Get ready to do more bargain hunting, as TK Maxx has just revealed its first Australian flagship store. Launching in the heart of Melbourne CBD, the ribbon for this brand-new Bourke Street location was cut at 9am on Thursday, October 16, giving shoppers plenty more reason to delve into this bustling part of town. While there are already dozens of TK Maxx locations around Australia, more than a few things set this landmark storefront apart. For instance, TK Maxx Bourke Street is the brand's first two-level retail experience in Australia, offering customers an even greater selection of well-known brands at discount prices. Perhaps more importantly, TK Maxx Bourke Street is also Australia's top store for attention-grabbing Gold Find products. Spanning men's and women's apparel alongside footwear and beauty goods, these sought-after deals feature products from high-end designer brands stripped of the sky-high price tag. "The team are busy helping to ensure this will be our best opening yet with plenty of Gold Finds and big brands at small prices to discover. We can't wait to welcome both new and existing shoppers into our biggest store in Australia," says TK Maxx Australia spokesperson Tony Dunseath. Having become a leading name in off-price retail since TK Maxx launched in the UK over 30 years ago, its department stores have become much-loved for their assortment of leading brands and up-and-coming labels. Thanks to proudly opportunistic buying and a no-frills shopping experience, customers can expect to walk out with hefty savings. Since launching in Australia in 2017, the brand has expanded around the country, now offering 80 stores nationwide. Yet this flagship arrival might be its most major opening to date. TK Maxx Bourke Street is now open Monday–Saturday from 9am–9pm and Sunday from 9am–7pm at 235 Bourke Street, Melbourne. Head to the website for more information.
The laughs started with an opening monologue that had Jimmy Kimmel exclaim "Ryan, you're so hot. Let's go camping together and not tell our wives". The cheers began with Messi, the Palm Dog-winning pooch from Anatomy of a Fall, being spotted sitting in the audience. And the tears commenced not with Da'Vine Joy Randolph's Best Supporting Actress speech — where she said that she really didn't think that she was supposed to be doing this as a career, which did indeed inspire waterworks — but before that, with Lupita Nyong'o's introductory tribute to The Holdovers' actor. That's how the 96th Oscars kicked off — already five minutes over, as Kimmel noted, because Hollywood's night of nights doesn't quite believe in time — on Monday, March 11, Down Under. From there, the highlights kept coming. The Boy and the Heron winning Best Animated Feature was another big standout. So were Mstyslav Chernov wishing that he'd never had to make Best Documentary-winner 20 Days in Mariupol, which nabbed Ukraine's first Oscar; Godzilla Minus One taking out Best Visual Effects for a team who went up on the stage holding Godzilla figurines; American Fiction writer/director Cord Jefferson's plea for more support for films that don't cost $200 million when he won Best Adapted Screenplay; and Poor Things' stunning look and lead performance getting so much love. The awards' big winner: Oppenheimer as predicted, picking up seven awards. But it took until almost 90 minutes in for Christopher Nolan's J Robert Oppenheimer biopic to collect any gongs, ensuring that other movies earned recognition, too. When it was the film's time to shine, it resulted in a dedication to the peacemakers everywhere from Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr thanking his terrible childhood. Yes, Barbie won best song, for 'What Was I Made For?'. Yes, Gosling's performance of 'I'm Just Ken' was a showstopper, complete with Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie and America Ferrara singing along from the audience. And yes, everything from Wes Anderson nabbing his first-ever Oscar for The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar to starting the In Memoriam tribute with footage from Navalny also happened. Kimmel calling out the fact that Gerwig wasn't nominated, Kate McKinnon thinking that the Jurassic Park movies are documentaries, The Fall Guy's Gosling and Emily Blunt bickering while paying tribute to stunt performers, John Cena appearing almost naked, and Twins and Junior co-stars (and past Batman villains) Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger co-presenting: that all occurred as well. That's how the ceremony panned out — with much to celebrate, plenty of banter and, as always among the films that go home empty-handed, disappointments as well. Killers of the Flower Moon, Past Lives and Perfect Days are all still excellent pictures, for instance, and can always call themselves Oscar-nominees. (It's always worth remembering that a plethora of stellar films don't even get nominations, which doesn't make them any lesser flicks, either.) Now that the Academy Awards are all done and dusted for 2024, here's the full rundown: who won and what else was in the running, that is. You can also check out what we predicted would and should win, nine winners that you can and should watch right now in Australia and New Zealand, and our full lists of where most of this year's contenders are screening or streaming in both Australia and New Zealand. Oscar Winners and Nominees 2024: Best Motion Picture American Fiction Anatomy of a Fall Barbie The Holdovers Killers of the Flower Moon Maestro Oppenheimer — WINNER Past Lives Poor Things The Zone of Interest Best Director Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer — WINNER Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Annette Bening, Nyad Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall Carey Mulligan, Maestro Emma Stone, Poor Things — WINNER Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Bradley Cooper, Maestro Colman Domingo, Rustin Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer — WINNER Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple America Ferrera, Barbie Jodie Foster, Nyad Da'Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers — WINNER Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Sterling K Brown, American Fiction Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon Robert Downey Jr, Oppenheimer — WINNER Ryan Gosling, Barbie Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things Best Original Screenplay Anatomy of a Fall, Justine Triet and Arthur Harari — WINNER The Holdovers, David Hemingson Maestro, Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer May December, Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik Past Lives, Celine Song Best Adapted Screenplay American Fiction, Cord Jefferson — WINNER Barbie, Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan Poor Things, Tony McNamara The Zone of Interest, Jonathan Glazer Best International Feature Film Io Capitano, Italy Perfect Days, Japan Society of the Snow, Spain The Teachers' Lounge, Germany The Zone of Interest, United Kingdom — WINNER Best Animated Feature The Boy and the Heron — WINNER Elemental Nimona Robot Dreams Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Best Documentary Feature Bobi Wine: The People's President The Eternal Memory Four Daughters To Kill a Tiger 20 Days in Mariupol — WINNER Best Original Score American Fiction, Laura Karpman Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, John Williams Killers of the Flower Moon, Robbie Robertson Oppenheimer, Ludwig Göransson — WINNER Poor Things, Jerskin Fendrix Best Original Song 'The Fire Inside', Flamin' Hot, Diane Warren 'I'm Just Ken', Barbie, Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt 'It Never Went Away', American Symphony, Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson 'Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)', Killers of the Flower Moon, Scott George 'What Was I Made For?', Barbie, Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell — WINNER Best Cinematography El Conde, Edward Lachman Killers of the Flower Moon, Rodrigo Prieto Maestro, Matthew Libatique Oppenheimer, Hoyte van Hoytema — WINNER Poor Things, Robbie Ryan Best Film Editing Anatomy of a Fall, Laurent Sénéchal The Holdovers, Kevin Tent Killers of the Flower Moon, Thelma Schoonmaker Oppenheimer, Jennifer Lame — WINNER Poor Things, Yorgos Mavropsaridis Best Production Design Barbie Killers of the Flower Moon Napoleon Oppenheimer Poor Things — WINNER Best Visual Effects The Creator Godzilla Minus One — WINNER Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One Napoleon Best Costume Design Barbie, Jacqueline Durran Killers of the Flower Moon, Jacqueline West Napoleon, Janty Yates and Dave Crossman Oppenheimer, Ellen Mirojnick Poor Things, Holly Waddington — WINNER Best Makeup and Hairstyling Golda Maestro Oppenheimer Poor Things — WINNER Society of the Snow Best Sound The Creator Maestro Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One Oppenheimer The Zone of Interest — WINNER Best Documentary Short Subject The ABCs of Book Banning The Barber of Little Rock Island in Between The Last Repair Shop — WINNER Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó Best Animated Short Film Letter to a Pig Ninety-Five Senses Our Uniform Pachyderme WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko — WINNER Best Live-Action Short Film The After Invincible Knight of Fortune Red, White and Blue The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar — WINNER The 2024 Oscars will be announced on Monday, March 11, Australian and New Zealand time. For further details, head to the awards' website.
Hitting the indoor mini-golf course for a few holes of pop culture-themed fun and a few rounds of delightfully named beverages isn't just something Brisbanites should enjoy, or Sydney residents either. After launching in Queensland in late 2016, and announcing their first New South Wales venture, Holey Moley Golf Club has officially landed in Melbourne. 590 Little Bourke Street is now home to 27 holes of club-swinging antics across two levels. It's Holey Moley's biggest venue yet, which means that there's plenty of room for the three nine-hole courses. The Brisbane bar is known for its creativity when it comes to creating courses, and this venue is no exception. Melburnians can tap, tap, tap their way through rooms dedicated to The Simpsons and Game of Thrones and throwbacks to Pacman and Barbie dolls. Plus, everyone will be able to break out into song at the same time, with karaoke part of the antics. If you choose to work your way through the Happy Gilmore soundtrack, no one will stop you (at least not any of the staff). Drinks-wise, expect cocktails. The Caddyshack Bar boasts a pun-laden drinks list that includes the The Sugar Caddy, the Teeyonce Knowles and a Long Island Iced Tee (just what it sounds like, but with an appropriate name). Beer, cider and wine will also be available, but when you're aiming for a hole-in-one, it seems appropriate to be drinking from one (made from Pampero white rum, cinnamon whisky, half a banana, sugar syrup and a doughnut — yep, a doughnut) at the same time. Images: Lucas Dawson.
Perched at the top of Bourke Street hill since the 1960s, The Paperback Bookshop in Melbourne seems untouched by time. Small, dark and cosy, this store makes any book buying experience intimate and memorable. Though, we wouldn't suggest sticking around to cheekily read the first chapter of your purchase — there simply isn't the room. Fitted out with old wooden shelves, The Paperback is stacked full of classic and contemporary titles in fiction and non-fiction. With space being such an issue, each title is lovingly selected. There's no room for Dan Brown on these much-loved shelves. Pop by on your lunch break (Pellegrini's is next door), and grab one of the shop's suggested favourites, i.e. not what you've seen go gangbusters on Goodreads. It is one of the best bookstores in Melbourne for good reason. Image: Visit Victoria.
No matter when your birthday is, you're getting a present this week — as long as you're keen on booking a getaway and you get in quick. Jetstar turns 21 this year, and the Australian airline is celebrating. First, it announced a LARPing tournament in Melbourne with $50,000 in flights up for grabs. Next comes the latest return of its always-popular return-for-free sale. Your dream vacation plans can now include jetting off to Tokyo, Seoul, Phuket, Bali, Singapore and more, then flying home for free — or holidaying in Australia while scoring the same deal for getaways to Cairns, the Gold Coast, Byron Bay and other locations. Here's how it works, if you're new to the concept: you buy a ticket to your chosen destination across more than 80 routes, with 95,000-plus fares available, then the carrier covers the cost of you coming home. For free flights back to Australia from international spots, Osaka and Vanuatu are also on the list. Sticking with Down Under destinations, so are Hobart, Margaret River, Adelaide and Perth. Wherever you'd like to venture, the key part of this sale is making your way back without paying for the return flight, which'll also make your holiday oh-so-much cheaper. The special runs from 12am AEST on Wednesday, May 7–11.59pm AEST on Thursday, May 8, 2025 or until sold out if that happens earlier — with Jetstar members getting an extra 12 hours to access the sale from 12pm AEST on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. And yes, it really is as straightforward as it sounds. Whatever flights you opt for as part of the sale, you'll get the return fare for nothing. Prices obviously vary depending on where you're flying from and to, but some include Brisbane to Tokyo from $373, Cairns to Osaka from $285, Melbourne to Singapore from $209, Perth to Bali from $154, Sydney to Port Vila from $209, Sydney to Phuket from $299 and Brisbane to Seoul from $309. Domestic fares span deals such as Sydney to Ballina/Byron from $38, Newcastle to the Gold Coast from $59, Melbourne to Hobart from $69 and Cairns to Brisbane from $89. You'll be travelling within Australia from September 2025–March 2026, and from late-May 2025 to late-March 2026 if you're going global. The caveats that are always in place with this Jetstar deal remain this around. So, you need to book an outbound fare, then you'll get the return fare for free — and the deal only applies to Starter fares, and only on selected flights. Also, checked baggage is not included, so you'll want to travel super light or pay extra to take a suitcase. Plus, you have to use the same arrival and departure ports for your flights — which means that you can go from Brisbane to Tokyo and back, for instance, but can't return via another place or to another city. Jetstar's 21st birthday 'return for free' sale runs from 12am AEST on Wednesday, May 7–11.59pm AEST on Thursday, May 8, 2025 — or until sold out if prior. Jetstar members get an extra 12 hours access to the sale from 12pm AEST on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
At the end of 2023 we sadly bade farewell to Baby Snakes, one of the best wine bars in Melbourne. But just as soon as the team packed up, a trio of Melbourne hospo veterans stepped in to create a new bar in its wake. Jacob Bell (Whitehart), Jerry Poon (The Operatives) and Amber Hahipene (Section 8) have revived the space with some splashes of paint, new floors, house plants and more refined decor. Where Baby Snake edged towards dive bar, Misfits is considerably sleeker and more put-together. The new bar isn't losing any of the community feels, as it hosts workshops, panels and live recordings, alongside a weekly selection of local and international DJs. The team even uses the square behind Misfits for laneway parties, local arts and community festivals. Hahipene notes, "we want Misfits to be a platform for new talent, a stomping ground for the local community and a home to people who love music and hospitality." Bevs are an all-round affair as opposed to specialising in just one spirit or type of booze. Plenty of wines are up for grabs, plus limited-release beers and some cocktails. Those wanting a feed are also free to get pizzas delivered from the downstairs Slice Shop Pizza. A casual affair, this space remains. Just with a little more spit and polish. Find Misfits at 30 Chambers Street, Footscray, open 5–late on Thursday to Saturday, and 3–11pm on Sunday. For more information, head to the venue's Instagram page.
This November, there's only one piece of advice worth listening to — and you can get it right from the source. Back in 1995, TLC memorably told us all not to go chasing waterfalls, and to just stick to the rivers and the lakes that we're used to. Thanks to their slot on the 2022 Fridayz Live tour, they'll be singing those words of wisdom all over again. This year's throwback R&B bill has been renamed from RNB Fridays, but it don't want no scrubs, either — and, as well as one of the biggest girl groups of the 90s, it's bringing a heap of other nostalgic names to Australian stages. Shaggy will get boombastic, Craig David will croon about his weekly routine and Ashanti will rock wit u. Also on the lineup: Akon, Macklemore, Jay Sean and Dru Hill. Kicking off at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Friday, November 4, then heading to Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane before finishing up at Giants Stadium in Sydney on Saturday, November 12, the Fridayz Live gigs will feature Lumidee and Havana Brown as well, with Yo! Mafia on DJ duties. Playing host: Abbie Chatfield and Fatman Scoop. [caption id="attachment_863975" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Arturo Lorde[/caption] From remaining TLC members T-Boz and Chilli, who also played this year's Glastonbury back in June, expect to hear everything everything from 'Creep' through to 'Unpretty'. From the rest of the bill, 'Thrift Shop, 'Same Love', 'I Wanna Love You', 'Don't Matter', 'Walking Away', 'What's Your Flava', 'Baby', 'Foolish', 'It Wasn't Me', 'In the Summertime', 'Ride It' and more will get a whirl. By now, with Splendour in the Grass going ahead this year, Falls Festival locked in for a summer return and a heap of huge tours heading Down Under before 2022 is out, it's clear that live music is back. But when the big retro gigs start happening again, you know that the touring music circuit is returning to pre-pandemic normality. FRIDAYZ LIVE 2022 LINEUP Macklemore TLC Akon Craig David Ashanti Shaggy Jay Sean Dru Hill Lumidee Havana Brown Yo! Mafia Hosted by Abbie Chatfield and Fatman Scoop FRIDAYZ LIVE 2022 DATES Friday, November 4 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Saturday, November 5 — HBF Park, Perth Sunday, November 6 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre Friday, November 11 — Brisbane Showgrounds Saturday, November 12 — Giants Stadium, Sydney Fridayz Live's 2022 tour will head around the country in November in New South Wales in October. Telstra Plus ticket pre-sales start at 10am local time on Monday, August 8, then Frontier Members pre-sales at 1pm on Wednesday, August 11 — with general sales from 11am on Friday, August 12. For more information, head to the tour website.
A new hotel in a historic building. A name well-known Down Under opening its first-ever location beyond Australia and New Zealand. A fresh excuse to spend your next holiday in southeast Asia. These all apply to the latest venue to join the QT Hotels & Resorts chain: the just-opened QT Singapore. Maybe you've experienced the gothic charm of QT Sydney. Perhaps you've enjoyed slumbering at the site of a former cinema at QT Melbourne. At QT Gold Coast, you could've slept in rooftop cabins. Or, at QT Newcastle, you might've bunked down in a clock tower. QT Queenstown comes with alpine views, while QT Auckland heroes the harbour. Now, add staying in Singapore's Eastern Extension Telegraph building, which dates back to 1927 and is located right next to the Lau Pa Sat hawker centre, to the list. It was back in May that QT revealed that it was launching in the city-state come spring — and the brand's Singapore hotel has opened its doors on Monday, September 16, 2024. Guests can check into one of 134 rooms behind the iconic building's striking facade, which has remained the same while the interiors have undergone a complete revamp to deck it out in QT's aesthetic. The chain's look varies from hotel to hotel, but always stands out from other places to stay. Interior designer Nic Graham has done the honours, with reflecting Singapore's climate and evolution — and the building's location and heritage — the main aim of his approach to the site's decor. Think: bold colours yet delicate lighting, woven rattan and black framing featuring heavily, print works by local artist Jill Tran in public spaces and a classic-yet-contemporary vibe. The array of rooms includes junior, corner, balcony and premier suites with double ceilings. Whichever type you choose, each one features a walk-in rain shower in the ensuite bathroom, a QT Dream Bed, an iPad to control everything around the room (including the Chromecast and wireless Bose speakers) and Dyson hair products. Holidaymakers can also take advantage of the dining and drinks options onsite, such as signature bar and grill Cygnet, plus rooftop bar Rooftop by QT. The first is a Manhattan-style steakhouse with chef and restaurateur Sean Connolly leading the charge — and a place that serves up its signature dishes tableside. The second sits alongside a sky-high pool for sips and splashes with a view, goes big on cocktails made from local ingredients and peers out over the skyline. And, if you're keen on having a shindig on your getaway, private dining is also on offer. Find QT Singapore at 35 Robinson Road, Singapore — and head to the hotel's website for bookings and further details. Images: QT Hotels & Resorts.
Top-notch restaurants, bars, cafes and wellbeing facilities live side by side at St Kilda's legendary sea baths. The storied history of the beachfront landmark is as colourful as its home suburb, with the current iteration opening in 2001. It was modelled off the Spanish-Moorish design of the 1931 complex that sat on the same site. The Sea Baths are a hive of activity on just about any day of the year, whether punters are unwinding with a drink by the beach at watering holes like Captain Baxter, or getting in laps at the heated, indoor, 25-metre seawater pool. The on-site health club — these are sea baths, after all — also boasts a hydrotherapy spa pool and steam room, while offering club, group or private swimming lessons for all ages. Feeling adventurous? St Kilda Sea Baths is also home to Kite Republic, which offers lessons and equipment hire for stand-up paddleboarding, kiteboarding, windsurfing and hydrofoiling. Images: Julia Sansone
The iconic Healesville Hotel has been the beating heart of Healesville for over 130 years. This winter, it's finally reopening its doors following a massive renovation. The new owners are the same crew behind Armadale's Orrong Hotel: publicans Matt Vero (Marquis of Lorne, Union House, Mt Erica Hotel) and Scott Connolly (Moore St Tavern). That should give you an idea of the quality we can expect from the new venue. The pair both spent time in the Yarra Valley region throughout their childhoods and fell in love with the pub ages ago. So, when the call went out for new ownership, they jumped at the chance. "Scott and I were really excited at the opportunity to take on another historic icon and restore it to its former glory for all to enjoy. The ethos behind the interior design was to reimagine the Healesville Hotel; to honour its beautiful bones from its past, and restore a sense of nostalgia through the interiors. It is something we are very much looking forward to," says Vero. The hotel will keep its original public bar, bistro and beer garden setup – but the menu will be given a serious revamp, with interiors and exteriors getting the usual 'preserve-heritage-meets-gastro-pub' treatment. Vero and Connolly are presumably hoping this place can rival other Yarra Valley heavy hitters like Four Pillars and Innocent Bystander. And with their experience and pedigree, we wouldn't bet against it. We'll keep you updated on this one as details emerge. Accommodation is currently operating as per usual, but the pub itself should be open in mid-July, so watch this space. Images: supplied.
Punters who prefer to pair their dinner or drinks with a spot of friendly competition aren't short on options these days. From Maniax's axe-hurling lanes to the bar sports offering of Ballers Clubhouse, and including the arcade games of Archie Brothers Cirque Electrique as well, these kinds of activities abound. But if you're particularly partial to slicing air with small, very pointy missiles, the game-based venue you've been waiting for is finally here. Introducing Oche (pronounced oc-key) — the unique dining-meets-gameplay concept set to open its doors in Elizabeth Street's historic Michaels Building this month, pairing innovative eats with electronic darts. Already a fixture in Amsterdam, London, Göteborg in Sweden and Brisbane's Fortitude Valley, the Oslo-born venue now has Melbourne in its sights, set to launch on Friday, November 18. So what can you expect from this fun-loving place, named after the line that players stand behind when throwing darts? Step inside the Nordic-inspired space and you'll find a healthy dose of Tasmanian oak throughout, ceilings engulfed by foliage and a luminous 'O'-shaped swing designed especially for selfies. There's also 22 cutting-edge, semi-private dart booths; each fits up to 12 players, is manned by a dedicated host, and boasts real dartboards, steel-tipped darts and state-of-the-art technology that keeps track of your score. But while it's built on fun and games, Oche's not playing around at all when it comes to its food offering. This is crafty, innovative fare that's designed to be easily enjoyed with one hand — while your other hand is busy showing that dartboard who's boss, of course. You're in for an array of creative pizza toppings, along with bites like gin-cured smoked salmon cones filled with kohlrabi and liquorice remoulade, plus crispy kataifi-wrapped duck paired with goats cheese and sautéed asparagus. Meanwhile, award-winning bartender Adam MacDonald has dreamed up a selection of clever signature cocktails to (hopefully) help improve your aim. There's a bourbon cocktail with a red wine float dubbed the Thin Red Line, a smoky modern take on the appletini, a reimagined pina colada featuring roasted coconut and white chocolate foam, and an ode to the pornstar martini served the way it was originally intended — with the fizz on the side. Find Oche at 263-269 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne CBD, from Friday, November 18.
Wine lovers visiting New Zealand's biggest city are truly spoilt for choice. A cluster of award-winning and family-owned vineyards sit less than an hour's drive from the CBD, making it the perfect destination for your next short break. Dotted among the hillsides and bays of northern Auckland, Matakana has a warm climate that produces elegant reds — there are 28 varieties planted in the region, which makes it one of the most diverse wine growing areas in New Zealand. Here you'll find the only vineyard in the country to specialise solely in Italian grapes, French-inspired drops and an elaborate 'if you build it, they will come' sculpture park. Flights to Auckland from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are super short — around three-and-a-half hours on average — and Air New Zealand flies direct from all three cities and offers great everyday fares. SCULPTUREUM A Nike-wearing alligator, inspirational quotes from Steve Jobs, an exotic bird aviary and an 80-seat restaurant — Sculptureum isn't your average vineyard. After 12 years of design and development, Auckland-based lawyers Anthony and Sandra Grant opened the doors to their elaborate 'if you build it, they will come' space. The 25-acre site is located less than five minutes' drive from the Matakana village en route to Omaha (north of Auckland). After strolling through art-filled gardens, seeing a massive chandelier created by American glass artist Dale Chihuly and spotting large rabbits in a grassy arena named Rabbiton, it'll finally be time to sit down for a wine. On a sun-soaked hill beyond the gardens is the vineyard that produces Sculptureum's award-winning wines. Current varietals available include chardonnay, Bordeaux blend, syrah and rosé. They're best enjoyed by the glass with a meal at on-site restaurant Rothko — though you can always grab a bottle for later, too. BRICK BAY WINERY Brick Bay is another spot that incorporates boutique wines, a sculpture trail and a top-notch restaurant. Nestled amidst a patchwork of native bush and farmland, the winery is a magical setting for a short break out of the city. For a little over 32 years, the brand has made a name for itself crafting sustainable wines, notably the classic pinot gris and berry-driven rosé. If you want to see what all the fuss is about, tastings are held any time at on-site restaurant The Glasshouse for $8. Designed by respected architect Noel Lane, the building is exactly as the name suggests — a light-filled glass box, which sits over a lily-filled pond. For an additional fee, you'll also be given the opportunity to stroll around the sculpture trail and see work by some of New Zealand's top contemporary sculptors, including Paul Dibble, Terry Stringer and Judy Darraugh. The full trail takes around an hour to complete. HERON'S FLIGHT Heron's Flight is the only vineyard in New Zealand to specialise solely in Italian grapes. The winery was established 31 years ago by David Hoskins, whose work as a chemist, philosopher and winemaker makes him quite the renaissance man. Heron's Flight has been consistently committed to sustainable winemaking and can be found in the wine lists of top restaurants up and down New Zealand. Heron's Flight works with two grape varieties: sangiovese, which translates to 'the blood of Jupiter', and dolcetto, a variety which is often both dry and full-bodied. Tastings are available seven days a week, excluding public holidays. MATAKANA ESTATE Matakana Estate has been around since the boutique wine region first sprung to light more than 30 years ago. Under the care of Australian winemaker Richard Robson, the estate produces stylish, full-bodied chardonnay, syrah and pinot gris. With expansive views over the vineyard — the largest in the region — the tasting room is one of the most popular to visit for an afternoon of sniffing and swirling. That said, it's recommended to call ahead if you're looking to try a specific varietal. If you haven't sorted transportation for your return journey, the estate boasts a luxury lodge, which stands proudly on a ridge overlooking the Matakana valley and hills. It has room for up to eight merry guests. RUNNER DUCK ESTATE Runner Duck Estate is a boutique vineyard nestled in the Matakana valley, specialising in small quantities of French-inspired syrah, Bordeaux blends, pinot gris, sangiovese and rosé. After leaving behind a successful business in Mumbai and purchasing the estate, it was the objective of owners Clyde and Farida to produce a small amount of iconic red wine that would impress the world's most discerning wine drinkers. Staying true to their word, the pair will not produce wine under the label unless the year been outstanding. The estate's cellar door can be found at celebrated vineyard restaurant, Plume, which offers tastings of any five wines for $7 per person. Alternatively, tastings are free with any bottled purchased. Book your flights to Auckland with Air New Zealand and start planning your next long weekend away. Plus, Vinomofo has released a case of wine featuring six delicious wines representing the diverse and unique sub-regions of Waiheke, Kumeu and Matakana. Every case has a one in 50 chance of winning return flights to Auckland (from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane). T&Cs apply.
Maybe your house needs the kind of colour and flair that only art can bring. Perhaps you're keen on supporting artists. If the first applies, the second should as well. Whichever fits, one event has you covered without requiring you to bust your budget to enjoy art on your walls. Even better: Affordable Art Fair is doing the rounds of Australia's east coast again in 2025, popping up for a four-day run in Brisbane in autumn, Melbourne in winter and Sydney in spring. Everyone should be able to fill their home with art no matter their bank balance. That's the idea behind this event, and has been since 1999. Back in the 20th century, Affordable Art Fair initially popped up in London to share eye-catching pieces with the world at manageable prices, and then started spreading its art-for-all ethos around the world. It only came to Brisbane a quarter-century later — in 2024 — but Australia is no stranger to this event, thanks to Sydney and Melbourne stops before that. Clearly Aussies are fans, given that it's returning again in 2025. Brisbanites will be heading to Brisbane Showgrounds from Thursday, May 8–Sunday, May 11. In Melbourne, Affordable Art Fair will take over the Royal Exhibition Building across Thursday, August 28–Sunday, August 31 — and in Sydney, Carriageworks is playing host from Thursday, November 6–Sunday, November 9. On offer at each venue will be original artworks by the thousands, with prices starting from $100. If you do happen to be flush with cash, however, costs will max out at $10,000 per piece. Alongside London and its three Down Under host cities, Affordable Art Fair has brought its budget-friendly wares to Brussels, Hamburg, Stockholm, Amsterdam and Berlin in Europe; Singapore and Hong Kong in Asia; and New York and Austin in the US. Unsurprisingly, democratising art has been proving the hit as Affordable Art Fair notches up the years. Up to 2024 across its stops worldwide since 1999, the event had sold 568,000 artworks at a value of over AU$820 million. In Brisbane, around 50 independent Australian galleries will have pieces up for sale this year — some new to the lineup in 2025, some back from 2024. Buying art isn't the only drawcard, though, with talks, tours, workshops, live tunes, bites to eat, drinks and live artist demonstrations all also on the agenda. "Affordable Art Fair is a fun and accessible way to view and buy art, whether you're a seasoned collector or considering buying your first piece," advises Australian Fair Director Stephanie Kelly. "The Fair offers a welcoming and relaxed space where art buyers can learn more about each piece, talk to gallerists, watch artists in action, hear from experts and immerse themselves in an array of styles, genres and mediums. Visitors also have incredible access to gallerists and experts who love to help them with every aspect of choosing art, from their budget and preferred style to selecting a space to hang it and how to frame it." "Every piece at Affordable Art Fair Brisbane is from a living artist, every artwork on display lists a sale price, and every piece can be bought, wrapped and taken home on the same day." Affordable Art Fair 2025 Australian Dates Thursday, May 8–Sunday, May 11 — Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane Thursday, August 28–Sunday, August 31 — Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne Thursday, November 6–Sunday, November 9 — Carriageworks, Sydney Affordable Art Fair Brisbane will return to Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney throughout 2025 — head to the event's website for tickets and more details.
First films are special. With Aftersun as her feature debut, Charlotte Wells knows this. Ahead of dedicating time to writing her second movie, a project eagerly awaited by the cinema-loving world, the Scottish filmmaker is deep in celebrating fellow directors starting out — leading the jury for the Bright Horizons competition at the 2025 Melbourne International Film Festival, then jumping to Venice afterwards to do the same for its debut film accolade, the Luigi De Laurentiis Award. She's an apt choice for both, given Aftersun's dream run from its premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival onwards. Widespread acclaim came the coming-of-age gem's way, and deservedly; so did a strong bond with viewers who saw themselves in a picture that Wells drew in part from her own experiences. When Concrete Playground first interviewed Wells at the beginning of 2023, as Aftersun was about to enjoy its Australian theatrical release — after its local premiere the year prior in MIFF's the Bright Horizons competition, fittingly — she advised that she "had naively not thought about what came after making the film". She continued: "it's been really special. I don't think you set out to make films to get that type of award recognition, but it's been really nice to see the work recognised, and the work of my collaborators recognised". At the time, Wells and Aftersun had been nominated for four BAFTAs, but hadn't yet won Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer. (Among the prestigious award's other recipients before and since: We Need to Talk About Kevin and You Were Never Really Here's Lynne Ramsey, Senna and Amy's Asif Kapadia, Pride & Prejudice and Atonement's Joe Wright, American Honey and Bird's Andrea Arnold, Shame and Widows' Steve McQueen, Moon and Source Code's Duncan Jones, Four Lions' Chris Morris and, most recently, Rich Peppiatt for Kneecap.) Speaking with Concrete Playground again now, Wells is grateful for the opportunities that Aftersun's recognition gave her to share in that success with its cast and crew, and with her family. "I kind of took each of them as an opportunity to recognise different people who had a role in the shaping of the film," she explains. For portraying Calum, father to 11-year-old Sophie (then-debutant Frankie Corio), in a movie that sees the adult version of the latter (Celia Rowlson-Hall, Vox Lux) look back on the dad and daughter's 1999 holiday to Turkey, Paul Mescal (Gladiator II) earned his own acclaim for Aftersun: an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, and the same recognition from the BAFTAs, Gotham Awards, Film Independent Spirit Awards and a wealth of critics' associations, plus winning the field at the Irish Film and Television Awards. Speaking about the experience to GQ in 2024, he shared that he was keen to have "a De Niro–Scorsese relationship" with Wells. She's eager to collaborate again as well, she tells Concrete Playground. "I'm excited to work with him again." Casting Aftersun wasn't simple, Wells stressed to us in 2023. "I think when before I worked on things that were inspired by experiences that I had or people that I knew, my instinct was always to cast away, as far away as possible, and that was my instinct here — and yet I was constantly drawn back, apparently, as Barry Jenkins [the Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk and Mufasa: The Lion King filmmaker produced Aftersun] likes to point out in public when we're together, to people who were fairly close in resemblance to their sources of inspiration. And that was really challenging in the casting process," Wells told us at the time. "And Lucy [Pardee], our casting director, was really patient with me as I was constantly articulating wanting something and then responding to something very different, and I think that's just the push and pull of one's subconscious throughout this process. And some things were easier to separate from myself than others. Casting proved to be really quite tricky in that way. But ultimately, I don't think it was a physicality that I responded to most of all, but I think it was an energy more that I was looking for. I think it was the stability that I feel in Paul, and the vulnerability that he's able to portray." Back to 2025: in Melbourne for her Bright Horizons Jury President stint, Wells also chatted with us about Aftersun's BAFTA, the film's resonance with and love from audiences, becoming closer with Mescal and Corio while actually taking the movie around the world, and, yes, what's next. [caption id="attachment_1018670" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA[/caption] On Aftersun's Widespread Recognition, Including Winning the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer — and Its BAFTA Scotland Award Wins "The special thing about home screenings and home awards was the opportunity to share it with my family. My mum and brother were there that night, and the film team. Any time I was anywhere with our crew, in whatever configuration that was — that night was with my producers and Paul and Frankie — it was just a really special place to be. I just enjoy all of those people so much. And that felt like in many ways — I think that was the last event that Frankie, or maybe there were a few in the US after, but if felt like one of the last events with kind of all of us there, and it felt like very much the peak, I think, collectively of that experience for the three of us, Paul, Frankie and I. It was a really special night, and it definitely helped the film continue to be seen and pick up momentum with audiences. It played really well in the UK, which was a really special thing. But more than anything, I think about that night, I think about having my mum there and just having the opportunity to acknowledge her. I think that's what was so nice about many of the award ceremonies is, I kind of took each of them as an opportunity to recognise different people who had a role in the shaping of the film — either directly, like our team, or indirectly, like family." On If Wells Has Any Thoughts on Why Aftersun Resonated So Strongly with Audiences "Yeah. Maybe. No. I don't know. I think there's something about a parent-child relationship that is a lot more relatable than I maybe thought. I had always thought personally of Aftersun as Sophie story, I suppose because to the degree it was a personal film, that was my story, and I saw the film as being through her eyes — and the overarching point of view of the film was Sophie as an adult looking back. I didn't really count on so many people connecting with Calum, which I think really broadened people who felt like the film was also about or for them. But I think ultimately, themes of grief, specifically parental grief and that pivotal coming-of-age moment — not just for Sophie age 11 or so, but also for Calum kind of tipping into his 30s, just connected with a lot of people. I think the alchemy of those things together just gave it a certain reach. At least, that's how I think about it. But I'm always curious on other people's take on this, because it's just a special thing, I think — a moment in time where people happen to connect with something that you've made. I think it's always hard to identify exactly why, but those are the things I tend to think of when I reflect back on it — and I consider that every film I make will not be about themes or characters that can connect with so many people." [caption id="attachment_1018669" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images[/caption] On Paul Mescal Saying That He Wants to Have "a De Niro-Scorsese Relationship" with Wells "I love Paul. I'm excited to work with him again, and definitely giving present consideration as to what that next project will be. It's kind of funny, because I think on set, Frankie and Paul really had the closest relationship between the three of us — and that was what was important. That was the most-important thing to me, was that those two were connecting and that they had a foundation on which to build the performances on-screen. But really afterward and through the distribution and sharing of the film, I really got to know both of them a lot better. So it's kind of a funny thing. I feel like the three of us became a lot closer in the sharing of the film than we were on set, just because we were pulled in the directions of our respective roles there. So it will be really nice to get back on set with Paul at some point and have that foundation, and I think we were able to have a certain trust in the making of Aftersun that you're able to have in a feature that is very difficult in a short. The idea of building on that in future projects is really exciting. Yeah, I'm all for it." On How Taking the Film Around the World, Including Festivals and at Awards Ceremonies, Brought Wells, Mescal and Frankie Corio Closer Together "I think for a film, the vast majority of it is not production — unfortunately, because production is, in so many ways, the most-fulfilling part, at least for the director. It's the part I would like to be experiencing a lot more often, but it's really the shortest part. You're editing for two, three, four times as long. You're writing for many times more than that. And then you're promoting the film for more as well. So yeah, it's a funny thing. I think people tend to think about production itself, but it's just a small, although very important, obviously, part of the process of making a film." On What's Next for Wells — What She Can Share Right Now, At Least "Can? Want to? I think I went into this post-Aftersun process wanting not to be in the position I'm in right now again, which is to say not knowing exactly what comes next. I think I had a fancy of when I got into the edit for Aftersun I would start writing again, which really turned out to be not so much a fancy as a delusion as to what's possible — because the edit process was so consuming. And I took a bit of time. It was nice to have that time just to live my life a little bit again. And I wanted to know not just what's next, but what's next after that, so inevitably that takes a little bit of time. So now there are a few things in the works, I suppose, is all I'll say — a couple of which are kind of New York-based, where I've lived for a long time now, which is exciting." The 2025 Melbourne International Film Festival runs from Thursday, August 7–Sunday, August 24 at a variety of venues around Melbourne; from Friday, August 15–Sunday, August 17 and Friday, August 22–Sunday, August 24 in regional Victoria; and online nationwide from Friday, August 15–Sunday, August 31. For further details, visit the MIFF website. Aftersun is available to stream via SBS On Demand and iTunes. Read our review, and our interview with Wells from 2023. Aftersun images: Sarah Makharine.
Carrie Bradshaw once said that Vogue fed her more than dinner – a hot take in the early 2000s, when skipping a few meals was á la mode. Alas, flipping (or scrolling) through a fashion mag today might not have the same effect. Tinned fish, cherries, lemons and lobsters appear on the clothes, like one big grazing plate. Every Loewe ad features sculptural heirloom tomatoes, while Jacquemus' are a reminder to butter your toast. [caption id="attachment_1042055" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Maison Batard servers wearing bespoke tuxedos from The Service Club.[/caption] The obsession has even spilled over to the beauty industry in recent years — Nude by Nature's lippies are stirring martinis and scooping up whipped butter. Food motifs aren't new in fashion, but in the latest wave of the food-fashion zeitgeist, the people behind what we eat are also shaping what we wear for the first time. Amidst workplace misconduct and financial pressures, working in hospitality is notoriously tough. But 'chefcore' has officially become a thing, thanks to shows like The Bear, which have turned our attention to what chefs wear. Fashion publications dissect the show's thoughtful costuming every season, with iconic looks including vintage designer pieces that reference Chicago history, Carmy's perfect (and pricey) white t-shirt, and the $600 Thom Browne chef whites gifted to Sydney in the season two finale. Another thing: The Bear doesn't shy away from the industry's harsh realities — and the grittiness appeals. It's why Jeremy Allen White, who plays Carmy, now fronts Calvin Klein campaigns. And why Gio Luciano, a real-life line cook in New York City, went viral on TikTok for "line cook food hauls". It makes sense that brands are clamouring to cash in on this cultural cachet. Incu asked Messina to reimagine its brands as gelato flavours in 2020. In Hollywood, Mel's Drive-In made a sky-high pancake stack for Skims, which homegrown Scarlet and Sam referenced with its monogrammed birthday pancakes. Last month, Tarts Anon teamed up with Birkenstock Australia to spotlight their professional footwear range. [caption id="attachment_1042052" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tarts Anon Head Chef Gareth Whitton in his trusty work clogs.[/caption] "Fashion brands want to be part of culture and create experiences that feel tangible and memorable," Tarts Anon founder Gareth Whitton says. "Food and hospitality are inherently social and sensory experiences, which makes them perfect for lifestyle storytelling." Borrowing from the thyme-hued Boston clogs he wears around the kitchen, Whitton created a one-weekend-only thyme, chocolate and verjus tart, finished with a cocoa dusting in Birkenstock's signature bone pattern. [caption id="attachment_1042054" align="alignnone" width="1920"] An exclusive thyme, chocolate and verjus tart at Tarts Anon that pays homage to Head Chef Gareth Whitton's Birkenstock Bostons in Thyme.[/caption] These collabs are a win-win for Whitton: his team is excited to experiment, while retail brands gain exposure to "a highly curated audience in a relaxed social setting". This face time is especially valuable to brands without a brick-and-mortar presence, but it's also a way for those with a physical storefront to draw more curious browsers. [caption id="attachment_1042053" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Birkenstock's iconic Boston clogs, made for work.[/caption] Luxury maisons have long paired fashion with fine dining. In 2004, Chanel brought on celebrated chef Alain Ducasse to open Michelin-starred French restaurant Beige alain Ducasse Tokyo in its Ginza flagship. Gucci, Prada, Ralph Lauren and more followed with similar concepts, all meant to draw crowds to their stores. As designers join diners at the table, Whitton warns against collabs that feel "forced and gimmicky". He offers a hot tip for fashion marketers: "Typically, chefs collaborate with brands that share a similar aesthetic, ethos, or target audience. The best collaborations are always the ones where both sides feel the partnership enhances their story, rather than serving as a one-off promotion." Keeping that in mind, workwear labels might have an edge in the game. Sydney-based designer Johnny Schembri, who started hospo-dedicated diffusion line The Service Club, explains: "Chefs are incredibly particular, and rightly so, they spend long hours in these garments. We listen carefully to their notes around comfort, heat, and movement. The same goes for waitstaff; they need to be able to move freely, and everything must be easy to wash and wear." Schembri has been dressing women under his namesake label, By Johnny, for the past 16 years, but he earned his stripes making uniforms for the now-defunct Keystone Group. Two years ago, the designer turned his eye back to the kitchen with The Service Club. Venues can pick from a collection of 40 ready-to-wear garments or opt to collaborate with Schembri on custom uniforms. [caption id="attachment_1042057" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The crew at Bobbys Cronulla kitted out in nautical-inspired uniforms designed by The Service Club.[/caption] "Historically, chef uniforms have all looked the same, very standard and not especially considered," Schembri says. But now, chefs are looking for design-led options to inject personality into their attire. The Service Club outfitted 20 venues in its first 12 months, ranging from a breezy all-white look punctuated by blue and clay aprons at Sydney's beachside restaurant Bobby to tailored-yet-functional tuxes for Melbourne's Maison Bâtard team. While uniforms are a masthead for venues — Schrembi calls them "walking billboards" — the clothes worn during a busy shift still have to strike a balance between function and style. In an era of countless microtrends, practicality might be a virtue; The Bear's style explosion demonstrates a love for clothes that go just as hard as the people who wear them. Beyond chefcore, the people and pulse of a restaurant can also inspire the fashion world in its own right. London-based Melt Jewellery's most-hyped collection in five years features sculptural sterling-silver-and-gemstone rings and pendant necklaces that nod to the movement in a kitchen. [caption id="attachment_1042056" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bertrand Kerleo shows off Melt Jewellery's new collection.[/caption] The collection took shape when Melt founder Prachi Jan met French pastry chef Bertrand Kerleo on the tube. Kerleo became the muse of the campaign, which is centred around his culinary journey and shot in a working kitchen where he busies himself making an avant-garde take on European milk pudding called blancmange. While Jan is well aware that no chef would actually wear jewellery during service, it's the unlikely crossover that intrigues her. "We're not encouraging people to sauté in silver," she says. "You see Bertrand wearing the jewellery while cooking, moving [and] sweating — all those human details that you don't usually associate with fine jewellery. It feels slightly surreal." With all the hype around hospo, high-concept collaborations like this could be where we're headed. As Schembri puts it: "There's something raw and real about the hospitality world that cuts through the noise; it's tactile, it's lived-in, and it feels genuine, which is exactly what people want from brands right now." Images supplied
You could call it a bad romance: Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix, Napoleon) and Harleen Quinzel (Lady Gaga, House of Gucci), that is. That's the certain outcome for Gotham City. For the pair themselves, it's all singing, dancing, no longer feeling alone and gleefully causing chaos — and, yes, busting out their moves on public steps, with Joker getting company in the full trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux. When Phoenix first played the film's titular character, he became the second actor in just over a decade to win an Oscar for donning the DC Comics villain's exaggerated clown makeup and killer smile. Returning to the role in the sequel to 2019's Joker, he's now taking on the character in a film that also has musical elements. And, he has big-name company this time from someone similarly slipping into the shoes of a famed comic-book figure. Just as Phoenix follows in the footsteps of Cesar Romero (in the 60s Batman TV series), Jack Nicholson (in the 1989 Batman movie), Heath Ledger (in The Dark Knight) and Jared Leto (in Suicide Squad), Gaga treads where Margot Robbie (in Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) and The Suicide Squad) has most recently as Harley Quinn. Welcome to the Joker and Harley show, then. In this followup, the duo meet at Arkham Asylum — and yes, romance blossoms. So, it's no longer Arthur against the world, the feeling that he's taken literally so far. But everyone with even just a passing knowledge of the character knows that that still doesn't bode well for Gotham. Behind the lens, Todd Phillips (War Dogs) is back from the first film as both director and a co-writer, the latter with fellow returnee Scott Silver (The Finest Hours). On-screen, Phoenix and Lady Gaga are joined by Zazie Beetz (Full Circle), who was also in the initial flick — plus Joker newcomers Catherine Keener (The Adam Project), Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Steve Coogan (The Reckoning). Wondering about the musical aspects to Joker: Folie à Deux? Variety reports that it includes at least 15 songs, all covers, and may also feature original tunes. Based on both the initial teaser back in April and the new full trailer now, 'What the World Needs Now Is Love', 'When You're Smiling', 'For Once in My Life' and 'Get Happy' are among the familiar tracks. The first Joker wasn't just a hit — standing apart from the now-defunct DC Extended Universe, where Leto played the Clown Prince of Crime, it took over a billion dollars at the global box office. And, as well as Phoenix nabbing an Oscar, the film collected the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival. Joker: Folie à Deux is unsurprisingly world-premiering in competition at the same fest. Check out the full trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux below: Joker: Folie à Deux releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, October 3, 2024.
Come September 23, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image is stepping back in time. Prehistoric VR is ACMI's new, free, two-week virtual reality showcase, and it's a trip to the past without a Delorean. Dubbed the first 360-degree VR puppetry experience of its kind, where Prehistoric VR is headed isn't a surprise — when it comes to interacting with creatures that no longer roam the earth, life finds a way. Until October 8, the immersive experience dives onto the ocean floor, and back 200 million years, to encounter the aquatic critters from the Ediacaran to the Cretaceous periods. The work of performing arts company Erth Visual & Physical Inc and award-winning visual artist and filmmaker Samantha Lang, it's the third ACMI commission that has asked established performing artists to turn a live stage work into realistic 360-degree virtual reality. And while it's a limited-time-only offering, it arrives at Federation Square at the same time as ACMI's permanent, ongoing VR Lounge, which will form part of its free Screen Worlds exhibition, and kicks off with The NeverEnding Story-like mystical fairy tale The Turning Forest. Image: Steve Woodburn.
Situated opposite Parliament and alongside the theatre strip, City Wine Shop is not the place to venture for a beer and happy hour special. On the contrary, this is the place you go for a glass of Chablis, cheese board and a serve of fried artichokes — or even some fine caviar and champagne. Choose from the by-the-glass wine list — which changes regularly — or simply buy a bottle from the on-premise bottle shop and settle in at an outdoor table, overlooking the Spring Street suits. It's a classic setting for year-round romance, whether you're seeking sanctuary from winter inside City Wine Shop's rich wooden warmth, or a splash of sun with your latte on an street-side seat. Appears in: The Best Bars in Melbourne for 2023
Dead Man Espresso, located on what used to be Canvas Town, an old settlement plot in the 1850s, embodies some of that battler attitude. While they don't have to sleep under the stars, the team here believe that, like settlers, they've built something great, and are proud of it. And great it is. Dead Man Espresso is one of those places that keeps you coming back. There's great coffee from Seven Seeds and Market Lane and beautiful, simple food that is sourced locally where they can. They use Warialda Beef, Istra Smallgoods and Hook & Spoon Mutton. They keep things even closer to home when they use herbs from their roof top garden and honey from their rooftop beehive. The space, with sharp angles and interesting design features, still manages warm, light and inviting. The tiny balcony is quiet and enclosed, and definitely a spot you want to nab on a sunny day. The ever-changing menu is fresh and seasonally driven. You might see avocado on Zeally Bay organic toast with chevre, grapefruit, toasted almonds and radish salad ($17) or potato and leek hash with Istra pancetta, green tomato, a fried egg and lemon sour cream ($18.50). If you're in the mood for a sugar hit, try the hot cakes with banana cream custard, maple caramel and cinnamon crunch ($14) — dessert for breakfast is always a good idea. Keep an eye out for the specials board, which might be a leek, bacon and Gruyere omelette topped with microherbs and served with Zeally Bay sourdough or — if you're lucky — ginger ale poached pears with baked ricotta, granola and dulce de leche. There is a cabinet of tempting treats like chocolate brownies and banana chocolate caramel cupcakes if you're in the mood for an order-and-dash kind of afternoon. Rotating baguettes are also available for takeaway. Alive and kicking in a quiet pocket of South Melbourne, Dead Man makes the working week just that little bit more bearable. Image courtesy of Dead Man Espresso
Huge news: Darlinghurst is set to be home to Soho House Sydney, Australia's first outpost for the ultra-exclusive membership club. The much-hyped global brand which has locations across the world from Berlin to Miami, is now looking to transform a building on the corner of Crown and Foley Street above Shady Pines Saloon, with ambitious plans in the works to completely reshape the space. Plans for an estimated $24-million multi-storey mega-venue have been lodged, with the proposed building featuring a restaurant and bar, gym, cabaret facilities and a rooftop terrace and pool. The plans also reveal anticipated changes to the facade, replacing the building's fairly rundown exterior with a simple, sleek and modern cream and brown design in line with other Soho Houses around the world. The Darlinghurst building has a storied history, taking many forms over the years including Bolot's Embassy Dancing Academy between 1924–30, the Playbox Theatre and Stanley Twig's auction house in the 1930s and, most recently, housing several retail tenants throughout the 2000s including an espresso bar, convenience store and a nail salon. Fans of affordable drinks and Americana aesthetics, never fear: it looks like Shady Pines won't be disrupted by the opening of Soho House Sydney, with the floor plan revealing an allocated zone for "tenancy" on the basement floor where the bar currently resides. Concrete Playground reached out to the Swillhouse team for comment on the future of the site, but they didn't get back to us in time for publication. Australia's first ever Soho House was originally set to open on Domain Road in Melbourne's South Yarra, but developers were forced to ditch plans at the direction of VCAT in late October, after strong opposition from local councils and a residents' group. Now boasting over 40 houses across the globe, Soho House first opened in London in 1995 as a private members club for clientele in the creative sphere. It has since spread throughout Europe and North America, opening restaurants, cinemas, workspaces, spas and bedrooms alongside the traditional clubs. From New York to Istanbul, exclusivity is a common global denominator. If you want to apply for a membership, you can explore all of the options and lodge an application at the Soho House membership page. [caption id="attachment_653445" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Shady Pines[/caption] Soho House Sydney is set to open at 256 Crown Street, Darlinghurst.
As fans of whodunnits on the page, stage and screen know, anything can and often does go wrong in sleuthing tales. Usually, however, the antics remain in the story. That's not the case in The Play That Goes Wrong, as its title indicates — and as theatre audiences have enjoyed for over a decade, watching what happens when The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society endeavours to put on a murder-mystery, then chaos ensues. When the production premiered in 2012 in London, it not only proved a hit but won Best New Comedy at the Laurence Olivier Awards. It's also still treading the boards in the UK, making it West End's current longest-running comedy. For its first Broadway season, it also nabbed a Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of a Play. The Play That Goes Wrong has made its way Down Under before, too, but audiences will have another chance to catch it locally when it tours Australia again in 2025. Athenaeum Theatre is hosting the show's Melbourne stop from Wednesday, September 3–Sunday, September 21. The plot: when The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society give the whodunnit genre a spin, telling the tale of a murder at a country manor and the quest to find the perpetrator, making it through the show becomes an accident-filled challenge. Since its debut over a decade ago, The Play That Goes Wrong has been seen by more than 4.2-million people worldwide — in 49 countries — and given 3500-plus performances at West End's Duchess Theatre alone. Another tidbit: also in West End, members of The Drama Society have been hit more than 125,545 times, sometimes by objects and sometimes by each other. Images: original West End cast, Robert Day.
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.
On a brisk April morning, the busiest destinations in countryside New South Wales aren't the pubs, local cafes or anything in the main stretches of these quaint towns — crowds are flocking to the various state forests. To the untrained eye, these forests have nothing of value but pine trees, but in the right conditions, the soil comes alive with carpets of glorious pine mushrooms. These crown-protected woodlands are the last bastion of mushroom foraging in NSW — a practice of times gone by that's now making a comeback in the modern world. Helping to stage that comeback is the jovial wizard of foraging: the self-proclaimed 'weedy one', Diego Bonetto. With a lifetime of foraging practice that began as a child in Northern Italy, Bonetto has made it his life's mission to share everything he can about the lost art of foraging, not only mushrooms but native plants, seaweed and weeds. But it was a brisk April morning in the Lidsdale State Forest when he led Concrete Playground on an expedition into the trees, specifically in search of juicy mushrooms and knowledge. [caption id="attachment_1007875" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Alec Jones[/caption] The Good, the Bad and the Deadly It's no secret that mushroom foraging should not be undertaken lightly. With over 5,000 species of mushrooms that grow across NSW, an inexperienced, unguided amateur forager is at immense risk of misidentifying their harvest, which can have painful and life-threatening consequences. That's why you should never forage without expert advice. As an expert himself, Diego Bonetto cannot stress that enough — for your sake and the forest's: " The biggest mistake people make is trying to go mushroom foraging just by reading an article on the internet and downloading some pictures. There are lookalikes, there are similarities [between mushrooms]. There are ethical steps that you need to understand to protect the ecology. Harvesting wild produce is not walking into a supermarket". That's because the mushrooms you can safely eat, and even those that should be left alone, are vital to the ecosystem. Fungi decompose dead organic matter into raw nutrients to be reabsorbed into the soil. How would you feel if a giant walked into your home and ripped your compost bin off the ground? "Be nice to nature", Bonetto adds. "Nature has got plenty to worry about already". [caption id="attachment_1007974" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Helen Algie[/caption] You may be wondering: why pine forests? Legalities and complexities of fungi ecology aside, pine forests are home to two edible and easily recognisable – to the trained eye – mushroom species: Saffron Milk Caps and Slippery Jacks. The former boasts a reddish-orange cap, typically four to 30+ centimetres across, with gills and an orange, milky sap that leaks from cuts in the flesh. They're meaty and have a mild bitter taste, and work great pan-fried, pickled, as schnitzels, or to bolster pies and casseroles. The latter has a brown, slimy cap and a spongy yellow underside free of gills, which grow up to 25+ centimetres across. With the slimy layer peeled off, it can be chopped and used in Asian-style soups, fried with butter or worked into an omelette. Any other species in a pine forest, even the iconic red-and-white-spotted fly agaric (aka fairy toadstool), is either too risky to prepare safely or outright dangerous to consume, so don't be greedy. [caption id="attachment_1007873" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Alec Jones[/caption] Listen to the Experts Only an experienced forager can tell the edible from the deadly, so you should never claim to know how to mushroom forage until you have the qualifications, not just a weekend of research online. Booking a foraging session with someone like Diego is non-negotiable. You don't want to take home something poisonous — or break a law you didn't know existed. " It doesn't need to be me, but someone who can take you there, who's done it before, done it for a few years, and can take you through the steps of what it is you're looking for and why all those others are not [edible]." No matter what, there are three things Bonetto believes every forager should remember in the forest. "First, the assumption of knowledge is very problematic. Second, people always want to be right — be humble, it's not about you being right, it's about you being safe. Third, only harvest what you can eat that night, mushroom frenzy can make you fill six boxes, but then you don't want to process it and end up wasting it." [caption id="attachment_1007972" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Helen Algie[/caption] Find Your Nearest Legal Foraging Ground A little-known fact: NSW is the only Australian state where mushroom foraging is legal, as long as it's done inside a State forest. While permits are required for commercial foraging, foraging for personal consumption is legal and open to all. That means you'll need to make a drive out of it. Bonetto explains it best. "I teach mushroom foraging in pine plantation State forests for a very specific reason. And as such, there are no pine plantations in Greater Sydney. The closest pine plantation you will find [to Sydney] would be in the Southern Highlands or the western slopes of the Blue Mountains". "And that's where I teach. So if you would like to harvest mushrooms legally, you need to come to a pine State forest. Unless you do it on your own property, if you have a property big enough to have pine trees and big enough to support a mushroom ecology, then you can do it on your own property. But most people do not have the kind of land in greater Sydney, am I right?". [caption id="attachment_1007973" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Helen Algie[/caption] Plan Ahead — Far Ahead The other key consideration for a foraging booking is that the mushroom season in NSW is only eight to ten weeks long, typically from March to May. You're waiting for Goldilocks conditions, since fruiting bodies of pine mushrooms grow only after heavy rain and overnight temperatures in the single digits. Any colder, though, and the season will grind to a halt. An easy way to remember: the best time for mushroom foraging (and also the busiest) is the Easter long weekend. Bonetto preaches foresight. "Your readers might just be a bit disappointed to know the season is already over [for 2025]. So join the mailing list. If you're into mushroom foraging, join our mailing list and we'll let you know when we've released the workshop dates for 2026. Or just check all of the other workshops available on the website, or just go and talk to your neighbour. You don't need to come to Diego. There's also plenty of foraging knowledge in ethnic communities, they'll offer you tea and sit you down in the garden. People love to talk about plants. Lemme tell you." To book a foraging experience with Diego Bonetto or join the mushroom foraging waitlist, visit his website. Concrete Playground joined a foraging workshop as a guest of Destination NSW. Foraging for wild mushrooms is not without risk — some mushrooms are toxic and will cause bodily harm and even death if consumed. If in doubt, throw it out, and if you become unwell after eating wild mushrooms, call the Poisons Centre on 13 11 26. Header image courtesy of Destination NSW
Since 2017 in Sydney, 2018 in Melbourne and 2019 in Brisbane, a trip to Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq has meant stepping inside a circus-themed arcade bar that's primed for kidulting. And, that's still the case; however, once a month from May until November, the chain is ramping its core concepts of circus, arcade fun and nostalgic activities for adults up a few levels. Run by Funlab, the group also responsible for Holey Moley, Strike Bowling and B. Lucky & Sons, Archie Brothers is kicking off a new Showtime event series. After launching on Friday, May 7 in Alexandria, and on Saturday, May 8 in Docklands and Toombul, it'll take place on the second Saturday of each month at each site, turning each venue into an adults-only circus and cocktail pop-up. From 7–10pm at each event, attendees can expect stilt walkers, magicians, burlesque and beverages — and tarot card readers and face painters as well. The lineup of performers will vary depending on the city, but there'll also be juggling and snake charming in Sydney, and mime in Melbourne. Brisbanites can look forward to unicycling, acrobatics, diabolo, balloon modelling and more juggling. The carousel-themed Archie Brothers bar will be pouring Showtime Disco Mirror Ball cocktails, which combine Red Bull, passionfruit, cranberry juice, triple sec, whiskey and lime, while the rest of the chain's usual drinks list will be on offer, too. Food-wise, the theme park and American diner-inspired menu will span sandwiches, pizzas, sliders, onion rings, mac and cheese and other dishes. And, all of Archie Brothers' usual games and activities will be on the agenda, as will prizes. So, you'll be whipping out your Mario Kart skills, hitting the dodgems, bowling and just generally mashing buttons in May, and again come June 12, July 10, August 14, September 11, October 9 and November 13. Then, you'll be trading all the tickets you amass for gaming consoles, 90s paraphernalia and more (and there won't be any kids around vying for the same goodies). Showtime at Archie Brothers kicks off on Friday, May 7 in Alexandria, and on Saturday, May 8 in Docklands and Toombul, then runs on the second Saturday of each month until November. To attend, you'll need to book online. Images: Zennieshia Butts.
The newly renovated Rydges Melbourne is now home to a pre-theatre and after-work drinking and dining haunt, Bossley Bar and Restaurant. The huge space is split up into a front bar and terrace overlooking Exhibition Street and Little Bourke, a dining room serving up lunch and dinner to the public (and buffet breakfasts to hotel guests) and two separate private dining rooms. And even while it is connected to Rydges, Bossley does a damn good job at standing alone. A soulless hotel dining space this is not. Instead, it's got character all of its own, feeling like a big French bistro thanks to the green leather banquettes, parquet flooring and moody lighting. Led by Executive Chef Paul Griffiths, the kitchen serves up contemporary Australian and European eats with a strong sustainable focus. Your steak will hail from Gippsland, the fish is all line-caught and most other produce is locally sourced and seasonal. On Bossley's winter 2023 menu? A series of charcuterie boards, handmade burrata with charred cauliflower, pickled fennel and a smoked honey and a mean roast chicken. This classic is perfectly juicy, has a moreish golden crispy skin and comes with a black garlic puree and macadamia pangrattato. It's also mighty big so you won't be going home hungry. We're also obsessed with the fries. Griffiths has perfected the art of the hot chip — first boiling the potatoes, then popping them in the blast chiller before frying them, chilling them and then frying them again. They're pillowy, crunchy, oily bites of pleasure. Dessert-wise, you best try the Bossley Snickers. It's a glammed-up version of the original chocolate bar. They've tempered their own chocolate shell with peanuts and pumped in a salted caramel cream that's close to heaven. End the whole experience by adding a sweet iced Riesling from Tassie or the Bossley signature martini — made with Four Pillars Olive Leaf gin, vermouth, sherry and a dash of miso and saltbush olive oil. Don't expect a total reinvention of the wheel at Bossley but be very happy trying classic dishes and drinks that have been given a modern twist using quality produce. It's clearly trying to please a broad range of diners, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's a joint you can go to with the whole office crew or the family visiting from out of town. Even the fussiest eaters will find something pleasing here.
While she's been a leader in Australia's creative scene for over a decade, Yasmin Suteja is currently pivoting to a new era of her career. In 2013, the photographer, director, and content creator founded Culture Machine, a creative services and talent agency that focused on collaboration. She worked on Culture Machine alongside the likes of Kath Ebbs, Mimi Elashiry and her brother, Kai Suteja, just as the content creation and influencer era was kicking off. In the years since, Yasmin has become one of Australia's most in-demand creatives, partnering with global brands including adidas, JD Sport, THE ICONIC, Bumble, and many more. [caption id="attachment_84094" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Declan May[/caption] While the photographer and director was seen as a mentor for Culture Machine's talent for years (despite only being in her twenties herself), Yasmin knew it was time to get her hands dirty and be the least experienced person in the room for the first time in a decade. This drive pushed her to cold email Heartbreak High director Gracie Otto "about twenty times" to get onto a film set. "It was an amazing opportunity. I got to see how TV is made, and how a Netflix show happens—how many people are involved, and what the role of a director is in that capacity." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Second Life Markets Australia (@secondlifemarkets) Alongside her experience assisting on Heartbreak High, in 2023, Yasmin's debut documentary, Dying To Succeed, won the 2023 Fresh Cuts initiative at the Australian International Documentary Conference. Moving to Melbourne from Sydney has been another "game-changing" catalyst in her new career chapter. What began as a three-month contract with a production company has resulted in a fresh perspective and new collaborators. "Melbourne's opened me up to the most incredible creatives. Everyone's so excited to volunteer their time to what I'm trying to do. They really believe in me," she says. As a director, fashion naturally weaves into the stories Yasmin is trying to tell. "The medium of fashion means expression to me," says Yasmin. "I think it's the way that I kind of get to find my people in a lot of ways." [caption id="attachment_84096" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Declan May - Galaxy Z Flip7 is featured[/caption] While Yasmin's creative energy is often used to art direct other projects, how does personal style influence her expression? "When it comes to my personal style, [I like] blending being comfortable but also having a statement piece where you feel fashionable and put together." "At the same time," she says, "I need to be able to run around, be on set and do my job." Yasmin's experience in shooting for a multitude of fashion clients means that often her creative inspiration connects back to that world. "Fashion comes into my work and craft because it's predominantly what I shoot. My work is known for being tapped [into] fashion and [having] an appreciation for style." [caption id="attachment_1028569" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Declan May - Galaxy Z Flip7 is featured[/caption] When it comes to her new city, Yasmin credits Melbourne's fashion scene as a big source of inspiration. While searching for more pieces for her photoshoot at the vintage store, Retro Star, Yasmin notes Melbourne's love for unique (and often second-hand) pieces. "Melbourne has inspired me a lot in terms of fashion and style," says Yasmin. "There's a real appreciation for archive designer quality pieces — pieces that have lasted the test of time." As she enters a new era of her creative career, Yasmin also credits the rapid development in technology as something that excites her. "I think [technology] is making way for the next generation." One tool that is helping Yasmin's creativity is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7. Yasming uses the phone to snap inspiration, navigate a new city, and log her favourite fashion stores. The phone is supercharged by Google Gemini, making it even easier to discover, capture and share your style. While it's easy to stay in your lane and stick to what you know, Yasmin proves that the first decade is only just the beginning in a creative career. From moving cities to gaining television director credits and finding new creative collaborators, it seems Yasmin's next chapter is going to be a good one. Explore more at Samsung. Gemini is a trademark of Google LLC. Gemini Live feature requires internet connection and Google Account login. Available on select devices and select countries, languages, and to users 18+. Fees may apply to certain AI features at the end of 2025. Flex Mode supported at angles between 75°and 115°. Some apps may not be supported in Flex Mode. Fees may apply to certain AI features at the end of 2025. Results may vary depending on lighting conditions.
The duo behind Melbourne's sake brand Toji Sake, Shar and Yuta Kobayashi, brought a new taste of Japan to Richmond in 2019. The 100-seat restaurant on Swan Street is dishing up food inspired by both Australia and Japan, as well as sake cocktails. Kobayashi's Australian-Japanese roots and Chan's experience cooking Japanese fare have both influenced the menu, which focuses on izakaya-style snacks, such as yakitori, and dishes cooked on a hibachi (a Japanese charcoal grill). For yakitori, expect all the chicken parts — thigh, oyster, heart, breast — as well as leek, baby onions covered in miso and okra. Other snacks include the likes of duck gyoza with shiso and salted plum, kingfish sashimi with smoked daikon, smoked beef tartare and short ribs with chimichurri. Bigger items at Eazy Peazy might include okonomiyaki, porterhouse with wasabi, aged dashi eggplant and chicken karaage. Behind the restaurant's long concrete bar, you'll, of course, find a few Toji Sake concoctions. The brand's crisp junmai ginjo and high-grade junmai daiginjo sakes feature in a selection of cocktails, such as Aloe Peaches — with aloe vera juice, peach liqueur and cranberry — and the Shiso Crazy with shiso leaves, rum and soda. A mostly Australian wine list and a lineup of Japanese and local beers in tins, bottles and on tap round out the drinks offering. The Eazy Peazy fit-out, by award-winning Melbourne firm Carr Design, is meant to fuse traditional Japanese elements with modern touches. Think interior walls representing the rice fields of the Niigata Prefecture, a snow-like ceiling reminiscent of the Asahi mountain ranges and doors that look like raked sand in a zen garden. These elements are juxtaposed with projections of Tokyo's famed Shibuya Crossing and Japanese cartoon figurines used as handbag hooks. Images: Carly Ravenhall and Hortenzia.
Cherry blossom season in Japan is the stuff of dreams. From late March to early April, the air begins to warm, the cities transform into dreamy pink landscapes, and wherever you look, you'll feel like you've stepped right into a Studio Ghibli film. If you've ever dreamed of strolling under a canopy of cherry blossoms, Japan in cherry blossom season is a must. But with them only lasting a fleeting couple of weeks, making the most of your trip is all about good timing, great spots, and knowing what to do beyond just taking a few pretty photos. We've done the legwork and have found some ideas of how to do it right, from the best viewing locations to the ultimate cherry blossom-themed experiences, plus the perfect stays and special deals to top it all off. [caption id="attachment_997052" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Mauro Repossini via Getty Images[/caption] Hanami Viewing at Ueno Park One of Tokyo's most famous hanami (flower viewing) spots, Ueno Park is the heavyweight champion of cherry blossom season. With over 1,000 trees lining its wide paths, it's where locals and travellers alike gather to lay down their picnic blankets, crack open some sake and soak in the beauty of the season. If you're travelling with the family, it's got plenty of space for the kids to run around, with food stalls and even Ueno Zoo to keep everyone fed and entertained. For an overnight stay close to the action, MIMARU Tokyo Ueno East is just around the corner, offering modern apartment-style accommodation that's ideal for groups and families to unwind after a day of cherry blossom sightseeing. [caption id="attachment_997548" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] MIMARU SUITES Tokyo Asakusa[/caption] Cherry Blossom Scenery on Sumida River Prefer your blossoms with a view in the backdrop? The Sumida River is where you'll want to start exploring. Running right through the heart of Tokyo, it's lined with pink cherry blossom trees that contrast beautifully against the Tokyo skyline. Spend your day taking a leisurely riverside walk, hop on an hourly departing water bus, or take the scenic route back to your hotel to see the trees at night. Just minutes away, MIMARU SUITES Tokyo Asakusa puts you right in the thick of the riverside action, with spacious rooms and a prime location to explore the best of Tokyo's cherry blossoms. [caption id="attachment_997053" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Robert Holmes via Getty Images[/caption] Cherry Blossom Keepsakes From Tokyo Disney If you're travelling with kids (or just love a touch of nostalgia) then Tokyo Disney's cherry blossom experience is an ideal way to experience the serenity, but not compromise on excitement. Each year, Disney also releases a special cherry blossom-themed collection that makes the perfect keepsake for your trip. Think pastel pink plush toys of all your favourite Disney characters, merch, accessories and collectible figurines. [caption id="attachment_997055" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Flavia Morchetti via Getty Images[/caption] Cherry Blossom-Themed Treats at Various Visiting Japan in spring means one thing: cherry blossom everything. Our advice? Lean into it fully. Start your morning with a blossom-infused latte at MOSCA by Ginger Garden, grab some cherry blossom mochi from Muji, and if you're feeling indulgent, treat yourself to the stunning floral dessert collection at Haute Couture Cafe. Sweet, pink, and Instagram gold. Immersive Cherry Blossom Art at TeamLab Planets For something that feels straight out of a dream, check out TeamLab Planets and their popular 'Floating in the Falling Universe of Flowers' exhibit. You'll find yourself completely immersed in a surreal world of cherry blossoms, creating the ultimate immersive hanami experience, one that you can't find anywhere else in the country. [caption id="attachment_997058" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Showkaku Sano via Getty Images[/caption] Explore Cherry Blossom-Coated Landscapes Around Tokyo If you're up for a little adventure beyond Tokyo, Mount Yoshino is the perfect change of pace. Home to over 30,000 cherry trees covering the slopes in every shade of pink, it's one of Japan's most breathtaking destinations year-round, but especially during the blossom season. Pair it with a day trip to Nara Park via a 90-minute express train ride from Mount Yoshino, where you can stroll among freely roaming deer under the trees. After a day of exploring, head back to MIMARU SUITES Kyoto Shijo. Smack bang in central Kyoto, it's a comfy base with easy rail access to both Nara Park (about an hour) and Mount Yoshino (around 90 minutes). Plus, you're within walking distance of Gion's many shopping and dining options. Where to Stay to Support Your Trip Cherry Blossom season is busy, and finding the right place to stay makes all the difference. Designed with families and groups in mind, MIMARU offers apartment-style stays with the space you need to relax after a long day of exploring. Tokyo's cherry trees typically bloom from late March to early April, but if you miss the peak, don't stress. MIMARU staff all speak English and are on hand to recommend alternative sightseeing spots so you can still get your fill of springtime magic no matter the month. Visit the APARTMENT HOTEL MIMARU website for more information and book your stay using the code mimaru_cp for an extra 5% off your stay. *Reservation period: Until May 31, 2025 *For stay period: until December 31, 2025 *Applicable to reservations for 2-6 nights *Pokémon rooms are excluded *Discounts other than the MIMARU Member Program discount will not be applied. By Jacque Kennedy
DJ, gonna burn this goddamn beach right down — although not literally, of course. But 15,000 partygoers will be murdering the dance floor at an iconic coastal spot thanks to a headliner that's having a helluva moment right now: Sophie Ellis-Bextor. She's just been announced at the top of the bill for the 2024 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras' Bondi Beach Party. In 2023, when the first WorldPride ever held in the southern hemisphere took place in Sydney, it brought with it an openair club on the sand from afternoon till evening. A massive 12,000 folks went along to dance by the water, with Pussycat Dolls lead singer Nicole Scherzinger headlining. In 2024, on Saturday, February 24, Ellis-Bextor will do the honours while everyone is rediscovering their love for 2001's 'Murder on the Dancefloor' thanks to Saltburn. It's the first of two trips Down Under for the British singer this year, as she's supporting Take That on their Australian and New Zealand tour in October and November as well. Ellis-Bextor's discography also includes vocals on Spiller's 'Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)', plus her own 'Get Over You' and 'Hypnotised', all of which she gave a spin on her last visit to Australia in 2022. Then, she headlined Summer Camp in Sydney and Melbourne, and also played Brisbane's Melt Festival. At Mardi Gras 2024's Bondi Beach Party, Ellis-Bextor will be joined by the previously announced Slayyyter, Jay Jay Revlon, Lagoon Femshaymer, Corey Craig, Tyoow, Mama de Leche and Beth Yen. The waterside event sits on a jam-packed festival lineup that also spans Adam Lambert, CeCe Peniston and Ultra Naté at the ten-hour, 10,000-capacity Mardi Gras Party at Hordern Pavilion. Sydney WorldPride's Ultra Violet is returning for a second year of celebrating LGBTQIA+ women; gender-diverse celebration Hot Trans Summer will take place on floating venue Glass Island; the ivy Pool Bar is back; and, from there, the list goes on and on, across 17 days, 100-plus events, and with more than 150 performers helping put on a show. Something that's sadly no longer on the bill is Fair Day, which has been cancelled for 2024 due to bonded asbestos being found in the mulch at Victoria Park. [caption id="attachment_940887" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jake Davis[/caption] Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras' Bondi Beach Party 2024 Lineup Sophie Ellis-Bextor Slayyyter Jay Jay Revlon Lagoon Femshaymer Corey Craig Tyoow Mama de Leche Beth Yen [caption id="attachment_940884" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cain Cooper[/caption] [caption id="attachment_940885" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gabrielle Clement[/caption] Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2024 runs from Friday, February 16–Sunday, March 3, 2024. For more information, or for tickets, head to the event's website. The 2024 Bondi Beach Party is happening from 2pm on Saturday, February 24. For more information, head to the event's website.
Having conquered the hearts of southsiders with her South Melbourne croissant haven, Agathé Pâtisserie, Agathe Kerr has been busy working on yet another treat, opening a pint-sized patisserie in the city's Royal Arcade. Launched on January 18, Agathé Pâtisserie Petite is a miniature version of the 'Croissant Queen's' South Melbourne Market outpost – a shop window brimming with a daily haul of Kerr's best-selling creations, fresh from the oven each morning. "I always wanted to have a small shop in the CBD; a hole in the wall is really something very specific to Melbourne that I haven't really seen in Paris," Kerr explains. "We haven't been open very long, but so far it is definitely a good fit." Now, city workers can infuse their days with a blissful taste of France. Think buttery croissants to make those mornings more bearable, a cherry or apricot Danish with that mid-morning latte, and maybe a classic escargot for that train ride home. Filled croissants will be the stars of the show, with flavours changing regularly so that customers can always get their hands on something new and exciting. Paris-born Kerr, who trained with the best at the Ecole de Boulangerie et Patisserie de Paris, launched her first store shortly after arriving in Melbourne in 2013. Quickly, her baked goodies achieved cult status, ranging from traditional French-style pastries and dessert cakes to more innovative treats, like matcha-filled croissants and peanut caramel-infused cruffins. Three years on and the pastry chef has just welcomed her second and third ventures: the city store, and a bakery neighbouring the original South Melbourne patisserie. Agathé Pâtisserie Petite is now open at 49A Royal Arcade from 8am to 3pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and will extend these hours in the coming months. For more information, visit Agathe's Facebook page.
Fallout day is here. No, this isn't the end of the world as we know it. Rather, the TV adaptation of the hit gaming series starts streaming on Prime Video today, Thursday, April 11, 2024. On-screen across eight episodes, it whisks viewers off to an irradiated wasteland — and also into luxe vaults, which have been part of life for two centuries, including for Lucy (Ella Purnell, Yellowjackets). That's your next streaming binge sorted. But if you're in Sydney today, Thursday, April 11, and you'd like to see what dwelling in a vault is like IRL, you can — only for this one day, and only between 12–5pm. Lucy's vault, aka Vault 33, has been recreated at 1 Martin Place in the Harbour City's CBD. To check it out, you also need to make a free booking online in advance. Prime Video's real-life version of Fallout's underground abode is decked out with the requisite door and decor, all to make you feel like you're stepping into the show. The streaming platform has jokingly pitched it as the future of living in Australia — especially within the current real-estate market — but actually staying there is not on the cards. If you're new to all things Fallout, which follows 2023's The Last of Us from mashed buttons to TV, the series debuts almost three decades since Fallout first arrived computers back in 1997. Since then, it has spawned three released sequels, with a fourth on the way, alongside seven spinoffs. The live-action television take doesn't just star Purnell, but also a swaggering Walton Goggins (I'm a Virgo) as bounty hunter The Ghoul, Aaron Moten (Emancipation) as Brotherhood of Steel soldier Maximus and Kyle MacLachlan (Lucky Hank) as Vault 33's Overseer Hank. Here, it's a post-apocalyptic future, where everything went pear-shaped 200 years back. Hence living in vaults, because a hellscape filled with mutants, wild west vibes and plenty of violence awaits outside those cosy confines — as the optimistic Lucy, daughter of Hank, is about to find out. On the surface, Goggins' The Ghoul has a past that the series also dives into. The retrofuturistic dystopian show features Moisés Arias (Samaritan), Sarita Choudhury (And Just Like That...), Michael Emerson (Evil), Leslie Uggams (Extrapolations), Frances Turner (The Boys), Dave Register (Heightened), Zach Cherry (Severance) and Johnny Pemberton (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story) as well — plus Rodrigo Luzzi (Dead Ringers), Annabel O'Hagan (Dear Edward) and Xelia Mendes-Jones (The Wheel of Time). For The Last of Us, HBO enlisted a creative force from one of the US premium cable network's past hits in Chernobyl's Craig Mazin. Prime Video has done the same with Fallout, but with Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy — who also executive produced Prime Video's own The Peripheral. As well as executive producing with Joy, Nolan directs the first three episodes. Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Captain Marvel) and Graham Wagner (Silicon Valley) are similarly among Fallout's executive producers, as well as the series' writers, creators and co-showrunners. And yes, Bethesda Game Studios has a hand in finally bringing the games to the screen. Fallout streams via Prime Video from Thursday, April 11, 2024. To visit Vault 33 at 1 Martin Place, Sydney, from 12–5pm AEST on Thursday, April 11, 2024, make a free booking online. Read our Fallout review. Images: courtesy of Prime Video.
Whenever a public holiday with a religious history rolls around, it means different things to different people. Easter is one of them — a four-day period filled with bunnies for some, oh-so-many chocolate eggs for most, and a relaxing break from work for many. That makes finding the perfect Easter viewing a bit trickier than most occasions. Unlike Christmas movies, paschal flicks haven't become their own category. Unlike Halloween and horror films, there's not an existing genre to tap into, either. And, when a movie has clearly been made with Easter in mind, it tends to fall into one of two camps: religious-themed epics and rabbit-filled, kid-focused family fare. If you're keen to mark the occasion through cinema — and eager to find something to watch while you're binge-eating all of those hot cross buns — don't worry. No, you don't have to settle for the obvious. Instead, fill your long weekend with everything from Timothée Chalamet as a young Willy Wonka and Keanu Reeves as humanity's saviour to Jordan Peele's take on bunnies, all thanks to our 16 classic and eclectic Easter streaming options. Donnie Darko The creepiest rabbit in cinema belongs to one movie: Richard Kelly's (The Box) 2001 sci-fi thriller Donnie Darko. Once you've met Frank, as the eponymous teenager (Jake Gyllenhaal, Road House) does while he's sleepwalking one night, then you can be forgiven for feeling more than a little unnerved. Making quite the bold, striking and memorable filmmaking debut, Kelly's film saddles Donnie with plenty of other worries, too. Doomsday visions, wormholes and time loops; hosting a Halloween party; general adolescent angst — they're all included. So is Patrick Swayze (whose footsteps Gyllenhaal follows in in the Road House remake) as an unsettling motivational speaker, Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Deuce) playing her real-life brother's on-screen sister, and a mind-bending movie that proves both ominous and dreamy all at once (and boasts a great 80s-themed soundtrack). Donnie Darko streams via Stan, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Wonka In 2023, the world was gifted a new sweet treat. Casting Bones and All, Call Me By Your Name, Dune and A Complete Unknown favourite Timothée Chalamet as a young Willy Wonka in a film directed by Paddington and Paddington 2's Paul King was always going to get the film-loving world's attention. Wonka thankfully proved a delight, too. Your best Easter viewing, then? Pairing it with the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which is also still a gem. It's a magical ticket of a book-to-screen adaptation, thanks in no small part to the inimitable Gene Wilder. We all know the tale by now, which follows a poverty-stricken child who wins a chocolate contest and gets a super-exclusive tour of the eponymous figure's sweets-making outfit, and it keeps standing the test of time for great reason. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory streams via Binge, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Wonka streams via Netflix, Binge, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. Who Framed Roger Rabbit It's the part live-action, part animated film that's really not for kids, and it's still a delight more than three decades later. Who Framed Roger Rabbit steps back to 1947, plays with both neo-noir and comedy, and creates a world where humans and cartoons — or Toons as they're called — co-exist. A who's who of Hollywood's late-80s best and brightest were all considered for the part of private detective Eddie Valiant (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny's Harrison Ford, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire's Bill Murray and Candy Cane Lane's Eddie Murphy among them), but Bob Hoskins is pitch-perfect in the role. Also working a charm is the film's dark but funny tone, its exceptional special effects, and the reteaming of Robert Zemeckis (Pinocchio) and Christopher Lloyd (The Mandalorian) after Back to the Future. Oh, and the fact that this always-entertaining PI tale is basically an oddball take on all-time classic Chinatown. Who Framed Roger Rabbit streams via Disney+, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions and The Matrix Resurrections In one of the biggest sci-fi franchises of the past two decades, one man is chosen to save humanity, with the anointed hero navigating difficult trials and tribulations in the process. While the original trilogy of The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions are all jam-packed with futuristic imagery and dystopian drama, writer/director siblings Lana and Lilly Wachowski (Sense8) spin a story that's also laden with spiritual symbolism — so much so that a religion called Matrixism even popped up. Obviously, who wouldn't want to worship Keanu Reeves (John Wick: Chapter 4) as Neo? These movies did the first time around, and repeated the feat with Lana Wachowski's solo effort The Matrix Resurrections as well. The middle two flicks are nowhere near as impressive and entertaining as the first or latest, but The Matrix franchise always makes for thrilling piece of science fiction. The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions stream via Stan, Prime Video, YouTube Movies and iTunes. The Matrix Resurrections streams via Stan, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. Us As a director using genre to lay bare society's oppressive ills — and to entertain audiences with audacious and ambitious horror stories in the process — Jordan Peele is three for three on the big screen. Nope was a 2022 standout. Before that, back in 2017, Get Out felt like a breath of fresh air with its smart and savage tale of racial alienation. And, that feeling coursed through 2019's Us, too, a film that simultaneously splashes in the same thematic pool and rides its own narrative wave. Focusing on a family of four, a summer vacation to Santa Cruz and sinister lookalikes who start stalking their every move, Peele finds a new way to ponder America's divisive reality both historically and at present, all while making an immensely unnerving addition to an already unsettling genre: the doppelgänger movie. Playing dual roles, Lupita Nyong'o (A Quiet Place: Day One) puts in a phenomenal performance as the matriarch doing whatever it takes to fight for both her family and her freedom, while many of the film's meticulously crafted visuals — and plethora of rabbits — are pure nightmare fodder. Us streams via Netflix, Binge, Paramount+, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. Cool Hand Luke "Nobody can eat 50 eggs", Lucas Jackson (the late, great Paul Newman) is told in 1967 prison drama Cool Hand Luke. If that sounds like a challenge you're willing to take up, you're in good company. Naturally, you're currently thinking about chocolate eggs; however, Newman's famous character endeavours to eat 50 of the real deal. Even locked up in a Florida chain gang for vandalising parking metres, that's the kind of rule-breaking, authority-defying guy he is. Nominated for four Oscars and winning one (for Best Supporting Actor for George Kennedy), this is one of cinema's anti-establishment standouts, tracking the penal system's repeated attempts to put Luke in his place, and his continued determination to flout every restriction that's thrown at him. Cool Hand Luke is also layered with religious symbolism in its narrative and in its imagery — as you'd expect in a tale of a man repeatedly persecuted for remaining faithful to his true nature. Cool Hand Luke streams via SBS On Demand, Max, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Con Air Whatever occasion happens to be upon us, there's a Nicolas Cage movie for it. The Family Man and Trapped in Paradise are set around Christmas, for example; Moonstruck and Wild at Heart are pitch-perfect Valentine's Day viewing; and you can choose from the likes of Mandy, Vampire's Kiss and Color Out of Space at Halloween. For Easter, Con Air fits the bill. It is the movie that has Cage exclaim "put the bunny back in the box," after all. Here, he plays a former army ranger-turned-paroled convict who's trying to head home when his prison flight is hijacked by fellow criminals. And it's particularly apt viewing after Cage played Cage in meta comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent recently, and Con Air played a pivotal part in it. Con Air streams via Disney+, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Easter Parade Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Easter, and a dazzling array of singing and dancing? Blend them all together, and that's Easter Parade. A huge box-office hit upon its initial 1948 release, this lively musical understandably makes the most of its stars — who act, croon and show off their fancy footwork opposite each other in their only cinematic collaboration. Astaire plays Broadway hotshot Don Hewes, who's far from happy when his dance partner breaks off their pairing. Emotionally wounded, he vows he'll catapult the next dancer he meets to fame. That'd be Garland's Hannah Brown, although the path to success (and to romance) is hardly straightforward. As Easter Parade charts the ups and downs of Don and Hannah's new arrangement, though, it's obviously absolutely overflowing with show-stopping song-and-dance numbers. Easter Parade streams via Max, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit Aardman has enjoyed an enviable track record over the stop-motion animation studio's 50-year career, as well as its two-plus decades making movies. But while the OG Chicken Run is great and the delightful Shaun the Sheep flicks aren't just for kids, Wallace and Gromit hold a soft spot in everyone's hearts. That makes their first full-length movie outing Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit extra special. Parodying monster movies, including old-school Hammer horror films, it tasks a certain cheese fiend and his canine sidekick with trying to rid a village suddenly plagued by bunnies. An Oscar-winner for Best Animated Feature, the result is an amusing, offbeat and energetic adventure with clever sight gags, an eccentric vibe, an array of intelligently used pop culture references, and guest voice work from Helena Bonham Carter (One Life) and Ralph Fiennes (The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar). Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit streams via Binge, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Celia Australian cinema is filled with stellar classic titles — films that engage, enthral, say something about our country and showcase the depth of our filmmaking talent. Sadly, the almost-forgotten Celia isn't cited among such company enough, although it deserves to be celebrated as one of the best features that we've ever had to offer. Set in 1957, its tale is dark, ominous and oh-so-telling as it blends small-town prejudices with fearful childhood imaginings. Written and directed by Ann Turner, the film focuses on an unhappy, grieving nine-year-old school girl (Rebecca Smart, Skin Deep) surrounded by a community that's paranoid about communists and unwelcoming to pet rabbits. Yes, there's that Easter-appropriate link — and this is kind of coming-of-age horror effort Australia rarely makes. Celia streams via Brollie, YouTube Movies and iTunes. The Last Temptation of Christ If you're going to watch one serious film about the obvious religious figure this Easter, make it Martin Scorsese's (Killers of the Flower Moon) The Last Temptation of Christ. Faith is one of the great veteran filmmaker's favourite themes and, here, he tackles it with his trademark smarts and depth, all while presenting Jesus not as a revered icon but as a person. Willem Dafoe (Nosferatu) plays the Judean carpenter in the spotlight, turning in one of his reliably fantastic performances. Also popping up among the cast: Harvey Keitel (Paradox Effect), Barbara Hershey (Beacon 23), and Twin Peaks alumni Harry Dean Stanton and David Bowie. Like many a movie that's dared to take a provocative approach to this tale, the 1988 film earned protests, censorship and bans when it originally hit cinemas — and nabbed Scorsese an Academy Award nomination for Best Director as well. The Last Temptation of Christ streams via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Monty Python's Life of Brian When famed comedy troupe Monty Python turned their attention to religion, they didn't take the obvious route. Instead, their satirical comedy follows Brian Cohen (Graham Chapman), a Jewish man who happens to be born on Christmas right next door to Jesus, and gets mistaken for his neighbour as a result. As one well-known line of dialogue has told us all for decades, "he's not the Messiah — he's a very naughty boy". Eventually, he'll be trying to look on the bright side of life as well. Written by the whole group, and starring them as well, Monty Python's Life of Brian is the silliest, most irreverent biblical-related flick you're ever likely to see. Unsurprisingly, when it was released back in 1979, it was accused of blasphemy. Monty Python's Life of Brian streams via SBS On Demand, YouTube Movies and Prime Video.
Crittenden Restaurant has reopened its doors following a major upgrade, bringing a reimagined dining experience to the Mornington Peninsula. The reopening of the restaurant, situated on the picturesque Crittenden Estate alongside the Cellar Door and Lakeside Villas, solidifies this family-owned winery as a must-visit destination on the Peninsula. Not only has this renovation given the restaurant a new lease on life, but importantly, it has been part of a return to its roots. Margaret and Garry Crittenden first established the estate in the 1990s, and it became an influential food and wine venue in the region. However, when the family faced challenging times 20 years ago, they leased the restaurant to outside operators. Now, Crittenden Estate has been returned to the family, with children Rollo and Zoe taking over as co-owners. Zoe Crittenden serves as the Marketing Director, and Rollo Crittenden acts as Managing Director and Winemaker. Zoe says, "We're honoured to continue mum's legacy and her commitment to genuine hospitality." Rollo explains, "This new space reflects the way we want people to experience food and wine at Crittenden today. We hope guests feel the same connection and care that have always defined Crittenden — now expressed through a refreshed, modern lens." Following a full renovation of its design, guest experience, and culinary direction, the restaurant will now be led by Venue Manager Gautheir Georgelet and Head Chef Brunno Melo. Melo's menu is inspired by the coastal landscape and quality local produce. It effortlessly blends modern Australian cuisine with Mediterranean flavours, all designed to pair perfectly with the estate's cool-climate wines. Melo says, "Our philosophy is about expressing a true sense of place — coastal, seasonal, and deeply connected to the Peninsula. We're inspired by the produce and people around us, creating dishes that are honest, textural, and balanced — flavours that speak to both the landscape and the wines." Expect Josper-fire dishes, such as a dry-aged tomahawk pork chop with charry cabbage, capers and a burnt pear glaze, or a swordfish steak, line-caught off Mooloolaba, finished with burnt lime and smoked maple chimichurri. Make a day of it with a visit to the Crittenden Cellar Door to sample award-winning pinot noir, chardonnay and savagnin, or make a weekend of it, and experience the luxury of one of the Lakeside Villas, which have been recognised as Victoria's Best Self-Contained Accommodation by the RACV Victorian Tourism Awards. Images: Supplied.
Hoping that 2022 proves brighter than the last couple of years? Aren't we all — and, in Sydney, it's set to do exactly that in one particularly eye-catching way. After cancelling its 2020 and 2021 events due to the pandemic, Vivid will be back with its citywide celebration of creativity, innovation and technology (and luminous lights) from Friday, May 27–Sunday, June 18, and the festival has just revealed the first must-sees on its lineup. Words like dazzling, glowing, radiant and vibrant get thrown around a lot when describing Vivid, but there's a great reason for that: its installations and events — and especially its art displays and light projections — really are spectacular. 2022's bill looks to live up to the hype, too, based on the four inclusions revealed from first-time Festival Director Gill Minervini's program so far. Get ready to see plenty of Sydney in a whole new light, naturally. At The Goods Line at Central Station, Convergence will surround Sydneysiders in an immersive light-and-sound experience — all in the disused Goods Line railway tunnel, which'll be used for the first time ever. It'll actually be Vivid's largest-scale laser exhibition ever, too, if you need any more convincing. Next, over at Customs House at Circular Quay, none other than famed Aussie artist Ken Done will be joining forces with Sydney-based projection specialists Spinifex Group to deliver a work called For Sydney With Love. Yes, it's a love letter to the city, and it spans everything from Sydney's landmarks to its natural environment, which Done will bring to life. Also a highlight: Earth Deities, which'll set up at Hickson Road Reserve in The Rocks. It's the work of Western Sydney-raised artist Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, who is known for making large-scale sculptural forms out of compacted earth, steel and paint. Here, Nithiyendran will craft what's been dubbed as a "multi-limbed avatar", which'll come complete with animated fire and electricity. And, spanning an eight-kilometre continuous stretch from Sydney Opera House to Central Station, Future Natives will guide folks along Vivid's Light Walk. You'll find your way along thanks to sculptures along the route, including a flock of 200 Sydney bird species created by Sydney artist Chris Daniel. [caption id="attachment_843269" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Future Natives, Chris Daniel[/caption] The full Vivid 2022 lineup will be announced mid-March, but you can also look forward to spending time elsewhere in the Sydney CBD, Circular Quay, The Rocks, Barangaroo and Darling Harbour, and at the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, MCA and Customs House. Can't wait? You have to, sorry, but because Wednesday, February 16 marked 100 days till Vivid 2022 kicks off, the event has also stationed countdown clocks designed by artist Elliott Routledge — who'll also feature in the full festival program — outside the Queen Victoria Building at Town Hall and at Gateway Plaza at Circular Quay. So, you'll always know how many days are left until Sydney gets brighter for a few wintry weeks. [caption id="attachment_843267" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dallas Kilponen / DestinationNSW[/caption] Vivid Sydney 2022 will run from Friday, May 27–Sunday, June 18. We'll update you with the full lineup when it's announced in mid-March — and for further information in the interim, visit the event's website. Top images: Convergence, Mandylands / Earth Deities, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, Jessica Maurer, Kane-Sullivan.
Photographs have the ability to allow us to view situations from new angles and provide us with new perspectives, altering our preconceptions. Simply changing the angle of a camera, for example, can create immense and unique beauty that changes the way we see spaces, as well as the colours and patterns within them. In Room Portraits, German photographer Menno Aden does just that, transforming drab, everyday rooms into fascinating works of art that make you want to sprout wings. The Bedroom The Renovator's Dream The Shoe Store The Grocery Store The Double Room The Convenience Store The Bar The Living Room The Dentist's Room The Kitchen The Rehearsal Room The Picnic The Hotel Room The Kitchen II The Classroom
Do you dream of sushi? It's probably safe to say the team at Sushi Jiro does, with the launch of its 30th restaurant at The Glen. However, this is no ordinary opening, as Australia's fastest-growing sushi franchise will see its newest location adorned with Melbourne's longest sushi train, stretching a mind-blowing 67 metres. Impressive as that is, it's not the only innovation making Sushi Jiro a must-visit in the east. The Glen location will also feature Sushi Jiro's first-ever Japanese soft serve station, with all-you-can-eat dessert for $10. Featuring rotating flavours like vanilla and matcha alongside a topping station with 30 options, it's an indulgent way to round out your sushi feast. "We're beyond excited to celebrate our 30th location at The Glen. Not only is this our largest restaurant yet, but it also features Melbourne's longest sushi train, taking the immersive Sushi Jiro experience to new heights. The demand for sushi train dining experiences continues to grow across Australia, and we're thrilled to offer something special here in Melbourne," says Sushi Jiro founder and CEO Anna Kasman. As for the new store's design, Sushi Jiro hasn't missed a beat. Here, the sushi train winds its way through a space lined with sleek timber accents and cosy booth seating. With enough space for 100 guests, catching up with friends or relishing a little solo sushi time is made easy. While this location is stepping things up, the crowd-pleasing dishes remain the same, with soft-shell crab nori tacos, Himalaya Signature Rolls and Nacho Cheese Signature Tuna Rolls bringing a fresh take on this much-loved cuisine. Meanwhile, The Glen store will also serve up Sushi Jiro's Salmon Sensation series, featuring innovations like crunchy tobiko salmon and crispy salmon don. Located in the shopping centre's ground floor dining precinct, this landmark Sushi Jiro store is open daily for your sushi-feasting delight. "The Glen restaurant has been designed to offer a more spacious and immersive experience and is the perfect evolution of the Sushi Jiro brand and offering," said Kasman. Sushi Jiro The Glen is open daily from 11am–9pm at The Glen, 235 Springvale Road, Glen Waverley. Head to the website for more information.
Bar Selecta isn't just any old bar. It's a 10-seater, Tokyo-style music listening bar tucked away down a no-name laneway in Hawthorn. Drawing inspiration from Tokyo's famed jazz kissatens and vinyl-listening cafes, Bar Selecta blends audiophile-level sound with expertly crafted drinks that range from small-batch Japanese whiskies, beers and sakes to music-inspired signature cocktails like the Sailor Moon Gimlet and negroni-adjacent Bittersweet FM. Ingeniously, drink specials tie into specific musical genres. Nibbles are either chips or nuts — take your pick — while wine is divided into 'white' and 'red', with two Australian selections in each. Non-alcohol drinkers' options are not to be sneezed at, with the Red Panda Fizz mocktail — Four Pillars non-alcoholic shiraz gin mixed in with pink grapefruit soda — and a coconut soda mocktail called Shyboy with toasted pineapple and yuzu. A team of six are behind Bar Selecta, which includes Michael Tan and Eleena Tan — founders of BrandWorks Studio and the creative minds behind the outfit — Kelvin Low, owner of Elysian Whisky Bar, and former Flower Drum bartender Joey Tai. Customers can look forward to a curated analogue sound experience featuring a rotating roster of the bar's personal vinyl collections on a custom hi-fi system. What's not to love? Images: Heart Media.
Mali Bakes produces some of Melbourne's most loved, brightly coloured, and delightfully decorated cakes. The cake studio in Thornbury, which is now accessible via appointment only, seamlessly blends seasonal produce, creative flavours and classic baking techniques to create some of the most coveted layered cakes in town. Mali Bakes was founded during one of Melbourne's many lockdowns by Patchanida Chimkire, proving that there are a few good things to have come from those COVID days. Everything is made from scratch using premium ingredients such as Heilala Vanilla, Gippsland Jersey Butter, organic flour from Wholegrain Milings, Burd's Farm free-range eggs and Callebaut chocolate. Patchanida's cakes are infused with the colours and artistic sensibilities of Thailand, with the word Mali, meaning jasmine in Thai. With her flavours, she plays into the warmth and pleasure of nostalgic childhood memories. There are a plethora of vegan and regular flavours to choose from. Go for traditional options such as strawberries and cream or chocolate and raspberry, or more creative flavours including brown sugar, miso caramel and apple, coffee and blueberry, and olive oil, ricotta and blackberry. Custom cakes are available through the online store and can be picked up between Wednesday and Saturday. Unfortunately, the beloved 'Saturday slices' are not currently available; however, there will likely be pop-up bake sales, so keep an eye out for those. Images: Supplied.
This November, Sunday Salon presents Pure X, a solo exhibition by Melbourne-based artist Julian Hocking, running from November 10 to 16 at Saloon Store, located inside the iconic Curtain House building. Known for his bold, graphic aesthetic and experimental approach to printmaking, Hocking's latest series explores the algebraic symbol "x" as a stand-in for the unknown. This concept runs like a quiet current through his work. Using black ink and graphite layered with unconventional materials like rye whiskey and vermouth, his compositions push the limits of what print media can hold, blending precision with unpredictability. Both mathematical and emotional, Pure X tests how uncertainty can take physical form through abstraction, wry phrasing, and measured design. Each piece feels like an equation half-solved, inviting the viewer to sit with ambiguity rather than resolve it. Presented by Sunday Salon, a platform dedicated to accessible and community-driven art experiences, Pure X continues the collective's mission to champion emerging Australian voices and create space for experimental practice outside traditional gallery models. Images: Supplied
UK-born Michael Lambie (ex-Stokehouse, Circa, The Prince and Taxi Kitchen) has been a big player in Melbourne's restaurant scene ever since he landed here back in the late 90s. He's worked at some of the city's top restaurants and even co-founded Lucy Liu — before selling it in 2020 and running off to Queensland for a short break. But now he is back and ready to take on the CBD with a new venture: Juni. Slated to open in late November, Juni will be championing Southeast Asian cuisine, of course, with Lambie's own style of contemporary twists. The menu is built around the concept of 'Fire and Spice', so we can expect all kinds of heat. Most dishes are also made for sharing, like the Chinese roast duck, pot-roasted beef short rib, tuna tataki, crispy fried eggplant and vegan red curry. The full menu will be available across the main dining room, front bar and mezzanine-level events space — although the team expects the bar to have more of a sip-and-snack feel (for after-work or pre-theatre sessions). Carlton-based studio Techne has designed the 140-person venue, which features a bright colour palette that blends bold reds and pinks with soft green and maroon hues. Lambie shared, "I love the clean flavours of Thailand, Vietnam and Japan, and I am loving creating a menu that encompasses all of these factors that appeal to my customer base. The service will be fast-paced with a focus on wine, well-made cocktails and drinks. Again, I'm committed to building a fantastic professional team and an amazing restaurant. I'm very excited!" Juni is set to open in late November, and will be found at 136 Exhibition Street, Melbourne. For more details, you can check out the venue's website. Images: Dylan Kindermann.
In Melbourne it's not hard to find nosh that's gluten-free. But food that is completely not contaminated by gluten? That's a harder task. Unfortunately, it's one that's necessary if you suffer from coeliac disease and even a crumb can cause an immediate onset of illness (and long-term health issues). But, luckily, there are a few opportunities for coeliacs to leave the house without a Pyrex full of emergency snacks. These four restaurants have accreditation from Coeliac Australia, which means that all of their gluten-free food is prepared in a contained area separate from the gluten-containing food. That might not mean much if you don't self-destruct whenever a smidge of gluten enters your digestive system, but it means a whole heap for someone that is out for three days when it does. So don't just pity your coeliac mates — take them out to these places where they can eat pizza, pasta and late-night gyros and chips just like you.
Need some encouragement to do something other than destroy brain cells this weekend? Take a look at this handy infographic, which suggests that Facebook's Ultimate IQ Test might have been lying to us all along. Unbelievable, I know! Apparently only 2.5% of the people really do fall into the "very superior intelligence" bracket, possessing an IQ of 130 or more, while only 0.5% of the population are sitting comfortably within the "genius" category with IQs of 140 or over. There's still plenty of room for the argument that it's accomplishments rather than IQ that make one smart. Take for instance theoretical physicist and decoder of the universe Steven Hawking who, as it turns out, has an IQ of only 160. Ha! That puts him 20 whole smart points behind James Woods, who dropped out of college to appear in Family Guy and voice Mike Toreno in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (though granted he also won three Emmy Awards and gained two Academy Award nominations). One of the even more genius geniuses is television writer Rick Rosner, who changed his name to stay in high school into his 20s. Rosner has an IQ of 192. Some dudes you may or may not have heard of have IQs well over the 200 mark, though I will leave the job of revealing details up to the chart because it's actually scary to talk about. Tthough not as scary as this list of 10 Supersmart Musicians put together by Time Entertainment, which reveals that Dexter Holland from The Offspring used to be a molecular biologist who went by the name of Brian Keith Holland. via Buzzpatrol
Celine Song understands the power of a moment. Past Lives, her debut feature, is filled with scenes and meetings — minutes and mere seconds, too — that are so potent they're almost overwhelming. Making the leap to cinema from the stage, the playwright-turned-filmmaker has crafted a quiet, patient, contemplative and deeply felt romantic drama that knows intimately how emotions can swell to bursting point in something as simple and commonplace as a glance, walk, Skype call or drink at a bar. One of the movies that had 2023's Sundance Film Festival talking, plus everywhere from Berlin to Sydney to New Zealand since — and is destined to be showered in awards love, too — Past Lives is well-aware of what it's like to spend oh-so-many moments wondering what could've been or still might, and about what's meant to. Arriving after focusing on the stage, getting experimental with Chekhov live and online with The Seagull on The Sims 4 and writing for the initial season of streaming series The Wheel of Time, Song's first effort as a filmmaker springs from a specific moment, in fact — and one that she also recreates on-screen with her characters Nora (Greta Lee, Russian Doll), Hae Sung (Teo Yoo, Decision to Leave) and Arthur (John Magaro, The Many Saints of Newark). Past Lives takes inspiration from the writer/director's own experiences in a number of ways. "I would say it's an adaptation of my life, or inspired by," she tells Concrete Playground. It was the power of a moment sat in a New York bar with her American husband and Korean childhood sweetheart, however, that helped put the picture in motion. "I wasn't sure if there was a movie in it, but I think that what I really did feel is that it did feel like a significant and special moment, and a very revelatory moment in my own life," Song shares, chatting in August when she was in Australia for the Melbourne International Film Festival. "I feel like living your life as an ordinary person, I think that there are moments in your life where your life suddenly feels completely extraordinary — and it's totally epic, too. Then you just suddenly feel the total sheer scale of your life expand." "That kind of was this weird moment where I was like 'huh, nobody in this bar probably knows this or feels this, but I think that I just am feeling so massive sitting here in this little bar with these two people'," Song continues. "I think that it made me feel like 'maybe this is something that might connect with other people?'. And then, more and more, I learned that it does connect with a lot of people, and that honestly has made me feel less lonely more than anything." Past Lives begins with Nora, Hae Sung and Arthur sipping and chatting as fellow bar patrons observe, guessing about who the trio are to each other. From the outset, the film connects with that powerful moment in Song's own existence, with the three figures that'll wander through her feature's frames coping with love and life, and with viewers doing their own watching and pondering as well. From there, the movie heads backwards, first to Nora (Moon Seung-ah, Voice of Silence) and Hae Sung's (Leem Seung-min, Good Deal) time together as pre-teens, before the former and her family move to Canada. Then, it jumps forward twice in 12-year increments, checking in wth the pair — and Arthur once he enters Nora's life — as time passes on and distance stretches their youthful bond. As this tender and heartbreakingly honest picture unfurls, Past Lives' audience doesn't just experience an affinity with folks realising that they're having a moment, but with the "what if?" questions in life, being torn between the past and the present, and trying to work out who you truly are. With its title drawn from the Korean concept of in-yeon, aka the fate that connects anyone who crosses paths, Past Lives' viewers feel a date with destiny as well. Getting swept away by Past Lives is easy; making it play that way wasn't, of course. Song chatted us through the details, including subjectivity, authenticity, getting the personal to feel personal to everyone else, and the ins and outs of casting when you're taking cues from your own life. ON MAKING SONG'S FIRST FEATURE "I wish that I could give you some a lofty thing that I was trying to do. But honestly, I think because it was my first movie, it was just getting through the day and getting a movie made more than anything. I think that every day, the number-one goal that you're facing is just 'okay, how do I make this movie — how do I get through today, and get the footage and get the performances I need?'. That really was the primary drive. I wish I had big, lofty dreams for things, but it was so much more like I was like learning how to do it as I go because it was my first movie. That really was so fully occupying me that it was hard actually for me to feel like I could have any goals beyond making the movie." ON TAKING INSPIRATION FROM REALITY, AND FROM SONG'S OWN STORY "It really does start from that amazing subjective place — that is the part that is the autobiographical moment, which is that moment in the bar. But then, of course, in turning it into a script there is an objectification of the subjective moment, where it becomes a script that you're writing. And then from there, there's another layer of objectification, where you, with hundreds of people who are working on the movie, turn it into a film — which is then a whole other set of objectification. And, part of it is the subjectivity of the actors, for example: they come into the picture and you're working with the actors to create these characters. So, by the time that I was making the movie properly and then finishing the movie and all that, I really was looking at the thing as making this movie. I think that at that point I felt pretty distant from the aspects of the movie that were that started from an autobiographical place. But now that what I really love is it's kind of full circle now — the audience is coming to meet this movie, and they're actually then able to experience it subjectively. They feel like it connects with them autobiographically on their own, too. I think that's the process of making personal work, and I think that's really what the process was for this. I really do think of it as a very personal film because of that. And the words I would usually use, I would say it's an adaptation of my life, or inspired by, or something like that." ON MAKING A PERSONAL FILM THAT FEELS PERSONAL TO AUDIENCES, TOO "That's always the dream and goal for it, because I feel like I have to believe that if I'm being as honest and authentic with the experience of what it's like to be a person, I just know that there is an audience that's going to also connect to it like that. I've really treated it very much as a test of how real can I be with the audience, and how real can the filmmaking be. Of course, I'm talking about the truth of the thing, rather than the facts, because some of it is about the truth of what it's like to be a person. As long as it is communicated in the best way, as clearly as possible — I think I used the word 'clearly' often, as you want to be able to tell the story as clearly as possible — at the end of it you really do want the audience to come along for this journey. And even though it's really specific, I think that the dream is that you're able to see yourself in it and you're able to connect it to your own life. This movie doesn't have conventional ideas of spectacle. We don't have wild costumes. We don't have VFX. We don't do anything that is outside of what is likened to human experience. So I think some of it just had to be relying on the authenticity of performance, and that's where the story is going to be. That's how the story was going to connect with the audience — they're going to feel how real the movie is going to be, the way that the movie is going to reach everyone. I've been finding that no matter what walk of life you come from, you're going find something in the movie that you feel connected to." ON MAKING AN AUTHENTIC "WHAT IF?" STORY WHEN EVERYONE SHARES THAT TRAIN OF THOUGHT "That really is the the part that is difficult about making a movie where you can really feel connected to it. It's going to live and die on if the audience will come along for the journey and believe it, and believe the characters and believe the story. I think without question, that's where you're going to be able to see very, very high emotional standards. We do, of course, all experience 'what could have been?'. Sometimes it's the person, but sometimes it's a city — and sometimes it's a lifestyle or a job. If you ever have had an experience like that, I think you're going to connect to the movie." ON THE INTRICACIES OF CASTING WHEN YOU'RE TAKING CUES FROM YOUR OWN LIFE "I don't think that I was looking for actors who were going to play basically those people [IRL]. I was looking for people who were going to play the characters that I've written. So something that I wanted is to make sure that none the actors thought that what they were trying to do is to replicate people who exist. I wanted then to come with me in finding the characters that we're trying to to pick for the screen, because it's a completely different thing altogether — characters in movies are very different than people in real life. People in real life, it's not so clear what their arc is. In our lives, I don't think that we know what our arc is in our real life, because we don't live in narrative. We live in a life, compared to characters in a film who have to live in a narrative, because that's what we're going to be watching. Without question, the actors were not being asked to replicate real people. What they were being asked to do is the scenes, and part of the thing that I was looking for in the actors is, first of all, are they great actors? The way that I wanted to make the movie, sometimes I would ask the actors to just do the whole scene — which is, of course, something that comes from my background as a playwright — and I really wanted them to be able to do the whole scene if I asked them to. That's something that only actors that are really excellent actors are able to do. So, that was the first thing that I was looking for. The other thing I'm looking for is what I would call a soul match to the characters, where I really wanted the actors to have some deep kind of soul connection to the characters — it has to do with the way they're talking about the characters, but it's also, more importantly, the engine or the fire that a character has to have. It is something that the actors themselves could have — that the heart of Nora is going to be found in Greta's heart as well. I think you could really feel that in the film, where Nora is showing up but it's not just that Greta is playing Nora. I know that for the film, the only way that this movie can work is that Greta had become Nora. That's what's both amazing about casting and also what's very difficult." ON THE RESPONSE TO PAST LIVES SO FAR — AND THE SUNDANCE EXPERIENCE "You just hope for the best for the movie that you're making kind of in secret. I really did think about it as something that was a bit of a secret between me and everybody who was working on the movie. Then, as for how the world was going to receive it, that's been an amazing part — it's just nothing but joy and like excitement. I remember at Sundance, I'd been working on the movie again in secret with the people who worked on the movie with me for many years. Then I remember waiting at the backstage of Sundance, knowing that it's going to be in the in the public's hands from this moment on. I remember really feeling in that moment like everything's going to change, and this is going to be a moment where I'm going to have to let go of control or let go of everything. It really was like wandering into the unknown. I think that every time that there has been such a warm response, which is how it been, it's just such an exciting thing — because great word of mouth means that more people are going to come see the movie, and I think that's always the dream for it. You want to be able to share this thing that you made." Past Lives opened in cinemas Down Under on August 31. Read our review. Images: courtesy of A24.
Back in 2018, the big friendly giant of the streaming world announced that it had found itself a golden ticket, with Netflix planning to bring the work of beloved author Roald Dahl to its platform. But if that news made you more excited than Charlie Bucket walking into Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, you've probably noticed that nothing else has happened over the past year — until now. While Netflix's new Dahl-based shows aren't hitting the streamer just yet, the company has revealed just what it's focusing on to begin with — and who they're working with. To the surprise of no one given that it has already been adapted into a movie twice, as well as into a stage musical, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is the first book getting the Netflix treatment. To the delight of fans of Boy, What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Thor: Ragnarok, Taika Waititi will be writing, directing and executive producing two series based on the beloved tale about a poverty-stricken boy visiting a sweet and wondrous place. The first, called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, will be based on the world and characters of the book — so you can probably expect everlasting gobstoppers and chocolate rivers aplenty, plus appearances not only by the Bucket family, but by Veruca Salt, Augustus Gloop and Willy Wonka, too. If you noticed that we didn't mention Oompa-Loompas above, that's because they're getting their own show. It's named The Oompa-Loompas, naturally, and it'll offer a new take on the factory's small human workers. [caption id="attachment_573711" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Hunt for the Wilderpeople[/caption] Fresh from winning an Oscar for Jojo Rabbit, Waititi is presumably slotting the two animated programs onto his schedule after upcoming Marvel sequel Thor: Love and Thunder. Whenever the Netflix shows do join the New Zealand filmmaker's increasingly busy resume, they'll "retain the quintessential spirit and tone of the original story while building out the world and characters far beyond the pages of the Dahl book for the very first time," according to the streaming platform's announcement. In total, a whopping 16 of Dahl's classic books are in Netflix's sights. Teaming up with The Roald Dahl Story Company, the outfit is turning everything from Matilda to The Twits into new animated television shows — and The BFG, Esio Trot, George's Marvellous Medicine, The Enormous Crocodile, The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me, Henry Sugar, Billy and the Minpins, The Magic Finger, Dirty Beasts and Rhyme Stew as well. Dahl's autobiographical efforts Boy – Tales of Childhood and Going Solo will also hit the service, with one detailing Dahl's youth and the other delving into his journeys to Africa as well as his service in World War II. For many, including the tales about the author himself, it'll be the first time that they've been adapted for the screen. Netflix plans to turn Dahl's stories into event series and specials — so limited-run shows across a number of episodes, plus one-offs. There's still no word on when work will start, however, or when Waititi's or any of the other series will start dropping on the platform — although you can watch the 90s live-action versions of Matilda and The Witches on the streamer right now. If you're keen for a taste of the first-ever screen adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, revisit the trailer for 1971's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cBja3AbahY Top image: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
In news that'll come as little surprise to any Melburnian, given Melbourne's status as Australia's coffee heartland (and the predilection for complete coffee snobbery, too) — a barista from the Victorian capital has taken out top honours at the Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA) National Coffee Championships. For the second year in a row, Axil Coffee Roasters has nabbed the title of Australia's National Barista Champion for 2023. Melbourne barista Jack Simpson beat out scores of other Aussie hopefuls in the annual competition. His winning caffinated offering consisted of an espresso, a milk-based coffee and his own coffee-based signature drink — a concoction featuring fermented raspberries, cold vacuum bergamot tea and clarified milk. [caption id="attachment_888451" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Axil coffee, James Butler[/caption] "I wanted my routine to reflect the constantly evolving nature of the coffee world and the need for baristas to always be thinking creatively in order to keep up with trends in tastes and technology," Simpson says. The newly crowned coffee king will now go on to represent Australia at the World Barista Championship, held in Athens this year between June 22–24. Last year, Melbourne's Anthony Douglas of Axil Coffee Roasters did Melbourne's notoriously coffee-obsessed city proud, taking out the title of Australia's National Barista Champion for 2022 at the Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA) National Coffee Championships. Douglas went on to nab first place at the World Barista Championship in 2022. [caption id="attachment_888453" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Axil, Melbourne Central[/caption] Axil has a swag of cafe locations across Melbourne — find your local by jumping onto the website.
From 2025, what will Burleigh Heads have in common with Los Angeles, New York, Cannes, Bordeaux, Ibiza, Singapore, Seoul and Hong Kong? As Miami, Doha and Mexico City boast, too, it'll become home to a Mondrian hotel. Alongside fellow upcoming openings in Tulum and Dubai, the LA-born chain is launching its first-ever Australian outpost, heading to a breezy patch of the Gold Coast. For vacationers, the brand's debut Aussie site will feature 208 hotel rooms — some suites, some studios, some two- and three-bedroom beach houses. Also available for travellers: the venue's Sky House at its apex. Mondrian Gold Coast will also include residential apartments, however, if you're cashed up and looking for luxe new digs. Mondrian calls its hotels creative hives — and values its guests not just swanning in and feeling like they could be anywhere in the world, but becoming immersed in their surroundings. The 24-floor Burleigh Heads address will boast views that do plenty of heavy lifting in that regard; if you're not peering at the pine tree-lined beach, you'll have hinterland vistas. "Australia has long been a strategic focus for Mondrian's growth, and the Gold Coast was a focal point thanks to its phenomenal natural setting, rich cultural landscape and vibrant social scene," said Mondrian Hotels & Residences's Brand Chief Operating Officer Chadi Farhat. "Over the last couple of years, we have seen a rising demand for lifestyle brands, where locals and international guests are looking for authentic, creative and immersive experiences — all the hallmarks of the Mondrian brand. It felt a natural choice to bring Mondrian to the Gold Coast and we believe it will resonate strongly with the local market and lend something entirely new to the hospitality space," Farhat continued. Art, architecture, design and culture are also at the forefront of the chain's approach, with Mondrian Gold Coast skewing sleek courtesy of Australian architects Fraser & Partners and Studio Carter — the latter taking cues from the sand and pandanus shrubs for the hotel's textures and tones. Architecture and design practice Alexander &Co joins in with the as-yet-unnamed ground-floor restaurant, which will be just one of the location's spots to eat. Here, think: a space that sprawls both inside and out, complete with a sunny terrace. Up on the third floor, visitors will be able to eat with a vantage over the ocean, or enjoy kicking back at the hotel's pool club. While there's no menu details as yet, local produce will take the spotlight on the menus across the site. And for relaxing, the hotel will also feature a wellness space and sp. For partying, there'll be an events space as well. Find Mondrian Gold Coast at Burleigh Heads, Queensland, from sometime in 2025 — and head to the hotel's website for more information.
It's the ultimate in work-life balance, an antidote to non-stop after-hours emails and Slack messages, and a guaranteed way to ensure what happens at work stays at work. In Apple TV+'s mind-bending new thriller series Severance — which plays like Black Mirror meets the Charlie Kaufman-penned Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, with Wes Anderson's aesthetic if he designed soulless office complexes, plus sprinklings of everything from George Orwell to also-excellent 2020 TV effort Devs — switching off when clocking off at Lumon Industries is easy. There's a brain implant for exactly that, and it's a condition of employment on "severed" floors. Accordingly, when quittin' time comes for Macrodata Refinement division employee Mark (Adam Scott, Big Little Lies), he physically steps into a tiny, shiny elevator to descend back into his after-hours life — but the version of him that works for Lumon won't recall anything beyond the company's walls. The instant that the one-person lift plummets at the end of the day, it goes back up for Mark's "innie", as his office-bound consciousness is dubbed. Voila, it's clocking-on time once more. For Mark's "outie", as the rest of his brain is labelled, the reverse occurs. Each day, he enters an elevator, hops out immediately, then drives to the suburban estate he calls home and repeats the process the next morning. Mourning the death of his wife, he's consciously chosen to separate his work and home selves in the most drastic of ways, giving him an eight-hour-a-day reprieve from his grief. But while it may sound like a dream escape — from Mark's pain, and for any employee eager to reclaim mental real estate from their job — this dark, twisty and instantly gripping series is firmly dystopian. Severance's attention-grabbing premise springs from creator Dan Erickson, a TV first-timer, and understands how most folks feel about office life. The show is knowing in its lead casting, too, given that Scott is best recognised for two workplace comedies: the joyous hug that is Parks and Recreation, as well as the acerbic, astute and soon-to-return Party Down. But as savvily and evocatively directed by Ben Stiller in its first three season-one episodes (and again in its last three, with Kissing Candice filmmaker Aoife McArdle helming three in the middle), Scott's new series dwells in 'be careful what you wish for' territory. For the part of Mark's brain that blanks out work, Severance initially seems like heaven. For the half that only knows the office, it's hell. The series begins with Mark two years into his time at Lumon, and newly installed as a division head after Petey (Yul Vazquez, The Outsider), his workplace BFF, leaves suddenly. One of his first tasks: onboarding Helly (Britt Lower, Future Man), who awakes in innie form for the first time sprawled atop a conference table. The camera gazes down, the eerie tone resembles leaping out of a nightmare but being unable to pick if you're still dreaming, and she hears Mark asking questions. Helly has queries herself, including: "am I livestock?". The severance process is jarring for newcomers, but they're expected to adjust swiftly. Innie Helly hasn't gotten that memo, however — and no, Party Down fans, neither her nor Mark are having fun yet. He grapples with his new role and the sudden loss of Petey, with his cold, unsevered boss Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette, The Act) and her omnipresent, also-unsevered assistant Mr Milchick (Tramell Tillman, Hunters) scrutinising every move, and his fellow severed MDR employees Irving (John Turturro, The Plot Against America) and Dylan (Zach Cherry, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) handling Lumon life by being controlling and competitive, respectively. As for Helly's innie, she starts waging war on the new world order she definitely didn't sign up for, including writing briskly denied resignation requests to her outie. From The Truman Show and The Matrix to The Office and Office Space, Severance's list of influences is lengthy. It's Kafkaesque and Lynchian, too, and wandering its labyrinthine hallways — corridors designed like a maze to keep Lumon departments apart — is like being trapped in a surreal workplace version of Twin Peaks' red room. Indeed, every production design and cinematography choice enhances the feeling of being trapped in an off-kilter and deeply unnerving corporate purgatory. It's there in the 70s- and 80s-style technology, the green-and-white colour scheme, and the camera placement that flits between claustrophobic and cooly expansive. Lumon's innies don't have the choice, but Severance is also a series to willingly get lost in. Apple TV+ is dropping episodes week to week, following a two-instalment premiere, but the compulsion to lap up more of its unsettling mysteries springs quickly. Just like other standout shows of the past few months, such as Yellowjackets and Station Eleven, the desperation to piece together Severance's puzzles echoes strongly while watching — but this meticulously made head-trip is in no rush to unveil its answers. Given the wealth of wonders to be found within its frames — and the allure of its slow-drip secrets, including exactly what MDR is doing as its workers sort through screens of "happy" and "scary" numbers — it's hardly surprising that Severance isn't in a rush. It also boasts Christopher Walken (Percy vs Goliath) putting his distinctive on-screen presence to great use as another of Lumon's severed wager-earners, and is home to stellar performances across the board, including Scott's latest everyman turn, Turturro playing the office pedant with aplomb, a compellingly icy Arquette and the mesmerising Tillman. And, crucially, equally calling out, questioning and satirising today's ideas about work is always on the show's agenda. With a wry sense of humour, Severance sees the nine-to-five grind as the hellscape it can be, probes the control we've relinquished for paycheques and pokes fun at everything that's become normalised about the modern workplace. The hold our jobs have over our lives, the cult-like worship that large companies demand from underlings, the awkward office exceptions and social conventions, and these always clocked-on times in general: none of them escape this perceptive and addictive series' attention. Not so fond of the corporate treadmill? As it immerses, engages and intrigues, Severance truly understands. Check out the trailer for Severance below: The first three episodes of Severance's first season are available to stream via Apple TV+, with new episodes dropping weekly.
Ask any ski addict where the best resort is in Australia, and you'd best gear up for a fierce defence. "Mine's got the best terrain!" "Mine's got the best powder!" "Mine's got a goddamn day spa!" These spirited answers just go to show that, despite having an international reputation for sun and surf, we don't fare too poorly on the snow front either. In fact, the country just had a stellar start to the ski season and , in the middle of winter, all of the snowy bits of the Aussie Alps are actually bigger in surface area than Switzerland. Take that, Northern Hemisphere. So, now you know that Australia is actually a secret winter wonderland, where should you head for some frosty good times? We take a look at ten of the country's best resorts, helping you choose the one that suits you — whether you're looking for gnarly vertical drops or a massage and a glass of fine wine between runs. THREDBO, NSW If you're into extremes, then get yourself to Thredbo. Here, you'll find the longest run in Australia — the mighty, five-kilometre-long Crackenback Super Trail — as well as the country's highest lifted point, Karel's T-Bar, at 2037 metres. Then, for complete and utter terror, there's the super-steep Balls to the Wall pitch as well. Beginners are catered to, too, thanks to friendly Friday Flat, where many an Aussie has conquered his/her first snow plough. All in all, more than 50 runs weave their way across the resort. In between skiing and snowboarding, try snow-shoeing in back country, tobogganing in the Snow Play Park, eating at Australia's highest restaurant or apres-skiing in Thredbo Village, where you can sip champagne while star gazing in the Alpine Hotel's outdoor jacuzzi. The resort also has a heap of events going on all season, which you can check out here. Thredbo is about 490 kilometres or five-and-a-half hours' drive southwest of Sydney and about 530 kilometres or six-and-a-half hours' drive northeast of Melbourne. PERISHER, NSW Reckon size matters? Make tracks to Perisher, the biggest ski destination in the Southern Hemisphere. It became so in 1995 when the four resorts within it — Perisher, Smiggins, Blue Cow and Guthega — joined forces. You get 1245 hectares, 47 lifts, seven mountains and five terrain parks to carve up on. One of the trickiest runs is Olympic, on Back Perisher Mountain, while, for newbies, Smiggins Holes makes falling over not-too-scary. If you're keen to take a break from down hill skiing, there are 100 kilometres of marked cross-country tracks to try. On-snow sleepovers abound, but Perisher also allows the affordability of a stay in Jindabyne (try this cabin). From there, drive to Bullocks Flat and catch the Ski Tube. Perisher is about 490 kilometres or six hours' drive southwest of Sydney and about 600 kilometres or seven hours' drive northeast of Melbourne. CHARLOTTE PASS, NSW Charlotte Pass is the fine wine of ski fields. Just 50 hectares in size, with only five lifts, it doesn't attract the crowds and hype of Thredbo or Perisher. But, it does have the magical advantage of being the only snowbound resort in Australia. A car won't get you there; you have to catch an over-snow buggie from the Skitube. Thredbo might have the nation's highest chair lift, but Charlotte Pass isn't far behind — at 1765 metres at its lowest point and 1954 at its highest, it makes for rather reliable snowfall. The limited accessibility is definitely an excellent excuse to stay on-snow in the irresistibly cute Charlotte Pass Village. Charlotte Pass is about 500 kilometres or six hours' drive southwest of Sydney and about 620 kilometres or seven-and-a-half hours' drive northeast of Melbourne. SELWYN, NSW For affordability, Selwyn is hard to beat. Here, $599 buys you a pass for the entire season. That said, Selwyn doesn't offer the excitement of Thredbo or the scale of Perisher. Like Charlotte Pass, it's on the compact side, with just ten kilometres of runs in total. However, it's closer to sea level, the lowest point being 1492 metres and the highest 1614 metres, which makes the season shorter. If you're new to skiing or boarding, though, and are looking to develop your skills, Selwyn's a top choice. Overall, the terrain is pretty gentle and you won't have to worry about aggressive types cutting you off while you're bravely snow-ploughing your way along screaming internally with your eyes firmly closed. Selwyn is about 500 kilometres or five-and-a-half-hours' drive southwest of Sydney and about 540 kilometres or six hours' drive northeast of Melbourne. MOUNT HOTHAM AND DINNER PLAIN, VIC Another spot that'll have you towering above mere, grass-bound mortals is Hotham, the highest resort in Victoria. Like Thredbo, it comes with spectacular vistas and, on good days, promises bucketloads of powder. If you're keen to take a break from doing all the work yourself, casually join a dog sled ride, which involves a bunch of huskies whooshing you across the snow, or book a snow mobile journey in back country. In between conquering the mountain, you can slip into an on-snow day spa or grab a gluhwein (a traditional Austrian beverage with red wine, cinnamon, oranges and cloves) in your pick of 20 bars and restaurants. There are a bunch of hotels, lodges and chalets on Mount Hotham; alternatively, hob nob at Dinner Plain, a village ten kilometres away that specialises in luxury stays, pretty snow gums and an outdoor onsen. Mount Hotham is about 700 kilometres or eight hours' drive southwest of Sydney and about 380 kilometres or four-and-a-half hours' drive northeast of Melbourne. [caption id="attachment_628046" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andrew Railton[/caption] MOUNT BULLER, VIC Mount Buller is only three hours from Melbourne, so you can ski it as part of a day trip if you don't mind an early start. It's also got more lifts than any other Victorian resort, with 22 lifts across 300 hectares. Pro skiers should head to the south side of the mountain, where they'll find plenty of black (read: difficult and scary) runs, while intermediates will be happier on the northern side, scooting down blue runs. If you've never even so much looked at a pair of skis before, grab a Discovery Pass, which includes a lesson and access to eight beginner's lifts. You can do husky rides here, too. Off-snow, you can take five in Australia's highest day spa, go rock climbing and hop between 30 bars and restaurants. Not keen to drive back to Melbourne? There are 7000 beds in Mount Buller Village. Mount Buller is about 800 kilometres or eight hours' drive southwest of Sydney and about 230 kilometres or three-and-a-half hours' drive northeast of Melbourne. FALLS CREEK, VIC Falls Creek might be a third of the size of Perisher, but it's still the largest ski resort in Victoria. 450 hectares give you 15 lifts and more than 90 runs. The terrain is less dramatic than at other spots, which means that a whopping 80 percent of it suits beginner and intermediate skiers. And, in between downhill escapades, you can investigate 65 kilometres of cross-country trails. If you're around at the end of August, check out the Kangaroo Hoppet, a marathon 42-kilometre-long ski race which happens to be the Southern Hemisphere's biggest snow sport event. Falls Creek is about 670 kilometres or seven hours' drive southwest of Sydney and about 380 kilometres or four-and-a-half hours' drive northeast of Melbourne. LAKE MOUNTAIN, VIC If your main objective is to get to snow — any kind of snow — as quickly as possible, then head for Lake Mountain. It's just two hours' drive from Melbourne, so it's an even easier day trip than Mount Buller. However, the terrain is for cross-country skiing only, which means no downhill thrills. The adventure here is more about strapping on a pair of cross-country skis or, if you'd prefer to walk, snow shoes, and having a bit of an explore of the 37 kilometres of trails. There's also a park dedicated to snow people and a flying fox that bears you through the air for 240 metres. Lake Mountain is about 840 kilometres or nine hours' drive southwest of Sydney and about 120 kilometres or two hours' drive northeast of Melbourne. MOUNT BAW BAW, VIC Mount Baw Baw is officially the closest downhill ski resort to Melbourne, being just two-and-a-half hours' drive away. It's not as vertical as Mount Buller, but less flat than Lake Mountain. Plus, like Charlotte Pass and Selwyn, it's little, offering just ten kilometres of runs. So, it's another sweet spot for beginners, especially nervy ones. When you're ready to take a break, go careering around back country in a sled led by huskies, experiment with snow shoeing or swing by stunning Red Rock Spa, surrounded by giant-sized granite boulders and snow gums. Mount Baw Baw is about 900 kilometres or ten-and-a-half-hours' drive southwest of Sydney and about 180 kilometres or two-and-a-half hours' drive northeast of Melbourne. BEN LOMOND, TAS Despite being our southernmost and therefore coldest state, Tassie isn't well-known as a skiing destination. There's no shortage of snow though, and the resorts are small, laid back and friendly. Plus, if you go in June, you can combine your skiing with a moment or two at Dark Mofo. The best-known resort is Ben Lomond, on Tassie's second highest peak, and getting there is an adventure in itself: it's at the end of a long, narrow road that twists and turns its way up the mountainside. The scenery is epic, but just don't expect fancy facilities, as at Australia's major resorts — things are kept pretty simple and rustic here. Ben Lamond is about 220 kilometres or three hours' drive north of Hobart.
Footscray has long had a reputation for a true food lover's destination thanks to the diverse range of cultures (and cuisines) represented across the suburb. And for an all-encompassing cross-section of culinary delights, look no further than Footscray Market. Hard to miss, thanks to its expansive location across the road from Footscray Station, this bustling marketplace is your one-stop-shop for meat and seafood, fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as exotic and usually hard-to-find ingredients. With over 60 shops housed within the market, you'll be able to source everything from general groceries to specialist items like lotus flowers, pigs ears and cassava root. The market is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 7am, with extended afternoon trade on Fridays, when it closes at 6pm. Images: Julia Sansone
