If you'd like to raise a glass for International Women's Day, why not make it a nice pint glass filled with a special collab brew crafted in honour of all the women who drink, make and appreciate beer? On Sunday, March 6, Blackheart & Sparrows' new event space Perry's is set to host a froth-filled celebration for women who are making the beer game their own. It'll double as a launch party for a new-release collaboration brew made especially for the occasion — a West Coast IPA brewed with CoConspirators, dubbed The Brewer. Beer-lovers and allies are invited along for an afternoon spent sampling the new drop, while hearing from key females in the biz at a panel chat led by Blackheart & Sparrows' beer buyer Cherry Noble. More sips from the likes of Stomping Ground, Two Birds, Bentspoke and Heaps Normal will be flowing through the afternoon, as will the tunes, courtesy of a lineup of female DJs. Meanwhile, new neighbour Hi-Fi is heading up the food offering, slinging its range of hefty sandwiches and snacks. Tickets are $10, which gets you entry and some excellent company, plus a can of The Brewer. And you'll be sipping for a great cause, too, with a portion of the event's proceeds going to support the Pink Boots Society Australia's scholarship programs for women in beer. [caption id="attachment_844305" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Perry's[/caption]
If you've got a penchant for pink wine, then you'd best clear your calendar, because Brunswick's cellar door-style bar Biff Tannin's is throwing a week-long rosé festival. Starting from noon this Sunday, March 4, the bar's self-serve wine machines (yes, self-serve) will be taken over entirely by rosé, offering a huge 32 varieties by the glass. You'll swap your credit/debit card for a Biff Tannin's wine card, then use this to purchase drops straight from the bottle taps. The diverse lineup has been sourced from all over the globe, with a particular focus on rosé from France and Australia. Find yourself sipping delights like the fresh and lively Saint Honorat rosé, the Yarra Valley's Up The Mountain, and loads of others in between. Plenty of the producers will be dropping in for meet-and-greets throughout the week and there'll be a swag of great pizza and cheese board deals running each night.
As cinephiles of Melbourne well and truly know, August always marks the arrival of the Melbourne International Film Festival. That even remained the case in 2020, when the event was forced to go digital due to the pandemic. And, although the 2021 fest has had to go through a few changes itself and will now only play online, too, it is still showering film buffs with movies from Thursday, August 5–Sunday, August 22 this year. Initially, in-person sessions were set to span the festival's first week or so, before the event closed up online; however, just days before this year's MIFF kicked off on Thursday, August 5, the fest flipped that order and expanded its virtual component. It was due to then add in-person sessions from Thursday, August 12, but that'll no longer be happening. So, via its digital platform MIFF Play, the festival is screening more than 90 features for film lovers to watch from the comfort of their couches. The lineup has been growing, too, with exisiting highlights including college-set rom-com Freshman Year, Spanish influencer satire La Verónica, New Zealand thriller Coming Home in the Dark and Norwegian comedy Ninjababy. The Mads Mikkelsen-starring Riders of Justice and psycho-thriller music mockumentary The Nowhere Inn — featuring Carrie Brownstein and St Vincent — sit among the recent newcomers. More films are set to become available on Saturday, August 14 as well, such as documentary Hopper/Welles, which sees Dennis Hopper and Orson Welles meet and chat back in 1970; Night of the Kings, a prison thriller set on the outskirts of Abidjan; and Stray, a doco about the 100,000-plus stray dogs that rove freely around Istanbul. And, other titles will drop later in the fest, like Australian drama Little Tornadoes, which is co-written by The Slap's Christos Tsiolkas; Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror, a documentary exploring the folk horror genre; and closing night's Language Lessons, which takes place via video calls. MIFF's digital platform is available Australia-wide, ensuring that cinephiles around the country — including those in lockdown elsewhere, like in Greater Sydney — can enjoy its lineup, too. That facet of the online program proved popular last year, unsurprisingly, with 2020's virtual festival resulting in MIFF's biggest fest yet, audience-wise. Updated August 11.
As if we needed a reason to enjoy a bit of Mother's Ruin, this Saturday, June 10 is World Gin Day — and the team at Four Pillars are keen to mark the occasion. The Healesville distillery will play host to a big ol' boozy shindig over the long weekend, complete with nosh from Bluebonnet Barbecue's food truck (affectionately named Mabel) and free samples from the entire Four Pillars range. This includes the new batch of their Bloody Shiraz Gin, which has been steeped in and blended with Shiraz grapes from the Yarra Valley. Open from 10.30am on Saturday, Sunday and Monday (that's June 10–12), the distillery will dole out top-notch G&Ts, scones topped with Four Pillars' orange marmalade and Bluebonnet's pulled 'gin' pork burgers, which will use meat from pigs who were fed the botanicals left over after each Four Pillars distillation. The distillery will be open Saturday, June 10 from 10.30am till 9pm, and Sunday, June 11 and Monday, June 12 from 10.30am till 5.30pm.
Every March, Adelaide — the only UNESCO City of Music in Australia — gears up for festival season. Its centrepiece is the Adelaide Festival, a 17-day extravaganza of music, theatre, art, talks and unusual happenings, which encompasses world music festival WOMADelaide as well as Adelaide Writers' Week. In 2019, more than 70 events will take place, including 17 Australian premieres and ten worldwide premieres, all put together by artistic directors Rachel Healy and Neil Armfield. Taking place between March 1–17 at a variety of venues around Adelaide, here are some of the most epic, creative and left-of-field. THEATRE Travelling from South Africa is theatre company Isango Ensemble, to perform the Australian premiere of A Man Of Good Hope. This musical tells the true story of Asad Abdullah, who, at eight, witnessed his mother's murder in Somalia, then travelled across six African nations alone. Also exploring the experiences of refugees is Manus by the all-Iranian Verbatim Theatre Group, which tells stories from Manus Island and Nauru. For a more experimental adventure, immerse yourself in Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. Melbourne's La Mama Theatre will perform the play in real time — over two days — at The Cedars, Sir Hans Heysen's former 60-acre property in Hahndorf, Adelaide Hills. Alternatively, let Portuguese theatre-maker Tiago Rodrigues teach you to memorise a poem, all while he recounts the life of his grandmother, in By Heart. MUSIC Join 90,000 other people at WOMADadelaide, a four-day world music festival that takes over Adelaide's beautiful Botanic Park every year. On 2019's program you'll find Angelique Kidjo, the Central Australian Aboriginal Women's Choir, Julia Jacklin and the John Butler Trio, among scores of other local and international acts. Making its Australian premiere is Grand Finale by Israeli-born, London-based choreographer Hofesh Shechter, a momentous work that combines dance, live music and theatre in its exploration of demagoguery, groupthink and ecological disaster. Meanwhile, Aboriginal soul singer Emma Donovan will be teaming up with The Putbacks to perform a tribute to the late Ruby Hunter, the first indigenous Australian woman to record an album — and Tim Minchin will also be delivering the world premiere of his solo show Back. ART Headlining the art program are two major surveys. One is of Australian artist Ben Quilty, known for his work as an official war artist in Afghanistan, as well as his campaign to save Bali Nine members Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. The other is of New York-born photographer Roger Ballen, who now lives in South Africa, where he shoots squatter camps and mine dumps, and, most famously, collaborated on Die Antwoord's 'I Fink U Freeky' video. Also capturing little-told stories will be the Thessaloniki Museum of Photography's group exhibition Another Life: Human Flows / Unknown Odysseys, which depicts various moments in refugees' journeys — from portraits of personal anguish to heartbreaking images of piles of life jackets. TALKS The core of the talks program is Adelaide Writers' Week. Inspired by the theme 'telling truths', this year's event features an international collection of wordsmiths, from Sohaila Abdulali, the Mumbai-born US author of What We Talk About When We Talk About Rape, to Kassem Eid, Syrian refugee, activist and author of My Country. Nigerian author and Man Booker Prize Winner Ben Okri will deliver the opening address, 'Imagination Redeems'. Start each festival day with brekkie and papers at The Palais, settle into a long lunch with a writer — be it Annabel Crabb or Maggie Beer — and finish up with a Twilight Talk in the Pioneer Women's Memorial Garden. PLUS On any great festival program, there are always events that defy categorisation. Take Dutch artist Julian Hetzel's Schuldfabrik, for example — it's an installation that immerses you in a mini-factory and retail outlet where human fat is turned into soap and sold, with all proceeds going to aid programs in the developing world. Then there's Legs On The Walls' Man With The Iron Neck, which combines aerial circus, video and text to explore suicide in a small, tightly-knit, AFL-loving community. And, finally, Dutch company Schweigman&'s Blaas invites you step inside a gigantic white blob and expect the unexpected. Adelaide Festival takes place between March 1–17, 2019 at a variety of venues around Adelaide. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the festival website. Top image: Ben and Martin Photography.
Some things just taste better when you up that carb content. And here to remind you of that tasty fact, is The Beast CBD's new collaborative dining series, which is running Thursdays through June. Each week, Better in Bread sees the venue team up with a different set of carb-loving mates to deliver a limited-edition menu featuring — you guessed it — carbs galore. For example, on June 16, Sloppy Joe's Deli will be dropping by to serve bites like Korean-style fried chicken rolls, pork cubanos and fluffy doughnuts. Indo-inspired sandwich joint Warkop is joining in the fun on June 23, serving beef pastrami rendang sandos, turmeric chicken schnitzel rolls and The Beast's biscoff special. And June 30 sees a visit from both The Lincoln and Dessertopia, for a one-off menu that includes truffle katsu sandwiches, brisket and pig's head ciabattas, and a dreamy fairy bread-inspired dessert sanga. The Better in Bread dishes are available from 12pm each Thursday until sold out. [caption id="attachment_857456" align="alignnone" width="1920"] by Duncographic[/caption] Top Images: Duncographic
After shooting Elvis on the Gold Coast, Baz Luhrmann dubbed the Queensland city "Goldiewood". For four days in February 2024, the coastal spot will certainly become the centre of the Aussie film and television industry when the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts sweeps into town. As well as hosting its annual awards, AACTA will put on a festival around the accolades — and after announcing its first program details in 2023, that lineup has just expanded. A series of free outdoor film screenings, a Yellowjackets Q&A, and chats with the teams behind Colin From Accounts and The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart lead the new additions for AACTA Festival, which takes place from Thursday, February 8–Sunday, February 11 at HOTA, Home of the Arts. For those keen to see a flick under the stars, you have three options, all with Aussie ties. Of course Barbie tops the list, as part of a barbecue bash where dressing up is highly encouraged — cinephile Barbie, anyone? — and there will indeed be the appropriate food spread. Also hitting the screen: a 25th-anniversary screening of 10 Things I Hate About You, celebrating the Heath Ledger-starring film, this time with a 90s shindig. And, rounding out the movies is The Greatest Showman, complete with Australian filmmaker Michael Gracey on hand to introduce the Hugh Jackman (Faraway Downs)-led flick. Yellowjackets fans, get excited about Aussie actors Courtney Eaton (Mad Max: Fury Road) and Liv Hewson (Party Down), aka teen Lottie and teen Van, talking about the series — including its cliffhangers and supernatural elements. Leah Purcell (Shayda) will discuss The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, while the Colin From Accounts chat will feature producers Ian Collie and Rob Gibson (who both also worked on Scrublands) ahead of season two's arrival. [caption id="attachment_894476" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kailey Schwerman/SHOWTIME.[/caption] Now that the AACTA nominations have been announced — which hadn't happened before AACTA Festival's first lineup drop — sessions where you can meet both the film and TV contenders have been added as well. Exactly who'll be attending hasn't been revealed as yet, however. Also joining the bill is music by Sunny Luwe, Kent Dustin and Alisha Todd; panels about streaming's future and screen trends in general; and a speed-networking session for women in the industry. AACTA Festival already boasts a heap of other highlights, all surrounding AACTA's Industry Awards on Thursday, February 8 and then its main glittering ceremony on Saturday, February 10. If Talk to Me creeped its way onto your list of favourite Australian horror movies, directors Michael and Danny Philippou will dive into it. Warwick Thornton is also on the lineup to discuss The New Boy as part of the fest's 'meet the creators' events, as are the teams behind Limbo, Sweet As and The Newsreader. Trent Dalton will talk about the Boy Swallows Universe TV series — and, giving the event one of its international standouts, Lessons in Chemistry's Bonnie Garmus is on the bill as well. There's also behind-the-scenes explorations of The Matrix, the stunts of Mad Max: Fury Road and, for some more overseas flavour, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's animation. Or, enjoy a chat with Wellmania and The Way We Wore's Celeste Barber about her career, then find out more about Aussie-made Robbie Williams biopic Better Man and the sequel to Mortal Kombat. AACTA Festival will run from Thursday, February 8–Sunday, February 11 at HOTA, Home of the Arts, 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise Gold Coast. For further details, head to the fest's website.
At first glance, Kieran Stewart's new work looks pretty open to interpretation. Its motley collection of colours and silky sheen may remind you of a quilt your grandmother once made, or maybe a pair of particularly gaudy tracksuit pants you owned in the '80s or '90s. Maybe it reminds you of primary school and the gleeful parachute game kindergarteners would play on the oval during PE. This would be a good guess, because the technicolour contraption at Blindside is in fact a homemade parachute — the most dangerous thing you can possibly make in craft class. Stewart made the parachute himself after a great deal of research and correspondence with professionals. Compiling his responses into an essay ('Parachute'), it's clear the main overwhelming consensus was confusion and dread. But that doesn't impede the work's happier side. Parachutes are objects which convey salvation, hope and second chances. We often work hard for these things, it's just unfortunate they require such a large leap of faith. To hear more, head along to the artist's talk at 3pm Friday, March 21.
It's arguably the biggest international sporting event on Melbourne's calendar, pulling the world's greatest tennis players to our city each summer. And while the 2021 Australian Open is set to look a little different to that of previous years, it's stirring up just as much excitement as ever before. But you don't need to nab courtside seats and battle the crowds in order to soak up the Grand Slam action. With onsite crowd numbers limited, there are stacks of local venues that'll be breaking out the big screens, bubbly and food specials, serving up some ace tennis-watching parties of their own. We've rounded up six bars, pubs and pop-ups where you can watch the 2021 Australian Open in style. Here's where to get your tennis fix this February.
The gloom of winter is hard to fight off with positive affirmation post-it notes alone. And, guess what? Your parents were right — hiding away at home won't make it any better. But a giant bowl of noodles will. Think back to all those chicken noodle soups you ate when someone had the audacity to pass on the flu to you as a kid. Just the thought makes you a little warmer, right? There's simply nothing like the feeling of a toasty broth making its way through your body — if it's a good one, you'll feel it to the tips of your fingers. Lucky for you, Melbourne happens to have an abundance of noodle houses, ramen shops and soup-slinging eateries that are more than willing to replicate that childhood experience (sans sickness, of course). And we've rounded up our top five for you. These eateries are dotted all over the city but, don't worry, you can always jump in a DiDi if it's raining. Plus, Melbourne rideshare platform's rates are some of the best around — which means you can add a few cheeky sides to your order, too.
As the rolling back of COVID-19 restrictions and the holiday season converge, you may be looking for your fix of food, drink and Christmas cheer. QV Melbourne's new festive courtyard serves up all three. The Christmas Hub, which was launched over the weekend, features a pop-up garden bar, al fresco dining and a massive 15-metre-tall Christmas tree. CBD rooftop bar Father's Office has taken charge of the pop-up bar, which is serving up bottles of GH Mumm for $65, pink gin and soda, beer and cider. Cocktails will also be flowing, with watermelon daiquiris, margaritas and espresso martinis among the offerings. To eat, there's noodle soup from Thai Town, Gippsland yoghurt from Mumuyo and build-your-own ramen from Mr Teriyaki. Each Friday and Saturday from 11am–2pm and 4–7pm you can catch interactive festive entertainment in the form of stilt walkers, acrobats and 'roller bauble' performers. The centre's Christmas Hub is free to visit and open until Christmas Eve, while the pop-up bar will be open throughout summer. All-day parking is available for $20 or you can nab a free spot around the CBD under the City of Melbourne's extended free parking plan. The Christmas Hub is located on Level 2 of QV Melbourne at the corner of Swanston and Lonsdale streets. Father's Office is open from 3–10pm Monday–Thursday and 1–11pm Friday-Sunday. Images: Carmen Zammit
Gather 'round science nerds and art freaks, for we bring you good news — your Friday nights just got a whole lot cooler thanks to Science Gallery Melbourne and its latest exhibition, Dark Matters. Beginning Friday, September 1, the gallery will host a monthly after-dark science party complete with DJs, musicians, drag stars, dancers, and more. The parties, aptly named Friday Night Socials, will be held on the first Friday of every month, and run until November. So mark your calendars and tag your mates because here's the best part — it's all free. Science, art, live music, and free stuff — what could be better? The first of the bunch will be an interstellar odyssey that invites guests to explore the universe through performance art and live music. Headlining the evening will be a special collaboration between Now or Never festival and Liquid Architecture to present a special performance by Indonesian vocal performer Rully Shabara and collaborators. The evening will also feature live performances from DJ Kalyani, Abby Sundborn, and Bendy Ben. But that's not all, as guests can look forward to additional spectacles including installations from Melbourne Uni students and a special appearance from Dark Matters artists Lawrence Leung, Dom Chambers and Vyom Sharma, who will be showcasing their "Mystery Box" illusionist act. Friday, October 6 will see students from the Victorian College of the Arts take over the gallery with a magical array of sonic and performance interventions. While Friday, November 3 will see Melbourne Science Gallery play host to a special night of music and performance art that invites guests to "traverse through the human soul and outer space to contemplate the sheer scale of the universe and how much of our own lives (floating alone in space on this tiny blue planet) remains a mystery to us". Expect "soaring vocal performances, intergalactic records, abject horror and ethereal sounds" as Science Gallery Melbourne mixes "fear and wonder" to create an existential experience not to be missed. Beats small talk at the pub if you ask us. Each Friday Night Social event will run from 6pm to 9pm. Images: Supplied.
If spending all this time at home has made you realise you're a pretty poor bartender, don't despair. Just turn to the big wide web and you'll be shaking and stirring some tasty tipples in no time. Want a martini, negroni or a giant cosmopolitan? Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci and Ina Garten have you covered. But what about a real party starter, like the espresso martini? Well, now top-quality spirit labels Mr Black (coffee liqueur) and Belvedere (vodka) are bringing you an online class, so you can shake up an espresso martini good enough for a caffeine-craving James Bond. Kicking off at 7pm on Thursday, June 11, the Espresso Martini Masterclass will be led by some of the best in the biz. Belvedere's Australian brand ambassador, Garth Foster, and Mr Black's Martin Hudak will be teaching you how to make a mean coffee-fuelled martini in just one hour. The live-stream class will be available via Facebook or Zoom (link provided closer to the event). Don't have any Belvedere or Mr Black in your liquor cabinet? Both Shorty's Liquor and Wine.com are delivering pre-bundled kits so you don't have to subject yourself to subpar booze. Belvedere's x Mr Black's Espresso Martini Masterclass is taking place from 7–8pm on Thursday, June 11. To order the necessary booze, head to Shorty's Liquor or Wine.com.
Planning on having a big one this Saturday? Recover with a bottomless brunch at Gingerboy. To welcome in the change of season, the CBD restaurant is opening for brunch for the first time in ten years, offering a bottomless menu (including drinks) every single Sunday. Guests can devour up to 11 dishes from a set, Southeast Asian-inspired menu. Expect exclusive off-menu items like silky fresh tofu with tom kha, plump prawn soldiers with sweet and sour sauce and sticky rice with chicken and lup chong (a type of Chinese sausage). Gingerboy favourites will also be available including their addictive Sichuan spiced pork bao with onion jam and pickled cucumbers. And at bottomless brunch, it's never too early for dessert. The decadent dessert platter with white chocolate tamarind parfait and steamed ginger pudding with spiced cream and gingerbread finishes this lazy Sunday morning sesh off very nicely. Bottomless drinks include mimosas, yuzu Bellinis and Chandon sparkling. Gingerboy's bottomless brunch is available from 11.30am until 2.30pm every Sunday for $98 per person. An alcohol-free option is also available for $65 per person.
Revel in the fresh air of 2017 and shop at an almost insultingly slow pace at the same time. Come the balmy nights of January and February, the South Melbourne Market is again bringing back their Night Market, offering everything from fresh food and produce, jewellery and homewares to artisan and vintage goods, all within a leisurely summer's evening stroll. With stall after stall of fashion and accessories to peruse and many a snack to consume, the night market will have something to offer everyone — and every one of their senses. From world class food and wines to cheap but delicious street food, the market will also feature free entertainment with musicians playing across four stages. Expect noms from local dessert masters Bibelot, non-profit Crepes for Change and SMM stalwarts Simply Spanish. And beers will be supplied by Colonial Brewing Co., who have just opened a brewery in Port Melbourne. You can wander on down to the night market every Thursday evening from 5.30pm from January 5 until 23 February. Entry is free, and there's even free rooftop parking available for those that need the car boot to get their market finds home.
UPDATE, MARCH 5: Due to concerns around the coronavirus, Universal Pictures has announced that No Time to Die will no longer release on its initially scheduled date of Thursday, April 8, 2020. It will now release worldwide in November 2020 — including Down Under on November 12, 2020. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. It's trailer time. James Bond trailer time. That means espionage thrills, world-in-peril action, formidable villains, savvy ladies, plenty of gadgets and — since 2006's Casino Royale — Daniel Craig as 007. All of the above is present and accounted for in the just-released first look at No Time to Die, which'll mark the British spy's 25th official big-screen outing. It's also Craig's final go-around as the martini-loving hero. After the events of 2015's Spectre — and after retiring from active service to soak in Jamaica's splendours — Craig's version of Bond is looking a bit shaken and stirred in the No Time to Die trailer. That's bound to happen when he's told his skills are needed to rescue a kidnapped scientist, only for that mission to bring him face-to-face with an unhinged new adversary (Bohemian Rhapsody Oscar-winner Rami Malek). Throw in a new 00 agent (Captain Marvel's Lashana Lynch) covering Bond's turf, a forced meeting with imprisoned ex-opponent Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) and things not seeming to have ended well with psychiatrist Dr Madeleine Swan (Lea Seydoux), and it's safe to say that the mood is rather tense. The instalment is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga (True Detective, Maniac) and penned by a team that includes Fukunaga, The Report director Scott Z Burns and Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge — and all the usual Bond offsiders are on hand, too. Yes, Ralph Fiennes is back as M, alongside Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny, Ben Whishaw as Q, Rory Kinnear as MI6 head Bill Tanner and Jeffrey Wright as CIA agent Felix Leiter. Plus, reuniting with Craig after co-starring in the fabulously entertaining Knives Out, Ana de Armas also joins the cast. And, naturally, the first No Time to Die sneak peek delivers plenty of impressive action. It is a Bond film after all. Indeed, if Craig is stepping away from the role after five features (including 2008's Quantum of Solace and 2012's Skyfall), he looks to be going out in suave, stunt-filled, Aston Martin-driving style. Watch the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo-jtTLBhok&feature=youtu.be No Time to Die was originally due to release in cinemas on April 8, 2020, but will now release in Australia on November 12, 2020.
Gin dreams are made of this: a sprawling distillery that doubles as an indoor/outdoor gin garden, lets spirits aficionados sip plenty of gin (obviously), and also serves up snacks made with spent gin botanicals. That's all on the menu at Four Pillars' redeveloped Healesville base, which relaunched to the gin-adoring public following a hefty $7 million makeover in April 2022. Gin fiends of Australia have been singing the brand's praises for a decade, with the beloved distillery setting up shop in 2013, then opening up its Healesville digs to the public in 2015 — and the latter's revamp only evoked more cheers. Sitting directly adjacent to the company's original home on Lilydale Road, the new 1000-square-metre space helps turn the brand's headquarters into an epic gin destination, and has almost tripled the area available to visitors. As well as the aforementioned Jude's Gin Garden — which overlooks leafy trees and has sliding floor-to-ceiling windows to let the outside in (when the weather permits) — there's multiple new event and function rooms, a dedicated Four Pillars Gin Shop, and a gleaming new copper bar. On the menu: a changing array that spans tasting paddles, gin classics and familiar cocktails, plus a snack range designed by Made From Gin's Matt Wilkinson with Caro Gray. Think: duck liver pate with Bloody Shiraz Gin jelly; bagels with olive leaf gin-cured salmon; plus gin-laced potato, zucchini and dill croquettes — all using those spent gin botanicals. Still on food, the Four Pillars Tuck Shop also opened later in 2022, serving up more substantial dishes on weekends and public holidays. Of course, a visit to this gin-swilling spot is always going to be about the spirit in question — and here it's piped into the main bar using featured copper, all so that Four Pillars can reduce its glass waste. Tonic is largely being served from kegs as well for the same reason, at a site that goes big on solar and recycling to lower the venue's carbon and environmental impact. That shouldn't come as a surprise, with Four Pillars announcing that it had gone carbon-neutral back in 2022 as well. Tubing is also a big design feature, with 1650 metres of raw copper tubing used to enclose the entire site — the OG building and the new base — in a veil. As well as looking stunning, it's designed to work as a natural heat exchange to reduce energy consumption. Melbourne's sustainability-led Breathe Architecture led the revamped spot's design, which also heroes recycled and upcycled concrete and bricks, plus pineapple 'leather' upholstery. The furniture has been sourced locally, and local natives and botanicals play a big part in the landscaping both indoors and out. And yes, many will end up in Four Pillars' gins in the future. Updating the production side of things was also part of the makeover, allowing Four Pillars to now produce more than one million bottles of gin a year as well. To the delight of your tastebuds, that means more of its award-winning range — which includes barrel-aged, bloody shiraz, rare dry, yuzu, Christmas, overproof, olive leaf and summer-inspired gins. And yes, Healesville 2.0's launch helps cap off a huge few years for the gin company. It was named the world's best gin producer for two years running, sold half of its business to beer behemoth Lion and opened a Sydney bar in the middle of the pandemic — and now, of course, this.
Let's face it, finding human companionship isn't always easy. But rather than deleting and re-installing dating apps every week, perhaps welcoming the company of a compatible pet is just the connection you need. And with Mars hosting its Global Adoption Weekend in Australia this weekend only, discovering a match made in heaven is remarkably simple. In partnership with Campbellfield's Lort Smith Adoption Centre, the pair are helping matchmake pet parents and furry friends, with Mars covering 50 percent of the adoption fee from Saturday, October 4–Sunday, October 5. Meanwhile, the rest is covered by the adopter, representing a responsible commitment to pet ownership. According to Mars, research shows nearly one in three Australians regularly feel lonely. Fortunately, pet ownership goes some way to addressing this growing concern, as 88% of Australian pet parents report that owning a pet improves their mental health and combats isolation through companionship. "Adopting a shelter pet doesn't just change one life, it transforms two," says Sarah McCartney, Mars Pet Nutrition Corporate Affairs Director. "This initiative celebrates that powerful connection, offering adopters a personalised matching experience that aligns with their lifestyle, ensuring the best possible start for both pet and pet parent." Founded in 1936, Lort Smith has been a pioneering voice in animal care, supporting more than a million animals throughout its history. Today, it receives around 40 animals every day, with rising cost-of-living pressures contributing to an increase in the number of pets surrendered each year. That means there are always animals in need of loving pet parents. Whether you're looking for one-on-one companionship with a dough-eyed pooch or a proudly independent cat, the team at Lort Smith is on hand to help you make the perfect match. "Since adopting Rocky earlier this year, I've noticed a huge boost in my wellbeing," said new pet parents Olivia and Scott. "He is more than a pet, and such a great shining light." Mars' Global Adoption Weekend is happening from Saturday, October 4–Sunday, October 5, at Lort Smith Adoption Centre, 25/35 Berwick Rd, Campbellfield. Head to the website for more information.
Melbourne, we know you've got a voracious appetite for burgers, but it doesn't look like you'll be going hungry any time soon. There are more burger joints in this city than there are people, just about. Now one of your faves – the beloved Mr Burger – has launched a brand new concept store in Bentleigh in the city's southeast. Chances are you've already sampled Mr Burger's wares in one place or another, with the brand manifesting all across Melbourne in the form of trucks, shops and outlandish competitions. Recently they brought a new head chef jumped on board, and it's none other than Belle's Hot Chicken founder Morgan McGlone. "I loved what the Mr Burger guys were already doing," said McGlone. "I just tried to take their formula to a whole other level." So far McGlone has added a bunch of tasty ideas, including an Oreo shake, handmade onion rings, homemade hot sauce and a new burger seasoning, as well as a take on the Maccas McFeast called The Deluxe. His menu changes will be rolled out to the rest of the Mr Burger locations around the country in the coming months. The Bentleigh store will also be offering a selection craft beers on tap, including Melbourne Bitter and Goose Island IPA. It'll also feature an outdoor area, so you can soak up some sun on hot days, and a new app called 100 Orders, which lets you order through your smartphone. Find the Mr Burger concept store at 416 Centre Rd, Bentleigh.
Come April, the eyes of the sporting world will turn towards the Gold Coast, with the Queensland city hosting the 2018 Commonwealth Games. That's great news if you're a fan of athletes and nations vying for glory — and, while it might not initially seem like it, it's great news for arts and culture lovers too. As well as the expected competitive endeavours, the event will also feature a huge multi-arts festival, called Festival 2018. Festival 2018 mightn't boast the most exciting name, but it does promise a plethora of exciting programming across 12 days. Taking place from April 4 to 15, the fest will join forces with the existing Bleach* Festival to deliver a lineup of art, music, theatre, dance and more spanning from from Coomera to Coolangatta. Satellite events will also be held across the state. The first artists announced include Kate Miller-Heidke, The Jungle Giants and Mau Power, who'll all feature on the Queensland Music Stage. It'll feature free concerts held in Broadbeach, while Miller-Heidke and Power will also play in Cairns, and Power in Brisbane. The rest of the bill will be announced with the full program in February. As for what else is in store across the festival, given Bleach*'s annual array of shows, gigs, exhibitions, experiences and more, expect plenty of just that. More than 20 new works will feature, including a number of world premieres. That means audiences will have another reason to head to the Goldie — or, something else to do between watching the Games. "Bleach* at Festival 2018 is our most ambitious, thought-provoking program to date," explains artistic director Louise Bezzina. It will pay "tribute to local legends past and present in a spectacular showcase of what, and who, makes the Gold Coast such a special part of the world," she continues. Festival 2018 takes place from April 4 to 15 across the Gold Coast and other parts of Queensland. Keep an eye on the festival website for further details. Image: Bleach* Festival
Cast Kate Winslet and Idris Elba in a survivalist drama, and you'd expect tension, thrills and impressive performances to follow. Cast them in a romance, and you'd expect hearts to melt like snow. Unfortunately, if you throw the pair into a combination of the two, the results are as mixed as the blend of genres. The actors are great in The Mountain Between Us, of course, but there's no mistaking the feeling that they're stuck in a marginally classier Nicholas Sparks-style flick. While Charles Martin actually wrote the book that this survivalist romance is based on, all of Sparks' basic elements are present. The diversity that Elba's involvement represents isn't something the author behind The Notebook is known for, but characters meeting in unlikely circumstances, struggling through tough times, and finding love while overcoming obstacles are Sparks' bread and butter. With The Mountain Between Us sticking closely to that formula, you know where the movie is going from the moment you sit down in the cinema. As such, only one question remains: can Winslet and Elba make it all worth it? The duo play Alex, a photojournalist heading from an assignment to her own wedding, and Ben, a neurosurgeon due to usher a sick boy into his operating theatre the next day. When bad weather strands them in Idaho at the last minute, Alex introduces herself and her plan to Ben. They'll charter a plane, beat the oncoming storm and get to their Denver destination in no time — and that might've worked out just fine if their pilot (Beau Bridges) hadn't had a stroke over Utah's white-topped mountains, causing them to crash. Soon, they're in the icy middle of nowhere with no phone reception, little food and an unnamed dog as their only other company. Prior to shooting, The Mountain Between Us went through a number of casting changes, from Michael Fassbender and Charlie Hunnam to Margot Robbie and Rosamund Pike. Given the end product, you can't help but feel that they all dodged a bullet. That Winslet and Elba are the best things about the movie is evident from the outset. Screenwriters Chris Weitz and J. Mills Goodloe don't do nearly enough to make Alex and Ben seem like well-rounded characters, while director Hany Abu-Assad does little more than make them look attractive. Even so, the pair manage to bring some much-needed nuance to their paper-thin parts. Bland dialogue, routine backstories and cliched plot developments can't frost over their natural charms or rapport entirely. As much as the actors do with the material, however, they can't quite lift the film beyond standard sappy romance territory. That's primarily because the movie isn't trying to be anything different — although it's not eager to be seen as disposable fluff, either. Accordingly, Abu-Assad is saddled with a juggling act that he just can't manage to master, asked to both show the stressful, solemn side of his characters' plight, while offering up warmth and hope as his protagonists slowly discover their affection for each other. Ultimately, he doesn't come close to succeeding. Still, at least the scenery looks great, as shot by Australian cinematographer Mandy Walker of Lantana, Tracks and Hidden Figures fame. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jyzGKXBOxA
New Year's Eve is a time of endless possibilities but, simultaneously, endless stress as you try organising the perfect night to send off the year at the exact same time as everyone else. In an attempt to make things a little easier for some, four free celebration zones are being set up by the City of Melbourne as part of the end-of-year celebrations. These zones will be popping up at Alexandra Gardens, Docklands, Flagstaff Gardens and Treasury Gardens, each with their own lineup of entertainment as well as food trucks and views of the midnight fireworks. The most highly anticipated zone will be the Docklands spot, which will feature Australia's largest drone show lighting up the sky with 350 drones before both the 9.30pm and midnight fireworks. Starting the party and keeping it rolling until 1am will be DJ Mz Rizk, Asanti Dance Theatre leading an afro dance workshop and performances from The Listies and Jazz Party. Flagstaff Gardens will be treated to performances from local legend Emma Donovan and her band The Putbacks, while Treasury Gardens will host circus acts and the Melbourne Ska Orchestra, as well as DJs and interactive workshops with a party bent. [caption id="attachment_806820" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Emma Donovan and the Putbacks[/caption] Tickets are free but will be allocated via a ballot system. Registration is now open at the City of Melbourne website and close at 11.59pm on Sunday, December 12. Melbourne's New Year Street Feast will also be taking over the city as part of the celebrations once again, featuring eight outdoor dining precincts created for the festival. They'll be located in top culinary spots like Flinders Lane, Russell Place and Little Collins Street, as well as Fed Square and Docklands. The festival brings nearby venues including Chin Chin, Hazel, Hero and Supernormal together to serve up a jam-packed program of special menus and feasting experiences. Head to the City of Melbourne's website for the full program of New Year's Eve celebrations and to register for tickets to the celebration zones. Top image: Chris Phutully
It's been three years since beloved Brunswick East cafe Pope Joan was forced to shut up shop and move, in order to make way for a new apartment building development. Now, former sibling and next-door neighbour The Pie Shop is also bidding farewell to its Nicholson Street address, with the team announcing that the venue is set to close later this month. Owner–chef Matt Wilkinson broke the news via Instagram earlier this week: "Due to unforeseen circumstances we've been ushered on from what has been our home for the last 5 years as the Pie Shop!!!" The post went on to thank regulars and the pie-loving community for its support over the years and announced a rather fitting end date for the venue's current iteration. "It's with sadness that we will be closing up @thepieshopmelb on Grand Final Day at 2pm September 25th," the social media post said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Pie Shop (@thepieshopmelb) "It has been a great innings and a great time to bow out just after the finals," Wilkinson told Concrete Playground separately, confirming the closure had come down to an issue related to lease negotiations. "It was all pretty sudden," he explained. But in good news, it's not goodbye forever. The chef hinted at plans to revisit The Pie Shop at some stage in the future. In the meantime, Wilkinson assures us he'll be kept busy with his many other projects, including his role as Culinary Director at the Mornington Peninsula's Montalto and as Creative Director of Made From Gin — the chef's product line done in collaboration with Four Pillars. Pie-lovers have just under two more weeks to get their Pie Shop fix, with the store fully stocked up on crowd favourites like The Allen (slow-cooked beef, tomato and veg), The Shazza (cauliflower, leek and cheddar) and The Brian (mushroom and gruyere). The kitchen's well known for its excellent homemade riffs on the classic Aussie pie, featuring flaky pastry loaded with top-notch fillings. It's currently cooking up a storm every Friday and Saturday, and you can pre-order here for pick up. Find The Pie Shop at 75 Nicholson Street, Brunswick East, until September 25. We'll share news of any future plans as and when it's revealed. The Pie Shop recently made it into our top picks for Melbourne's best pies — you can check out the full list here. Top Images: Annika Kafcaloudis
For nearly eight decades, Brisbanites have driven over the Story Bridge. Since late 2018, the city's residents have been able to drink, eat and hang out underneath it, too. Now, anyone eager to spend a night at a hotel beneath the towering structure can do just that, thanks to the opening of The Fantauzzo. First announced in 2015, Brisbane's second Art Series Hotel is now welcoming patrons — and paying tribute to world-renowned Australian painter and photographer Vincent Fantauzzo. Each of the brand's hotels takes inspiration from a different artistic great, and Fantauzzo is in the spotlight at the new Howard Smith Wharves spot. A winner of plenty of weighty prizes — the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, the Archibald Packing Room Prize, and the Archibald People's Choice Award a whopping four times — Fantauzzo has committed everyone from Heath Ledger and Matt Moran to Brandon Walters and Julia Gillard to his canvas. Prepare to feast your eyes on six new original artworks, plus 500 of his most recognised pieces, with reproductions gracing The Fantauzzo's walls. Of course, given the location, that's not the hotel's only stunning sight. Built into the cliff bordering the CBD and Fortitude Valley, the $100 million site boasts one mighty fine view of the city and the Brisbane river, plus custom furniture and dark-toned interior decor that heroes concrete finishes, black glass, natural rock and timber. Across six levels, there's 166 guest rooms to slumber in, a ground-floor Italian eatery, a hotel bar, a gym and three conference rooms. Like Brisbane's only other Art Series Hotel, The Johnson in Spring Hill, the pool is a definite highlight. Here, guests can splash around on the rooftop while gazing out over the CBD. The Fantauzzo marks the eighth Art Series Hotel across the country, with five in Melbourne and one in South Australia. As at the chain's other sites, its new digs offers art tours, in-room art channels and libraries all about its titular creative. And, of course, given the Howard Smith Wharves location, guests will be right on the doorstep of Brisbane's newest precinct. It already has its own riverside brewery, overwater bar and Greek taverna, as well as indoor entertainment spaces, outdoor multi-use areas and entertainment stages, and a whole heap more. Find The Fantauzzo at Howard Smith Wharves, 5 Boundary Street, Brisbane. Visit the hotel website for further details and to make a booking.
If you want to step up your pasta game, you're going to need some top-notch sauce skills. And here to give you a helping hand in that department, is legendary chef Guy Grossi. Yep — the mind behind Italian hits like Florentino, Merchant and Ombra is joining forces with good mate, King & Godfree's Matteo Toffano, to help boost your skills with a free passata-making workshop. Taking over the King & Godfree deli on Saturday, March 26, as part of the venue's ongoing 150th birthday celebrations, this class is the expert guidance your sauce repertoire has been looking for. From 2pm, the two chefs will be teaching guests the ins and outs of whipping up an enviable tomato passata, and bottling a batch as you watch. What's more, if you're one of the first 100 guests on the day, you'll score a bottle of your own to take home. Further sauce serves will be available to buy for $10 a pop. [caption id="attachment_847220" align="alignnone" width="1920"] By Sarah Pannell[/caption] Top Images: Sarah Pannell
The black parade is coming back to Melbourne — finally. After their attempt to head to our shores in 2020 was thwarted due to the pandemic, and then their rescheduled 2022 dates as well, the reunited My Chemical Romance is making 2023 the year they get here. The dates to get excited about: Thursday, March 16–Friday, March 17. The third time is set to prove the charm for Gerard Way and co, and for music lovers eager to grab their eyeliner, don every black piece of clothing in their wardrobe, relive their angsty emo teenage years and let out three cheers. The new tour will mark more than a decade since MCR last came to Australia for the 2012 Big Day Out — and comes after the US group went their separate ways in 2013, then reformed in 2019. Fans will be pleased to know that MCR are headlining their own shows on this tour, too, rather than leading a festival bill as they were slated to do in 2020. And, they're playing two Melbourne gigs — both at Rod Laver Arena. Back in late 2019, when MCR announced that they were literally getting the band back together, they sold out their first reunion gig in Los Angeles quick smart — and tickets to their Australian gigs have already proven mighty popular. So, expect to have ample company lapping up 'I'm Not Okay', 'Helena', 'Teenagers', 'I Don't Love You', 'The Foundations of Decay' and more. Top image: My Chemical Romance performing by NBSTwo via Flickr.
UPDATE Thursday, June 17: Melburnians will soon be free to travel around Victoria, with the 25-kilometre travel restrictions lifted at 11.59pm tonight, June 17. However, hospitality and live music venues are still operating under capacity restrictions. Check out the latest information on the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services website. You can also find more figures and graphs on its Victorian coronavirus data page. Things usually get a bit quiet in winter, especially when it starts with a two-week lockdown. Thankfully, now that Melbourne is emerging from its stay-at-home restrictions, the city's music calendar is starting to heat up. On the bill: up-and-comers, screaming thrash metal and animatronics-meets-music combos, with everything from niche geek interests to mainstream names also getting their time in the sun. So, now that life is beginning to return to normal, it's time to spend this winter pricking up your ears and hearing the best that Melbourne's music scene has to offer. [caption id="attachment_802255" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Nicole Cleary[/caption] CHECK OUT A HEAP OF LOCAL UP-AND-COMERS Cancel your plans for Sunday, June 20, because you're spending an afternoon supporting local musicians. Originally set to take place over three days but adapting and rescheduling following Melbourne's lockdown, Ballroom Blitz will see Cool Sounds, Snowy Band, Martin Frawley and Emily Ulman play the new Brunswick Ballroom. Formerly the Spotted Mallard, the site has reopened all shiny and fresh for 2021. Come check out these fresh digs and see newish and emerging acts who were robbed by the pandemic of their chance to tour in 2020. The Sunday session starts at 3pm — and will treat you to some of the city's best up-and-comers. [caption id="attachment_815732" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Leon Schoots[/caption] WATCH MUSIC, ANIMATRONICS AND DIGITAL ART COMBINE Robot Song blends music, animatronics and digital art performance, all while focusing on writer/director Jolyon James' experience as a parent of a neurodiverse child. James' performance explores how love and learning can overcome isolation and barriers between communication, how we navigate and celebrate our love for those who are different, and the unique and wonderful joys this experience of the world can bring. Family-friendly and a tight 65-minutes in length, Robot Song performances run in Chapel Off Chapel from Monday, July 26–Thursday, July 29, including a relaxed performance for neurodiverse audience members on the final date. [caption id="attachment_722920" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Kindred Studios[/caption] HEAD TO A SUBURB-WIDE LIVE MUSIC FESTIVAL It's all going down in the west this winter. West Set is an 11-day live music festival in Footscray, running from Thursday, August 19–Sunday, August 29. The fest has had to adjust to the times this year — it was originally set to run in June, but postponed for obvious reasons — but here's hoping that the lineup will still boast more than 60 acts at 14 different venues. Either way, this event always reflects the diversity of this special suburb, including in its headliners, indie acts and DJ sets. Expect everything from jazz, grunge, folk, post-punk to alt-country and traditional African drumming — and to be reminded why you love Footscray. Also, it's a festival made for walking, with the venues packed so close to each other, you can gig-hop on foot all night. TAKE YOUR PICK OF FAN FAVOURITES It's the season of guilty pleasures and fan favourites at St Kilda's Palais Theatre. The venue's winter calendar includes a series of orchestrated 70s rock — hear David Bowie and Fleetwood Mac like you've never heard them before — as well as tribute acts that are a cut above the Sunday afternoon pub covers you secretly like. Also, Jimmy Barnes, the working class man himself, is taking the stage on Thursday, July 22 and Friday, July 23. Also hitting the venue: the long-running Empire Strips Back Star Wars burlesque show, which is enjoying its tenth-anniversary tour. An evening of sexy stormtroopers are exactly what you need while you're waiting for the next season of The Mandalorian to drop. SEE A LOCAL PUNK-ROCK STANDOUT AT A BELOVED PUB Don't freak out but, as of the time of publication, there are still tickets for Private Function's Thursday, July 1 show at Richmond's Corner Hotel. Shows are usually sold out damn fast for this punk-rock crew. You probably picked up their 2020 album Whose Line Is It Anyway, but this is a band that lives for live shows. Been craving energy and charisma after a year of lockdowns? This is where you'll find it. The lads are back touring Australia, so catch 'em while you can. Stop in for some gastro pub snacks and big feeds (with Corner Hotel's own hot sauce) to get your stamina up before you hit the bigger-on-the-inside, 800-capacity band room. SCREAM YOUR HEART OUT TO THRASH DEATH METAL From the outside, The Gasometer in Collingwood is a cosy old-school pub with fireplaces, tap froths and hearty fare. But just behind that convivial front bar is a massive two-storey gig space that's a local favourite for live music. On Saturday, June 26, the Gaso will play host to something a bit heavier, darker and more thrash-tastic than usual. Frankston's own purveyors of thrash metal, Womb to Tomb, will bring the sound and the fury to the stage for a night of moshing, flailing and distortion pedals. They'll be supported by Carcinoid (crushing death/doom metal), Pissrash (sludge metal) and FishLizard ("the unholy amalgamation of thrash, doom and grindcore"). All three are local acts, and this'll be a wholesome, feel-good night of thrash worth screaming your heart out to. [caption id="attachment_709514" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Jake Roden[/caption] SOOTHE THE WINTER BLUES WITH COUNTRY AND WESTERN TUNES Lulie Tavern in Abbotsford is keeping you warm the southern way this winter — that is, with country music and good, hard bourbon. You'll find the venue's Heartache Tonight country and western nights on the calendar every second Thursday, running right through until spring hits. On June 24, The Canyon Callers come callin' with their particular brand of western swing. Then, on July 8, the gentle Georgia State Line take the stage. After that, it's anyone's guess, gunslingers — but, whoever is on the lineup, you can pair these moody cowboy tunes with quality American eats. The food comes courtesy of Kelso's, home of those infamously Instagrammable sandwiches. It's serving up burgers and fries beneath the neon bar signs late into the night, so you can settle in for a good one, pardner. Top image: Josh Groom.
Melburnians, grabbing a bite to eat out of the house just got 25-percent cheaper — for a limited time, and as long as you hit up an eatery within the City of Melbourne municipality between Monday–Thursday. As they've done twice before now, the Victorian Government and the City of Melbourne have teamed up to give the city's residents an extra incentive to head to a restaurant, bringing back their Melbourne Money dining scheme. Still called Midweek Melbourne Money this time around — with that first word in the title highlighting a key rule — it covers meals either early or midway through the working week. Make a breakfast, lunch or dinner date across the first four days of the usual grind and you can score cash back, up to $125 per person across the life if the program. Returning after the impact of the Omicron wave over summer, the initiative kicks off again on Monday, March 7, and applies to food and drink purchases anywhere that meals are sold — such as restaurants, cafes and pubs, as well as bars, clubs, breweries and distilleries — across the municipality. And, it'll cover a quarter of your transaction total, as long as you spend between $40–500 (including GST). Among the places that aren't covered: mobile food trucks, vans, canteens, trailers and pop-up restaurants; catering, function and reception centres; private river cruises; convenience stores, milk bars, supermarkets, greengrocer, grocery store and service stations; and confectionery shops and packaged food stores. [caption id="attachment_843534" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yakimono Dining Room[/caption] Once again, the focus is on eating out; however, you can also use the rebate for takeaways — as long as it is ordered either in-person, online or by phone on the eligible days, meets the $40 minimum spend and is collected by you from the venue. Accordingly, that means that you can't claim the 25-percent cash back on food that you order via home delivery companies such as Uber Eats and Deliveroo. Also, the same big caveat that's been in place the last two times variations of the scheme ran still remains. So, you do need to purchase something to eat to get the rebate, with your drinks only covered if you're buying food. This time there's $10 million available in total, and there's another important thing to take into consideration: it works on a first in, first served basis. So, heading out or getting takeaway as soon as the scheme starts and submitting your claim for a rebate immediately afterwards is recommended, as Midweek Melbourne Money will only run until the funds are exhausted. And, redemption-wise, you'll still need to pay your bill in total when you're ordering — but you'll get funds back afterwards. You'll need to get an itemised receipt at the time of payment, then take a photo of it and upload it to the Melbourne Money website. Within five working days, you'll then score your rebate via a transfer to your bank account. [caption id="attachment_840086" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Stolen Gem[/caption] The returning scheme falls under a huge swathe of initiatives announced in February by the Victorian Government, all which are aimed at helping get the city click into gear following the past few months — and, in the case of Midweek Melbourne Money, boosting weekday foot traffic. Also on the way: the return of regional and metropolitan travel vouchers, statewide dining vouchers covering areas beyond the City of Melbourne, and a new $30 million entertainment voucher scheme for discounted tickets to the cinema, theatre shows, live music gigs and exhibitions, plus conferences and other events. The Midweek Melbourne Money scheme kicks off on Monday, March 7. For more information, head to the City of Melbourne and Victorian Government websites. Top image: Parker Blain.
In his most recent big-screen adventure, the mission of globetrotting super-spy James Bond took him to Istanbul, Macau and the misty Scottish highlands. But now the world’s suavest (and least secret) secret agent will finally make it to Australia, with an exhibit at the Melbourne Museum set to display some of the most iconic weapons, vehicles, outfits and gadgets from 007’s 50 year career. Organised in collaboration with EON Productions and the Barbican Centre in London, Designing 007 – 50 Years of Bond Style showcases more than 400 props from the blockbuster franchise's 23 films. Just a few of the highlights include Jaws’ teeth from The Spy Who Loved Me, Scaramanga’s golden gun and Bond’s beloved Aston Martin. The curators were unfortunately unable to get their hands on Ursula Andress’ bikini from Dr. No, so that famous piece of swimwear appears only as a replica. On the plus side, Daniel Craig’s actual budgie smugglers from Casino Royale will be proudly on display.
Back in 2001, in the ruins of Changnyeongsa Temple in Yeongwol in Gangwon-do Province, South Korea, more than 300 statues were found. Each stone sculpture depicts an arhat — the name given to followers of Buddha who've achieved the enlightened state of nirvana — and they're all thought to date back 500 years. The collection was dubbed 'The Five Hundred Arhats', in fact, after Buddha's 500 disciples. Also, every figure's face conveys a lifelike emotion. And, Australians will be able to see a selection of them without leaving the country thanks to Sydney's Powerhouse Museum. From December 3, 2021, the Five Hundred Arhats exhibition will put a number of the figures on display in Ultimo, incorporating them into an installation created by artist Kim Seung Young. They'll be surrounded by 700 audio speakers, in a piece that's designed to suggest that "the arhats are meditating in an attitude of intimate, reclusive poise amidst a cacophony that evokes the distracting bustle of urban life". The big summer showcase will be presented in collaboration with Chuncheon National Museum and National Museum of Korea — and it's just one of Powerhouse Museum's 2021 highlights. The Sydney venue has unveiled its full program for the year, spanning everything from tiny automobiles and gum trees to Australian ceramics and Persian arts and crafts. [caption id="attachment_799429" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Bayram Ali, Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme, Powerhouse Collection[/caption] On display from today, Tuesday, February 9, is Bayram Ali. It features images of Australia's Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme from the 50s to the 70s, as taken by the Turkish Cypriot migrant and amateur photographer who gives the exhibition its title. Also skewing local, Clay Dynasty will show more than 300 items from Powerhouse's Aussie ceramics collection, in a showcase that'll celebrate 50 years of Australian studio ceramics. Opening on May 28, it'll feature 20 newly commissioned pieces, too. From June 11, 100 Conversations will focus on climate change via an exhibition and talks program. On the bill: live discussions with leading Australian innovators acting on climate change, as well as an evolving exhibition that documents the public conversations. Also in June, Eucalyptusdom is set to explore stories surrounding gum trees, including their importance to Indigenous Australians. Expect to see pieces from Powerhouse's collection, plus new works by Dean Cross, Luna Mrozik Gawler, Julie Gough, Vera Hong, Anna May Kirk, Nicholas Mangan, Yasmin Smith, Sera Waters and Damien Wright with Bonhula Yunupingu. [caption id="attachment_799430" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Paul and Linda McCartney, Abbey Rd Studios, London, 1982. Photo: Robert Rosen.[/caption] Also on Powerhouse's agenda is Iranzamin, from March 19, which'll mark the first time that Powerhouse has put together an exhibition of Persian arts and crafts from its own range. And, from June 11, Microcars will focus on tiny vehicles — with more than 17 automobiles on display from Europe, Japan, the UK and Australia. Australian portrait and social pages photographer Robert Rosen will be in the spotlight from August 6, thanks to Glitterati: 20 years of Social Photography. From September 14, Powerhouse will highlight 20th century designers such as Douglas Annand, Frances Burke and Arthur Leydin in an exhibition called Graphic Identities. Throughout 2021, Electric Keys will also explore the influence of electric keyboards on soul jazz, blues, rock, progressive rock and pop, and The Invisible Revealed will let visitors see nuclear-beam scans of objects from Powerhouse's collection. There's also Future Fashion, a showcase the work of top graduates from four Sydney-based fashion design schools. Five Hundred Arhats displays at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris Street, Ultimo from December 3, 2021. For further details — or to find out more about the museum's full 2021 slate — visit its website. Top image: Five Hundred Arhats, Chuncheon National Museum.
Swing by Hamer Hall after dark, during RISING festival and NAIDOC Week, and you're going to see something very special: a huge, large-scale projection artwork from celebrated Indigenous artist and respected Wurrundjeri and Yorta-Yorta Elder Aunty Zeta Thomson. The new piece is called Spirits Of The Land and is worth a trip into the city this winter. Hamer Hall's iconic façade will be lit up with First Peoples' spirit stories, including Mookies (the Ancestor spirits of Country), Hairy Bekka (a creature that teaches children about safety) and the Min Min lights. "These are the stories and beliefs of my people," Thomson says. "This work is to pass onto our younger generation and I think it is overdue. It's a way of remembering and keeping the stories from my mum, dad and family, and the culture they taught us alive." "Mookie means spirit in Yorta Yorta," Thomson adds. "In our culture, the old people would sing and clap our sticks or boomerangs together as they walked through the bush to let them (the Spirits) know that they were coming back to visit them again. It is important to strongly represent Victorian Aboriginal culture for people to know these ancient stories." You might remember Thomson, and Mookies, from her previous work, Mookies Around the Waterhole, which wrapped several trams in 2021 as part of RISING's Arts Tram series. Spirits Of The Land promises to be on a whole other level, using the entire front of Hamer Hall as a canvas. You can also catch Thomson's work at Flinders Street Station as part of RISING's Shadow Spirits exhibition. "It is an honour to work with esteemed Elder Aunty Zeta Thomson and to animate her stories. Spirits Of The Land is a work that shares belief systems and stories that are not myths or folklore, but very real to First Peoples across the state." Curator and RISING's Artistic Associate Kimberley Moulton says. Spirits Of The Land is free and will run from sundown to midnight between June 7 and July 9. You won't be able to miss it. Top Image: Visit Victoria, Roberto Seba. Images: supplied.
After shutting up shop in February, Copenhagen's Noma is still making preparations for its move to a new location. As anyone who has shifted houses will understand, that means not only packing up the existing site, but sorting through everything within in — and saying goodbye to all of the bits and pieces that won't be needed in the restaurant's new home. When René Redzepi's eatery decides it doesn't need its existing wares, however, it doesn't just give them away to friends and family. Instead, the place considered one of the best culinary haunts in the world is auctioning off their unwanted furnishings, décor, tableware and art, letting fans own a piece of their distinctive aesthetic. The range of items on offer is considerable, and includes chairs, lounges, dining tables, coffee tables, cabinets, sculptural installations, stuffed birds, vases, a map of Scandinavia and even the wine list. From the serving, dining, stone and glassware, you could fill your kitchen cupboards with everything you need, with the crockery sold in sets. And, for anyone who visited the Australian Noma pop-up and wanted a souvenir, vases from their Aussie visit are also on offer. Prices range from $150 to $30,000, so turning your house into your very own Noma won't come cheap. The auction will be held on November 2 by Chicago auction house Wright, and accepts bids online, by phone and via their app. As for what Noma's new digs will look like now they're getting rid of their current furniture, fans will have to wait until 2018 to find out — but bookings will open on November 16. Via Eater. Image: Wright.
Geelong's Cartel Coffee Roasters is a much lauded operation that's made a name for itself for continually sourcing some of the finest coffee in the world. Now, it's finally bringing its top-notch brews to inner-city Melburnians, opening a cafe down Somerset Place in the CBD. It's the first local outpost for the ten-year-old roastery, which is committed to both quality and traceability, knowing the origins, story and supply chain of every single cuppa. And coffee is just as serious a game at the new Melbourne store. "The point is about getting people to experience coffee in a different way," explains Melbourne General Manager Lex Clayman. "We want to be an educational space without forcing it, to give people the idea that there's no such thing as just coffee." To that end, expect an interactive, approachable set-up, with lowered coffee machines and a wraparound brew bar giving customers a close-up experience. Sure, the basic espresso option clocks in at $5 a cup, but it's made on a rotating single origin bean, carefully selected to either shine through milk or sipped black. The baristas also have the know-how to chat you through the options and help you pick something you'll like, based on your favourite flavours. There are always a few new things to sample at various price points — perhaps the $5 batch brew of the day, a single origin cold brew extracted over 24 hours ($6), or the weekly changing 'exotic' coffee showcasing something high-end from one of the top international producers ($10). While space is too tight for a full kitchen, you can match your caffeine infusion to a number from the jaffle menu, featuring combinations like spicy barbecue pulled pork with jalapeños, or the classic bacon, egg and cheese. Stretched across one wall is a selection from Cartel's extensive online store, running from equipment, to take-home packs of beans. A mini roasting outfit is set to be installed upstairs soon, and keep an eye on the cafe's Facebook page for an upcoming program of interactive masterclasses and cupping sessions, for both baristas and the coffee curious. Find Cartel Coffee Roasters' new CBD outpost at 19 Somerset Place, Melbourne. It's open from 7am–4pm Monday to Friday, 8.30am–3.30pm Saturday and 9am–1pm Sunday.
Sometimes, your tastebuds crave something special. They hanker for the kind of dish you're not going to eat every day, aka a treat yo'self type of culinary experience. Here are three things that they'd likely demand in that situation: lobster, truffles and champagne. If that sounds like your idea of an indulgent meal, Lobster & Co has you sorted until Sunday, January 15 at the Arts Centre Forecourt, all as part of its summer food offering. During another season of decadence, you'll only find those three aforementioned items on the menu; the Lobster & Co van is solely serving lobster rolls with truffle fries and flutes of Pommery champagne. Prices start at $50 for the food combo, which features a whole confit lobster tail sourced from Western Australia, served warm on a caramelised brioche bun with buttermilk fennel slaw, plus a side of parmesan truffle fries. A chilled glass of the champers will cost you $20 extra. Pull up a seat at one of the umbrellaed tables on the forecourt to enjoy your lobster, chips and bubbles while gazing out over the Yarra, and well and truly soak in summer — Melbourne's version of it, at least. Generally, Lobster & Co operates Wednesday–Sunday, but dates and times vary over the holidays — so keep an eye on the pop-up's website. Images: Karon Photography.
Bottomless brunch is great and all, but how do you feel about a cosy evening settled in with a cheese board and free-flowing wine? That's exactly the situation you can get involved in at The Smith every Thursday night this winter, courtesy of the Prahran pub's new Supper Club series. Book a table from 5pm each week and get ready to snack away those winter blues. For $45, you'll tuck into a three-cheese selection served straight from The Smith's covetable cheese trolley — perhaps some Tarago River Gippsland Blue, a wedge of Maffra cheddar or a French brie by La Monique. You can even upgrade, adding an extra cheese variety for $5, or an additional two cheeses for $10. Of course, the midweek fun doesn't end there — also included in the price is 90 minutes of bottomless Aussie wine, French bubbly and spritzes. The latter's lineup features options like the rosemary-spiked Mr Bianco and a blood orange-infused Sicilian number. You're in for some bloomin' great views, too, with the pub's atrium currently decked out in swathes of purple and white wisteria as part of its new dreamy winter look.
UPDATE: OCTOBER 25, 2019 — Due to popular demand, Hamer Hall has added a fourth Love Actually in Concert show at 6pm on Sunday, December 22. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Monday, October 28 — don't sleep on it. When the end of the year hits, do you get 'Christmas is All Around', as sung by Bill Nighy, stuck in your head? Have you ever held up a piece of cardboard to tell the object of your affection that, to you, they're perfect? Does your idea of getting festive involve watching Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley, Rowan Atkinson and Martin Freeman, all in the same movie? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then you clearly adore everyone's favourite Christmas-themed British rom-com, its high-profile cast and its seasonal humour. And, you've probably watched the beloved flick every December since it was first released in cinemas back in 2003. That's a perfectly acceptable routine, and one that's shared by many. But this year, you can do one better. A huge success during its 2017 and 2018 tours of the UK (to the surprise of absolutely no one), 'Love Actually' in Concert is finally making its way to Australia — and, to the festive delight of Melburnians, to Hamer Hall at 3.30pm and 7.30pm on Sunday, December 15, and at 1pm on Sunday, December 22. Revisit the Richard Curtis-written and -directed film you already know and treasure, step through its interweaved Yuletide stories of romance, and hear a live orchestra play the movie's soundtrack. Tickets are on sale now — and, yes, Christmas (and love) will be all around you.
In 2024, the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival consists of over 400 events. Stacks of these involve international and interstate collaborations, where chefs, bartenders and owners fly over to Melbourne to work with local hospitality venues to create short but unique drinking and dining experiences. One to particularly look forward to is happening at Afloat. Here, teams from two of Sydney's best Mexican restaurants, El Primo Sanchez and Ricos Tacos, are joining forces to throw a huge taco and tequila party on Thursday, March 21. Afloat and its pool deck have already been slinging tacos and agave-based drinks all summer long, right on the Yarra, so this takeover makes sense. [caption id="attachment_938711" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alana Dimou[/caption] Paddington tequila bar El Primo Sanchez is running the bars for the night, where its Bar Manager Eduardo Conde and Maybe Sammy co-founder Stefano Catino will be pumping out a massive range of tequila- and mezcal-based tipples. Expect El Primo's signature drink, the Patrón Primo Margarita — which is made with mescal naranja, agave and lime — plus heaps of other easy-drinking cocktails. For food, Afloat's Executive Chef James Gibson will be joined by Ricos Tacos' Founder and Executive Chef Toby Wilson in the kitchen, serving up six different tacos. Some of Ricos' signature tacos will be up for grabs, as well as a few one-off creations made just for the Taco and Tequila Party at Afloat. What's even better is that the $85 ticket not only includes a welcome cocktail but also gives guests two hours of unlimited tacos. Then, once your time is over, spend the rest of the night dancing to DJ sets on the water, beneath disco balls and fairy lights. Top images: Jake Roden
Despite the fact Ichi Ni's St Kilda site closed down last month, the group's Fitzroy restaurant is ramping up to celebrate its 15th birthday on Friday, March 15, with a huge dinner party in partnership with Nikka Whisky. Ichi Ni Nana Izakaya is creating five courses of both traditional and contemporary Japanese dishes that will each be paired with one of Nikka's fine whiskies. Tickets are going for $150 per person and include an Old Fashioned and appetiser on arrival, plus five courses of food and five tasting drams of whisky to accompany each. That ain't a bad price for all of that. As for the menu, you'll start off with Ichi's classic tuna tataki before the sushi masters whip up a course that consists of freshly made nigiri, maki rolls and sashimi. Bigger bites come in the form of the team's slow-cooked pork belly with miso yakiniku sauce, sliced pear and king mushroom chips, and chargrilled lamb cutlets served with broccolini and goma mayo. Ichi's matcha tiramisu is the big finish that'll be paired with a coffey malt whisky. Once the feast is finished, guests are invited to stick around and order more drinks off the a la carte menu to keep the party going. Either stick to the whisky or opt for some Japanese beers, cocktails and bottles of sake.
UPDATE, March 8, 2023: The Banshees of Inisherin is now available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies and Prime Video. In The Banshees of Inisherin, the rolling hills and clifftop fields look like they could stretch on forever, even on a fictional small island perched off the Irish mainland. For years, conversation between Padraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell, After Yang) and Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson, The Tragedy of Macbeth) has been similarly sprawling — and leisurely, too — especially during the pair's daily sojourn to the village pub for chats over pints. But when the latter calls time on their camaraderie suddenly, his demeanour turns brusque and his explanation, only given after much pestering, is curt. Uttered beneath a stern, no-nonsense stare by Gleeson to his In Bruges co-star Farrell, both reuniting with that darkly comic gem's writer/director Martin McDonagh for another black, contemplative and cracking comedy, Colm is as blunt as can be: "I just don't like you no more." In the elder character's defence, he wanted to ghost his pal without hurtful words. Making an Irish exit from a lifelong friendship is a wee bit difficult on a tiny isle, though, as Colm quickly realises. It's even trickier when the mate he's trying to put behind him is understandably upset and confused, there's been no signs of feud or fray beforehand, and anything beyond the norm echoes through the town faster than a folk ballad. So springs McDonagh's smallest-scale and tightest feature since initially leaping from the stage to the screen, and a wonderful companion piece to that first effort. Following the hitman-focused In Bruges, he's gone broader with Seven Psychopaths, then guided Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell to Oscars with Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, but he's at his best when his lens is trained at Farrell and Gleeson as they bicker in close confines. There's no doubting who's behind the camera of The Banshees of Inisherin from the get-go, with McDonagh speedy and concise in setting his scene, and showing his knack for witty dialogue and clever character-building in the process. The year is 1923, and the time — at first — is 2pm on an ordinary day. Except, after Pádraic calls on Colm's fisherman's cottage for their usual bar jaunt and gets no answer, nothing about it plays out as it typically would for the film's two main figures. Pádraic can see Colm sitting inside, in fact, smoking but not opening his door. He tries to talk it through with publican Jonjo (Pat Shortt, Pixie) after heading for a drink anyway, and with his sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon, Better Call Saul) later at home. It's the next day when Pádraic gets the response no one wants to hear from the man he thought was his best friend, but that's hardly the end of their rift. A tragicomedy that lives up to both halves of that term without a whiff of formula, The Banshees of Inisherin twists Pádraic and Colm's hostilities in circles — not to be repetitive or due to any lack of plot, but because life's cycles keep spinning both within the duo's fractured bond and around them. Endings are never easy but neither is life, McDonagh has his film contend, doing so with intelligence, humour and an unshakeable unwillingness to shy away from bleakness. Take the inclusion of village oddball Dominic (Barry Keoghan, The Batman), for example. He buzzes around the movie's central quarrel, endeavouring to use it to become Pádraic's BFF and make his romantic intentions for the single Siobhán known, and he's frequently a source of overt laughs. And yet, as his backstory with his drunk cop dad Peadar (Gary Lydon, Brooklyn) is fleshed out, he proves as sorrowful a resident as Inisherin has, in a feature that sees life's small joys and heartbreaking woes alike with clear eyes. McDonagh is a master at packaging the grim with the chucklesome, however, as Pádraic's attempts to cope with his rejection convey. The writer/director has his dejected protagonist go through several stages of grief — but once he's done being shocked, denying his friend's rebuffs, getting angry, trying to bargain his way to a new outcome, feeling depressed and hoping Colm will change his mind, seeking revenge becomes his baseline. The alternative: feeling uncomfortable at the pub and in general; and badgering the protective Siobhán to spend more time with him, ignorant to her yearning to leave an island that embodies everything to most of its inhabitants but offers far too little for her. Or, Pádraic can accept his beloved miniature donkey Jenny and the ever-present Dominic as his new chief sources of company. Simply watching Farrell's eyebrows as Pádraic faces his changing circumstances is entertaining, emotional and evocative; the depths and shades he can relay with a twitch, many actors can't muster with their entire bodies. Watching Gleeson's exhaustion and despair is equally revelatory — indeed, while Farrell plays Pádraic as constantly searching for a silver lining and eagerly proud of being the village nice guy, his co-star conjures up a man who doesn't expect to find anything much to smile about even after making drastic choices. In Bruges sparked it and now The Banshees of Inisherin cements it: Farrell and Gleeson are one of cinema's very-best pairs, and they're mesmerising to an awards-worthy degree here. Also exceptional is Condon as the kind but frustrated woman who can see both sides. "He's always been dull; what's changed?" she replies to Colm when he admits his boredom with Pádraic. Amid the grand performances, scenery, cinematography (by The King's Man's Ben Davis) and score (from Catherine Called Birdy's Carter Burwell), McDonagh hasn't anchored this griping, one-upping, apologising, pleading and vengeance-seeking a century ago for fun. He hasn't made the move to avoid technology, either, although this'd be a lesser movie with phones and apps fuelling fires and gossip. As poignant and resonant as it is amusing — and sometimes horrifying — The Banshees of Inisherin works sparklingly as an odd-couple decoupling comedy, a slice of insular small-town life, a bittersweet musing on mortality and an interrogation of masculinity, but it's also firmly a product of its homeland. Despite being Irish, this is McDonagh's first film set in the country, and harks back to the 1920s Civil War. The conflict rages across the bay from Inisherin without disrupting the isle's daily life, but Pádraic shouts tellingly at its gunshots: "good luck to you, whatever it is you're fighting about".
With work, family and other commitments, finding time to catch up with your friends can feel nearly impossible. So when you finally spot a gap in the calendar and lock in a date, the restaurant better be top-notch — we're adults now, after all. If you're just not sure where to go that'll offer the good feed you desire and the space to accommodate your potentially rowdy crew, never fear. We've teamed up with Westpac to offer you a list of eateries that'll ensure your long-awaited rendezvous will be one to remember. Westpac knows how awkward some money moments feel, which is why it's teamed up Beem It, the fast and simple way to pay and get paid. Forget waiting days for bank transfers, furiously typing in BSB and account numbers or hoping your mates will get you back next time. Beem It lets you split expenses and settle up instantly, no matter who you bank with. Plus, the app does all the pesky math and lets you know who owes what in seconds (without hassling the waitstaff). In charge of organising a well-overdue catch up with your mates? Read on for a list of group-friendly dining spots you need to book once you've locked in a time for your next crew do.
Seven is a nice number. So nice in fact, that it's the number of days of the week you could be eating for cheap. Yep, every single day. Just when you thought the $10 pub meal was dead and that the average price for pizza was now $32, we've managed to hunt down the best cheap pub eats around the city. They're budget-friendly, delicious and some of them are even vegan. So line up your week and put these cheap eats in your diary — both your stomach and your wallet will approve. MONDAY Mondays are hard. Make them better with cheap pizza from The Park Hotel, an Abbotsford watering hole that's been operating for over 150 years. They serve $10 pizzas every Monday and Wednesday — so you can go the full 360 degrees with their artichoke, caramelised onions and feta without having to shell out. Keeping with the Italian theme, Monday is pasta night at South Melbourne's Railway Hotel. Anyone who has have ever slaved over hand-making pasta for guests know it's quite the slog — and with the Railway's handmade fettuccini and gnocchi with your choice of sauce coming in at $10, you'd be best to keep yourself as fresh the goods and take your pals here instead. If pasta doesn't meet your quota of deep fried-ness, head across town to The Wilde in Fitzroy. It's not only a nod to one of London's most popular playwrights, but also home to one of Britain's most popular pub menu items: mushy peas. Find them served alongside the Monday night snapper and tots (that is, fish and chips) for $12. TUESDAY We all know Tuesdays are for tacos, and when they're are offered at such an inoffensive price, one should celebrate with copious amounts of them. At Footscray's Reverence Hotel, they're only $3 a pop from 6-9pm on Tuesdays, and Mexican beers are only $3 as well. Take our advice and spend the money you saved on mains on the vegan coconut ice-cream sandwiches for dessert. Meanwhile, come 5pm in the CBD, Father's Office is serving up a range of $17 specials, including a veggie burger and a shallow-fried snapper coated in a rosemary and ginger beer batter. Both are served with shoestring fries and come with a schooner of beer, too boot. And if you're in Northcote looking for lunch earlier in the day, you can't go past The Peacock Inn's $10 weekday lunch specials. Their house-made gnocchi comes with salmon, semi-dried tomatoes, garlic, chilli and baby spinach. One to surely have you knock-y-ing down their door. WEDNESDAY Celebrate hump day with nacho night. The Charles Weston (formerly The Sporting Club Hotel) is still a popular Brunswick haunt for those who like beer gardens, a shot of pool and deer heads above their fires — and corn chips with all the toppings. Vegan and vegetarian friendly nachos are a lazy $10, and are perfect to share with amigos over trivia. If you're looking for something with a bit moe kick, head further north to The Woodlands Hotel in Coburg. The whimsical bar offers cracking curries and a pot of beer or cider for $15 every Wednesday night from 5.30pm — we recommend you try the eggplant, peanut and coconut cream creation. And how could we not mention The Rainbow Hotel's steak? One the best steak nights north of the river, The Rainbow curbs your bovine blues with their 300g rump with chips and salad or veggies and a big mound of buttery, garlicky mash for $14. Nab a spot in the beer garden and heckle the pool sharks through mouthfuls of meat. THURSDAY Sitting on the corner of Elgin and Drummond Streets, The Shaw Davey Slum may have lured you in on the pretence of pastry with their beef pie — but you'll be happy to discover that every day is a special day here, as The Slum offer a range of $10 meals each and every day of the week. Veggie-only eaters can bypass the pie and nab the curry or stuffed mushrooms instead. On the other side of the river, you can organise a cheap pit stop away from the Chapel Street hustle at the Temperance Hotel. A burger and drink will set you back $15, giving you enough respite and leaving you plenty of coin for the shops you missed. FRIDAY You've been waiting for this moment all week, so why not dive into Friday with deliciousness? Lunch is sorted thanks to The Union Club Hotel on Gore Street. Head in between 12pm and 3pm, check the $10 pizza specials on the blackboard, and find your nook in one of their beer gardens. Later on, when the working day is officially over, make sure you're at The Bank on Collins for oysters. Their natural and Kilpatrick oysters come in $2 a pop — just make sure you order between 5pm and 7pm. SATURDAY Cheap meals can be difficult to find on a Saturday evening, but at Lucky Coq in Prahran the pizzas are just $4 between 7pm and 9pm. And they're not even half bad. In the city, the $15 burgers at Japanese bar Horse Bazaar will get you dancing all night. Try their Tokyo Tower Power beef burger or the Veg Parmy burger, which is practically two meals in one. Thanks bun. And just around the corner, the Asian Beer Cafe offers hungry punters the chance to chow down on any three tapas for $12 every day from 11am to 11pm, and Saturday is no exception. Mix your crab croquettes, with bacon potato skins or Panko-crumbed tofu. The opportunities are endless — if your stomach is. SUNDAY As a day of rest and recuperation, Sunday is the day to fill up on comfort food before the real world kicks in again. First stop should be a toastie, and we're drunk in love for The Public Bar's $8 three cheese grilled sanga with beer-glazed onions. Their tinned spag and cheese jaffle (just $6) is another fix that makes our knees weak, and arms heavy. Another way to cure your hangover is with wings. The Collection in Richmond is offering you a chance to empty your bad toxins (as well as your coin purse) with their juicy Buffalo chicken wings at only a buck per piece. Crumbed in all the right places, and served from noon til 5pm, these little fellas will practically fly straight into your Sunday mouths. If you're vegan and can't do all those cheeses and chicken, your best best to head up to Brunswick's Cornish Arms Hotel for a $14 vegan parma. The Cornish's kitchen runs from noon to 9.30pm, so there's plenty of time to cure your Sunday blues and confuse your tastes with some of the best vegan pub food going around. Don't forget to grab a beer to wash down the deadliest of sin-free eats.
With international travel off limits, many Australians are electing for staycations instead. Instead of taking off to Europe or South America, many holiday-goers are saving up their annual leave and electing to make the most of their own cities. If you're looking for a few days off work and a once-in-a-lifetime experience, MTV has launched a new travel deal for lovers of live music. At the core of the MTV Unplugged travel deal is two tickets to see Tash Sultana play an intimate show as part of the MTV Unplugged series on Tuesday, May 4. The concert will be held at a beloved, yet-to-be announced venue in Melbourne. Attendees will provided with transport too and from the venue where they'll witness stripped-back takes on songs from Sultana's new album Terra Firma, as well as classics from her back catalogue. The package also includes access to the exclusive VIP afterparty and a room at the Ovolo South Yarra. The 70s-inspired, dog-friendly hotel opened late last year and each room comes with a mini-bar full of free goodies, 24-hour gym access and a free drink at happy hour down at the hotel bar. Tickets start at $799 which covers two adults and a one-night stay at the Ovolo, or $1099 for two nights if you're looking to properly soak up the experience of the new hotel. Those who opt for the two-night package will also be given a $100 gift card to use on an extravagant trip to Melbourne mega-venue Ballers Clubhouse. Head to MTV's website to take check out the full offer. [caption id="attachment_794221" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ballers Clubhouse, Michael Gazzola[/caption] Top Image: Tash Sultana, Eric de Redelijkheid 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.
It's time to embrace the brain freeze. Lagoon Dining (rated one of the best restaurants in Melbourne) and Piccolina (easily one of Melbourne's top gelato spots) are celebrating the upcoming Year of the Dragon by collaborating on six limited-edition flavours of gelato. Lagoon Dining, known for its creative Asian-fusion eats, is bringing both Malaysian and Chinese flavours to the six different gelatos that'll be sold at all Piccolina stores from Wednesday, February 7 until Tuesday, February 27. It's perfect timing, as Melbourne is finally starting to heat up, and February is set to be a scorcher. Some of the experimental flavours will include a jackfruit, grapefruit and lime sorbet filled with coconut jellies; a creamy banana gelato with butterscotch ganache; a mango sorbet with lychee jellies; and a jasmine tea gelato with orange, caramelised figs and toasted walnuts. But the Lagoon Dining and Piccolina teams aren't just creating a few new flavours and calling it a day. To further celebrate Luna New Year, on Saturday, February 10 they'll also be hosting a gelato- and noodle-filled party at Piccolina's Hardware Lane store. Noodles and gelato might be unusual bedfellows, but you've got to trust that these pros know what they're doing. For $35, diners will get cold sesame noodles served with chargrilled chicken, black vinegar and crispy soybeans, a scoop of one of the limited-edition gelatos and a fruity soda. Head in on that Saturday arvo from 12–3pm. Lagoon Dining and Piccolina's gelatos can be purchased from any of the Piccolina stores from Wednesday, February 7 until Tuesday, February 27, and tickets for the Lunar New Year lunch can be purchased ahead of time.
These days, Easter promises a whole lot more than just generic choccy eggs and old-school hot cross buns. Bakeries, chocolate brands and dessert shops across the city are getting more inventive with each passing year, whipping up all sorts of creative treats worthy of a spot in your own personal Easter hunt. Here, we've rounded up some of the coolest grown-up goodies to seek out, from beer-infused Easter eggs to hot cross bun rum and even decadent chocolate cocktails. Which of these creations will the Easter bunny be bringing you this year? [caption id="attachment_892129" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Peter Dillon[/caption] HOT CROSS CRUFFINS FROM LUNE CROISSANTERIE The croissant masters at Lune have brought back their legendary hybrid Easter treat, to the delight of anyone with a penchant for buttery glazed pastry. The Hot Cross Cruffin is the limited-edition love-child of the croissant, the muffin and the hot cross bun, and features a spiced fruit creme encased within a flaky golden shell. With a cross on top, of course. They're always hot property, so you'll need to be on the ball if you want them in your life. A limited number are available in-store at Lune's Fitzroy, Armadale and CBD sites, though if you get in quick, you can wrangle a pre-order. BEER EASTER EGGS FROM MOLLY ROSE AND PLANET COCOA If you like beer as much as you like chocolate, you're going to love the Easter goodies these two local favourites have dreamed up. Collingwood brewery Molly Rose has joined forces with ethical chocolate shop Planet Cocoa to create a couple of spiked choccy eggs for your Easter wish-list. First, there's the dark s'mores-inspired version, made using Molly Rose's stout, and loaded with vanilla marshmallow, crunchy biscuit bits and a beer caramel. Or, you can try the white chocolate egg, filled with a sour jelly made from the brewery's Summer Holidays apricot sour ale, then finished with honeycomb pieces. Each flavour comes in a six-pack, with a limited number of boxes available to buy from Molly Rose up until Sunday, April 9. BOOZY BUNS FROM ROCHFORD WINES The classic hot cross bun is already pretty darn close to perfection, but this Yarra Valley winery has found a way to make it even better. Rochford Wines has developed a limited-edition Easter bun with a fun, boozy twist, tweaking the usual recipe by soaking the raisins in its signature chardonnay and finishing each bun with a glaze made from its legendary moscato. They're being baked fresh daily onsite at Isabella's Restaurant right through Easter weekend, available to buy from the winery's gift shop. The buns will set you back $22 for a six-pack — you can pre-order online to avoid any disappointment. [caption id="attachment_894933" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Julian Lallo[/caption] EASTER HIGH TEA AT THE TERRACE CAFE Why stop at just one Easter treat when you can sit down to a whole table of them? That's the scene that awaits you at this one-off high tea at The Terrace Cafe on Sunday, April 9. Against the leafy backdrop of the Royal Botanic Gardens, it's serving up a generous Easter spread of sweet and savoury goodies for $95 per person. Expect to tuck into the likes of lemon myrtle cheesecakes, fresh scones, and mini bagels with smoked salmon and horseradish cream. Your ticket also includes a glass of Pommery champagne to sip elegantly while looking out over the lake. SAKURA HOT CROSS BUNS FROM TOKYO LAMGINGTON The masters of inventive sweet treats at Tokyo Lamington are doing something a little bit different for Easter this year. They've taken inspiration from the cherry blossom season that's currently blooming over in Japan and created sakura-infused hot cross buns. This version of the classic features juicy sultanas and yuzu through the dough, with a sakura cross on top and more sakura incorporated into the sticky salted glaze. You can pick them up for $5 a pop, or $27 for a six-pack, online or from the Carlton store. Or, try the team's other Easter invention — a hot cross lamington starring cinnamon sponge, spiced cream and a coating of crumbled hot cross bun. CACAO HUSK LIQUEUR FROM MÖRK AND THE GOSPEL A grown-up Easter offering with a sustainable edge, this innovative cacao husk liqueur is a joint effort from two Melbourne-based makers — award-winning Brunswick distillery The Gospel and artisan chocolate label Mork. The limited-edition drop is crafted using Mörk's leftover single-origin cacao husks, which would normally be thrown out. Here, instead, they're macerated in a blend of the distillery's Straight Rye and Solera Rye Whiskeys to create a complex sip with rich fruit notes. The drink isn't overly sweet, as the husks carry a savoury profile that complements the whisky's aromatics, leaving flavours of roast hazelnut, dried orange and cranberry. There's a limited number of bottles available — grab yours from The Gospel's website. BOOZY BUNNY ESPRESSO MARTINIS FROM QT MELBOURNE This Easter sees QT Melbourne teaming up with local artisan chocolate brand CACAO to deliver a hotel-wide takeover your sweet tooth's gonna love. The chocolate-based festivities are happening from Friday, April 7–Sunday, April 9, kicking off each morning with fresh choc-chip hot cross buns served at Pascale Bar & Grill. But for something extra special, head on up to the 11th floor, where the Rooftop at QT is shaking up limited-edition Boozy Bunny Espresso Martinis right through the weekend. This exclusive Easter concoction features a rich blend of coffee, Diplomatico rum, Chambord and CACAO dark chocolate, coming in at $25 a pop. HOT CROSS RUM FROM THE GROVE DISTILLERY Off the back of a popular 2022 debut, family-run Margaret River distillery The Grove has gone and whipped up a new edition of its beloved Hot Cross Rum. Once again, the small-batch sip has been hand-crafted using The Grove's four-year barrel-aged dark rum, then housed in a former bourbon barrel made of American oak. Raisins, oranges and a bunch of warm spices are left to steep, before the rum is given a final infusion of classic hot cross bun flavours including cinnamon, cloves and vanilla. At the end, you've got a warm, rich, festive-tasting spirit, packed with notes of caramelised raisin, vanilla and cinnamon, with a lingering fruity finish and a hit of molasses to round it all out. A 40-percent ABV hot cross bun in a glass, if you like. The Grove team recommends you sip their new creation neat — with a hot-buttered Easter bun on the side for full effect, of course. Grab yours from the website. HOT CROSS BAO FROM DIN TAI FUNG Dumpling house Din Tai Fung is celebrating Easter with a multicultural mash-up that's sure to delight any sweet-toothed folk — these rather charming hot cross bun-inspired bao. A nod to the traditional Easter bun, the pillowy little beauties are made with steamed bread that's infused with cocoa and filled with oozing molten chocolate, each one finished with a chocolatey cross. Available for a limited time on the menu at Din Tai Fung's Emporium restaurant, they'll set you back $8.90 for a serve of two. Otherwise, you can extend the Easter vibes well into May by stocking up on a bag of three frozen hot cross bao ($12) delivered to your door. CHOCOLATE HOT CROSS BUNS FROM BLACK STAR AND KOKO BLACK Easter is a time for gorging on sweet things — so it's only fitting that two of Australia's best-loved dessert spots team up to release something special in honour of the occasion. The pastry masters at Black Star have come together with chocolatier Koko Black and launched their own dreamy take on the traditional hot cross bun. These beauties are spiked with Koko Black's 60-percent dark chocolate, topped with a lightly spiced glaze and finished with that all-important cross — reimagined with more chocolate, of course. They're available by the single serve, in a six-pack or by the dozen, to pick up from any of Black Star's Melbourne stores up until Monday, April 10. You can also order a box online. DIY COCKTAILS IN EASTER EGGS FROM COCKTAIL PORTER What's way more fun than eating your Easter egg haul the regular way? Filling those chocolate shells with booze and enjoying a grown-up sweet-tooth fix, of course. This DIY kit from Cocktail Porter lets you do just that, stocked with all the ingredients you'll need to whip up your own decadent salted caramel Easter cocktails at home. Each pack features some of Gelato Messina's cult-favourite dulce de leche salted caramel, cold-drip coffee, Mr Black Coffee Liqueur and Baileys. You'll also get chocolate Easter eggs to serve your boozy creations out of, plus salted caramel popcorn to use as a garnish. A small pack contains all the fixings to make five drinks for $80, while the large version comes in at $145 for 12 cocktails. Top image: Rochford Wines
If you want to learn how to whip up sensational pizza, you should probably learn from the best. And someone who's got that title pretty much wrapped up is Johnny Di Francesco — the pizza-twirling maestro behind Melbourne's renowned 400 Gradi stable, which has taken out the gong for Best Pizzeria in Oceania multiple times. Di Francesco was the first Aussie ever to nab the True Neapolitan Pizza Association certification, giving him the right to sell traditional Neapolitan pizza. And now, he's sharing his skills and secrets at a fresh series of hands-on pizza-making masterclasses. With upcoming Saturday sessions on March 18, May 6 and May 27, held at 400 Gradi's Brunswick restaurant, participants will learn how to make a primo pizza from scratch. You'll be guided through mastering the perfect dough, before cooking up a pizza feast to enjoy right there with your class — paired with a glass of Italian vino, of course. Tickets come in at $200, which also includes a pre-class coffee, all your course notes and extra pizza dough to take home. [caption id="attachment_819505" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kristoffer Paulsen[/caption]
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including 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, 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. THE GRAY MAN It's been four years since Ryan Gosling last graced screens, rocketing to the moon in First Man. No, Barbie set photos pored over on every internet-connected device don't count. Since he played Neil Armstrong, much has happened. There's the obvious off-screen, of course — but then there's Chris Evans farewelling Captain America, and also appearing in Knives Out with the scene-stealing Ana de Armas. After co-starring in Blade Runner 2049 with Gosling back in 2017, she leapt from that Evans-featuring whodunnit to palling around with 007 in No Time to Die. Also during that time, Bridgerton pushed Regé-Jean Page to fame, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood earmarked Julia Butters as a young talent to watch. This isn't just a history lesson on The Gray Man's cast — well, some of them, given that Billy Bob Thornton (Goliath), Jessica Henwick (The Matrix Resurrections), Dhanush (Maaran), Wagner Moura (Shining Girls) and Alfre Woodard (The Lion King) also pop up, plus Australia's own Callan Mulvey (Firebite) — for the hell of it, though. Back in 2018, before all of the above played out, it's unlikely that this exact film with this exact cast would've eventuated. But plenty of action-thrillers about attempting to snuff out hyper-competent assassins already did flicker across celluloid — both John Wick and Atomic Blonde had already been there and done that, and the Bourne and Bond movies, and countless other predecessors. Still, the combination of this collection of current actors and that familiar setup isn't without its charms in The Gray Man, which makes the leap from the pages of Mark Greaney's 2009 novel to the big and streaming screens. Reportedly Netflix's most expensive movie to date, it lets its two biggest names bounce off of each other with chalk-and-cheese aplomb, and isn't short on globe-hopping action spectacle. The off-the-book spy versus off-the-book spy killer flick is knowing amid all that box-ticking formula, too, although not enough to make its cheesy lines sound smart and savvy. Gosling plays Court Gentry, aka Sierra Six; "007 was taken," he jokes. Before he's given his codename — before he's paid to do the CIA's dirty work as well — he's in prison for murder, then recruited by Donald Fitzroy (Thornton). Fast-forward 18 years and Six is a huge hit at two things: being a ghost, because he no longer officially exists; and covertly wreaking whatever havoc the government tells him to, including knocking off whichever nefarious figure they need gone. But one stint of the latter leaves him in possession of a USB drive that his arrogant new direct superior Carmichael (Page) will ruthlessly kill to destroy. Actually, to be precise, he'll pay Lloyd Hansen (Evans) of Hansen Government Services to do just that, and to do the dirty work that's too dirty for the criminals-turned-government hitmen in the Sierra program, with Six the number-one target. If you've seen one espionage-slash-assassin flick that sends a shadowy life-or-death fight bounding around the planet — here, Hong Kong, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Azerbaijan, Germany and Austria all feature, among other spots — then you've seen The Gray Man's template. Directing duo Joe and Anthony Russo helmed the Marvel Cinematic Universe's versions with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, so they know the drill. That they've seen a heap of other entries in the genre is never question, either. That feeling radiates from the script, which is credited to Joe Russo with seasoned Marvel scribes Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: End Game), and clearly styles its one-liners after superhero banter. Having Gosling and Evans sling it, one playing bearded, silent and virtuous and the other moustachioed, jabbering and unhinged, makes a helluva difference, however. Read our full review. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPEN If The Phantom of the Open was part of a game of golf, rather than a movie about the club-flinging, ball-hitting, bunker-avoiding sport, it wouldn't be a hole in one. It couldn't be; perfection doesn't suit the story it's telling, which is as real and as shaggy — as so-strange-it-can-only-be-true, too — as they can possibly come. That other key factor in spiriting dimpled orbs from the tee to the cup in a single stroke, aka luck, is definitely pertinent to this feel-good, crowd-pleasing, happily whimsical British comedy, however. Plenty of it helped Maurice Flitcroft, the man at its centre, as he managed to enter the 1976 British Open despite never having set foot on a course or played a full round of golf before. It isn't quite good fortune that makes this high-spirited movie about him work, of course, but it always feels like a feature that might've ended up in the cinematic long grass if it wasn't so warmly pieced together. When Maurice (Mark Rylance, Don't Look Up) debuts on the green at the high-profile Open Championship, it doesn't take long for gap between his skills and the professionals he's playing with to stand out. In the words of The Dude from The Big Lebowski, obviously he's not a golfer — although what makes a golfer, and whether any sport should be the domain of well-to-do gatekeepers who reserve large swathes of land for the use of the privileged few, falls into The Phantom of the Open's view. So does a breezily formulaic yet drawn-from-fact account of a man who was born in Manchester, later settled in the port town of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria and spent much of his life as a shipyard crane operator, providing for his wife Jean (Sally Hawkins, Spencer), her son Michael (Jake Davies, Artemis Fowl), and the pair's twins Gene (Christian Lees, Pistol) and James (Jonah Lees, The Letter for the King). Maurice had never chased his own dreams, until he decided to give golfing glory a swing. For audiences coming to all this anew, director Craig Roberts (Eternal Beauty) clues viewers in from the get-go, via a recreation of an 80s TV interview with Maurice. The film's key figure chats, looking back on his sporting efforts after his attempts at golf have clearly earned him a level of fame, but he'd also rather just sip a tea with six sugars. That's an easy but pivotal character-establishing moment. He's a cuppa-coveting everyman accustomed to finding sweetness in modest places, which aptly sums up his whole approach to his middle-aged pastime. The jovial humour of the situation — in caring more about his beloved tea than talking on the television — is also telling. Using a screenplay by Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2) based on the actor and writer's 2010 biography of Maurice, Roberts laughs along with and never at his protagonist. He affectionately sees the wannabe golfer's eccentricities, and also values the new lease on life he's eagerly seeking. That quest starts while watching late-night TV, after Michael advises that the shipyard where both men work — and Jean as well — will be making layoffs. With Bridge of Spies Oscar-winner Rylance dripping with sincerity and never cartoonish quirkiness, Maurice eyes the game on-screen like a man having a life-altering and surreal epiphany. Befitting anyone who's ever had a sudden realisation, he's instantly convinced. That he has zero know-how, nor the cash for the right attire, equipment and membership to the local club to practice, doesn't put him off. Neither does filling out the Open entry form, where he instructs Jean to tick the 'professional' box because that's what he wants to be. On the ground at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, he swiftly attracts attention for hitting 121 — the worst score ever recorded — with the press, as well as tournament bigwigs Keith Mackenzie (Rhys Ifans, The King's Man) and Laurent Lambert (Farnaby, Christopher Robin). Read our full review. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on April 7, April 14, April 21 and April 28; and May 5, May 12, May 19 and May 26; June 2, June 9, June 16, June 23 and June 30; and July 7. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of Dumbledore, Ambulance, Memoria, The Lost City, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Happening, The Good Boss, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Northman, Ithaka, After Yang, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Petite Maman, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Firestarter, Operation Mincemeat, To Chiara, This Much I Know to Be True, The Innocents, Top Gun: Maverick, The Bob's Burgers Movie, Ablaze, Hatching, Mothering Sunday, Jurassic World Dominion, A Hero, Benediction, Lightyear, Men, Elvis, Lost Illusions, Nude Tuesday, Ali & Ava, Thor: Love and Thunder, Compartment No. 6 and Sundown.
A standard midweek office lunch can sometimes consist of an unholy conglomeration of all the leftover bits and pieces you had in the pantry from the night before. No judgement here; we're down with bulk tuna salad paired with leftover curry and microwave rice, or the off packet of years-old mi goreng. Sometimes meal prep has to take a back seat in between clearing that Netflix backlog and trying to squeeze in some actual fun around work. This is all fine and dandy until you have to sit down for lunch with your colleagues and eat your Frankenstein bento box in front of them. It's times like these that you may be wise to suggest lunch out, and we've partnered with American Express to arm you with some killer venue suggestions that will gain the goodwill of the work fam (which you'll reap, come Secret Santa time). So leave your lunch to go mouldy in the work fridge, whip out your Amex and forget about your inbox at these prime CBD spots. Got yourself in another dining situation and need some guidance? Whatever it is, we know a place. Visit The Shortlist and we'll sort you out.
After first closing its border with Victoria at the beginning of July, then warning residents against travel to and from regional towns in the area, New South Wales is implementing a strict new border zone between the two states. Announced on Sunday, July 19 and coming into effect from midnight on Tuesday, July 21, the border zone will start at the Murray River — placing tighter restrictions on residents of NSW border towns, as well as on Victorians looking to head north. As part of a new permit system — which will replace all currently issued permits, as well as any issued between now and the commencement of the border zone, with those needing permits required to reapply — folks living in NSW border towns will only be able to travel to the Victorian side of the border zone for a limited number of reasons. And, if they venture past the zone into the rest of Victoria, they'll be required to self-isolate for 14 days upon their return. Also, any other NSW resident who crosses the Murray River, otherwise enters Victoria or has been in the state in the past fortnight will be required to self-isolate for 14 days on their return to NSW. Residents of NSW border towns looking cross into the Victorian section of the zone will only be able to do so for three designated reasons: going to work or attending an education institution (if you can't do so from home), and to obtain medical care, supplies or health services. The same "extremely limited purposes" will apply to Victorian border town inhabitants looking to enter the NSW section of the zone. Victorians who receive a permit to enter NSW will also need to carry a copy of their permit with them, and produce it when directed — and abide by a number of other conditions. Those entering the state for child access or care arrangements, or freight workers, will need to have their own COVID Safety Plan; critical service workers will have to self-isolate when not providing their critical services; and Victorians will only be able to head to NSW for medical or hospital services if those services are not available in Victoria or can't be accessed remotely. [caption id="attachment_775275" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] A town near the NSW-Victorian border by Denisbin via Flickr.[/caption] Announcing the changes, the NSW government reiterated its standard current advice for the state's residents regarding visiting Victoria: "all NSW residents are strongly urged not to travel to Victoria". The tightened border restrictions were revealed on the same day that the NSW government urged the state's inhabitants to avoid non-essential travel in general, as well as non-essential gatherings. Until the start of July, New South Wales hadn't closed its borders to domestic travellers during the COVID-19 pandemic — and, when it did shut its border with Victoria, it was the first time in 100 years (since 1919 during the Spanish Flu), that the border between the two states has closed. For more information about the new border restrictions and the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Government website. Top image: Mulwala Bridge by Yun Huang Yong via Flickr.
