If you've stepped foot outside recently, you'll probably have noticed Sydney has scored a bevvy of new neon-green arrivals. First appearing in early November, the distinctive vehicles of US-born bike share company Lime has now taken over the city. You might be thinking it's a strange time to be rolling out yet another bike share service in Sydney, and you're not wrong. A swag of international share bike companies like Reddy Go and oBike launched in Australia, but had a rough time gaining traction locally, as councils crack down on dumping and vandalism issues spurred by the new dockless systems. But strict laws and stories of ill-fated predecessors don't appear to have deterred Lime, which has this week launched a fleet of its Lime-E electric-assist bicycles across Sydney. These work much the same as others we've seen — you locate a nearby bike using the Lime app, unlock it by scanning a QR code or entering an ID, cruise to your destination, then park and lock the bike safely out of the way. The difference between other dockless bikes and Lime-E, is its lithium battery, which the company says allows users to ride up to 14.8 mph (23.8kmh) without breaking a sweat — even when venturing uphill. The bikes' batteries (which last for about 80 kilometres) will be supposedly monitored and replaced regularly by the company, and can be checked by tapping the Lime-E icon on the app. Each of the vehicles is also equipped with a sensor, which can tell the operators its location, elevation and even orientation — a feature which may or may not help curb bike dumping. In Sydney, it'll cost you $1 to unlock a Lime-E and 30 cents per minute for your ride. The Californian company's perhaps best known for its dockless electric scooters, which first hit the streets of Auckland and Christchurch last month. A week-long trial of the two-wheeled vehicles is also underway on campus, at Monash University in Clayton, Melbourne. The scooters are gaining popularity across the globe, with even Uber signing up as a strategic partner. Unfortunately, given that NSW road safety laws currently state that "powered foot scooters and skateboards cannot be registered and can only be used on private land", it doesn't look like we'll be seeing a Sydney launch of Lime's e-scooters anytime soon. While we don't have high hopes for the success of this new bike sharing service, we do hope it's better monitored, and the neon green bikes don't end up clogging footpaths, parks and waterways, like the others did. The Lime App is available to download now via the app store.
As we all watched London burning, most of the furious debates were concerned with political squabbling and vigorous finger pointing at wasted British youth. But one of the things least discussed was the impact on creative communities. While the riots may have started off as a response to police brutality, the only thing they seem to have accomplished is making people more upset while completely screwing over small businesses and independent artists, who, let's face it, weren't really doing all that well to begin with. Hip-hop artist Scroobius Pip pretty much summed it up when he said, “This is Britain punching itself in the face. Repeatedly.” While the riots were going down, theatres all over London were forced to cancel shows and performers including Patrick Wolf postponed gigs while the city was in lockdown. Then there were the art galleries, who, with all those big glass windows ripe for smashing, didn't fare so well and have thwarted several exhibitions. But the biggest impact on artists has come as a result of the fire lit at the SonyDADC warehouse in Enfield, which was holding the UK's stock of a significant number of independent music labels including Sub Pop, Warp, 4AD, Matador and XL. These companies had much of their stock destroyed, and that's not to mention the smaller companies who probably never had a huge amount to splash out on tight and all-encompassing insurance policies. In an interview in NME, Spencer Hickman of Rough Trade East explained, "There’s maybe a hundred labels affected. We’ve got no idea how much stock they’ve got elsewhere. I’m convinced that some labels will go under." In addition, the warehouse was holding a a lot of the DVD stock of independent film distributers like BFI, and because much of the income film companies receive comes through DVD sales, it looks like some companies are going to have to lay off staff. A campaign entitled LabelLove has been launched to generate some money to try and keep independent artists and labels afloat during the rough times ahead. On the bright side, artists have almost immediately begun responding to the riots, with graphic designers Nick Scott and Neil Walker designing posters which pretty much sum up exactly what everybody was thinking. Check them out below.
Port Macquarie is best known for its idyllic climate and its many pristine beaches. But, over the past few years, this town on the mid-north coast of NSW has developed quite the foodie scene. That's partly thanks to the Hastings River, which runs along Port's northern border, creating fertile land for growing crops and raising cattle, sheep and chooks. It's also thanks to the numerous chefs and baristas who've travelled the world, working in top-notch restaurants and cafes, before settling down in Port Macquarie. Whether you're on the hunt for a good coffee, a tasty burger, some local seafood, a hatted feast or an epic wine list, you'll get it. And if you're contemplating a springtime visit, try to time it with October's Tastings on Hastings festival to experience the full spectrum of regional foods. [caption id="attachment_678289" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Stunned Mullet[/caption] EAT The food at The Stunned Mullet is worth the drive alone. The pale-timber accents, sea-green booths and concertina windows make the most of the breezy beachside location and sweeping ocean views. Among the hatted dishes are creamy oysters ($27 for six, $54 for 12) and Glacier 51 Toothfish ($49): a rarely served species that lives 2000 metres below sea level off Heard Island in the sub-Antarctic. Here, it comes with a shiitake-infused clear soup and black rice wafer. Let sommelier and co-owner Lou Perri choose you a wine from his extremely quaffable list. Another restaurant that puts you right on the water is the Whalebone Wharf. Perched on the Hastings River, this airy space has been serving up premium seafood since 1971. Every fish on the menu is described according to its source, so you know if you're getting mulloway from Yamba (300 kilometres north); dusky flathead from Wallace Lake (750 kilometres south); or mud crab from Forster (100 kilometres south). There's also a light all-day menu; for anyone short on time, a plate of oysters ($4 each) straight out of the Hastings should do the trick. [caption id="attachment_678288" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Whalebone Wharf[/caption] Whalebone WharfGo rural at Cassegrain Wines, where the Seasons Restaurant overlooks the rose garden and vineyard. The menu combines French cuisine with local produce. Think terrine made of Macleay Valley rabbit or bouillabaisse crowded with black mussels and local fish. Match your picks with a Cassegrain drop – the French family first made wine in 1643 and, in 1980, descendant John and his wife, Eva, planted Port Macquarie's first vineyards. If you're looking for a more casual feed, then head to the Burger Rebellion for classic burgers or Zebu for pizza made with 72-hour dough. There are also plenty of excellent cafes in Port Macquarie. Drury Lane, located in a shady courtyard outside Glasshouse Theatre, utilises the local produce to create contemporary dishes, such as Wauchope zucchini with feta and olive-strawberry tapenade. Another champion of local produce is Milkbar, which is the spot for an early brekkie. Grab a seat on the outdoor patio and watch the surf roll in, while digging into house-made beans and baked eggs. Right near the river mouth is LV's on Clarence, it takes the whole locavore thing so seriously it's even established its own mini-farm. Every egg on every plate comes from one of 500 pet chickens, while all ham and pork started out as a free-range pig. The produce is turned into all kinds of tasty treats, such as char sui sandwiches and pork belly sliders ($17). [caption id="attachment_668369" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Black Duck[/caption] DRINK First things first, coffee. One of the best brews in town is at Social Grounds. Since July 2014, this graffiti-covered hideaway has been bringing some seriously good beans to Port Macquarie. The house blend, known as The Story, is a complex journey across several continents, containing beans from Ethiopia, Sumatra, Colombia and Rwanda. Another good option is Blackfish: a welcoming espresso bar, laden with natural timber forms, that looks as though it's been transplanted from the streets of Melbourne. The fruity and caramelly house blend, Cheeky Monkey, comes from Flying West: a roastery based on the Sunshine Coast. About four kilometres southwest of downtown is Peak Coffee, which is not just a cafe but a retail space and roaster, too. To see the process in motion, jump on a tour. Otherwise, go straight to surfer-barista Kenichiro Seno, to choose from two or three single origins. Peak buys most of its beans directly from a man called Uncle Ravi — who inherited his father's coffee plantation in Southern India, where he now oversees a community of farmers. To add a baked treat, try Murray Street Bakery which peddles artisanal goodies from Coffs Harbour's K'pane, or Urban Grain Bakery for goodies made by ex-Zumbo chefs — such as lemon myrtle, caramel and chocolate cronuts. For a bagel fix, head to Blackmarket, where bagels are made according to a well-tested 17th century recipe. [caption id="attachment_668362" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Botanic Wine Garden[/caption] Cocktail hour should begin at Bar Florian. This 1960s Italian-inspired bar offers an impressive drinks list, from a luxury dry gin martini to wines sourced from all over Australia and Europe. Let your boozy adventures continue at Botanic Wine Garden: a friendly bar with bright murals and creative cocktails. Also worth sampling are the efforts of local brewers. A name that you're likely to notice frequently on taps around the North Coast is Black Duck — its headquarters are in Port Macquarie. Work your way through a tasting paddle or take a tour with head brewer Al Owen and meet Murphy, an extremely lovable Great Dane. Another local brewer with wide reach is Little Brewing — it's responsible for Wicked Elf beers and winner of more than 150 awards. [caption id="attachment_668360" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Macquarie Waters Hotel[/caption] SLEEP In between all your eating and drinking, you'll need a cosy place to sleep. For that, check into Macquarie Waters. It's in town, so there are cafes, restaurants and plenty of bars nearby. And, when you're hiding out in your room — or self-contained apartment — you'll be treated to a comfy bed, oodles of space and free wifi and, if you so choose, a spa and/or ocean views. Communal facilities include a heated outdoor pool and jacuzzi, a drive-in movie theatre and, on the rooftop, a hot tub overlooking the sea. For brekkie, The Corner Restaurant on ground level does a mean pulled beef benedict ($19) and Campos coffee. If you're looking for other things to do in Port Macquarie, then check out our weekender's guide.
Hidden in a narrow, cobblestoned lane, Chez Dré's exterior is a little slice of Europe. A simple, unassuming sign marks this renowned patisserie and boulangerie, located just around the corner from the heart of South Melbourne Market. A wealth of sweet and savoury options, pastries and all-day brunch meals lie beyond this humble exterior. Since opening in 2011 it has been keeping the ravenous hordes in check with classic eggs on toast, a noteworthy avocado toast, and the much-loved and often order blueberry and ricotta hotcake. However, when it comes to satisfying pastry fiends and lovers of baked goods, Chez Dre is the perfect spot to quell your sweet tooth. The chocolate croissants are our pick if you want to keep things classic. Encased by a delightfully airy pastry and oozing with chocolate filling, it's a craft the team has perfected — and we get to relish in the spoils.
Melbourne's bubble tea franchise Gotcha Fresh Tea is rapidly expanding, having just opened up shop on Elizabeth Street. It's the brand's fifth Melbourne store — since launching in June 2018, they've popped up at Flinders Street Station, Springvale, Keysborough and Glen Waverley. Gotcha stands out from the pack thanks to its teas, which are all exclusively grown and hand-picked on the Gotcha plantation in Taiwan — the country where bubble tea originated, mind you. The extensive menu goes deeper than your average bubble tea shop, too. Milk teas come in red bean, bamboo charcoal, taro and durian flavours. Fruit teas come with sliced fresh fruit, including lychee, passionfruit, cumquat and mango. They all range from $5.60–6.40. There are also teas available with cheese, salted egg or tiramisu foams; a range of 'healthy' collagen teas in bamboo, aloe vera and mulberry flavours; and a menu of macchiatos, lattes, health teas and smoothies to choose from. Of course, you can add pearls and jelly to any and all flavour combinations. Gotcha's expansion is no where near slowing, either, with over 15 stores slated to open in 2019. A Footscray store is currently in the works, along with eight additional stores across Victoria as well as many more around the country.
UPDATE: AUGUST 19, 2020 — If you're looking for a midweek fried chook feed during lockdown, look no further than Fried and Tasty. The Brunswick East joint is delivering its finger-licken-good feeds via Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Doordash. Walking into Fried and Tasty (F.A.T), you know you're in for something delectable. The relaxed restaurant is made up of walls plastered with old advertising, well-known quotes from movies like Shrek, and orange booths that complement the crispy coating of its already renowned fried chicken. Speaking of, there are multiple ways you can devour yours. Get it in a burger, on waffles or on its own — perhaps with a side of chips, poutine, coleslaw or potato salad. The Original burger keeps it simple with fried chicken, coleslaw and mayo ($9.90), while The Brunswick honours the restaurant's location with chicken, bacon, beetroot, cheese, barbecue sauce and mayo ($11.90). All burgers can also be made in wrap form. The food at F.A.T clearly speaks to the favourites of American cuisine, serving up the classic dish of chicken and waffles — the perfect fusion for those who wish to simultaneously eat mains and dessert. The eatery pairs buttermilk waffles with crispy chicken, vanilla ice cream and Canadian maple ($17). For straight-up chicken with no disturbances, share the bucket o' chicken for $25. It's truly no frills here; everything is served in red diner baskets and the milkshakes — which come in flavours Milo, vanilla malt, salted caramel and apple crumble (all $7) — are served straight out of the stainless steel cups they were created in. If you're looking to class it up a bit, F.A.T surprisingly serves wine as well. You'll find drops from both Australia and Europe. To dine at F.A.T is to spoil the soul. For non-violent prices and some damn tasty chicken, make your way to the deep fryers at this Lygon Street joint.
The usually sparse, concrete surrounds of Port Melbourne's Fisherman's Wharf precinct have been given a dramatic facelift, jazzed up with the help of a huge, record-breaking artwork. Gracing the ground of the waterfront stretch, you'll now find a sprawling mural by Melbourne-based large-scale artist Kitt Bennett. And, not only is the 9000-square-metre design the largest mural in the southern hemisphere, but it's also nabbed the title of the world's largest independently produced work of animated 'gif-iti' — a term referring to gif-style graffiti or street art which is viewed online, as coined by UK artist ISNA. Called Revolution, the giant artwork was crafted using satellite technology and over 700 litres of paint, taking Bennett a whole 30 days to complete. Designed to be viewed from above, it features a row of ten individual 30-metre-long figures each in different poses which, when seen together, form separate frames in an animated sequence. A team of animators and designers have also optimised it for audiences, creating a fluid, gif-style animation that audiences will be able to view online. This new piece was born of a collaboration with local street art collective and street art collective and creative agency Juddy Roller, who you might know from teeing up Adnate's Collingwood public housing block mural last year, as well as regional Victoria's famed art silo trail. The Port Melbourne work has stolen the ultimate bragging rights from Perth's new Adnate hotel, which was previously home to the southern hemisphere's largest (and still its tallest) mural. That mural reaches 27 storeys in height, while Revolution covers the equivalent of 90 floors worth of ground space. A short film documenting the whole Port Melbourne mural process has also been created, and will be on show at an exhibition at Juddy Roller next month. It's designed to be seen from an aerial perspective, but Revolution is now gracing the ground at Port Melbourne's Fisherman's Wharf. For further information about Juddy Roller, visit its website. Top image: Nicole Reed.
Before all your healthy eating resolutions kick in on January 1, it's time for one last mouth-watering hurrah. From 7pm on New Year's Eve, Welcome to Thornbury are hosting some of their favourite food trucks for an end-of-year street food feast. Mr. Burger, Super Taco, Fancy Hanks and Billy van Creamy will all be represented, while your ticket also gets you unlimited access to the bar's tap beers and house wines. It's not exactly what you think of when you hear the words 'truck stop dining,' is it? Not that we're complaining.
The Coachella lineup has landed. Over the course of two autumnal weekends — April 11-13 and 18-20 — California's music-loving valley will welcome some of the world's most original, inventive and popular acts into the fold. There's a major headliner scheduled for each day — the long-rumoured and at last reunited Outkast on Friday; England's rebellious, alt-rockers Muse on Saturday; and Canada's indie favourites Arcade Fire on Sunday. While Muse just finished up an Aussie tour, Arcade Fire will soon be packing their suncream and surfboards —l they’ll be headlining Big Day Out on January 19. We Antipodeans are getting quite a look-in at Coachella, too. As you might've guessed, New Zealand teenager and singing, songwriting phenomenon Lorde is on the program. She'll be joined by fellow Kiwis The Naked and Famous. Australia has abundant representation in the form of electro duo Empire of the Sun; Sydney rockers The Preatures; multi-instrumentalist, producer and DJ Flume; psychedelic specialists Jagwar Ma; dance music trailblazer Anna Lunoe; and indie DJs Flight Facilities. As for the rest of the planet, the list includes The Replacements, Broken Bells, Queens of the Stone Age, The Knife, Pharrell Williams, Beck, Lana del Rey, Motorhead, Skrillex and Sleigh Bells. Tix go on sale this Friday at 10am (California time) at www.coachella.com/festival-passes
The flash mob has become synonymous with making a statement, a bold one at that. It isn't everyday that a group of people randomly assembles in a public place to perform a silly choreographed dance number, so on the rare occasion a flash mob does take over the streets, passersby pay attention. American Airlines took advantage of this increasingly popular public display to make a statement of their own. The airline broke away from traditional methods of advertising and organised a flash mob at the U.S. Bank Plaza in downtown Los Angeles to promote the launch of their new flight services. The performance began with a single man dancing past a father and his daughter, and he was soon joined by 40 dancers descending the steps of the public plaza. After shocking onlookers with their meticulously choreographed routine, the mob created the American Airlines logo with their travel bags above their heads and then nonchalantly dispersed. Few things grab attention quicker than a flash mob, but this form of marketing has surely been done to death. And what are the new services that this quirky advertisement was meant to showcase? The airline now offers daily non-stop flights from LAX to Shanghai as well additional flights to nine new U.S. destinations. https://youtube.com/watch?v=a_w0lX3NIOk
While the last 97 years of its life have likely been filled with bake sales, dances and community get-togethers, St Kilda's historic Trinity church hall has just dived right into a new phase of existence. The triangular site at the intersection of Brighton Road and Chapel Street has been reborn as Trinity — a 300-person pub, beer garden, event space and food truck park. The brainchild of third-generation Melbourne hospitality owner Matt Nikakis, the venue officially opened its doors last week, delivering a pet-friendly watering hole and meeting spot that's destined to become a St Kilda go-to. [caption id="attachment_850322" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nicole Cleary[/caption] Step through the front gate and into an all-weather courtyard filled with outdoor tables and fringed by that day's food truck lineup. There'll always be a couple of guests on rotation (think, Nem 'n Nem and The Holiday Parlour) joining Trinity's resident kitchen, which makes its home in a shiny silver 1956 Airstream. This is your pitstop for snacks like fried chicken tenders, mac 'n' cheese bites and crispy onion rings, alongside a range of things in buns — maybe a double beef and bacon number, a fried chicken burger, and a prawn and lobster roll laced with kewpie and dill. Meanwhile, the red-brick former church hall building has been carefully converted into a lofty, light-filled beer hall, complete with soaring ceilings and a huge central bar. Emerald velvet booths means there is room for the whole crew, a separate sitting room is filled with a curation of vintage furniture, and elegant Art Deco-inspired finishes star all throughout the space. Glance upwards and you'll also spy a glass-walled mezzanine level, available for private functions, and sporting its very own bar. [caption id="attachment_850329" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nicole Cleary[/caption] Trinity's drinks offering is a hefty, crowd-pleasing one. A 12-strong tap list heroes familiar favourites from Balter, 4 Pines and Mountain Goat, while the beer fridges play host to drops like Colonial's pale ale, the Kaiju Krush tropical ale and a slew of Saintly seltzers. Wines are largely local — think, Seville Estate's Sewn Chardonnay, or the Wilds Gully Tempranillo out of King Valley — and cocktails celebrate reworked classics. Settle in with one of three margaritas, try the house ode to Four Pillars' shiraz gin, or get into the good times groove with a yuzu-infused riff on the mojito. Find Trinity at 2 Brighton Road, St Kilda. It's open daily from 12pm–late. Images: Nicole Cleary
Courting might have been sweet back in your grandparents' day, but with the advent of Facebook, relationships have taken on a whole lot more complexity. Admit it - if you like someone, you'll periodically check out their Facebook profile, click through their photos, ascertain their general whereabouts and any signs that their lack of obtainability might be about to take a turn for the better. This practice, commonly referred to as Facebook 'stalking' - with all the overtones of obsession and garbage-bin rifling the word implies - is perhaps coming closer to the world of real-life courting, with the release of the BreakUp Notifier, the app most likely to get you laid by someone on the rebound. Using the app, you can bookmark the profiles of people in a relationship, and then you'll be automatically notified should that status change in the slightest. As the app itself explains,"You like someone. They're in a relationship. Be the first to know when they're out of it." Woe betide the person chasing after someone with the enigmatic 'It's Complicated' relationship status. Or those who refuse to divulge their status at all. While the Breakup Notifier is perhaps another step down the road to normalising creepy behaviour, you know that thousands of people are going to be downloading this app and making damn sure their's will be the first attractive and available shoulder to cry on. BreakUp Notifier
The Village Belle is winning over locals with a whole swag of great weekly specials, though come Sunday lunch, it's all about that traditional, Mum-style roast. It'll set you back a mere $29, for the likes of Flinders Island salt grass lamb, or roasted Hazeldene free-range chicken, with an assortment of matched sides crafted on produce sourced from the St Kilda Community Garden. It's all best enjoyed against the cosy backdrop of the old-meets-new public bar, where there's footy on the big screens and live tunes to round out the weekend.
On February 17, 1936, when Sir Reginald Ansett first took flight in his Fokker Universal passenger plane from Hamilton, Victoria, he wasn't to know that his would be a legacy in two acts. A legacy not just of iconic Southern Hemisphere aviation, but also of the dankest wearable swag this side of that $19 Bunnings cap with the built-in torch. Yet, some 82 years later, in a rural tin shed-cum-hangar-cum-museum — located at the birthplace of the aforementioned national aero-identity — lies, in mint-ish condition, the most complete collection of Ansett Australia paraphernalia you never knew you were in grave spiritual free fall without. And much of which money can buy. Because we're suckers for nostalgia and weird experiences accessible from the city, it was time to beeline — nay, V/Line — 288 kilometres west to the good township of Hamilton (town slogan: "One place, many possibilities") and examine the loot. But first: the 'museum'. There she blows. If you're not familiar with Ansett Australia, it was an airline — much like Qantas is currently an airline — until 2001 when it was placed into administration following a gnarly financial collapse. At its peak, it sponsored the cricket, provided Winnie The Pooh pencil cases and colouring books for kids, and served hot food on board when the competition bothered not to. It was the official airline of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, flying the torch from Auckland to Uluru, and it sponsored Neighbours during the iconic Kylie era of the late 80s. The museum tells of the erstwhile airline's rise and fall (mostly the fall) and houses a neat grab of quintessential airline detritus. It also houses a heap of derelict (and creepy) mannequins — perhaps the most complete collection of derelict mannequins in the entire Southern Grampians region — cracking out in costume, for your pleasure. Some are more headless than others. About halfway through the museum, we hit a room covered with testimonials from former employees penning some pretty deep plane's-going-down truths. Some were undyingly positive — "It should not have gone down / We were fabulous / We could have blasted QF and VG out of the sky" — others more sombre — "To everyone, for everything, thank you" — and some a little bit extraterrestrial: "We might all be gone but our spirits will last forever". Also in the room was this scary unexplained bus. Aside from the reminiscing and the scrutinising decaying mannequins, what you're really here for is that euphoric airline swag of yore. Like this 90s schoolyard must-have. What a ride. If you're not ready to go home, or you can't for whatever reason, a volunteer — let's call him Gary — who'll put on a historical Ansett Australia DVD in the headless mannequin room. It's ok — two stars. Otherwise it's an exit through the gift shop, where you'll find many things you can buy with your money and wear to cool nightclubs. You can buy this stubbie cooler ($8). That you can pair with this beanie ($10). Or this fresh self-mulleting legionnaires hat ($10). And put it all in this nightclub-essential bum bag ($9). Probably drape one of these ($5) around your best finger, too. It all feels a bit like when an elderly relative dies and you have to spend a weekend going through their things — only the deceased was an airline and owned more stuff. But, hey, treasure is treasure. The Ansett Australia Museum is located just three and a half hours from Melbourne in Hamilton, and is weird and good. Did I say good? I meant strange. Entry is $10 for adults, $8 for concession, but you can also not go into the museum and just go to the gift shop — though you'll have to explain that to Gary. You can also just go to this website and buy heaps of this stuff online, but you would really be missing out on the whole experience. Ansett Museum is located at the corner of Ballarat Road and Riley Street, Hamilton, Vic. It's open daily from 9am–4pm. To book a visit call (03) 5571 2767. Images: Frank Sweet.
It's easier than you think to find pockets of nature in Singapore's concrete jungle. Take a walk off the beaten path and discover some lesser-known places to get lost in Singapore's greenery. Whether you hop on a bike or venture out on foot, exploring Singapore's expansive outdoors doesn't have to cost you. We've teamed up with Singapore Tourism to showcase some of the Lion City's top outdoor trails and activities — all for free. Coast-to-Coast Trail The name gives it away, but this 36-kilometre track stretches across the whole island of Singapore, from the Jurong Lake Gardens in the west to Rower's Bay Park in the north. The trail passes through 10 major checkpoints and takes about 11 hours to complete on foot, or three hours by bike. For this reason, it's recommended that you get an early start or divide up the trip across two days, so you can finish up in time for the sunset at Rower's Bay Park. Start off at the 90-hectare Jurong Lake Gardens, which boasts a Chinese and Japanese Garden, a freshwater swamp with various wildlife, water-sport facilities, an outdoor lap pool, a skate park with a bouldering wall, and a children's water playground. You can pick up a rental bike at the GoCycling outlet here, before returning it at Punggol Jetty towards the end of the trip. From Jurong Lake Gardens, you can trek on to Bukit Batok Nature Park and Hindhede Drive to reach Adam Road. Grab some much-needed fuel at the nearby Adam Road Food Centre and take a breather at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Rested and ready? The journey continues past Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West, Luxus Hills Park and Sengkang Riverside Park. Make a pit-stop here to explore the man-made floating wetland, the elevated bridge across the river and over 20 species of fruit trees throughout the park — but you'll have to refrain from picking any fruit. You'll get to enjoy the views across the Jewel Bridge, Adventure Bridge and Kelong Bridge as you pass through Punggol Waterway Park, before you reach Coney Island Park and your final destination, Rower's Bay Park. Celebrate your achievement with spectacular sunset views from the waterside boardwalk or pavilion. [caption id="attachment_977504" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Danny Santos[/caption] East Coast Park With attractions like a water-sports centre, skatepark, yoga studio and beachfront bar, East Coast Park is a hub of activity for all ages. The seafront park and beach is spread across almost 15 kilometres, so you can enjoy a leisurely two-hour stroll or 30-minute cycle along the water. If you choose the latter, pick up a bike at GoCycling or Coastline Leisure. The dedicated bike lanes and flat terrain make cycling around the park a breeze. If you're feeling adventurous, you can bike to Marina Bay or head in the opposite direction, where you'll pass through the Jurassic Mile and end up at Changi Airport. If you've got tots in tow, there's no shortage of fun to keep them entertained. Kids can clamber up Singapore's tallest playground at Coastal PlayGrove; try windsurfing, stand-up paddleboarding or laser sailing at the Aloha Seasports Centre (which opportunely has a beach bar for accompanying adults); or practise their tricks at one of Singapore's largest skateparks. You've also got plenty of options when all that action inevitably rouses your appetite. Grab some local cuisine at the East Coast Lagoon Food Village, enjoy a chilli crab at popular chains JUMBO Seafood and Long Beach Seafood, keep it simple with healthy cafe food at East Coast Commune, or tuck into some Italian fare at Fico. Rail Corridor This 24-kilometre track stretching from Tanjong Pajar in the south to Kranji in the north was formerly a railroad bearing trains to and from Malaysia. Since being revitalised in 2021, it has become a popular hiking trail that takes explorers through expanses of greenery, across restored bridges and alongside native flora and fauna. The trail is divided into North, Central and South sections, if you'd prefer to split up the journey. Due to its significance to local wildlife, parts of the Rail Corridor are not lit at night, so be sure to time your visit to end by sunset — the whole walk can be completed in less than six hours. In the central portion of the trek lies Bukit Timah Railway Station. The refurbished train station and staff quarters date back to 1932, and now house a gallery and café. As you continue further north, you'll come across the Bukit Timah Truss Bridge, before passing by the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve — home to the city's largest peak. For striking views, take some time out to admire the quarries at Rifle Range National Park, Bukit Batok Nature Park and Dairy Farm Nature Park. Conveniently located about halfway through the Rail Corridor, the Rail Mall includes numerous eateries, so you can snag a much-needed feed and put your feet up before venturing on to the northern stretch. Book your Singapore holiday now with Flight Centre. Top images: Lim Wei Xiang, Marklin Ang. All images courtesy of Singapore Tourism Board.
Since the beginning of September, Victorians have had an extra incentive to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and to also keep an eye on the state's vax rates. When spring hit, Premier Daniel Andrews announced that some lockdown rules would start to ease once 70 percent of eligible Victorians received their first jab — and, while that was originally expected to happen around Thursday, September 23, the state has actually hit the milestone a week early. Well, it's about to hit it. At Victoria's daily COVID-19 press conference today, Thursday, September 16, the Premier advised that the state would tick over to 70-percent single-jabbed mark sometime today. So, as promised, Andrews revealed what will now be permitted in lockdown areas of metropolitan areas of Melbourne from 11.59pm on Friday, September 17, because a few rules will be relaxed slightly. As previously advised, Melburnians will be able to venture twice as far from home for exercise and to shop, and to spend a little longer out of the house when you're working up a sweat. The current five-kilometre radius will expand to ten kilometres, and you'll get four hours a day to exercise — which is an hour more than was initially flagged at the beginning of the month. Outdoor personal training will be allowed, too, with up to two people plus the trainer. Also, outdoor communal gym equipment and skateparks will reopen. The just-announced changes also include something that wasn't previously flagged: "outdoor social interaction". That's the term that the Premier used, and it means that one person may meet another person who isn't from their household — outside, obviously — for a picnic, a walk or some other outdoor activity. You don't need to be vaccinated to enjoy outdoor social interaction, either, and outdoor social interaction is covered by both the ten-kilometre and four-hour rules, too. That said, if you are fully vaxxed with both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, you will be able to go a step further. Up to five adults from two households, plus their dependents, will be allowed to gather outdoors — but only if all adults present have had both their jabs. Here's a summary of what's changing across Victoria. An accessible version of this document will be available shortly from https://t.co/dGpPnSTHLS pic.twitter.com/y5vW4eO5dY — Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) September 16, 2021 Also changing: allowing child-minding for school-aged kids if only one parent is an authorised worker, and letting up to five people go to an entertainment venue or physical recreation facility to broadcast a performance, class or concert. And, the new rules will allow real estate inspections to resume, but by appointment only (and only featuring people from the same household, with the real estate agent remaining outdoors). Back at the beginning of September, the Premier did advise that more rules could be eased at the 70-percent single-jabbed mark, depending on the situation at the time. Today, he said that "during the course of the day, tipping over the 70-percent first-dose mark, as we will, means that we can honour and indeed exceed the commitments that we have made to the Victorian community, particularly in metropolitan Melbourne, just a couple of weeks ago." Andrews is also set to reveal metro Melbourne's full roadmap out of lockdown this coming Sunday, September 19, which is expected to fall in line with Australia's new 'National Plan to transition Australia's National COVID Response' that was announced in July — which outlines the easing of different rules once the country meets the 70-percent and 80-percent fully vaxxed targets. Reported yesterday: 514 new local cases and 0 cases acquired overseas. - 41,758 vaccines administered - 61,961 test results received More later: https://t.co/OCCFTAtS1P#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData [1/2] pic.twitter.com/AV5ugLP8J6 — VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) September 15, 2021 Today's announcement came as Victoria reported 514 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours until midnight last night. Melbourne first went into this lockdown at the beginning of August — just nine days after the previous lockdown ended — and has seen the stay-at-home rules extended not once, not twice, but three times so far, and a nighttime curfew implemented as well. That overnight curfew remains in place at present, including when the eased rules announced today come into effect. As always, people across the city are asked to get tested if they experience even the slightest COVID-19 symptoms, and to keep checking the state's list of exposure sites — and to get vaccinated. Lockdown rules in metropolitan Melbourne will ease slightly around outdoor gatherings and the distance travelled away from home from 11.59pm on Friday, September 17. For more information, head to the Victorian Department of Health website.
The Commune Group has proved it's got the goods when it comes to contemporary Vietnamese and Japanese flavours, having gifted Melbourne with Tokyo Tina, the Hanoi Hannah stable and Windsor's flame-driven Firebird. But for its latest trick, the team's crossing the continent, embracing a modern Chinese angle to deliver its latest venture, Balaclava's Moonhouse. Opening Wednesday, June 1, in the heritage-listed art deco corner building formerly home to Ilona Staller, the two-storey restaurant is wearing a sophisticated new look steered by renowned studio Ewert Leaf. Heritage features have been carefully refurbished — or repurposed — across the 110-seat space, now complemented by colourful onyx marble counters, custom vinyl tabletops and pendant lights hung like tiny lunar spheres in a nod to the venue's name. [caption id="attachment_856125" align="alignnone" width="1920"] by Parker Blain[/caption] Climb the stairs to the upper level and you'll discover a 30-seat private dining room, alongside a separate cocktail bar complete with roaring fireplace and covetable window booth seating. The kitchen's playing to Melbourne culinary nostalgia by dishing up a contemporary reworking of some classic Chinese flavours. Come snack time, that means bites like the Hainanese chicken club sandwich, a Sichuan-spiced steak tartare and an addictive take on the familiar prawn toast served with a prawn bisque dip. You'll find dan dan noodles with mushroom and sesame, a crispy-skinned half chook paired with lemon pepper and sweet chilli, and grilled Murray cod in a shaoxing broth. Order the 'Duck Ceremony' and you'll get half a roast duck, with pancakes, plum salt, hoisin, confit duck leg ssam and everything else needed for a DIY peking duck feast. [caption id="attachment_856126" align="alignnone" width="1920"] by Parker Blain[/caption] And with Group Pastry Chef Enza Soto (Brae, Baker D. Chirico, Bibelot) heading up the dessert offering, expect to finish your meal on a high note — perhaps with five spice doughnuts and black pepper ice cream, or the coconut soy pudding matched with mandarin sorbet. The all-Aussie wine list is also a standout, pouring a mindfully-sourced selection of drops made with a conscience, and sitting familiar labels alongside newer, innovative finds. You'll also spy craft brews from the likes of Hop Nation and Stomping Ground; the latter's even teamed up with the venue for a collaboration Czech-style pilsner. Find Moonhouse at 282 Carlisle Street, Balaclava, from Wednesday, June 2. It'll open from 5pm–late Wednesday to Sunday, and for lunch from 2–4pm Saturdays and Sundays. Images: Parker Blain, Jana Langhorst and Leah Traecey.
It was one of the biggest celebrity scandals of the 90s, and it's now heading back to screens. When a sex tape featuring Baywatch star Pamela Anderson and her then-husband Tommy Lee was stolen from their home in 1995, then leaked online, it fuelled tabloid headlines (and internet downloads) for years and years. Now, the whole saga has been turned into a drama called Pam & Tommy — starring Lily James (The Pursuit of Love) as Anderson and Sebastian Stan (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) as the Mötley Crüe drummer. Even better: streaming platform Disney+ is bringing the eight-part show Down Under in February and, after dropping the first teaser for the series in 2021, it has just unveiled the full Pam & Tommy trailer. James obviously dons the red swimsuit that Anderson was so famous for wearing for 76 episodes of everyone's favourite 90s lifeguard drama, because you really couldn't make a series about her without it. Also, given that the focus is squarely on the couple's intimate recording, how it became public, and the impact it had on Anderson and Lee, things clearly get chaotic rather quickly. In both sneak peeks so far, a mullet-wearing duo played by Seth Rogen (An American Pickle) and Nick Offerman (Devs) can't quite believe what they've stumbled across. That's the main focus of the first trailer, alongside Anderson and Lee's reaction when the tape makes its way out into the world — and the second trailer goes big on the latter. Pam & Tommy's stars firmly look the part — calling James' appearance a transformation definitely fits — and the trailer sports an expectedly hectic vibe. Australian-born director Craig Gillespie has jumped into larger-than-life true tales before with I, Tonya, so he's in somewhat familiar territory. He also keeps being drawn to decades gone by: the 90s here and in I, Tonya, the 80s in aerobics-focused dark comedy series Physical, and the 70s in 2021's live-action Cruella as well. Disney+ will start streaming Pam & Tommy in Australia and New Zealand from Wednesday, February 2, dropping the first three episodes on that date and then streaming the rest week-to-week afterwards. Yes, there's something to add to your 2022 must-see TV list. Check out the full Pam & Tommy trailer below: Pam & Tommy will start screening via Disney+ Down Under from Wednesday, February 2.
A scroll through your social media feeds can often leave you feeling like you're the only one not on holidays. While you're doing the same old nine-to-five slog, there are your peers inconsiderately boasting about all of the worldly arts and culture (and food) they're consuming. But, as it happens, you don't need to fork out the big bucks for a plane ticket to see some of the world's most important artworks. Come October, the Art Gallery of NSW will launch its next major exhibition Masters of Modern Art from the Hermitage. It'll see 65 artworks from some of the early 20th century's most revered artists — think Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso and Gauguin, plus their celebrated Russian contemporaries Malevich and Kandinsky — drawn extensively from St Petersburg's State Hermitage Museum. This landmark exhibition focuses on a revolutionary era in art history when these now legendary artists "freed themselves from tradition" and began to imagine art in previously untold vibrant, innovative and abstract ways. The collection acts a self-contained timeline tracking this defining period, with highlights including Monet's Poppy Field (1890), Picasso's Table in a Café (1912) and Kandinsky's Landscape near Dünaberg (1913). The exhibition also delves into the lives of visionary Russian art collectors Sergei Shchukin and Ivan Morozov — more than two-thirds of the exhibition has been drawn from their art collections. Realising the potential of the French modern masters, from the beginning of the 20th century, both Shchukin and Morozov acquired many of today's most acclaimed artworks. The Masters of Modern Art from the Hermitage is half of the 2018/19 Sydney International Art Series, with the Museum of Contemporary Art's David Goldblatt making up the other half. Master of Modern Art from the Hermitage will run from Saturday, October 13, 2018 to Sunday, March 3, 2019. You can purchase tickets now from the Art Gallery of NSW website. We also have double passes to the exhibition to give away. To enter, see below. [competition]687134[/competition] Images: Paul Cézanne 'Fruit' 1879-1880. Courtesy of The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. Claude Monet France 1840–1926 'Poppy field' 1890/91. Courtesy of The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Pavel Demidov and Konstantin Sinyavsky; Henri Matisse 'Game of bowls' 1908. Courtesy of The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Vladimir Terebenin and H Matisse/Copyright Agency; Wassily Kandinsky 'Landscape: Dünaberg near Murnau' 1913. Courtesy The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg and Vladimir Terebenin.
If you love your AFL and you're a mad-keen Marvel Comics fan, today is a pretty good day. That's because, in a partnership with the Walt Disney Company Australia that few saw coming, Melbourne's Etihad Stadium has just been relaunched as Marvel Stadium. An eight-year agreement between Disney and Melbourne Stadiums Limited will see the iconic Docklands sporting ground switch to its new moniker from today, with its first official event as Marvel Stadium being the the Melbourne Victoria vs Melbourne City soccer match on Saturday, October 20. On top of the name change, the rebranding has seen the installation of a huge neon Marvel sign on the side of the stadium, a large-scale Marvel character wall near Gate 3 and flags along the concourse toting the universe's famed superheroes and villains. A "premium" Marvel retail store — dubbed Marvel Vault — has also popped up on-site, and punters can prepare to see a number of brand activations when visiting the ground. Personally, we're looking forward to the return of the AFL season, when we hope to see teams' mascots clash with likes of Black Widow, the Hulk and Iron Man.
Under current COVID-19 restrictions, you can't go on a holiday (locally or overseas). But, the government has hinted travel between Australia and New Zealand may be allowed in the near future, so it's time to start dreaming. Bookmark this for when you can explore once again. New Zealand's South Island has more nature than you can throw a stick at. Just over 17 percent of the island is dedicated national park, within which there are countless hikes for both multi-day trekkers and half-hour stroll-takers. While the South Island is consistently amazing and pretty much any walk you go on will exceed expectations, we've handpicked these five as our particular favourites. When you need to quiet your mind, they'll be there for you. [caption id="attachment_687371" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Miles Holden.[/caption] ROUTEBURN TRACK With waterfalls, snowy mountains and views in spades, Routeburn is an absolute show-off in the nature department. Open to the public since the 1880s, the 32-kilometre track winds along the glacial Route Burn river and up past both the Routeburn and Earland Falls. It's an easy South Island favourite and has truly earned its place as one of New Zealand's Great Walks. The Fiordland National Parks-based track takes about two to four days to finish depending on your fitness level and how long you want to spend taking in the various majestic views. The track is only open from October through to April, and it pays to reserve a spot at one of the Department of Conservation huts or campsites early, as the department has a monopoly on park accommodation and spots are guaranteed to fill up fast. HEAPHY TRACK Based in the Kahurangi National Park, the Heaphy Track spans across the Nelson-Tasman and West Coast regions, taking hikers through dense Nikau palms and forest and out towards the beautiful, choppy Tasman Sea. The track also has quite a few cute little side trips, including a small expedition through an "enchanted forest" filled with beech trees and the remains of old caves. Take a torch and go exploring inside the caves a little, especially the one that has a small waterfall pouring out of it. The Heaphy Track totals 78.4 kilometres, so should take you between four and six days. The track's open all year but use your common sense and check the Department of Conservation site for up-to-date alerts before embarking on your trip. [caption id="attachment_687373" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Will Patino.[/caption] MILFORD TRACK The Milford Track was historically used as a practical route for Maori to traverse the Fiordland area, but British immigrants quickly cottoned onto the four-day track's potential as a recreational walk when they stumbled upon it. By the early 1900s the news had even spread to London about this beauty-saturated route, the poet Blanche Baughan describing it as "the finest walk in the world" in the London Spectator in 1908. The 53.5-kilometre track is still the most famous of all New Zealand hikes due to its iconic and varied Kiwiana landscape and views. But with fame comes the necessary bureaucracy; to walk the track, hikers need to book months in advance. [caption id="attachment_687375" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Corey Parsons.[/caption] MUELLER HUT TRACK According to Reddit rumours, Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant wrote 'Stairway to Heaven' after going up to the Mueller Hut. The ten-kilometre return hike starts with a gentle incline to the Sealy Tarns, where on a sufficiently bluebird day you'll be blessed with a view of Aoraki/Mount Cook. This is about your halfway point. After that, the two-hour alpine track through the tussock to get to the hut begins. The view from the Mueller Hut itself is a combination of glaciers and New Zealand's highest peaks in all directions. A stairway to heaven indeed. [caption id="attachment_687374" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Julian Apse.[/caption] ALEX KNOB TRACK Alex Knob is a track that will give your quads a baptism of fire, with about a four-hour steady climb. The Rata Lookout over what is just an absolutely glorious view of the Franz Josef Glacier will make it worth though. The track is for experienced and well-equipped trampers only, so stay below the snow line if you don't have alpine hiking experience or crampons. Don't be that guy in the news for getting seriously injured or lost in one of our national parks. Start planning your trip to New Zealand's south with our guide to the South Island journeys to take here.
Just because you haven't got an actual kid, doesn't mean you have to miss out on that time-honoured tradition of taking some festive shopping centre snaps with the jolly man himself. Westfield centres across Australia and New Zealand have teamed up with a crew of expert pup-arazzi to once again offer Christmas-themed pet photography shoots. Yes – your fur-baby can get a family paw-trait with Santa Claus. Westfield's shopping centres — with the exception of some, such as Sydney CBD — are offering an extended festive photography series, with sensitive and pet-friendly options available. Unfortunately, not quite all creatures great and small are allowed — dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs can book in at most centres, but you'll need to double check before bringing in something like an alpaca, snake, frog or goat. Of course, with the pandemic, it's not quite business as usual at the Santa sessions. Instead of cuddling the big man in red, you'll be holding your pup or guinea pig in the seat next to him. A similar setup is on the cards for regular family photos, too, with kids and kidults located a safe distance away. Westfield has three spots in SA, four in WA, six in Queensland, seven spots in Victoria and a whopping 15 in NSW. Over in NZ, there are four in Auckland and one in Christchurch. Bookings are a must and can be made via your local Westfield's website, where you'll also find some guidelines for you and your four-legged mate. Most centres will have a dedicated Pooch Parking zone where you'll be met and escorted to the set, and your pet needs to be brought in on a lead or in a cage. There's a range of photo packages to choose from, including The Vixen ($29.95) for one 6x8 photo, one 4x6 photo and four wallet snaps, while at the higher end you can splash out on Santa's Gift Pack ($49.95), which includes a hefty array of photos, gift tags, digital files, bookmarks and even a calendar. Various sessions are available at Westfield centres across Australia and NZ from Saturday, November 7. Check your local's website for details.
Ostēr comes from the Italian word for host, and for Ostēr Eatery owners, chef Nicola Romano (Chapter 53, Stockroom567, Artusi) and front-of-house gun Osvaldo Tognella, the role of host is at the heart of what they do. Both hail from the north of Italy — Romano from Brescia and Tognella from Milan — and both have extensive experience in hospitality, working across Italy, Ireland, Japan, Brunswick East and the Yarra Valley. The duo's Italian heritage and experience are evident throughout Ostēr, which aims to be a traditionally casual, regional osteria — but in urban Melbourne. The Bridge Road space (designed by Romano's mother Monica, who flew over from Italy to do it) used to be a burger joint. Now, it features exposed brick and plaster walls, and a recycled timber bar with a concrete bench top. Sicilian maiolica tiles (colourful tin-glazed pottery made in Sicily since the Renaissance period) run along the front of the pass to the open kitchen and are a feature on the wall behind the bar. The food, as described by Romano, is "northern Italian in spirit, but open-minded". Like the space, it combines elements from both Italy and Melbourne. The menu changes according to what suppliers have available each season. But, regardless of the season, expect pasta — such as the house-made casoncelli ($20), which has quickly become the restaurant's signature dish. A traditional Lombardy recipe, casoncelli features silky sheets of pasta filled with spinach and ricotta, then pressed together and folded to look like a sweet wrapper. The stuffed pasta is served with a sauce of fried sage, 48-month aged grana padano cheese and a hint of nutmeg. You'll definitely want some of the house-made sourdough to mop up the leftovers. Elsewhere on the menu, you'll find a risotto with roasted red and sweet capsicum ($23) and gluten-free buckwheat gnocchi ($22). And despite spring making its sunny entrance, there's still room for comfort fare like the beef cheek ($35), which is braised with tomatoes and red wine, and served on soft rice polenta with sautéed nameko (a small brown mushroom). To end the meal, we highly suggest Romano's tiramisu ($10) — he makes his own coffee sponge, and the dessert is light and not overly rich. On the drinks front, Tognella has pulled together an all-Australian wine list, which he keeps fairly tight so that he can regularly change it when he discovers new wine. The aim was to keep the drinks list sustainable and local, but with a European attitude. "The wines on the list have to tick at least one box of four categories," Tognella explains. "They are either biodynamic, sustainable, single vineyard or European." For those wanting to imbibe without the alcohol, the restaurant offers two zero-alcohol wines from ex-Noma Chef William Wade's Non label. Choose from salted raspberry and camomile or caramelised pear and kombu — it's like a pét-nat minus the hangover. Coffee comes from husband and wife team, Wayne and Cleo Silva whose roastery, Silva, is in the Yarra Valley — and on weekdays between 7–9am you can get your cup of joe for just $3.
Fans of weighty Australian fare that reckons with the country's past are fans of the Mystery Road franchise, spanning both the big and small screens. They're fans, then, of the way that the outback-set saga surveys the nation's distinctive ochre-hued landscape from above in picturesque drone shots, all while contemplating the racist ills waged to live and work upon it. Stan's new six-part series Black Snow borrows much that's made Mystery Road such a hit, including a shock murder in a small town, a cop riding in to solve the mystery it heralds, a grim look at Aussie history and a bird's-eye view of its setting. But when this instantly compelling show peers down, it spies fields of green sugar cane fields far and wide. And, when it explores the country's traumas, it focuses on the treatment of the Australian South Sea Islander community. Seventeen-year-old Isabel Baker (talented debutant Talijah Blackman-Corowa) is the first person seen in Black Snow's opening moments, riding her bike hurriedly through the cane in the thick of night, making a frantic call from a remote phone booth and getting spooked by a music-blaring car's sudden appearance. The year is 1994, and the evening is the high schooler's Year 12 formal, as well as her last alive. Black Snow's second face belongs to James Cormack (Travis Fimmel, Raised by Wolves), a Brisbane-based Cold Case Unit police officer trying his luck in 2019 at a claw machine in a pub. He's troubled in a different way, haunted by emotional pain he attempts to deaden by paying for a Fight Club-style beating in the bar's back alley, and he'll swiftly be on Isabel's trail. Flitting between the two timeframes — hopping back and forth so heartily that Isabel is as much Black Snow's protagonist as Cormack, meaningfully so — this series isn't short on 90s touchstones. VHS stores, mix tapes, camcorders, Smashing Pumpkins and You Am I on the soundtrack, a Thelma & Louise video, teen chat about piking and being cut, a mention of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: they're all covered. The best TV show of that decade, Twin Peaks, doesn't get an overt shoutout; however, David Lynch's influential masterpiece springs to mind while watching as clearly as Mystery Road does. Ashford, Black Snow's setting, is indeed a quaint locale centred around a mill and populated by inhabitants who all know each other. And, due to the murder of its most promising daughter, the town's secrets start to spill. As simple maths makes plain, Ashford's 90s tragedy bubbles up again a quarter-century later, in one of creator Lucas Taylor (Harrow) and co-writers Beatrix Christian (Hearts and Bones) and Boyd Quakawoot's (Black Comedy) sharpest moves. In what's supposed to be a moment of celebration to mark the local school's centenary, the town gathers to unearth a time capsule buried by Isabel and her classmates, with the blasts from the pasts that result spanning far beyond nostalgia. In addition to providing the series with an immediate point of difference — outsider detectives dropping by to solve dead-girl crimes is a well-worn on-screen trope — the excavated box also signals Black Snow's devotion to looking backwards. Fields like the fictional Ashford's have been blighted by blackbirding, the exploitation of South Sea Islanders involving forced relocation, severe underpayment and brutal working conditions, a grim form of slavery that isn't forgotten here. In the show's 2019 timeline, Cormack heads north to sweaty heat, an unwelcoming Senior Sergeant Turner (Kim Gyngell, Wakefield) — who originally led the case, and is adamant a passerby was responsible — and a mixed reaction from Isabel's sister Hazel (potent first-timer Jemmason Power), mother Glenda (Seini Willett), aunt Rosa (Lisa Blackman) and pastor father Joe (Jimi Bani, Mabo). His job: to find the murderer by "finding out who people really were back then", he notes, with his enquiries also involving Isabel's boyfriend Anton Bianchi (Alexander England, How to Please a Woman) and best friend Chloe Walcott (Brooke Satchwell, The Twelve), the former a farmer's (Rob Carlton, Bali 2002) son and the latter gifted every advantage courtesy of her mill-owning father (Erik Thomson, Blueback). Back in 1994, Isabel wades through her own chaos, with the younger Hazel (Molly Fatnowna) watching on. Her parents are strict, so much so that she's scared to tell her dad about plans for a pre-university road trip to Sydney with Chloe (played by The Unlisted's Annabel Wolfe as a teen). Anton (Josh Macqueen, Significant Others) is hardly reliable, but he is jealous of the time she's spending with the picked-on Hector Ford (Fraser Anderson, Rock Island Mysteries). Plus, Isabel soon has her own investigation causing waves around town, tied to fresh-faced Vanuatu newcomer Ezekiel Iesul (musician Ziggy Ramo), absent visas, hellish abuse and missing people. Without its leaps backwards, Black Snow would still be gripping and well-acted, with Fimmel giving the series an expectedly dogged but quietly magnetic cop — one so breezily spoken that he stands out from every other detective that's ever chased comparable cases — and Power living up to her name as a woman that's spent more than half her life in a tragedy's shadow. Still, it can't be overstated how essential the 1994 segments prove. They gift Isabel a voice and presence past being a mere victim; showcase Blackman-Corowa's luminous performance in the process; and inescapably anchor Black Snow's narrative in colonial crimes, horrors waged for centuries since, the deep-seated intergenerational traumas they've caused, Australian South Sea Islander culture and telling class clashes. Come for Australia's latest must-stream crime drama, and the first of 2023, then, but stay for a show that embraces and interrogates much more than its recognisable basic setup typically indicates. Stay, too, for taught and tense direction from helmers Sian Davies (Spreadsheet) and Matthew Saville (A Month of Sundays), an emotive score by Ramo with Jed Palmer (Animals), and eye-catching cinematography from Eric Murray Lui (We Are Still Here) — scenic sights lush with greenery but as stained with hurt, woe and sorrow as Australia's reddest soil. Check out the trailer for Black Snow below: Black Snow streams via Stan.
Ah, the joy of gift-giving. And by 'joy,' we mean the stressful task of finding the perfect present for your loved ones who seem to have it all. But fear not, fellow gift-giver, we've got a guide that's as picky as your loved ones. Together with House of Suntory, we've put together this handy guide so you can find something perfect, no matter how niche. FOR LOVERS OF JAPANESE CRAFT SPIRITS There are scotch buffs and bourbon fans, but nobody is more discerning than a Japanese whisky enthusiast. People who have great respect for Japanese culture can be pretty specific when it comes to their spirit preferences. Nothing says "I appreciate your refined taste", like a bottle of Toki Whisky from House of Suntory. Toki means time, and this dram aims to combine different eras in one effortless blend. It combines whisky from three Japanese distilleries: Chita, Hakushu and Yamazaki. The palate is brimming with grapefruit, green grapes, peppermint and thyme with a subtle sweet and spicy finish with hints of vanilla oak, white pepper and ginger. It's ideal in a classic highball. Want to go all out with craft spirits? Suntory has just released its Hibiki Japanese Harmony 100th-anniversary edition. It's a delicate blend of malt and grain whiskies that promises a honeylike sweetness of candied orange peel and white chocolate on the palate and a nose bursting with rose, lychee, rosemary and sandalwood. FOR THE ONE WHO DOESN'T HAVE ANY PROPER GLASSWARE There's no point gifting an awesome whisky if they are just going to sip it out of some crappy mug they got for free at a festival three years ago. Level up their glassware with some luxury high-ball super-thin (but durable) glasses, like these Usuhari High-Ball Glass Set from Bokksu. Made in Japan and sent in a classy wooden case, they are a perfect gift for the whisky-lover who desperately needs some high-quality glassware. FOR YOUR MATE WHOSE VINYL COLLECTION IS TAKING OVER THEIR HOME Vinyl collectors are on another level and living in another era. Given the heaving shelves in their living room, there's little point trying to source their next favourite vinyl — because, likely, they already have that planned out. Instead, think outside the box for something that showcases their love for vinyl but is also useful, like Vinyl Coasters. It is ideal for the vinyl-lover who loves coffee or whisky and cares about protecting their coffee table. There are many options out there, but these novelty nostalgia ones from Retro Room have titles on the vinyls like Tea Time (Don't Spill This) and Topo Hot To Handle by The Nostaligics. Want to go further? Get them a vintage-inspired suitcase record player from Crosley to add some retro charm to their place. FOR THE FASHIONISTA WHO ALWAYS DRESSES THEIR BEST We all have that one friend who looks effortlessly fabulous. Who buys high-end wardrobe staples and with the addition of classic accessories like a silk scarf, stunning jewellery, or even on-point makeup can elevate even the most relaxed sweatpants look. If your fashion-forward bestie is in need of classic footwear, look no further than Onitsuka Tiger, currently having something of a resurgence in the fashion world. And what's a completed outfit without a signature fragrance? Check out Comme des Garçons (CDG) unisex scents, the brainchild of Japanese fashion rebel Rei Kawakubo. The range is inspired by 'anti-perfumes', like the scent of gunpowder or laundry — we're partial to the concrete fragrance. FOR SCREEN BUFFS WHO LOVE A TIPPLE WITH THEIR FAVOURITE MOVIE OR TV SHOW Lights, camera, action...and a good cocktail. If your mate can't go five minutes without referencing a movie or television show, then Cocktails of the Movies and Cheers to TV are two deep cuts to gift them. These books are the perfect blend of screen magic and mixology, ensuring your friend's movie night is Oscar-worthy, even if their cocktail skills are still in the supporting actor category. The movie book includes iconic cocktail recipes from Marilyn's Manhattan in Some Like It Hot to The Dude's white russian in The Big Lebowski, whereas the television version includes cocktails inspired by Game of Thrones, Fleabag and Jerry Seinfeld. They're the ultimate pop-culture accessory and make for excellent coffee table books, with each cocktail accompanied by a history of the beverage, some movie or television show insight and original artwork. [caption id="attachment_862472" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Luisa Brimble (Unsplash)[/caption] FOR THE PLANT PARENT WHO HAS COVERED EVERY SURFACE Normal planters are so last season, and your green-thumbed friend has probably used up all their surfaces with devil's ivy vines and monstera cuttings. Help them spruce up their home and their plant collection with a hanging disco ball planter. Now your friend can turn their house into a disco jungle, where even the plants groove to the beat of the water droplets. FOR THE TRAVELLER WHO IS PROBABLY ALREADY ON THEIR NEXT ADVENTURE If your mate returns from one adventure only to start planning the next one, their passport probably needs some protection. And what better way to keep their most treasured item than by gifting a luxe leather passport holder embossed with their initials? Perfect for the seasoned globetrotter, it's like a first-class ticket for their travel documents. Toki Whisky is available from all premium liquor outlets. For more information, check out the website.
Gone are the days when it was safe to assume that a long-running music festival would definitely return each year, as Groovin the Moo and Splendour in the Grass' recent fortunes have underscored. As a result, when a fest announces that it's coming back, it's big news. Good Things is the latest to confirm a spot on 2025's calendar, and also its dates. Once again, the event will be starting off summer. As it has in past years, Good Things will hit up all three of its stops — Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane — across one huge weekend. There's no venues locked in so far, after the festival took over took over Flemington Racecourse, Centennial Park and Brisbane Showgrounds in 2024; however, you can mark Friday, December 5 in your diaries for the Victorian capital, then Saturday, December 6 in the Harbour City and Sunday, December 7 in the Sunshine State. As for who'll be on the bill, that hasn't been revealed as yet either, and neither has a timeline for future announcements. 2022's lineup dropped in June, while 2023's and 2024's each arrived in August, so expect to know sometime in winter if that pattern holds. Last year, Korn, Violent Femmes and Billy Corgan were on headlining duty, with Electric Callboy, Mastodon, The Gaslight Anthem, L7, Kerry King, Jet, The Living End, The Butterfly Effect and Killing Heidi among their company. 2023's fest featured Devo, Limp Bizkit, Corey Taylor, Pennywise, Bullet for My Valentine, Taking Back Sunday, I Prevail, Enter Shikari, Pvris, Behemoth, Sepultura, Spiderbait, Frenzal Rhomb, Jebediah and Eskimo Joe, among other acts. In 2022, the reunited TISM, Bring Me the Horizon, The Amity Affliction, NOFX and Millencolin led the roster. Good Things 2025 Dates Friday, December 5 — Melbourne Saturday, December 6 — Sydney Sunday, December 7 — Brisbane Good Things will hit the Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in December 2025. We'll update you when the lineup is announced and tickets go on sale — head to the festival website for more information and to sign up for the event's mailing list in the interim. Images: Kane Hibberd.
While numerous bushfires continue to burn across Victoria, efforts to ramp up support to those directly affected are well underway. The Victorian Farmers' Federation (VFF) — the state's peak farmer advocacy body since 1979 — is calling on the public to lend a hand, as farmers and their communities need immediate relief following the catastrophic events. At least 700 structures have been destroyed, and more than 1000 agricultural properties have been impacted, with farmers losing fencing, pasture, and infrastructure. Meanwhile, it's estimated that 15,000 livestock have been lost. Combined with ongoing challenges around droughts and rising costs, throwing your financial support behind the community makes a tangible difference, now more than ever. In this time of crisis, the VFF has activated its Disaster Relief Fund, where every dollar donated goes directly to farmers in need. Guided by VFF President and fifth-generation grain farmer Brett Hosking, he says this farmer-led program exists to offer immediate support in devastating moments like these. View this post on Instagram A post shared by YIAGA (@yiaga.au) "Every donation goes to support farmers in need, providing immediate grants to those who have suffered loss and to replace vital infrastructure, fodder and equipment, while also meeting basic household needs," says Hosking. "But it's about more than just rebuilding farms. In times of crisis, immediate financial help eases stress, restores hope, and supports the mental well-being of farming families." In addition, the VFF has also been coordinating with the federal and Victorian governments to secure much-needed support as soon as possible. A joint recovery package has been announced, with almost $100 million available to affected communities, including recovery grants, prolonged power outage payments, concessional loans and financial counselling. "History has shown that in times of devastation, Australians always band together and dig deep. It's part of our DNA," says Hosking. "During the worst of times is often when the very best of the community is on show. Farmers need help, and donating is the best way people can do that." [caption id="attachment_1063729" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Credit: iStock/Beverley Van Praagh.[/caption] The Victorian Farmers' Federation (VFF) is now accepting public donations. Head to the website for more information and to contribute.
For years, Foxtel has been Australia's main source for HBO series, airing everything from Game of Thrones, Westworld and Succession to Chernobyl, Veep and Big Little Lies. And, if you weren't signed up to the pay TV service, that meant streaming your favourite shows via its online platforms — such as the now-defunct Presto and the currently available Foxtel Now. From Monday, May 25, Aussie TV fans will have another option: new streaming service Binge. While Foxtel Now isn't going anywhere, the Foxtel-run Binge works more like Netflix, Stan, Amazon Prime Video and their long list of competitors. So, rather than replicating Foxtel's channel packages via an online platform, requiring you to pick and choose different options depending on whether you're eager for sport, movies or drama, as Foxtel Now does, with Binge you'll pay a flat fee to gain access to everything. On the TV lineup: all of the aforementioned HBO programs, plus older faves such as The Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under, Sex and the City and Girls. After HBO's new US streaming service HBO Max launches in the US on May 27, Binge will also feature scripted shows from the platform, such as the new Gossip Girl reboot. And, working with companies such as WarnerMedia, NBCU, FX, BBC and Sony, it'll boast plenty of other highlights — including classic comedies like Seinfeld, The Office, 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation; crime thrills thanks to Law & Order and NCIS; new releases like Breeders and Mrs America; documentaries such as Planet Earth; and competitive series including the Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman-hosted Making It. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhWFiFfrbY0 Kicking off with more than 10,000 hours of content, Binge's catalogue will also feature a heap of movies — think flicks from the Fast and Furious, Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible and DC Universe franchises; films from directors such as Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino; and newcomers like the Hugh Jackman-starring Bad Education. And, if you're eager for recommendations — and not just from an algorithm — it'll include curated collections that'll steer you in different viewing directions. You can also select 'binge' or 'surprise me' options, which'll do the choosing for you. Price-wise, Binge will cost $10 per month for one SD screen, $14 per month for two HD screens and $18 per month for four HD screens, with a two-week free trial also available when it kicks off. Users will be able to access the service online, and via Android TV, Apple TV, Telstra TV, Chromecast, tablets and mobile devices. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuB2VNA8MLQ&feature=youtu.be Binge launches on Monday, May 25. For further information — or to sign-up — visit the platform's website. Top image: Game of Thrones, Helen Sloan.
A long time ago, in this very galaxy, brass instruments sounded, a text crawl started and the first Star Wars film burst onto the screen. Thanks to director George Lucas and composer John Williams, it's one of the most iconic movie openings in history — and, in all of its force-wielding, Death Star-destroying, orchestra-scored glory, the sci-fi classic is making a kriffing special return. With Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens getting the concert treatment in 2017, every jedi, wookiee, droid and even sith around the rest of the country has been crossing their fingers and toes for a similar blend of Star Wars movies and music. Those hopes and dreams are being answered with three screenings of Star Wars: Episode VI — A New Hope at Hamer Hall in February 2018. The film will roll, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will perform Williams' Oscar-winning compositions, and you'll burst with a Millennium Falcon's worth of happiness. Whether you're a huge Star Wars buff eager to ride a wave of excitement past Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi's December release, just have a casual interest, or have no idea what the term R2-D2 means, mark February 2 and 3 in your diary and prepare to experience history — it's the first time that a live performance has accompanied A New Hope in Melbourne. The MSO's associate conductor Benjamin Northey will once again lead the charge, as the city's finest provide the soundtrack to Luke Skywalker meeting Obi-Wan Kenobi, Princess Leia sending a message for help, Han Solo oozing his usual attitude and Darth Vader just being a power-hungry jerk.
Melbourne comes alive on AFL Grand Final day — and while nothing beats being at the 'G, the city's pubs and bars know how to throw a party on the last Saturday in September. From rooftop viewing parties to sprawling beer gardens and bottomless banquets, there's no shortage of places to cheer on every second of the action. Whether you're keen on a lively crowd, a sit-down feast, or just looking for somewhere to catch every kick, mark and goal with a cold one in hand, these venues have your game day sorted. The Terminus Hotel Abbotsford's Terminus Hotel is gearing up for a huge Grand Final Saturday with the return of its annual Grand Final Day Block Party. Catch every second of the action from a massive outdoor screen with a siren-to-siren premium bottomless drinks package and roaming canapes to keep you fuelled. Plus, live entertainment will keep the energy high long after the final siren. Find out more at the venue's website. Garden State Hotel Flinders Lane favourite Garden State knows how to throw a party, and this Grand Final day will be no exception. There'll be free-flow tap beers and house wines from 1.30pm, roaming canapes, live music at halftime and DJs spinning well into the night — and plenty of massive screens around the venue. Tickets guarantee you access but not a table, so get in early to nab one before they're gone. Find out more at the venue's website. The Duke of Wellington Melbourne's oldest licensed pub is covering all the bases this Grand Final day. Doors open from 9am for hearty pre-game counter meals, before all the action plays live and loud on screens on all three levels. The rooftop comes alive post-match, with acoustic sets from 5pm and DJs taking over from 8pm until late. To find out more and book your spot, head to the venue's website. [caption id="attachment_1021356" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Zennieshia Butts[/caption] Hickens Hotel Having swung open its doors just a few weeks ago in the former Crafty Squire site, CBD newcomer Hickens Hotel is going all in for its first Grand Final. Live music and DJs get things started on Thursday and Friday night, before a 10am start on the day of the big dance. A live duo in the Carlton Bar will set the mood pre-game, while a live band in Abe's Athletic Hall keeps the energy high after the siren. Table and booth bookings are also available for prime vantage spots. Find out more at the venue's website. Hotel Esplanade Do Grand Final day your way at The Espy. For a loud and lively vibe, The Gersh is throwing a three-hour watch party with free-flowing bevs and roaming canapes. It's standing room only, so if you're after somewhere to settle in, the Sunroom is hosting a long lunch, while Mya Tiger is dishing up a three-course banquet with the game on in the background. If you'd rather keep things casual, the whole venue is open all day — just wander in, grab a spot, order a cold one and catch every bump and tackle across the venue. To book your spot, head to the venue's website. Prince of Wales Hotel St Kilda's legendary pub is turning into a high-energy watch party this Grand Final day. Multiple screens will show every moment, while bottomless beer, wine and chef-curated canapes will flow from the first bounce. Then, keep the celebrations going with Anthems live band in the Bandroom post-game. Head to the venue's website for more information. Brewdog Pentridge Pull up to Pentridge for a massive Grand Final day at BrewDog. The sprawling beer garden will be the heart of the action, with bottomless beers, wines and house spirits flowing siren to siren, plus roaming canapes to keep you going. Huge dome screens will beam in every play — but with no allocated seating, it's first in, best dressed, so get down early to nab yourself a spot. Find out more at the venue's website. Beer DeLuxe Fed Square Fed Square's flagship watering hole is serving up two ways to do Grand Final day. Entry is free downstairs, where you'll be in the thick of the action – and in the shadows of the 'G — with big screens to take it all in. Or, upgrade to the VIP package upstairs for bottomless house beers and wines, roaming canapes and a halftime barbecue buffet. Find out more at the venue's website. Auburn Hotel Auburn's light-filled pub is kicking things off from 10am this Grand Final day with a Bottomless Footy Brekky — $70 for two hours of spritzes, pizza and fries. Starting later? Catch the game live across the venue, whether you've locked down a table in the light-filled Pavilion or found a spot in the leafy beer garden. After the final siren, DJs will take over to keep the party rolling well into the night. Find out more at the venue's website. For more information on these venues and to claim credit for your order, download The Pass app.
The Flying Duck Hotel's famed beer garden and atrium have been given a new lease on life with an extensive makeover, now complemented by a modern public bar, an open-plan main dining space and a private dining room seating up to 40. The latest incarnation of the much-loved backstreet Prahran pub comes courtesy of the same crew behind Rustica and Hobsons Bay Hotel, with a fresh fit-out from local architect firm Fiona Drago. The 150-plus-year-old building's internal space has been completely opened up and re-energised with earthy hues, brass accents and a generous splash of olive green. Head Chef Ben Pigott (Hobsons Bay Hotel, Supernormal, Cumulus Inc) is behind the revamped gastropub's menu offering, heroing brasserie-style fare brought to life via the kitchen's wood grill. Wood-fired flatbread is matched with black garlic toum and smoked salmon caviar ($14), wood-grilled Shark Bay scallops are elevated with herb butter ($8), and smoky hose-made aioli graces a prawn po boy slider ($12). You'll find many nods to the classic counter meal in plates like the local fish and chips ($27), a cheeseburger ($24) and the dukkah-roasted cauliflower steak with smoked hummus ($22). Deeper in, wood-fired barramundi is paired with warrigal greens and a seaweed butter sauce ($38); a slow-cooked whole lamb shoulder feeds three or four people for $110; and there's a couple of hefty grass-fed options for the steak-lovers. A stack of weekly specials runs from a weekday happy hour slinging $7 schooners and $8 wines (4–6pm), to Monday's $25 steak night, to half-priced oysters and prosecco bumping up the mood each Thursday. Find The Flying Duck Hotel at 67 Bendigo Street, Prahran. It's open daily from 12pm–late. Images: Parker Blain
In all art forms, creativity is the cornerstone of the craft. As we move into a modern world where everything has been created before, creative work has come from all corners of contemporary life. One could list many crevices where the beauty of the art form has spawned an unlikely trade, but never before has gelato been the source of such delicious innovation. Not like this. It is the cult of Gelato Messina, of course, which has spilled into every corner of Sydney like a sugar-laden avalanche blanketing the city. People eat it for breakfast, follow the rotating specials like movements of the sun and — I can only assume — thank the goddamn world each morning that Messina is open seven days a week, 364 days a year. It’s a sheer phenomenon and, with the opening of the first Melbourne store today, it's not one that's waning anytime soon. With 10 years already under their belt, an operation that started with just three guys and a gelataria in Darlinghurst has become one with a slew of stores, a factory and over 100 staff. While it's taken a while for Messina to drip down to Melbourne, it was just a matter of finding the right place, says part owner and founder Nick Palumbo. "We feel at home in Melbourne, even Fitzroy kind of reminds us of Darlinghurst," says Palumbo. "For us it just made sense." The Smith Street store may take their total to six (with four in Sydney and one in China), but the additional demand certainly won't affect the gelato's artisanal properties. Ask anyone in the Messina family, and they'll tell you that their gelato is unlike anyone else's in Australia. It's artisan gelato in every way; everything is distinctly made from scratch and nothing is out of the question. "What we do differently is that we don't use any pre-prepared pastes or powders that come out of Europe," says Palumbo. "Until about six years ago we had a few flavours that we could not get right, where still using pastes would achieve a better product, but, we finally cut that and now we don't use anything that comes out of Italy. We just do everything ourselves." While most gelato makers rely on flavoured pastes — akin to a box of cake mix — Messina works of the premise of creating recipes from raw, mostly local ingredients. One of their most popular permanent flavours, tiramisu, was the flavour that spearheaded the whole concept of making their own versions of desserts, says Palumbo. And so, they built a real tiramisu, complete with egg yolks, mascarpone cheese, marsala wine and coffee-soaked biscuits that could be frozen, churned and sold in-store. There's no doubt that this is doing things the hard way — "it's a very labour intensive procedure," says Palumbo — but it seems it's the only way these guys know how to do it. And the proof is in the numbers: they go through 1000 litres of milk a day, 2 tonne of sugar a week and an obscene amount of salted caramel each month. The way Messina develop and produce their gelato is not only one of skill, but one that's reliant on constant innovation. With Palumbo's love of gelato dating back to early visits to his family's native Messina in Sicily, he saw an opportunity to bring real, Italian gelato to Sydney — with a twist. "Back then, and even now, gelato places are doing the same flavours they've been doing for twenty years, and, in Australia, gelato has become this hard, icy thing — which it's not at all," says Palumbo. "We saw an opportunity to do something different and be creative and innovative with flavours." After starting to experiment with flavours such as Pavlova and coconut lychee, the team has progressively moved from tame to all-out rebellion with inventions such as Isn't That A Salad? (goats cheese, walnut, beetroot) and Nacho Libre (avocado cream, salsa, crushed corn chips). Taking inspiration from their mums, aunties, customers and progressive chefs, a lot of the flavours are variations of dishes or desserts they've eaten at restaurants. With five or six specials constantly rotating each week, the creative process is always in action. Managed by Simone Panetta, a man with a strong gelato background, Messina Melbourne is set to continue the gelato revolution. While the mix will be shipped to Fitzroy from the Rozelle factory, all the churning of the gelato will be done in store. If you're already following their Instagram account, you'll know that Sydney's weekly specials are posted as they are placed in the cabinet — and, for now, Melbourne will run on the same schedule. "We're going to start off with whatever specials are running in Sydney, will also run in Melbourne at the same time," says Palumbo. "It's going to be huge, but we’re going to give it a shot." And, giving it a go is something that's worked out pretty well for these ice cream artisans. Gelato is now an art form, with Messina at the helm of its reinvention. Gelato Messina is located at 237 Smith Street, Fitzroy. As part of Good Food Month, Gelato Messina is holding Talk & Taste Classes on Saturday 16, 23 & 30 at their Fitzroy store, $60.
In Martin Crimp’s Attempts on Her Life, 17 scenes encircle the play’s central character, Anne, a woman who is everyone; a child, a terrorist, an artist. It’s an unstable narrative that forms a seamless backdrop to the work’s meditations on 20th-century obsessions. Dennis Kelly’s The Ritual Slaughter of Gorge Mastromas shares some aspects of this focus, but where the “attempts” of Crimp’s title are efforts at capturing the impossibility of fully knowing a person, here the ritual at the core of Kelly’s play is a systematic process of dread certainty, building up and destroying every atom of a man’s soul. Ritual Slaughter opens with the ambiguous voices of a sustained, direct-address prologue, one that maps out the early life of Gorge Mastromas with painstaking clarity; each sentence another pin in a butterfly’s wings. Even here at the beginning, Kelly’s writing makes organic, dizzying leaps between clinical detachment and stylised poetry. Somehow, the scope of his vision is exhaustive enough to enfold both microscopic detail and grand epic. While actor Dion Mills’ obvious relish for the text helps to keep this first, long section dynamic, the writer slyly introduces the play’s vein of jet-black humour and the uncertainties that begin to infect its narrators’ voices; the patches of time that “history does not record”. The twists and turns of Gorge’s deceit would spoil any retelling of the plot beyond this point, as the play enters a more conventional series of scenes between the central figure and other characters which hinge upon his constructed persona. The initial restraint in the production’s AV design pays off in the wrenching impact of the play’s first real revelation, with Mills and Olga Makeeva’s faces projected onto the stage itself, throwing up the collision between the play’s increasingly contradictory worlds of narration and action in stark, simultaneous relief. Here and throughout this Australian premiere at Red Stitch, director Mark Wilson and his actors embrace the ebbs and flows of the text’s slow-burning build to devastating effect. All of the ensemble cast are excellent, with Mills, Makeeva, Elizabeth Nabben and Richard Cawthorne joined by the company’s new graduate Jordan Fraser-Trumble. As Gorge, Cawthorne manages to wrap utter pathos in a magnetic physical presence, a combination that makes his character’s degradation hypnotising to watch. It’s all too tempting to explain away a play where the ravages of mindless financial expansionism are intertwined with literal and abstracted violence as overt, didactic commentary. Nietzsche wrote that “whoever thinks that Shakespeare’s theatre has a moral effect, and that the sight of Macbeth irresistibly repels one from the evil of ambition, is in error … He who is really possessed of ambition beholds this its image with joy; and if the hero perishes by his passion this precisely is the sharpest spice in the hot draught of his joy.” In this way, Ritual Slaughter is much more than a stern parable about the morass of unknowable forces that govern the flow of power and wealth worldwide. Kelly puts that darkness inside a man, and he squeezes. This is an intoxicating show, and bitterly rare among Melbourne theatre for a willingness to treat an audience as its equal. Pictured: Richard Cawthorne and Elizabeth Nabben. Image by Jodie Hutchinson.
UPDATE, November 10, 2020: Bunnings has confirmed that its snags will be cooking again at selected metropolitan Melbourne stores from Saturday, December 5. This article has been updated to reflect that change. It's a tradition well-known to many Australians: wake up on the weekend, make a beeline for your closest Bunnings, down a snag in bread. It's also a tradition that's been around since the 90s, and one we've been missing for eight very, very long months since Bunnings postponed its sausage sizzles back in mid-March because of rising concerns around COVID-19. In good news for Victorians, the weekend ritual is about to make its long-awaited return. First relaunching in some regional Victorian stores from Saturday, November 14, the charity sizzles are set to roll out across selected metropolitan Melbourne venues from Saturday, December 5. In a statement released today, Monday, November 2, Bunnings Chief Operating Officer Deb Poole said, "Victorians have done such an amazing job flattening the curve and we hope bringing back sausage sizzles will be yet another sign we can reclaim a sense of normality while remaining COVID-safe." Each year around 40,000 sausage sizzles are hosted at Bunnings stores, help raising much-needed funds for local charity groups and sporting teams. Community groups that had sizzles pre-booked will be prioritised, with 130 already booked in for the first weekend back. When they do return, there will, of course, be social distancing and hygiene measures in place — measures we're all very used to at this point — including spaced queues, increased cleaning and separate ordering and pick-up points. Bunnings sausage sizzles are set to return to select regional Victorian stores from Saturday, November 14, then to select metropolitan Melbourne stores from Saturday, December 5.
Now that we all carry digital maps in our pockets, finding our way around is as simple as whipping out our smartphones, typing in a location and following the stated directions. And, with Google Maps featuring extensive real-life images of the globe's roads and spaces in its Street View mode, it couldn't be easier to double-check that the place in front of you is your intended destination. If the above describes your usual process when you're trying to navigate your way to somewhere new, then you'll also be keen on Google Maps' new Live View feature. Using augmented reality, it combines the service's directions with Street View, superimposing arrows, street names and directions over the actual view that's in front of you — rather than a map or photographic representation of it — literally pointing users in the right direction. Whether you've been distracted while walking around New York and ended up in the wrong place, or found Tokyo's busier districts a bit of a labyrinth, this'll help. The same applies if you're notorious for paying more attention to the sights and sounds around you instead of looking at where you're going, which, when travelling, is an experience we can all relate to. After testing Live View with its local guides and via Pixel phones over the past few months, Google is now expanding the feature — which is currently still in beta testing — to Android and iOS devices. To use it, your phone will need to support ARCore (the company's platform for building augmented reality experiences) and ARKit (Apple's equivalent). Then, after typing in a location into Google Maps, you'll just need to tap the directions button, select walking directions and look for the Live View option. The rollout comes part of the tech giant's broader suite of updates in the travel space. Users can now also use Google Maps to track hotel and flight bookings, find restaurants tailored to their tastes and use their Location History timeline to make notes on each place they visit. Google Maps' Live View is now available on Android and iOS devices. For more information, visit Google Maps.
James Klapanis of Eastern Grace Group (St. Cloud Eating House and Young's Wine Rooms) recently brought on Matteo Tine (ex-Grossi Florentino, Bar Carolina, Tetto di Carolina and Pixie) as the restaurant group's Executive Chef and Creative Director — and they're already working on some big plans. Tine first assembled a new team at Young's Wine Room to reinvigorate the Hawthorn wine bar. But the duo's main focus right now is on Mediterranean-inspired restaurant and bar Orlo, slated to open in late June. Set within the old Dyason Cordial Factory in Collingwood, the Oxford Street venue will have a heap of distinct drinking and dining areas split across multiple levels. In the main restaurant, Tine is leaning heavily into his Sicilian roots, plating up contemporary Italian eats influenced by a smattering of other European cuisines. Tine is all over the food, but the duo has brought on a couple hospo heavyweights to dream up the drinks menus. When it comes to wine, Grossi Group's Carlo Grossi has curated a list of vinos that pair well with Tine's Med-inspired dishes. He's been tasked with making these fun, bright and accessible, meaning you don't have to spend the big bucks when ordering a few bottles for the table. And when it comes to cocktails, the Orlo crew has enlisted none other than Joe Jones (Purple Pit) to work his magic. We're huge fans of his Purple Pit libations, so can't wait to see what he does at Orlo. Here, he has designed a few signature sips, including seasonal cordials that'll be served in old cordial bottles as a fun nod to the building. We're sure the best place to find these bevs will be in Orlo's downstairs bar Cordial Club. The 1880s red brick factory has been revived by the team at McCluskey Studio, who've made sure to keep plenty of its original features while glamming it up a little. They've also worked with Klapanis to use his collection of reclaimed materials and vintage furniture throughout the site. Klapanis and Tine have gone all out with Orlo, and it's hard not to have high expectations. Orlo will open at 44 Oxford Street, Collingwood, this June, and be open every day of the week from 12pm–late. For more information on the new opening, visit the venue's website.
Back from a visit to 'Brucefest' in Kyogle, upper NSW — named, fittingly, after my Uncle Bruce — I have seen the glory of the backyard music festival and have returned to spread the word. Brucefest emerged one year ago, simply enough, from my uncle's need to burn off some extra lumber cluttering the paddock. Why not have a bonfire, he thought? On that note, why not have some mates round to watch the bonfire? In fact, why not have some tunes? For that matter, why not build my own stage? Thus, with a little ingenuity, Brucefest was born. While the constructed stage was certainly a testament to the carpentry skills of the Newton clan, the main thing I take away from Brucefest — as I watched my uncle and a ragtag collection of local Kyogle musos spend the night hopping on and off stage, switching easily between drum solos, stoking the bonfire and mingling with the crowd — is that anyone with a few talented mates can do this. Combine a jam session with a few microphones, a crowd of your mates and some open space, and the possibilities are endless. Whether it be a garage-punk do crammed in an inner west back lane or a blues and roots jam in Bruce's back paddock, the home-grown vibe just can't be beat. Without further ado, here's a few dos and don'ts for getting your own 'insert-name-here-Fest' off the ground. DO CONSIDER GOING RURAL If you know someone with a rural property I would infinitely recommend this over your typical suburban lane fest. Yes, it’s oh-so-Melbourne to be crammed into tiny lanes, chilling in the gutter with your longneck in a paper bag, but come on, look at this place. The chance to watch the sun go down behind your very own stage and have room to dance despite the crowds just can’t be beat. DON'T MAKE IT BIGGER THAN YOU CAN HANDLE The whole idea of a backyard music festival is that it's small enough that you and your mates can run it. Make sure you've got a setting that can actually fit the amount of people you're wanting and won't have the cops shutting you down in a half hour. You'll probably find that you and your mates and the bands and their mates are pretty much all you need. Remember, when the music stops, the clean-up begins. Note: Public Facebook pages are your enemy. DON'T FORGET TO PLAN THE STAGE We can’t all be carpenters like my moustachioed Uncle Bruce, (although sometimes we really want to be). So if you’re wanting to construct a stage that isn’t going to collapse underneath your best act and electrocute the bassist, then you had best put a little thought into the technical side of things. Have a think about how you're planning on hooking up your bands to power, whether you’re going to be needing some lighting and (if you’re playing on a grassy knoll) how you’re going to keep your bands out of the mud. DON'T STRESS TOO MUCH ABOUT MAKING A LINEUP THAT FLOWS The beauty of a backyard fest is that there are no rules. Recruit anyone you know who you want to hear and enjoy the freedom to put together bands that would otherwise never be on the same stage. I guarantee you that you know more good musicians than you think you do and that you'll have more fun watching your mates merge reggae with punk than you would listening to a tight lineup intended to please the crowd. From experience, the best part of your night is going to be when every single guitarist present jumps the stage to play the 'Johnny Be Good' solo simultaneously. DO/DON'T HAVE A BONFIRE This one’s a little less than clean cut. On the one hand: it's cold at night and bonfires are magical things. Burning off your extra lumber pile will provide a surprising amount of heat for your frost-bitten crowd and keep you going through the night. On the other hand: Do not have a bonfire. If you are not on a rural property and you have never managed a bonfire before, then bonfires are not your jam. It’s all fun and games until a stray spark lands on an inner west terrace and you’ve gone and burnt the whole neighbourhood down. DON'T ORGANISE THE FOOD YOURSELF What, are you crazy? You’ll spend the whole day in the kitchen and checking supplies and you will miss the whole thing, regardless of whether or not you think you have catering skills of my Aunt Judy. You don't. Either get people to bring their own or sort out a food truck that wants in on the day. DO REMEMBER TO TELL THE NEIGHBOURS Might seem like a hassle, but if you don’t get the neighbours on board with what you’re planning in advance, then you’re just going to get shut down by the cops before you get to the good stuff. If you’re living rural and your neighbours are a 10 minute drive down the road, then the only thing you have to remember is not to freak out the livestock. Which brings us, finally, to... DO REMEMBER TO TURN THE ELECTRIC FENCES OFF Though remember that if you turn the electric fences off, the livestock may come for a listen. Holding a rural fest might mean making a choice between zapping your mates and sharing a dance with a few friendly cows. Livestock and crowds are never the best mix, but I can promise you that when you see two little girls dancing around that bright white wire, you'll be more than happy to know that the fence is turned off. If your four-legged friends pay you a visit, just treat them with respect and let them bask in the tunes. I know from experience they are big fans of a good Tracy Chapman cover, the big softies. Top image: Dollar Photo Club. Other images and videos by Elise Newton.
Carnegie might be a bit of a hike away, at 12km from the CBD, but think of it as a pilgrimage, or another couple of steps along the path you're taking on the necessary journey that is your ramen life. Shyun Ramen Bar — named for the word "shyun" which means "season" in Japanese — follows its own instructions carefully and uses only fresh and seasonal ingredients in its bowls. The broth is simmered for the hours necessary to refine really good soup and the umami score is off the charts — we suggest you try the chef's pick pork ramen with your choice of shoyu or miso. It's also an incredibly reasonable $12.40 — another reason for you to make the ramen trek.
Located within the historical Garden State Hotel on Flinders Lane, Tippy-Tay is Melbourne's love letter to the coastlines of Italy. Walk across the yellow and green brick-framed threshold of this stylish trattoria and be transported immediately to the Mediterranean. The menu embraces everything that we love about Italian food: simple, well-sourced ingredients and dishes designed to share. Start your meal with freshly shucked oysters, octopus 'salami' or pumpkin and goat's cheese arancini. Move onto antipasti with wagyu carpaccio, yellowfin tuna or parmesan custard with radicchio, orange, and hazelnuts. Pasta dishes include a classic spanner crab fusilli or Manjimup truffle and porcini mafaldine — or try something a little different with two-sheet lasagne verde with slipper lobster, prawn, mussels and scallops in a white sauce. Tippy-Tay is slinging pizzas like the lobster diavola with slipper lobster, 'nduja, cherry tomato, chilli and garlic alongside classics like margherita and cacio e pepe. Mains include options like grilled swordfish with golden olive caponata and fennel, roasted eggplant with chickpeas, tomato and chilli, and 250-gram Jack's Creek bavette steak with rocket and parmesan. Can't decide what to eat? Go for the 'Feed Me Menu' — there's even an option to add three paired wines and a limoncello to finish. If you're thirsty, there's plenty to choose from on the drinks menu. There is a thoughtfully curated wine list that heroes Italian grapes with a couple of vinos from South Australia, Victoria and New Zealand. The cocktail menu features the classics like negroni and margarita, as well as some house creations such as the frozen limoncello — made with Tippy-Tay's own limoncello — and frozen Malfy G&T, Tippy-Tay's OG cocktail made with Malfy blood orange gin, pineapple, citrus and tonic.
Meatlovers, keep it together. Richmond’s carnivore-frequented restaurant, Meatmother, will open their second offering in the CBD: Meatmaiden. Creators Neil Hamblen and Nick Johnston have teamed up with Melbourne chef Justin Wise for their latest meat-focused dining project; Wise has already made a name for himself with his handiwork at The Point Albert Park and Press Club. Opening on August 27, Meatmaiden will unveil its new digs in the basement of the Georges Building at 195 Little Collins St, all decked out den-style by Urchin Associates. Prepare to sink your teeth into 12-hour F1 Tajima wagyu brisket smothered in a native Tasmanian pepper berry rub, or a 10-hour pasture-fed beef short-rib from Gippsland, both pulled from a custom-made Silver Creek smoker. Meatmaiden also boats some great sharing morsels if a mountain of meat is a little daunting; we’re keen to check out the southern fried chicken ribs with jalapeno mayo. While this is a particularly carnivorous affair, vegetarians have not been forgotten — give the smoked eggplant a try, or if you're pescetarian there's a sumptuous-looking lobster mac and cheese. As for the drinks, there'll be a six-tap system constantly rotating a mix of local and American craft beer. If you’re after something a little punchier, the sharp cocktail menu is generous on the bourbon and best enjoyed paired with Meatmaiden’s bar snacks. The wine list is concise and champions local winemakers, as well as stocking some exceptional international bottles. The house of meaty shenanigans can accommodate 120 in its den of iniquity, with sprawling communal tables made larger groups. Prepare to feast on some juicy, fall-apart-in your-mouth meaty goodness, Meatmaiden is on her way. Meatmaiden opens Wednesday, August 27 for lunch and dinner, Tuesday to Saturday. Find her at 195 Little Collins St, Melbourne CBD and www.meatmaiden.com.au.
Around Christmas time, stories of goodwill and kind deeds seem to pop up more frequently, giving you that fuzzy feeling that humanity does indeed exist in our society. One of these stories came to Concrete Playground’s attention, and we thought we should spread the Christmas cheer. A bunch of Sydneysiders have got together and created the organisation The Philanthropic Foodie, a demiurgic thinktank that come up with ideas that marry Sydney’s love of fine food and worthwhile charities. These two elements suit each other better than Tim Tams and early gray on a rainy, summer day. Now you can indulge in your weakness for pricey jars of green olives or $9 bottles of San Pellegrino without getting that guilty twinge from thinking of the price of the equivalent product at Woolworths. Their first project is a gourmet hamper, with contributions from Simon Johnson, Campos coffee, Christine Manfield (Universal), Bourke Street Bakery and Gelato Messina, to name a few, as well as a Danks Street Depot cookbook and a Future Classics CD so you can get your groove on while you chop and stir. There are three different sized hampers at varying prices, with all profits going to charity Youth Off The Streets. Relax into a foodie coma knowing you’ve done a good deed - a pretty good deal if you ask me. Gourmet Hampers Sydney
Maybe you're always on the hunt for new experiences. Perhaps you can't go past a meal with a view. You could be keen to indulge your adrenaline-junkie side any way that you can. Or, you just might want to see Brisbane from a different perspective. All of the above is on the menu at Vertigo, as is dinner. Sure, a great bite to eat should satisfy your tastebuds and your stomach; however, this one will also get your blood pumping and pulse racing. Initially announced in August and now serving sky-high diners Thursday–Sunday weekly, Vertigo is a brand-new addition to the River City's iconic Brisbane Powerhouse. The twist: it isn't just located on top of the riverside New Farm venue, but hangs off of the site's industrial facade. Forget just living on the edge — this is dining on the edge, and literally. Obviously, the views are spectacular. Given that patrons climb out to their seats while donning a safety harness, then eat four stories (and 17 metres) up, so are the thrills. An Australian-first vertical dining experience, Vertigo's levelled-up dinners welcome in tables of two to peer out over Brisbane. It comes with a big caveat, however, with the restaurant at the mercy of the weather. That'll certainly play a factor over Brissie's stormy summers, but the night's sitting will still go ahead if it's only lightly raining. Once you're seated, Brisbane Powerhouse's Bar Alto downstairs provides Vertigo's food across its eight tables — and each reservation's two-hour sitting — with the two-course menu featuring local ingredients to go with what's certain to become a local attraction. Unsurprisingly, a visit here doesn't come cheap, costing $250 per person. Another caveat: you can't head up if you've been drinking, with everyone breathalysed first and required to return a 0.00-percent blood alcohol reading. That said, while you need to be sober to climb over the edge, a matched glass of wine will be served with dinner. You'll also get a post-descent champagne, beer or soft drink. If you're not fond of heights, this won't be for you. But if you're fine with towering not just atop but over the side of an old power station-turned-arts precinct that dates back to the 1920s — whether you're a Brisbane local or a tourist — you'll be in for quite the unique experience. To make the evening even more dramatic, diners can also choose to come back to earth post-meal via dropline down the facade. Or, if that's too much adventure for you — especially after eating — you can just head back to the ground through the venue. If star chef Luke Mangan achieves his dream of setting up a restaurant on the Story Bridge, too, Brisbane might need to rename itself the Sky-High City. "Vertigo is unlike anything else in the world, it is an unexpected combination of adventure tourism and fine-dining on a heritage site," said Brisbane Powerhouse CEO/Artistic Director Kate Gould when the restaurant was first announced. "Stepping off the roof of Brisbane Powerhouse to take a seat suspended at your table, four stories above the ground, will be the ultimate thrill. Experience silver service dining — albeit one with unbreakable crockery and cutlery attached to the table!" "We are creating a uniquely Brisbane dining experience, at height. You will be on the edge of your seat in the open air before descending via an unforgettable exit," added Riverlife creator and co-founder John Sharpe, with the outdoor tour operator partnering with Powerhouse on the venture. "Vertigo will inspire fear but with the knowledge that safety is the priority of our experienced team of adventure tourism guides." Find Vertigo at Brisbane Powerhouse, 119 Lamington Street, New Farm, Brisbane, operating from 5pm Thursday–Sunday — head to the venue's website for further details and bookings. Images: Markus Ravik.
Money can't buy you love, as four mop-topped Brits first sang 59 years ago, but it can buy you tickets to see the music legend who wrote one of the catchiest pop tracks ever released — and co-performed it — play it live in Australia. When Paul McCartney heads Down Under this spring, he'll have a wealth of material to choose from. One of his favourite openers: 'Can't Buy Me Love'. Hitting our shores for the first time since 2017 on his Got Back tour, McCartney will work through a massive catalogue of hits from his time in The Beatles, Wings and also across his solo career on a six-city stint around the country. Arenas and stadiums will welcome Sir Paul, starting at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Wednesday, October 18, then heading to Melbourne's Marvel Stadium, Newcastle's McDonald Jones Stadium and Allianz Stadium in Sydney before the month is out. Then, to kick off November, McCartney will take over Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium and finally Heritage Bank Stadium on the Gold Coast. This tour will mark the Beatles icon's first-ever Newcastle and Gold Coast shows, and also commemorate almost six decades since the band that helped McCartney make history famously toured Australia in 1964 amid a wave of Beatlemania. In Adelaide all of those years back, it's estimated that 350,000 people lined the streets to get a glimpse of the group, packing the stretch between the airport and Town Hall. McCartney's Got Back setlist has featured everything from 'Hey Jude', 'Let It Be' and 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da' to 'Love Me Do', 'Blackbird' and 'Got to Get You Into My Life' from The Beatles across its stops so far. Yes, 'Get Back' gets a whirl. Wings tunes 'Live and Let Die', 'Band on the Run', 'Letting Go' and 'Junior's Farm' usually pop up, too, as does McCartney's own 'Maybe I'm Amazed'. The Got Back tour kicked off in the US in February 2022, wrapping up last year's run with a massive Glastonbury set. McCartney now brings his usual band — keyboardist Paul 'Wix' Wickens, bassist and guitarist Brian Ray, fellow guitarist Rusty Anderson and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr — our way after picking up a Helpmann Award for Best International Contemporary Concert for his last visit. PAUL McCARTNEY 'GOT BACK' TOUR 2023 DATES: Wednesday, October 18 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Saturday, October 21 — Marvel Stadium, Melbourne Tuesday, October 24 — McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle Friday, October 27–Saturday, October 28 — Allianz Stadium, Sydney Wednesday, November 1 — Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Saturday, November 4 — Heritage Bank Stadium, Gold Coast Paul McCartney tours Australia in October and November 2023, with Telstra Plus members pre-sale tickets from Thursday, August 3, Frontier members pre-sale ticketing available from Wednesday, August 9 and general tickets from Friday, August 11 — all at staggered times. Head to the tour website for further details. Images: MPL Communications.
Peninsula Hot Springs has officially won the title of Best Luxury Hot Springs at the 2025 World Luxury Spa Awards, solidifying its status as one of the world's leading wellness destinations. The Mornington Peninsula spa beat out contenders from across the globe, earning the honour through more than 250,000 votes cast by spa guests, travellers and wellness industry experts. The award recognises destinations that consistently deliver standout service, innovation and truly transformative guest experiences, and according to the international scoreboard, Peninsula Hot Springs is now the very best of them. In a widely competitive field, the Victorian hot springs stood out for its forward-thinking approach to geothermal bathing, its long-term sustainability work and its dedication to creating experiences that nurture both people and the environment. "For twenty years, our vision has been to create a space where people can reconnect with nature, with each other, and with themselves," said Peninsula Hot Springs Co-Founder and Chair Charles Davidson. "To be recognised as the world's best is a profound honour, not only for our team but for the entire Australian wellness community." The award comes as Peninsula Hot Springs celebrates 20 years of immersing its guests in its brand of wellness and nature, having welcomed more than eight million visitors since opening in 2005. Its natural geothermal waters draw from 637 metres below the surface, feeding a network of pools and experiences across 42 acres of coastal bushland. The site's offering has steadily grown to more than 70 globally inspired bathing and wellness experiences, from hot and cold therapy and immersive saunas to spa treatments, glamping accommodation and eco-lodges. Each element designed to deepen connection to the natural landscape and encourage a slower, more intentional rhythm for guests. Peninsula Hot Springs is located at 140 Springs Lane, Fingal, Victoria. For more information about the site or to make a booking, visit the website.
This could be love: a classic 80s film that's been adored for decades, a new date with the big screen, and a live band and singers bringing its soundtrack to life as you watch. Dirty Dancing in Concert isn't new to Australia, but it keeps returning to tour the country because the movie at its centre is one that audiences can't get enough of. If you're a fan, you'll know which phrase fits: ideally, you'll have the time of your film-watching life. In September and October 2025, Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey will dance up a storm in the 1987 romantic drama. While the tour is clearly hoping that you've never felt like this before, that'll only apply if you didn't go to 2022's or 2023's shows. Whether you're a Dirty Dancing in Concert first-timer or returning after seeing it before, you'll not only see the movie — you'll also hit up the party afterwards. Accordingly, as you celebrate one of Swayze's biggest and most-charming film roles, you'll be immersed in the world of the picture from the moment that you take your seat. Although no one will be carrying watermelons or checking into Kellerman's Mountain House in the Catskills, the digitally remastered feature will grace the big screen, its iconic songs will get a workout live, then the musicians will stick around afterwards to headline a party that'll naturally have you singing and dancing. If you're feeling adventurous and inspired by the movie, you might even want to try to recreate the famous lift. Here, nobody will put you or Francis 'Baby' Houseman in a corner — and you'd be just a fool to believe otherwise. Your hungry eyes will soak in Baby's first taste of dirty dancing, her eager rehearsals and her growing infatuation with Johnny Castle, as well as her parents' bitter unhappiness about the entire situation. This blast-from-the-past affair has dates locked in for Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne — on Saturday, September 6 at the Darling Harbour Theatre, ICC Sydney; Saturday, September 20 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena; Sunday, September 21 at Riverside Theatre, Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre; Saturday, October 4 at Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre; and Thursday, October 9 at Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne. Around the world, Dirty Dancing in Concert has staged more than 200 sessions so far. Dirty Dancing in Concert 2025 Australian Tour Saturday, September 6 — Darling Harbour Theatre, ICC Sydney Saturday, September 20 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena, Adelaide Sunday, September 21 — Riverside Theatre, Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, Perth Saturday, October 4 — Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane Thursday, October 9 — Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne Dirty Dancing in Concert will tour Australia in September and October 2025 — head to Ticketek for tickets and further details. Dirty Dancing in Concert images: Zdenko Hanout.
The winter chill is starting to set in across Melbourne, which means it's time to bust out your warmest winter woolies once again. Happily enough, to coincide with the start of winter, a heap of private igloos are popping up across the city so you can get your winter escape without even having to leave the big smoke. As part of the Winter Igloo Garden, these pop-up winter wonderlands are set to descend this week on The Auburn Hotel's beer garden, Footscray's Station Hotel, Studley Park Boathouse and the banks of the Yarra at The Wharf Hotel. Each see-through structure can fit up to six people and comes decked out with twinkly fairy lights and winter-inspired furnishings. You can hire any igloo out for a two-hour time slot, which includes a different food and drink offering depending on the venue. The Studley Park Boathouse igloo is serving a winter high tea full of sweet and savoury bites with a glass of bubbly for $49 per person, with the option to add on 90 minutes of bottomless drinks for an extra $25. At The Auburn you'll be chilling out in your wintry bubble enjoying a shared three-course feast featuring the likes of mini lobster rolls, charred broccolini with toasted almonds, and a king salmon with saffron-braised fennel for $59. That'll also get you your choice of drink — think mulled wine, local beer, cherry spritz or a hot toddy. At the riverside Winter Igloo Garden at The Wharf Hotel, you'll part with $49 for your choice of wintery beverage, paired with a shared grazing board loaded with bites like southern fried chicken ribs, salt and pepper squid, and triple cheese pumpkin arancini. If you're looking for more soul-warming fare, The Station's igloos come with a meat-heavy set menu with options like short ribs, wagyu tartare and yakitori, teamed with your pick of drink for $69. Espresso martinis, house wines and boozy hot chocolate set the tone here. And while you're hanging out in any of the above igloos, further drinks can also be ordered via an app, so you don't have to leave your wintry lair. Private igloos are available to hire at Studley Park Boathouse from May 18, The Auburn Hotel from May 19, The Station Hotel from May 20 and The Wharf Hotel from May 21.
This week Art/Work has a chat with Jai Pyne, frontman of local Sydney band, The Paper Scissors. I won't bother with the talk up because I am sure you already know them, and if you don't - you should! - they have already reached Mecca in guest programming Rage, so there. Come with us as Jai takes us for a wander through his day and round his 'hood. Most days you'll find me in my kitchen. I cook as much as I can, it gets me away from the computer. There are so many virtual things in life that it's nice to get real things and combine them and eat them, for real. When I am not there I am behind my computer doing work on stuff for the band. In my day job I teach people how to make coffee, I'm a Barista trainer. I work for The Golden Cobra, which sounds like a martial arts school, but is actually a coffee roaster. I spent a long time working as a barista, but starting work at 7am very much conflicts with playing music. I'm also working at a restaurant in Surry Hills a few days a week, it's called El Capo. It's all Latin American style street food. At the moment I am working on some new songs with The Paper Scissors. In Loving Memory was made over the course of 18 months, so after purging that we have started working on new music. If money wasn't an issue I'd make more music, I'd have a better kitchen and I'd buy more clothes. Being a musician in Sydney is fun. I was tempted to say it was hard, which it is, but it's also pretty amazing. I've met lots of great people in the last 6 or so years through music, some of them I now count as my best friends, I've seen some of them succeed wildly, I've seen some of them have babies, buy houses, I play basketball with some of them, I have man dates with them, I have played music with them. Plus just being fortunate enough to be a musician is a very amazing thing, I've been able to travel, play to people that are having the time of their life because of your music, I've heard my music being blasted out of speakers, on the radio… all good things. I wish that there were more people with heaps of money that would open venues in Sydney, but hey, money is an issue. My neighbourhood is great. I live of the South end of King Street in Newtown. I've been here for 4 years. I think Newtown has its crap bits, lots of shit Thai restaurants, shit cafes, but I still love this end of town. There are heaps of cool little shops and random oddities, I love the Fiji Market - spices, coconuts, any random ingredient you need, and Pete's Musicians Market is always good for a browse. It's hard to find a good coffee but Addison Road and thus Alchemy is nearby which is some of the best coffee in Sydney. I like the fact that Newtown is at the edge of the inner city, so you can go to Marrickville, or Dulwich Hill or other spots that are a bit more removed from the upwardly-mobile-elite in the inner city and you get to see real people that have lived there for ever and will sell you olives or Portuguese custard tarts, or charcoal chicken or obscure Spanish beers. My favourite spot in Sydney is by the water. I grew up in Sydney and have lived everywhere from here to Bondi to Balmain, my parents and I moved almost yearly when I was a kid. I really like the cliffs at Coogee, the south end, I just like feeling like you are at the end of the earth although you are in a massive city. https://youtube.com/watch?v=H5EqYCBq0E4
Melburnians, it's time to step away from your streaming queue (and from that groove you've made in your couch) and watch movies on the big screen instead. When the city's next stage of eased restrictions kicks in, outdoor cinemas can restart their projectors. And at the beloved Coburg Drive-In specifically, flicks will start gracing its under-the-stars setup from Thursday, October 29. It's hopefully a case of third time lucky for the venue this year, with Village Cinemas Coburg Drive-In obviously operating at the beginning of 2020 as normal — as we all were — and then reopening in early June after the first lockdown period. It has been closed during metro Melbourne's latest shutdown, which started in July. Yes, that means that it has plenty of movies to screen. Melburnians looking to catch a flick in their car under the evening sky — and to watch one on the silver screen in general — can expect to feast their eyes on both recent and retro titles, spanning movies new to Aussie cinemas over the past few months and classic fare. In the first category sits the Janelle Monae-starring Antebellum, Russell Crowe going OTT in Unhinged, the family-friendly fun of Trolls World Tour and horror sequel The Craft: Legacy. In the latter camp, there's the original version of The Craft, the 80s teen antics of The Breakfast Club and Will Ferrell-led laughs via Step Brothers, plus everything from The Princess Bride and Starship Troopers to The Matrix and The Big Lebowski. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nf--afqelY Given that the Coburg Drive-In is relaunching just in time for Halloween, scary movies are a feature — in the above-listed titles, and among a lineup that also includes Evil Dead II, The Invisible Man, Hocus Pocus, Scream and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Also, seeing as though the whole drive-in concept involves folks watching flicks in cars, social distancing is clearly already part of the experience. And if you're keen to catch a movie in the great outdoors, but prefer a car-free type of venue, the Classic, Lido and Cameo outdoor cinemas are also reopening. For more information about Village Cinemas Coburg Drive-In, or to book tickets, visit its website. Top image: Brook James
Last night, Yarra City Council passed a motion to ban alcohol consumption from all public parks and spaces this New Year's Eve. Unsurprisingly, this move comes in response to the gargantuan, national news-making, free-for-all rave that took place in North Fitzroy's Edinburgh Gardens last year. A largely unorganised event that completely trashed the parklands, the party sent 20 people into the care of emergency services and gave 10,000–15,000 local residents an amazing night to remember. It also somewhat memorably gave the Herald Sun another reason to get mad at "hipsters". Though the motion was not passed unanimously, this New Year's Eve will see public alcohol consumption banned from 9pm until 9am the following morning in the areas of Richmond, Abbotsford, Collingwood and Fitzroy (AKA everywhere you were planning to go). Mayor Jackie Fristacky stated the ban will discourage "anti-social behaviour" and be a great step in ensuring the safety of all residents in the area. Though councillor Stephen Jolly who voted against the measure claims the motion is extremist. "It's outrageous and it's actually going to just drive the problem underground," he said. "What they're doing now is going from one extreme to another and they're treating the young people that go down to Edinburgh Gardens as if they're al-Qaeda." Al-Qaeda! Hey, we like drinking in the park as much as the next inner-city hipster but that's a big call. Regardless, a lot of this talk isn't new. NYE alcohol is already banned in all public spaces in the inner Melbourne region, Port Phillip, and all of the Mornington Peninsula and Surf Coast. It's safe to say people are well-trained at swigging from covert flasks these days. The main sticking point of the ban is the huge cost involved in implementing it. Though the cleanup for last year's disgraceful mess — don't get us wrong, it really was awful — cost a whopping $30,000, the Council has said this year's efforts including security, cleaning and ground staff are estimated to cost $180,000. The Age are even reporting this figure could go as high as $250,000. Both fearful residents and frustrated partygoers are now left to question if the new benefits now outweigh the monumental cost. If we're going to fork out that much money to create a safe and respectable environment on NYE, you'd think we'd at least deserve a cheeky glass of bubbles as the clock strikes midnight. Via ABC and The Age. Top image licensed under GNU Free Documentation License 1.2 via Wikimedia Commons.
For yogis who reckon they've conquered every possible distraction, here's a new challenge: doga. That's yoga with dogs. Or, as you could call it, trying to stay still and breathe deeply while stacks of curious, adorable puppies are trying to work out what you're up to. Moonee Pond's Studio 3 is teaming up with Campbellfield's not-for-profit Second Chance Animal Rescue to put you in a yoga class surrounded by fluff balls. Taking place on Saturday, December 8, the event aims to raise funds for a brand new community animal hospital. Every pup you meet will be from Second Chance's shelter and, therefore, up for adoption. Watch out: you might well find yourself falling in love before shavasana. Please note: for safety reasons and to keep the focus on the needy pups, Studio 3 asks that you leave your own furry friends at home.
