, then you should be making yourself one stat. Originating from Puerto Rico, the piña colada is typically made with white rum, coconut cream and pineapple juice aplenty. But this version, using Bacardi Spiced to hints of vanilla and cinnamon, is sure to get any party going. It has a surprisingly smooth finish, too, and the coconut water instead of cream or milk keeps things fresh. Ingredients 60ml Bacardi Spiced 30ml fresh pineapple juice 30ml coconut water 2 teaspoons castor sugar 3–4 cubes of fresh pineapple 1 pineapple slice (optional) 1 tropical leaf (optional) Ice Method Place pineapple cubes and castor sugar in cocktail shaker and slightly crush using a muddler or spoon. Add pineapple juice and coconut water to mixture and stir to dissolve the sugar, then add Bacardi Spiced. Half fill cocktail shaker with ice and shake until chilled (about 30 seconds). Strain into a highball glass and add ice cubes. Top with crushed ice and garnish with pineapple slice and leaf to serve. THE COOL ONE'S FUN COUSIN: FROZEN STRAWBERRY DAIQUIRI Serves one This frosty, fruity take on the daiquiri is pretty much an adult slushie. Again, to make this frozen delight you'll be using a blender, meaning you can easily make it in batches. Not only is it delicious, but its vibrant colour makes it an ideal go-to throughout the holiday season. Best of all, it is easy as a Sunday morning to whip up. Ingredients 45ml Bacardi Carta Blanca 20ml sugar syrup 30ml fresh lime juice 3–4 strawberries 1 partially sliced strawberry (optional) 1 cup ice Method Combine all ingredients and crushed ice in blender and blitz until a slushie consistency is achieved. Serve in a highball glass or any glass, really. Garnish with sliced strawberry and serve. THE CLASSIC: MOJITO Serves one If there's one drink that has you dreaming of salsa dancing in Cuba upon first sip it's the mojito. It's got all the ingredients for a refreshing summer drink without being utterly dull. There's zesty citrus, the freshness of mint, a slight sweetness and some fizz to keep things light and bubbly. Of course, there's also the rum. If you want to keep things old-school opt for Bacardi Carta Blanca, or you can spice things up a bit by using Bacardi Spiced. Either way, it's an A-class cocktail. Ingredients 60ml Bacardi Carta Blanca or Bacardi Spiced 4 lime wedges 2 teaspoons castor sugar 6–8 mint leaves 15–30ml soda water 1 mint sprig (optional) Method Squeeze lime into a highball glass, add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add mint leaves and muddle. Half fill glass with crushed ice, pour Bacardi Carta Blanca, or Bacardi Spiced if you're making a spiced mojito, then stir to combine. Top up with more crushed ice, add a dash of soda (to taste) and garnish with mint sprig. Do what moves you this summer with these super-easy tropical cocktails from Bacardi. Once you've mastered the art of rum cocktails, check out Bacardi's competition, where you and 20 mates could win the chance to attend Australia's smallest music festival. Top image: Mushroom Creative House
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas across the country. After months spent empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Australian picture palaces are back in business — spanning both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SEoi8r1Z4Y SUPERNOVA Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth aren't lazy, bad or bland actors. The former has an Oscar nomination for The Lovely Bones, the latter won for The King's Speech, and neither can be accused of merely playing the same character again and again. And yet, whenever either pops up on-screen, they bring a set of expectations with them — or, perhaps more accurately, they each instantly remind viewers of the traits that have served them so well over their respective four-decade careers. In features as diverse as The Devil Wears Prada and the Hunger Games films, Tucci has given a distinctive sense of flair and presence to his many parts, as well as his innate ability to appear bemused and sarcastic about life in general. Whether as Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice or as Mark Darcy in the Bridget Jones movies, Firth has enjoyed immense success playing reserved, introverted, dry-witted men who are more likely to ruminate stoically than to outwardly show much emotion. Teaming up in Supernova, both talents draw upon these characteristics once more, as writer/director Harry Macqueen (Hinterland) wants them to. But here's the thing about this pair of stars, who shine particularly bright in this affecting drama: far from ever settling into their own comfortable niches, they're frequently delving deeper, twisting in different directions and offering up untold surprises. A famed novelist less interested in putting pen to paper than in peering up at the stars, Tucci's Tusker knows how to defuse any scenario with his charm in Supernova, but it's apparent that he often uses that canny ability to avoid facing a number of difficulties. An acclaimed musician with an eagerly anticipated concert in the works, Firth's Sam often says little; however, the fact that he's grappling internally with feelings he can't quite do justice to in words always remains evident. Travelling around England's Lakes District, they're not just on an ordinary campervan holiday. Neither man has simply been whiling away their time before their long-awaited returns to performing and writing, either. With stops to see Sam's sister (Pippa Haywood, Four Kids and It) and her family, and to reunite with old friends, the couple are making the most of what time they have left together. Tusker is unwell, with early-onset dementia increasingly having an impact on not only his everyday life, but upon the shared existence they've treasured for decades. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilNHPfOOeIs GUNDA Move over Babe, Piglet, Porky and Peppa. Thanks to monochrome-hued documentary Gunda, cinema has a brand new porcine star. Or several, to be exact; however, other than the eponymous sow, none of the attention-grabbing pigs in this movie are given names. If that feels jarring, that's because it breaks from film and television's usual treatment of animals. Typically on-screen, we see and understand the zoological beings we share this planet with as only humans can, filtering them through our own experience, perception and needs. We regard them as companions who become our trustiest and most reliable friends; as creatures who play important roles in our lives emotionally, physically and functionally; as anthropomorphised critters with feelings and traits so much like ours that it seems uncanny; and as worthy targets of deep observation or study. We almost never just let them be, though. Whether they're four-legged, furry, feathered or scaly, animals that grace screens big and small rarely allowed to exist free from our two-legged interference — or from our emotions, expectations or gaze. Gunda isn't like any other movie you've seen about all creatures great and small, but it can't ignore the shadow that humanity casts over its titular figure, her piglets, and the one-legged chicken and paired-off cows it also watches, either. It's shot on working farms, so it really doesn't have that luxury. Still, surveying these critters and their lives without narration or explanation, this quickly involving, supremely moving and deeply haunting feature is happy to let the minutiae of these creatures' existence say everything that it needs to. The delights and devastation alike are in the details, and the entire movie is filled with both. Filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky (Aquarela) looks on as Gunda's namesake gives birth, and as her offspring crawl hungrily towards her before they've even properly realised that they're now breathing. His film keeps peering their way as they squeal, explore and grow, and as they display their inquisitive, curious and sometimes mischievous personalities, too. Sometimes, this little family rolls around in the mud. At other times, they simply sleep, or Gunda takes the opportunity to enjoy some shut-eye while her piglets play. Whatever they're doing, and whenever and where, these pigs just going about their business, which the feature takes in frame by frame. In one of the documentary's interludes away from its porcine points of focus, the aforementioned chook hops about. Whether logs or twigs are involved, it too is just navigating its ordinary days. In the second of the movie's glimpses elsewhere, cattle trot and stand, and their routine couldn't seem more commonplace as well. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbn8-Tpa3no AALTO Sometimes, a documentary doesn't need words, as Gunda wholeheartedly demonstrates. Aalto features plenty, all spoken as voiceover and delving into the life of great Finnish modernist architects Alvar and Aino Aalto; however, the film's visuals would've still kept viewers glued to the screen if not even a single syllable was uttered. For the bulk of the doco's duration, savvy director Virpi Suutari (Entrepreneur) fills the screen with the couple's handiwork. Furniture from the 1930s onwards and buildings up until the 1970s are seen in loving detail, with the feature's imagery zooming in on the former and walking through and soaring above the latter. Some might be familiar, especially on the homewares side — IKEA has taken a few cues from some of their designs over the years — but viewers new and well-acquainted alike will find much to catch their eye. With its smooth bends and sculptural look, the bentwood Paimio Chair is a thing of unshakeable beauty. The unpredictable curves in the pair's various wavy vases are just as vivid to behold. Combining an undulating appearance with rough bricks that Alvar complimented as "the lousiest in the world", Baker House at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is far more striking than any other college dormitory. And there's minimalistic grace in the buildings at the University of Jyväskylä, which are among the few sites seen in the feature with people in them. To see these pieces and places, and others like them, is to be submerged into the Aaltos' way of viewing the world. Aalto doesn't just stare at the marvellous items designed by its namesakes, though. Suutari also draws upon home videos to tell their story, uses multiple unseen narrators to unfurl and comment upon their tale, and gives voice to letters penned between the pair whenever one travelled away from the other. Indeed, this isn't just a professional portrait, but a personal one, too — and a film made with admiration but not devotion. While Alvar became a world-renowned star, he isn't the sole reason that Aalto remains a famous design name. He also wasn't without his flaws. Accordingly, Aalto doesn't blindly sing his praises, peddle stock-standard male genius tropes or solely peer his way. Yes, the documentary's title mirrors its focus. Aino was a pivotal part of his architectural practice; "regardless of how the drawings are signed, they clearly worked as a team," the film's narration offers. After Aino's death, Alvar's second wife Elissa, another architect, also proved just as crucial. It would've been easy to simply worship Alvar, but Suutari cannily broadens the story around his work — and makes a better, and more interesting and engaging doco as a result. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzvwJiBFhSg CREATION STORIES Whenever someone gets 'Wonderwall' stuck in their head, they partly have Alan McGee to thank. The Scottish music industry executive and Creation Records co-founder happened to be at the same Glasgow bar as Oasis in 1993, and saw the band being turned away by management despite their claim that they were booked to play a gig. When the Manchester-based group was eventually allowed in, McGee checked out their set. He quickly offered them a recording contract and, yes, history was made. His impact upon the music world doesn't end there, either, with McGee managing The Jesus and Mary Chain, putting out records by Primal Scream and My Bloody Valentine, and getting involved in the acid house scene as well. That means that Creation Stories has much to cover. The lively biopic initially frames its episodic jumps through McGee's life via a chat between the exec (Ewen Bremner, T2: Trainspotting) and a journalist (Suki Waterhouse, The Broken Hearts Gallery), but that's just an excuse to leap back into his memories. From there, the film pinballs from his unhappy teenage years with his doting mother (Siobhan Redmond, Alice Through the Looking Glass) and stern father (Richard Jobson, Tube Tales), and his early attempts to soar to music stardom in London, to Creation's many financial ups and downs and his involvement in politics. Creation Stories is adapted from McGee's autobiography of the same name, with Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh and playwright Dean Cavanagh penning the script; however, it often feels as if McGee himself saw Rocketman and asked for his own version. That sensation comes through stylistically, thanks to the frenetic pace, vibrant splashes of colour and ample scenes of drug-fuelled partying. It's also evident in the impressionistic approach applied to McGee's life, telling a tale that mightn't always be 100-percent accurate in every minute detail but is wholly designed to capture the wild mood and vibe perfectly. Both movies boast Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrel stars as their directors, too, with Nick Moran (The Kid) jumping behind the lens here. And, the two films also benefit from standout lead performances, with Bremner as stellar as he's ever been on-screen. Indeed, the actor best known as hapless heroin addict Spud couldn't be more important in Creation Stories. So much of the film's chaotic ride through McGee's highlights and lowlights rests upon Bremner's larger-than-life portrayal, peppy presence, mile-a-minute gift of the gab and deceptive charisma, so its central talent was always going to make or break the film. There's no shaking its general adherence to the rock biopic genre, though, but there's also no doubting its alluring energy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLg86R4Ay-Y THE UNHOLY The Exorcist was not an easy movie to make, as exceptional documentary Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist made clear. But over the past four decades, the horror masterpiece has proven a very easy film to emulate again and again — or, to try to ape in anything that pairs religion and scares, at least. Copying it is nowhere near the same as matching it, of course. That's especially the case when most one-note flicks that attempt the feat simply think that crosses, creepy females and stilted, unnatural body movements are all that it takes. The Unholy is the latest example, to uninspired, unengaging, unoriginal, unconvincing and thoroughly unsurprising results. Adapted from the 1983 James Herbert novel Shrine by seasoned screenwriter turned first-time feature director Evan Spiliotopoulos (Charlie's Angels, Beauty and the Beast, The Huntsman: Winter's War), the movie's premise has promise: what if a site of a supposed vision of the Virgin Mary and subsequent claimed miracles, such as Lourdes in France and Fatima in Portugal, was targeted by a sinister spirit instead? But, despite also boasting the always-charismatic Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Walking Dead) as its lead, all that eventuates here is a dull, derivative and not even remotely unsettling shocker of a horror flick. The fact that The Evil Dead and Drag Me to Hell's Sam Raimi is one of its producers delivers The Unholy's biggest scare. Looking constantly perplexed but still proving one of the best things about the film, Morgan plays disgraced journalist Gerry Fenn. After losing his fame and acclaim when he was caught fabricating stories, he now makes $150 per assignment chasing the slightest of flimsy supernatural leads. His current line of work brings him to the small Massachusetts town inhabited by Father Hagan (William Sadler, Bill & Ted Face the Music) and his niece Alice (Cricket Brown, Dukeland), the latter of whom is deaf. Thanks to a barren tree, a creepy doll, an eerie chapter of history and a strange run-in with Gerry, however, she can soon suddenly hear and speak. She says that can see the Virgin Mary, too. Swiftly, word about her story catches the church, media and public's attention. Even if Spiliotopoulos had kept the novel's title, it'd remain obvious that all isn't what it seems — the film starts nearly two centuries ago with a woman being burned alive at the aforementioned tree, so nothing here is subtle. But instead of pairing an exploration of the dangers of having faith without question with demonic bumps and jumps, The Unholy embraces cliches with the same passion that satan stereotypically has for fire. The cheap-looking visuals, Cary Elwes' (Black Christmas) wavering accent and the bored look on co-star Katie Aselton's (Synchronic) face hardly help, either. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on January 1, January 7, January 14, January 21 and January 28; February 4, February 11, February 18 and February 25; and March 4, March 11, March 18 and March 25; and April 1 and April 8. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Nomadland, Pieces of a Woman, The Dry, Promising Young Woman, Summerland, Ammonite, The Dig, The White Tiger, Only the Animals, Malcolm & Marie, News of the World, High Ground, Earwig and the Witch, The Nest, Assassins, Synchronic, Another Round, Minari, Firestarter — The Story of Bangarra, The Truffle Hunters, The Little Things, Chaos Walking, Raya and the Last Dragon, Max Richter's Sleep, Judas and the Black Messiah, Girls Can't Surf, French Exit, Saint Maud, Godzilla vs Kong, The Painter and the Thief, Nobody, The Father, Willy's Wonderland, Collective and Voyagers.
Connie's holds a place in every Melbourne night owl's heart, having spent the last five years slinging New York-style pizza until the wee hours from its hole-in-the-wall kitchen within Heartbreaker. Well now, our girl is moving on up, expanding into the space one level above her rock 'n' roll sibling, to gift us with Connie's Italian Diner & Rooftop Terrazza. Set to debut on Thursday, April 21, Made in the Shade Group's (The Everleigh, Bar Margaux) new incarnation of Connie's will take the form of a contemporary trattoria built on that classic Italian spirit of hospitality. It comes complete with tables draped in red-and-white checks, banquettes of red vinyl and walls adorned with vintage film posters. You'll spy a kitschy tank filled with tropical fish and a projector screen playing black-and-white Italian sitcoms. Like its pint-sized predecessor, the 100-seater takes name and inspiration from owner Michael Madrusan's beloved Nonna Connie. Here, that translates to a menu of traditional-leaning fare, which nods to Madrusan's memories growing up in his family's own Italian eateries. Helping to bring the vision to life is Head Chef Matteo D'Elia, who lists stints at Michelin Starred London restaurants Galvin at Windows and Bibendum on his resume. Expect to find yourself digging into classics like eggplant parmigiana, veal tonnato, lobster linguine and the now legendary Connie's 'Grandma Pies', while framed pictures of pop culture icons gaze on from the walls. There'll be a Sunday ragu, served family-style, and a tiramisu reimagined in ice cream sundae form. Meanwhile, the 'Terrazza' part of the new name references an adjoining leafy rooftop terrace, serving a weekend al fresco barbecue menu alongside Connie's usual a la carte lineup. Out here, you'll be able to match after-work aperitivo sessions with festoon lighting and city views. In true Made in the Shade form, the drinks offering is set to be a banger, with a range of top-notch classic sips and sparkling cocktails poured on tap or served by the bottle. A lineup of Italian vino comes courtesy of Bar Margaux sommelier Tom Smith. There's even a dance floor with a glittering disco ball for anyone looking to extend the Connie's fun post-dinner — a move that's set to be heavily encouraged. Find Connie's Italian Diner & Rooftop Terrazza upstairs at 234B Russell Street, Melbourne (above Heartbreaker), from April 21. It'll open from 5pm–late, Wednesday–Saturday.
It's the end of an era, and it's going out with some impressive names. When Bluesfest hosts its last-ever festival in April 2025, it'll have Crowded House, Ocean Alley and Vance Joy for company. A week after announcing that the music fest only has one more run in it, the Byron Bay mainstay has started unveiling its goodbye lineup, revealing the initial 20 acts on the bill. 'Don't Dream It's Over' should take on extra resonance when it earns a spot in Crowded House's set, with the band making one last Bluesfest appearance. Ocean Alley are also no strangers to the fest, and equally onboard for the final 2025 hurrah. From there, the roster of talent for Thursday, April 17–Sunday, April 20, 2025 so far also spans Tones and I, Gary Clark Jr, Rag'n'Bone Man, RY X, Allison Russell and Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram — and more already, with future lineup announcements still to come. "As we prepare for the final chapter of Bluesfest in 2025, I am profoundly moved by the outpouring of support from thousands in our community, along with the many artists and their management eager to be part of our farewell edition. Thank you all for your heartfelt messages and expressions of solidarity," said Festival Director Peter Noble, revealing the fest's first acts for next year. "We're thrilled to unveil the first wave of artists for our grand finale. This lineup, meticulously curated to honour Bluesfest's rich legacy, features a dynamic mix of legendary and cutting-edge performers. This announcement marks just the beginning. Our second lineup is well and truly in the works and the reveal is on the horizon, promising to further enhance what is set to be an epic farewell." Bluesfest's four-day 2025 event will celebrate the Easter long-weekend fest's 36th year, as well as its last. As for who'll join Crowded House, Ocean Alley, Vance Joy and company, start guessing — 2024's headliners Tom Jones and Elvis Costello, if that helps. The last few years have been tumultuous for the Byron Bay fest. 2023's event lost a number of acts, including King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Sampa the Great, after Sticky Fingers were added to the bill. Bluesfest ultimately dropped the controversial band. And while the fest went ahead in 2022 after two years of pandemic cancellations (and a thwarted temporary move to October for the same reason), it showcased a primarily Australian and New Zealand lineup. [caption id="attachment_970517" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Celina Martins[/caption] Bluesfest saying goodbye means that two huge Aussie music festivals that call Byron Bay home have shut up shop, although hopefully one is only temporary. After Splendour in the Grass announced its dates for this year, then its lineup, it swiftly cancelled mere weeks later. It continues to prove a tough time for the Australian live music scene. Bluesfest calling time follows Mona Foma doing the same after its 2024 event — plus a lengthy list of festivals beyond Splendour that've ditched their plans this year, sometimes also without announcing their intentions for the future. Just two years after debuting, Adelaide's Harvest Rock has scrapped its 2024 fest as well. Spilt Milk cancelled its 2024 festivals, while Groovin the Moo did the same after announcing its lineup. Summergrounds Music Festival, which was meant to debut at Sydney Festival 2024, also pulled the plug. As announced in 2023, Dark Mofo took a breather in 2024. Yours and Owls has postponed its next fest until 2025, too, but is hosting a pre-party in October this year. Bluesfest 2025 Lineup: Crowded House Vance Joy Ocean Alley Tones and I Gary Clark Jr Rag'n'Bone Man RY X Allison Russell Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram Brad Cox Here Come the Mummies The California Honeydrops Marc Broussard Pierce Brothers Taj Farrant Fanny Lumsden 19-Twenty WILSN Cimafunk Neal Francis [caption id="attachment_969986" align="alignnone" width="1920"] LD Somefx[/caption] [caption id="attachment_969989" align="alignnone" width="1920"] LD Somefx[/caption] [caption id="attachment_969987" align="alignnone" width="1920"] LD Somefx[/caption] [caption id="attachment_867504" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kurt Petersen[/caption] [caption id="attachment_969988" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Roger Cotgreave[/caption] Bluesfest 2025 will run from Thursday, April 17–Sunday, April 20 at Byron Events Farm, Tyagarah. Early-bird tickets are on sale now — for further information, head to the Bluesfest website. Top image: Joseph Mayers.
Australia's favourite portrait exhibition, the Archibald Prize, is currently on at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. And, now, the Gallery is giving you another reason to visit — or revisit — thanks to its newly launched free program of art, music, performance and dance. Dubbed Archie Plus, it celebrates people, portraiture and the power of community after a really tough year with the aim to honour diversity, resilience and acts of care. To make it happen, the Gallery is working with New South Wales-based artists, performers and community collaborators to create an alternative experience of portraiture. The program will see dynamic portrait-inspired pieces popping up across the entire ground floor of the Gallery, as well as a lower-level corridor. You can expect to catch more than 60 ceramic sculptures by Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran gracing the grand entrance vestibule, an eye-catching mural from Studio A and newly commissioned works capturing dance, music and spoken word by likes of Nardean and L-Fresh the Lion. The project is bringing numerous artists on-site to create new work, too, so you may be lucky enough to encounter a live performance or work-in-progress during your visit. [caption id="attachment_790674" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, 'Avatar towers' 2020 (installation view) © the artist. Photo: Mark Pokorny[/caption] For more details, check out the Art Gallery of NSW's website. Top Images (in order): Mathew Calandra, Emily Crockford, Annette Galstaun, Lauren Kerjan, Jaycee Kim, Catherine McGuiness, and Meagan Pelham of Studio 'A Love owls and mermaids singing in the rainbow pop' 2020 © the artists; 'Our superpowers' 2020, designed by children of Plunkett Street Public School, Woolloomooloo with Abdul Abdullah, and families supported by the Asylum Seekers Centre, Newtown and contributors to Together In Art Kids; Angela Tiatia 'The Golden Hour 2020' © the artist; and Peter Drew, 'Aussie' poster series displayed in the Grand Courts, Art Gallery of NSW, Thea Proctor Memorial Fund 2020 © Peter Drew.
Every autumn, a the Eta Aquarid meteor shower sets the sky ablaze. It might not be as famous as Halley's Comet, but the Eta Aquarids are actually a distant relation — the bits and pieces you see flying around were on Halley's path a really, really long time ago. And, rather than only being visible every 75 years (the next Halley's Comet sighting is in 2061), you can catch the Eta Aquarids annually. This year, the shower will be at its most spectacular this weekend — here's how to catch a glimpse. WHEN TO SEE IT The shower will reach a peak in the early morning of Saturday, May 6, but will still be able to be seen for the another day or two. The best time to catch an eyeful is just before dawn after the moon has set, so around 4am. At that time, you'll be in the running to see as many as 30 meteors every 60 minutes. Each will be moving at about 225,000 kilometres per hour, shining extraordinarily brightly and leaving a long wake. The shower's cause is, essentially, the Earth getting in the comet's way, causing stardust to fry up in the atmosphere. WHERE TO SEE IT Being in the southern hemisphere, we get some of the best views in the world. So, if you're living in the city, it could be time for a last minute trip to a clear-skied camping spot. The trick is to get as far away from light pollution as possible. For Sydneysiders who don't mind a long drive, this could mean a trip to the Far South Coast. We reckon Picnic Point campsite in Mimosa Rocks National Park might be a winner. Or, if that sounds too far away, Booderee National Park in Jervis Bay is pretty light-free. Alternatively, head west — after all, you'd be hard pressed to find better views than at The Dish, just outside of Parkes. Melburnians might consider a journey to Wilsons Promontory or along the Great Ocean Road, as far as Killarney Beach. For somewhere closer, there's Heathcote, which is just an hour from the city, but is an excellent vantage point. For a real escape, head to Snake Valley in the Central West, where there's hardly a light in sight. For a quick trip out of Brisbane, try Lake Moogerah, Lake Wivenhoe or Lake Somerset, which are all rather dark, considering their proximity to the city. If you have a bit more time, head two-and-a-half hours west to Leyburn, which has come of the busiest skies in Queensland, or eight hours west to the tiny town of Charleville in the outback. HOW TO SEE IT The shower's name comes from the star from which they appear to come, Eta Aquarii, which is part of the Aquarius constellation. So that's what you'll be looking for in the sky. To locate Eta Aquarii, we recommend downloading the Sky Map app — it's the easiest way to navigate the night sky (and is a lot of fun to use even on a non-meteor shower night). If you're more into specifics, Time and Date also have a table that shows the direction and altitude of the Eta Aquarids. They've been updating this daily. Apart from that, wear warm clothes, take snacks and be patient. Happy stargazing.
A high-profile cast. An acclaimed local director. A thorough traipse through the country's colonial past. While that description applies to a growing number of Aussie films (Sweet Country and The Nightingale, just to name two recent examples), it'll never get old — as new frontier western High Ground demonstrates. Indeed, while Stephen Maxwell Johnson's film feels like a natural addition to this growing genre, it also makes its own imprint. The setup: on what's supposed to be a routine expedition in Arnhem Land, almost the entirety of an Indigenous tribe is wiped out by northern Australian police. Their leader Travis (Simon Baker) isn't responsible for the carnage, but it weighs heavily on him in the aftermath. In this gorgeously shot, deeply contemplative drama, Travis is still haunted by the incident 12 years later, in the 1930s, which is when the bulk of the feature takes place. The ex-World War I sniper is enlisted by his superior (Jack Thompson) and his former partner (Callan Mulvey) to track down one of the massacre's revenge-seeking survivors — all while accompanied by boy-turned-tracker Gutjuk (Jacob Junior Nayinggul), who also lived through the slaughter. When High Ground premiered at this year's Berlinale, it deservedly wowed crowds. Since then, it opened the Brisbane International Film Festival and screened at the Adelaide Film Festival — and it has stints planned at Sydney Film Festival's My Cinema My Film Festival touring event in November and December, and during its summer weekend program in January. It'll hit Aussie cinemas in general release come January 28, and it has just revealed its tension-dripping full trailer. As well as Baker, Thompson and Mulvey — and phenomenal first-timer Jacob Junior Nayinggul — High Ground also stars Aaron Pedersen, Ryan Corr and Caren Pistorius (Unhinged), plus debutants Esmerelda Marimowa and Witiyana Marika. It's the second film from Johnson, who previously directed 2001's Yolngu Boy. The filmmaker grew up living in the Northern Territory, and also directed music videos for Yothu Yindi — including for 1991 track 'Treaty'. Check out the High Ground trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL-G4oCoDF0&feature=youtu.be High Ground opens in Australian cinemas on January 28, 2021.
