The boffins at Australia's leading scientific institution are branching out into the art world, in an attempt to raise awareness about the need to invest in renewable energy sources. The CSIRO Infinity Swing is a giant light-up swing set powered by the momentum of its users, turning playtime into clean, sustainable power. According to its creators, the light and sound installation came about in response to one of the most challenging questions facing the world today: "how do we make sure energy stays affordable and available while protecting our planet?" The eight-person swing serves as a timely visual reminder of the importance of clean, renewable energy, as well as the things that can be achieved when people work together. It's also given us a great idea about connecting the nation's playgrounds directly to the power grid – although we suspect that child protection services mightn't be quite so keen. The pop-up swing will open to the public at Sydney's Custom House between Wednesday November 4 and Sunday November 8, before travelling down to Federation Square in Melbourne from Monday November 16 until Saturday November 21. Representatives from CSIRO will be on hand to discuss their ongoing research into clean energy – and if you're extra nice, they might even give you a little push.
Shake away the Monday blues and show off your film knowledge at Lido's Swinburne Film Trivia Night. If you know the score on Scorsese to Spielberg, you'll have no trouble at this specialty film trivia night, which asks questions via picture puzzles, music rounds and more. The session kicks off at 7pm and will run for just under three hours. There's also a bar and an extensive menu to keep hunger at bay. Entry is only $10 per table of four to six people. Prizes include a free ticket and poster for every member of the team in first and second place, and a choc-top for every runner up.
One of Australia's most redeeming qualities is its ability to give good afternoon sun. There's something about its familiar glow that almost demands casual drinks. To help you out as summer comes rolling around, we've got a couple of fun (sometimes sweaty) suggestions for afternoon activities you can enjoy with your friends. They'll be all the more fun when coupled with a cold Heineken 3 in one hand. CROQUET Not just for fancy people, or old people, the low-key sport of croquet has gone through a resurgence of late. You can grab a croquet kit from K-Mart, set yourself up anywhere where there's grass and hit balls through pegs with a mallet and a beer in hand. It's quite a time, and strangely it makes you feel very sophisticated. The perfect place to play is at the Royal Croquet Club, which started in Adelaide but now tours its way through Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. From the December 8 until December 23, The Royal Croquet Club will take place at Birrarung Mar. Details are to be confirmed, but you can definitely eat some food, drink some beer, and play some croquet out in the afternoon sun. PETANQUE Ah, pentanque, the classic non-taxing "sport" – it harks back to the 12th century, and remains an A+ summer jaunt. It's just like bowling except you're shoeless and it's good for people with little hands and not many arm muscles. Feel the fake grass between your toes and let your hair down as you try to aim the silver balls for the little coloured ball and then forget about all that and just throw balls around willy nilly while drinking a cold beer. Pick your favourite spot of grass, get a Petanque (or bocce) set, and get on the green. BACKYARD CRICKET Backyard cricket is a bit of a great Australian summer pastime: play with your family, friends, or dogs before someone inevitably hits your last ball over the fence. All you need is an expanse of grass, a couple of bats, a tennis ball, and some large object you can make into the wicket. Don't forget to bring an esky outside for a potential boundary, and so you can easily access a drink (a Heineken 3) to replenish lost electrolytes after you've had a bit of a jog around in the sun. BADMINTON Have you ever played Badminton with a beer? It's fun. Badminton has hands down the best named playing vessel – the "shuttlecock" – so embrace the 'cock and go and hit it around a net with some other friends. Played in either singles or doubles, you can play on a court on ground or on the beach, or anywhere you can set up your the net you bought from K-Mart. It was developed in British India and has taken off especially in Asia, and it's a game of extreme agility and precision. The longer your summer afternoon kicks on if you're having a beery one, the worse you'll get at hitting the cock, but it'll still be fun. KUBB Kubb! What a time. The basic principle is throwing things (wooden batons) at other things (wooden blocks) to knock them over, and when a game is that simple you know you'll be able to cope no matter what state you're in. Rumoured to be born in the Viking times, it's a game much as old as time. It's perhaps one we haven't fully embraced yet, which means you might have to venture to your local sports store to grab a set. We think it should be an Olympic sport – the only way to achieve this is for as many sun-seeking revelers to partake as possible, so get kubbed this summer. Enjoy your summer afternoons with the new low-carb Heineken 3 – we're helping you make the most of them.
Melbourne's other gin festival is back. Back in 2016, Melbourne was faced with the happy problem of having not one, but two gin festivals on the cards. You might know the hugely successful Juniperlooza, a locally organised festival. Well, this different festival — confusingly called Junipalooza (yes, that's an 'a' instead of an 'er') — came to Melbourne by way of the UK, and was unsurprisingly dedicated entirely to gin. And it's back again for another year. The Melbourne version of the festival (the first to be held outside of the UK) is a twin event to Junipalooza London, which started back in 2013. The event will be held over two days this October at North Melbourne's Meat Market. It'll be hosted by founders of the UK's Gin Foundry, Olivier and Emile Ward — so you know you're in good gin-pouring hands. The renowned brothers live, breathe and drink gin, compiling all their knowledge onto their comprehensive online gin directory. It makes sense then that the pair have teamed up with local gin expert, The Gin Queen (aka Caroline Childerley) to celebrate the noble spirit in Melbourne. Junipalooza will feature sampling stations, cocktails and gin masterclasses with some of the world's best distillers. More than 40 distillers from around the globe will be in attendance, giving punters the chance to take a bottle or two of their favourite gin home. There'll be snacks, too, from the likes of American-style barbecue duo Burn City Smokers, dessert experts The Brûlée Cart and cheese fiends Maker & Monger, and this year, for the very first time, there'll be a four-course gin dinner — with matched gin cocktails, of course — being held on Friday, October 26. You can snag a ticket here for $95 a pop. The festival will take place over the weekend of October 27-28, and tickets are on sale now. We see a lot of gin drinking in your future. Image: Steven Woodburn.
What would you do if you were a little less freaked out by consequences? Would you talk to more new people, fear a bit less, dance a little more like FKA Twigs, quit your desk job and start that no-guarantees creative career you've always had in the back of your mind? Some sparkling young Australians are already flinging their inhibitions into a ziplock bag and seizing this little ol' life with both hands. Concrete Playground has teamed up with the Jameson crew to give you a sneak peek into the lives of bold characters who took a big chance on themselves. They've gone out on a limb and rewritten their path, encapsulating 'Sine Metu', the Jameson family motto which translates to 'without fear' — getting outside your comfort zone and trying something new. After all, we only get one shot at this. Take notes. Who doesn't want to watch movies all day, and get paid for the privilege? That's not all Kate Jinx does as the director of programming at Sydney's Golden Age Cinema and Bar; however finding challenging features you wouldn't see elsewhere and championing under-appreciated classics really is how she has made a living since the boutique theatrette opened in September 2013. You can read the interview over here. Want to experience a little bit of 'Sine Metu' yourself? Kate's being a total legend and helping us give away a late night private screening party for you and up to 50 of your friends, so you can see for yourself what happens when bold humans take big creative chances with big payoffs. Pick a film from the current program, on a Friday of your choosing, invite your friends, complimentary popcorn and a Jameson for all! Enter here to win. And enjoy Jameson responsibly, folks.
Australia has a love affair with bartenders. Photographing these women and men about town, known for their prowess behind the bar and sought after for their mad mixology skills, has become quite the artform of late. Our obsession with bar teams and their unique concoctions has been realised in a nationwide competition run by Auchentoshan, dubbed Distilled Different. Twelve of Australia's best bar teams have created a cocktail incorporating Auchentoshan American Oak — the only triple distilled Scottish single malt whisky in the world. They're going head-to-head to win bragging rights, an epic photo shoot and a huge team trip to Glasgow. Before the winner is crowned, all 12 bar teams will appear in the national Dare to be Distilled Different photography exhibition. Their talented faces and creative cocktails will be captured by three up-and-coming photographers, all chosen by Art Pharmacy. We asked them how they plan to bring the multi-sensory world of the cocktail — and the unique story behind each bar team — to life. [caption id="attachment_584663" align="alignnone" width="1279"] Oli Samsom[/caption] OLI SAMSOM (MELBOURNE) Why are you excited about shooting bartenders for the Auchentoshan competition? I'm excited to bring my love and fascination of the dim, grim and classical to help represent a glorious bunch of artists in a craft pretty far removed from mine. Collaboration is king and I'm pretty stoked to make something that the teams and folks within them are all proud of. Has social media, particularly Instagram, changed the way you photograph cocktails? I try not to let mediums change how I shoot. I'm aware of little tricks and approaches that work best for the platform, but I think the devil is in trying to get a maximum arbitrary return each and every time. There's a lot to be said for doing stuff the way you feel is right, even if it means admitting the 'engagement' suffers. It's that old quality vs quantity chestnut. And really, if I wanted the most amount of engagement the quickest, I'd just be posting landscape shots and swimsuit images in alteration. If anything though, Instagram in particular has encouraged me to do what I love, which is write in my own voice. It hits sleeper followers in ways that you only find out about later. How do you think photography has played a role in making people more interested in getting to know their city's bartenders? They're more revered than ever now. It's no secret and should be no surprise to anyone that the current movement across hospitality, or anything remotely craft-related, centres on celebrating the folks behind the product. We're seeing that in mass media with cooking shows shifting spin to the makers being held up as 'rock stars'. This also goes along with the whole 'care economy' happening everywhere: a competition for who gives a shit the most — which has been a great thing for culture, tourism, the lot. We're competing on who does things best, not so much price, speed, or geographic factors. With the general standard being lifted, folks are wanting to experience more of the story of those behind the curtain, they're wanting to see that care first-hand, and enjoy that romance of skill and attention to detail. Photography plays a huge role in that. Much like photography has been the underrated force in driving the feel and magic/mystique of our favourite musicians over the years, a strong image that sets the scene for a maker, in this case a bartender, can really help cement them as a maker and give an intelligent and artistic glimpse into their world and what's involved. Take us through the process of shooting in low light — bar's aren't the brightest or easiest to shoot of places. Bars are an interesting old beast, not only are they dim, but there are a lot of competing light sources, reflections, and surfaces that are sometimes ideal as a punter in the space, but more of a challenge to represent photographically. So it becomes a mix of celebrating the light and mood as it exists through longer exposures, while bringing out the subjects with artificial light in a tasteful way. I'm a fan of subtle composites so that will form part of the approach too. What's your creative concept for capturing the bar teams you'll be shooting? With these shoots all being on location, ultimately they'll be pretty informed by the space they're set in. So I'll be keeping the focus simple, on what's driven most of my existing work: mood, stillness, and a dash of old-world. [caption id="attachment_584659" align="alignnone" width="1279"] Savannah Van Der Niet[/caption] SAVANNAH VAN DER NIET (BRISBANE) Why are you excited about shooting bartenders for the Auchentoshan competition? I enjoy the challenge of capturing people — meeting a stylistic brief but also trying to show a bit of the character in the subjects as well. How do you think photography has played a role in making people more interested in getting to know their city's bartenders? I think it's about connection. People want a human element in the imagery they see to make them feel comfortable and enticed. Photographers can use their skill to shed light on a bartender's personality. Take us through the process of shooting in low light — bars aren't the brightest or easiest to shoot of places. I generally shoot with natural light and focus more on people and food than bars. So usually I'll shoot during the day. Or I will bring my lights along. What's your creative concept for capturing the bar teams you'll be shooting? My creative concept is to focus on the personalities of the bar staff and the cocktail they will be making. I can't wait! [caption id="attachment_584661" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Brendan Fitzpatrick[/caption] BRENDAN FITZPATRICK (SYDNEY) Why are you excited about shooting bartenders for the Auchentoshan competition? Photography allows me to draw back the curtain on subjects and learn something from the time spent in their world. The science of bartending and cocktail making has a long history and a nuanced culture. The best bartenders are artists in their field. I learn a lot listening to them talk about an art crafted from a very different palette of materials from my own. Has social media, particularly Instagram, changed the way you photograph cocktails? Nothing will ever change the way I shoot cocktails. I am entirely platform-agnostic when it comes to my cocktail shoots. How do you think photography has played a role in making people more interested in getting to know their city's bartenders? They're more revered than ever now. Digital platforms have allowed businesses to communicate directly with their customers. Each bartenders and team has their own personality — I intend to capture this through this competition and share it with the world. Take us through the process of shooting in low light — bars aren't the brightest or easiest to shoot of places. The main thing to have to hand in a dark space is a light. The light banishes the dark. No matter if you're a photographer in a bar or just a civilian at home minding your own business, there's nothing like a light to get you over the line. What's your creative concept for capturing the bar teams you'll be shooting? The bars have worked hard to differentiate themselves through their design and branding. I hope some of the techniques and ideas I use will be inspired by what they've created. In broad terms I see the bar as a stage and the bar teams themselves as actors on that stage. Right now I'm researching, meeting everyone and listening to their stories. The more I understand them and why they do things in the manner specific to them, the better I can convey their unique personality in a single image.
They say home is where the heart is. If that's the case then we need to get our heart into one of these places as soon as physically possible. Houses Magazine has just revealed the winners of the 2015 Houses Awards, singling out some of the most innovative and extravagant homesteads in the country. The top prize, Australian House of the Year, went to Planchonella House in far north Queensland; the extravagant tropical abode that bears at least a passing resemblance to a villain's lair in a Bond film also won the gong for New House over 200m². The prize for New House under 200m² went to Sawmill House in regional Victoria, which combines more than 250 one ton concrete blocks with a timber screen and a nine metre long sliding glass wall. Best Apartment or Unit went to The Darlinghurst Apartment, a one-bedroom dwelling in inner-Sydney just 27m² in size. The competition also hands out awards for Outdoor and Sustainable residences, which this year went to the partially roofless (and bafflingly named) Cut Paw Paw in Seddon, Victoria and the QV8 apartments in the Melbourne CBD, respectively. The Houses Awards are decided by a panel of esteemed designers and architects. You can find the full list of this year's winners below. AUSTRALIAN HOUSE OF THE YEAR – Planchonella House by Jesse Bennet Architecture. NEW HOUSE UNDER 200M² – Sawmill House by Archier Studio. NEW HOUSE OVER 200M² – Planchonella House by Jesse Bennet Architecture. HOUSE ALTERATION & ADDITION UNDER 200M² – West End Cottage by Vokes and Peters. HOUSE ALTERATION & ADDITION OVER 200M² – Tower House by Andrew Maynard Architects. APARTMENT OR UNIT – Darlinghurst Apartment by Brad Swartz Architect. OUTDOOR – Cut Paw Paw by Andrew Maynard Architects. SUSTAINABLE – QV8 by Breathe Architecture. HOUSE IN A HERITAGE CONTEXT – House in House by Steffen Welsch Architects.
If you're going to fork out an arm and a leg for candy bar concessions, the food may as well be good. That's the thinking behind the Coburg Drive-In Food Truck Festival, which after tantalising our tastebuds late last year is back in time for the whole summer. On selected date from January 7-30, you can sit back in your car and enjoy the latest Hollywood releases while chowing down on delectable offerings from Melbourne's leading mobile food vendors. Trucks on site include Sliders on Tires, Toasta, Taco Truck, Yogurddiction and The Brûlée Cart, whose popcorn-covered salted caramel crème brûlée feels perfect for the occasion. Get ready to break your New Year's resolution diets with an entire month's worth of in-vehicle dining.
Brunswick mainstay The Cornish Arms Hotel has expanded its offering into the sky with a new rooftop bar and garden. Known for its vegan eats and any day-of-the-week vibes, the pub's prime real estate along Sydney Road makes it an ideal spot for the new open-air oasis. The third-floor rooftop will be open from midday each day and boasts city views, classic cocktails and eight dedicated craft beer taps pouring local brews like Two Birds, Temple Brewing and Furphy Beer. The extensive wine list also includes chilled summer reds, a vegan tempranillo from Tumbarumba and a vegan pinot gris from the Mornington Peninsula. A separate Asian-inspired snack menu will be offered up top, which of course includes vegan fare — from smoked tofu yakitori and braised mushroom bao buns to potato pakoras and Korean fried cauliflower. For those loyal to the vegan parmas and souvas, the full pub menu is still available downstairs. A solid rooftop space is rare in Brunswick. Now, locals can enjoy some fresh air while looking out over the city, all with drink in hand. It doesn't get better than that. The Cornish Arms rooftop is open from midday daily at 163A Sydney Road, Brunswick. For more info, visit cornisharms.com.au.
"Beer and pies are a match made in heaven," says Goat Pie Guy owner and chef Mick Hobson. "The bite and flavour of hops or wheat or barley is perfect to cut through the buttery pastry and rich fillings that I make for my winter pie range." Brisbane-based bakery maestro Hobson is no stranger to mixing beer and baked goods. Rather than enjoying the two separately, Mick uses beer in his pies — there are no less than five pies on the Goat Pie Guy menu made with beer (and they're all Great Aussie Pie Competition gold medal winners). If he's using a brew in a pie recipe, Mick always matches his drinking beer too. "If it's a curry pie, I like to drink a pale ale or if it's one of my seafood pies, I always pair it with an amber ale." Mick actually uses beer in a lot of his recipes, not just pies. "Beer's an awesome base to build lively broths for seafood, rich sauces for grilled meat and lovely sweet and savoury layers in a slow braise." Certain beers with a more crisp edge, like a Little Creatures Original Pilsner, can cut through heavier, more buttery dishes, refreshing and reviving the palate, while more hoppy beers, like a Kosciuszko Pale Ale, can help you soldier on through spicy food. Let's get back to those award-winning beery pies. We're keen to test this secret ingredient for ourselves, so we asked Mick for a cheeky recipe. So what's Mick cooked up for Concrete Playground? One heck of a hearty wagyu beef and porter pie. "This one came about when I was experimenting for a meeting of brewers and meat merchants. It was important that both parties had their produce showcased in the best possible way so I decided to highlight the chocolatey flavours in the porter by caramelising it with the onions and adding the figs for extra sweetness. The beef flavour was intensified with allspice, black pepper and rosemary. Then I tossed them in a pot together, filled it with porter and crossed my fingers for six hours! And man, was it worth the wait." Let's do this. MICK HOBSON'S WAGYU BEEF AND PORTER PIE Ingredients: 2 medium brown onions sliced 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 50g raw sugar 1kg diced wagyu brisket 3 litres beef stock 60ml olive oil 4 sprigs rosemary chopped 2 bay leaves 10g cracked black pepper 15g allspice 150g dried figs 3.5 bottles James Squire Jack of Spades Porter 150g corn flour 1 egg whisked for brushing 4 sheets of shop bought shortcrust pastry (Borgs is a good brand) 2 sheets of shop bought puff pastry (Borgs is good for puff too) *(If you want to make your own shortcrust my recipe is below) Heat half olive oil in a heavy base pot. Brown onions in oil, add half a 330ml bottle of James Squire Jack of Spades Porter, balsamic vinegar, diced figs and sugar and reduce until sticky, then remove from pot and set aside. Heat remaining oil in the same pot and brown beef in small batches adding more oil as needed. Add all beef back into pot along with black pepper, allspice and chopped rosemary. Stir on low heat to completely coat beef. Add caramelised onion mixture, bay leaves, stock and porter. Bring to the boil then let simmer on low for three to four hours until beef can be cut with a fork. Combine corn flour with enough water to dissolve, and pour in slowly as you stir to thicken. You might like to add more or less corn flour depending on how thick you like your gravy. Grease pie tins with butter and line with shortcrust pastry, leaving a little overhang. Fill with thickened pie mixture and brush pastry edge with egg mixture. Cut puff pastry lids to suit base size and place on top, crimp base and top together with fingertips or a fork. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy with a cold James Squire Jack of Spades Porter. *Shortcrust Pastry 1 250g plain flour 125g unsalted butter, chilled, finely chopped 1 egg, chilled Process flour, butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Whisk egg and one tablespoon chilled water in a bowl until combined, then with food processor motor running, add to flour mixture. Process until mixture begins to form large clumps, stopping machine before mixture forms a ball. Turn pastry out on to a work surface and knead gently to bring together. Form into a disc for a round tart or into a log shape for a rectangular tart. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours. Roll out to 3-4mm thickness and cut out required size. If you love discovering more things you can do with beer (and some surprising facts, like beer being 99.9 percent sugar free), visit www.beerthebeautifultruth.com. You'll find information on fusing beer and food, matching different styles of beer with your meals, and how particular foods can enhance the distinct flavours of a well-brewed beer. You can even learn a few nutritional myths around beer, and bust 'em while you're at it.
Forget stale chips and overpriced packets of lollies. A Melbourne-based outfit is looking to change the way you think about vending machines, with a new automatic outlet dispensing a variety of healthy options, including salads, falafel and even freshly-chopped celery and carrots. Best of all? Unsold salads go to Melbourne's homeless population. Nice one. Built out of recycled timber, the first FüD vending machine is officially up and running in the Westfield Doncaster food court, full of gourmet meals made using healthy, organic produce. Jars of salad will cost you $10 a pop, and come in a number of different varieties including the ‘Pump It Up’ (pumpkin, roast shallots, beetroot chips and white bean mousse), the ‘Super Soba’ (green tea soba noodles, zucchini and carrot) and the ‘Roast Dutch’ (carrots, roast capsicum, Danish feta and house-made dukkah). For an extra $4 customers can add a protein, be it falafel, roast chicken or a hard-boiled egg. The machine is also stocked with a variety of snack options, including ‘Overnight Oats’ (organic oats soaked in coconut milk, with banana, hazelnut and rice malt syrup) and ‘Holy Granola’ (natural organic yoghurt drizzled with homemade raspberry coulis and paleo granola). Got dietary requirements? The FüD vending machine is stocked with a number of choices for people on paleo, vegan, sugar-free or gluten-free diets. All meals are made fresh and delivered daily, and the machine is refrigerated to ensure nothing spoils. Best of all, leftovers are donated to Homeless of Melbourne, ensuring that nothing goes to waste. Total legends. In addition to their Doncaster dispensary, FüD will launch a second machine in the HoMie store in Melbourne Central on July 6, with five more locations planned for later in the year. They currently have no plans to expand beyond Victoria, although All Real Food already runs a similar operation up in Brisbane. For more information, visit www.thefudrevolution.com Via Good Food.
It’s not often one says “let’s head out to Preston", since we've all pretty much accepted that there's nothing much to do past Bell Street. We have a suspicion that's all about to change though, with the recent opening of Stray Neighbour. This new bar and eatery has opened on Plenty Road, the culmination of a three-way partnership between Chew Burger co-owners Andrew Chew and Ben Stray, and Ben's brother, Daniel. Melburnians are most likely immune to the opening of a new hip eatery, since it seems to happen about once every twenty minutes. But even hardened veterans should be excited by Stray Neighbour, because they’ve got genuine soul. The aim of the venue is to give something back to Preston residents and showcase local farmers, butchers and producers. In their words, it’s an establishment for the locals, by the locals. Ben and Daniel Stray – a builder and landscape gardener, respectively – have turned their keen eye to kitting out the venue. Built inside a rejuvenated panel beaters, Stray Neighbour offers three different spaces for all variety of visitors, from bar hoppers to groups to serious diners. And we haven’t even mentioned the menu yet. Sous chef Romina Gagliardi has crafted a simple, compact and European-inspired menu that plays to the strengths of local produce. Think seared scallops, pea puree and guanciale crumb for starters, chicken with tarragon, sweet corn and sherry jus for mains, and vanilla creme brulee for dessert. The bar, meanwhile, has been built with 12 (yes, that’s right, 12) taps that will rotate with seasonal offerings, and is complimented with a predominantly Australian wine list. But I think we can agree the best part of the whole place is the custom built dog-head tap handles. Because we’ve always wanted to drink beer that streams forth from a cute doggy’s face (you heard us). With reasonable price points and oodles of integrity, we have a feeling that Stray Neighbour is going to become a favourite with more than just the locals. Stray Neighbour is located at 463 - 467 Plenty Road, Preston. For their operating hours, visit www.strayneighbour.com.au
A stretch of the iconic Route 66 in Missouri is getting a major upgrade — and an environmental one at that. As part of its 'Road to Tomorrow' initiative, Missouri's Department of Transportation is joining forces with an Idaho-based startup called Solar Roadways to repave with state-of-the-art solar panels. These specially engineered panels are made of tempered safety glass and are super strong — as they'd have to be to sustain constant use by heavy vehicles. Apart from the whole 'harnessing the power of the sun' bit, the panels also come with LED lighting, which can efficiently replace road lines and signage. Basically, they're a badass piece of technology. The installation will no doubt be pricey, but Solar Roadways is prepared for it — the group raised more than $2.2 million through a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. In addition to these funds, initiative leader Tom Blair received a $100,000 prototype grant from the Federal Highway Administration and two $750,000 research grants from the US Department of Transportation. Yep, that's federal funding for solar. The other good news is that their modular design allows for easy and cheap repairs by just swapping out broken panels for new ones. These bad boys are sustainable, ethical and eco-friendly — a seriously awesome invention that we hope to see more of on our own highways. Missouri may not be the first to experiment with solar roads — we wrote about the possibility of a crowdfunding campaign to pave American parking lots with the things back in 2014 and the recent plans to create solar roads in France earlier this year — but it sounds like Route 66 will be the first of its kind to actual get to the finish line. The Solar Roadways panels are expected to be completed by the end of 2016. This achievement is, almost inconceivably, awesome and hopefully will pave the way for the rest of us. Images: Solar Roadways.
With more than 150 years of winemaking history, the Mudgee region is a well-known weekend destination for wine lovers exploring New South Wales. Sheltered in the Cudgegong River Valley and surrounded by fertile farm land, it's the third largest grape-producing area in the state. The warm, temperate climate is ideal for varieties like tempranillo and garnacha. And many of the varieties you'd find in the Hunter Valley are also on offer here. Whether you're taking a road trip from Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney, we've partnered with Destination NSW to bring you a guide to spending 48 hours in the wine region, from which vineyards and restaurants you should visit to the boutique accommodation on offer in the region. Start planning your road trip now. Please stay up to date with the latest NSW Government health advice regarding COVID-19. [caption id="attachment_790168" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pipeclay Pumphouse via Destination NSW[/caption] EAT Thanks to powerful promotion of local produce, Mudgee specialises in high-quality eateries. Market Street Cafe is one of them. The large, sunny space feels like a French country kitchen and the food follows suit — classic dishes, cooked with premium ingredients. For dinner, there's Pipeclay Pumphouse. It's part of the Robert Stein Winery and Vineyard, one of Mudgee's best-known winemakers. Opened in October 2013, the fine diner presents a range of seven- and ten-course degustations and you can add on matching wines from the Robert Stein range, or from Mudgee vineyards more broadly. Meanwhile, good coffee can be found at cute, French-influenced, courtyard cafe Alby + Esthers. [caption id="attachment_790162" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gilbert Family Wines via Destination NSW[/caption] DRINK Start your wine tasting experience at Lowe Wines. Headed by sixth-generation Mudgee man and intelligent farming advocate David Lowe, it's home to expansive organic, biodynamic vineyards, rescued donkeys and a recycled 'chook palace'. Take it all in on a self-guided walking tour. Next, head to one (or more) of several wineries in the area specialising in European varieties. Mudgee's warm, temperate climate is ideal for them. Vinifera is known for its excellent Spanish-inspired drops and was one of the first wineries in Australia to experiment with tempranillo. Then, at Di Lusso, you'll find a focus on Italian wines and food, and at Mansfield, you'll discover unusual Portuguese-style drops. There are another 30 or so wineries to visit, including slick, big-name operations like Robert Oatley and smaller, fifth-generation winemakers Gilbert Family Wines, so be sure to book into your favourites in advance to secure tasting sessions before you travel. [caption id="attachment_790153" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Roth's Wine Bar via Destination NSW[/caption] DO When you want to drink somewhere other than at a vineyard, head to Roth's. It's the oldest wine bar in New South Wales, having set up as an illicit operation in the 1920s. And the 80-percent local wine list gives you the chance to sample anything you might have missed on your tasting adventures. Just up the road, the Mudgee Brewing Company is where to sample locally made ales and, when up and running again, hear local live music. If shopping is more your thing, check out the diverse range of native products and foods at the cafe and shop by Indigiearth. [caption id="attachment_790157" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dunns Swamp, Destination NSW[/caption] For those looking for some outdoor adventuring, there's the western fringe of the Wollemi National Park to explore, including the incredible scenery of Dunns Swamp, which forms the head of the Cudgegong River, and has plenty of opportunities for cycling, walking and kayaking. [caption id="attachment_790159" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sierra Escape via Cameron D'Arcy[/caption] STAY One of the most beautiful (albeit pricey) options for sleeping is Evanslea. The estate sprawls across nine acres on the Cudgegong riverfront, yet it's within walking distance to town. Accommodation takes the form of five-star luxury spa cottages, and there's a communal pool and a tennis court. Here's the clincher: private wine tours in a vintage Valiant can be organised on request. Alternatively, you can stay at luxury glamping site Sierra Escape, which is only 20 minutes' drive from the centre of Mudgee, but feels a million miles from anything as it's surrounded by rolling countryside as far as the eye can see. Two-person tents start at $440 per night. Or, for a more architectural experience, there's The Black Shed. The newly built shed is found five kilometres from Mudgee, set within a working vineyard with free-roaming chooks and farm dogs. Now that interstate border restrictions have started to ease, start planning a trip to this picturesque wine region in NSW. For more details, visit Destination NSW's website. Top image: Lowe Wines, Destination NSW
Renowned Melbourne street artist Rone is no stranger to the intersection of beauty and decay, and you'll find this theme tying together much of what he puts his hands to. But his latest work really slaps you in the face with it — part exhibition, part installation, the artist's newest large-scale works are located inside an abandoned weatherboard house in the Melbourne suburb of Alphington. Dubbed The Omega Project, Rone has transformed each room in the house — including the kitchen, dining room and bedroom — into haunting mini installations. He spent weeks working his magic within an actual demolition zone, given free reign by developers to transform the last remaining house on the former Amcor paper mill site from an early-1900s weatherboard cottage into what he describes as 'a fantasy film set'. In striking contrast with the surrounding destruction, the space features the artist's signature Jane Doe portraits adorning the walls, while interior stylist Carly Spooner has gone all out with the chenille bedspreads and wood-grain telly sets to recreate the look of a classic, mid-century suburban Aussie pad. This isn't Rone's first time at the demolition zone rodeo, either — last year he held a solo exhibition Empty in Fitzroy's about-to-be-demolished Star Lyric Theatre. And, adopting the transience of the street art you spy splashed across the urban landscape, this exhibition isn't sticking around for long at all — catch it from Saturday, July 22 until Sunday, July 30 before it, too, meets the demo crew.
Enjoy a taste of Paris without leaving Melbourne. World renowned French baker Gontran Cherrier is set to cut the ribbon on his first Australian boulangerie in Collingwood later in the year. Opening on Smith Street in June, the bakery and cafe will stock a mouth-watering selection of freshly baked treats, including croissants, tarts, buns, rolls and fluffy white baguettes. Très bien. A fourth generation baker, dreamboat and host of the popular French reality show La Meilleure Boulangerie de France (The Best Bakery in France), Cherrier currently owns boulangeries in Paris, Tokyo, Singapore and Seoul. His Melbourne shop will be designed by Eades & Bergman, the same team behind Kong BBQ and the Meatball & Wine Bar. The menu will feature a mix of traditional and modern food made with ingredients imported directly from France. Think lemon tarts, almond chocolate croissants, rye and red miso bread, and squid ink rolls. Those wanting to get an early preview can check out Cherrier at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival March 3-9. Our idea of a French fantasy #gontranmelb A photo posted by Gontran Cherrier Australia (@gontrancherrierau) on Feb 10, 2016 at 4:21pm PST "I chose Melbourne for my newest international bakery because it is known for its excellence in food," said Cherrier. "I think it also shares a lot of similarities with Paris such as the café culture and laneways. I was in Melbourne in 2010 and was struck by the culture and lifestyle. Ever since then I have wanted to open a store in this city. I’m so excited that it’s finally happening." Cherrier's Melbourne boulangerie is expected to open at 140-144 Smith Street, Collingwood in June 2016. Keep your eye on Instagram for updates. Photo by Marie Taillefer.
If you haven't heard of 28 Hongkong Street before now, don't feel too out of the loop. Sure, it's been voted Asia's best bar for three years running and knocks out some seriously amazing cocktails — but it also operates as one of those mysterious, super secretive, word-of-mouth-only venues, hidden away behind an unassuming 1960s shopfront. Plus, it's been hanging out all the way up in Singapore, 6000 kilometres and an eight-hour flight away. Until now. For three nights this month, 28HKS will be hitting our shores as part of Sydney Bar Week. The brief touchdown on Australian turf will see the Singaporean enigma visit Sydney and Melbourne to take over two of our own hidden cocktail bars and give lucky locals a whirlwind taste of all the cocktail magic. They're not cutting any corners, either. The Melbourne pop-up — which will grace The Everleigh in Fitzroy from September 21-22 — will offer a bang-on recreation of the 28HKS concept. Expect those award-winning cocktails alongside a selection of the American-leaning share plates, all delivered by five of 28HKS's mixologists, floor staff and chefs. They're even bringing over the soundtrack to round-out the experience. It's not the first time Australia's had a fleeting taste of international cocktail greatness and, given the success of Attaboy's February stints at The Everleigh and Dead Ringer, and last year's Please Don't Tell pop-up at The Black Pearl, it's probably safe to say that this latest cocktail-wielding visitor won't be the last. Unfortunately both sittings on both nights have already sold out. If you missed out, keep those cocktail cradling fingers crossed they release a few more spots at the bar.
This year's West Projections Festival is lighting up with the theme of 'synthesis'. Running every night from August 11–27, the annual after-dark festival will see an entire suburb bathed in breathtaking blue light as more than 28 unique spaces around Footscray play host to specially commissioned works of pop-up public art. Supported by Victoria University and Maribyrnong City Council, this year's festival promises to be the most expansive yet. Sites include Bar Josephine, Footscray Railway Station, gallery Trocadero and local hairdresser Le Tuan, while participating artists range from arts/engineering/science collective Skunk Control. Forming the spine of the festival are eight free hour-long art walks, each of which will take participants on a different route around the suburb and end at a participating bar. There'll also be spoken word performances, roving projections and a VR dance party – and don't be surprised to see a convoy of food trucks rolling around the neighbourhood, either. Images: Shuttermain.
Of all the ingenuity and creativity that helped make the original Star Wars films some of the most iconic sci-fi pictures of all time, one characteristic deserves credit above all others: it was a universe that had been lived in. Compared to the pristine, almost sterile visions of space portrayed by every other film of its kind, Lucas showed us something that felt entirely ‘real’, thanks to its grimy establishments, malfunctioning droids and a Millennium Falcon that only worked after a sturdy thump from its captain. Director J.J. Abrams has done well to remember this lesson. Things that were new at the close of Return of the Jedi are now old, and those that were old are now ancient, forgotten or gone entirely. Such is not just the feel, but indeed the very plot, of Episode VII: The Force Awakens. As the opening title crawl explains (yes, it's still there), Luke Skywalker has vanished and in his absence a sinister adjunct of the former Empire has arisen under the banner of ‘The First Order’. Led by a Sith-esque figure known as Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), the Order is scouring the galaxy for any information as to Luke’s whereabouts so as to finally erase all vestiges of the very last Jedi. In its way (and also seeking Skywalker) stands the small yet unshakeable Rebel Alliance, now marshalled by General Leia Organa. Each side has part of a map, but neither can yet complete the full picture, and time is of the essence. There can be few things more intimidating than embarking upon the production of a new Star Wars movie. So steeped is the series in lore, so fanatical its supporters, that even the tiniest of missteps will attract the most merciless and unceasing fury the galaxy has ever seen (i.e: sternly worded blog posts). Thankfully, via his Star Trek reboot, Abrams has already proven his extraordinary deftness when it comes to blockbuster space operas, and The Force Awakens is no exception. It is riddled with allusions to the past, yet few are accorded more than a glance (you will find no stormtroopers sporting ‘vintage death star t-shirts’ here, for example, unlike the indelicate homages of Jurassic World). Instead we are made to feel right at home amongst our new heroes (the exceptional Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac) thanks to familiar musical flourishes from John Williams, the spine-tingling sound and visual effects from Industrial Light and Magic, and the return of our beloved Han and Chewie. New planets and old faces, original characters and veterans to guide them – this is a franchise reborn but not reinvented. If criticisms are to be levelled, they fall mainly upon the villains. Few cinema foes will ever match the menace of Darth Vader and his Emperor mentor, however here the film’s antagonists feel particularly thin. Andy Serkis’ CGI overlord Snoke is more distracting than daunting, Domhnall Gleeson’s General Hux is surprisingly hammy and Kylo Ren, whilst evil, is underscored by a petulance that borders on comedic. Thankfully, despite being masked and heavily synthesised, his voice does remain entirely comprehensible, as distinct from the recent broken PA system that was Tom Hardy’s Bane. Not to mention that his force grip is dead-set spectacular. Given the choice between normal and 3D, the latter does actually add that little bit extra here, and whilst parents will doubtless be eager to introduce their younglings to the franchise, be warned – Abrams shies not away from the ‘wars’ in Star Wars. Gritty, intelligent and utterly electrifying, buckle yourselves in folks, because we’ve got a damned good feeling about this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGbxmsDFVnE
Make sure you enjoy a good long sleep when you get home from work on Friday. Why? Because you won't be getting another wink until the sun comes up on Sunday. Come 7pm on Saturday, Melbourne will be pulsing with light, colour and sound. That's right nocturnal animals: White Night is back. This year's after dark arts festival will incorporate dozens of installations and spectacular light displays, as well as live music, performances and more. Revellers can catch a movie at the openair cinema on Lonsdale Street, before taking part in a dance marathon on Collins. And of course, no White Night would ever be complete without soaking up the air conditioning at ACMI. To help you get the most out of your moonlight adventure, we had a chat to artistic director David Atkins. In addition to giving us a behind the scenes look at how the festival comes together, he also had some tips for our walking itinerary. From fire-breathing organs to building-sized projections, here are ten things at White Night you can't afford to miss. Keep an eye out for giant inflatable rabbits too. STOP ONE: THE PYROPHONE JUGGERNAUT Anyone keen to avoid the hectic crowds would do well to start outside the CBD. Atkins recommends beginning your night in Carlton Gardens, and singles out The Pyrophone Juggernaut as one of the most explosive works north of the grid. Built from scrap metal and operated by a group of performance artists and musicians, the fire-breathing behemoth is billed as the world's largest hand-operated, multi-octave fire organ in the world. The Juggernaut will sail through the Melbourne Museum Plaza seven times throughout the night, with the first voyage set for 8pm. STOP TWO: RHYTHMS OF THE NIGHT Since you're already in the area, you should definitely make time to check out the façade at the Royal Exhibition Building. The southern side of the historic structure has previously provided the canvas for some of White Night's most impressive projections, so needless to say our expectations are pretty high. This time around, Atkins has tapped Artists in Motion, who lit up the Opera House at last year's Vivid Sydney. Rhythms of the Night promises to bind audiences together in a collective dream as it explores the four stages of sleep. [caption id="attachment_603012" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Sonic Light Bubble[/caption] STOP THREE: SONIC LIGHT BUBBLE Atkins also draws our attention to Sonic Light Bubble, a giant inflatable bubble dotted with LEDs set to invade the Carlton Gardens after dark. The clear synthetic organism is one of a number of interactive works on this year's program that audiences will be encouraged to go up to and touch. "The idea was to get a bit more interaction and audience participation into the event," says Atkins. STOP FOUR: LONSDALE LOUNGE CINEMA From Carlton Gardens, we recommend heading into the city via La Trobe Street before turning south down Swanston until you hit Lonsdale. There, you can put your feet up at the Lonsdale Lounge Cinema, where they'll be showcasing Australian made short films all night long. This year the lineup will include a number of Tropfest finalists, shorts from the VCA archives, and the inaugural winner of the Made In Melbourne Film Festival's Script to Screen initiative. Mostly though, we're just in it for the comfy chairs. STOP FIVE: REBEL ELDERS As you continue south along Swanston Street, it'd be worth taking a quick detour down Rainbow Alley off Little Collins. That's where you'll find another one of Atkins' favourite pieces, in Andy Ferguson and Rose Turtle Ertler's Rebel Elders. Designed to break down unfair stereotypes about elderly people, the large-scale projection features senior citizens engaged in all sorts of 'youthful' activities, from highwire walking to race car driving. "It's a piece that talks about ageism and perceptions and I think those things are really important," says Atkins. STOP SIX: SWING CITY Dance marathons are something of a White Night tradition (even if you're not much of a dancer). Located on Collins Street between Swanston and Elizabeth, Swing City will feature pretty much every form of social dance, plus big band music from the '30s, '40s and '50s. "That section of Collins Street hasn't really been activated before," says Atkins. "You've got a 13-piece big band, ballroom dancers, jive dancers, competitions, marathon dancing..." STOP SEVEN: HOME LESS Another big White Night tradition is the activation of St Paul's Cathedral, which this year will play host to a projection spotlighting the plight of Melbourne's growing homeless population. Created by local artist Chase Burns, who last year lit up Swanston Street with a breathtaking work about rising sea levels, Home Less will take viewers into the dreams of a rough sleeper as she escapes the harsh realities of her waking life. "I think it's going to be a beautiful piece," says Atkins. [caption id="attachment_610276" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bennett Foddy and AP Thomson.[/caption] STOP EIGHT: VIDEO GAME MIXTAPE While ACMI can sometimes get a little on the crowded side, the Fed Square cinema and exhibition space is still definitely worth a visit. This year, the ACMI Lightwell will play host to a retro video game installation that takes players and spectators back to the early days of arcade culture. Video Game Mixtape will merge live gameplay, interactive game art and music by 8bit DJs. Alternatively, you can relax upstairs in Cinema 1 where they're screening a mashup of classic films from Star Wars to Saturday Night Fever. STOP NINE: VIKTOR&ROLF – INSIDE OUT Once you're done in the city, you'll want to make your way across the Princes Bridge, following the tram tracks down to NGV International. As in previous years, the front of the gallery will be lit up with projected images from the current exhibition. In this case, it'll focus on the 'wearable art' of Dutch fashion duo Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren. "Bringing that exhibition out onto the façade is going to be another highlight," says Atkins. If you like what you see, the gallery itself will be open all night, although you will have to pay for a ticket. STOP TEN: UNPLUGGED At this point you'll probably feel like another little break. Fortunately, right across the road from the NGV are the Queen Victoria Gardens, home to the pop-up MPavilion. There you'll be able to enjoy a series of performances by musicians, singer-songwriters and other creative artists, including Katherine Hymer, The New Savages, Mana Moto and Rachel Caddy. "I think MPavillion, with the Unplugged performances, will be a really nice place to chill out," says Atkins. For set times, go here. White Night Melbourne is happening across the city on Saturday, February 18. For more weekend events, check out our handy round-up.
No cruise ship festival fun for you, Australia. Sea N Beats, the event set to be Australia’s first ever music festival at sea, was supposed to set sail March 5-8, 2016. But this morning, the crew announced the cancellation of the event, due to "challenges that could not be overcome". Posted on their website and Facebook this morning, the organisers said: "Australia’s first cruise ship Festival, Sea ‘N Beats, announces with regret the cancellation of their March 5-8, 2016 event. Whilst every possibility in the hope of proceeding with Australia’s first cruise ship festival has been looked at, ultimately all parties involved concluded that conducting a music festival at sea comes with challenges that could not be overcome." "The risk factors surrounding the event were ultimately assessed by all parties involved as too great to continue. Whilst every potential avenue to save Sea N Beats was exhausted, ultimately we have been left with no option but to cancel." All ticket buyers have been individually contacted via email and full refunds will be issued. At this stage, Sea N Beats will not be looking at another departure date for the cruise. Set to boast seven stages and a huge pool deck, Sea N Beats was set to be one huge enterprise, with the likes of Alison Wonderland, Peking Duk, Allday, SAFIA, Wave Racer, Cyril Hahn, Tkay Maidza, Hayden James and more on the lineup. Tickets also included entry to an exclusive mystery island festival on an exclusive mystery island, somewhere off the exclusive mystery Queensland coast. Looks like the anchor will stay put on Australia's first answer to S.S. Coachella. By Shannon Connellan and Jessica Surman. Image: Sea N Beats.
If you love cookies, you've no doubt tried one of Butterbing's cookie sandwiches. The delicious morsels can be found in cafe cabinets across the city, but this weekend, Butterbing is bringing back its super-popular Flavour Frenzy pop-up to Brunswick's Code Black Coffeee. The crew has been busy whipping up a whole range of brand new flavours, which'll be showcased alongside the classics at the Flavour Frenzy pop-up this Saturday, October 6. There'll be a total of 50 tasty varieties up for grabs during the two-hour event, including a few wild and wacky concoctions born of recent fan requests. What's more, they'll be slinging each of them for more than 35 percent off the standard retail price. Also on the program is the one-off Code Black Coffee collaboration, featuring a scoop of Piccolina gelato and a Butterbing doused in coffee. What's more, these beauties are freezer-friendly — so bring a bag, stock up now and have sweet treats on hand for whenever you get a rampant cookie craving.
With a big, bright, red lobster at the entrance, it shouldn't be too hard to work out what makes Unabara Lobster and Oyster Bar one of the standout Japanese seafood joints in Melbourne. The lobsters at Unabara are all caught fresh daily, and they come in wild and wonderful iterations such as the Tokyo Lobster roll, which features 80 grams of the good stuff: nori, avocado, cucumber and wasabi mayo; the lobster linguine with fresh made pasta and lobster tail tossed in garlic; a thick and creamy lobster bisque with celery, onions, tomatoes and herbs; and the main event — a grilled half Western Australian rock lobster served with beer battered fries and your choice of garlic butter and mornay sauce (a rich bechamel sauce made with heaps of gruyere cheese). But don't forget the other half of the name. Even though there isn't an oyster to greet you at the entrance, they still take up their fair share of the menu. Try a grilled oyster with cheese; fresh oysters with ponzu, a Japanese style citrus vinaigrette; or the Unabara sashimi special featuring salmon, sweet prawn, scallop, tune and — you guessed it, oysters. Other options include seafood platters with prawns, sashimi and mussels, deep-fried calamari, fried mushrooms, katsu prawn burgers and New England seafood chowder. Unabara Lobster & Oyster Bar has seriously good food, caught fresh and prepared to perfection, without all the seriousness that should go with this style of cuisine. It's casual in here, the kind of casual where you can make a mess at the table and not be banned for life. There's a good selection of wine to choose from too, with the staff able to help you if you need. For a unique experience, pair up some Japanese plum wine with your seafood platter.
Salami enthusiasts and hunters of simple, homemade Italian lunches, you'd better get yourself to North Melbourne. There's a brand new salami bar opened on Atkin Street dubbed Saluministi, run by a hard-working Melburnian team painstakingly dedicated to handcrafted, Italian-style cured meats and paninis. Owners and brothers-in-law Frank Bressi and Peter Mastro are on a mission to bring back nostalgic Italian classics they grew up with, combined with their love for making salami. The team's signature handcrafted salami (which they've been making for eight years) was judged top three in the Melbourne Salami Festa for two years running. But now their delicious cured meats have a permanent home, snuggled in a warehouse-style, exposed brick type of minimalist kitchen in North Melbourne. There’s many ways you can delve into the wondrous world of Italian-style meats at Saluministi. You can tuck into one of their absolute specialties: the humble panini, from the breakfast panini (above), to the Salsiccia (grilled pork and fennel sausage, roasted peperonata, pecorino cheese and rocket), the Cotoletta (crumbed free-range pork loin, vincotto mayo, Italian coleslaw and provolone) or the Porchetta (free-range slow-roasted pork, artichoke paste, pecorino and rocket), each sitting at a pretty damn good $11-12. Nibbles are simple and traditionally Italian — we’re keen to get our mitts on the seasoned polenta sticks ($3 each). Plus, there’s Italian-style baked goods on offer — the housemade warm Nutella bombolini ($4 each) look genuinely insane. Find Saluministi at 8 Atkin Street, North Melbourne, 0413 082 253, www.saluministi.com.au. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 7.30am - 4pm. Via Good Food. Images: Saluministi.
Staying ahead of the curve in Sydney's constantly evolving food scene is difficult. New restaurants, bars and cafes pop up every week, and in Sydney, a city already saturated with food and drink options, it's incredibly easy for hospitality businesses to fall behind. In partnership with William Blue at Torrens University, we're asking the hospitality graduates who run our favourite Sydney restaurants to talk about how they got started in the industry. In 2015, Adelene Stahnke helped to open Bang Street Food in Surry Hills with her partner Tapos Singha and designer Nicholas Gurney. In 2016, the same team opened Bang Street Food spin-off Trunk Road in Darlinghurst. Stahnke is only 23 years old, so helping to start up two successful Sydney restaurants is no small feat. We asked her how it all happened, and if she has any tips to share. FIND A GAP IN THE MARKET (AND STICK TO IT) "Tapos kept talking about wanting to open a Bangladeshi restaurant in Sydney. I thought it was a great idea, and really inspiring because nobody had brought great, traditional Bangladeshi food to the city yet. I encouraged him to stick to his dream because I could see that there was a gap in the market, and I had a really strong feeling that a space would open up in Sydney. Tapos pitched the idea to his business partner, and once a space appeared in Surry Hills everything took off from there." LEARN EVERYTHING YOU CAN ABOUT THE CUISINE YOU'RE COOKING "Tapos went back home to Bangladesh for a few months to get some ideas flowing for the menu, and I went to Melbourne to cook at Tonka [an Indian-fusion restaurant] with Adam D'Sylva. I wanted to get some experience in sub-continent food because I didn't know much about it beforehand, and I think it's important to learn everything you can about a style of food before you start a business with it. I worked at Tonka with the goal to learn as much as I could and it was a really great experience. When Tapos and I both arrived back to Sydney, he showed me the menu and I understood the dishes in a way that I wouldn't have, had I not worked at Tonka. The menu was great, but it needed some refining, which is where I came in. I made sure that the menu would appeal to Surry Hills, while making sure that the Bangladeshi soul was still there." KNOW WHEN YOU'RE ON TO A GOOD THING — AND RUN WITH IT "At Bang we have a dish that people really love called 'Bang Boti Kebab', which is a roti kebab with steak filling. That dish really blew up so we thought we would take the opportunity and run with it. We said, 'let's do a restaurant based on that dish but in a smaller space, something cheap where we can do take-away as well'. That's how Trunk Road, our second restaurant, came about. We waited until we found the perfect space — a little terrace house in Darlinghurst — and the boys built the whole restaurant while my dad tiled it. I moved over to run the kitchen at Trunk once it was up and running. It's just a one-person, solo kind of thing in a really small kitchen, very different from Bang. We only serve four types of the 'roadie' kebab, a curry and some snacks." SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE THAT SHARE YOUR ASPIRATIONS "In order to establish a really good business you need to have a concept and stick with that concept. It's also very important to have people around you that can compliment you and share your aspirations. Stay focused, and as long as it's still your hobby, you can make money from it because you love it. Having your own business is a lot of work, there are long hours right from the start. It's very different when it's your own project as opposed to working for someone else. Work everywhere you can and get experience in everything. I've studied hospitality and worked in hotels as well as fine dining, breakfast spots in Darlinghurst and Indian restaurants. You never know what will come in handy." William Blue at Torrens University offers courses in Culinary Management, Event Management, Tourism and Hospitality. Find out more about the diverse career options in hospitality, and kick-start your career via the website. Images: Kimberley Low.
Most visitors to Fitzroy's Vegie Bar would be more than familiar with the eatery's luscious sweet creations, which beckon from that cabinet beside the till every time you go to pay. Well, now those treats have become the stars of their own show, with owners Mark Price and Laki Papadopoulos launching a new dessert bar in the adjoining Brunswick Street space. Plant-based goodness is the name of the game at this sweet-tooth haven, with the menu at Girls & Boys full of vegan delights running from the virtuous to the downright decadent, and offering a hearty array of gluten- and refined sugar-free options. You'll be ready to beat the summer heat when shlepping up Brunswick Street with a range of house-spiced mylks, smoothies, thickshakes, and cold-pressed juices, alongside an impressive rotation of vegan desserts. With gems like a matcha almond tart, a maca fudge bar, and the signature Caramisu, we can't imagine you'll be missing those animal products in the slightest. They're also doing a slew of vegan gelato flavours, including blood orange and yuzu, and caramel and miso, along with a pretty epic vegan baklava soft serve. Having opened quietly over the weekend, Girls & Boys will be closing out 2016 with limited hours, before ramping up both the offerings and the opening hours in the New Year. With both Vegie Bar and Transformer next door and Smith & Deli just down the road, to say vegans are well-catered for in Fitzroy is an understatement. Girls & Boys is now open at 382 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. At the moment they're operating on limited hours, but as of January 10 they'll start trading 11am till late, seven days a week. For more info, visit girlsandboysfitzroy.com.
It's inevitable that once crowdsourcing platforms like Uber, Airbnb and Foodora began to take off, everyone would try to get on the source. Introducing the latest likeminded business, WelcomeOver, a platform for crowdsourcing dinner parties. This may sound a little strange, but think of it as a friend-food-fun-finding website that turns your dining room into a super exclusive restaurant. Co-founder Johan Schberg got the idea for WelcomeOver while travelling in Indonesia. "I saw a similar platform while travelling in Indonesia and thought that it would resonate perfectly with an Australian audience with our love of food and openness to new experiences. Trust is a core ingredient to the success of the product and if you look at how Australians have embraced platforms like Uber and AirbnB, where trust is also fundamental to success, we thought this would be a perfect market." At present WelcomeOver is focusing on Sydney, with ambitions to expand to Melbourne and Canberra before long. It's a pretty simple premise: the host (generally amateur chefs or hardcore foodies) will put together a menu, then set a time and a price per head and other users can opt into the event. Like most crowdsourcing ideas, the user rates their experience after the fact. The system runs on the joint pillars of trust and reputation, however, still faces the same questions about user safety that plague platforms like Uber and Airbnb — everything from online financial protection to physically putting yourself in the hands of someone you don't know. Home events have been a pretty top socialising choice for Sydneysiders since the introduction of the controversial lockout laws that have been hampering the city's nightlife. Schberg says the project isn't a direct response to the lockouts, but they don't agree with the laws either. "We believe a desperate measure like the lockout laws should only be the very last resort after all other options to provide adequate safety have been tried and proven unsuccessful," he says. "Besides, just a few months prior to the lockout laws, the very same government announced Sydney to be the safest city in the world, so how dangerous was it, really? Looking on the bright side, we are happy that you are still allowed to throw a dinner party at your home in Sydney, and through the WelcomeOver platform there is always a dinner party nearby where you and your friends are invited." There's no doubt though that the restrictive laws have forced party-goers to seek out other ways to have fun and allowed platforms like WelcomeOver to find their niche. And if that means more dinner parties options every weekend, we're so down. Check out WelcomeOver's website for more info. Top image: Krzysztof Puszczyński.
The super-adorable Finders Keepers Markets have been home to Melbourne's most creative and quirky designers for more than six years. The independent hip-fest is returning to their home at Carlton Gardens' Royal Exhibition Hall in October for three days of food, music and sweet, sweet design. The biannual, designer-centric, come-one-come-all mini-festival has managed to bridge the gap between local market and exclusive exhibition, creating a space for independent designers to engage with the wider community. You'll be able to nab some marvellous treats difficult to find anywhere else. From bespoke leather goods to bespoke stationary, upcycled journals to upcycled bicycle reflectors, every stall will be a unique shopping experience that combines innovative design with grassroots feel-goodery. As usual, there will be live music, a cafe, food trucks, a bar and thousands of other Melburnians celebrating independent art and design. Finder Keepers is open 6-10pm on Friday, 10am-6pm on Saturday, and 10am-4pm on Saturday.
The annual Melbourne Food & Wine Festival — Victoria's biggest and arguably greatest food and drink fest — is returning in 2025 with another stacked lineup of experiences. All in all, over 200 different food- and drink-filled events have been squeezed into the ten-day festival, which is running from Friday, March 21–Sunday, March 30. The World's Longest Lunch will once again kick off the festival, this time led by Curtis Stone. He's based in LA these days, but will be returning to Melbourne to lead the massive three-course communal feast, which takes place along a 600-metre table in Kings Domain. A couple days later, we then get to experience another iteration of the World's Longest Brunch, this time led by Julia Busuttil Nishimura. But unlike previous years, this version won't be set up along another long table outside at Kings Domain. Instead, you'll spend the morning moving throughout the Botanical Gardens, dining at three different locations. The first stop is at Tecoma Lawn, where brunch-goers will sample Julia's cinnamon buns, lemon mascarpone tart, and chocolate and almond pasticcini. This is followed by a selection of savoury bites at Taxodium Lawn and a grazing feast at The Alto. There'll even be a huge cake station at this year's World's Longest Brunch, which has carved itself out as the cooler, younger version of the World's Longest Lunch. But these two headline events are just the beginning. You've then got the Global Dining Series, which sees 20 international chefs, drink legends and producers descend on Melbourne for a heap of takeovers and collaborations. Most notably, Daniel Calvert from Sézanne — currently ranked number one in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants — will be joining Dan Hunter at Brae for two intimate services. London's much-celebrated St John and Brat are also running their own residencies, bringing a taste of British fine-dining to Melbourne. [caption id="attachment_842980" align="alignnone" width="1920"] World's Longest Lunch[/caption] Some of the city's top bakers and patissiers are also joining forces again this year for the Baker's Dozen pop-up, which will be taking over Fed Square on Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30. No need to traipse all over Melbourne to find your favoruite sweets — they'll all be in one place for this hugely popular two-day event. This year, you'll stop by and find treats from To Be Frank, All Are Welcome, Antara 128, Lumos, Baker Bleu, Kudo, Lulu & Me, Mietta by Rosemary, Madeleine de Proust, The Flour Melbourne, Monforte Viennoiserie, Raya, Tarts Anon, Lune, The Invy Baker x Urbanstead, plus special guests AP Bakery (from Sydney) teaming up with local bakery Iris. But pastry fans don't just get to celebrate during these two days. Throughout the week, you can also pop over to Melbourne Quarter to try cardamom buns and other sweet treats from Richard Hart's pop-up bakery. His cardamom buns are world-famous, and you can usually only find them at his bakery Hart Bageri in Copenhagen. [caption id="attachment_981421" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Julia Busuttil Nishimura by Kristoffer Paulsen.[/caption] Three free events are also on the agenda for the 2025 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, with over 3000 free bites up for grabs across the week. First, you can drop by Emporium's Dim City for free dim sims that have been reimagined by top chefs Rosheen Kaul, John Rivera and Eun Hee An. Something Saucy then sees the crew from Super Norma give away bowls of their hugely popular pasta down a Melbourne laneway. And lastly, Taco Truck founder Raph Rashid is teaming up with Tom Sarafian to create a mashup of Mexican and Middle Eastern eats that are also all free. A lot of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival events can be pretty expensive, so it's a huge win to see these free events included in the lineup. Regional Victoria is also getting a shoutout this year, with over 30 events taking place beyond Melbourne. This includes a long lunch run by some of Murrindindi Shire's top hospitality teams, brewers and winemakers; a luxe dinner championing fermented food and bevs at Healesville's Giant Steps Wine; a Macedon Ranges winemakers lunch; and a big bush dance out at the Gippsland Jersey farm. We've touched on a heap of events here, but this really is just the surface of what's on offer. As always, we highly recommend you dig through the festival's website to discover more of what's on offer — and book out your faves before tickets sell out.
Food enthusiasts in Fitzroy are in for a good time at Bontempo Pizzeria. In fact, that's literally what the name of the restaurant means, 'good time'. The second venture from the team behind Fratellino in South Yarra, this newly opened Brunswick Street eatery is serving woodfired pizza alongside an array Italian staples, and is generally doing everything it can to deliver what it promises. "With the space we have we can cater to everyone, from couples to families and larger groups," says co-owner Joe Kavanagh. "We know that if we keep it simple by teaming good quality pizza and pasta with affordable drinks in a casual atmosphere, the rest will take care of itself." Kavanagh points to The Bont, the restaurant's signature pizza made with whiskey-infused Western Plains pulled pork, fresh basil, garlic, sage, tomato and mozzarella, as a menu highlight. Other standout options include the Salsicce e Funghi with pork and fennel sausage, mushrooms, garlic, parsley and mozzarella; and the Zucca, a vegetarian number with roast pumpkin, feta, basil, pine nuts, spinach, rosemary, garlic and tomato. All Bontempo's pizzas are made in a Valoriani clay wood-fire oven imported from Italy and custom-built on site. If you're not in the mood for pizza (although we can't fathom why that would be), you might want to try the Fettuccine Gamberoni made with king prawns, white wine, garlic, cream and a dash of napoli. Alternatively, you can sink your teeth into a chargrilled swordfish steak. For dessert, choose from classic Italian sweets such as affogato and chocolate calzone. As for beverages, Bontempo offers a wide range of local and Italian wines, as well as beers from Fitzroy Cellars and Thunder Road Brewing, and cocktails from The Everleigh Bottling Co. Find Bontempo Pizzeria at 416–418 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. For more info, visit their website. Images: Tom Ross.
Here in Melbourne, we're proud to be one of Australia's premiere late-night destinations. Melbourne comes to life at night. A vast range of places to eat and drink thrive until the (very) early hours — not only can you get a cocktail after 2am, you can also get a Le Bon Ton cheeseburger with table service, partake in a hot dog eating competition until 4am, or eat pizza whenever you damn well like (24-hours pizza shops). You'll often hear cities complain about their public transport system, but here in Melbourne we've come to kind of like ours. Mainly because all night public transport has helped transform our city into a 24 hour oasis, where there's something to eat, drink or do at any hour of the night, and a safe way to get home afterwards. Unlike our friends in Sydney and Brisbane, we can save ourselves a bit of money at the end of the night by hopping on the Night Network of train, tram and buses during a night out or on the way home. Here is our extensive late night guide to Melbourne. Read this, stay out until dawn and get home safe. WHEN YOU'RE AFTER A LATE NIGHT BITE Isn't Melbourne the best? Our selection of food to eat only slightly dwindles after 12am. Melbourne establishment Mamasita on Collins Street is renowned for two reasons: their bomb, late-night Mexican menu and the fact that it's mostly gluten free. They're open until midnight on Friday and Saturday night (make sure you book beforehand). We seriously recommend the pork and pineapple taco as a late night snack. Not keen for Mexican? Collingwood's Le Bon Ton is a short walk from the Peel Street stop on the 86 tram, and they serve Melbourne's best cheeseburger (big call, but you gotta try it) and smoked stacks of meat (chargrilled wagyu, cheese and various charcuterie) until 3am. Follow it up with a house-made sweet pie for dessert — the banana cream with white chocolate, vanilla custard and toasted meringue is calling you. Ramen is an anytime food, but it's especially a late-night food. Our 24-hour ramen bar Shujinko Ramen enables your late-night habits. Stop by anytime (literally). Bourke Street trams and Swanston Street trams are equidistant. Close by in Chinatown is Belleville Chicken, who know that the best way to cook a chook is over an open flame, and the best way to serve it up is with a side of poutine. They serve food until 1am on weekends in a social, mess hall style atmosphere. More Japanese: fancy supper club Izakaya Den (just off Bourke St in the CBD) is open until midnight on Friday and Saturday nights and 11pm on weeknights. The prices are high, so this isn't the best place to stop after a few drinks. Although, you can indulge and save on cab fare by getting the tram home, the spicy tuna tataki with garlic soy will melt in your mouth and the Kurobuta pork belly will change the way you think about pork belly. 8-bit down the road is open for precious, gooey, meaty burgers and salted caramel milkshakes until 11pm in the CBD. Choo Choos, within the Toff in Town, stays open and serves dinner until 5am on weekends, 3am on weeknights and is conveniently located near the Swanston Street tram. See also: Lord of the Fries, Massive Weiners on Chapel Street (hot dogs until 4am on weekends), The Black Pearl in Fitzroy for cocktails and nachos until 3am, and Milk the Cow in Carlton for cheese plates and wine until 1am. ONE LAST DRINK BEFORE YOU LEAVE Many people don't know that Nieuw Amsterdam has a 24-hour license. The CBD cocktail bar regularly stays open until 5am, so you can head down at any time of the day or night to try out both their stunning 1920s interior design and their tasty drinks. The basement bar serves food all the way up until 5am. Settle into a fancy booth and eat some food until it's time to hop on the train home. The people responsible for The Everleigh on Gertrude Street also run Heartbreaker in the CBD. She's described as The Everleigh's seedier sister and she certainly is (but not in a bad way). You can grab yourself one of their famous cocktails in a bottle — choose between a Negroni, Old Fashioned, Martini and Manhattan and relax in the grungy, retro atmosphere until 3am. Siglo on Spring Street will make you feel like you're in a Woody Allen film. It can get pricey, but it's open until 3am every night serving whisky and cocktail in a very luxurious atmosphere. The intimate terrace overlooks the city and they make a mean rum cocktail. On that note, the equally as classy Melbourne Supper Club is open until 7am. Cheeseboards, ploughman platters and drinks are available until 3am at whisky bar Boilermaker House. Glamorama is perfect for a dance, and open until 5am. Magic Mountain Saloon serves food and cocktails until 3am, and the classic place to sip on a gin and tonic, Bar Ampere, is open until 3am as well. FEEL LIKE A LATE NIGHT DANCE? Boney is always good for a dance and hosts some quality gigs, but generally the party doesn't kick off until late. It's super central, sitting on the corner of Little Collins and Exhibition Street — close to both late night food and public transport. There's something for everything at the Toff In Town on Swanston Street, it's like a layer cake of possibility. Whatever your poison, you'll find it at the Toff. It's always loaded up on gigs, dance floors and excellent company and, in summer, a most excellent rooftop bar called Rooftop Bar is open until 1am above it. Nearby is Lounge, open until 3am on weekends and (weirdly) Tuesdays. New Guernica is right near the Elizabeth Street tram, that stays open and is generally packed with people dancing until 5am. Outside of the city but close to tram lines is Revolver Upstairs (classic), and the tiki bar of your dreams in Fitzroy, LuWow. Yah Yahs on Smith Street is always a winner, open until 5am and almost guaranteed to have 'Come On Eileen' on the playlist every night. Rock and roll bar Cherry Bar can't be forgotten — generally open until 3am on weekends. MUSIC, MOVIES AND KARAOKE Cinema Nova near the Swanston St tram does it old school in many ways. You can take your drinks into the cinema, they only take cash and they do late (we mean late) sessions. Fearlessly walk into a 11:00pm session and enjoy the empty theatre, knowing that the late night trams from Lygon street have you covered on transport. If you're on the south side check out The Astor, they regularly host late night screenings of classic movies and movie marathons, or Hoyts in Crown Casino has a regular 11pm session and its own dedicated tram stop. There are gigs all around town to catch. The Public Bar in North Melbourne is one of the few venues in Melbourne with a 24-hour license, and while they don't normally stay open until then, you're definitely in for a late one if you head here. Rainbow Karaoke in the CBD is a karaoke bar with 44 private rooms and three VIP rooms, each with its own decor. Have a late night one and don't worry about getting home — the Night Network runs all night and on weekends. Words: Imogen Baker and Kelly Pigram.
It's an oldie but a goodie. Jimmy Kimmel pulled one of his most loved pranks at SXSW this week, asking punters whether they knew fake bands with his 'Lie Witness News' crew. Unknowing SXSWer after SXSwer praised the likes of Mary-Kate and Nasty, Cheese Whiz Khalifa and DJ Gluten — "hard to tolerate?" — with one punter even going so far as to describe DJ Underwire as "mixing it up with turntablism". Heh. It's straight-up baffling how Kimmel (and subsequent spin-offs) has managed to do this at festival after festival and catch starry-eyed posers in the act of posing, having pulled this stunt year after year, Coachella after Coachella. But my giddy aunt, it's fun to watch. These aren't the only shenanigans going down at SXSW. Check out our roundup of nine incredible things you're missing at this year's festival.
In a rare instance of critics and audiences agreeing with each other, Mad Max: Fury Road and The Dressmaker were the two big winners at the 2016 Australian Film Critics Association Awards. Held last night at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in Melbourne, the ceremony reflected on the past 12 months of Australian cinema, with the year's two biggest box office takers proving popular with critics as well. Critically acclaimed action blockbuster Mad Max: Fury Road took home the award for Best Film, as well as Best Director for George Miller and Best Cinematography for John Seale. The Dressmaker, meanwhile, swept through the acting categories, with Best Actress for Kate Winslet, Best Supporting Actress for Judy Davis and Best Supporting Actor for Hugo Weaving. The film's director and co-writer Jocelyn Moorhouse was present to accept the awards of behalf of her cast, while also taking home the Best Screenplay Award for herself and husband P. J. Hogan. Ryan Corr won Best Actor for his work in Holding the Man. In the international film categories, last year's Oscar winner Birdman took home Best English Language Film, while German drama Phoenix won for Best Foreign Language Film. Amy Winehouse doco Amy won Best Documentary. The association also gave out its annual writing awards, bestowed by a panel of journalists and film industry practitioners. This year's winners were critics Rebecca Harkins-Cross, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Luke Goodsell. You can check out the winners here. To get a head start on the next crop of likely AFCA Award winners, check out our list of the ten Australian films to watch out for in 2016.
Gin lovers are in for a treat come September, with the opening of a specialty gin bar in the CBD. Gin Lane is the brainchild of James Tait, whose previously tended bar at such boozy institutions as Coda, Black Pearl and 1806. The man knows his liquor, that's for damn sure. Along with his wife Cara and business partner Peter Bartholomew, Tait will offer up 400 varieties of gin, as well as a healthy stock of wine and a selection of around 20 beers. Not bad for a bar named after an 18th century artwork about the evils of alcohol consumption. The bar will also serve food, with Tait bringing in a mysterious 'consultant chef' whose identity has so far been kept a secret. Given that Bartholomew's investment portfolio includes such mouth-watering spots as MoVida and Lee Ho Fook, our expectations are fairly high. Gin Lane will occupy a two-story space at the Parliament end of the city, on the corner of Bourke Street and Windsor Lane. The second level will include a sizeable outdoor area, with Tait telling Gourmet Traveller he wanted to create "a great place to enjoy a drink on a sunny afternoon or a warm evening." He also promised a space that was "bright, organic, fresh and light. There's a lot of greenery in Melbourne's bar scene at the moment, but we're making a statement that we're not one of those dingy places." Gin Lane is slated to open in September at 19-21 Bourke Street, Melbourne. Via Gourmet Traveller. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
Overcoming systemic discrimination, both in the music industry and society more broadly, Indigenous hip hop artists are the vanguard of an exciting new era of Aussie hip hop. In the words of politically-conscious rapper Briggs, star of the ABC's Cleverman and Black Comedy: They're growing up fast, they're growing up tough, They're giving back everything they never got as a pup, And if they want something, you're giving it up, If they want something, you're giving it up. It's tempting to say that Indigenous hip hop is undergoing a renaissance of late, but it wouldn't be entirely accurate — the scene has been strong for years, it's just that now it's finally starting to get the attention it deserves. One initiative responsible for this greater recognition is Klub Koori, a regular showcase of emerging and established Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians produced by Koori Radio. So, before they storm the stage on Thursday, July 7 at Carriageworks and with NAIDOC Week in full swing, we thought we'd introduce you to some Indigenous artists who are coming up fast and coming up tough. Oh, and they do want something: the throne. JIMBLAH Hailing from the Larrakia Nation in the Northern Territory, Jimblah sums up the paradox of 'traditional' (read: predominantly white) Aussie hip hop when he raps: "I see your fans, they're a bunch of racist kids, so who's to blame?" While there are few examples of overt racism in the local scene there is a definite racist undertone — so much so that those paragons of Aussie hip hop Hilltop Hoods felt compelled to write a whole song about it. Jimblah's fiery pull no punches lyricism — highlights include: "Australia just look what we made here/From slave ships to Great Britain's blood on their hands/Understand the royal fam, flying the flag/Unlawfully stands a generation unlawfully here" — has seen him garner significant critical acclaim. LADY LASH A Kokatha/Greek woman from far western South Australia, Lady Lash is a generic anomaly. Combing equal parts jazz, hip hop and soul interwoven with powerful storytelling, her music pushes sonic boundaries in profoundly beautiful ways. Having taken out the Victorian Indigenous Performing Arts Award for Most Promising Act and The Age Music Victoria Award for Best Indigenous Act with her debut album Crystal Mercy: The Fisherman's Daughter, Lady Lash is set to release her third album Therapy Tapes later this year. NOOKY 2016 has been an exciting year for Yuin Nation rapper and @IndigenousX host Nooky. Taking out the Australia Council Dreaming Award at the National Indigenous Arts Awards not only came with prestige but also a very tangible $20,000 grant towards developing his debut album. Signed to Briggs' label Bad Apples Music and having collaborated with Taboo from The Black Eyed Peas (after a chance encounter and cypher at The Block in Redfern), it's safe to say that his debut album is being hotly anticipated. It seems as though it's only a matter of time before Nooky blows up, so get on board early. TASMAN KEITH Splitting his formative years between inner city Sydney and Bowraville in the bucolic Nambucca Valley, Tasman Keith's music reflects these contrasting locales, combining sun-kissed beats with an effortless flow and lyrical dexterity reminiscent of early '90s East Coast hip hop. Having burst onto the scene in 2015 with his debut single 'B You', Tasman, the son of legendary Australian hip hop pioneer Wire MC, pays homage to his Gumbaynggirr heritage while epitomising the thoughtful, soulful sound that seems to be emerging in the local scene. At just 18 years old, Tasman Keith is definitely one to watch out for. Klub Koori is happening at Carriageworks on Thursday, July 7 at 7pm. Tickets are just $10 +BF.
In the heart of Chinatown, China Red is one of those spots that is deceptively small at first glance. But you should always try your luck, even if it looks too busy, as there's a downstairs dining room that always has space for hungry dumpling seekers. Inside is a classic dumpling house specialising in xiao long bao, veggie dumplings and salt and pepper squid, as well as bigger more traditional dishes like pipis in a spicy XO sauce. The gimmick of China Red is ordering everything through a touch screen menu at each table. Great for getting carried away and over-ordering — or adding extra dishes when you're halfway through and realise how delicious everything is. China Red allows BYO beer and wine. Start by ordering some dim sums, with the prawn and chive perfectly flavoured and the peking pork dumplings a real hit. The scallop and prawn dumplings don't miss a beat while the vegetarians options is there to cover all bases. Follow it up with a seafood and bean curd soup and some chicken san choi bao before moving onto a main. We'd suggest the fish fillet with pickled cabbage and the sliced beef in satay sauce. Images: Tracey Ah-kee
Cumulus Inc is the kind of venue where you are being given a new fork before you've even realised your other one just hit the floor — yes that did happen. One of Andrew McConnell's many venues, Cumulus has been a Melbourne favourite since its opening in 2008. Service is seamless and the food is well, simply divine. Whole lamb shoulder to share ($69) falls off the bone, while tiny morsels of the kitchen's charcuterie selection ($26) does nicely to whet the appetite. Just when we didn't think things could get any better, enter Cumulus Up. Above Cumulus Inc, Up is a mix between a waiting room for the main act downstairs and an entity in itself. While it encompasses some of the sleek design elements from Inc, it uses more exposed brick and dark detail to give it a relaxed yet classy finish. They keep things tight with a small wine list of 12 varieties by the glass. If you're going for white wine, the Di Majo Norante Falangbina from Molise Italy is divine, while the Mengoba Flor de Brezo Mencia from Bierzo, Spain is a beautiful red. The staff know the list inside out and will point you in the right direction every time. The food, it was always going to be good, we expected this. What we didn't expect was the duck waffle with foie gras and prunes ($10). It's going to be a thing; we can just feel it happening. Other bites on the menu include anchovy toast with fresh curd ($50) and zucchini flower fritters ($9). Larger meals come in the form of bass grouper with crab sauce and fennel ($38) and dry aged 800g rib eye ($90 to share). If cheese is your thing, finish your evening with a Brie de Meaux, white mould, cow's milk cheese from France ($16) or a Perl Las, a cow's milk blue from Wales ($16). Desserts see profiteroles with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce ($15) and ice cream and sorbet available by the scoop ($4 a scoop). This newcomer makes you want to linger, yet lets you come and go as you please. A beautiful offshoot from Cumulus Inc, and we're excited to see where they take it from here. Images: Kristoffer Paulsen and Harvard Wang.
Sydney, get ready for winter — and to be ensconced in projections once again. Vivid, Sydney's annual festival of light, music and ideas, is returning for 23 days and nights from May 24 to June 15. The most overt (and unavoidable) aspect of the program is the lights, and for the second year running their glow will head across the bridge to light up Luna Park. It will extend the reach of the CBD's Light Walk from Circular Quay, Darling Harbour and Barangaroo with a collection of 50 large-scale projections stretching along the walk's three kilometres. Should make good viewing from the ferry. Some of the immersive light installations you'll encounter throughout the precincts include a pop-up 'winter camp' in Barangaroo, a 'robot spaceland' in Darling Harbour, 300 large-scale animal sculptures in Taronga Zoo, a playable cascading harp in Chatswood and an immersive field of 500 fireflies in the Royal Botanic Garden. Pixar is also jumping on board this year, and will be projecting characters from its classic animated flicks onto the façade of the Argyle Cut in the Rocks. The Sydney Opera House's sails will this year be lit up with hypnotic images of Australian flora from LA artist and video maker Andrew Thomas Huang (who has previously created music videos for Björk), and Customs House will be transformed into an underwater wonderland — covered in neon projections of creatures found under the Harbour it overlooks. Vivid Music is once again in fine form. As was previously announced, The Cure will do four shows at the Sydney Opera House from May 24–28 — their only Australian shows this time round. Tickets have already been allocated via ballot, so we hope you jumped on that already. Joining them for the Vivid Live component of the program at the Opera House will be folk rock singer Sharon Van Etten, performing hits of her poignant new album Remind Me Tomorrow, American singer Maggie Rogers and Perth up-and-comer Stella Donnelly, who's heading to the harbour city fresh off the back of the release of her new album Beware of the Dogs. Jónsi, from Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós, and Alex Summers (known as Jónsi & Alex) will be performing an ethereal show complete with a 21-piece orchestra and 12-member choir in the Concert Hall. The Opera House's super popular Studio Parties will also make their return. Last year's music lineup throwback came in the form of 90s hits Ice Cube and Cat Power. This year, British electronic group Underworld, best known for the house and techno hits they released in the 90s, will be flying the nostalgia flag. If the name is a little unfamiliar to you, you'll definitely recognise their single 'Born Slippy (Nuxx)'. Famed jazz musician Herbie Hancock, who started his career in the Miles David Quintet back in the 60s, will also be taking to the stage, performing hits from across his five-decade career. Another big one is a performance from FKA Twigs who's bringing her experimental dream pop to Carriageworks, and Rüfüs Du Soul will take over the arts precinct for three nights of electro bangers on June 13, 14 and 15. The City Recital Hall has a solid program this year, including a performance by Paul Kelly and James Ledger. Live music gigs will also be held across the city as part of the program, including at the Lansdowne, Ziggy's hairdresser and 107 Redfern. Vivid Ideas is, of course, back for those keen to delve into creativity, science and technology — and this year it's scored Spike Lee as its big-ticket speaker. Lee will be in town to chat about his personal political views as well as his award-winning 2018 flick BlackKklansman. There's plenty more where that came from, check the Vivid Sydney website for more details. Images: DNSW and Hamilton Lund.
Successful documentaries are often boiled down to a well-worn old adage, with the best films frequently benefiting from filmmakers simply being in the right place at the right time. The saying seems to ring true for Australian Jennifer Peedom, although calling the experienced high-altitude director 'fortunate' isn't quite appropriate. When she went to Nepal in 2014, she was motivated by reported tensions between travellers and their Sherpa guides. With the chasm between the two groups screaming for more attention, Peedom planned to make a movie about one of the local workers, the unassuming Phurba Tashi Sherpa, who was on the cusp of making history. But then nature struck, and the movie had to change. A time capsule of the toughest climbing season imaginable, as well as an exercise in quick-thinking filmmaking at its best, Sherpa is undoubtedly the superior Everest-based movie of the last 12 months. Forget re-enactments, high-profile actors looking frosty, strained accents and 3D special effects. In capturing the blackest day the mountain has ever seen with on-the-ground footage of a tragedy unfolding, as well as the build up to the Khumbu Icefall avalanche and the harrowing, heartbreaking aftermath, the film presents devastating details that could only spring from real life. Phurba's feat — ascending the world's highest peak for a record-breaking 22nd time — would've made a rousing story in its own right, as well as a powerful testament to the largely unrecognised role the Sherpa people play in the mountain's growing tourism industry. The weather had other plans, however. As the ice and snow began to move, his tale became even more emblematic of the broader situation facing Nepalese residents, and brought the appalling labour conditions of the Sherpas, who make wealthy Westerners' treks possible, sharply into focus. With the precision of a master craftsperson and the breathtaking vision to match, Peedom balances the personal plight of one pivotal figure with the anger-inspiring human rights issues that surround the mountain. Viewers will find themselves simultaneously marvelling at the images Peedom and her trio of cameramen have recorded, and wanting to leap out of their seat with frustration at the dangers the Sherpas face just to make a living. In that way, Sherpa is more than just a tale of triumph over adversity. Instead, it's a high-stakes, high-altitude dissection of commercial and financial interests triumphing over a very human cost, as pieced together with an insider's perspective and understanding. Interviewees hail from all sides of the business of climbing, but there's never any doubting the film's allegiances. That's not a consequence of Peedom's lack of balance, but simply a reflection of the galling reality on the mountain. Offering an astonishing account of a just-as-astonishing slice of life, documentary filmmaking doesn't get much better than this.
In the early 90s, British artist Cornelia Parker decided to blow up a garden shed. She approached the British Army (who were more than happy to oblige), and together they detonated an explosion that saw 2000 household items fly across several fields in the countryside. Fragments of wood, broken bicycle wheels and a shattered violin — along with thousands of other objects — were collected by the officers, and Parker reconfigured the shed, suspending objects from the ceiling around one central lightbulb. That artwork, Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View (1991), is now considered Parker's most famous work, and it's currently casting haunting shadows across the gallery walls at the MCA this summer. The major exhibition, which spans three decades of the artist's career, has four large-scale artworks that transform the gallery's rooms. War Room (2015) is like walking into the Twin Peaks red room, except the blood-red walls are crafted from discarded strips of paper sourced from a Remembrance Poppy factory in London. Parker has created a tent-like structure with 'absent poppies' that's as much about honouring those who've died in conflict, as it is about the duality of war and peace. Showing both sides of the story is something Parker plays with a lot in her work. Another large-scale piece, Magna Carta (An Embroidery) (2015), is a 12-metre-long hand-stitched version of the Magna Carta Wikipedia page. Parker created the work to commemorate the 800th anniversary of Britain's earliest democratic document, and she invited 200 people from both sides of the law to embroider a panel — including notable whistleblowers Julian Assange and Edward Snowden, Pulp's Jarvis Cocker (why not?) and current prison inmates. When you look closely you'll see coffee stains from those who worked from prison — and underneath you'll see a mirrored reflection of the back of the work. There's also a satisfying violence to Cornelia Parker's practice. She's shot dice through a dictionary, precipitated a handgun and chopped a toy Oliver Twist in half using the guillotine that beheaded Marie Antoinette. She also steamrolled a collection of silver (sourced from car boot sales) to create another full-room installation, Thirty Pieces of Silver (1988–89). The 30 suspended circles of silverware represent a Bible story of betrayal — and there's a palpable sense of dread when the pools of brass and silver glisten and move with passing air. Though the larger works in this exhibition, part of the tenth Sydney International Art Series, are the ones you'll Instagram, there's a lot of joy — and foreboding — to be found in Cornelia Parker's smaller artworks. One of our favourites is News at Five (Terror-ble Joke), News at Seven (Chilling), and News at Ten (Bathtub Terror) (all 2017) — three blackboards covered with chalk writing from a five-year-old, a seven-year-old and a ten-year-old. Each child has captured the essence of televised news reports and you can make out words like 'monster', 'nukes' and 'Trump in a grump'. All terrifying and amusing at the same time. Cornelia Parker is the first major presentation of the her works in Australia, and the exhibition runs until February 16. But don't leave it until 2020 before you visit, as you'll want to return to delve deeper into the playful violence behind one of Britain's most important female artists working today. Images: Installation views of Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View (1991); War Room (2015); Subconscious of a Monument (2001-05); Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View (1991); and Thirty Pieces of Silver (1988–89). All images courtesy of the artist, the MCA and Frith Street Gallery, London. Photos by Anna Kucera.
And now for something completely impractical. Artist Victor Solomon has created our dream basketball hoop, one we're encouraged to miss and be too short to slam dunk. For his newest series Literally Balling (heh), Solomon has crafted three beautiful backboards of stained, Tiffany-style glass. The whole thing's kind of Meret Oppenheim for basketball. Solomon has made unusable the tools of million-dollar paycheck earners — the Le Brons and Durants of the globe's top basketball stars. Fascinated by the obvious link between the players and their affluent lifestyles, Solomon has cheekily rendered their main moneymaker useless — but pretty as hell. The artist spend hundreds of hours cutting and shaping the stained glass backboards, and used gold chains and crystals to replace the net. Pretty sure no one should try a Jordan on one of these. Via Vice.
It has been nearly two years since Bruce Munro's spectacular Field of Light started illuminating Uluru, with more than 200,000 people flocking to the Red Centre to see its ocean of colour. In fantastic news for anyone who hasn't made the trek yet, or anyone keen to view its beautiful, multi-hued splendour again, the eye-catching installation's season has been extended. The gorgeous piece will now keep shining all the way through until December 31, 2020. This is the second time that Field of Light's run has been lengthened. Initially set to remain in place until March 2017, it was first expanded until March this year. In total, the artwork's 50,000 glass lights will twinkle across an area of 49,000 square metres — the size of nine football fields — for just shy of five years. As well as casting Australia's sacred rock in a whole new light, the Uluru display marks the latest (and largest) incarnation of artist Bruce Munro's project, which previously illuminated the grounds at the likes of London's Victoria & Albert Museum and the Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. Run on solar power, and named Tili Wiru Tjuta Nyakutjaku — which translates to 'looking at lots of beautiful lights' in local Pitjantjatjara — for its Northern Territory stint, the installation took 40 people six weeks to set up. The British-born Munro, who first came up with the idea for Field of Light while visiting Uluru back in 1992, said he is "greatly moved and humbled by the enormous response to the artwork." He continued, "it's obvious the combination of the exhibition and a canvas as visceral as this — flourishing from red dirt and tufts of spinifex, in the shadows of nature's biggest shape-shifter, Uluru — is immensely powerful to people." Keen on making the trip? Check out out Weekender's Guide to the Red Centre During Field of Light. By Tom Clift and Sarah Ward. Image: Field of Light: Bruce Munro. Photo by Mark Pickthall.
As we tick over into the second half of the year, Melbourne's contemporary arts calendar shows no signs of slowing down with a diverse range of exhibitions taking place across the major and budding art institutions this month. This month, be welcomed into the 'mob' at Footscray Community Arts Centre where you'll have the opportunity to create your own works, touch up your art history knowledge with a new exhibition at the Heide Museum of Modern Art and pick the brain of one of Australia's leading painters in a free 'micro-course' by David Thomas. These – and many more – are just some of the great art exhibitions and experiences that are on display for free this month.
Like mole people and the residents of Coober Pedy before them, New Yorkers are heading underground. Although New York City is traditionally famous for raised Chelsea-dwelling walkway The High Line, a space-hungry and innovative team headed by James Ramsay of Raad Studio have put together a Kickstarter campaign to fund a brand new underground park. Far more ambitious than anything imagined by Parks and Rec legend Leslie Knope (albeit with less miniature horses), the goal is set at $200,000. The money, earmarked to develop and test the solar, landscape and social components of such an ambitious scheme, is just halfway there. With the team's July 8 campaign deadline looming, there's never been a better time to throw some dosh at genuinely inspired urban development. While the team are still working towards New York City council approval, the project has been in development for five years, aiming to convert the unused Williamsburg Bridge Trolley Terminal into a fully functional, naturally-lit park. Natural light will be channeled into the subterranean space using some sort of bizarre, above-ground flower system (we clearly don’t understand the science but the Kickstarter video will explain it better). The park itself looks like a combination of the Temple of the Chachapoyan Warriors in Raiders of the Lost Ark and the citadel from Mass Effect; in essence it looks amazing and we want to stroll through it immediately. In the modern context of urban density and population crises erupting across the globe, alongside the generally fast-paced craziness of street-level New York, it’s no surprise that the city is leading the way in environmentally and socially friendly solutions to complex space problems. You go, NYC. Watch Lena Dunham in the Lowline promo video here, because of course Lena Dunham's in it: You can contribute to The Lowline Kickstarter here. Via dezeen. Images: The Lowline.
Sculpture by the Sea turns 21 in 2017 and 104 artists — from both Australia and overseas — have come to the party. Until November 5, the two-kilometre stretch of coast between Sydney's Bondi and Tamarama beaches will be dotted with works — overtaking beaches, peeking out of rock platforms, emerging from the sea and towering over cliffs. Since starting up in 1997, the event hasn't changed much. It's still free. It's still all about plugging public art and boosting artists' careers. And it still brings in the crowds, with about 500,000 people visiting each year. Every Saturday and Sunday will also see artist talks give you the chance to kick back on a bean bag and find out what goes on inside a sculptor's head. Here are five sculptures to look out for while you're wandering the Sculpture by the Sea trail during the next couple of weeks. [caption id="attachment_642057" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jessica Wyld[/caption] JAMES DIVE: WHAT A TASTY LOOKING BURGER A giant hamburger, attached to a rope at one end and a fish hook at the other, lies on a rock platform. This, folks, is what artist James Dive imagined as the ultimate human bait. Dive last exhibited at Sculpture by the Sea 11 years ago with the now world-famous melting ice cream truck work Hot With a Chance of a Storm. [caption id="attachment_642056" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jessica Wyld[/caption] STEPHEN MARR: UNDER ONE SKY Two figures, dressed in suits covered in sky, against a backdrop of real-life sky, stand in an embrace, one another's limbs melting into one another's bodies. It's a beautiful moment of embrace and connection. [caption id="attachment_642110" align="alignnone" width="1920"] G Carr[/caption] KATHY ALLAM: PLASTIC PARADISE Kathy Allam creates art with items usually discarded. For Plastic Paradise, she collected 1000 green and blue bottles over three years to create this abstract plastic landscape that both glitters in the sunlight and makes a statement on single-use plastics. [caption id="attachment_642058" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jessica Wyld[/caption] HARRIE FASHER: THE LAST CHARGE Standing before this mini herd of mighty horses, it's not hard to imagine the terror of a stampede. Oberon-based artist Harrie Fasher built the sculpture as a centenary memorial to the charge of the Australian Light Horse in the Battle of Beersheba in Palestine on October 31, 1917. [caption id="attachment_642059" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jessica Wyld[/caption] DAVID BALL: ORB Needless to say, you have to check out the winner of the $60,000 Aqualand Award, which is the wealthiest annual sculpture prize in Australia. Orb is the creation of Mittagong-based sculptor David Ball and, inspired by his experience exploring the outdoors of Sydney's bushland, puts a striking frame around a familiar view. "Orb is a visual metaphor for a break in unity but also conveys humour as such a small force cause's disconnection," Ball said in a statement after winning the prize. Sculpture by the Sea is on display between Bondi and Tamarama beaches in Sydney until November 5. For more info, visit sculpturebythesea.com.
On Sunday, September 10, Sydney staged for a huge public rally through the city streets, flying rainbow flags (and dogs) to demand marriage equality and campaign for a 'Yes' vote. Support group Community Action Against Homophobia, who ran the rally, urged Australians to campaign for a 'Yes' postal vote. With the majority of Australians (a whopping two-thirds) supporting marriage equality, the rally was expectedly stacked — in all, organisers have estimated that a massive 30-40,000 people rocked up to show their support for all LGBTI+ Australians. The rally marked the first weekend after the High Court decided to uphold the government's (unnecessary, expensive and undeniably hurtful) postal plebiscite. Postal ballots will be sent out this week.
Not too long ago the only place to eat at Flinders Street Station was Lord of the Fries. Then Arbory opened right next to platform 13 and made killing time while waiting for the train not a horrible proposition. And now the station has scored another actually good food offering — and it's located in the Swanston Street-facing Clocks space. If you're familiar with Clocks then you're probably thinking RSL vibes and pokies noises right about now. But, after a renovation that took nine months and $3 million, the place is looking pretty different. Unfortunately the pokies are still out the back as the venue is still owned by Doxa Social Club, but the bistro has been replaced with Green Light Diner, an American-themed joint run by Steve Schreuder and Darran Smith (the ex-owner of Carlton's Roving Marrow). The duo took inspiration from the late-night diners of Los Angeles and have created their own day-to-night venue with all-day breakfast and a 1am license on weekends. The impressive fit-out has been designed by Studio Nine Architects, and looks like Edward Hopper's Nighthawks come to life. Think marble counter tops, leather booth seating and brass and copper fixtures, along with restoration of the building's original windows that haven't been used in decades. "The interior has a 1920s train station feel, like Grand Central in New York," says Smith. It certainly has an old-world vibe, one that works particularly well within the setting of the historic station, which was built in 1909. "[The clientele] is really a cross section of people who come through the station, from old locals who came in before the renovation to business folks and tourists" says Smith. Smith took inspiration from LA diners and their "brekkie sandwiches that you can eat all-day or late at night", as well as the salt beef bagels from Brick Lane in London. The breakfast menu is egg-centric, and accompanied by pub staples like porterhouse steaks, pork schnittys (with a fried egg if you so fancy) and parmas. For drinks, it'll start slinging pre-batched cocktails in the coming weeks, including negronis, espresso martinis and cosmos. The transformation isn't done yet, either, with a late-night whisky bar also in the works. Miss Guns will be located downstairs and is slated to be completed by the end of the year. This June, Green Light will also roll out monthly after-midnight feasts for hospitality folk, which will run on Sunday nights from midnight till 3am. "It's a chance to get people in the hospo industries together at the end of their work week for some networking, music and good food," says Smith. "There will be guest chefs each month, along with a few seats reserved for non-hospo people to come along and see what we get up to." Green Light Diner is now open at Shop 17, The Concourse, Flinders Street Station, Melbourne. Opening hours are Monday through Thursday 7am–9pm, Friday 7am–1am, Saturday 8am–1am and Sunday 8am–9pm. For more info, visit clocksatflinders.com.au.
Vegans don't often hang around delis. Amid the luncheon meats, smoked salami and dried charcuterie, there's usually not a whole lot to entice non-animal nommers in the door. But things are about to change for vegan Melburnians and generally curious foodies alike, with the opening of a brand new vegan deli by the brains behind Smith & Daughters. Already a favourite vegan spot in Fitzroy, Smith & Daughters have been serving up Latin and Spanish-inspired vegan fare since opening in April 2014. At present, the eatery only do dinner Tuesday to Friday, brunch and dinner on weekends. But now co-owners Mo Wyse and Shannon Martinez have an opportunity to cover that weekday lunch market — with pre-prepared meals at their new spinoff, Smith & Deli. According to Good Food, the new Jewish American-style deli will open around the corner on Moor Street; serving up anything from lasagna to soup, bagels to lunchboxes, all-important coffee — whatever's going on the day. And all vegan. Apparently Martinez can even make vegan smoked salmon out of watermelon. Yep. What the actual. The new space will be takeway-only, so if you're looking to sit and enjoy the Smith & Daughters vegan-food-so-good-you-wouldn't-know-it-was-vegan experience, hit the deli for lunch and come back in time for dinner at the flagship. Find Smith & Deli at 111 Moor Street, Fitzroy, set to open at the end of April. Via Good Food. Image: Smith & Daughters.
