Not content with filling a Tokyo warehouse with some of the most dazzling and immersive art you're likely to feast your eyes on — not to mention play with — art collective teamLab is now turning an old oil tank into a digital waterfall. With the interdisciplinary outfit's Borderless Digital Art Museum open for less than a year and proving one of the Japanese city's hottest tickets, the group is set to bring a collection of eye-popping works to China. Coming to the new Tank Shanghai from March 23 to August 24, teamLab: Universe of Water Particles in the Tank features cascading waterfalls, blooming flowers, rushing waves and scattering cherry blossoms as part of an engaging series of digital, interactive and interacting pieces. There's no such thing as a dull artwork where teamLab is concerned, but the undisputed highlight of its next foray into China is Universe of Water Particles in the Tank, Transcending Boundaries. Spearheaded by art collector Qiao Zhibing, Tank Shanghai's 60,000-square-metre space is built out of five empty oil tanks, so there's nowhere better to project streams of falling water. teamLab's piece will take over one tank, running over the interior surface. And, when folks stand on the waterfall's floor or walk up to its wall of digital water, it'll react to their presence, with the flow changing direction just like it would if you were standing underneath the real thing. Living up to the 'transcending boundaries' part of its name, Universe of Water Particles in the Tank will also interact with other works. When its trickles hit floral piece Flowers and People, Cannot be Controlled but Live Together, Transcending Boundaries - A Whole Year per Hour, which represents 12 months' worth of blossoming and wilting as its moniker suggests, the digital stream will cause petals to scatter. Both pieces are reminiscent of works also on display in Tokyo, but that doesn't make them any less glorious. The same applies to Black Waves: Lost, Immersed and Reborn, which projects one continuous wave across multiple walls. teamLab: Universe of Water Particles in the Tank runs from March 23 to August 24 at Tank Shanghai,2380 Longteng Avenue, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China, with tickets currently on sale from 199 renminbi. Images: teamLab.
Everyone has one main motivating factor in the career path they choose, and if you're passionate about helping humanity and the state of the world, you've got a bunch of options available. Doctors, lawyers and politicians may take a lot of the credit for shaping our futures but they're not the only options. In fact, there are plenty of other avenues to explore. Whether you're at the beginning of your education, looking for a career change or wanting to gain some additional professional experience, knowing where to start can be hard. That's why we've tracked down a selection of degrees from leading Australian universities to study online via Open Universities Australia(OUA) if you're desperate to make a difference in the world. With the threat of climate change and limited natural resources becoming a reality in the not-too-distant future, the time for a focus on the environment, sustainability and education has never been greater. Here's our list of which degrees to study if you want to inspire or create change. BACHELOR OF EDUCATION Imparting wisdom to our younger generations is a hugely important undertaking — after all, these are the people that'll one day inherit the earth. Curtin University offers one of the best teaching degrees for primary education (years one to six). After studying the Bachelor of Education or the Master of Teaching degree via OUA, you will leave the course with advanced training for leadership roles in a teaching career. Although you'll be studying primarily online, the degree also includes hands-on experience in a range of schools and across year levels, and it culminates in a five-week professional placement. Your studies will also include lesson planning, classroom management, special education and digital literacy. BACHELOR OF ARTS: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Change starts from the ground — so getting involved in community-based projects, be it services, welfare or not-for-profit organisations, is a great way to see your effort being put into action before your very eyes. A Bachelor of Arts in Community Development will hone your communication, critical thinking, ethics and social justice knowledge — and that's just the start. The program from Murdoch University (available online through OUA) focuses on a wide variety of perspectives and solutions that can benefit different communities — from Indigenous and First Nation peoples to overseas aid development. You will graduate with the ability for persuasive oral communication and a broad knowledge of research methods. DIPLOMA IN COMMUNITY WELFARE AND WELLBEING Outside of teaching, another obvious do-gooder career path is within the welfare and health sectors. Whether you're interested in nursing, community service or social work, gaining a Diploma in Community Welfare and Wellbeing from the University of New England allows you to earn credits toward many community-minded degrees — and to develop the foundational skills for employment or toward further study. The course provides students with the theoretical and academic groundwork for a career in overall social care. Within the elective subjects offered, you can opt to specialise in working with members of the community dealing with disability or ageing, or working with Aboriginal people. BACHELOR OF ARTS: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Marching for climate action is a great start, but if you're passionate about finding more sustainable ways for you and your neighbours to live and preserve the environment, this Murdoch University program is worth exploring through OUA. Sustainable Development is a newer profession but is growing in popularity. The more prominent career paths you could take from this degree include joining the public sector, a local council or an NGO, or working within research institutes or national and international aid organisations. But the skills gained here are much more far-reaching and can also lead to careers in sustainable tourism, media, education and resource management. MASTER OF ENVIRONMENT Already got a degree in environmental science under your belt? First of all, good for you. Now, keep channelling that passion and experience into a masters degree from Griffith University. After all, it's arguably one of the most important fields of study you could enter into at the moment. Within this degree, you can choose to specialise in several different areas of expertise, including climate change adaptation, sustainable business, economics and policy, environmental planning and environmental protection. Career options hit a huge range, too, and include the likes of environmental assessment officer, consultant for government agencies and environmental and biosecurity management. Explore these degrees and hundreds more from leading Australian universities, available online through Open Universities Australia. You'll be making a world of difference before you know it.
It's been almost five years since Australian viewers scored a dedicated platform to indulge their love of British television. When Britbox launched towards the end of 2020, back when new streaming services kept popping up every month — or so it seemed — it brought shows new and old from two English networks, the BBC and ITV, Down Under. If that's been your TV-watching niche since, then you'll be interested in its next plans, expanding its range and adding dedicated channels. The idea: to boost the hundreds of hours of British fare that's already available to view, on a service that launched with the likes of Doctor Who, Absolutely Fabulous, The Office, Blackadder, Pride and Prejudice, Prime Suspect, The Vicar of Dibley, Luther, A Confession, and David Attenborough's Blue Planet and Planet Earth. And, if you're the kind of person that wants the act of choosing taken out of your hands, the blast-from-the-past format that is linear channels will always have something on. Yes, after streaming attracted eyeballs away from traditional TV and changed how everyone watches the small screen, adding non-stop old-school television-style channels to online services has cemented itself as a trend in recent years. Britbox will have three, dedicated to drama, documentaries and general entertainment, respectively. So, expect Agatha Christie murder-mysteries, comedy quiz shows like Would I Lie To You? and Attenborough docos, for starters. On BBC First, then, you'll be checking out Call the Midwife and getting sleuthing with Towards Zero, the latter of which stars Anjelica Huston (The French Dispatch) and Matthew Rhys (Saturday Night). Head to BBC Entertain for Richard Osman's House of Games, QI and 8 Out of 10 Cats, among other similar shows. And on BBC Select, fiends for factual viewing will find Life Below Zero, Frozen Planet and Africa on the lineup. "Our customers told us they wanted more — more of the latest series, more quality dramas, comedies and mysteries, as well as more variety across genres. We've expanded the service with the aim of continuing to delight our existing fans and appeal to new customers," said Moira Hogan, Executive Vice President of International Markets and General Manager of BritBox Australia. "Our team has crafted a user experience that combines the best of on-demand viewing with a curated channel experience. So when you're not sure what to watch, you can easily switch to one of our three streaming channels and the choice is instantly made for you." In June, Britbox in general is adding a must see for Cunk on Earth fans to its catalogue, too: Mandy, also starring Diane Morgan. Or, check out docos Blue Planet, The Hunt and The Planets, plus the ninth season of Shetland. The Cleaner, Professor T and Karen Pirie will all be back on the platform this year as well. For more information about Britbox, head to the service's website.
Fancy chowing down on Los Pollos fried chicken for reals? Breaking Bad fans, hold on to your tortugas. There's a very real possibility that the Los Pollos fried chicken chain from the now-finished AMC series could become a real restaurant. During his recent Reddit AMA, Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan dropped a sneaky teaser; that there have indeed been serious chats to make Gustavo Fring's fictional chicken empire into a real fast food joint. "[T]here is talk of a Pollos Hermanos becoming a real restaurant," he said. "This is not an idea that I generated personally. But it's one that's been presented to me, through the good folks at Sony, and the idea came to them from a businessman who has an interest in doing just that. Speaking for myself, I'd love to see that happen!" Whether or not this goes ahead remains to be seen, but for now we're happy to join the inevitable fan-brainstormed wishlist of novelty Pollos features. Reddit user elijoker suggested every store should have a Gus Fring look-a-like and ask random customers if their food is to their satisfaction. immorta1 pitched every purchase of a combo meal as coming with a free GPS tracker installed under your car by a serial killer. Bic_Parker practically pondered menu items like ice cream covered with blue pop rocks, while Ivanbulls suggested blue rock candy in baggies for dessert. We're also pretty sure the restaurant could smuggle anything they damn well wanted to, crying 'theme' if the Feds started to raise an eyebrow. Hardcore fans who can't wait for Sony negotiations can find their way to a pretty great Next Best Thing. Pointed out by Vanity Fair, Albuquerque burger and burrito restaurant Twisters functioned as a stand-in for Los Pollos Hermanos during shooting, training their employees to answer Los Pollos FAQs. Understandable. Very understandable. Via Vanity Fair.
Let them entertain you: with Better Man, the Robbie Williams biopic that takes its name from one of the British singer's tunes, filmmaker Michael Gracey and actor Jonno Davies have a clear mission that's shared with the man in the spotlight himself. The Australian-made, 16-time AACTA-nominated movie tells the warts-and-all tale of the boy from England's Midlands who has become an international superstar. It charts Williams' path through a complicated childhood, teen boy-band fame, relentless press attention, struggles with drugs and alcohol, tabloid-fodder relationships, a well-publicised reputation for partying, going solo, huge hits, sizeable scandals and plenty of reinvention — and, while never shying away from the tumultuous times that its subject has endured, it matches its unflinching view of his ups and downs with his love of monkeying around and putting on a show. The simian aspect of Better Man is literal. More than 20 years after 'Me and My Monkey' was a track on Williams' fifth studio album Escapology — a record that skewed personal to explore his experiences with pop stardom, and made hits out of 'Feel' and 'Come Undone' — his story reaches the screen with the former Take That member portrayed by a CGI chimpanzee. The approach renders Williams both a cheeky monkey and a performing monkey, and also reflects a journey that's had him swinging from limb to limb in life's jungle. The conceit was Gracey's choice, but based on the musician's own descriptions when chatting the Australian filmmaker through his existence. Better Man's helmer and subject first met when the director needed the singer's assistance with the former's debut feature. One of The Greatest Showman's original tunes won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar; however, star Hugh Jackman (Deadpool & Wolverine) had doubts about the songs going in — and, because the actor kept referencing Williams as a touchstone for his lead portrayal in the movie, Gracey hit him up for his thoughts and powers of persuasion. From there, the pair kept talking, then started recording Williams recounting his life story in the latter's studio. Next sprang the idea to make Better Man, which is how an Aussie talent came to craft a homegrown flick about one of the UK's biggest music figures of the past three decades. The film was initially announced in 2021, and news of Davies playing Williams arrived in 2022. That Better Man was going ape remained a secret until initial viewers cast their eyes on the flick at its world-premiere at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival, which was no easy feat. "I was astounded, because we really didn't want people to see any images from the film, and it blew me away that we managed to keep that under wraps for so long — just because we did scenes where we had 2000 extras, so at any point someone could've even given away shots of Jonno in the motion-capture suit. Or some image from the work that Wētā were doing could've found its way online. And it just didn't," Gracey tells Concrete Playground. "We tried really hard to make that the case because we wanted it to land in a way that was a very unique way to lens this story. And also having pitched it unsuccessfully for many years to financiers, I also knew that it would never make sense until people got to watch it," the filmmaker continues. "So there was really no point having chatter about an image and the conversation of whether that looks like Robbie or doesn't look like Robbie. I think that the most overwhelming response has been from people who are even sceptical about the conceit, that once they watch the film, they understand. And so I just desperately wanted to get in front of people before the conversation about 'why the monkey?'." [caption id="attachment_985602" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures[/caption] A decade on from his screen debut in British TV's Casualty, Kingsman: The Secret Service and Hunters alum Davies has notched up what might prove the most-unique role of his career: playing Williams via motion-capture, and also voicing him in his younger years (Williams lends his own vocals to the movie, too). For his efforts, he's among the AACTA contenders for Best Actor. A fan going in of the man that he's portraying and of The Greatest Showman, Davies was instantly keen to take on the part, and has been revelling in the reactions that the movie has been earning since. "What's brilliant is seeing different audiences respond to the movie, whether that's an age thing, whether it's different continents, people that are Robbie Williams fans, people that have never heard of Robbie at all, and seeing how different people respond to it in different ways," Davies shares. "And seeing it being universally accepted — I think that was something we always wanted to focus on, is that Robbie is an everyday man. There's something in him, whether it's the relationship he has with his nan, whether it's his fear of imposter syndrome, there's something in him that anyone can relate to. There's something there that people connect [to]. I know Michael's had people coming up to him and saying 'I spoke to my dad for the first time in seven years' or people watch it and go 'you know what, it's made me want to ring my mum more or get in touch with the people I love'. Having those different connections and different responses is why you want to make cinema, why you want to make a film — is to affect people. It's been a joy." Down Under, Better Man was already making a splash before it reached Aussie cinemas on Boxing Day 2024; breaking the record for the most AACTA nods in a single year will do that. In a country with well-known fondness for Williams — if a biopic wasn't going to come out of Britain, Australia always seemed the next logical place for it — its main man has been popping up headlining the ABC's New Year's Eve coverage and doing a free gig in Melbourne's Federation Square, helping to give the movie a push, too. For viewers not instantly enticed by its subject or approach, the flick's biggest enticement sits within the feature itself, though. When 'Rock DJ' breaks out in a sequence filmed on London's Regent Street, it's a spectacular movie-musical moment. Gracey and Davies are relaying the tale of another great showman, after all, although that standout scene almost didn't happen. We also spoke with Better Man's director and co-writer, plus its star, about that unforgettable segment of the film, stepping into Williams' shoes — or a chimpanzee's feet, to be more accurate — and why monkeying around was the best way to tackle Williams' tale, as well as fandom, resilience and the full impact of Hugh Jackman's Williams obsession on The Greatest Showman. On Davies Playing the Man Responsible for One of His First Music Memories Jonno: "I was definitely a fan growing up. I saw him concert when I was nine with mum and dad. It's one of my earliest music memories, really. And when you're a child, you have no idea what your identity is, you're just in for a good time — and seeing this rock star on stage, peacocking about like he does, connecting with an audience, seeing how he's there to entertain the crowd rather than entertain himself. So then to 25-odd years later to be the one to play him is quite a pinch-me moment. I think it helped being from the UK, understanding the peak of his fame, how heavily, heavily documented his life was — much to his detriment, the lack of privacy there when he was suffering — I think that was a nice insight to have. But then also meeting in-person when we were in Melbourne when we first started, and then getting the rest of the story and sitting down with him, and him sharing some of his more vulnerable parts of himself — because he wants to make sure that this was an honest depiction. It takes someone very brave to allow themselves to be painted in quite a bad light a lot of the times in the movie. And so the fact that he then gave us his trust to collectively tell his story in a very honest and truthful way, I think it shows a calibre of a person." On How The Greatest Showman and Hugh Jackman Helped Bring Better Man About Michael: "It all stems back to working on The Greatest Showman with Hugh Jackman. Whenever we would talk about PT Barnum and what it was to be a great showman, he would always reference Robbie Williams — which used to make me laugh, and then after a certain period of time really annoyed me, because it was just always his go-to reference. Whether he was talking about music, whether he was talking about his swagger, or his charisma, or whether we were talking about choreography, he's like 'you know, the way that Robbie sort of moves' and I was like 'you know, every reference can't be Robbie Williams'. So at a certain moment when we were close to going into production, Hugh had a lot of voices in his ear about the music not being good enough, and he started to question the music. And at that point, we'd been working on the film together for six years, so I'd lost a lot of weight in my voice — because I was always the boy who cried wolf, who was like 'no, it's going to be great. This'll be the year we make it'. After six years, people start losing faith a little bit. So in a moment where Hugh felt that we should start again on the music, and I knew that that would mean the end of the film — and this is the music that is in the final film that Benji Pasek and Justin Paul wrote — I got in touch through my lawyer, because his daughter is friends with Ayda [Field], who is married to Robbie Williams. You know how you're always just like three people away from the person you want to get to? So I got a meeting with Robbie on a Sunday at his house, where I told him the story of The Greatest Showman, and then I played him the music. And at the end of the meeting, I said 'look, the only thing more bizarre than me showing up at your house on a Sunday is what I'm about to ask you now. It's one thing for me to tell Hugh Jackman what you think of the music. It's another thing for you to tell him entirely. So if you don't mind, can I just video you and you just talk into the camera as if you're talking to Hugh Jackman?' And that's what he did. He did this video message, which, to this day, if I'd written the script and said 'can you please read this to convince Hugh that this music is going to be great?' — what he did off the top of his head with ten-seconds' notice is why he is such an amazing showman. He was so compelling, the way he spoke about the music, he basically said to Hugh 'I've spent the last year working on my new album. I would scrap that album to sing these songs'. He literally was that effusive about how great the music was for The Greatest Showman. And he was right. The music was great. And history went on to prove that. But in that moment, that's exactly what Hugh needed to hear to have the confidence to move forward and make the film. So in many regards, there would be no Greatest Showman if there wasn't that video message from Robbie Williams. That's how we started then talking, and I just really enjoyed whenever we would talk, when he would tell me stories about his life. And with no intention to make a film — because unlike Jonno, I didn't grow up a Robbie Williams fan. Obviously growing up in Australia, you can't escape him. He's everywhere, but it's not like I listened to him. [caption id="attachment_985603" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures[/caption] But what I really did love is I loved the way in which he talked about his life — and not just the events, but actually his delivery. I really enjoyed the manner in which, whether he's writing lyrics as a storyteller or telling you a story, he's a great storyteller. So I then just asked, knowing that he had a recording studio, when I was in LA, I would just drop over to his house and we would just sit in his recording studio and just chat. And those conversations took about a year and a half, and at some point during that, I started thinking 'wow, I could probably chop these up and make a radio play'. Then I went from there to 'actually this could make a really powerful film'. And in fact, those some of those recordings are in the actual voiceover of the film — those original recordings. But it was never the intention to make the film. It all stemmed from him and me just sitting in a studio just talking." On Why Portraying Williams as a Chimpanzee Was the Right Way to Tell His Story Michael: "I think that creatively, I just wanted to come at it with a unique angle. And also, I knew that narratively I wanted to explore both his internal life and his external life. So it was trying to find a device that would allow us to step between those two worlds, the world of the imagination and the world of reality. I think in a musical you're already in a heightened reality, because people are breaking into song, but I wanted something creative that would allow us to see more of Robbie than if it was just an actor playing him. And when I went back to those original recordings and I was listening to them, just time and time again Rob would refer to himself as a performing monkey. He would just say things like 'I was just dragged up on stage to perform like a monkey' or 'I'm up the back dancing around like a performing monkey'. And he said enough times that I was like 'there's definitely something to this performing monkey'. And when I looked at his story, whether it's him pretending to be tougher than he is in front of the kids in Stoke-on-Trent, where he grew up, or whether it's jumping up in front of the TV hoping that his dad would look at him the same way that he looks at Sinatra, there were just all these moments within the story that I was like 'he's always been that little performing monkey'. And the moment that I framed the entire film in that conceit, it just made me smile. I just thought 'this is going to work and it's going to work unbelievably well'. Convincing other people of that was the difficult part, but not convincing Rob. Rob was onboard in two seconds. I literally went to him and said 'if you're an animal, how would you see yourself?'. And he immediately said 'lion' and looked very proud. Then I sort of went 'really?'. And after about 30 seconds, he went 'nah, more of a monkey'. On Davies' First Reaction to Such a Unique Part Jonno: "There are so many challenges in this thing for an actor that every one is like 'oh my god, another reason to do it, another reason to do it'. One: motion-capture. Two: you are telling someone's story that's still alive, and someone that has many predetermined opinions on them, and so it's kind of up to you to try to shift those things. And I think that's what's useful about the monkey, is it separates people from Robbie Williams, and you follow this monkey story rather than necessarily this global superstar that people think they already know. But I was blown away by the concept. And I was I was blown away by the dream of it really. That's one of Michael's best assets, is he sells you the dream — but unlike many others, you get to actually go along with it. You get to join it. I was a massive fan of The Greatest Showman. I have always loved musicals. I love dancing, I love singing, but never thought I really had the chops to be a part of that world — certainly not a Broadway or a West End singer. So to be able to have Rob do the singing and me do the dancing, I was like 'how could I possibly not try to make this mine?'." On the Film's Celebration of Resilience and Persistence — and What That Concept Means to Davies and Gracey Jonno: "Resilience certainly comes in with the life of an actor. You are told 'no' many more times than you are told 'yes.' And you often value yourself on your last job, or the last job you did not get. I think it's about trying to stay resilient and trying to remember that you are authentically you, right? And so even though you're getting your nos, it doesn't mean you're crap, it means that you're just not right for this opportunity. It's a hard memory to keep inside, but I think it's one that is premier above all else. Otherwise you start to lose your identity. If you start thinking that 'I'm getting nos because I'm not good enough' or 'I'm not the right person', you start shifting your identity. Then you don't become what makes you, and that's essentially your best asset. And so resilience for me is about staying true to yourself, and if you're going to do something — Guy Chambers says it in our film, he says 'own it'. If it's crap, make it your crap. And I think that's a form of resilience that we can all take onboard." Michael: "Resilience is my entire life, because you have these grand ideas and it's up to you to continue to believe in them year after year after year. Showman took seven years to make, and at one point or another every single person involved in that project gave up hope — and you as the director cannot. Everyone else can lose faith, and you just have to keep on, you have to stand in that burning building and tell everyone it's going to be okay. This took six years. It was a high-concept idea that scared a lot of people, because the concept of the monkey immediately doubled the budget of the film. It made it a much more risky prospect. And it scared a lot of financiers away. The number of meetings that I had to do where people would just flat-out, the moment the monkey was mentioned, were like 'what are you talking about?' — and 'this is the end of the meeting'. That was the much more common response to that idea. And yet, I knew if there was a way to bring it into reality, it would be unique and it would be something that I'd be incredibly proud of. And so resilience is my entire career, and I would not be a director if I did not have that resilience. I think the joy you get as a director is finding other people to believe in that impossible dream, who stand alongside you and make it a reality, and that is the greatest privilege that you have as a director." On What It Took to Make the 'Rock DJ' Scene a Reality Jonno: "A lot of pogo-stick practice. It was the pinnacle of joy, right, in the film. It's the one moment that Robbie and the audience gets to really just live in dreamland, and there's no darkness that encases it, there's no version of himself telling him telling him he's rubbish. And so we were determined that when we arrived on Regent Street, that would be the feeling that we would feel. And, of course, you can only have that joy if you've put in the graft beforehand. And that's not just Michael. It's every department. It's Ash and Jen [Ashley Wallen and Jenny Griffin, both returning from The Greatest Showman], the choreographers, making sure that not only us, the Take That boys, but the 500 dancers were drilled so that we were never getting a bad take because of the dancing. You only have a set amount of time on Regent Street, so everyone had to just be shit hot, for want of a better term. We taped out a hangar, so the minute details, so every bush, every lamp post, was in its exact spot, so that when we arrived on the street, we were ready to go. It wasn't figuring out any proximity, etcetera. But it was a joy. It was one of my favourite experiences on set. I think you see it on our faces when we when we do Regent Street. I think you can probably see it in our pupils as well. There's kind of joy, combating a bit of 'we've got to get this done'. But it's such an iconic street, and it demanded an iconic routine — and I think Michael has delivered with that. Michael: "The practicalities of pulling that off were enormous. It was a year and a half in the planning. As Jonno mentioned, we rehearsed in a hangar the week before with the entire cast and crew, and double-decker bus and taxi, all those elements — only because the moment we got on the street, we had to start shooting, and we had very limited time overnight where we could lock down the entire street and film. It was shot over four nights, but after that week of rehearsal in the hangar, literally the day before we were about to start filming, the Queen passed away. And so we got shut down. There's ten days of mourning after the death of the Queen. Regent Street is crown land. So it was devastating because we paid out all of the costs to shoot. We'd locked down all those stores for those dates. We'd booked all of those dancers. So we lost all that money. There was no insurance for the death of the Queen. At that point, there were a lot of very serious conversations about cutting the number from the film. And I was like 'we've got to go out, we've got to raise that money again, we've got to get back onto Regent Street and we have to shoot this number — it is absolutely a cornerstone of this story'. It took another five months to find a window where we were allowed back on the street, and to raise the money again. And so every time that number plays, I just go in my head 'we were this close to that never happening' — but that comes back to your question about persistence. Better Man opened in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, December 26, 2024. Michael Gracey will chat about the film at the 2025 AACTA Festival, which runs from Wednesday, February 5–Sunday, February 9, 2025 at HOTA, Home of the Arts, 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast.
Whether you're zipping from Sydney to Melbourne, or settling in for the long haul on the mammoth Perth–to–London flights, travelling by air comes with a significant environmental cost. As well as fuel usage and the considerable carbon footprint, planes are a hotbed for disposable items. Those plastic utensils you're using to tuck into your breakfast? The cup you're sipping your in-flight wine from? The wrapping around your blanket? All single-use plastics. To help counteract the hefty amount of environmental waste created by soaring through the sky, airlines have started changing their ways — such as Portuguese charter outfit Hi Fly, which has pledged to become the world's first plastics-free carrier within the next 12 months. Now Australia's own Qantas is following suit, announcing a plan to cut its waste by 70 percent by the end of 2021, including eradicating 100 million single-use plastic items from its flights and lounges each year from 2020 onwards. On their way out: 45 million plastic cups, 30 million cutlery sets, 21 million coffee cups and four million headrest covers each year, which'll all be replaced by sustainable alternatives. In the case of coffee cups, for example, they'll be swapped for versions that can be recycled or composted. Qantas has already ditched plastic wrapping on its pyjamas and headsets, and gotten rid of plastic straws altogether. It's also scrapping unnecessary paper, so that means using digital boarding passes rather than physical versions as well. The changes will come into effect across Qantas, QantasLink and Jetstar, and while the company recognises that some single-use plastic objects don't have a ready-made substitution (highlighting some wrappings used for hygiene purposes, as well as heat-resistant containers deployed in meal preparation), it's endeavouring to find solutions there as well. It has a history in the eco-conscious space, at least where fuel is concerned — using mustard seeds to fuel its Melbourne–to–LA flights, and dabbling with fuel derived from cooking oil before that. As part of the new waste reduction move, Qantas aims to become the world's first airline to reuse, recycle and compost at least three-quarters of its general refuse. "In the process of carrying 50 million people each year, we deal with more than 30,000 tonnes of waste," said Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce in a statement. "That's the same weight as about 80 747 jumbos."
By the time that 2022 is out, lovers of Studio Ghibli's films (aka everyone) will have two places to visit if they'd like to get as close as humanly possible to walking into the animation house's gorgeous frames. Already, you can head to the Studio Ghibli museum in Mitaka, a city on the western outskirts Tokyo — and you really should; it's as magical as it sounds, giant catbus and all — but now Ghibli's very own theme park has officially set a November launch date. Come November 1, the new location in Nagoya's Aichi Prefecture — which is around a three-hour train trip from Tokyo — will start spiriting away Ghibli fans across its 200-hectare expanse. The studio initially announced that it was creating its own theme park back in 2017, and originally planned to open in 2020. Then, in 2018, it pushed back its launch timeline to 2022; however, this is the first time it's set a specific date that everyone can mark in the calendars. The opening day of the Ghibli Park was announced today. pic.twitter.com/01vhPGuJgq — スタジオジブリ STUDIO GHIBLI (@JP_GHIBLI) January 27, 2022 The Aichi Prefecture Expo Park spot is already home to a replica of Satsuki and Mei's house from My Neighbour Totoro, and it's gaining plenty of other attractions as it becomes a fully fledged Studio Ghibli thee park. Totoro features heavily, understandably, with the site even initially described as having a My Neighbour Totoro focus. However, you'll also be able to check out a life-sized version of Howl's Moving Castle, the antique shop from Whisper of the Heart, Kiki's home from Kiki's Delivery Service and a village area that pays tribute to Princess Mononoke. Also slated to feature: nods to the cat from Whisper of the Heart and The Cat Returns, buildings with design elements that take their cues from Laputa: Castle in the Sky, and a super-sized garden that'll make you feel like you're one of the tiny characters in Arrietty. There'll also be a permanent exhibition room, a special exhibition room, a video exhibition room, a playground, and a shop and cafe, so you'll have plenty of places to explore, eat and browse. Expect more nods to Ghibli's various features to follow, recreating other aspects from its three-decade-old body of work — and possibly its most recent movie, Earwig and the Witch, too. And if the end result is even half as wondrous as the studio's aforementioned museum, then fans are in for a treat. There, you can also climb up to the building's rooftop garden to see one of the robots from Laputa: Castle in the Sky, and watch exclusive shorts (including a sequel to My Neighbour Totoro) in a cute little cinema. Indeed, the museum is such a tourist attraction, you have to buy tickets over a month in advance — and experiencing the rush of folks in the merchandise-packed gift shop will make you feel like a susuwatari (Totoro's gorgeous little balls of floating soot). [caption id="attachment_799539" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Studio Ghibli[/caption] Incorporated into the existing parklands, the Studio Ghibli theme park will be heavy on greenery and the natural surroundings, which matches the environmental messaging that plays a prominent part in Ghibli's movies. The site will also encourage "enjoying walking", according to the draft concept outline, while aiming to offer "a one-of-a-kind park loved by more people". We don't think either will be difficult. If you're now planning a Ghibli-centric holiday, you'll need to cross your fingers that Japan's border rules change before November to allow foreign nationals to enter the country — something that's currently suspended until at least the end of February 2021. And if you won't stop dreaming about the Studio Ghibli theme park anyway, the Aichi Tourism Bureau has released a trailer — which is largely an ad for the surrounding area, but also features Satsuki and Mei's house prominently. Check it out below: The Studio Ghibli theme park is slated to open on November 1, 2022. For more information, keep an eye on the animation company's website.
Canada had Degrassi. Britain had Press Gang. For for seven seasons, 210 episodes and a whole heap of "rack off"s between 1994–99, Australia had Heartbreak High. It's the show that turned Callan Mulvey's Drazic into an icon, actually resembled the multicultural country its homegrown audience experienced every day, and lived and breathed 90s teen angst along with its after-class viewers. Once its instantly catchy opening-credits theme started each episode, it cycled through the same taboos and troubles that every high school-set drama does, and weathered the same schoolyard ups and downs as well — but it was unmistakably and unashamedly Aussie from its accents and Sydney setting to its attitude and vernacular. The OG Heartbreak High wasn't just another snapshot of adolescent chaos; it was a mirror. Dropping on Netflix on Wednesday, September 14, the revival is now another generation's looking glass. It's also a welcome blast from the past for everyone who grew up with the original or managed to track it down afterwards (wearing out old VHS tapes, perhaps, before it hit Netflix itself); however, it's never just that, not even for a second. Initially a spinoff from the Claudia Karvan- and Alex Dimitriades-starring 1993 movie The Heartbreak Kid, which adapted the 1987 play of the same name, Heartbreak High returns with Gen Z at its core and a spicier vibe to match. This new batch of Sydney high schoolers don't just watch Euphoria, Sex Education and Never Have I Ever, the shows that Heartbreak High circa 2022 easily slots alongside — they're now at the centre of Australia's version, all while listening to a Triple J soundtrack, working at Harry's Cafe de Wheels, avoiding eshays and talking about bin chickens. Teen-focused dramas always reflect the generation they're made for, and the returning Heartbreak High is no different. Today's high school-set shows often come with more than a few nods backwards as well, though. Just like Beverly Hills, 90210, Saved by the Bell and Gossip Girl before it — like Degrassi's multiple go-arounds across more than four decades now, including a new take that's set to land in 2023 — Heartbreak High 2.0 knows it has a history and doesn't dream of pretending otherwise. 90s worship is in fashion anyway, so all those Doc Martens, nose rings, baggy jeans, slip dresses and oversized band t-shirts not only could've adorned the initial show's cast, but prove a natural fit this time around. Sporting such decade-crossing attire is a fresh-faced — and fresh-to-the-franchise — cohort of Hartley High students. The years and teens have changed, but the location, like plenty of the outfits, remains the same. When the eight-episode new season begins, Amerie (Ayesha Madon, The Moth Effect) and Harper (Asher Yasbincek, How to Please a Woman) are life-long best friends, but their sudden rift after a drunken night at a music festival changes everything. Amerie doesn't know why Harper has suddenly shaved her head, let alone cut all ties with her. She's just as shocked when the mural they've graffitied in an unused school stairwell, chronicling who's dated, had a crush on and slept with who among the year 11s, is scandalously outed. That "incest map", whether one of Amerie's classmates received a "tongue punch in the fart box", if another has a "lazy kebab vagina", the pink dildo stuck to the school basketball hoop's backboard: there isn't just one sign that Heartbreak High isn't in the 90s anymore, let alone on Network Ten or the ABC; there's a whole classroom full of them. Where the initial series was groundbreaking in its cultural and class diversity at a time when the overwhelmingly white casts of Home and Away and Neighbours otherwise monopolised Aussie screens, navigating almost exclusively middle-class existences, creator Hannah Carroll Chapman (The Heights) ensures that her version is equally as inclusive — and frank — when it comes to gender, sexuality and neurodiversity. Principal Woodsy (Rachel House, Baby Done) isn't impressed by her students' candour, however, sending every Hartley attendee named on the map to an after-hours sexual literacy tutorial. Also in the group: the non-binary Darren (screen first-timer James Majoos) and their bestie Quinni (Chloe Hayden, Jeremy the Dud), who has autism — and who now comprise Amerie's new support system. Hartley heartthrob Dusty (Josh Heuston, Thor: Love and Thunder), his smug pal Spider (Bryn Chapman Parish, Mr Inbetween) and resident comic relief Ant (debutant Brodie Townsend) are all roped in, too. So is the pink-haired Sasha (Gemma Chua-Tran, Mustangs FC), her ex-turned-bestie Missy (fellow newcomer Sherry-Lee Watson), and mullet-wearing drug dealer and food delivery driver Ca$h (Will McDonald, Home and Away), plus Bundjalung boy, basketballer and new Hartley arrival Malakai (Thomas, Troppo). Throw any motley crew of high schoolers together and familiar issues and struggles will arise, as all of Heartbreak High's peers — then and now — can attest. Although no one becomes a teen mother here, recent fellow Aussie series Bump also casts a shadow (and not just because it stars The Heartbreak Kid's Karvan among the parents). That show hews softer and smoother, while this one skews glossier and racier. At first, it feels like the OG Heartbreak High's rawness and grit might've been buffed away. But as the series charts the fallout from Amerie and Harper's feud, the reasons behind it, and a new wave of hookups and controversies — as well as parties and pairings — it finds its own intensity. Come for the instant nostalgia, stay for an old favourite firmly seen with fresh eyes: that's the revived Heartbreak High experience. Some recognisable names pop up, but overtly winking and nudging to 90s viewers definitely isn't the show's point. It can't be; teen chaos doesn't rack off but rather gets handed down through time, just as this series now has. Spanning everything from consent and crime to drugs and police brutality, there's more than enough adolescent mess and stress to go around again. Viewers don't have a moment to waste wondering if old faces will return anyway, given how dynamic the new cast is — Madon, Majoos and Hayden make a terrific lead trio, and Weatherall, McDonald and Yasbincek in particular turn in beautifully complicated performances — and how addictive their characters' dramas prove. Check out the trailer for Heartbreak High below: Heartbreak High streams via Netflix from Wednesday, September 14. Images: Mark Rogers / Lisa Tomasetti / Elise Lockwood, Netflix.
When Ron Swanson discovered digital music, the tech-phobic Parks and Recreation favourite was uncharacteristically full of praise. Played by Nick Offerman (The Last of Us) at his most giddily exuberant, he badged the iPod filled with his favourite records an "excellent rectangle". In Black Mirror, the same shape is everywhere. The Netflix series' moniker even stems from the screens and gadgets that we all now filter life through daily and unthinkingly. In Charlie Brooker's (Cunk on Earth) eyes since 2011, however, those ever-present boxes and the technology behind them are far from ace. Instead, befitting a dystopian anthology show that has dripped with existential dread from episode one, and continues to do so in its long-awaited sixth season — which arrived on Thursday, July 15 — those rectangles keep reflecting humanity at its bleakest. Black Mirror as a title has always been devastatingly astute: when we stare at a TV, smartphone, computer or tablet, we access the world yet also reveal ourselves. It might've taken four years to return after 2019's season five, but Brooker's hit still smartly and sharply focuses on the same concern. Indeed, this new must-binge batch of nightmares begins with exactly the satirical hellscape that today's times were bound to inspire. Joan Is Awful, with its AI- and deepfake-fuelled mining of everyday existence for content, almost feels too prescient — a charge a show that's dived into digital resurrections, social scoring systems, killer VR and constant surveillance knows well. Brooker isn't afraid to think bigger and probe deeper in season six, though; to eschew obvious targets like ChatGPT and the pandemic; and to see clearly and unflinchingly that our worst impulses aren't tied to the latest widgets. Taking ripped-from-reality tales to an uncanny extreme, tearing into the obsession to adapt everything into content, exploring the catharsis found and carnage wrought by slipping into avatars: that's all in Black Mirror season six's five instalments. So is the ravenous nature of celebrity culture, plus the apocalyptic path that insular attitudes give rise to. Throw in explosive diarrhoea, Salma Hayek Pinault (Magic Mike's Last Dance) playing herself, the true-crime boom, the savagery of fame, alternate pasts, astronauts and devilish bargains as well, and Brooker has given himself and viewers much to play with. Each chapter, whether focusing on a woman's existence being broadcast to the world or swapping sci-fi for horror in the first-ever Red Mirror instalment, pinballs between chilling and thrilling. Each chapter also knows that no matter whether streaming queues, VHS tapes, human replicas, 00s-era cameras or runic talismen feature, humanity's biggest enemy is itself. Starring Annie Murphy (Kevin Can F**k Himself) as its namesake, Joan Is Awful is the only futuristic story in season six, examining where our current times might lead as Black Mirror long has. After firing a friend, complaining to her therapist about her boyfriend (Avi Nash, Silo) and meeting up with her ex (Rob Delaney, The Power), tech-company CEO Joan gets comfortable on the couch to watch Streamberry's latest wares, only to find that she's the platform's fresh subject (and that Hayek Pinault has stepped into her shoes). The series-within-the-series dramatises her past 24 hours, in fact, and doesn't paint Joan in a positive light. Swiftly, everyone she knows is watching, all taking the on-screen version as gospel. Savvily, the episode interrogates the platforms that Black Mirror and almost every other TV show exist on right now, television's relationship with reality, the incessant quest to thrust ordinary lives into the spotlight and the undervaluing of everyone in the creative industries — which bites hard given the present writers' strike — and it's a cutting and amusing delight. Next comes Loch Henry, which also has the medium of streaming in its sights. Black Mirror has been part of Netflix's stable since 2016, moving to the service after commencing on the UK's Channel 4, but Brooker doesn't let that stop him from digging the show's claws into its funder and home. Initially, the episode's film students Davis (Samuel Blenkin, The Witcher: Blood Origin) and Pia (Myha'la Herrold, Bodies Bodies Bodies) visit the former's sleepy Scottish hometown to make a nature documentary. Then Pia learns about the serial killer who terrorised the scenic locale decades back. Loch Henry doesn't just riff on the prominence of both David Attenborough-style series and headline-driven crime shows, or the fact that the latter can put sensationalist entertainment ahead of the very real victims; it also contemplates how easy it is to conceal one's true self from the world and how empty getting exactly what you've dreamed of can be. In Beyond the Sea, Aaron Paul returns to Black Mirror after first being involved in 2017. Here, it's an alternative 1969, and Cliff (Paul, Westworld) and David (Josh Hartnett, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre) are on a deep-space mission, retaining ties with their families on earth — including Cliff's wife Lana (Kate Mara, Call Jane) — via mechanical doppelgängers that they can port their consciousness into from the heavens above. Brooklyn's John Crowley directs this episode, which proves apt when its retrofuturistic concept plunges into yearning after pivoting on a tragedy and following in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood's footsteps. Black Mirror is rarely light; however, this thoughtfully paced, supremely well-acted chapter takes a particularly grim view of humanity's proclivity for jealousy and spite, and our penchant to use technology to indulge both. With Mazey Day, which shares its title with a starlet (Clara Rugaard, I Am Mother), the series also jumps backwards. This time, it's the mid-00s, Suri Cruise's birth is big news, and Bo (Zazie Beetz, Atlanta) is a paparazzo barely getting by, then quitting after her snaps lead to an actor's demise, then tempted back for a $30,000 payday. Her task: nabbing photos of Mazey, who has disappeared after a hit-and-run incident. Again, this season of Black Mirror carves into the commodification of people as content. Again, it shows that 2023-era devices and anything they evolve into aren't behind this trend. And again, it's both perceptive and surprising — and, although it tells viewers what they already know, that's also Black Mirror's usual remit. While horror bubbles through most Black Mirror episodes, including season six's, Red Mirror debut Demon 79 gives the genre its heartiest embrace yet. It's also the series' 2023 standout, and not just because Anjana Vasan (Killing Eve) and Paapa Essiedu (Men) are each a treat as a shopgirl forced to get murderous and a Boney M-inspired demon, respectively. The year is 1979, Needa (Vasan) sells footwear in a Northern England department store and racism stalks her every move, as does the fomenting political fearmongering sweeping the community. Soon, a Knock at the Cabin-esque scenario arises, with Gaap (Essiedu) giving Needa three days to kill three people or the world will come to a fiery end. As penned by Brooker with Bisha K Ali (Ms Marvel), Demon 79 looks like a video nasty from decades back, and hones on spreading ideas rather than the technology that enables them. But as someone's status quo forever changes in no small part thanks humanity's most atrocious traits, it's still Black Mirror 101. Check out the full trailer for Black Mirror's sixth season below: Black Mirror season six streams via Netflix from Thursday, June 15. Images: Netflix.
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to watching anything, we're here to help. From the latest and greatest to old favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue from January's haul of newbies. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH IN FULL RIGHT NOW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UQamk0b0k8 ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI Pondering the conversations that might've occurred between four pivotal historical figures on one very real evening they spent in each other's company, One Night in Miami boasts the kind of talk-heavy concept that'd clearly work well on the stage. That's where it first began back in 2013 — but adapting theatre pieces for the cinema doesn't always end in success, especially when they primarily involve large swathes of dialogue exchanged in one setting. If Beale Street Could Talk Oscar-winner and Watchmen Emmy-winner Regina King doesn't make a single wrong move here, however. The actor's feature directorial debut proves a film not only of exceptional power and feeling, but of abundant texture and detail as well. It's a movie about people and ideas, including the role the former can play in both bolstering and counteracting the latter, and the Florida-set picture takes as much care with its quartet of protagonists as it does with the matters of race, politics and oppression they talk about. Given the folks involved, there's much to discuss. The film takes place on February 25, 1964, which has become immortalised in history as the night that Cassius Clay (Eli Goree, Riverdale) won his first title fight. Before and after the bout, the future Muhammad Ali hangs out with his equally important pals — activist Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir, High Fidelity), footballer Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge, The Invisible Man) and musician Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr, Hamilton) — with this equally meticulous and moving certain future Oscar-nominee ficitionalising their time together. One Night in Miami is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga0iTWXCGa0 LUPIN Few actors are as charming on-screen as Omar Sy. Ever since the French talent started making a big-screen splash in films such as Micmacs and The Intouchables, he has been a delight to watch. Consequently, the Mood Indigo, X-Men: Days of Future Past and Jurassic World star couldn't be better cast in Lupin — the Paris-set mystery-thriller series inspired by Maurice Leblanc's 1907–36 novels and novellas about the fictional gentleman thief of the same name. Sy plays Assane Diop, who is first introduced as a cleaner working at the Louvre. In flashbacks to recent events and to the character's childhood, viewers learn just why he's at the famous museum, and what has inspired his life of crime as well. The son of a Senegalese immigrant (Fargass Assandé, Eye of the Storm) who once worked for the wealthy Pellegrini family, Assane has a complicated history, plus a mystery to solve, Marie Antoinette's diamond necklace to steal and vengeance to exact. Each chapter of his on-screen tale is slick, engrossing and swiftly-paced, as all heist and espionage affairs should be. Based on his engaging performance, they should probably all star Sy, too. Also influential here, though, is filmmaker Louis Leterrier. His resume has more misses than hits, spanning the first two Transporter movies, The Incredible Hulk, Clash of the Titans, Now You See Me and Grimsby, but he brings a deft touch to this series — as he did to the vastly dissimilar The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Lupin's first five episodes — which comprise the first of the series' two parts — are available to stream via Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uC7_PFQgCc THE QUEEN OF BLACK MAGIC Remaking the 1981 film of the same name, Indonesian horror movie The Queen of Black Magic takes three men back to the remote orphanage they grew up in. Naturally given the setup and the genre, more than just memories await. Friends Hanif (Ario Bayu, The Bridge), Anton (Tanta Ginting, Hit & Run) and Jefri (Miller Khan, Foxtrot Six) all return to pay their respects to the man who raised them, the ailing Mr Bani (Yayu AW Unru, Brata), and they've each brought their families and spouses along — but when they arrive at the facility, there's no mistaking the eerie feeling that permeates. Hanif, his wife Nadya (Hannah Al Rashid, The Night Comes for Us) and their three children are already a little rattled after an incident during their drive. Soon, the kids are exploring the property and unearthing secrets that have long haunted their father and his pals. Just as swiftly, filmmaker Kimo Stamboel demonstrates that he isn't going to hold back on the bumps, jumps or gore, although fans of his work as part of the Mo Brothers — including Macabre, Killers and Headshot — won't be surprised by his unflinching approach. The writer/director of Satan's Slaves and Impetigore, screenwriter Joko Anwar also helps shape a picture that leans on more than a few horror tropes, but never feels like a by-the-numbers haunted house movie. And, if you'd like to compare it to the original, that's joining this new version on Shudder as well (with the current flick available now, and the initial film arriving on the platform in February). The Queen of Black Magic is available to stream via Shudder. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqT77bdfEaA HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY: THE REN & STIMPY STORY When August 2021 rolls around, it'll mark 30 years since a psychotic chihuahua and a kindly cat first brought their chaos to the small screen and changed the way people think about Nickelodeon's animated shows. At the time, there was simply nothing like The Ren & Stimpy Show — and that applies to its dark humour, willingness to shock and often grotesquely detailed visuals, as well as its characters, storylines and jokes. The 52-episode show also proved immensely influential. Without it, SpongeBob SquarePants probably wouldn't exist, in fact. But the history of Ren & Stimpy is filled with both highs and lows, as documentary Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story explores. More than just a nostalgic look back, this chronicle by first-time directors Ron Cicero and Kimo Easterwood covers the series' origins, evolution and success, as well as its behind-the-scenes struggles and eventual demise. It chats with the folks who made it happen to examine why it struck such a chord, and to also make plain the reality of making such a hit. And, it doesn't shy away from the accusations levelled at John Kricfalusi, Ren & Stimpy's creator and the voice of Ren, including not only the difficult working environment that sprang under his watch, but the allegations of sexual abuse and grooming that came to light in 2018. Indeed, the latter could fuel its documentary, but here it adds another layer to the tale of a TV show unlike anything else, and the ego that both made it happen and caused its downfall. Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story is available to stream via Docplay. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XByiHpUvrj0 THE HISTORY OF SWEAR WORDS Listening to Nicolas Cage utter profanity is a beautiful thing. Witnessing him on-screen always earns that description, of course. Whether he's running maniacally through the streets because his character is convinced he's a vampire, or he's flirting with subtlety while also playing identical siblings, he's a pleasure to behold — which is why Netflix's decision to task cinema's undeniable king of the unhinged with hosting The History of Swear Words is a smart moves. He opens and closes each episode, and pops up intermittently as an array of comedians and language experts offer their thoughts. He doesn't appear as often everyone watching would like, but he's the comedy series' best feature. He screams "fuck" like no one else, makes jokes about his career, and paints in front of a picture of a peach that nods to Face/Off and one of the most outlandish scenes he's ever been in, too. Without him, The History of Swear Words would've been interesting, rather than entertaining. The fact that it sticks to a very brief exploration of its selected curse words (fuck, shit, bitch, dick, pussy and damn) would've been more obvious. But Cage makes the show as delightful as it can be in its chosen form, even as viewers are left wanting more not only from him, but from the series' examination of profane terms. Of course, deploying The Wire and Da 5 Bloods' Isiah Whitlock Jr. on one specific episode is a pitch-perfect move as well. The first season of The History of Swear Words is available to stream via Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiTFFr5PTJk BUMP Thanks to The Secret Life of Us, Love My Way, Spirited, Puberty Blues and The Time of Our Lives, Australian TV hasn't lacked Claudia Karvan's presence over the past two decades. Bump joins them, with Karvan co-creating, co-producing and also co-starring as schoolteacher Angie Davis. The narrative focuses on Angie's teenage daughter Oly (Nathalie Morris, Black Christmas), though. An overachiever attacking Year 11 with gusto and dreaming of a career working for the United Nations, Oly isn't sure what's going on when she starts feeling pangs of pain one morning; however, after throwing up in the school toilets and being taken to hospital via ambulance, she's soon a mother to the baby she didn't even know she was expecting. That all happens in Bump's first episode, with the Stan series' ten-part first season then charting the aftermath — including the massive changes to Oly's life, to Angie and her estranged husband Dom's (Angus Sampson, No Activity), and to Oly's brooding classmate Santi Hernandez's (Carlos Sanson, Little Monsters) as well. Set in Sydney's inner west, filled with characters who actually act and talk like teens, and offering a refreshingly multicultural view of Australia, Bump finds time for both big and small moments. It doesn't shy away from melodramatic plot developments, but it's also filled with complex, well-written and excellently performed characters, Oly and Angie especially. And, it'll fill the Heartbreak High-sized hole in your life before the new version hits. Karvan did star in The Heartbreak Kid, the movie that series was spun off from, after all. The first season of Bump is available to stream via Stan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGdcTUMGxB0 THE RENTAL If you've ever felt a little unsettled upon checking into a holiday property, Dave Franco and Joe Swanberg understand. The Bad Neighbours, Nerve and The Disaster Artist actor turns filmmaker for the first time with The Rental, co-writing the script with Drinking Buddies, Win It All and Easy director Swanberg — and the horror-thriller that results preys upon the uneasy suspicion that we could be under surveillance when we pay to stay in someone else's house. Charlie (Dan Stevens, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga), his wife Michelle (Alison Brie, Happiest Season), his brother Josh (Jeremy Allen White, Shameless), and his business parter and Josh's girlfriend Mina (Sheila Vand, Snowpiercer) all decide to head to a picturesque seaside spot for a weekend getaway. Searching online, they find what seems like the perfect place; however, upon arrival, Mina is quickly creeped out by Taylor (Toby Huss, Halloween), the house's caretaker. The vacation goes downhill from there, not only due to Mina's lingering anxiety about their remote abode, but because the two couples' underlying struggles are thrust out into the open. Unpacking the situation, Franco doesn't always find the best balance between the narrative's horror story and its relationship dramas, but he could've focused the film on either element and it still would've proven engaging. The excellent cast help immensely, and so does the commitment all-round to ensuring this isn't just a cookie-cutter cabin-in-the-woods effort. The Rental is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video. NEW AND RETURNING SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBhlqe2OTt4&t=19s WANDAVISION From Iron Man to Spider-Man: Far From Home, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has notched up 23 big-screen instalments in its 13 years so far, firmly establishing a franchise template in the process. The characters in the spotlight change from film to film, but a clear formula is at work — which is why the mould-breaking goofiness of the Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy movies (Thor: Ragnarok especially) has stood out. New Disney+ series WandaVision also sits apart from the crowd. It's Marvel's biggest swing so far, in fact. It's also the company's first TV show from a hefty upcoming roster of series about characters already established in the MCU (including Loki, Falcon, the Winter Soldier and Hawkeye), and it relies upon viewers knowing Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen, Sorry for Your Loss) and Vision's (Paul Bettany, Solo: A Star Wars Story) history; however, its eagerness to do something different is worth applauding. Set after the events of Avengers: Endgame, it follows its titular couple in their home life. Just how it's able to do that given details already established in the MCU is one of its mysteries. So is the reason behind its approach, with the show aping classic sitcoms such as Leave It to Beaver, Bewitched and The Brady Bunch, as well as the involvement of Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris, If Beale Street Could Talk), daughter of Captain Marvel's Air Force pilot Maria Rambeau. So far, WandaVision doesn't always hit its marks — in fact, despite Olsen, Bettany and Kathryn Hahn's (I Know This Much Is True) comic performances, it can be inescapably clunky — but it keeps its audience not only intrigued and invested, but guessing. The first four episodes of WandaVision's first season are available to stream via Disney+, with new episodes releasing each Friday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FGq5rZi1Pc SERVANT In its first season, which debuted in 2019, psychological horror series Servant introduced a distinctively disquieting scenario. Philadelphia newsreader Dorothy Turner (Lauren Ambrose, Six Feet Under) and her chef husband Sean (Toby Kebbell, Bloodshot) hire teenage nanny Leanne Grayson (Nell Tiger Free, Game of Thrones) to move in and care for their baby son Jericho — but she's really looking after a doll that Sean has been using to replace the infant, after the boy died at 13 weeks old and Dorothy couldn't cope. That's just Servant's setup, too. Initially, it gets its tension from the efforts by Sean, Leanne and Dorothy's brother Julian (Harry Potter's Rupert Grint) to maintain their ruse, and it makes ample use of the concept. Then Leanne's past comes into play, and the show shifts in different narrative directions while also maintaining its focus on grief, secrets, unhealthy family bonds and the way that darkness can fester in close quarters. M Night Shyamalan is the show's executive producer and has directed multiple episodes, but the series takes far more time to explore its creepy tale — and its sprawling claustrophobic brownstone setting — than Shyamalan's twist-heavy features. Servant's just-started second season picks up where it first left off and continues in the same engrossing fashion, all while investigating mysteries old and new. Its first two episodes also benefit from the work of Raw filmmaker Julia Ducournau behind the lens, while Ishana Night Shyamalan keeps things in the family by following her dad into the director's chair on a couple of episodes as well. The first three episodes of Servant's second season are available to stream via Apple TV+, with new episodes releasing each Friday. CULT CLASSICS TO REVISIT AND REDISCOVER https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFHjOfgMstE DINOSAURS Sometimes, sitcoms about families unfurl their tales via animation, as seen in everything from The Flintstones and The Jetsons to The Simpsons and Bob's Burgers. More frequently, they fall into the live-action category, which the likes of Family Ties, Full House, Fresh Off the Boat and Modern Family can all attest. But only one family-focused TV sitcom in the television history has focused on animatronic dinosaurs. That'd be Dinosaurs, of course. The big early-90s hit is set 60,000,003 years BCE, when earth was home to the supercontinent Pangaea, and it follows the day-to-day lives of the Sinclair family. Patriarch Earl works as a tree pusher for the Wesayso Corporation, which gives you an idea of the show's satirical leanings. His youngest son Baby spouts catchphrases like "not the mama" and "I'm the baby, gotta love me", which is indicative of the series' broad humour and easy gags. The whole concept was conceived by Jim Henson, his company also produced it, and it was as kooky when it first hit screens as it now sounds. It's also a show that everyone who was a kid in the 90s has strong memories of, and it has quite the finale. And, although your much-younger self couldn't have known all that time ago, Dinosaurs also sees Jessica Walter voice one of her many TV matriarchs — before fellow family-focused sitcom Arrested Development and spy spoof Archer, that is. All four seasons of Dinosaurs are available to stream via Disney+. Images: The History of Swear Words, Adam Rose/Netflix; Lupin, Emmanuel Guimier/Netflix.
Ask a bunch of Melburnians what they know about South Gippsland, and we bet the majority will mention Wilsons Promontory. While it's true that it's the gateway to the stunning national park on the southernmost tip of mainland Australia, there is much more to this area to be uncovered. And now is the best time to do so. With fewer international travellers passing through to get to the beautiful beaches, secluded campsites and coastal hikes outside of summer, the 40 or so towns that make up South Gippsland are primed for a slow-paced getaway with your mates or special someone. Choose to carve out a few days to hop between the various villages — filling your itinerary with plenty of food, outdoor and cultural experiences along the way — or settle on one cosy hamlet to call home temporarily. Here are nine villages to get you started. Some places mentioned may operating differently due to restrictions related to COVID-19, so check websites before making any plans. [caption id="attachment_776372" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Olive at Loch, Nicky Cawood[/caption] LOCH One of the first towns you'll hit on your drive down the South Gippsland Highway is Loch, based about 100 kilometres from Melbourne CBD. Make your first stop brunch at a local favourite, Olive at Loch. Here, you can tuck into handmade pies, tarts and fruity scones, then browse through the eclectic yet chic homewares and gifts. Or head to Udder and Hoe, a beautiful cafe and pantry that celebrates local organic produce. This is one of two outposts for the business — you'll find the original in Kilcunda. Browse through the range of locally made goods, including fresh sourdough, preserves, oils, sauces and bulk grains, then sample some of the fresh produce at the cafe. Afterwards, pop across the road to Loch Brewery and Distillery. Fuelled by a love of whisky, owners Craig Johnson and Mel Davies launched the business in 2014, brewing traditional British-style ales and stouts while the whisky maturation was underway. Nowadays, you can visit the cellar door to sample both its brews and whisky, plus a range of gins and vodka, too. If you're not keen to hit the road again after your brewery visit, plan to stay at Loch Paper Scissors. This sweet weatherboard cottage sleeps up to eight guests and has a kitchen garden (which you're welcome to utilise), plus a fireplace, clawfoot tub, outdoor woodfired oven and fire pit. [caption id="attachment_775432" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Borough Department Store, Visit Victoria[/caption] KORUMBURRA Next up, let your stomach lead you to Korumburra. This historic coal mining town is now a prosperous agricultural hub with lush rolling hills providing the perfect setting for dairy farming. Reap the tasty rewards at Prom Country Cheese, a farm and cheesery overlooking Moyarra Valley, just outside of Korumburra. The farm is open on weekends from 10am–4pm for visitors to watch cheese being made with milk from the farm's own ewes and neighbouring dairy Wattlebank Park Farm's cows. Then, taste some of the creamy delights — the cheesemaker's choice plate is just a tenner. It's currently closed for renovations, so check the website before visiting. Later, enjoy a brew at sustainable microbrewery Burra Brewing Co, or head to Djinta Djinta Winery to sample its cool climate wines. Spend the night at Citrus Grove, an eco-friendly, three-bedroom retreat set on a ten-acre property. The next morning, make tracks to The Borough Department Store. This beautiful space, with high ceilings and plenty of natural light, is a must-visit for hearty brunches, tasty cakes and pastries, fresh flowers and, at its weekly farmers market, fresh local produce. [caption id="attachment_775441" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Forage and Grind[/caption] LEONGATHA Considered the commercial hub of South Gippsland, Leongatha offers more of a bustling country town vibe than some of the other sleepier villages. It also marks the start of the 72-kilometre Great Southern Rail Trail, which is a popular cycling track that passes through lowland forest, wetlands and other regional villages to end in Port Welshpool. If you plan on conquering some or all of it on two wheels (or two legs), have a hearty feed beforehand at The Rusty Windmill. Tuck into one of its handmade pies or savoury rolls, and grab a muffin for the road (well, the trail). Reward your efforts in the afternoon with a visit to Lucinda Estate Winery. Sip on the winery's fruity pinot noir or Gippsland Cider Co cider (which is also made on-site) while grazing on local produce, including polish sausages, persian feta, Fish Creek olives and house-made baba ganoush. Spend the night at four-star boutique hotel Alkira, then hit up Forage and Grind before you leave town. This sweet little eatery serves hearty salads, smoothies and cakes, plus bunches of native blooms. MIRBOO NORTH Cycling and hiking enthusiasts are also encouraged to hit up Mirboo North, about 20 minutes northeast of Leongatha. Set within the Strzelecki Ranges, Mirboo North is the starting point of the 13-kilometre Grand Ridge Rail Trail. If you're short on time, opt for the Lyrebird Forest Walk instead for an easy 1.5-hour walk through native forest. Rest your weary legs in front of the fireplace or on the balcony overlooking the rolling hills at Loves Lane Cottages. In the morning, hit up Lamezleighs for coffee by Melbourne roastery Zest, halloumi burgers, smoothie bowls and more. Mirboo North also marks the halfway point on the Grand Ridge Road, one of Victoria's most popular scenic drives. KOONWARRA Right in the heart of South Gippsland, you'll find Koonwarra, a tiny hamlet with a population of just 404 at the last census. Koonwarra's big claim to fame is its passion for sustainability — it claims to be the first 'Waste Wise' village in Australia, is plastic bag free and is home to the Koonwarra Sustainable Communities Centre, which develops resources for environmental education. You can see it in practice at Paddlewheel, a farmers market store specialising in certified organic, bio-dynamic produce. Then, pop into The Ethical Food Store next door for coffee and a locally baked treat or a leisurely long lunch. Afterwards, pop into Valley Plains Pottery studio to pick up some of Zak Chalmers' beautiful ceramic wares at wholesale prices or chat to him about designing a custom piece. Or, keep an eye on the website for upcoming full-day ceramic workshops if you're keen to get your hands dirty. [caption id="attachment_775447" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ross Farm, Visit Victoria[/caption] MEENIYAN Meeniyan is another picturesque village in South Gippsland with plenty to offer visitors — particularly if you're hungry. The Meeniyan Pantry and Cellar is, as the name suggests, the place to visit for artisanal pantry items, meats, fresh bread, marinades and local and imported beer and wine. Treat your sweet tooth to a visit to Blue Tree Honey Farm's farmgate store for locally made preserves and pure honey. For more Gippsland-made goods — including Loch Brewery beers, Prom Country Cheese, natural skincare and fresh produce — visit The Meeniyan Store. Visiting Trulli for belly-warming feed is a must while in Meeniyan. If you're there for lunch, order a bunch of woodfired pizzas to share, but save room for dessert — it makes its gelato and sorbet in-house. Come dinnertime, the newly revamped restaurant offers a set menu of regional Italian dishes prepared with local produce. Spend the night just out of town at Ross Farm, a cosy and beautifully styled cabin boasting views over Tarwin Valley, a veggie garden and a Japanese-style wooden bath. [caption id="attachment_775862" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gurneys Cider, Visit Victoria[/caption] FOSTER From Meeniyan, you have the choice to veer off onto Meeniyan-Promontory Road to Wilsons Prom, or continue along the South Gippsland Highway. Opt for the latter and, about 20 minutes later, you'll reach Foster. One of the biggest drawcards of this town is Gurneys. This family-run cidery and cellar door serves up a range of ciders from a classic dry style to more experimental drops — think rosemary and grapefruit sour wild cider. You can enjoy your chosen bev with one of the cellar door's cheese and meat platters, which utilise produce from within a 40-kilometre radius of the venue. Keen to spend the night? Nab a room at the Prom Country Lodge. [caption id="attachment_776383" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Fish Creek Hotel, Visit Victoria[/caption] FISH CREEK Food and drink experiences (and the occasional outdoor jaunt) have hogged the South Gippsland spotlight up until this point. But that changes once you reach Fish Creek. This small township is renowned for its high concentration of art galleries, so if you're after a dose of culture and creativity, this is where to head. Take yourself on a little DIY gallery hop, starting at Gecko Studio Gallery, which exhibits works by dozens of contemporary Aussie artists. Be sure to hit woodwork shop Ride the Wild Goat, renowned botanical artist Celia Rosser's gallery and children's authors and illustrators Roland Harvey and Alison Lester's spaces. Back to eating and drinking (hey, you've gotta eat at some point), The Fish Creek Hotel is a popular destination for its art deco design and tasty pub grub. And Waratah Hills Vineyard's cellar door is a worthy lunch spot with share-style platters available to enjoy with a glass of single vineyard pinot noir or chardonnay. And if you're looking for a little indulgence, a stay at the stately Church House is a must. This boutique property, which was built with structural remains of the dismantled St George Anglican Church in Royal Park Melbourne, is quite the visual feast — from its vaulted ceilings and antique decor to the arched windows that overlook the rolling hills of the 20-acre property and beyond. [caption id="attachment_775449" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jorge Láscar, Flickr[/caption] WALKERVILLE You've finally reached the coast. The tiny seaside village of Walkerville offers stunning views of Wilsons Prom across Waratah Bay. It's pretty secluded, so if a respite from the city is what you're after, Walkerville will provide it. In the early 20th century, the town was mined heavily for lime, and you can see the remains of the old kilns, plus the historic cemetery, on the Limeburners Walk — it only takes about 20 minutes each way. Also reserve some time to visit the Cape Liptrap Lighthouse, which was built in 1951. If you're keen to hang around, book one of the villas or self-contained cottages at Prom Coast Holiday Lodge. Find more spots to visit in Gippsland and start planning your trip here. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy. Top image: Olive at Loch, Nicky Cawood
Your dreams of ditching the slow peak-hour crawl for a quick flight through the skies could very soon become a reality, with Uber today announcing Melbourne as its third — and first international — trial city for Uber aircrafts. Having already flagged the US's Dallas and Los Angeles as launch cities for its new flying service, dubbed the Uber Elevate project, and after some speculation last year, the ride share company has now confirmed it'll also start testing in Melbourne in 2020. If these trials are a success, we should see regular services start from 2023. The all-electric Uber Airs will operate a little like helicopters (but 32 times less noisy, supposedly) with the 'electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles' (eVTOLs) using helipad-style 'Skyports' located on high rooftops at key points around the city. As the company has just announced it'll be teaming up with the Scentre Group (owners of Westfield), expect a lot of these to be located atop shopping centres. And at Melbourne Airport, thankfully. Uber has announced it'll be continuing its partnership with the airport for the new venture — which will most likely launch before construction even begins on the long-awaited airport rail. At least there'll be one fast way to get to the airport. While a car ride from the CBD to the Melbourne can currently take anywhere from 25 minutes to an hour, Uber is promising that its Uber Air will only take about ten minutes. [caption id="attachment_725578" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Skyport[/caption] By taking travel to the air, the company is hoping to "open up urban air mobility and help alleviate transport congestion on the ground". Passengers will be able to tee up a flight in the same way they order a car, with a push of the button, and hopefully it'll be just as cheap. While the company has not announced how much it'll cost initially, it has said that an Uber Air will eventually be as cheap as taking an Uber X ride of the same distance. While this all sounds a bit too good to be true, we do hope we'll be Jetsons-ing around the city for pittance soon. Uber Elevate will start tests in Melbourne by 2020 with regular services kicking off in 2023. To read more about the program, head to the Uber website.
Breaking away from the daily city grind is always a good idea. And getting your heart rate up while you explore regional areas is a top-notch way to do so. This doesn't mean you need to go a country mile to find some awesome mountain walks near Melbourne, though. Luckily for us, there are loads of trails not far from the city that can easily be completed within a day. Whether you're scaling jagged mountaintops or coastal trails, you'll be on top of the world when you reach the summit. Read on to find some of the very best mountain walks near Melbourne, where you'll find the most rewarding views throughout the hike. Recommended reads: The Best Coastal Walks Near Melbourne The Best One-Day Hikes Near Melbourne The Best Walks Around Metro Melbourne The Best Bike Rides in and Around Melbourne WERRIBEE GORGE CIRCUIT WALK Situated 65 kilometres west of Melbourne, the Werribee Gorge Circuit Walk is barely outside the city and can easily be finished with time left over to enjoy the rest of the day. The Victorian hike is ideal for those looking for a bit of a challenge with their fresh air. This mountain walk is an 8.5-kilometre circuit and should take around four hours to complete at a reasonable pace, including a few water breaks. The surface ranges from loose stones to sand, and has a few passes where you'll need to navigate your way using fixed ropes or scramble up some rock faces. You can approach the circuit in any direction, but as the trail is prone to flooding it's best to avoid going after heavy rain. [caption id="attachment_711282" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] James Walsh via Flickr[/caption] IRONBARK BASIN WALK Stretching for about eight kilometres between Bells Beach and Point Addis, the Ironbark Basin Walk is an inland adventure that includes beachfront sections, ocean views and sheltered forest. This relatively easy hike near Melbourne is based within the Great Otway National Park and features many of the natural highlights that the region is renowned for. It's also likely that you'll come across local fauna on your travels, including reptiles, native birdlife and even echidnas. Some of the most stunning views here are found at the Point Addis end, where three separate lookouts offer panoramic ocean views. In addition, the Ironbark Basin Walk highlights some compelling local history with the added Koorie Cultural Walk. The two-kilometre walking trail near Melbourne takes an hour and it provides insight into how the Wathaurong peoples lived here for thousands of years. [caption id="attachment_711285" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Larry Koester via Flickr[/caption] BUSHRANGERS BAY WALKING TRACK Head 90 minutes out of Melbourne and you'll find yourself at Bushrangers Bay, one of the many stunning inlets along Cape Schanck on the Mornington Peninsula. And by taking a stroll down the Bushrangers Bay Walking Track, you'll get to survey the pristine beauty of the entire area. Featuring towering basalt cliffs and kilometres of wind-blasted coastal shrubbery, the landscape here has been punished over the years. But, fortunately, the 2.6-kilometre walk itself is rather easy, with a well-defined path winding its way along the cliff tops before arriving at the beachfront. While going for a swim here is a tempting prospect, keep in mind that the area is not patrolled and it's renowned for its perilous waves. It's recommended to only swim during low tide, so finish the mountain hike near Melbourne with time to spare and get the most out of your day. [caption id="attachment_657098" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Visit Victoria[/caption] CATHEDRAL RANGE SOUTHERN CIRCUIT Like most of the Cathedral Ranges, the Southern Circuit walk is hilly, rocky and very beautiful. If you're up for a challenge with stunning rewards, head here to get a glimpse of the sprawling state park and landscape below. Located a two-hour drive from Melbourne, this Victorian mountain hike features steep outcrops, rigid caves and some precarious exposed hillside shelves. But if you decide to take on this 11-kilometre circuit, you'll soon discover that the region's wonderful vistas are pretty hard to beat. Just a few highlights include Wells Cave, the Razorback and Sugarloaf Peak, which, once you reach the summit, will provide you with 360-degree views of the entire valley below. This Victorian hike is definitely a trek for the more experienced adventurer. Before you venture out, check the Parks Victoria website for any local trail closures. YOU YANGS PEAK CIRCUIT The You Yangs Peaks Circuit is one of the more challenging Victorian hikes on this list — hikers not only need to be fit enough to reach the peak, but also require some basic off-track navigating skills to get there. Still, for those after a proper hiking challenge, this 12.8-kilometre, four-hour hike is a must-visit within a drivable distance of Melbourne. Leaving from the Turntable car park, hikers begin by climbing 450 steps to Flinders Peak, where views across You Yangs National Park and the distant landscape await as an early reward. But from here, things get a little bit more difficult as you head off-trail on your way to the summit. For those after a real nature challenge, expect a wealth of rock hopping and even some unassisted climbing to reach the top. But don't stress — if it all becomes a bit much, there are alternative routes you can take to avoid the more difficult sections. Top image: Cathedral Range State Park by Robert Blackburn via Visit Victoria
In 2025, wellness is no longer confined to day spas, gyms and yoga studios. With the rise of health clubs that combine every facet of wellness under one roof, self-care is becoming as much about who you do it with as how you do it. You can now head to a holistic wellness hang-out with your coworking colleagues, or flex your membership to an exclusive private club. Now, a 5000-square-foot destination in Eltham is joining the fray in October — and it's bringing a fresh take onto the scene. Gut health gets top billing here — THERAPY's sprawling 60-seater cafe and restaurant isn't your average whole foods spot. The menu ticks the boxes (hormone- and blood sugar-balancing meals with all the nutrient groups, plus all the "-free" options you can think of), but it's the mealtime rituals that make it interesting. Kick off with an extra-virgin olive oil shot — great for antioxidant intake and even better for the beneficial gut bugs. Or sneak in some hydrogen therapy and Pulsett vagus nerve stimulation between bites, so you'll leave not just well-fed, but also destressed, recovered, digested and in a very good mood. For a quick sip, there are smoothies, fatigue-fighting adaptogen elixirs or tea blends promising more than hydration. The onboarding process at THERAPY is more than just a tour of its state-of-the-art facilities. Set time aside for a detailed Brain-Body diagnostic that produces a personalised treatment plan tailored to each guest's current needs. For example, a prescription for digestion issues might be a signature 12-week Nervous System Reset designed to get your gut-brain connection back on track. Plans at THERAPY will also include serious mental and spiritual wellness services like psychology, EMDR therapy, cognitive training, sound healing and more — alongside fun recovery treatments like cryotherapy, infrared saunas, hyperbaric oxygen and IV drips. When you're not in one of the 14 service rooms (and counting) getting pampered, sink into one of the plush lounge areas or check the board for activities. It's not all small talk here — the centre also hosts wellness circles, guest speaker events and evening book club dinners to round out the week. THERAPY is set to open in October, and you can find out more about what the wellness centre will offer via the website. Images: Supplied.
When it comes to art exhibitions, second chances aren't common. A big-name showcase may display at several places around the world, but it doesn't often hit the same venue twice. French Impressionism is about to become an exception, then, when it returns to the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne in 2025 after initially gracing the institution's walls in 2021. When it was first announced for that debut Australian run, French Impressionism was set to be a blockbuster exhibition — and with 100-plus works featuring, including by Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt and more, it's easy to understand why. But 2021 wasn't an ordinary year, like 2020 before it. Accordingly, when this showcase of masterpieces on loan from Boston's renowned Museum of Fine Arts opened Down Under, it was forced to close shortly afterwards due to the pandemic. [caption id="attachment_977038" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Camille Pissarro, French (born in the Danish West Indies), 1830–1903, Spring pasture, 1889, oil on canvas, 60 x 73.7 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Deposited by the Trustees of the White Fund, Lawrence, Massachusetts, Photography © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. All Rights Reserved.[/caption] Cue another season in this part of the world four years later, thankfully, with French Impressionism returning to NGV International from Friday, June 6–Sunday, October 5, 2025. This is one of the largest collections of the eponymous art movement to ever make its way to Australia, complete with works that've never been seen here before. The exhibition's Australian comeback is the result of "long dialogue and negotiation with the MFA Boston", Dr Ted Gott, NGV's Senior Curator of International Art, tells Concrete Playground. "I think both parties, the NGV and the MFA, realised what a tragedy it was that this fantastic show closed after just a few weeks in 2021 due to COVID." [caption id="attachment_977037" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French, 1841–1919, Woman with a parasol and small child on a sunlit hillside, c. 1874–76, oil on canvas, 47.0 x 56.2 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Bequest of John T. Spaulding Photography © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. All Rights Reserved.[/caption] "It's just extraordinary that it was sort of stuck here in aspic for months with the doors locked, because COVID also froze all the flights, so it couldn't go back automatically. So we had this bizarre situation where the whole exhibition was sealed up inside the NGV, and not even staff were allowed in to have a look at it," Gott continues. "Those who saw it in those first few weeks were amazed, and word of mouth got out very quickly that it was an extraordinary show, so we had really good numbers for those first few weeks." [caption id="attachment_977035" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Claude Monet, French, 1840–1926, Grand Canal, Venice, 1908, oil on canvas, 73.7 x 92.4 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Bequest of Alexander Cochrane Photography © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. All Rights Reserved.[/caption] Again part of the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition series, French Impressionism isn't short on gems, especially given the array of artists with pieces on display, which also includes Camille Pissarro and Berthe Morisot. But one certain must-see is the presentation of 16 Monet pieces in one gallery, all in a curved display to close out the showcase — and focusing of his scenes of nature in Argenteuil, the Normandy coast and the Mediterranean coast, as well as his Giverny garden. In total, there's 19 Monet works in French Impressionism from the Museum of Fine Arts' collection (Water Lilies among them), and that still leaves the US gallery almost as many to display in Boston. Another section digs into early works by Monet and his predecessors, such as Eugène Boudin — and Renoir and Pissarro's careers also get the in-depth treatment. As the exhibition charts French impressionism's path across the late-19th century, visitors will enjoy three never-before-seen-in-Australia pieces, with Victorine Meurent's Self-portrait one of them. Ten-plus Degas works, as well as two pieces that were part of the very first exhibition of French Impressionism that took place in 1874, also feature. [caption id="attachment_977042" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Claude Monet, French, 1840–1926, Water lilies, 1905, oil on canvas, 89.5 x 100.3 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Gift of Edward Jackson Holmes Photography © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. All Rights Reserved.[/caption] "People just feel excited and uplifted when they look at a glorious impressionist painting, and I think that's why they haven't lost their perennial fascination and value," notes Gott. If you made it along to the showcase's first trip Down Under, you will notice changes, with the exhibition design reimagined for its latest presentation. "I'm sure that those who saw it in 2021 will come back again, and we want them to have a completely different experience. Also, we just didn't want to do the same thing. That's too easy," says Gott. "So we've completely reimagined the design of the show, and also the catalogue has been redesigned. So it'll be completely fresh, and the design is going to be absolutely sumptuous — and that will also make people feel warm and fuzzy inside." [caption id="attachment_977040" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Vincent van Gogh, Dutch (worked in France), 1853–90, Houses at Auvers, 1890, oil on canvas, 75.6 x 61.9 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Bequest of John T. Spaulding Photography © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. All Rights Reserved.[/caption] French Impressionism will display at NGV International, St Kilda Road, Melbourne, from Friday, June 6–Sunday, October 5, 2025. Head to the NGV website for more details and tickets. Top image: excerpt of Claude Monet, French, 1840–1926, Grand Canal, Venice, 1908, oil on canvas, 73.7 x 92.4 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Bequest of Alexander Cochrane Photography © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. All Rights Reserved.
Filling the shoes of now-closed CBD institution Ezard, is the first Melbourne outpost of Sydney's much-loved Mediterranean restaurant Nomad. Owners Rebecca and Al Yazbek have transformed the Adelphi Hotel's lower ground floor into Nomad's new 100-seat southern iteration, replicating the ethos of the original, while championing a whole new menu filled with local produce. Celebrated executive chef Jacqui Challinor has been working closely with Nomad Melbourne's new head chef Brendan Katich (Gingerboy, Ezard) to develop the eatery's signature offering, centred around house-made cheese and charcuterie (think, duck mortadella and trout basturma), and the kitchen's prized wood-fired oven. Fans will find just a handful of menu mainstays, backed by a lineup of brand new dishes, with plenty of locally-sourced meat and veggies cooked over flames among the mix. You're in for plates like baked jersey milk ricotta with ortiz anchovies and fire-roasted peppers, barbecued spatchcock finished with harissa and toum (Lebanese garlic sauce), and the dry-aged pork cutlet teamed with a salsa of golden raisins and capers. Dessert might see you tucking into wood-roasted pineapple cake elevated with yoghurt sorbet and rose el hanout. Otherwise, the $95 feasting menu features a generous parade of nine dishes to share. A sprawling wine list focuses on homegrown drops, with Victorian wineries and smaller producers given lots of love. And an extensive all-Aussie pouring list will rotate regularly, offering the chance to sample new wines with every visit, including premium creations served via Coravin. [caption id="attachment_832917" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sharyn Cairns[/caption] Top Images: Interiors, Sharyn Cairns
As the sun sets, the orange glow emanating from the unassuming facade of Carnation Canteen on a tucked-away corner in Fitzroy draws you in like a moth to a lantern. It's enticing and warm, and feels like an intimate and chic dinner party you're so grateful to have been invited to. Carnation Canteen is a pink-pastel-hued, petite and charming neighbourhood bistro owned by Head Chef Audrey Shaw and her husband, Alexander Di Stefano. The loosely Mediterranean menu is strictly seasonal and changes weekly. Shaw's approach to cooking is intuitive and produce-led, driven by her close relationships with suppliers and growers who share her ethos towards food. The alluring handwritten menus deliver a selection of ever-changing snacky nibbles, food that mandates another glass of wine. You'll find something intriguing sitting atop charry toast, whether it's braised leeks with pistachios, tuna crudo with prosciutto butter, or olive tapenade crostini primed for scooping fresh buffalo ricotta. There will likely be thinly sliced meats such as San Danielle Prosciutto with pear, veal girello with tuna sauce, or Jamon Iberico with hazelnuts and dates. More substantial dishes may be along the lines of pork and fennel sausages atop braised lentils with parsley and mustard sauce, charcoal grilled chicken with yoghurt and pepperonata, or roast pork with prunes and pistachio. In her former life, Shaw's creativity was channelled through her career as an architect. So of course, she lent her architect's hand to designing the space, cleverly making the most of its svelte size. Carnation Canteen is imbued with character, with layered, cracking paint on the walls juxtaposed with fresh flowers atop an enviable pink marble bar that grounds the space. Glowy lamps give off a romantic and dreamy feel and make you want to stay for another drink and something sweet — usually something rich and chocolatey, such as semifreddo with fudge sauce, or profiterole with chocolate sauce (always using Melbourne-made, organic Huntered+Gathered chocolate). The warm welcome Carnation Canteen received from the very beginning is the result of hands-on hard work, perseverance, and an unwavering dedication to quality — both in terms of food and service. Shaw's confidence in her produce and skills in creating considered dishes make this the kind of restaurant you'd feel smug showing off to an out-of-towner. Carnation Canteen exudes the essence of unpretentious yet exceptional dining, reminding Melburnians how lucky we are to have restaurants like this at our fingertips. Images: Coco and Maximillion.
Most Melbourne rooftop bars aim to conquer the summer, rolling back the awnings to serve spritzes and pét-nats in the blistering sunshine. Sadly, these bars tend to empty out once winter trickles in and the days get shorter. But Santana, the rooftop bar from Abjar Kasho (Bouvardia), really comes into its own once the sun goes down. Yes, it will be booming on hot days, but the Latin-influenced bar seems best suited to Melbourne's cooler and darker months. At night, the Santana neon signs illuminate the whole bar in hazy red light, while plumes of smoke from fine cigars float out into the cityscape. There's a sultry mood here that we are all for. There's also no need to BYO cigars. Kasho has entrusted Operations Manager Jack Tennant with the all-too-important task of curating a smoking menu, featuring everything from Cohiba Shorts ($18) to Partagas Serie D No. 4 ($94). And as there is no food menu, folks can smoke anywhere on the rooftop without fear of being ushered into a tiny smoker's space away from the fun. But there's no need to fret if you aren't a smoker. This place isn't just frequented by cigar lads. The team is pulling in a diverse crowd thanks to its collection of South American wines, Aussie beers, Latin-inspired cocktails and brown spirits. There's a 24-strong whisky list and a smattering of tequila, rum, brandy and cognac. It's the kind of stuff you swill around in a glass while musing on art and politics. At least that's the energy we're picking up. The moody, winter-friendly rooftop is a stark contrast to the previous occupant of the site, Pomelo, which had a bright Miami art deco fit-out. Santana's for those wanting to embrace the spirit of the colder seasons, huddling up by heaters while sipping dark spirits. Images: Long Boy Media
One progressive hotel in Oslo is making a pretty bold statement through entertainment programming choices: opting for high culture over the pleasures of the flesh, it has replaced all its TV porn channels with contemporary art videos. Billionaire, magnate, philanthropist, art collector, environmental activist and sensitive dream-man Petter Stordalen, the owner of the large Nordic Choice Hotels chain, has dropped the porn-on-demand channels from all 171 of his hotels across five northern European countries. His motivation? Concern about the link between pornography and the hideous child prostitution industry, which he hopes to help UNICEF fight in its anti-exploitation campaign by doing his part via revamped in-hotel programming. Though dropping porn could seem shocking to some, Stordalen has pointed out that Nordic Choice was also the first hotel chain in the world to ban smoking, a ban which is now considered normal in most public spaces. One of Stordalen's hotels, The Thief, is an 'art hotel', an establishment with its own in-house curator (former director of Norway’s National Museum Sune Nordgren) as well as artworks by Tracey Emin and Peter Blake and special rooms where "art installations signed by supergroup Apparatjik add to your hotel experience" — itself an exciting concept, no? This provides the perfect context for art-video-on-demand in place of the former nookie channels. Nine pieces of high-end video art are currently on rotation on the rooms' interactive TVs, including Sam Taylor-Wood’s 'Still Life' (2001). In this work, you get to watch a bowl of still-life oil painting-like fruits slowly become festooned with mould and decay (perhaps a winking nod to and comment on porn?). Surely it would be soothing to switch from Miley twerking on the VMAs to a thought-provoking piece of modern art while you relax in Oslo. Apparently guests have responded very favourably to the change. Via Hyperallergic.
For years, Melbourne has proudly worn its culinary credentials. Newcomers queue wide-eyed at cult institutions like Lune Croissanterie and Pellegrini's Espresso Bar, while long-time locals who have already curated their favourites still stumble across surprises tucked away in laneways. From homestyle Palestinian dishes at Beit Siti to three floors of Italian nosh at Il Mercato Centrale, you can eat your way around the world without leaving the tram network. [caption id="attachment_1037185" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Sarah Pannell[/caption] Now, Lonely Planet has made it official: the Best in Travel 2026 guide has ranked Melbourne's food scene as one of the world's best 25 travel experiences. Now in its 16th edition, the guide forecasts unmissable destinations and experiences around the world for the year ahead. Australia scored three spots on the list: Victoria's 900km bathing trail from Daylesford to Mornington made the cut, while South Australia's Ikara-Flinders Ranges sits among the best 25 places. The guide shouts out the smorgasbord of dining options in Melbourne — there's something worth eating, no matter where you go. Cruffins from Lune and piccolo lattes from Maker Coffee are the recommended breakfast. Afterwards, head south of the river to South Melbourne Market, where Lonely Planet's food trail will bring you to Juju's Deli for chicken schnitty sangas, Aptus Seafoods Oyster Bar for a shuck stop and Claypots Evening Star for a killer seafood marinara. Venture further southwest for excellent Vietnamese fusion at Hanoi Mee Kitchen and Bar, a lesser-known local gem in Port Melbourne that left a lasting impression on the writer. [caption id="attachment_922464" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image supplied[/caption] The city's European influence shines at Italian marketplace Il Mercato Centrale and Italo-Aussie spins at Bottega, plus a wave of Mediterranean-inspired venues. Specialising in Cameroonian dishes, the now-shuttered Vola Foods in Brunswick West was the guide's pick for African cuisine — and you can still catch them at pop-ups, which they announce on Instagram. Over in the neighbouring Coburg, find Palestinian soul food from food truck Beit Siti. If you're in Collingwood, check out Hotel Jesus for some serious tacos. Drinks aren't an afterthought either. Collingwood brewery Molly Rose is a craft beer haven, while Waxflower Bar in Brunswick sets the mood for sipping lo-fi vinos with live vinyl sets. Want to read the full guide? Head to the Lonely Planet website for more.
A string of popular restaurants on La Trobe Street have finally been given the all clear to reopen following sudden closures in October. The venues were forced to close, with less than 12 hours' notice, following a legal dispute between their landlord and sub-landlord. Among them was viral ramen spot Kikanbo, which brought in endless queues, rave reviews and eye-watering amounts of views on social media. Kikanbo has confirmed that it will reopen on Thursday, December 4, at 5pm. And what better way to celebrate than with free ramen? The first 200 dine-in customers will receive a complimentary bowl of karashibi ramen (simply like and share Kikanbo's Instagram post to support its reopening to be eligible). When the restaurants were forced to close, a post on Kikanbo's Instagram page detailed that they were "Closed until further notice. Unfortunately, there is an ongoing dispute between the landlord and the sub-landlord. Sadly, this is out of our control and has affected all the businesses on this block. Keep an eye on our social media for further updates." R Harn, another La Trobe street venue, from the team behind ever-popular Soi 38, that serves home-style Southern Thai and Chinese cuisine, suffered a similar fate. Taking to Instagram back in October, the team explained that "This situation is completely beyond our control and does not involve R Harn directly. We are working with all parties to resolve the matter as quickly as possible and to reopen our doors soon." Finally, only at the end of November, R Harn were able to reopen. View this post on Instagram A post shared by R.HARN อาหาร (@r.harn) The owner of R Harn told news.com.au at that time, that "At 7.15am I got an alert on my camera that there was movement. I saw them changing the locks. It was shocking. We're pretty screwed. Like watching a movie. We just don't understand why it's happening. We can't afford to close, I can't just accept this." Machi Machi, Kata Kita and soon-to-open Luke's Banh Mi were also been forced to close their doors. As reported by news.com.au, these sudden closures caused hundreds of kilos of food to be wasted, with the restaurants reportedly losing eye-watering amounts of money. As reported by the Sydney Morning Herald at the time of the closures, Sazz Nasimi, lawyer at Moray & Agnew, the firm representing the sub-landlord, said "It is a great shame that the landlord has chosen to take the steps that it has…This is one of the more bizarre steps taken by a landlord in my close to 20 years of experience in retail leasing disputes." Images: Supplied. While the venues remain closed, why not support other CBD restaurants with our round up of the best in town.
Queensland has the Big Pineapple and Big Mango. New South Wales boasts the Big Prawn and the Big Merino, and you'll find the Big Lobster in South Australia. They're just some of Australia's 150-plus big things, because we sure do love giant versions of foods, animals and everyday items — and if you'd like to walk into a huge whale that's also an underwater observatory, that'll be on the cards from the end of 2022, too. Australia already has a couple of big whales, but not like this one. The animal-shaped structure will house the Australian Underwater Discovery Centre, and it'll sit right at the end of the Busselton Jetty in Western Australia. That means that it'll be located two kilometres out to sea — and, when it launches in December next year, it'll become the largest natural marine observatory in the country. The $30 million centre has been in the works since 2017, when Busselton Jetty started looking into ways to increase the capacity if its current underwater observatory — because it can only accommodate 44 people per hour. Now, however, the designs for the new site have been revealed. Marine contractor Subcon has appointed Baca Architects as the project's lead architects, and it's going with a cetacean design that resembles a whale. The design recreates the marine creature in an abstract but still noticeable manner, and will be made to look as if the concrete structure is raising its head over Geographe Bay. When the building comes to fruition, it'll span 900 square metres across multiple levels, and huge windows will be a big feature. Some will measure up to 5.5 metres tall and 12 metres long, letting visitors peer out at the area's marine life — including via a partially submerged window called the 'cetecean's eye'. Attendees will enter from the pier, which is 5.5 metres above the average sea level, then descend down through an art gallery and accompanying exhibition spaces to the observatory on the ocean floor level. Those galleries will mainly focus on new habitats for fish and coral, but underwater sculptures and marine art will be part of the project, too. And, if you'd like to eat beneath the ocean's depths, an underwater dining experience is also set to be included. Project engineers Core Marine have experience with restaurants under the sea, as the company also worked on Norway's Under. The Australian Underwater Discovery Centre will be designed to withstand cyclones and storm surges, including 6.5-metre-high waves, and will feature an outer surface that'll enable barnacles and algae to graft onto the outside, like they would with a real whale. And, as it'll be fabricated onshore, the centre will then get towed out to its location — which is planned to occur in tandem with 2022's annual whale migration. As for Busselton Jetty's current underwater observatory, it's set to become a marine research centre. It'll focus on promoting clean oceans and educating people about ocean climate change. The Australian Underwater Discovery Centre is set to open at the end of Busselton Jetty by December 2022 — we'll update you with an exact launch date when it's announced.
It might sound wrong to hit up an indoor pool in summer, but this is Melbourne — who knows what the weather is going to be? To ensure you'll get a dip in no matter whether the rain is pouring down, the W Melbourne crew is coaxing swimmers to its luxe pool overlooking the city with its WET Sessions. From 12pm each Sunday until March 3, partygoers can enjoy the poolside bar, panoramic views of the city's skyline and a fresh DJ taking over the decks each week. This space is usually only open to hotel guests, so it's your rare chance to paddle about one of the city's finest pools. [caption id="attachment_889782" align="alignnone" width="1920"] C Hawks[/caption] For $95 per person, you'll have access to the pool for three hours, get a cocktail on arrival and indulge in roaming snacks to keep you going throughout the afternoon — whether that's to keep you energised for swimming some laps or just to have a poolside dance, it's up to you. Prefer a more chill swimming experience on the weekend? Check out some of Melbourne's best outdoor pools, where you can swim some laps, paddle about aimlessly or simply sit under a tree reading a good book.
Fable is taking the concept of sky-high sips to a whole new level — at a lofty 14 storeys above Lonsdale Street, it has swiftly claimed the title of Melbourne's tallest rooftop bar. The latest venture from hospitality veteran Gehan Rajapakse (The Sofitel, Hyde Bar, Rah Bar), it's a plush, Mediterranean-inspired affair. The space rocks an elegant fit-out, along with exceptional panoramic views on show through the bar's huge wraparound windows and retractable roof. You'll also find a creatively charged menu of libations led by Bar Manager Chantalle Narith. It's a considered lineup with a penchant for storytelling and history, filled with many clever — sometimes cheeky — reworkings of the classics. Expect two pages of martini variations, and a stiff scotch and brandy cocktail that pays homage to the Icarus myth which arrives at the table alight ("be careful not to get too close to the flame, or like Icarus, down you will fall"). Each page of the menu is a pleasure to read, and the cocktails are as good as they sound. Meanwhile, Executive Chef Alex Xinis (Press Club) is plating up a Mediterranean-accented food menu with a taste for decadence. Match those sunset views with Yarra Valley trout caviar blinis, grilled halloumi with blistered grapes and sherry vinegar, or hot focaccia bites dipped in white taramasalata. [caption id="attachment_832319" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Aaron Francis[/caption] Images: Aaron Francis and Nicole Cleary
Sydneysiders, start bragging. Folks across the rest of Australia, start making cocktail plans for your next trip to the Harbour City. The World's 50 Best Bars list for 2022 has just been announced — the top 50, after dropping the extended 51–100 rundown in late September — and two Aussie spots have made the cut. They're both in Sydney, and they've both been in this position before. Indeed, in a piece of familiar news, the nation's highest-ranking spot to get sipping in 2022 is Sydney's Maybe Sammy. And, it's the fourth year in a row that the innovative bar in The Rocks has made the list, taking 29th place. That's a drop from 2021 when it came in 22nd, and from 2020's 11th spot, but higher than in 2019 when it sat at 43rd. Also pouring a big glass of déjà vu is Cantina OK!, another World's 50 Best Bars list mainstay. After placing 23rd in 2021, it came in 41st this year — after sitting at 28th in 2020, too. [caption id="attachment_704012" align="alignnone" width="1920"] DS Oficina[/caption] For those yet to be acquainted with Maybe Sammy in The Rocks, its luxurious styling nods to old-school Vegas glamour, all blush pink velvet banquettes and lush indoor greenery, while the list of theatrical signature drinks pays homage to the classics. At Cantina OK!, you'll find a pint-sized mezcal bar in an old garage down a service laneway — complete with bright pink and purple walls, Mexican vibes and laneway seating. That's it for Aussie showings in the top 50; however, in the longlist from last week, Melbourne's Caretaker's Cottage came in at 60th spot and Sydney's Re took out 87th position. [caption id="attachment_714476" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kimberley Low[/caption] The overall winner this year, and marking the first time the gong has been won by a bar that isn't in New York or London: Paradiso in Barcelona. Also, Brisbanites, rejoice — the acclaimed venue has been teaming up with W Brisbane's Living Room Bar since May, with the North Quay venue serving up a range of ten tipples created by Paradiso's owner and mixologist Giacomo Giannotti. Paradiso took out this year's top spot ahead of London's Connaught Bar, which did the same in 2020 and 2021 and now sits eighth. In the rest of the top ten: London's Tayēr + Elementary in 2nd, Barcelona's Sips in third, Licorería Limantour in Mexico City in fourth and Paris' Little Red Door in fifth, as well as Double Chicken Please in New York at number six, Barcelona's' Two Schmucks at seventh, New York's Katana Kitten in ninth spot and Cartagena's Alquímico in tenth. Making holiday plans based on the globe's best watering holes? It's as good a reason for a getaway itinerary as any. The annual World's 50 Best Bars awards are voted on by bar industry experts from around the world, including bartenders, consultants, drinks writers and cocktail specialists. For the full of the World's 50 Best Bars for 2022 (and the longlist, and past years' lists), head to the website. Top image: Kimberley Low.
Sure, Melbourne's inner-city cafe scene is littered with gems, but sometimes the weekend calls for a little more adventure. So, jump in the car and venture down to the Mornington Peninsula and you'll discover that it's got much more to offer than idyllic wineries and beautiful beaches. This coastal pocket is also dishing up some great cafe finds, from vibrant vegan haunts, to buzzy waterfront spots where you'd be more than happy to laze away an afternoon. The weekend is calling — here are our picks for Mornington Peninsula cafes well worth the road-trip from town. Recommended reads: Six of the Best Natural Hot Springs and Spas in Victoria The Best Cafes in Melbourne A Weekender's Guide to the Mornington Peninsula Ten of the Most Luxurious Stays You Can Book on the Mornington Peninsula
In this or any other galaxy, whether here, near or far, far away and a long time ago, Star Wars streaming shows can't all be Andor. In cinemas, the franchise's movies can't all be Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, either. So, in both formats, they aren't always the weightiest and most grounded instalments that the series has ever delivered, all while demonstrating about as much interest in nostalgia as Jar Jar Binks has in not being annoying. The latest TV effort in the George Lucas-started space-opera saga, Ahsoka doesn't want to follow exactly in the last new Star Wars small-screen entry's footsteps, however, even if it's another sidestep tale about battling evil that champions folks who are rarely thrust to the fore. Instead, it has intertwined aims: serving up a female-led chapter and drawing upon the franchise's animated realm. For many, Star Wars is 11 live-action movies, the bulk of which arrived in three trilogies that splashed around Roman numerals aplenty. For those with a Disney+ subscription, the pop-culture universe covers the streaming platform's live-action shows, too, with not just Andor but three seasons of The Mandalorian, 2021–22's The Book of Boba Fett and also 2022's Obi-Wan Kenobi connected to those flicks. Star Wars has always expanded further since its 70s beginnings, though, via TV specials and films, books (Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope's novelisation actually released before the feature) and animation. So, from the latter — and specifically from animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the TV series it spawned, plus fellow animated shows Star Wars Rebels and Tales of the Jedi — springs Ahsoka and its eponymous ex-Jedi padawan Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson, Clerks III) from Wednesday, August 23. Ahsoka appeared in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett as well, with the series that the character now anchors also spinning off from the former. The show's inter-franchise Star Wars links are strong, then, but it isn't just for fans who've watched every frame that the saga has ever sent hurtling across screens — thankfully so. Ahsoka creator Dave Filoni has given himself a tricky task, diving deeper beyond the obvious Star Wars fodder while still engaging more-casual franchise viewers. Nods and references abound for diehards, and to key figures and beloved creatures alike, yet so does a supremely well-cast spin on the space opera's well-loved formula. As Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill, The Sandman) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness in the original 1977–83 big-screen trilogy), Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen, Obi-Wan) and Kenobi (Raymond & Ray's Ewan McGregor since the 1999–2005 prequel trilogy), the latter and Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson, Marlowe), and Rey (Daisy Ridley, Chaos Walking) and Leia Organa Solo (Carrie Fisher, Catastrophe) have all demonstrated — such pairings go on — Lucas and his successors in steering all things Star Wars love a master-and-apprentice story. Ahsoka provides two tied to the force, with its namesake once a pupil to Anakin before he went to the dark side, and also a mentor to her own student in rebellious, flame-haired Mandalorian Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Guns Akimbo). Thanks to the man who became Darth Vader, Ahsoka is wary about the Jedi order and unsurprisingly cautious in general. Via her prior time with Sabine, she knows the difficulties of being a guide to a headstrong protégée. While the show gives its central figure nefarious foes to battle, it also has her grappling with her past traumas, mistakes and regrets. She's guarded there, too; when rebel crew member and now-New Republic general Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)) suggests that the way forward might involve enlisting Sabine's help, Ahsoka is reluctant. But only the youngest of the main trio can unlock a pivotal orb that holds a map that could lead to exiled Imperial officer Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen, The Kingdom) and Ahsoka's fellow one-time padawan Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi, The Inspection). With just the 2015–19 sequel trilogy and animated series Star Wars Resistance set after it, Ahsoka's plot hones in on fending off the fallen Empire's attempts to rebuild and strike back again. Hoping otherwise: Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto, The Last Tour), who starts the program imprisoned but is swiftly freed thanks to former Jedi-turned mercenary Baylan Skoll (the late Ray Stevenson, RRR) and his own his trainee Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno, The Reunion). Bringing back Thrawn from banishment is their next step, putting them on a collision course with Ahsoka, Hera and Sabine — amid early Indiana Jones-style treasure hunting, vivid lightsaber duels, reminders of how insidiously that greed can lure people in, a stunning hoverbike race, a loth-cat's cuteness, a tad too much exposition and droid Huyang (Good Omens' David Tenant, lending his voice again as he did in The Clone Wars) hanging around, all in the first two episodes. If the storyline sounds all Star Wars 101, that's because it is, yet a change of perspective and a stacked cast ensure that Ahsoka never feels like it's lazily sticking to a template. Filoni, who also worked on both the film and TV versions of The Clone Wars, as well as Rebels, Resistance, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Tales of the Jedi and more, clearly knows the drill — and how to make this take on it stand out. It isn't just that this is the first series focused on a woman connected to the Jedi, and one of the few within its ranks. Ahsoka cares about the way that conflict has scarred and wearied its hero and her colleagues, and shaped them and stretched their bonds in the process. It could easily be called Ahsoka, Hera and Sabine, which would suit three of its core performances. Still, beneath the character's head tails, Dawson turns in a portrayal to build a show around — serene, wry, fierce, thoughtful, purposeful, formidable, haunted and determined — which Ahsoka wisely does. Perhaps a Sabine offshoot will join the Star Wars fold in the future, with Bordizzo that magnetic in her stubborn, impulsive and daring role. In one of his final performances given his passing in May, the reliably commanding Stevenson is similarly arresting — and Sakhno, too, even if largely through her presence, a killer glare, and pitch-perfect costuming and lighting that helps her instantly look the entrancing part. Ahsoka gets that last aspect right throughout and across the board, taking as many visual cues from Star Wars' animated forays as its live-action jaunts, yet always sporting its own glow. This isn't Andor, but after those franchise-best heights it's still a series that intrigues, engages and often soars. Check out the trailer for Ahsoka below: Ahsoka streams via Disney+ from Wednesday, August 23. Images: ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd & TM. All Rights Reserved.
If Game of Thrones has taught us anything, it's that no one is ever happy. After all, this is a world where weddings end in slaughter, kings are poisoned mid-feast, queens casually mention that they wiped out your entire family, killing a zombie leader still can't save a girl from dragon fire, and finally finding love usually comes with betrayal — and the discovery of new relatives. But if every fictional Stark, Lannister and Targaryen has seemed less than chipper across the hugely popular HBO show's eight seasons, they've got nothing on a group of disgruntled fans who absolutely hate the last batch of episodes. These GoT watchers don't just dislike the five episodes of season eight so far. Rather, these folks despise them so much that they're demanding for all of them to be remade. The idea of agreeing to disagree, realising that wrapping up nearly ten years of storytelling was never going to please everyone, recognising that endings are always tricky or just accepting that a few disappointing episodes of your favourite show won't spark a white walker-filled apocalypse is clearly lost on some. The uproar spiked after GoT's latest instalment, the carnage- and dragon-heavy The Bells, which is also the series' second-last episode ever. Plenty of viewers have plenty of opinions about the show's narrative arc, its soaring body count, character development and how the expected showdown between Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) turned out, sparking a Change.org petition to "remake Game of Thrones season eight with competent writers". The petition was actually launched after the preceding episode, but took off in the past week. Thanks to darkly lit battle sequences and a quick glimpse of a modern-day takeaway coffee cup, GoT gripes have been coming in thick and fast this year. At the time of writing, more than 900,000 people have signed up — because "there is so much awful crap going on in the world, people like me need to escape into things like Star Wars and Game of Thrones," explains the petition's originator, Dylan. The main source of misdirected ire are showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who were tasked with conjuring up the show's storylines when it overtook George RR Martin's books. And if you're wondering about the Star Wars reference, that's the pair's next gig, overseeing a new trilogy that'll launch after this year's Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker. There's even a second petition now, directed towards Disney, asking for Benioff and Weiss to be pre-emptively removed from the space opera franchise. Online tantrums and outlandish fan service demands like this aren't new, as the backlash to the female-led Ghostbusters and to most women characters in big-name series have shown. Unsurprisingly, both Game of Thrones and Star Wars have specifically been plagued by the latter kind of ridiculous complaints. DC Comics fans also tried to shut down Rotten Tomatoes when they didn't like Suicide Squad reviews, too — before said fans had even seen the film themselves. There are countless more examples, but just because these entitlement-fuelled hissy fits are popping up regularly, doesn't mean they should be considered normal behaviour. Unless Game of Thrones ends with a dragon on the throne, it's never going to make everyone happy. Okay, that idea won't thrill a lot of people either. But not only whining loudly and incessantly because a movie or TV show doesn't meet your specific personal hopes, dreams and expectations, but insisting that it be remade to suit you, is as silly as GoT wrapping up with a resurrected Ned Stark (Sean Bean) as king or everyone learning that they're just a figment of the Three-Eyed Raven's imagination. Game of Thrones' final episode arrives on Monday, May 20, Australian and New Zealand time. Images: Helen Sloan/HBO.
"A pink, glittery, existential dance party in their heart." That's what Greta Gerwig hopes that audiences will find when her third film as a solo director splashes its rosy — and rose-hued — frames across the silver screen. The movie in question is Barbie, marking Mattel's six-decade-old doll's live-action debut. And, no matter how you feel about the toy itself, the feature boasts no shortage of reasons to get excited: the Lady Bird and Little Women filmmaker guiding the show; the fact that Gerwig co-wrote the film with her Frances Ha, Mistress America and White Noise helmer Noah Baumbach; Margot Robbie not only starring but producing and originating the project; a killer cast, including Ryan Gosling as Ken; and the self-aware sense of humour that's bounced through not one, not two, but three trailers before the picture hits cinemas Down Under on July 20. Gerwig and Robbie know that Barbie is a product with history. First reaching stores in 1959, as one of the first-ever dolls that weren't of babies, the plaything has sparked more reactions than the toy itself sports outfits — and this figurine in all of its many guises has never been short on wardrobe options. As a flick, Barbie aims to unpack those swirling responses and, yes, play with them. The feature's marketing tagline might be adamant that "if you love Barbie, this movie is for you" and also "if you hate Barbie, this movie is for you", but Robbie adds to it. "It's also a film for people who feel indifferent about Barbie. But when I pitched that to marketing, it didn't really roll off the tongue in the same way." The Australian Babylon, Amsterdam and The Suicide Squad actor shared her thoughts in Sydney, as did her Maggie's Plan, Jackie and 20th Century Women star-turned-filmmaker helmer Gerwig. In the leadup to the picture's release, Barbie is going global, with a trip Down Under one stop on the feature's promotional tour. Also visiting: Issa Rae and America Ferrera, with the Insecure and Superstore talents popping up on-screen alongside Robbie. Rae plays President Barbie, while Ferrera is Gloria, one of the film's few non-doll characters. Weeks out from Barbie hitting cinemas, the Gerwig-directed, Robbie-led, Rae- and Ferrera-costarring movie has already achieved a feat that would likely seem unthinkable if any other talents were involved: this is one of 2023's most-anticipated cinema releases. Actually, Barbie scored that status months out — years even, after the Gerwig-and-Robbie pairing was locked in back in 2021. Audiences are eager, but the folks that've been given the chance to bring this Barbie flick to them couldn't be more thrilled, too. Talking about the film at a beachside Bondi event at Icebergs, where the venue's famous pool even scored a temporary Barbie-themed makeover, the team's enthusiasm is palpable. "It's a movie that I think can really cut across generations and gender," notes Gerwig, who advises that the feature has been made for everyone aged eight to 108. Also covered at Gerwig, Robbie, Rae and Ferrera's Australian press conference: making a "wild, bananas Barbie movie", the huge opportunity to play with something so globally recognised, expanding the character, challenging stereotypes, following Wonder Woman's lead and breaking all of the Barbie rules. ON HOW IT FEELS NOW THAT BARBIE WILL SOON BE IN CINEMAS Greta: "At this very moment, just being in this setting and being with all of you — and the beach, and we're in Australia, and all these talented people — I really am feeling like what a spectacular life this is. It's overwhelming and amazing, and I just feel very grateful that Margot came to me almost four years ago and said 'do you want to you write a Barbie thing?'. And I'm grateful that in my postpartum haze four years ago, I said yes. It's just been such an extraordinary confluence of so many people coming together who are just outrageous and smart and talented — and that we got to make this wild, bananas Barbie movie is just an extraordinary blessing." ON WANTING TO MAKE A BARBIE MOVIE IN THE FIRST PLACE Margot: "I was aware that the Barbie IP was floating around, had gone up and running, and hadn't come to full fruition. So we've been keeping tabs on the property, and when there seemed like there was an opening, we jumped at the opportunity. We sat down with the Mattel CEO, Ynon [Kreiz], and that was five years ago, and pitched what we as our production company would want to do with a Barbie movie. And I knew even at that time that I would want to do it with someone like Greta Gerwig. She was the dream writer/director for it. I didn't know if she was going to say yes to it, but there are very few people in my mind that I want to make a Barbie movie with, Greta being the top of the list — and thank goodness she said yes. But the reason we went after the property is because it seemed like a very big and exciting and scary opportunity. It's globally recognised — the word itself is globally recognised. And not only that, people have very strong feelings about Barbie in a lot of cases. So it felt like a really exciting place to start a film, and start with the audience, where they already feel a certain way — perhaps that, at the very least, they have associated childhood memories with it. And it seemed like we could do something special with it." ON BEING A PART OF BARBIE'S ON-SCREEN WORLD Issa: "It was spectacular. Greta approached me and, just in our interview-slash-meeting, told me that she envisioned a world, a Barbie world, where I was President. I was super flattered by that, and also questioned her taste in political leaders. But it's a world that is perfect and beautiful — and seeing her brilliant writing, and the cast attached, it was a no brainer for me. So I was just honoured to to play in the world." America: "It was Margot and Greta's involvement that made me interested in what the script was. It was irresistible to be invited to — to take a peek into the world that these two incredibly talented and intelligent, respected women in our fields were going to do with Barbie. I never imagined myself in a Barbie movie, and I just opened the script and I was laughing on page one and then I was crying — and then I was laughing and crying. I had so many feelings and, truly, my first thought was 'are they even going to let Greta make this?'. I did not go into it feeling invested in Barbie — I didn't grow up playing with Barbies, I didn't feel represented in the world of Barbie — but Greta and Noah's brilliance created a world that made it relevant to me. And it is really exciting to get to be a part of a moment that is expanding such a dominant, influential female iconic character in our global culture, to include more of us. And also to include people with perspectives that aren't necessarily positive and kind toward the very long legacy and history that Barbie has." ON TACKLING A CHARACTER WITH SUCH HISTORY — AND BREAKING ALL THE BARBIE RULES Greta: "I grew up with a mum who didn't love Barbie, which only made me more interested in Barbie. So I had a lot of hand-me-down Barbies — a lot of Barbies who were Kate McKinnon's version, like their clothes were all on backward. That Barbie is very close to my heart. When we signed on to write it and I went to the Mattel headquarters, they opened up all the archives and took me through everything from 1959 till now, and the designers and the people who work there were just really fun to talk to and really interesting. But I would say that actually what we we did is, if there were rules, I think we broke all of them. That was part of it, in a way: 'tell me what your sacred cows are and I will do something naughty with it'. Margot, as a producer, was so instrumental in the whole process of just saying 'I want to make this. I want to make her version of this movie, her vision and and really protect it'. But yeah, if anything, it was an introduction to all the rules so they could be broken." America: "I remember when Greta and I first started speaking, she gave me a list of movies to watch to get in the vibe and the feel and the tone, and actually one of the movies I watched was a documentary called Tiny Shoulders about the expansion of the brand. I learned so much watching that. I did know a little, but through the making of this movie and the little bits of research that are either in the movie or that you caught researching it, it's really phenomenal to get a sense of how long the Barbie legacy has been — and how there have been times in the legacy where she was a revolution, and other times where she was behind her times and she needed to catch up. Just the mere fact that she was the first doll a girl could play with that wasn't a baby doll is something that I didn't really ever know. So there was there was an appreciation right from the start of how long her legacy is and how varied her place in our culture has been." ON CHALLENGING THE BARBIE STEREOTYPE Margot: "I definitely didn't want to portray Barbie as being vapid in any way. The thing about our how our story is constructed is that Barbie can be anything — Barbie can be president, Barbie can be a Nobel Prize-winner, you see all this stuff at the beginning of the movie that sets up how incredibly intelligent Barbie is. But at the same time, she hasn't been exposed to so many of the concepts that she's going to be exposed to in the real world. So it was a fine line between playing naivety without it coming across as unintelligent, because I didn't want it to seem ditsy— and that's just not interesting to play. It's not interesting to watch, either. There are times in the movie where we lean into stereotypes — we literally call my Barbie 'stereotypical Barbie' — so we're very much leaning into some stereotypes so that we can, in a way of being self-aware, play up the comedy, and also have a deeper conversation about some sort of issue. But then there are other times where you're like 'okay, if we play up that particular stereotype, it's going to be boring for people for the hour and 40 minutes that they're watching this movie'. It was an interesting challenge to find 'okay, what how do we portray the fact that she hasn't been exposed to certain things that she's going to learn along the way, but it doesn't mean that she's not intelligent?'." ON GETTING HELP FROM WONDER WOMAN — AND PASSING THAT HELP ON Margot: "Obviously I want the movie to do well because we all worked so hard and we love it so much. But I think it is important when a movie like this does do well — like, if Wonder Woman hadn't done what Wonder Woman had done, I don't know if people would have given us the budget we got to. And if this does well, then the next person who wants to make [something female-led]. It's so important." Greta: "We were just saying this the other day. I think all the time, I was like 'I'm so grateful that Patty Jenkins made Wonder Woman'. And yeah, whoever comes next, it will be..." Margot: "I remember when they were trying to come up with comps [comparable films] for this movie, and there's not that many. And it's important to have them. It makes a difference on the business side of things to have those comps, and have the proof in the pudding that they've made money and done well. Hopefully we can be an extra stepping stone for the next thing." Check out the trailer for Barbie below: Barbie releases in cinemas Down Under on July 20. Images: Barbie press tour photography by Caroline McCredie for Warner Bros/NBC Universal. Barbie film stills via Warner Bros.
These days, working out extends far beyond the gym floor. Housed in spaces that have their own personalities, boutique studios offer a type of workout for specific goals – whether that's endurance, strength, flexibility, or simply bragging rights. BFT and F45 offer high-intensity group training via circuits, while Barry's Bootcamp's sleek interiors are a luxe spin on the same sweat. If zen is more your speed, traditional mat-based yoga classes now sit alongside hammock-draped aerial yoga spaces where familiar poses are performed in the air. [caption id="attachment_1002460" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Commons[/caption] Boutique fitness classes have become so popular that studio memberships are now a standard monthly expense – and it's not a tiny one. A recent study by health insurer iSelect reveals that a year of group fitness in Australia costs around $3,343.92. The price tag on group classes might be edging into luxury expense territory, but there's a reason it's hard to give up. Ever so often, a fitness trend explodes: indoor cycling, bouldering and Zumba have all had their moments in the past decade – and the current obsession is reformer Pilates. A recent study from health insurer iSelect has confirmed what your bank account already suspected: reformer pilates is officially Australia's most expensive workout. Reformer pilates studios typically have a range of membership tiers, but unlimited access is usually the best value for frequent attendees. These passes tend to be the priciest – Canberra's studios top the charts with an average of $82.20 a week. Sydney isn't far behind at $77, then Melbourne ($75.20), Perth ($74.30), Brisbane ($70.60) and Tassie ($64). Staying fit doesn't always have to break the bank. Some gyms and health clubs include reformer pilates classes in their offering, while boutique studios are getting savvy with costs. At Melbourne's Reformer Space, classes are led via a screen without an instructor present, and the savings trickle down to a weekly fee of under $30. For those seasoned with the carriage springs, explore free-and-easy formats like Pilates 24/7 and Revo Fitness, where reformer machines are readily available for self-guided workouts. It's not just group fitness that can dent your wallet. Training for sold-out endurance events requires an immense amount of time and grit, but it also takes a toll on your wallet. It costs a whopping $630 to complete the gruelling 226-kilometre Ironman triathlon, while you can show your strength at Hyrox, a hardcore hybrid competition, for $250. There's a pattern: the bigger the spectacle, the higher the price. Following its addition to the Abbott World Marathon Major series, the Sydney Marathon now costs $330 per participant – an increase of over $100 from last year's edition. In contrast, the Gold Coast marathon offers a more affordable option at $235 per runner. For those seeking a muddy challenge, Tough Mudder's obstacle courses are priced below $200. While high-end classes and prestigious triathlons dominate the conversation today, accessible options like fringe events endure. Every Saturday, parkrun organises free 5K runs and walks across the country. Who knows? It might just deliver the same sweaty satisfaction. Images: The Commons, Strong Pilates, Iron Man
May has the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, June boasts the Delta Aquariids and December welcomes the Geminids. In November, however, it's Leonids time. Arriving at the end of spring in Australia and New Zealand, the Leonids may not be quite as well known as some of its counterparts, but it's still a shower worth looking up for. And it's famous for one impressive reason: its spectacular meteor storms. It can feature more than 1000 meteors per hour, but it only occurs around every 33 years — and, sadly, the most recent occurred in 2001. Still, while you won't spy that kind of intense onslaught in 2020, you will still see meteors. The Bureau of Meteorology predicts there'll be around five per hour hurtling across the heavens on average. At its peak, timeanddate.com predicts 15 per hour. In good news for those Down Under, the Leonids can be seen in the Southern Hemisphere. Although it runs from Friday, November 6 until Monday, November 30, it's best detected between Saturday, November 14 and Friday, November 20 — and it's expected to be at its peak between Tuesday, November 17 and Wednesday, November 18. Like many astronomical shows, catching an eyeful after midnight is recommended (aka when the moon has set and its light will not interfere). Named for the constellation of Leo, which is where it appears to radiate from in the sky, the Leonids aren't just renowned for its huge showers approximately three times each century, but also for its place in history. During the storm of 1833, it has been estimated that more than 100,000 meteors streamed across the sky per hour — and, as a result, the Leonids helped play a part in the formulation of the first theory about the origin of meteors, NASA notes. The Leonids stem from the Comet Tempel–Tuttle, which was actually first officially recognised after the famous meteor shower of 1833 — in 1866, in fact. And, if you're wondering why the Leonids' storms only hit every 33 years or so, that's because that's how long it takes for the comet to orbit around the sun. [caption id="attachment_751114" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] The peak of the 2009 Leonids meteor shower. Image: Navicore via Wikicommons.[/caption] For your best chances of getting a glimpse, the usual advice applies. Get as far away from bright lights as possible — this could be a good excuse to head out of the city to a clear-skied camping spot — and pray for no clouds. And, given that the Leonids originate from the Leo constellation, that's what you'll be looking for in the sky. To locate Leo, we recommend downloading the Sky Map app — it's the easiest way to navigate the night sky (and is a lot of fun to use even on a non-meteor shower night). The Leonids meteor shower is best detected between Saturday, November 14 and Friday, November 20. Top image: Mike Lewinski via Flickr.
When something on HBO proves a huge hit, the US cable network goes all in. One case in point: all things Game of Thrones, including the just-arrived House of the Dragon, plus the hefty list of other spinoffs also in the works. Another example: Euphoria, with creator Sam Levinson now behind another HBO series that's filled with parties, drugs, attractive actors and plenty of drama — aka The Idol, which keeps dropping teaser trailers. The show itself doesn't have a release date yet, but it has just released its second sneak peek after first giving viewers a glimpse back in July. This time around, the teaser builds on the music industry-set show's suitably wild vibe and spells out the cast list. With both, it isn't holding back. Levinson teams up with Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye on the series, with the latter co-creating The Idol and starring in it. The focus: a self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult, played by the musician, as well as the up-and-coming pop idol (Lily-Rose Depp, Voyagers that he starts a complicated relationship with. From the two trailers so far, Depp's character clearly gets thrust into a heady new world — and here, as gets mentioned in the latest clip, sex definitely sells. For viewers, a cast that includes Red Rocket's Suzanna Son, Boy Erased's Troye Sivan, Schitt's Creek's Dan Levy, singer-songwriter Moses Sumney, BLACKPINK's Jennie Kim, Only Murders in the Building's Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Hacks' Jane Adams, Bodies Bodies Bodies' Rachel Sennott and Inglourious Basterds' Eli Roth should be a definite selling point, too. Also set to pop up in the series: Hank Azaria (The Simpsons), Hari Nef (The Marvellous Mrs Maisel), Steve Zissis (Happy Death Day 2U), Melanie Liburd (This Is Us), Tunde Adebimpe (Marriage Story), Elizabeth Berkley Lauren (Saved By the Bell) and Nico Hiraga (Booksmart), plus Anne Heche (All Rise) in what'll be one of her last performances. When it was originally announced in November 2021, The Idol was set to span six episodes, all filmed in Los Angeles — with She Dies Tomorrow's Amy Seimetz directing every single one. But back in April this year, it was revealed that Seimetz had left the project and reshoots were underway as a result. How that'll impact the end product is obviously yet to be seen — but the teasers so far should have you intrigued anyway. Check out the latest teaser trailer for The Idol below: The Idol doesn't yet have a release date, including Down Under — we'll update you when one is announced.
Spoiler warning: this interview incudes spoilers for Yellowjackets season three if you're not up to date with the series at the time of publication. It was meant to be a simple sports trip, with a high school girls' soccer team travelling from New Jersey to Seattle to compete in a tournament. That's where the plot of Yellowjackets begins in a linear sense — with American teenagers, their coaches and one of the latter's two children all flying across the US in 1996, and with the promise of on-field glory awaiting. But after the plane carrying the titular team is diverted over Canada, it plunges to the ground en route. What immediately happens next for young women who should be living normal teen lives, not doing whatever it takes to survive, is one half of the series. What's occurring a quarter of a century afterwards also fills Yellowjackets' frames, as the hit survivalist thriller has spent three must-see seasons so far exploring the impact of a wild dance with the wilderness, and with the trauma such an experience sparks, plus the vulnerability of being stranded then scarred by it. New Jersey, Seattle, Canada: that trio of locations is pivotal to Yellowjackets, even if no one has yet made it to the middle spot on the list. In the show's third season, New York proves crucial as well, but New Zealand and Australia have also long left their own imprint. The series began with Aotearoa's Melanie Lynskey (The Tattooist of Auschwitz's) leading the present-day cast as the adult Shauna, nee Shipman and now Sadecki, one of the team members to make it back from the plane crash alive. Also since the first season, Australians Courtney Eaton (Mad Max: Fury Road) and Liv Hewson (Party Down) have helped dig into what enduring in the forest really entails, the first as Charlotte "Lottie" Matthews and the second as Vanessa "Van" Palmer. In season two, New Zealander Simone Kessell (Muru) joined Lynskey among the survivors — and joined Eaton in portraying Lottie. Alongside a killer premise, an unflinching embrace of the darkness and devastation that was always going to spring from such an ordeal, a glorious array of 90s nods and a spectacular cast — Christina Ricci (Wednesday), Juliette Lewis (I'm a Virgo), Tawny Cypress (Law & Order) and Lauren Ambrose (Servant) also play the 2020s-era crew; Sophie Thatcher (Companion), Sophie Nélisse (No Return), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Scream VI) and Samantha Hanratty (Atlas) are among the talents bringing the squad's younger guises to life — characterisation has always been one of Yellowjackets' strengths. There's no doubting that these are complex women, both as teens and decades later. Its cast may portray a team, but the show sees its main figures as individuals, surveying their respective wants, needs, desires and fears. In Lottie's case, Yellowjackets spies someone yearning to be loved and accepted, so much so that she tries to grasp it in her faith in her new surroundings. No high schooler is prepared for suddenly living in the wilderness for months and months awaiting rescue, but Lottie's moneyed upbringing — her dad financed the fateful private plane to Seattle — leaves her seesawing between confidence and fragility. She's so assured in her beliefs in the forest that her fellow survivors start following her lead. She's also troubled, including from her family life, and despite how she projects herself to the world. The adult Lottie is introduced as a wellness guru-slash-cult leader, complete with purple-wearing disciples, but she's still weathering the same internal struggles. Following a stint staying at Shauna's and bonding with the teenage Callie Sadecki (Sarah Desjardins, The Night Agent), season three takes Lottie's story to an end that the character avoids in the woods, as the world discovered at the end of the latest run's fourth episode. How is Kessell feeling now that the character's fate is out there in the world? "I've got to say the fans of Yellowjackets are everything," she tells Concrete Playground. When the episode aired, an influx of messages came her way. "It's so lovely and so kind and generous, and I think I'll read them all," she advises. "I didn't quite expect such an outpouring of love and support." "And also because season two starts on Netflix soon, I was cautious not to — and for people who haven't watched that episode yet — put a spoiler on social media and things like that. But I'm overwhelmed. And it's amazing that you can play these characters that touch so many people." [caption id="attachment_995131" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jesse Grant[/caption] Kessell came to Yellowjackets more than three decades into her career. Like her compatriot Lynskey, she was starting out as an actor when she was a 90s teen herself. NZ TV series Homeward Bound gave Kessell her first role — and from there, her resume has spanned everything from Xena: Warrior Princess, the OG Heartbreak High, CSI: Miami, Underbelly and Terra Nova through to 1%, Pine Gap, Our Flag Means Death, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Wellmania, Critical Incident and plenty of others. Next, she'll be seen in The Last Frontier, a new American thriller series that also sees her keep a Down Under connection courtesy of Aussie Jason Clarke (Oppenheimer). Kessell is coy about whether Lottie could possibly return to Yellowjackets in some form, spirit or otherwise, in the future. "Oh my goodness, how would I play ghost Lottie? My god, I don't even know," she laughs. But she's deeply grateful for the chance to have stepped into her shoes, she also shares, in a chat that covers the balancing act that is portraying such a complicated character, plus how she approached taking on a figure that'd already been established in a younger guise, the Australian and NZ-heavy roster of talent, why the show has earned such a devoted following and more. On Saying Goodbye to Lottie — and What It Has Meant to Play Her "I've had so many people say 'is Lottie really dead? Please come back. Diva down. I miss you mother. I'm an orphan'" — all these great social media comments, which crack me up. But I think when I found out that Lottie was going to die in the season, of course I was disappointed because I just loved playing her. If I'm really honest, I just love playing Lottie. So unpredictable. And she's so vital. And you don't know whether she's going to analyse you or laugh at you — or laugh with you. And I think that getting the opportunity as an actress in my late 40s, playing those characters, they don't come along very often. So when you get them, you grab them with both hands. And I got to really, really play in the world of Lottie, which was incredible. So, when they told me she was no longer, I just went 'okay'. It's that kind of show, right? It's Yellowjackets. So it's the kind of show, if you're going to die — and let me just say, I'm not the only main character that dies this season — so, I went with it. And it was just so great to film, and it was such amazing cast — and I just had the time of my life working on the show." On Juggling Lottie's Confidence and Her Vulnerabilities — Her Faith in the Wilderness, Too, and Her Desperate Need to Be Loved and Accepted "The first season was a lot tougher, because she was really unravelling — and we saw that through the flashbacks. Also, you don't know what's happened in the wilderness till you read the script or watch the episode for the younger characters. So you've got to really go with your gut instinct, because you get these new scripts and you're like 'oh my god, I did that?. Huh. Maybe I would have played that other scene differently had I known I did that'. I think as an actress, you have to have a well where you can tap, or a part of me that I can tap and go there, and there was some really vulnerable, fragile scenes this season — but mostly last season, too, where she was just haunted by her past and I really had to go there emotionally. I was away from my family — living in Vancouver, and hadn't seen my family for a long time. My two boys, because they're at school here, and my husband and everything. So I was able to really tap into the loneliness in myself. And the unknown. As an actress, you find the things that really resonate truthfully for yourself and then put it through the character's words, and that's where I go. And then you have to take it off. You go for a run, or you go and do a hot pilates class, or you drink some white wine. You just throw it at the wall and see what sticks. And she was vulnerable. Thank you for saying that, because that was something I really wanted to find in her this season — just lost, a bit out at sea." [caption id="attachment_995127" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jesse Grant[/caption] On How Kessell Approached Stepping Into Lottie's Shoes When Courtney Eaton Had Already Established the Character as a Teen "First of all, Courtney's a lot taller than me — so literally stepping into shoes that were a lot higher. And also I wanted to do Courtney justice as a young actress on the verge of her career, and a character that she had done such a beautiful job with setting up. I wanted to make sure I did it well out of respect for her craft and her work. But those are high stakes, and there's a lot of pressure. I mirrored a few of her mannerisms, and then I decided that 25 years ago — I don't know about you, but 25 years ago, I was very different to who I am today, so that gives you a lot of room to play. And Lottie was the queen of reinventing herself. In this season, yet again she reinvents herself. Yet another mask is put on Lottie. She's gone from spiritual guru cult leader to now sort of like a bit of a vagabond, a bit of a lost soul, finding shelter at Shauna's house, at the Sadeckis', when really she has a penthouse in New York. She's shoplifting even though she's probably worth $100 million. Things like that. So you just roll with it on the show, and you never know what the writers are going to throw at you, so you have to be open to all of those storylines. But yeah, it was big shoes — literally high shoes — to fill." [caption id="attachment_995129" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jesse Grant[/caption] On the Down Under Origins of Plenty of the Cast "Unfortunately I never got to work with Liv and Courtney, because they're in the different timeline. So it was often Melanie and I. And Melanie, even though she's been out of New Zealand maybe 25 years, has got a stronger accent than ever. And, because I'm me, I still fall on the ground — even though I when I get drunk, I speak like that. So she's got a great Kiwi accent and the two of us just chat, chat, chat, chat, chat away — and I can tell that the American and Canadian crew are like 'what are they saying? What are they talking about?'. And often, Melanie and I, I'd be like 'babe, how do I say this word?'. She's like 'oh, well, I think you say it like this'. And I was like 'okay, great, great, great'. And then occasionally our accents would drop and we'd laugh. But it's just lovely having someone, when you're so far away and you're working with such heightened characters, to have a confidant and have a best friend like I had with Melanie. She's not only an incredible actress, extraordinary talent, she's actually a really beautiful person. And that was that was a joy." On Why Kessell Thinks Yellowjackets Has Earned Such a Dedicated Following "I think the two timeframes make it — if you're not into the older timeline, then you've got the younger timeline. I think the fact that it twists and turns the way it does. I think the fact that it's set in the 90s, so for older audiences, they're like 'oh my god, I remember this song, I remember this time, I remember this'. So you can reminisce. And then it's also, I think, there's the part that you go 'oh my god, how would I be if my plane had crashed?'. And what we did to survive — that's kind of intriguing, because it could have happened to any one of us, right? And then it goes to a whole different level. So I think there is a part of us that's intrigued with the actual storyline and what happens to these girls, and do they get rescued or do they all go fucking crazy? And I guess the answer is the latter, and then we get to see it as older versions. I think the casting on the show is brilliant. I think everyone is like their younger selves, and I think there's a part of it that makes you go 'that really could have happened to me and what would I have done?' And 'if you're that hungry, what would you have done?'." [caption id="attachment_995130" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jesse Grant[/caption] On What Gets Kessell Excited About a New Role More Than Three Decades Into Her Career "I think the writing. And I think speaking to you, a journalist, you get that — when you read something that pops off the page and you can't stop reading it, as an actress that's everything to me. And then my mind starts going. I love picking up bits of people in my life, like a characteristic or a way someone tilts their head or eats their food or walks, all of those wonderful things that we instinctively do as human beings. So if I feel I can paint that into a character, then I get really excited. Then I'm like 'ooooh, this is a challenge. Oh my god, what's her voice? Where's she from? What's happened to her? Why is she doing what she's doing? Why is she behaving badly or why is she behaving this way?'. That's what gets me going. [caption id="attachment_894498" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lorenzo Agius/SHOWTIME.[/caption] And that's, I think, why I'm so sad to see the end of Lottie in Yellowjackets, because I got to do that — I got to play in that world for a long time. And there were no restrictions on me as an actress. I got to really dive deep and nothing was a no. When I asked them, I was like 'what if I tried this?'. And it's like 'yeah, go for it'. I think that's why that show is so successful, because we were given so much rope to play with and then, I guess, eventually, she hung himself with it, right? She didn't. That's not a spoiler." Yellowjackets season three streams via Paramount+ in Australia and Neon in New Zealand. Read our review of season one and review of season two, plus our interview with Melanie Lynskey. Yellowjackets stills: Kailey Schwerman/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME.
Sustainability, maze-like furniture stores and music streaming services are just a few of the things Sweden does better than everybody else. And now, stamps can safely be added to that list. To celebrate the fact that Sweden are pretty darn good at churning out pop musicians, Swedish postal service PostNord have dedicated their next stamp series to some of the best Swedish purveyors of pop. The famous faces include the iconic artist Robyn, folk duo Klara and Johana Söderberg from First Aid Kit, soul singer Seinabo Sey, DJ and producer Avicii and Max Martin, the brain behind at least one of your late-night karaoke faves. And no ABBA, phew. Swedish artist Jenny Mörtsell is responsible for the beautiful illustrations pictured below, which were created from original photos by Alex Wessley, Andreas Larsson, Kirstoffer Berg, Johannes Helje and Mikael Dahl. So how does our good ole national postal service compare? Australia's Stamp Advisory Committee (yes, it's an actual thing) have been celebrating living legends on stamps since 1997 and last year, the Australian Legend series celebrated home-grown musos like Paul Kelly, INXS, The Seekers, Kylie Minogue and others. Not too bad. Maybe with a bit more creativity and by branching out to artists who are, er, born in more recent decades perhaps, we could reach Swedish stamp levels, one day. Just sayin', Australia Post. The pop musician stamps will be available to lick and stick on postal goods in Sweden on January 15. Just enough time to find a Swedish pen pal. Via Pitchfork.
Designer Peter Bristol enjoys playing with our perceptions of everyday objects. First he created the 'cut chair', the legs of which appear as though they've been sliced through, so the seat seems to be hovering in the air. Now, he's designed a bag that looks like a paper clip. 'New scale creates new purpose,' reads Bristol's website. 'The binder icon functions so well as a bag you can almost take it seriously.' Made of wool felt and aluminium tubing, the clip bag was conceptualised in 2007 but has only just been released. Bristol is currently seeking a manufacturing and/or distribution partner, and has put out a call for interested parties to make contact. Any takers will be working with a multi-award winning designer. Since 2005, Bristol has received professional recognition in the form of 24 various awards, including a 2011 Spark Pro Gold Award for his Microsoft Touch Mouse and an IDEA GOLD for his Nanopoint Microfluidics Controller. [Via boing boing]
Billie Eilish doesn't ask "what were the Academy Awards made for?" in her Oscar-nominated tune from Barbie. If she did, however, Hollywood saluting the films of the past year is one answer. For everyone watching at home, here's another: watching the biggest annual stint of cinema-industry recognition there is, and also getting into the celebratory spirit at home. So, you've seen this year's nominated movies. Whether you're hoping that Oppenheimer, Barbie, Poor Things, Past Lives or something else gets a shiny statuette for their efforts, you've pondered who might win — and who should. The next step when the 96th Oscars take place on Monday, March 11, Down Under time, is to feel the Kenergy over cocktails (or whatever other beverage takes your fancy). Don't just nurse your glass and imbibe randomly, though. To truly get you into the Oscars spirit, our 2024 drinking game outlines when to take a small sip, a big gulp, a couple of mouthfuls or however much of a swig that you feel like. Some of our cues to join in are relevant every year. Some are specific to 2024's gongs. So, ensure you've got the requisite supplies, pay attention to everything happening during the ceremony and say cheers to Hollywood's night of nights — and drink responsibly, of course. A Small Sip: Drink Like You've Found Bliss in Your Daily Routine A winner gets played off. The term "Barbenheimer" is uttered. Barbenheimer gets credited with saving cinema. Someone pretends to be a Barbie. Margot Robbie wears pink. Martin Scorsese receives a standing ovation. Steven Spielberg receives a standing ovation. Lengthy movies are mentioned — whether celebrated, complained about or parodied. Taylor Swift appears or gets a shoutout — or one of her songs is busted out. Jimmy Kimmel feuds with Matt Damon. The strikes are referenced. Artificial intelligence comes up. The words "movie magic" or "magic of the movies" get a mention. Someone uses their speech — or presenting gig — to angle for their next job. Matthew McConaughey says "alright, alright, alright". Sam Rockwell dances. [caption id="attachment_945212" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kimberley French/Netflix ©2023[/caption] A Big Gulp: Drink Like You're Working Up the Courage to Make History "Destroyer of worlds" gets uttered. Someone comments that they forgot that Cillian Murphy is Irish. Kate McKinnon appears as Weird Barbie. Someone involved in Barbie other than Margot Robbie wears pink. You hear an Australian or New Zealand accent. Meryl Streep wins without being nominated. Someone makes up a new category. A joke bombs and AI gets the blame. Someone says that this is going better than the Golden Globes. 'P.I.M.P.' is played — any version. Leonardo DiCaprio's love life is mentioned. The rest of the Kens appear onstage with Ryan Gosling during the 'I'm Just Ken' performance. Anya Taylor-Joy and Charlize Theron co-present an award. A winner forgets to thank their spouse, but remembers at the last minute. Someone mentions the Dune cups. [caption id="attachment_945213" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jason McDonald/Netflix © 2023.[/caption] A Few Mouthfuls: Drink Like You're Trying to Balance Your Personal and Professional Passions Someone ponders whether they — or Sandra Hüller — killed their partner. Wes Anderson won't accept the award for Best Live-Action Short because the stage setup isn't symmetrical. Bradley Cooper conducts the orchestra. Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix attend as Harley Quinn and the Joker. Emma Stone brings her The Curse co-star Nathan Fielder as her date. A toilet is cleaned during the ceremony. Nicolas Cage tries to swap faces with someone. Godzilla appears. Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are all seen together. Someone has a Dune cup. Anyone eats flamin' hot Cheetos. Nicole Kidman forgets how to clap again. Someone reads out the wrong winner. [caption id="attachment_945214" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Seacia Pavao / © 2023 FOCUS FEATURES LLC[/caption] As Much as You Like: Drink Like You've Been Left Behind at Christmas Getting left behind at Christmas is worked into a skit. Justine Triet becomes just the fourth woman to win the Best Director category. During Lily Gladstone's Best Actress speech, if she wins. Past Lives wins an award. An Australian wins an award. Someone exclaims "I must go punch that baby!". Messi from Anatomy of a Fall makes an appearance. America Ferrera recreates her Barbie speech. Robert Downey Jr says that he's returning as Iron Man. Greta Gerwig announces that she's making a toy franchise that started with Barbie. The 2024 Oscars will be announced on Monday, March 11, Australian and New Zealand time. For further details, head to the awards' website. Wondering where to watch this year's Oscar contenders? We've put together a rundown for both Australia and New Zealand. Wondering who'll win? Check out our predictions.
Melbourne's Greek dining scene is in the middle of a serious revival. We don't have the exact figures, but it feels safe to say the city has welcomed more new Greek restaurants in the past three years than in the three decades before. That's no small feat for a place with the world's largest Greek population outside Greece — and a proud history of institutions to match. But for a long time, the city's Greek eateries were all marching to the beat of a similar drum. [caption id="attachment_985794" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Kit Edwards[/caption] "I feel like [Greek cuisine] kind of got stuck in a certain era," says Nik Pouloupatis, owner of Astoria Bar Ke Grill in South Yarra, which opened last year. "Every neighbourhood has always had its little Greek taverna, but it was always that seventies, eighties style, and it kind of hadn't moved away from that." Migration has a way of freezing a cuisine in time. Diners grow used to the version that arrives with early waves of migrants, and new operators lean into it because that's what customers expect. It's a cycle that repeats across cultures. As Oscar Tan, chef at Greek pop-up-turned-restaurant The Pontian Club in Collingwood, points out: "My grandfather opened a Chinese restaurant in the country when he first moved here from Malaysia, serving sweet and sour chicken and honey chicken — nothing you'd ever find in China." View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Pontian Club (@the.pontian.club) Now, though, a new generation of Greek Australians is rewriting the story. Former fine-dining chef Ioannis Kasidokostas is bringing contemporary Athens-style cooking to Aegli in South Melbourne, serving fresh spins on dishes like stuffed eggplant, youvarlakia (Greek meatball soup) and bougatsa. In Richmond, Salona has returned after a major revamp, serving a menu that bridges the restaurant's own history with ideas owner Stavros Konis honed while working on Kafenion, another pop-up success story. Others are taking cues from Melbourne's broader dining scene. The Pontian Club riffs on Greek food through a local lens, leaning into demand for simple, shareable plates that align naturally with the cuisine. "I feel [diners are] starting to pull away from the theatrics of it all," says Tan, who runs the space with Bertie Pavlidis and Al Brunetti. "People are looking for something more simplified across all cuisines and restaurant settings." View this post on Instagram A post shared by TAVERNA (@our_taverna) That ethos is central at Brunswick East's Taverna, where chef-owner Angie Giannakodakis celebrates seasonal produce and protein with minimal fuss. Pouloupatis is doing the same at Astoria, highlighting vegetarian and vegan dishes alongside the lamb and seafood classics. "Greek food was pigeonholed to gyros and souvlaki," he says. "Yes, we do like our lamb, but we eat so many other foods." Thornbury's Capers, run by the next generation of GRK Greek Kitchen and Bar next door, offers its own playful spin, adapting traditional dishes — think mushroom moussaka with vegan bechamel — and shaking up cocktails like the Greek salad martini, built with vinegar shrub, cucumber, tomato and olive brine. The venue has also become a community hub for young Greek Australians and their friends, hosting DJs and artists throughout the week. Still, tradition hasn't lost its place. Longstanding players like Jim's Greek Tavern in Collingwood and Eleni's Kitchen in Yarraville remain fixtures, thriving on consistency and familiarity. "We're very much about traditional family recipes, we don't muck around — that's basically the shop mantra," says Eleni's co-owner Thierry Amanatidis, who is committed to maintaining family recipes carried over from the Pontian region of Greece, now modern-day Türkiye. Far from feeling edged out, Amanatidis sees strength in the diversity. "The more places that open up, it's great because it puts us on the map and gets people trying different foods." Want to do some investigating for yourself? Check out our list of the Best Greek Restaurants in Melbourne. Images: supplied.
Charming hand-drawn menus on blackboards, exposed brick walls, vinyl collections and an abundance of natural light are what await you when you step into Bar Holiday in Lincoln Square — the former airy home of Kaprica. A succinct selection of wines, beers, Victorian spirits and Italian aperitifs are available at Bar Holiday, which is one of those bars where you can sit down for a hearty meal instead of having to adjourn to a restaurant after. Think casarecce blanketed in a pork and fennel ragu — a mainstay on the menu — pasta e fagioli, barramundi served alongside a prawn bisque, and tarragon chicken with brussels sprouts and a mustard sauce. [caption id="attachment_1017320" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Danielle Castano[/caption] If you're hankering for a snack, Bar Holiday does those too — Sicilian olives, white anchovy toast, and eggplant chips are some of the many on offer. If you'd like to skip straight to dessert, there's the likes of a burnt cheesecake or French cheeses like a triple cream brie and comté. More than capable of holding its own in the sea of Italian eateries in Carlton, Bar Holiday is — much like Kaprica was in the same space — a spot you'll keep returning to time and time again. It's both a classic neighbourhood bar and a destination worth travelling for. [caption id="attachment_1017319" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Matthew Hurst[/caption] Top images: Danielle Castano.
Sydney's cult-followed cookie-maker Butterboy is heading south for the first time, with its Cookie Voyage pop-up store landing in a prime position at Melbourne Central. But don't wait — the crew is only serving its headline-grabbing cookies until Sunday, August 3. Bringing its full range of cookie creations to Melbourne, these daily scratch-made delights will rocket guests to flavour town. Think classic options like milk choc, Nutella and salted caramel, alongside more inventive bites like banoffee pie and banana Biscoff. And if one cookie isn't enough, Butterboy is also bringing its famed cookie tins along for the ride. Loaded with a mix of freshly baked mini cookies, it's the go-to option for sweet-tooths looking to sample more signature cookies and limited-edition flavours. The pop-up goes beyond sugary treats, too. With Butterboy fans long clamouring for a Melbourne event, the team is bringing plenty of exclusive merchandise, so there's more ways to remember your visit than just a fleeting bite. Founded in 2019 by James Sideris, Butterboy's origins began during his university days, when he began selling muffins and cookies to local cafes. Now, the brand has spread to three bustling Sydney locations, including a recent launch at Broadway Sydney. Ready to score a bite? Find Butterboy's pop-up below the Melbourne Central clock on Level 1. Open daily from 10am, this might be your only chance to experience the brand's playful, nostalgic creativity blended with top-notch craftsmanship. Butterboy's Melbourne Central pop-up is open on Level 1 daily from 10am–7pm until Sunday, August 3, with extended hours until 9pm on Thursday and Friday. Head to the website for more information.
Send in the terrifying clown: that's what Stephen King did when he penned IT back in 1986, as did a 1990 miniseries adaptation of his horror novel, then the hit 2017 IT movie and its 2019 sequel IT: Chapter Two. A prequel to those two recent films, IT: Welcome to Derry is doing the same. Pennywise is back, and Bill Skarsgård (Nosferatu) in the part, in a small-screen return to the franchise that's premiering in October 2025. If you've read much of King's work, then you would've agreed with some of the first words spoken in the initial teaser trailer for HBO's new IT series: "anywhere but Derry". That's a great motto if you're keen to avoid unnerving and supernatural events, which have frequented the fictional town's streets in the author's pages for decades — and in their leaps to the screen, too. The just-dropped second sneak peek at the show keeps demonstrating why the Maine locale isn't an ideal place to live. "Things are certainly different here" is quite the understatement, in fact, as is "things do happen from time to time". King's go-to setting is clearly at the heart of the series, which steps through Derry's scares before the terror that viewers have already seen and experienced. Alongside the transdimensional evil entity known as Pennywise, there's a spate of missing children, more kids seeking answers, a new family moving in, uncaring police, violence in the streets, a curfew, eerie smiles and cackles, voices in the pipes and a crimson balloon — as per the two teasers so far. If you've somehow missed all things IT until now, it follows the exploits of that maniacal clown, as well as the folks that he's rather fond of terrorising. IT: Welcome to Derry's cast includes Taylour Paige (Brothers), Jovan Adepo (3 Body Problem), Chris Chalk (Feud), James Remar (Megalopolis), Stephen Rider (What Lies Under the Tree), Madeleine Stowe (Soundtrack) and Rudy Mancuso (The Flash). Returning to oversee the show is filmmaker Andy Muschietti, who helmed the most-recent two IT movies and last directed DC Extended Universe flick The Flash. He's also behind the camera here on multiple episodes, expanding his Derry-set vision from his two features. And yes, HBO and its streaming service HBO Max are in franchise mode of late, adding The Penguin to the world of The Batman, expanding the Game of Thrones realm with not only House of the Dragon but also the upcoming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, announcing a new drama series set in The Conjuring universe and locking in a Harry Potter series that readapts the books. IT: Welcome to Derry falls into the same camp. Watch the latest IT: Welcome to Derry teaser trailer below: IT: Welcome to Derry is set to stream via HBO Max in Australia and Neon in New Zealand from sometime in October 2025 — we'll update you with an exact release date when it is announced. Images: HBO.
If you've read much of Stephen King's work, then you'll agree with some of the first words spoken in the just-dropped debut teaser trailer for HBO's new IT prequel series: "anywhere but Derry". That's a great motto if you're keen to avoid unnerving and supernatural events, which have frequented the fictional town's streets in the author's pages for decades — and in their screen adaptations, too, including the hit 2017 IT movie and its 2019 sequel IT: Chapter Two. HBO and its streaming service HBO Max are in franchise mode of late, adding The Penguin to the world of The Batman, expanding the Game of Thrones realm with not only House of the Dragon but also the upcoming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, announcing a new drama series set in The Conjuring universe and locking in a Harry Potter series that readapts the books. As first revealed in 2023, IT: Welcome to Derry falls into the same camp. It'll arrive in your streaming queue sometime in spring 2025. If you're not fond of clowns, find yourself scurrying past sewers and simply can't stand red balloons, there's probably one big reason for your phobias. Maybe you read King's horror tome IT, which first made its way to bookshelves back in 1986. Perhaps you saw the 1990 miniseries, which turned Tim Curry from The Rocky Horror Picture Show's Frank N Furter into the transdimensional evil entity known as Pennywise. Or, you might've caught the recent two IT flicks. Whichever fits, your fears are about to get another workout. King's go-to Maine town is clearly the setting, with the series stepping through the locale's scares before the terror that viewers have already seen and experienced. And yes, Pennywise does indeed feature. So does a spate of missing children, more kids seeking answers, a new family moving in, uncaring police, eerie smiles and cackles, voices in the pipes and a crimson balloon. Returning to oversee the show is filmmaker Andy Muschietti, who helmed the most-recent two IT movies and last directed DC Extended Universe flick The Flash. He's also behind the camera here on multiple episodes, expanding his Derry-set vision from his two features. "As teenagers, we took turns reading chapters of Stephen King's IT until the thick paperback fell to pieces," said Muschietti and his sister Barbara Muschietti, who is also working on IT: Welcome to Derry, back when the show was first revealed. "IT is an epic story that contains multitudes, far beyond what we could explore in our IT movies. We can't wait to share the depths of Steve's novel, in all its heart, humour, humanity and horror." "I'm excited that the story of Derry, Maine's most haunted city, is continuing, and I'm glad Andy Muschietti is going to be overseeing the frightening festivities, along with a brain trust including his talented sister, Barbara. Red balloons all around!" added King at the time. If you've somehow missed all things IT so far, it follows the exploits of maniacal clown Pennywise, as well as the folks he's rather fond of terrorising. In the 2017 and 2019 movies, Bill Skarsgård (Nosferatu) put on the demonic makeup. In the first of those films, his targets were all kids. In the second, those teens — the Losers Club — were all grown up and still getting spooked. Skarsgård is back as Pennywise in IT: Welcome to Derry, with Taylour Paige (Brothers), Jovan Adepo (3 Body Problem), Chris Chalk (Feud), James Remar (Megalopolis), Stephen Rider (What Lies Under the Tree), Madeleine Stowe (Soundtrack) and Rudy Mancuso (The Flash) as his co-stars. Watch the initial IT: Welcome to Derry teaser trailer below: IT: Welcome to Derry is set to stream via Max in Australia and Neon in New Zealand sometime in spring 2025 — we'll update you with an exact release date when it is announced. Images: HBO.
Close out the summer with a wild and wacky bang at Mona's annual festival of boundary-defying culture, music and art. The iconoclastic Hobart gallery, performance space, and purveyor of beer and wine, is known for subverting expectations so you can expect an eccentric and unforgettable few days down south at Mona Foma. Now in its 16th year, the 2024 incarnation of the festival runs from Thursday, February 15 to Sunday, February 25 in nipaluna/Hobart and from Thursday, February 29 to Saturday, March 2 in Launceston. There are morning meditations with cross-cultural musical collaborations and captivating art exhibits for those after a more reflective experience. On the flip side of fun, there are gigs galore and late-night bashes for those keen for a boogie. The program features everything from Taiwanese artist Yahon Chang painting with a human-sized brush and Emeka Ogboh's gin-centred exhibit to musical headliners Queens of the Stone Age, Courtney Barnett, Paul Kelly and cult favourites TISM in a rare live show. Check out our picks of the program below to kick-start your festival planning or get you inspired to book your Tassie getaway. Mona Sessions If you can only make it to one event, the quintessential Mona Foma experience can be found at the Mona Sessions. On the evenings of Friday, February 23 to Sunday, February 25, you can enjoy live music from international artists on the sprawling museum lawns. Suitable for all ages, Mona Sessions features performances by Scottish space-rock stalwarts Mogwai; Kutcha Edwards and The Australian Art Orchestra; Japanese punk-pop band Shonen Knife; Canadian quartet Holy Fuck; French-Korean siblings (both under the age of 15) Isaac et Nora; and Lonnie Holley with Moor Mother and Irreversible Entanglements. [caption id="attachment_939340" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Amniote Editions[/caption] Faux Mo Keep the grooves flowing after the Mona Sessions at Faux Mo. The Granada Tavern opposite Mona will become abuzz with late-night beats and boogies from 10.30pm until 2am on Friday, February 23 and Saturday, February 24, with a more chill afternoon sesh on Sunday, February 25. Catch sets from POOKIE, Soju Gang and m8riarchy, along with melodic beats by Mama Snake from Denmark, Afrobeats by Nigerian-born Emeka Ogboh, and mellow house by Kiwi brothers Chaos in the CBD. [caption id="attachment_939338" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Amber Haines[/caption] Wayfinder Queensland dance collective Dancenorth is known for compelling performances which weave together contemporary dance and powerful storytelling. Wayfinder is no exception. Viewers will be immersed in Dancenorth's spellbinding choreography, set to a score by Grammy award-nominated Hiatus Kaiyote with a stage and costumes designed by visual artist Hiromi Tango. The performance will only run for three nights from Thursday, February 22 to Saturday, February 24, so be sure to book in quick. [caption id="attachment_829589" align="alignnone" width="1920"] MONA and Jesse Hunniford[/caption] Boats (a gin and art experiment) Multifaceted artist Emeka Ogboh will not only be spinning a DJ set at Faux Mo, but has also developed an immersive exhibit. Boats explores themes of migration and belonging through a bespoke gin blended by the Nigerian-born creative. Festival-goers can sample the gin and snacks accompanied by a sound installation at Detached. If that's not enough, Ogboh is collaborating with Mona's executive chef to incorporate the gin and West African flavours at various Mona restaurants during the festival. [caption id="attachment_939336" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Courtesy of Filastine & Nova[/caption] Arka Kinari It wouldn't be Mona Foma without show-stopping, thought-provoking works — and what's a bigger statement than a 70-tonne sailing ship moored at the waterfront to spread awareness about climate change? The boat, named Arka Kinari, is musical duo and married couple Filastine and Nova's home, creative work, transport and travelling stage. The pair are inviting visitors aboard to learn about the ship's sustainable resources — which include water desalination, solar power, wind travel and waste management — and will also be performing their music against a backdrop of cinematic visuals on the deck of the ship. Don't miss it. [caption id="attachment_939339" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gabriel Comerford[/caption] Dekoor In Launceston, gym and rave bros collide at the adults-only Dekoor. Local Tasmanian artists ROOKE will put on an exciting dance, theatre and circus performance in a working gym, where audience members can wander through the space throughout the show. For some added fun, consent tokens will be available if you're open to being touched, carried or led away by performers. These tokens can of course be removed or passed on if you change your mind during the event. After the show, stick around for a party with DJs and performances across three levels of the gym until 1am. The Shruti Sessions Journey across musical borders at The Shruti Sessions, where musicians from Hindustani and Rajasthani backgrounds collaborate and experiment with Australian instrumentalists. Experience something new at each performance, whether you drop in for a Morning Meditation or catch the action at the Mona Sessions. Performers include notable tabla player Bobby Singh, percussionist Benjamin Walsh, OAM recipient and saxophonist Sandy Evans, sarangi player Asin Khan Langa and renowned slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya. [caption id="attachment_831323" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jason Charles Hill via Tourism Tasmania[/caption] The Gorge How about a lazy day of lounging and swims followed by an evening concert at the spectacular Cataract Gorge? And what's more, this live show — featuring the elusive TISM, Mulga Bore Hard Rock, FFLORA x Grace Chia and Cash Savage and The Last Drinks — is completely free. If you'd like to level up your experience, you can opt for the Peacock Pass which grants you access to the Peacock Bar, a private entrance and a viewing area with seating. Find out more and book your tickets at the Mona Foma website.
Whenever Vivid takes over Sydney to kick off winter, the city instantly gets brighter. Unleashing a huge festival of lights and vibrant installations, live music, food and talks will do that, of course. Mark Friday, May 26–Saturday, June 17 in your calendars for 2023, with the annual festival returning — and with its just-announced program featuring more than 300 activations and events across its 23 days. Lights-wise, more than 50 installations will be bringing bursts of colour to the Harbour City, with public installations, 3D projections and ticketed events all part of the lineup. The Vivid Light Walk is back with free public works inspired by nature popping up from over 100 light collaborators and 26 international light artists from 13 countries. First Light will also return, celebrating Australia's original custodians and opening the festival with a performance from Yolngu supergroup Yothu Yindi. Other notable installations include Written in the Stars, which will see over 1000 drones like up the night sky; projections on the Sydney Opera House's sails from John Olsen; and a huge Tumbalong Park activation called Dance Together, which will have you shaking your hips underneath three giant floating rings suspended above your head. Plus, the previously announced Lightscape will also be a part of the program. The after-dark light festival will be taking over the Royal Botanic Garden from 5.30pm each night. Prepare to see the garden illuminated by immersive and large-scale installations scattered along a 2.1-kilometre route, including sparkling trees, luminous walkways and bursts of colour that look like fireworks. A big highlight: large-scale works like giant flowers and glowing tunnels, both of which will make you feel like you're being bathed in radiance. Vivid 2022 marked the first time food was given its own spot on the lineup with the inaugural Vivid Dinner, and this year the festival's gone one better with a full-sized food program celebrating Sydney's hospitality scene. Standout moments from this portion of the festival include the return of the Vivid Dinner, this time with chefs Ben Greeno and Danielle Alvarez at the helm; and a revamp of Luke Mangan's restaurant on top of a Sydney Harbour Bridge pylon that will give guests the chance to take in the lights from atop the bridge accompanied by wine and snacks from the acclaimed chef. The Vivid Fire Kitchen will bring smoked meats and barbecues to Barangaroo's The Cutaway, the Carriageworks Night Markets will also make a one-off comeback during the festival, and a series of residencies will see Barangaroo House and Mary's underground taken over with a mix of food, wine, music and art. Beyond the official Vivd Food program is a heap of special activities planned across a huge number of vendors within the CBD including a special limited edition Vivid-only creation from Black Star Pastry in The Galeries — the yuzu and raspberry flavoured 'glonut' finished with icing designed with vibrant orange and pink polka dots (only available Saturday until 17th June). Meanwhile at the QVB, for those wanting to indulge in a more sophisticated culinary experience, Manon Brasserie is inviting guests to unwind, Paris-style, on the street-side tables and take in the special happy hour menu conceived just for Vivid crowds. And if you really want to elevate your happy options, Golden Hour at Reign will be serving drinks special and bar snacks for champagne aficionados including $20 Mumm 'Grand Cordon' Champagne (a real bargain, trust us) from 5pm to 7pm every Wednesday to Sunday throughout the festival. [caption id="attachment_892843" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] Music is always a huge component of the festival, and this year's lineup does not disappoint. The Sydney Opera House has rolled out a predictably showstopping and diverse mix of artists, starting with Devonté Hynes (also known as Blood Orange) performing selected classical works with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. The bill also features José González celebrating the 20th anniversary of his album Veneer, Cat Power recreating and reinterpreting a 1966 performance by Bob Dylan, and appearances from the likes of Thundercat, Yaeji, Ella Mai, Weyes Blood, Hiatus Kaiyote, Ethel Cain, Sleaford Mods, Squarepusher, Iceage, Kimbra and Budjerah. The Opera House's studio parties are also making a return, with party collectives Mad Racket, Picnic, Future Classic and House of Mince all bringing the tunes to the venue's artist studios until the early hours. Outside of the Sydney Opera House, Vivid's music lineup will include A Bend in the River: A Celebration of the Life & Music of Archie Roach at the Sydney Town hall with Paul Kelly, Emma Donovan, Dan Sultan, Kutcha Edwards and Becca Hatch among the friends, collaborators and contemporaries that will perform during the tribute. [caption id="attachment_892841" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Archie Roach, Lisa Businovski[/caption] Tumbalong Park will again host 12 nights of free live music featuring Yothu Yindi, Hatchie, Kaiit, A.Girl, Ziggy Ramo, Cornelius and a celebration of 15 years of triple j's Unearthed High competition. And, Carriageworks has curated a genre-spanning lineup with the like soft Desire Marea, Flying Lotus, Molchat Doma, Liv.e, Floodlights and Soft Centre. Rounding out the lineup is Vivid Ideas, which will feature 60 talks and workshops spanning love, community, authenticity, body positivity and sustainability. World-renowned British author Jeanette Winterson will be in the country for her talk LIFE AND MARS: The Future of Human; Could the Ocean be the Solution? will explore how technology is helping to clean up the world's oceans; and Melbourne-based artists have created NOCTURNE, an immersive journey through The Rocks. If you want to get into the nitty-gritty of the program, you can head to the Vivid Sydney website. Yes, you'd best clear your calendar for the end of May and the first few weeks of June — Vivid is about to keep you mighty busy. Vivid Sydney 2023 will run from Friday, May 26–Saturday, June 17. For further information and tickets, head to the event's website.
Huge news, food lovers — especially if you've ever had a steak at Rockpool Bar & Grill, a pink blossom cocktail at Saké, some meat and bread at the Burger Project, a parma pizza at Fratelli Fresh or a stein at Munich Brauhaus. Until this week, some of those eateries were owned by Urban Purveyor Group, and some by Rockpool Group. Now, they've joined forces, pulled them all under one umbrella, and created the epic hospitality venture that is Rockpool Dining Group. Yep, all of your favourite restaurants are now part of the same company, including Spice Temple, The Cut Steakhouse, Rosetta, Bavarian Bier Cafe, El Camino Cantina, Fratelli Famous, Café Ananas and Saké Jr as well. The group's portfolio spans 47 places and 15 restaurant brands across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Perth, and features Tex-Mex and Asian-fusion venues, plus everything in between. Sounds pretty epic — and if you're a fan of Rockpool's Neil Perry, don't worry' he's the head of culinary for the combined outfit. His most recent venture, the more casual Eleven Bridge in Sydney, isn't part of the merger. Creating a tasty Frankenstein's monster of the culinary and dining world comes with added resources, obviously, which all us hungry folks will enjoy in the form of new must-eat destinations. Rockpool Dining Group expects their portfolio to grow to more than 80 eateries over the next 12 months. And, if that's not enough, they plan to expand to more than 200 over the next few years. We already knew that Brisbane is going to get on the Munich Brauhaus train; however other new projects such as a second Rosetta at Grosvenor Place in Sydney, a smaller-format Spice Temple and a Rockpool Bar Series are also slated. And they're looking abroad as well, with the group in early discussions to open first venues in both London and Los Angeles.
This year, Melbourne and Australia got its first not-for-profit bar Shebeen on Manchester Lane. With every drink sold going towards developing projects in its country of origin, it is changing the way we think about charity and sipping a tipple. We have Simon Griffiths to thank for this. Concrete Playground got hold of Simon to talk about his philanthropic work, Shebeen, toilet paper and his cat. What drove you to philanthropic work? I started working in the corporate world but quickly realised that I wanted to use my skills to solve social problems, not just business problems. After a lot of research I found that the number one problem faced by development aid organisations was a lack of funding, so I decided to create a new channel for funding, moving away from the donation market, and instead creating an avenue for consumer dollars to create social impact. After you came up with the concept for Shebeen with Zanna McComish, what was it that made you think, this really might work? The basic concept was actually 100 percent Zanna's, but it has snowballed into something much larger and more sustainable over the years. When Zanna first mentioned the idea to me, I was so excited that I knew a lot of people would dig it as well ... we just had to figure out how to make the business model work. How was it getting partners and suppliers on board? The really tricky part was raising the capital to get the venue open. We ended up raising social capital, i.e. without any financial return, from 20-25 different investors, then pieced together product partnerships with Brown-Forman, Schweppes and Silver Chef to fill the remaining cash shortage. We did everything on a tiny budget, so had to garner pro bono support from anyone and everyone, including Foolscap Studio (interior architecture), Swear Words (graphic design), Run Forrest (PR and communications), McCorkells Construction (building), Alpha 60 (uniforms), Tin & Ed (murals and uniform graphics), and so on. It has been a long but amazing ride! What is one of the projects you are most excited about contributing to in the developing world? I really get off on KickStart, who we work with in Ethiopia. Around 80 percent of the poor in Sub-Saharan Africa are small-scale farmers who depend on unreliable rain to grow crops. KickStart figured out that irrigation would allow many of them to move from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture, so they developed the MoneyMaker pump to allow farmers to draw water from rivers, ponds and wells to irrigate large areas of land year-round. Basically their pumps create a substantial and sustainable increase in household income — and they're really great at measuring their impact. We know that every $1 we give them turns into $12 of profits and wages for one of their farmers. That's a pretty exciting return-on-investment — or return-on-drinking-an-Ethiopian-beer. For you, how does Shebeen's support to the developing world differ from other charitable organisations? Basically we give consumers an opportunity to put their purchasing power to work. Now that we're open we're 100 percent self sustaining — we're already profitable and will start donating funds in the next four months or so. We'll only seek to raise additional capital to open new venues. What do you want people to take away from Shebeen? We want them to start thinking a little differently about what it means to be a consumer, and where their money ends up. After five years in the making. What does it feel like to walk into the bar and see it as a reality? It's still quite surreal to see people in there! But we've been so busy it's also been difficult to stop and celebrate. I'm taking my first weekend off for the year this weekend — it's going to be great! Where do you see Shebeen in five years? In five years we're hoping to have venues in five or more locations and will hopefully be looking at our own retail range of products as well. What is your favourite drink on the menu? I've really gotten into our cocktails. I really like the Ginger Kaffir Limeade, which is made with Kaffir Lime infused Finlandia vodka, and our warhead-sour lemon frozen margaritas, which we're making with El Jimador tequila. We're just about to start experimenting with cocktails on tap, too. What gets you out of bed in the morning? Usually my alarm, or my cat biting my foot. Occasionally it's a hangover. What's next for Simon Griffiths? Getting Shebeen doing a great takeaway lunchtime trade, opening the second Shebeen venue, and selling more toilet paper — I also run whogivesacrap.org. Images by Clever Deer.
Maybe you share your home with a very good pooch who likes sprawling out on soft surfaces. Perhaps your live-in company is a frequently slumbering feline who can turn anything — and we mean anything — into a bed. Either way, tell your pet that they're about to get comfier. Tell them to relinquish ownership of any Hommey cushions and throws they've taken as their own, too, because the homewares brand has just released a dog- and -cat-friendly collection. Hommey's first-ever pet range goes big on cosiness, just for your furry friends rather than for you. That said, the line looks so comfortable that you might find yourself snuggling up with your pupper or mouser while atop its soft memory-foam mattresses, resting on its bone-shaped pillows and beneath its cosy faux-fur blankets. First, those beds. Ranging from $159–229 in price, they're available in small and medium sizes, and in an array of colours including olive, cherry, stone, raven, milkshake, lilac, latte, blush, duke, marshmallow, mushroom, coffee, tan and rose. The covers come off so that you can pop them in the wash when your pet has given them a bit too much love, plus they come in either durable boucle fabric or faux fur. For popping on top, the bone-shaped cushions are decked out in almost as many colours, and in the same choice of fabrics. These cost $29 and, depending on the size of your pooch, can even be carried out in their mouth. As well as blankets priced at $49 completing the treat-your-pet set, the Hommey pet collection also spans leads ($49) and collars ($39) in a heap of hues. "Outside of playing with dogs everyday, the challenge of finding the perfect mix of function, style, convenience and affordability has been a fun process," said Hommey Founder and Chief Comfort Officer Justin Kestelman. "We love creating products that work to solve a problem, and over 12 months of development and testing our products with 30-plus owner/pets it's so exciting to see this come to life." The Hommey pet collection is on sale now — head to the Hommey website for further details.
With warm, blissful summery days ahead of us, there's no better time than to put your pedal to the metal and speed out of the city's concrete clutches. Zoom along steaming freeways and into wide open still spaces and cool water-lapping shores. Whether you want to set off on a long drive or just a short one, there are more than a few magical spots to enjoy those long, lazy summer days outta the city. PORT FAIRY After enjoying the drive along the blue coast, squinting at the Twelve Apostles and getting ocean wind-swept hair, Port Fairy is the last and crucial stop along the iconic Great Ocean Road. Once a town of Moby Dick-like seal and whale hunters in the 19th century, Port Fairy is now a chilled out seaside town with a quirky artist scene offering R&R to all visitors. Take a walk along the beach and you might spot frolicking seals, dolphins and whales. Fish and chip greasies are best enjoyed here with your feet in the warm sand. How far? 385km via the Great Ocean Road. LAKES ENTRANCE Although the description of Lakes Entrance as the 'largest inland network of waterways' may not invoke much fist pumping, the stunning sparkling waters surrounding the town make for a wonderful laid back summer adventure worth travelling four hours for. From lazy swims on the endless Ninety Mile Beach, casting a line out in one of the lakes or testing out your kayak skills, there's heaps to do — or not do. Just make sure you treat yourself to the freshest seafood cuisine, direct from the sea to your mouth. How far? 317km via the Princess Highway. BRIGHT This quaint little town at the bottom of the Victorian Alps is home to top-notch eateries with delightful homegrown tucker and local wines plucked from the backyard vines. While snow season is long gone, the hills make for some decent hiking with Sound of Music sing-a-long sceneries. The chilly river is also perfect for a refreshing splash and a kayak when things get a bit steamy, and the Bright Brewery is your go-to drinking hole for quality craft brew. It's a three and a half hour drive combined of easy freeways to picturesque, winding country roads. How far? 322km via the Hume Freeway and Snow Road. FRENCH ISLAND NATIONAL PARK With a secret paradise of mangrove salty marshes, eucalyptus-munching koalas and a 15km coastline, the relatively unknown French Island National Park is a peaceful haven for campers and nature lovers. It's a short hour-long road trip to Stony Point on the Mornington Peninsula and, unless your car has Chitty Bang Bang abilities and can transform into a boat, you'll need to take the 15 minute passenger ferry from Stony Point to the island. Explore the island by bus, bike or foot. Bush style camping is also available for those wanting a longer taste of island life. How far? 81km via the M1. THE GRAMPIANS For a walk on the wild side head north-west for three hours, stopping at country towns Beaufort, Ararat and Moyston perfect for ice cream stops along the way. When at the Grampians, scrabble along one of the rugged cliff face walks, or plunge under one the cascading waterfalls in this heritage-listed national park. Camping is as cheap as chips and available under the twinkling stars, surrounded by the most awesome of rock formations and culturally-rich indigenous rock art sites. Foodies and wine snobs can celebrate with the Royal Mail Hotel at Dunkeld and the plethora of excellent cellar doors in the surrounding towns. How far? 252km via the M8 and National Highway A8. WILSONS PROM Singing Icehouse's 'Great Southern Land' seems fitting for mainland Australia's most southern tip. Only two and half hours from Melbourne, The Prom is a magical world of rainforests, granite mountains and spectacular beaches. It's also a popular bushwalker haven, with meandering tracks suited for the keen jungle trekker looking for a three-day stint, to the easy one-hour wander along coastal beach spots such as Squeaky Beach (which lives up to its name). Keep your eyes peeled for some members of Australia's coat of arms: roos, emus, wombats and echidnas call this great southern land home. How far? 196km via the Gippsland Highway. DAYLESFORD AND THE MACEDON RANGES For the ultimate short road-trip in relaxation, take the Calder Freeway out of Melbourne and head for the hills for an instant temperature drop — possible one even making you reach for your woolies. Daylesfield and Hepburn Springs are famous for their luxurious spas, but the natural beauty and swimming holes are also local favourites. Surrounding Macedon Ranges towns such as Kyneton, Macedon and Woodened serve hearty pub meals and fresh local produce at weekend markets to delight foodies and gourmet enthusiasts. How far? 112km via the Calder Freeway. MARYSVILLE Reconnect with your inner hippy and head for the cooling and lush arms of the rainforests past the windy bends of the Yarra Valley. Hit with the devastating Black Saturday fires back in 2009, Marysville has been completely rebuilt and the surrounding beauty through the Great Dividing Range continues to rejuvenate. Not far from the heart of the town is Steavenson Falls, a 350m drop waterfall which is one of the highest in Victoria. To escape the tourists, take a short drive to Lady Talbot Drive for relaxing walking tracks through moss-covered forests and calming flowing creeks. How far? 98km via the Maroondah Highway. PHILLIP ISLAND Home to hundreds of little waddling penguins, Phillip Island really should be renamed Penguin Island — the cuties attract thousands of visitors each year, after all. But aside from penguins, the island has beautiful sandy white beaches with turquoise water perfect for days of swimming, floating, surfing and snorkelling and other seaside shenanigans. It's an easy 90-minute drive from Melbourne along the freeway to penguin wonderland. How far? 148km via the M1. BEECHWORTH For a Marty McFly DeLorean Back to the Future experience, take yourself for a cruise to the historic town of Beechworth. Here, wise old trees and architecture from the gold rush era still stand, and old-school pastries from the Beechworth Bakery remain classically tasty. Take a peek at the original gaol that hosted Australia's first bearded crim Ned Kelly, who, we hope, would be pleased at the surrounding award-winning restaurants and boutique shops. It's a three-hour stint along the relatively mundane Hume, but for an extra 30 minutes, you could take the greener, much more picturesque Melbourne-Lancefield Road route. How far? 286 km via the Hume Freeway or 311 km via Melbourne-Lancefield Road Images: Larry W. Lo, Ed Dunens, bradmcs, Ryk Neethling, Maarten Danial, Madeleine Deaton, s13n1, Schezar, Mertie .
