If your idea of wellness is about relaxing massages, baths and tailored self-care, you'll no doubt find yourself drawn to Melbourne's soon-to-launch spa, Sense of Self. Set to open on Collingwood's Easey Street this spring, the unconventional bathhouse will take a healthier — and more playful — take on self-restoration in an era where lots of people spend all day sitting at a desk and social media takes serious toll on body image. The space will have communal bathing facilities and a hammam-style steam room where you can do a DIY clay or body scrub, or just chill out for an hour or so. Other services wellness will be available, too, meaning you'll be able to book in for a massage or mindfulness class. And, unlike other day spas, Sense of Self is set to be relatively affordable — a place for regular self care, rather than a one-off. A founding membership will cost just $30 a week and includes unlimited bathing and access to the mindfulness spaces, as well as one free scrub per week. You can sign up for this pre-opening — the rate will be valid for six months and you can cancel at any time. [caption id="attachment_716109" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Freya Berwick and Mary Minas[/caption] The project is the brainchild of filmmaker Mary Minas and botanist Freya Berwick, who are trying to offer a 'no bullshit' approach to bathing and relaxation. It's inspired by traditional bathhouses from across the world, as experienced on Minas' own international jaunts. Meanwhile, Berwick is lending her talents to developing a line of organic mud and body products for use at the spa. "We wanted to challenge the existing wellness model with a new kind of experience, one that demonstrates wellbeing isn't about performance or beauty," says Minas. While the warehouse space is still under construction, it will be designed by an all-female team, with SetSquare Studio, Chamberlain Architects and Hearth Studios teaming up to deliver a striking space filled with rich, tactile materials. Sense of Self is set to open in spring on Easey Street, Collingwood. Founding memberships currently available for those who'd like to get in early. One of these will get you unlimited bathhouse access for $30 a week for the first six months, as well as a free weekly scrub, exclusive invites and the option of bringing a friend for free each week. We'll let you know when it's set to open.
This summer, your nearest beach will transform into an international food market. And it doesn't matter where you live — be it near St Kilda, Bondi or Broadbeach. How? As of now, Deliveroo, the food delivery service that transports tasty meals from your favourite eateries directly to your door, can travel to the sand. And, more specifically, right to your beach towel. That's right, next time you're sprawled out on the beach catching some rays and hunger pangs, you won't have to go anywhere. Jump on your phone, make your order and, somehow or other, your faithful Deliveroo driver will be at your side. Yes, this is going to be very, very interesting to watch on Bondi Beach on a stinking hot day in January when beachgoers number in the thousands and thousands. The food delivery app is now delivering to 150 beaches around the country, having recently launched its services in Hobart, the Sunshine Coast, Cairns and Newcastle. Deliveroo is now delivering to 150 beaches around the country. To see if it delivers to you, check your app.
Back in January, it was announced that Patricia Piccinini's fantastical Skywhale, the 34-metre-long inflatable art piece that has repeatedly captured the attention and the hearts of Australians, would be joined by a new floating companion. Skywhalepapa, Piccinini's new other-worldly creation, stands as tall as a ten-storey building and was unveiled to the public in the early hours of Sunday, February 7. Both Skywhale and Skywhalepapa were scheduled to take off from the National Gallery of Australia on Saturday, February 6 as part of the Skywhales: Every Heart Sings exhibition, however, that date was postponed to Sunday in hopes of better flying conditions. Unfortunately, come Sunday, weather conditions hadn't improved enough to allow the Skywhales to fly. Despite being unable to take off over Canberra, the pair of fantastical hot air balloons were inflated and able to float tethered in front of the gallery. The Skywhales will have future opportunity to fly in the sky on Monday, March 8 and Saturday, April 3, too, with free tickets to the second and third flights set to be released in coming weeks. These flights are running concurrently with a multimedia exhibition at the NGA that includes Piccinini's new children's book Every Heart Sings, which tells the story of the Skywhale family. Skywhale-inspired croissants made by Three Mills Bakery, an open-source Skywhale knitting pattern and a Skywhale song titled 'We Are the Skywhales' were also created alongside the exhibition. Following the March and April flights, the Skywhales are scheduled to go on tour, floating across the skies of Australia throughout 2021 and 22. The tour will kick off in Albury, NSW sometime in mid-April and will make it's way around to several states, providing more Australians with the opportunity to marvel at the enormous art projects. Skywhalepapa was created using 3.6 kilometres of fabric and features nine baby Skywhales, safely tucked beneath their father's fins. To learn more about the Skywhale family, you can purchase the book Every Heart Sings from the NGA website. Skywhales: Every Heart Sings will take place at the National Gallery of Australia, Parkes Place East, Parkes, ACT on Monday, March 8 and Saturday, April 3. For more information on the exhibition, visit the NGA website and follow the NGA on Twitter for regular updates on the Skywhales and on tickets to future events. Images: Skywhale 2013, Skywhalepapa 2020, Patricia Piccinini. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Copyright the artist.
Yep, we're back in lockdown, Melbourne. But having to stay home doesn't mean we need to take a culture break. Heaps of events, galleries, film festivals and architectural displays have transitioned to online — so you can enjoy it all in from the comfort of your home. Learn to draw like Dali, visit a famous New York art gallery and view Melbourne's best-loved buildings, all without leaving the couch. Australia's latest exhibitions are calling you, Melburnians, and all you have to do is click the link.
I’ve an Uncle Ivan is a free-wheeling rhyme children's book written and illustrated by the prodigious Ben Sanders. Described by Sanders as "Seuss meets Sasek", it's kind of like Shag decided to drive an ice cream van to a Cuban Jazz festival in the 1950s. Lamington Drive gallery, run by creative stable The Jacky Winter Group, is proudly hosting the book launch, accompanied by an exhibition of work by Sanders including new prints from the book on Saturday 6th April. The playful, nostalgic illustrations in I've An Uncle Ivan are reminiscent of an age of innocence in Sanders own life, when he first discovered the joys of his craft — he was just twelve when he completed his first paid job. Don't regret your own childhood spent eating dirt and shoving clag up your nose, it's never too late to discover your inner child and lamingtons are not a bad place to start. As well as sweetie treaties, expect looped-in conversations between illustrators, cartoonists, photographers and designers. Watch this and this to get you in the mood. Image credit Ben Sanders.
Melbourne is no stranger to new bars popping up, especially now we're steadfastly heading into 'spritzes in the sun' season. But, thanks to the weather's notorious unpredictability, there's still plenty of hiding from the outdoors to be done. For those occasions, new Flinders Lane space Trinket is ready and waiting. With a secret cellar bar and art deco vibes a-plenty, Trinket is the ideal hideaway to satisfy your escapist needs. And, to entice you further, it's holding a delightfully dark high tea. Every Saturday and Sunday afternoon, the bar will serve up 'boozy bites and dark delights' for $45 per person. With sweet treats matched to a cocktail of your choice, it'll be a masterclass in pairing food to drink that strays away from a traditional high tea. Sweet and savoury treats are included — think triple cheese cigars with ash aioli, black sesame macarons and espresso martini 'gaytime' pops — as is a glass of Champagne along with the cocktail options. Plus, throughout October and November, this dark high tea will be given a pink twist for breast cancer awareness. The treats will have a delightful touch of pink, as will the drinks (read: rose Champagne), with $5 from each booking donated to Breast Cancer Network Australia. Trinket's Dark Tea is available across two sittings: 12–2pm and 2.30–4.30pm, every Saturday and Sunday. To make a booking, visit the website.
When summertime comes around in Melbourne, there's no shortage of events and activities to keep you busy, but few are quite as popular as the Australian Open. This huge annual sporting event is a Melbourne mainstay, drawing huge crowds every year without fail. One of the biggest draw cards is Canadian Club's opening party. 2025 keeps the tradition alive, with a cracker of a DJ party set to kick things off — and we've got tickets and drink vouchers at the ready. Held at the Canadian Club Racquet Club on the AO Hilltop at Birrarung Marr, the launch party is set to open the Happy Slam with a bang — a bangin' soundtrack by The Jungle Giants' (DJ set) supported by Brooke Evers and Nite Theory on Sunday, January 12. This event is open to you and three mates thanks to this giveaway, as well as Rod Laver Arena tickets to an AO day session the following week on Sunday, January 19. That's not even all; since no VIP experience is complete without a meal, you'll get yours at The Bistro by Rockpool on-site before the match. If you're not the lucky winner of this prize pack, you've got good odds to be one of the winners who'll get seats at the opening party and over $200 worth of Canadian Club drink vouchers. The only way to find out is to enter below. [competition]983672[/competition]
Jurassic World: The Exhibition is a thing, and it's now in Melbourne. Based on the blockbuster film of the same name, the exhibition is making its world premiere at Melbourne Museum. The exhibit will feature incredibly life-like animatronic dinosaurs created by Melbourne locals, Creature Technology Company — the same team who developed the dinos for the Walking With Dinosaurs arena spectacular. So it's a good thing they're not real — because if you've seen at least one of the Jurassic Park films, you'd know that dinosaurs aren't always friendly. The exhibition instead gives you a chance to get up close and personal with the creatures in a unique and engaging way. "Visitors to [the exhibition] will get an unprecedented opportunity to be in close proximity to the most amazing creatures to have ever roamed the earth," says Sonny Tilders, creative director at the Creature Technology Company. Jack Horner, one of the film's paleontological advisors (or, Official Dinosaur Guy), is working with the exhibition to make sure that it's both educational and fun. Visitors both young and old will be able to learn more about these prehistoric creatures without having to pore over a dry textbook. Gone are the days of boring museum presentations. Now you can learn about dinosaurs from interactive and theatrical exhibits that might scare your pants off at the same time. This unique experience allows you to experience the events of the film, without having to travel to reception-less Isla Nublar with its dubious emergency protocol. Jurassic Park: The Exhibition features encounters with the realistic life-size dinosaurs, so we can only assume that there will be thousands of people taking pictures pretending to be velociraptor-whisperer, Owen Grady, doing some 'Prattkeeping'.
'Survival Day', 'Australia Day', and 'Invasion Day': these are just a few of the ways Australia's annual national holiday has been characterised. Holding a public holiday and national celebration on January 26 is understandably controversial: it marks the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, when Indigenous Australians were dispossessed of lands they had inhabited for tens of thousands of years previously. However, it is still a public holiday, so we've put together a list of ways you can spend your day off. ATTEND A RALLY Rallies addressing concerns from the date of Australia's national celebration to broader issues faced by Indigenous Australians, such as the treatment of juveniles in prison, are set to happen in major cities across the country. In Melbourne, an Invasion Day rally has been organised. It will start at 11am on the steps of Parliament House to lay flower in memory of Indigenous ancestors before marching through the CBD. HIT UP A FESTIVAL Belgrave Survival Day is one of greater Melbourne's major January 26 events. Held in Borthwick Park, Belgrave each year, the festival encourages Melburnians to "engage and learn the true the history of this country and its Indigenous peoples". This year marks the festival's tenth anniversary, and will feature a heap of stalls, stories, damper-making workshops, didgeridoo meditation and music, hip hop and dance performances. The alcohol-free event will be on from 12–4.30pm with free entry, and they have a shuttle running from Belgrave Station. Closer to the city, the annual Share the Spirit Festival will once again return to the Treasury Gardens with a whole day of Aboriginal dance, culture and music across two stages. You'll also find a huge food truck and arts festival happening at Coburg Velodrome, with the Hottest 100 countdown, music from local band Vaudeville Smash, and food from Messina, Taco Truck, Pierogi Pierogi and even gluten-free gnocchi truck Ardor. To cap it all off, they'll also be screening The Castle from 8.30pm. [caption id="attachment_607258" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Shimmerlands by Hayley Benoit[/caption] WATCH A CLASSIC AUSTRALIAN FILM Want to watch an Aussie classic on Australia Day? Ozflix, the first video-on-demand service dedicated to Australian films, will launch at 6pm on January 26 with a pay-per-view library of around 250 titles. With approximately 2000 Aussie-made films in existence, the streaming platform aims to become a one-stop-shop for local movies. "We are committed to making each and every Australian feature film available," says Ozflix CEO Ron V. Brown, who has been involved in the Australian screen industry since the 1970s. That includes the first works crafted in the 1900s, the newest releases, and everything from Newsfront to Strictly Ballroom, The Castle, Ten Canoes, Wolf Creek, 52 Tuesdays, Samson and Delilah and The Dressmaker. Of course, Stan and Netflix have their fair share of Aussie content too. Want to get out in that balmy Aussie air and see a newer local blockbuster instead? Moonlight Cinema is showing Red Dog: True Blue, Rooftop Cinema is screening Nick Cave doco One More Time With Feeling, Cameo will show Moonlight and new film Spear — which tells the story of young Aboriginal man Djali and is directed by Bangarra Dance Company's Stephen Page — will be showing at Shimmerlands. [caption id="attachment_607257" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Abbotsford Convent[/caption] FIND THE BEST PICNIC SPOT IN THE CITY Gather your crew or call up your best bud and have yourself a picnic to end all picnics. Melbourne's home to a bountiful array of perfect picnic and balmy barbecue spots, from bays and beaches, national parks to foreshores. Check out these fabulous Melbourne BYO barbecue locations and picnic plots (including Abbotsford Convent above). Australian barbecue is a big deal, and though Aussies may be known for their sizzling cooking technique, we by no means limit ourselves to the standard backyard barbecue nosh. Melburnians are lucky enough to be surrounded by barbecue styles from around the world, from slow-cooked Texan barbecue to Korean-style to Japanese yakitori to Brazilian churrasco — so hunt down a recipe and celebrate Australia's cultural cornucopia of cuisine on your own hotplate. These quick barbecue recipe from Three Blue Ducks might help. BRUSH UP ON YOUR AUSTRALIAN HISTORY January 26 is supposed to be about celebrating Australia, so it's good to know how we got to where we are now. Start your education by visiting the Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre at Melbourne Museum — they're currently showing First Peoples, an exhibition that brings together Indigenous stories, culture, identity objects and images. It was created with the Yulendj Group, a group of Elders and community members from across Victoria. If you're feeling more present-minded, check out ABC Radio National's podcast 'The Real Thing', a "podcast in search of the real Australia" highlighting individual people and stories. And if you're feeling in need of a laugh after all that, head to the Malthouse's Reconciliation Comedy Gala. Emceed by Judith Lucy and Uncle Jack Charles, it'll feature a who's who of Aussie comedians raising money for the City of Yarra's Stolen Generations Marker project. Expect plenty of laughs — some of them fairly uncomfortable — as a roster of funny folk tackle the furore around our divisive national day. SEE A BUNCH OF SMUG DACHSHUNDS DRESSED UP We're not sure why January 26 is the day the NGV decided to throw a dachshund fashion parade, but it's supremely welcome all the same. Taking over the NGV's Great Hall from midday, this pup parade is 'technically' for 'kids', but anyone can head along to see the four-legged fashionistas show off their threads for free. The whole dog thing is a homage to three dog-lovers being celebrated in NGV's hottest summer exhibitions — David Hockney (Current), and design duo Viktor & Rolf (Fashion Artists).
UPDATE, June 23: Due to the unsurprisingly overwhelming demand for tickets, a handful of new dates have just been added to The Presets' tour, with new shows bound for Torquay, Sydney, Melbourne and Fremantle. This article has been updated to reflect that change. See the full list of dates below for all the details. When you've spent two decades doing something you love, turning it into a career and enjoying phenomenal success with it, you're allowed to get nostalgic about how things began. Back in February, The Presets did just that, returning to the Sydney venue where they started out for a one-night-only rave-cave gig. The Club 77 club set clearly struck a chord with Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes, so much so that it's no longer a once-off. Across more than 20 shows, the duo will be taking things back to where they all began again, playing small clubs and bars around the country from July–October. The tour is set to kick off in Victoria, then head through Queensland and pinball between New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory, too. So, fans can catch The Presets at venues such as Frankston's Pier Bandroom, Friday's Riverside in Brisbane, Magnums Hotel in Airlie Beach and the Dee Why RSL in Sydney. If you've seen the duo bust out their festival sets across Australia and the world, or their audiovisual-heavy own solo shows, that isn't what you're in for this time around. "We've been lucky enough to play the biggest stages and festivals in the world over the past 20 years," explains Moyes, announcing the tour. "But nothing compares to the buck-wild intensity of an intimate party. They are an entirely different beast and we can't wait to unleash over these 20 nights." "DJing in small clubs is a whole different experience to performing our usual live show on the big stage with the lights and visuals and things like that," adds Hamilton. "It is more freewheeling and immediate — we feed off the energy of the crowd, weaving our own tracks in with classic jams by our favourite artists. So it's a 20 years celebration of not only our music, but also all the incredible tunes that inspire us. Plus we get a chance to throw in a few unreleased surprises too." Expect hits from The Presets' hefty back catalogue, tracks you've never heard before and also different handpicked special guests each night. Who'll join the duo is yet to be revealed. As well as celebrating where their time as The Presets began, plus giving tracks like 'My People', 'Are You the One?', 'This Boy's in Love' and 'Talk Like That' a whirl, the aim is to make each night a completely different experience. Go hard then go home, obviously. THE PRESETS DJ TOUR: 20 YEARS. 20 NIGHTS. Thursday, July 13 — Torquay Hotel, Torquay — NEW Friday, July 14 — Village Green Hotel, Mulgrave — SOLD OUT Saturday, July 15 — Pier Bandroom, Frankston — SOLD OUT Thursday, July 20 — Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Friday, July 21 — Friday's Riverside, Brisbane — SOLD OUT Saturday, July 22 — Kings Beach Tavern, Caloundra — SOLD OUT Friday, July 28 — Burleigh Bazaar, Gold Coast Saturday, July 29 — C.EX, Coffs Harbour Friday, August 4 — Shoal Bay Country Club, Shoal Bay Saturday, August 5 — Drifters Wharf, Central Coast — SOLD OUT Thursday, August 10 — Gilligan's, Cairns Friday, August 11 — Kirwan Tavern (outdoors), Townsville Saturday, August 12 — Magnums Hotel, Airlie Beach Friday, August 18 — Beer Deluxe, Albury Saturday, August 19 — Torquay Hotel, Torquay — SOLD OUT Friday, August 25 — UOW Uni Bar, Wollongong — SOLD OUT Saturday, August 26 — Kambri Anu, Canberra Wednesday, August 30 — The Station, Perisher Thursday, August 31 — Miranda Hotel, Sydney — NEW Friday, September 1 — Miranda Hotel, Sydney — SOLD OUT Saturday, September 2 — Dee Why RSL, Sydney — SOLD OUT Sunday, September 3 — Dee Why RSL, Sydney — NEW Sunday, September 7 — The Espy, Melbourne — NEW Saturday, September 9 — Monsoons, Darwin Saturday, September 16 - The Espy, Melbourne — SOLD OUT Saturday, October 21 — Freo Social, Fremantle — NEW The Presets are touring Australia from July–October 2023. For more information and tickets, head to their website. Top image: Ben Sullivan.
Vintage clothes + proceeds going to disadvantaged women = perfection. Dear Gladys is a not-for-profit shop that supports Fitted for Work, an organisation which supports women in hardship to secure employment through mentoring, interview preparation, outfitting, work experience opportunities and much more. This Friday, July 1, Dear Gladys will be expanding its online stock and holding a pop-up store at QV Women's Centre Melbourne. This is your chance to snap up some super cute vintage outfits and homewares while supporting a worthwhile cause. Not only will the online stock be available, but there's extra goodies and sale items being thrown in as well. Swooooon. The clothes are glorious (dibs on this.....and this), the homewares are adorable (seriously stop it), and the deals are so good you'd almost be losing money if you didn't go. Plus, it's supporting those who need it, so you have zero excuses not to check it out. Happy shopping!
Port Melbourne's venues have undergone many transformations over the years, but perhaps none more so than number nine Waterfront Place. The venue, which sits squat alongside the Spirit of Australia ferry terminal, was the first to move into the area 15 years ago. Since then, the restaurant has undergone many conceptual changes at the hand of its original owners, who still look after the site today. Noom Duck is its most recent reincarnation. And while still in its infancy at just under a month old, this newest development shows a lot of promise and room to grow. They've nabbed ex-Chin Chin chef Steven Ngo chef to head the kitchen — which should tell you a lot about their intentions — and create a menu that places classic and modern Asian-style dishes alongside the staples expected of a traditional seafood restaurant, without necessarily blurring lines between the two. For example, there's the tour de force seafood platter for two ($85 per person), but you can also order a no-frills serve of butter chicken. But the menu really excels when the kitchen turns a knife to reinvent ingredients that have become somewhat naff in Asian cooking. Barramundi breathes again as a fish cake ($24.50), thanks to thin and freshly sliced green apple, cabbage, mint and crushed peanuts and a refreshing sweet pork salad. A crispy fried half duck ($36) is well rendered, dry where it's meant to be and moist where it counts. It's a strong choice if you're sharing, and is served with a ginger nuoc cham dipping sauce, banana blossom, shallot and fried chilli salad. Coconut sago with vanilla bean ice cream ($12.50), topped with crunchy toasted coconut, fresh fruit and a miso caramel sauce is ambitious. And while you feel the sauce is neither perfectly miso or caramel, it's a clear winner for dessert and really rounds out Noom Duck's best hand. Fresh, quality ingredients served both confidently and boldly is what Noom Duck do best. And with a little time to refine their offering (and perhaps sharpen their culinary message), Noom Duck looks to be a seaside summer hotspot if it can rise to its obvious potential.
Winter isn't just the frosty season, or woolly clothes season, or igloos-popping-up-at-every-bar season. It isn't simply soup season, roast season or mulled wine season, either. It's also prime hot chocolate season, not that there's ever a bad time to sip warm cups of cocoa. Only winter brings Australia's dedicated Hot Chocolate Festival, however. An annual favourite running for the entire month of August — yes, from Tuesday, August 1–Thursday, August 31 — this festival is held across three locations: the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie, the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie and the Mornington Peninsula Chocolaterie. While that's excellent news for Victorians, the fest also does an at-home component, sending out its flavours nationwide. And there are flavours — 31 of them, in fact, all ranging far beyond just swapping milk chocolate for dark or white chocolate. The festival's concept is 31 hot chocolate flavours over 31 days, with different varieties on offer each week in-person. The trio of chocolate havens only tease parts of the full list in advance, but this year's includes a nod to Barbie via a pink-infused hot chocolate, as well as an Iced Vovo hot chocolate that features chocolate iced doughnuts for dunking. Or, you can sip on a poached pear and hazelnut version, a dulce de leche churros hot chocolate and a Biscoff hedgehog variety. The Happy Vegemite hot chocolate includes handcrafted caramel koalas to dip, then enjoy the melty goodness. And the Harry Potter-inspired hot choc has a chocolate wand for doing the same. Other flavours come topped with waffles or pretzels, and there's even a puppachino carob iteration so that your dog can join in. This fest gets boozy, too. In 2023, that's happening via the salted caramel espresso martini hot chocolate, plus a dark chocolate variety called French Connection that features red, white and blue balls filled with cognac. And yes, the demand for these limited-edition hot chocs is hefty, with more than 6000 usually created across the three chocolateries per year. Each hot chocolate is made with hot couverture chocolate in dark, milk, white, ruby or caramel, then served with a giant handcrafted marshmallow. For those heading along physically, each site also does tasting sessions for $24, which lets you not only sample eight hot chocolates, but pick from 50-plus ingredients to create three hot chocolate spoons to take home. Images: A Myszka.
YouTube's latest push to bump up revenue will see Google parent company Alphabet Inc. introduce a paid music service of its own, rivalling the likes of Apple Music and Spotify. According to Bloomberg Technology, the service, dubbed Remix, could be available from as early as March next year. It's suggested that YouTube is currently in talks with the big guns at Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, as well as independent music digital rights agency Merlin. YouTube pulls more than one billion users each month, and while its music videos are the ones that get the most hits, the site has long copped criticism for giving away those tunes for nothing. All that free content means little compensation for record companies and artists. It's far from Google's first foray into the music-streaming biz, with Google Play Music launching in 2011, and YouTube Red (formerly YouTube Music Key) offering ad-free videos to subscribers. But while neither have these have proved all that successful, the soon-to-launch Remix will play things a little differently, expected to incorporate both YouTube-style videos and on-demand streaming, a la Spotify. If you regularly use YouTube to listen to songs and mixes, this could drastically change that. Stay tuned and we'll let you know when it lands. Via Bloomberg Technology.
Hump Day can feel especially tough when the winter chill descends on Melbourne. However, the good news is that the much-loved Brunswick East restaurant Etta has a new special that will have you looking forward to the middle of the week, even when the temperature drops. Every Wednesday throughout winter, Etta Head Chef Lorcán Kan will serve his renowned coconut curry laksa in the front bar for $30. Featuring an aromatic broth brimming with lemongrass, garlic, makrut lime, galangal and chilli, the dish sees egg and rice noodles combine with house-made golden tofu, fresh herbs and punchy Nonya sambal. Plus, this winter-warming laksa is served with a deep-fried school prawn lok-lok skewer. Inspired by classic Malaysian street-food vendors, there are more lok-lok options to explore for $8 each, such as house-made fish balls of flame tail snapper, arrowhead squid brushed in sambal and cooked over hot coals, and woodfired satay curry-marinated chicken. If you're keen to experience this midweek special, don't wait to make a booking. Kan and the kitchen are producing just 20 serves each Wednesday, so make sure you get your plans in order to slurp down this bowl of goodness.
Big things come in small packages at the St Kilda Film Festival, Australia's oldest and most prestigious celebration of short-form cinema. Taking over the beachside suburb from 17–26 May, the festival program is as jam-packed as ever, with films of every conceivable genre along with a VR lineup, filmmaking resources and a whopping $50,000 prize pool. As always, the centrepiece of the festival is Australia's Top 100 Short Films. The competition is split into 16 different sessions — spread across the ten days — including two documentary streams and an intriguing "after dark" contingent. Highlights from the lineup are The Story, which was filmed in St Kilda and centres on a man that witnesses an emergency; a film about four women in a futuristic Australia, called Cooee; and Mrs McCutcheon, the story of a 10-year-old boy who likes to wear dresses and go by the name of Mrs McCutcheon. Other program standouts include the annual SoundKILDA Music Video Competition, a selection of Latin American shorts presented in partnership with Mexico's Guanajuato International Film Festival, and the Under the Radar, which showcases films from emerging filmmakers under the age of 21. The festival is also home to The Big Picture, one of the country's largest free filmmaker development programs, where attendees can pick up tips of the trade from leading industry professionals on everything from working with actors to making a movie on your smartphone. While the festival's flashy opening night will take place at the grand Palais Theatre, the rest of the program will be screened at St Kilda Town Hall. St Kilda Film Festival will run from Thursday, May 17 to Saturday, May 26. To snag tickets head to stkildafilmfestival.com.au.
Forget the idea that Port Fairy is a purely summery destination. The small town on the Princes Highway may be best known for its beach — but thanks to their annual winter festivities there's still plenty to do when it gets chilly. From art installations and photography exhibitions to markets and toy-making workshops — plus the feverishly anticipated Dachshund Dash that attracts more than 2000 spectators — Port Fairy Winter Weekends are well worth the drive down the coast. Taking place every second weekend throughout June and July, Winter Weekends will showcase a mix of food, wine, art, culture… and sausage dogs. Did we mention the sausage dogs? They'll be pumping their tiny, adorable legs on Sunday, June 10 — although not before a dog's breakfast and the grand doggo parade. Other standout events include a Pulp Fiction-themed party, a nature walk and talk, 'hot pizza and cold jazz' at the Wishart Gallery, and ghost tours on Saturday nights. Anyone willing to brave the early morning cold can also take part in the Winter Solstice Dawn Swim first thing on Saturday, June 23. Port Fairy Winter Weekends will run on June 8–10, June 22–24, July 6–8 and July 20–22. Image: Loren Tuck.
The idea behind The Lume was always a stunner, giving Australia its first permanent digital-only art gallery. When the Melbourne venue started welcoming in patrons in 2021, it lived up to its immersive, multi-sensory promise, initially with a spectacular Van Gogh exhibition that let visitors feel like they were walking right into the artist's work, and then with the French impressionism-focused Monet & Friends Alive. The next showcase set to grace the site's agenda has those past shows beat, however, heroing First Nations art and music. When Connection opens on Friday, June 23, it'll feature more than 110 Indigenous visual and musical artists in a dazzling fashion. At this Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre gallery, the art gracing its walls tower over patrons, with the space filled with large-scale digital pieces. And Connection will be full thanks to more than 550 works — digitals and originals alike. Set to feature: art by Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Tommy Watson, Anna Pitjara, Lin Onus, Sarrita King, Kate Constantine, Wayne Qulliam, Clifford, Gabriella and Michelle Possum Nungurrayi, and many more, in a walk-through exhibition that'll present its pieces through the themes of land, water and sky Country. Their work will score a soundtrack by Yothu Yindi, Archie Roach, Emily Wurramara, Gurrumul, Alice Skye, Baker Boy and others, plus composers such as William Barton. Grande Experiences, the company behind The Lume and its touring exhibitions — Van Gogh Alive made its way around Australia, and Monet in Paris is about to do the same from June — says that Connection will boast the largest representation of First Peoples art and culture ever assembled. It'll span over 3000 square metres, and its remit is just as sizeable: highlighting pieces by past and present artists, and surveying the entire country and Torres Strait. Shining a spotlight on emerging talents while showing their work alongside their inspirations is another key mission. "The technology Connection uses breaks down a lot of barriers to entry," says Constantine, a Gadigal artist of the Eora Nation. "A lot of people like Aboriginal art because it is colourful or pretty, but a lot of people are quite challenged by Aboriginal art too, by not knowing or understanding how to interpret it or not feeling like they have permission to be involved. Connection is just so inclusive." "I see Connection as this beautiful collection of storytellers sharing our culture with the world the way that our ancestors have taught us to do," adds Professor Wayne Quilliam, a NAIDOC Indigenous Artist of the Year, who is contributing digital storytelling via drone, photography and art to the exhibition. If it sounds familiar, that's because a smaller version premiered at the National Museum of Australia in 2022, with Grande Experiences joining forces with the Canberra gallery. Connection also benefits from an advisory panel featuring Constantine, Quilliam, King, Aboriginal art specialist Adam Knight, the National Museum's lead Indigenous curator and academic Margo Ngawa Neale, arts executive Rhoda Roberts AO, and designer and film producer Alison Page. Fingers crossed that Connection takes its show on the road, too, after thoroughly wowing The Lume. Connection opens at The Lume, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, 5 Convention Centre Place, South Wharf, Melbourne, on Friday, June 23 — head to the venue's website for tickets and further information.
Nick Stanton, Guy Bentley, Mark Catsburg and Jon Harper made a splash with their much-loved South Yarra diner Ramblr...and even more of a splash when they announced its sudden closure earlier this year. But the Chapel Street space has just scored a fitting successor, reincarnated as the guys' latest venture, Leo's By The Slice. New sibling to fellow hits Leonards House of Love and Leonardo's Pizza Palace, the Chapel Street restaurant is an ode to the classic pizza slice shops of New York City. And, while it might share some DNA and name inspiration with the rest of the stable, Leo's is proving it's very much its own animal. In front, expect a cosy space that nods to the takeaway joints and Pizza Huts of your childhood, complete with familiar red laminate benchtops, chequered floors and group-friendly booths. Beyond, lies a moody back bar where you'll happily find yourself shooting pool and kicking back over a few post-pizza craft brews. [caption id="attachment_738002" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kate Shanasy[/caption] The menu is a short, sweet and simple lineup of eight pizzas, available only by the hot, cheesy slice. But don't go expecting anything too similar to that of Carlton sibling Leonardo's – here, it's all about that authentic New York-style pie, crisp-edged and pliable. You'll find the likes of a classic pepperoni, a loaded meatlovers and even plant-based options including the vegan Chinese bolognese (a nod to an old Ramblr signature). Swing by at lunch (12–4pm) and you can team a slice of margherita with a can of Grifter beer for an easy $9.99. The drinks lineup is concise, but interesting, with craft beers, natural wines and easy-drinking cocktails. A vending machine has more brews, alongside a tidy range of Leo's merch. Find Leo's by The Slice at 363 Chapel Street, South Yarra. It's open Wednesday–Sunday, 5pm–midnight. Images: Kate Shanasy
Take a trip through Melbourne’s past, present and future in the only show at the Comedy Festival in which getting hit by a tram is a legitimate possibility. A historical walking tour of the CBD hosted by a giant, talking, anthropomorphic penguin, Xavier Toby’s When We Were Idiots probably isn’t the funniest show you’ll see this festival season, but scores major points for thinking outside the box. Ticket-holders meet their flightless tour-guide in front of the Burke and Wills statue on the corner of Collins and Swanston Street. After handing out high-vis safety vests, he launches into his pitch: the year is 2114 — an enlightened era in which everything is recycled and all tools of warfare have been replaced with hilarious alternatives. The one exception to this global utopia is Melbourne, lost a century prior beneath a mountain of coffee cups and hipsters. Uncovered by future archaeologists, the city exists now only as a testament to the stupidity of the past. That and a way for an enterprising penguin to make a buck. Why Toby is dressed like penguin is one of the many vaguely surreal things about When We Were Idiots, an experience that definitely works best if you embrace its fly-by-the-pants format. Strolling at a brisk pace along Swanston Street. before taking a left turn into Bourke Street Mall, punters are treated to morsels of popular trivia about Melbourne’s original settlement, along with outlandish anecdotes from the 22nd century and jabs at contemporary politics and pop culture. At the same time, participants are actively encouraged to engage with the members of the public, who Toby insists are simply actors he has employed in the service of his elaborate tour. Special points are offered to anyone who can steal a policeman’s gun. “If you get into trouble, tell them the giant Penguin told you to do it,” Toby says. “That should clear everything right up.” Unfortunately, even more so than in a regular live show, there are certain factors outside of Toby’s control. These might include but are not limited to: noisy streets, the B.O. and/or chain-smoking habits of your fellow festival-goers or, worst of all, someone in the audience who thinks they’re the comedian (shout out to Damo: you’re a total fucking wanker). Nevertheless, for those looking for less traditional options this Comedy Festival, When We Were Idiots is a thoroughly entertainingly experience. There’s also a free beer coaster in it for you at the end, so really, how could you go wrong? For more coverage of the 2014 Melbourne International Comedy Festival check our regularly updated festival diary.
For the past five years, Qantas has been promising to eradicate one of the worst things about international long-haul air travel to and from Australia: the dreaded stopover. First, it announced and then implemented non-stop 17-hour flights from Perth to London; however if you live on the east coast, you still have to get to Western Australia. So, the airline revealed that it was exploring direct routes from Sydney, not only to London but to New York as well, with a launch date of 2022. Since then, Qantas has been pursuing the idea enthusiastically, widening their plan to also include departures to and from Melbourne and Brisbane. This weekend, the Aussie carrier is taking the next step by piloting its first ultra long-haul research flight from New York to Sydney. Initially announced a couple of months back, it's the first trial as part of the airline's Project Sunrise scheme. It's also the first flight by a commercial airline to ever make the huge 19.5-hour journey — and will use a Boeing 787-9 to soar the 16,200 kilometres, all with 50 passengers and crew on board. While the Boeing 787-9 hasn't been designed for such a mammoth trek, when it departs New York's John F Kennedy Airport at 9pm on Friday, October 18 New York time (midday in Sydney on Saturday, October 19), it'll do so with a maximum fuel contingent, a restricted passenger and baggage load, and no cargo. Indeed, almost half of the flight's weight will be fuel, and it's expected to use all but 6000 kilograms of its 101,000 kilogram load during the trip. No members of the public are making the voyage, though, with the flight's passengers comprised of crew and Qantas employees. Given that the aim of the journey is to gather data about inflight passenger and crew health and wellbeing, they'll be fitted with wearable technology devices to monitor their monitor sleep patterns, food and beverage consumption, physical movement and use of the entertainment system during the flights. The results will then be assessed by scientists and medical experts from the Charles Perkins Centre, with minimising jetlag, and helping identify optimum crew rest and work patterns part of their research. The flight's four pilots will also take part in studies, working with CRC for Alertness, Safety and Productivity researchers to record their melatonin levels before, during and after the flights, as well as their brain wave patterns and alertness — again, to help ascertain the best work and rest routine when they're commanding those long-haul services. While spending nearly a day on one single plane to get to the USA or Europe is definitely better than jumping on and off different vessels multiple times, it's still a seriously long slog. Yes, you'll avoid the sometimes long, always painful stopovers, but the lengthy journey isn't without its physical, mental and emotional toll — as anyone who has made the Perth to London trip knows — which is what makes this testing so important. Two more trail flights are planned in November and December, including one that'll travel direct between London and Sydney. That trek has actually been made before; however the last time the latter happened was back in 1989, when Qantas made the journey on a Boeing 747-400 with just 23 people onboard. Qantas is expected to announce whether Project Sunrise will progress to making commercial flights, rather than just trial flights, by the end of December 2019. If it proceeds, it'll eclipse the current record for the world's longest direct flight — which clocks in at over 19 hours on Singapore Airlines' 15,322-kilometre Singapore-to-New York route. Image: Qantas.
UPDATE: AUGUST 12, 2020 — Cannoleria is currently offering its ricotta-filled treats — including DIY cannoli kits — for pickup from some of its stores, as well as delivery across most of metro Melbourne. To order, head over here. Fans of cannoli rejoice, because Melbourne is home to a massive dedicated cannoli factory by way of the Cannoleria crew. Yep, the much-loved dessert producer has moved into spacious new digs at Heidelberg West, setting up shop a couple of suburbs away from sibling company That's Amore Cheese. The space means there's a whole lot more room — 500 square metres, to be exact — for the team to pump out those signature Sicilian sweet treats, featuring crunchy pastry tubes piped full of fresh ricotta. The factory expansion comes as demand for Cannoleria's cult Italian treats continues to boom, with people flocking to get their mitts on the all-natural, preservative-free desserts. The group's got four other popular retail stores under its belt — at South Melbourne Market, Preston Market, Watergardens Shopping Centre and Highpoint Shopping Centre — in addition to regular pop-ups and a catering arm. As well as allowing Cannoleria to up production, the factory allows for even more experimentation, too. There are also plans to open an on-site eatery, which'll serve up lunches, coffee and, of course, plenty of that freshly-made cannoli. We'll be sure to keep you posted.
Masters of putting unlikely things together, Ikea, have kicked off a smart design initiative to connect thousands of homeless dogs with potential families. Shelters are overcrowded and homestarters want that little extra addition to their pad, so the US-based Animal Lovers League and Singapore's Save Our Street Dogs have teamed up with the Swedish furniture giants for a very simple marketing project. Dubbed Home for Hope, the campaign uses the ol' cardboard cut out routine in the best possible way. Home renovators wander through Ikea displays picturing every thoughtfully-placed item in their own abodes (we've all entertained 'friends' around an Ikea display kitchen once, right?), a state of mind the furniture heavyweights are harnessing with life-size cardboard cut outs of the adoptable dogs merrily chillin' out in the lounge room. Customers visualise themselves 'completing their home' with throw rugs, patterned curtains and kitchen blackboards, then attach the same sentiment to a scruffy little face. https://youtube.com/watch?v=tBka2eF4OAI Ikea's team headed to the involved shelters, photographed the homeless pooches and created life-size cardboard cut outs of legends like Momo, Lady and Pampam. Then the team went to work, perching the 'dogs' on lounge chairs, begging at dinner tables, snuggling at the end of beds. Shoppers can scan the QR codes on the cardboard dogs' collars to register their interest in adoption, with each scruffy mutt having their own bio and individual video on the Home for Hope website (watching dogs have their own photoshoots is actually The Best Thing Ever). Alongside Ikea, Home for Hope will work with other big furniture players like Grafunkt, Foundry, Commune, Journey East and Noden Collective. The idea was borne from a lack of budget and a subsequent need to market the poor pooches creatively. "Home for Hope was borne out of a pressing issue," the foundation says. "With a limited budget, most animal shelters can only afford to voice their messages using social media. Problem is, their followers are pet lovers, and most already own pets. Hence, adoption rates are low." Via Fast Co.Design.
It’s hard to imagine something more topical to Melbourne than a piece about weather. Raging winds, blinding rain, glorious sunshine: who knows which, or indeed how many, of these you’ll get on your way to the theatre this Melbourne Festival but you can expect them all to be represented on stage in the latest work from renowned Australian choreographer Lucy Guerin. Exploring humanity’s relationship to the elements, Weather is Guerin’s first pure dance piece in a while, as opposed to the dance / theatre blend in many of her recent works. Her troupe will be performing at maximum intensity and it can’t be any less than spectacular. With a score by Oren Ambarchi and set design by the acclaimed Robert Cousins, it also represents a perfect storm of creative talent. Audiences can rightly expect to be blown away when Weather’s world premiere hits the Malthouse this week.
Making its home on Collingwood's bustling Smith Street, co-working space Worksmith is focused on what the area does best — food and bev. In fact, it's specifically designed for those working in the industry and is set up to empower talented Australians, allowing a creative space for their professional development in the hospitality scene. Co-founded by hospo heavy hitter Michael Bascetta (Bar Liberty, Attica, Capitano) and his childhood friend Roscoe Power (a property development and construction specialist), the duo wanted to create a space that "encourages collaboration without limitation." "We've seen [Growth Assembly] bring together amazing talent, nurture friendships and provide a platform to inspire, learn and support one another within the industry," says Bascetta. "Worksmith takes it one step further by putting those amazing values into practice, every day." Launched in February this year, Worksmith supports its members by creating a community of collaborative spaces, industry events and member projects. In addition to 65 desks, as well as meeting rooms and a podcasting studio, Worksmith boasts an eleven-metre bar pumping out craft beers by partner Moon Dog and an event space that caters for up to 100 people. It'll soon open a fully-equipped commercial kitchen with a La Marzocco espresso machine. Membership ranges from a 24-hour day pass ($40) to a 'resident' ($690 per month) — the latter of which includes a permanent desk, 24/7 access, unlimited internet, coffee by local partner Square One, Unico Zelo wine, brews from a beer vending machine, a locker, bike storage and invites to all social events. Bascetta is also backed by other big wig founding members, including three-time Sommelier of the Year Banjo Harris Plane (The Wine Gallery, Attica, Bar Liberty) and Dave Kerr (The Beaufort), along with international pickup Luke Whearty (Operation Dagger, Singapore). And, in terms of members, the space has already attracted the likes of drink companies Four Pillars, Marionette and Archie Rose, plus start-ups such as posBoss, Dish app, Feastively, HoppApp, The Humble Dumpling and Eighteen Thousand Islands. The team is also looking to expand — both within Melbourne, thanks to its popularity over the past six months, as well as interstate. Find Worksmith at 450 Smith Street, Collingwood. To learn more, visit its website.
Melbourne Design Week is back for 2025, and for its ninth edition, the city's biggest celebration of design and design thinking will be bringing over 350 events to locations statewide. Taking place between Thursday, May 15–Sunday, May 25, the event will present both high-concept ideas and hands-on experiences across architecture, lighting, furniture, publishing, sport and beyond. Most events are free to enter — meaning that whether you're a design die-hard or just keen for something interesting to do on the weekend, you'll have the opportunity to explore the city in a whole new way. Highlights include 100 Lights, which will see North Melbourne's Meat Market Stables be transformed into a glowing gallery of contemporary lighting by 100 artists and makers, with table lamps, pendants and wall lights that showcase both function and cutting-edge form. [caption id="attachment_1001833" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Sibling Architecture[/caption] Another fascinating display is Sibling Architecture's Deep Calm, a thought-provoking exhibition that explores how design can support neurodivergent people with a soothing showcase of weighted sofas and tactile rugs. Elsewhere, the Boyd Baker House in Bacchus Marsh will host A New Normal, which presents ideas by 12 Melbourne architects that aim to make the city self-sufficient by 2030. The program also includes must-see retrospectives by two legends of Australian design: lighting designer Volker Haug and furniture designer Trent Jansen, who are both marking 20 years in the game. Melbourne Design Week 2025 also features exhibitions exploring the sustainable reuse of timber from urban trees, typography shows, memorial-making workshops, curated book pop-ups, and, as part of Open House Melbourne, a two-day symposium that delves into the architecture, places, issues and practices associated with the end of life. Meanwhile, the NGV will be the focal point of Melbourne Art Book Fair, with over 100 publishers setting up in the Great Hall with a special focus on Southeast Asian designers. There'll also be free kids' storytime sessions led by local children's book authors under Yayoi Kusama's towering Dancing Pumpkin sculpture in Federation Court. [caption id="attachment_1001839" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Volker Haug, Fire Trees[/caption] And if you've ever wanted to shoot hoops with a furniture designer, you're in luck — this year's program includes a two-on-two basketball tournament for designers and design enthusiasts at a Reko Rennie-painted court in Cremorne. [caption id="attachment_1001872" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Peter Bennetts, March Studio x Reko Rennie[/caption] Top image: Alex Lark.
2020 didn't bring much that sparked joy, but it did let Sydneysiders wander through a large-scale, multi-sensory Vincent van Gogh exhibition that projected Dutch master's works onto walls, columns and floors. In 2021, art lovers will be able to repeat the feat, this time with a heap of French Impressionist masterpieces — because Monet & Friends — Life, Light & Colour is heading to town from March. The idea behind Monet & Friends is the same as its predecessor. It stems from the same team as well. As you wander around the Royal Hall of Industries in Moore Park from Friday, March 12, you'll feast more than just your eyes on huge projections of Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne and Edgar Degas' work. Light, colour, sound and fragrance are also all part of the exhibition, which is designed to make you feel as if you're walking right into the hefty array of paintings. The list of 19th- and early 20th-century artists showcased goes on, too, including Édouard Manet, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Berthe Morisot, Alfred Sisley and Mary Cassatt. Also featured are Gustave Caillebotte, Armand Guillaumin and Henri-Edmond Cross, plus Paul Signac and Georges Seurat. Once more, the project is the brainchild of Melbourne-based Grande Exhibitions, which, for the past 16 years, has hosted immersive exhibitions and gallery experiences in over 145 cities around the world. The company also owns and operates Rome's Museo Leonardo da Vinci. For Monet & Friends, it's once again using state-of-the-art technology that combines 40 high-definition projectors to create multi-channel visuals, all while a classical musical score accompanies the vibrant colours in cinema-quality surround sound. When you're peering at pieces by the 15 featured artists, you'll be doing so in a socially distanced setting — with visitor numbers restricted to maintain enough space (which will exceed the one person per four-square-metres required by New South Wales' COVID-19 rules). So, that means that you'll have less company than you'd usually expect at a big exhibition of French Impressionist art. It also means that sessions are probably likely to get booked out quicker than normal, though.
With its hot-ticket pairing of bubbles and crustacean-stuffed rolls, Pinchy's has spawned a few popular pop-ups over the of years. But, thankfully, its latest venue is sticking around for a bit longer than usual. Pinchy's has just opened the doors to its new, very permanent digs — a snappy first-floor eatery and sun-drenched terrace perched above Bourke Street. The newly hatched Pinchy's Champagne and Lobster Bar comes decked out in a rainbow of candy pinks and loud neon, with 75 seats inside and room for another 60 out on the balcony. It's fun and playful, with pops of greenery and splashes of terrazzo, and a very suitable set-up for those balmy evenings to come. Executive Chef Pierre Khodja (Camus, Canvas, Terminus) is whipping up a menu where seafood reigns supreme. But it's not all about the signature lobster rolls, loaded with buttery lobster sourced from over in Alaska and Maine. You'll also find a tapas-style lineup of fat scallops served in the shell atop black risotto, crab tacos, salt cod sangas, prawn head rolls with sea urchin aioli and creamy snapper croquettes. Mussels are done in a rich chowder-style sauce, too, and stuffed calamari comes teamed with a tarragon dressing. There's also a handful of plant-based options, but if you're craving red meat, best venture elsewhere. Here, seafood's perfect match is a bubbly one — so you'll find plenty of fizz on the drinks list. A hefty champagne selection sits alongside brews from Colonial Brewing Co, Stomping Ground sours, three Adelaide Hills ciders and a spread of classic and champagne-based cocktails, such as the citrusy Thorny Bitch and a slightly salty twist on a negroni. Find Pinchy's Champagne and Lobster Bar at Level 1, 200 Bourke Street, Melbourne. It's open 11.30am till 10pm Wednesday to Sunday.
Transporting some of the best Melbourne restaurants to the slopes, leading hospitality group Tommy Collins is making sure Mount Buller's après-ski scene is unmissable this winter. Guided by Grant Smillie (Marmont), Jason Jones (Entrecôte), and Frank Camorra (MoVida), expect a rotating series of ticketed dinners, featuring each restaurant's iconic cuisine served with a hint of alpine flair. Taking over the beloved mountainside venues of Villager and Little Villager, this four-weekend series sees each restaurant play host for an entire weekend, offering an abundance of signature cuisine, top-tier drinks and curated live entertainment. Think a five-course feast, standout wine and cocktails, and upbeat music for just 120 guests per night. Yet these exclusive dinner parties are only half of the occasion. The rest sees each restaurant shut down Mount Buller's Bourke Street for Après-Ski Street Parties, featuring an open-air celebration of cocktails, culture and connection. With drinks flowing from midday to golden hour, don your best wintertime outfit as world-class DJs spin tunes for 200 revellers. With more dates to be announced, the series opens Thursday, June 5–Saturday, June 7, with Grant Smillie's California-inspired Marmont. Next, MoVida takes over with innovative Spanish cuisine from Friday, August 1–Saturday, August 2, before Prahran's Entrecôte arrives on Friday, August 15–Saturday, August 16, with its chic Parisian fare. To kickstart your winter, don't miss the opening day's 'Party for the People' launch shindig, hosted by Grant Smillie and friends.
If it's been a while since you visited the port city of Geelong, you're in for a surprise. Over the past few years, its industrial landscape has transformed into a hub for creatives, chefs and mavericks. The gallery's had a $450,000 revamp and a former 19th-century paper mill has developed a devotion to art, design and wine, all while a bunch of entrepreneurs have set up new digs — from Aaron Turner's fine dining restaurant Igni to Ren Inei and Kate Jacoby's Boom Gallery. But perhaps the biggest news of all dropped in 2017 when Geelong became the exclusive Victorian home of the Archibald Prize. Set to hit town on Saturday, September 22, Australia's most famous art exhibition is an excellent excuse for a road trip — and a chance to get to know the new Geelong. To help you plan, we've partnered with Mitsubishi in celebration of its new Eclipse Cross to bring you the best things to do on your weekend escape to Geelong. It's only an hour's drive southwest of Melbourne, so you can count on arriving in time for hors-d'oeuvres. SEE AND DO If you're travelling between Saturday, September 22 and Sunday, November 18, then make your first stop the Archibald Prize at the Geelong Gallery. Now in its 97th year, this popular portrait exhibition lets you wander through artists' interpretations of 57 Australian politicians, creatives, athletes and public figures. The 2018 winner of the mighty $100,000 first prize was Yvette Coppersmith for her work Self-Portrait, After George Lambert, while the $1500 Packing Room Prize — determined by the staff who hang the entries at the Art Gallery of NSW — went to Jamie Preisz for his work Jimmy (Title Fight), a portrait of singer-songwriter Jimmy Barnes. Highly commended for his work, Studio Self-Portrait, was Vincent Namatjira, grandson of Albert Namatjira. In between perusing the exhibition, check out related events, which include a pop-up bar and artist conversations — on Friday, October 19, Coppersmith will be chatting with gallery director Jason Smith. Among the permanent collection in the gallery are stacks of important works spanning the 18th–20th centuries. Look out for Eugène von Guérard's View of Geelong (1856), Frederick McCubbin's A Bush Burial (1890) and Russell Drysdale's Hill End (1948) — as well as modern works by Fred Williams, Ann Thomson and Peter Booth, among others. While you're exploring classics, you ought to visit the National Wool Museum to learn all about the life of a shearer and see old-fashioned looms in action. There's also a strong exhibition program beginning Friday, September 14, bringing one show dedicated to influential interior designer Marion Hall Best and another dedicated to Australia's goldsmithing, silversmithing and enamelling masters. [caption id="attachment_573394" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Boom Gallery.[/caption] Beyond these institutions, there are heaps of smaller, independent galleries. Set in a former wool mill, Boom showcases contemporary art and design curated by Ren Inei and Kate Jacoby, while 101 Ryrie houses artworks and objects created by local artists. And ten minutes' drive west of Geelong, in the little town of Fyansford, is the Old Paper Mills, a ten-acre wonderland of galleries, cafes, river frontage, waterfalls, caves and heritage-listed architecture. Be sure to hunt down Provenance Wines' quaffable wines at its cellar door. If its street art you're after, take a stroll along Brougham Street, Union Street, Dennys Place and Minns Lane, as well as the Geelong waterfront, where a scattering of public sculptures are backdropped by sparkling Corio Bay. [caption id="attachment_582796" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Freckleduck.[/caption] EAT Geelong offers culinary adventures aplenty to match your arty escapades. Launch into the morning among the polished concrete and palm fronds of King of the Castle. Sip Melbourne-roasted Padre Coffee and dig into comforting dishes like Mexican baked beans with crusty baguette, toasted corn, a fried egg, pecorino, sour cream and coriander. Or claim a table at Freckleduck for hearty creations led by fresh produce, like the pulled pork benedict with poached eggs, spinach, chipotle hollandaise, shallots and coriander. Meanwhile, freshly baked goodies are on high rotation at Mr Miller and James St. Bakery. Serious coffee connoisseurs should swing by Coffee Cartel Brew Bar, where local roaster Nathan Johnston encourages you to taste your way around the world, and John Doe Specialty Coffee, which keeps a variety of single origins and experimental blends on the brew. [caption id="attachment_659918" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Frankie.[/caption] In 2015, Belles Hot Chicken founder Aaron Turner decided to turn his genius to Geelong and opened The Hot Chicken Project, which serves up Nashville-style hot, fried goodness alongside beer and natural wines. Also bringing the people of Geelong their soul food fix is Pistol Pete's Food and Blues, where gumbo, jambalaya and po'boys feature on the menu and your meal is soundtracked by live music. The city's newest fine dining experience is another of Turner's projects, Igni, opened in early 2016. It's taken away two hats and the Santa Vittoria Regional Restaurant of the Year title at the 2017 Good Food Guide Awards. Put yourself securely in the restaurant's hands for a five- or eight-course tasting menu. [caption id="attachment_682276" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Le Parisien.[/caption] Meanwhile, since 1976, Geelong institution Le Parisien has been whisking diners away to France. Having moved to the waterfront in 1998, this airy restaurant gives you sweeping bay vistas along with the crumbed brains with streaky bacon and mustard-parmesan cream sauce, and confit duck leg with parsnip puree, confit witlof, fennel sausage and five-spice pannacotta. For more picturesque dining, among Tulip's blonde timbers, you'll feast on sprightly combinations, such as poached ocean trout with beetroot, mushroom and brown butter, and at Frankie on Malop Street, you'll settle into divine interiors — all polished leather, beige leather couches and soft rose-gold accents — for a pan-Asian dinner menu. The restaurant dabbles in a little Japanese cuisine with okonomiyaki pancakes with pickled veggie salad, a little Indonesian with its nasi goreng and some Korean by way of crispy pork belly with hot pepper glaze. [caption id="attachment_682280" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Devlin Apartments.[/caption] STAY With so much arting and eating to do, a spot to lay your weary head is of the essence. Geelong's most luxurious stay is the 4.5-star Devlin Apartments, housed within the heritage-listed Gordon Junior Technical School built in 1926. Choose between three design schemes — the New Yorker, the Industrial and the Modern — while finding comfort in the high ceilings, bucket loads of natural light, expansive living spaces, rainfall showers and cosy beds. There's a good selection on Airbnb here, too. This cosy studio in South Geelong comes with polished concrete floors and glass doors overlooking a pretty garden, while in the CBD, the swish three-bedroom Mercer apartment is just a five minutes' walk from the waterfront. For bay views and a glimpse into the city's industrial past, sleep over in this 150-year-old warehouse. Where to next? Make the most of every week with Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross and navigate to your next destination here.
Apologies to backyard cricket, barbecues and water sports. Sure, they're ace things to do in summer in Australia, but movie buffs only have eyes for one outside activity. That'd be outdoor cinemas — and if you're keen catching a flick in Mt Martha under the stars, Sunset Cinema is returning to The Briars from Wednesday, December 20—Friday, January 20. Whether you're eager for a moonlit date night or gathering the gang in the open air, this season's program has something on the bill. That includes opening with Christmas flicks, including Elf, Love Actually and Home Alone — and also showing recent hits such as Barbie, Saltburn, The Marvels and A Haunting in Venice. Other options span an advance screening of the Mean Girls musical, Wonka, and perennial favourites 10 Things I Hate About You and Dirty Dancing. BYO picnics are encouraged, but if you want to enjoy a sparkling, cocktail or brew throughout the film, the onsite bar will be serving a range of drinks. Didn't pack enough snacks? There'll be hot food options, which you can order online and then pickup, plus plenty of the requisite movie treats like chips, chocolates, lollies and popcorn.
Last year, Melbourne’s first White Night was almost a victim of its own success. The CBD was stretched to capacity, swamped by unexpected crowds, and even if you had no interest in seeing The Cat Empire you were somehow forced to sardine yourself on Flinders Street regardless. This year, organisers have put a fix to many of these teething problems. Now, events are spread across the CBD (but never more than a brisk walk away) and most performances will be running repeatedly throughout the night. While it’s worth taking the time to browse the festival’s online program, we've plotted out one course of action for you. From 7pm till 7am — check out our guide to Melbourne's classiest all-nighter here.
Last month, Ian Strange turned a Richmond house into an artwork, to explore urban isolation, vulnerability and the universal need for shelter. Now, a bunch of teachers from Swinburne Uni have similarly treated the home as canvas. But, this time, they've plastered it with mirrors. Every square centimetre of wall surface on the dwelling at 27 Dorset Road, Ferntree Gully is covered with mirrored bricks. There are over 1800 altogether. Called Untitled House, the project is part of Knox City Council Immerse Arts Festival, which runs 11 November to 11 December. "The Great Australian Dream of home ownership is being challenged in contemporary Australian life," artists Roh Singh, Larry Parkinson and Morganna Magee explain on the festival website. "[It's] becoming an ephemeral idea, one that many are watching slip from the horizon. The concept of the tangible disappearing out of sight and out of reach is one of the central intentions." The mirrors represent this ephemerality. As the house occupies a high position, they mainly reflect the sky and distant views of the Dandenong Ranges. "This clad structure reflects and absorbs the changing ambience of its surroundings," the artists write. "We hope to echo a sense of disappearing, bringing a symbolic impression of the house being lost to the environment." Meanwhile, the interior has been transformed into a gallery. A series of artworks draw on installation, sound art, photography and architectural interventions to explore notions of home and place, compelling viewers to reflect on their memories and ideas. The house is open on Wednesdays (10am – 1pm) and Saturdays (10am – 4.30pm) between November 15 and December 9. Admission is free but you should book a spot through the website in advance. Images: Rhiannon Slatter.
Immersive and Instagrammable art is all the rage right now in Australia. Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Room has taken up permanent residence in Canberra, Sugar Republic's "dessert museum" toured the country in 2019 and an extremely photogenic pop-up "museum" for pets is set to hit later this year. Next on the must-photograph list: Happy Place. Dubbed the "world's most Instagrammable exhibit", the multi-room installation has already travelled across the US and Canada and is now heading to the rooftop of Sydney's Broadway Shopping Centre from Friday, March 6–Sunday, May 3. Once inside the exhibition, you'll find many OTT rooms to explore, including a rubber ducky bathtub room, a cookie room that actually smells like freshly baked cookies, a room filled with 40,000 golden handmade flowers and a giant rainbow with a golden ball pit (no leprechauns though, sorry). If that doesn't have you reaching for your smartphone, there's also a mind-bending upside-down room and the "world's largest confetti dome". As well as the rooms, the exhibition has a lemonade stand — with all money from the Sydney one going to Red Cross Australia — a retail store and a cafe. One million snap-happy folks have already visited Happy Place in the northern hemisphere — including, supposedly, celebs such as Adele, Hilary Duff and Kourtney Kardashian — and we're guessing it's going to be equally popular Down Under. While the exhibition is "on a mission to spread happiness around the world", let's hope it's not actually like The Good Place — or, speaking of Kardashians, as nightmare-inducing as Kylie Jenner's Stormi World. Either way, it's going to sell out — fast. Tickets are on sale now for $39 a pop, so go get 'em if you're keen. Find Happy Place on the rooftop of Broadway Sydney, 1 Bay Street, Ultimo from Friday, March 6–Sunday, May 3. It's open from 3–9pm Monday–Tuesday, 12–9pm Wednesday–Thursday and 10am–8pm Friday–Sunday. Tickets will set you back $39 and are available now via Moshtix.
As part of ACMI’s Spectacle: The Music Video Exhibition and Melbourne Music Week this one-off event sees a panel of Gotye’s collaborators come together to dissect some of the video clips that have defined this artist’s rise from local talent to international star. In 2011, a video clip transformed Wally De Backer into a worldwide phenomenon and household name; two years later Somebody That I Used to Know has clocked up close to 500 million views online. Throughout his career these videos have played an important role in Gotye’s commercial success, but more importantly have offered representations of a visual diversity that reflects the scope of this artist’s own distinctive sonic palette. Like his songs themselves, each one manages to dream up a whole world — whether it’s the fragile wasteland of his early hit Heart’s a Mess or the frantic, full-blown animation of State of the Art. This event will focus on the journey that each video takes from initial concept all the way through to final production, with host Megan Spencer joined by filmmakers Natasha Pincus and Andrew Goldsmith, as well as Ivan Dixon and Greg Sharp from the animation studio Rubber House.
Steak night at the pub is a quintessential Melbourne pastime — but one Fitzroy spot is here to take your midweek meat fix to a whole new level. Brunswick Street's Bonny is shaking things up with its new Wagyu Wednesdays offering, elevating hump day with standout steak. Roll in from 4pm each Wednesday to catch new chef James Cornwall (former Head Chef at Cumulus Inc) working magic with cuts of top-quality sher wagyu beef out of Ballan. He's pairing the steaks with a mountain pepper sauce diane, bottomless hand-cut shoestring fries made using spuds from Millbrook, and salad greens from Ramarro Farm in The Dandenong Ranges. It all comes in at an easy $30 per person. If you're still hungry, you'll find a handful of a la carte options and add-ons to back it up, including familiar favourites like the oysters with rice vinegar and green chilli. And there are plenty of plant-based offerings in case you've got a vegan mate who'd like in (sort of) on the Wagyu Wednesday action. As always, Bonny's drinks list will be packing a punch, with an oft-changing suggested wine match for the steak, as well as local vino on tap, a solid craft beer lineup and cocktails heroing native ingredients. Images: Jana Langhorst
It's always tough saying goodbye to old friends, especially when you've shared countless sweaty hours on the dance floor, bonding over epic tunes and pre-dawn parties. So it's with misty eyes that Melbourne bids farewell to iconic music destination The Mercat Basement, which this week shuts its doors to make way for the Queen Victoria Market's grand redevelopment plans. But after almost ten years, there's no way this underground institution is going out without a bang. Punters are invited to enjoy The Mercat's warm, bass-heavy embrace one last time, for its grand exit this Saturday, February 11. Kicking off at 10pm, expect appearances by some long-time Mercat mates, including Tornado Wallace, Francis Inferno Orchestra and Otologic. Unfortunately, there are zero pre-sale tickets on offer for this one, so if you're hoping for a final Mercat dance floor session, we recommend you start lining up early. Image: The Mercat / REUP.
Already in 2023, Cate Blanchett has scored her seventh Oscar nomination. Thanks to her phenomenal performance in conductor drama Tár, she's likely to win her third Academy Award, in fact. However her luck pans out on Hollywood's night of nights in March, she'll be towering over Melbourne in June regardless — in a historic space built in 1867, across a film installation spanning an array of huge screens, and in one mighty impressive 360-degree display. The first event announced for this year's RISING, Melbourne's major annual arts festival, will feature Blanchett in her latest starring role for artist and filmmaker Julian Rosefeldt. The duo reteams for Euphoria after working on 2015's stunning installation Manifesto together. Set to take over Melbourne Town Hall from Friday, June 2–Sunday, June 18, their new multichannel work doesn't just focus on the acclaimed Australian actor playing multiple parts, however, instead honing in on the weighty topic that is capitalism. The Berlin-based Rosefeldt tackles his current topic — aka two thousand years of greed and the effect that unlimited economic growth has — via a spiral of screens that'll sit throughout the venue. On the ground floor, 24 screens will showcase a life-sized choir of Brooklyn Youth Chorus singers, while five jazz drummers will duel on the screens above them. And, there'll also be five theatrical vignettes looping above, too, which is where Blanchett playing an anthropomorphic tiger stalking supermarket aisles comes in. Those drummers? They include Grammy Award-winning drummer and composer Antonio Sánchez, who also composed the score for 2014 film Birdman. And those vignettes? They'll also feature Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul favourite — and recent Kaleidoscope star — Giancarlo Esposito among a cast that'll speaking thoughts penned by economists, writers and thinkers like Warren Buffett, Ayn Rand, Angela Davis and Snoop Dogg. As well as Blanchett as a jungle cat, RISING's first major international commission — which hits this year's fest as an Australian exclusive, and enjoyed its world premiere at the Park Armory in New York back in November 2022 — features homeless men chatting about economics, executives getting acrobatic in a bank lobby, and an all-round unpacking of capitalism via its own excess. Paired with it, Euphoria's original score by Canadian composer Samy Moussa and British saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi goes big on jazz, the tunes sung by the children's choir and those uttered ideas. Befitting the theme, the installation will run with a pay-as-you-can pricing model, and welcome in visitors for free on Fridays during its season. 2023 is turning out to be a stellar year for spectacular takeovers of town halls by citywide arts fests, after Sydney Festival turned Sydney Town Hall into an indoor beach — temporarily, of course — for an opera performance back in January. Check out the trailer for Euphoria below: RISING 2023 will take place across Melbourne from Wednesday, June 7–Sunday, June 18, with Euphoria displaying at the Melbourne Town Hall on from Friday, June 2–Sunday, June 18. Tickets for Euphoria go on sale to RISING subscribers from 12pm on Tuesday, February 14, with general sales from Friday, February 17. First top image: Katja Illner.
October is made for weird, wild and wonderful movies filled with shocks and scares. 'Tis Halloween season, after all. So, the world obliges, including on screens big and small — and, in 2023, via the return of Australia's genre film festival Monster Fest, which is dedicated to flicks of the spooky, dark, twisted, offbeat and out-there variety. Monster Fest doesn't always pop up in the month when everyone is worshipping pumpkins and thinking about costumes; however, the timing obviously couldn't be more perfect. As it always does, it'll run long in Melbourne, where the fest was born back in 2011, then head to Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide for a shorter season in each city all on the same weekend. Melburnians, mark Thursday, October 12–Sunday, October 22 in your calendar for this showcase of strange, surreal, thrilling and chilling pictures at Cinema Nova. Everyone else, you'll want to make a date with Event Cinemas George Street in Sydney, Event Cinemas Uptown in Brisbane, Event Cinemas Marion in Adelaide and Event Cinemas Innaloo in Perth between Friday, October 27–Sunday, October 29. On the lineup: the latest and greatest in genre filmmaking, spanning horror, sci-fi, comedies with elements of either and all-round unnerving movies. Standouts titles on the 2023 program include Suitable Flesh, which stars Heather Graham (Extrapolations) as a doctor going mad, takes its inspiration from HP Lovecraft and boasts Joe Lynch (Creepshow) behind the lens; The Last Video Store, a horror-comedy set, yes, in one of the last video stores; and Norwegian flick There's Something in the Barn, about a gnome uprising that plagues an American family (including Party Down's Martin Starr) who've relocated to Scandinavia. Or, there's also sci-fi comedy Time Addicts, Australian slasher Bloodmoon getting a 4K restoration 33 years after its OG release and Trim Season's nightmarish trip to a weed farm. All of the above titles are doing the rounds nationally; however, with its extra days, Melbourne scores a few more highlights. When Evil Lurks and its demonic infection will launch the Victorian capital's leg of the fest. From there, that's also where Red Rooms, which recently won Best Feature at the 2023 Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal, joins the program. And, so does the kung fu-filled The Invisible Fright, a 4K restoration of Jim Jarmusch's (The Dead Don't Die) Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai and a 30th-anniversary session of ninth Friday the 13th entry Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (screening on the appropriate date, of course). On the doco front, erotic thrillers are thrust into the spotlight in We Kill for Love, Satan Wants You looks back at 80s-era satanic panic and Enter the Clones of Bruce surveys the talents that endeavoured to replicate Bruce Lee after his death. Going all in on Bruceploitation, Monster Fest is also putting on a double of The Dragon Lives Again and Challenge of the Tiger, where Dracula and James Bond are among Bruce's foes. MONSTER FEST 2023 DATES: Thursday, October 12–Sunday, October 22 — Cinema Nova, Melbourne Friday, October 27–Sunday, October 29 — Event Cinemas George Street, Sydney Friday, October 27–Sunday, October 29 — Event Cinemas Uptown, Brisbane Friday, October 27–Sunday, October 29 — Event Cinemas Marion, Adelaide Friday, October 27–Sunday, October 29 — Event Cinemas Innaloo, Perth Monster Fest 2023 runs throughout October around Australia. Head to the festival's website for further details.
Need to do some last-minute Christmas shopping? Online vintage treasure trove Hawkeye Vintage will let you into its covetable closet with a huge clearance sale (yes, clearance) on bags, clothing and accessories. You'll be able to get a feel of a Dior coat and fight over Chanel bags as a cavalcade of items take pride of place at Hawkeye's South Yarra HQ on Friday, December 20. The pieces on offer will run from the affordable right up to the super expensive, but all will be going at a reduced price with up to 50 percent off. Given some of the brands on offer — including Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Chanel, YSL, Celine and Fendi — you'll be able to pick up some bargains, or opt for a few investment pieces. Covering fashion from the 80s onwards, the range will focus on handbags, scarves, jewellery and ready-to-wear clothing. Keep an eye on Hawkeye Vintage's Instagram to see more sale items, which'll be posted in the lead-up. Entry to the massive sale is free, but you will need to reserve a spot. We also suggest getting there early to snag the good stuff. The Hawkeye Vintage Luxe Sale will run from 10am–7pm.
You don't truly realise how parental and limiting adult writers can be towards children until you've seen the works of Belgian youth theatre group Ontroerend Goed. Their self-devised pieces are anarchic, freeform, funny, dramatic, frequently loud and generally unpredictable. The seminal Once And For All We're Gonna Tell You Who We Are So Shut Up And Listen has now spiralled out into a trilogy that somewhat progresses through the stages of youth. Melbourne Festival 2013 gets the later, angstier chapters. Teenage Riot has eight teenagers trapped in a room inflict twisted games on each other, and recording it on camera, while All That Is Wrong has single writer/performer Anna Jakoba Ryckewaert, 18, undertake a more introspective coming-of-age — what Melbourne Festival are calling "a final, poignant dispatch from the consuming borderland between youth and adulthood". Teenage Riot will be at the Arts Centre during the Melbourne Festival from October 15-20. Thanks to the Melbourne Festival, we have a double pass to give away for opening night. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address.
The super-adorable Finders Keepers travelling market is returning to the Royal Exhibition Building once more for their autumn/winter edition. 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, a bar and thousands of other Melburnians celebrating independent art and design. The markets are open on Friday from from 6pm-10pm and Saturday from 10am-5pm.
Tucked away off the dreaded staircase that connects Cookie, The Toff and Rooftop Bar, Metropolis is its own secret little world in the heart of the city. Specialising in graphic novels and pop culture titles, this is a bookshop specifically for creative types. Metropolis trades in weighty historical texts for entire shelves of erotica; in between the art books, film theory and local small press you can find an entire section dedicated to mid-century modern design. If you're chasing that perfect coffee table read, hunting a gift for someone who has everything or just prefer a few more pictures in your evening reads, Metropolis bookstore beckons. As any boutique book store should be, it's a tad hard to find, so best to use Google Maps to get to this one — unless you're well acquainted with Curtin House and its many levels. Trade in an afternoon of drinking at Rooftop Bar for some thinking downstairs in one of the best bookstores in Melbourne. You won't regret the swap.
Fast food — the term used to describe meals you can eat with your hands which are comparatively pretty quick to arrive — is back at a level of peak public approval. Entire festivals dedicated to hot chips, sell-out high end degustations inspired by KFC and a rolling influx of hyped international burger joints are proving that Australia's love for this pleasurable style of eating is as impassioned as ever. Have we reached our absolute apex of this culinary genre? Why is Melbourne a breeding ground for venues doing it better and more thoughtfully than any other Australian city? What is the new definition for what makes 'fast food' fast? How has the genre innovated and evolved — and what's next? We're turning to some of Melbourne's food personalities who represent the best in the biz to get their firsthand takes on those questions and chat through the past, present and future of this pleasurable eating pastime — and you're invited to join. In partnership with Uber Eats, Hot Takes & Takeaways is a panel series where our host, Concrete Playground's Courtney Ammenhauser, chats to some of the most fascinating, experienced and opinionated members of Australia's food community to tackle the big questions, live and uncensored. Swears are likely and no topics are off-limits. You'll also have the chance to win a bunch of UberEats vouchers by showing off your best food trivia. On Tuesday, May 31 at 1pm, block out your lunch break and join Concrete Playground's livestream event where you can watch and interact in real time, live from Small Print Pizza. THE LINEUP SANDRA FOTI - Owner, chef and creative driving force behind all-natural gelato empire Piccolina. JIMMY HURLSTON - Burger baron and entrepreneur behind Easeys and its ubiquitous burgers and his much-followed Jimmy's Burgers Instagram account. ADAM CHAPMAN - Founder and co-owner of sustainable 'slow dough' pizza joint in Windsor, Small Print Pizza. Throughout the show, we'll test your food trivia knowledge so you could nab a $20 Uber Eats voucher. Head to our Facebook event and hit attending to get a reminder just before it kicks off. In the meantime, check out Uber Eats' Enterprise Hub if you'd like to learn more about what restaurants are doing. Top image: Kitti Gould
There's yet another reason to visit Richmond favourite Brogan's Way, with a new bottomless brunch running on select Saturdays from May 20 until the end of September. While previous iterations combined free-flowing sips and picnic fare, the gin distillery and tasting bar has revamped its cocktail menu to include bottomless bubbles, gin cocktails and a range of G&Ts for $58 per person. Kicking off from 3pm, settle in to enjoy a rotating selection of cocktails which could run to the likes of a Mando Sour, mulled gin, or blood orange negroni spritz. There's a swag of G&T options to take your fancy too, from Brogan's Way's Everyday Salvation Gin, to its Strawberries & Cream number. A non-alcoholic menu of mocktails, non-alc wine and soft drinks is also on hand for $49 per person. While you're enjoying the drinks, tuck into two for $13 tacos with meat and vegetarian options available. Images: supplied.
The Australian Ballet's Celebration Gala, bound for Arts Centre Melbourne, is such an excellent showcase of talent within the company, that it's impossible to resist hyperbole. If you are deeply into the ballet or simply have a minor appreciation for the artform of dance in any genre, the Celebration Gala is basically a greatest hits collection of solos and pas de deuxs that inspires you to dig into the superlatives. It's stunning. It's emotional. It's amazing what the human body is capable of! The lineup of dances includes evergreen blockbuster bangers like the White Swan pas de deux from Swan Lake and the iconic pas de deux from Act II of The Nutcracker, as well as contemporary pieces including the wrenchingly beautiful Clay — choreographed by brilliant Australian talent Alice Topp, and Chroma by trailblazing British choreographer, Wayne McGregor. The performances are accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra, live and in full flight. Next year, the huge 2022 program will be brought to stages across Australia under the meticulous and artful oversight of David Hallberg in his second season as Artistic Director. In the meantime, for the dancers' long overdue return to the stage, the Celebration Gala really is just that: a celebration. [caption id="attachment_834967" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Karen Nanasca and Nathan Brook, Australian Ballet[/caption] All images: Dan Boud.
There are many, many reasons to be excited that summer is just around the corner. Two big ones: beachside hang-outs and pool parties. So, if you've started thinking about swimwear, we have something relevant to your interests — renowned boho label Tigerlily Swimwear is holding a massive four-day warehouse sale, so get ready for some unprecedented bikini bargains. The Aussie brand has been around for just shy of 20 years and is still creating timeless prints and flattering shapes — and getting it 70 percent off makes it even better. This is Tigerlily's biggest ever warehouse sale with prices starting from just $30. Tigerlily collections from previous seasons will be on offer for you and your Vitamin-D-deficient body. And, it isn't just swimwear — playsuits, dresses, shorts, kaftans and other clothing will also be reduced to help you get your summer wardrobe sorted. The Tigerlily warehouse sale will take place at Functions on Chapel from November 1–4, running from 8am–7pm on Thursday and 8am–5pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Rustica Sourdough, the Melbourne institution and baker of all things sour and delicious, has opened a new bakery and cafe in Melbourne's central business district. Located on the corner of Little Collins and Queen Street and adjacent to the famous Gothic Bank building, this new opening is a slightly moodier Rustica than we've previously seen. Architect Fiona Drago took inspiration from its famous neighbour with an interior filled with Venetian gothic colours, textures and tiles. [caption id="attachment_851038" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Carey C[/caption] But just like its siblings, the new 70-seat outpost of Melbourne's iconic bakery-brunch hybrid has both easy grab-and-go options for busy inner-city workers in need of a brew and a bite, as well as a dine-in menu for those wanting to leisurely take their time over lunch. Developed by head chef and long-running team member Chatelle Saba, the menu features delights like a breakfast surf-and-turf lineup of lobster and prawn eggs benedict, accompanied by crispy potatoes and salmon roe. For those who can't go past a pasta, there's a prawn, clam and mussel linguine with white wine, chilli and garlic, and if you're in desperate need of a burg, wrap your laughing gear around a buttermilk fried chicken burger, complete with Korean hot sauce, aioli, pickles and slaw — all stuffed inside a milk bun. [caption id="attachment_851037" align="alignnone" width="1920"] C Bass Creative[/caption] As for the pastries, expect to see all the goodies Rustica is known for holding court in the cabinet, including almond and chocolate croissants, brioche doughnuts, cronuts, and other sweet treats. Because no pastry is complete without a good brew to accompany it, the team are serving up their signature coffee blend First Love Coffee, a roast that has become synonymous with Rustica cafes city-wide and now even has its own signature flagship cafe in Collins Arch. It's yet another location for the famous chain, which was first established in Fitzroy back in 2012. Since then there have been numerous openings across the city, including in Hawthorn's Power Street and in Rialto Towers in 2017, before an opening in Melbourne's west with ex-Chin Chin chef Sam Mills leading the menu in 2018. Rustica Little Collins and Queen Street is open seven days a week, from 7am-4pm Monday to Friday and 8am-4pm on weekends. Images: LR Photography, C-Bass Creative and Carey C
Eternity Playhouse, Prahran Hotel and 'Redfern Beach' (a.k.a. Prince Alfred Park’s re-styled pool) were among the 43 design achievements to win awards and commendations at the National Architecture Awards, held in Darwin last night. Five judges revealed their decisions across thirteen categories. The construction that ruled them all, however, was the University of Queensland’s Advanced Engineering Building, which took home three firsts: the Emil Sodersten Award for Interior Architecture, the Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture and the National Award for Sustainable Architecture. Juror Lyndie Johnson described it as "exhilarating" and "immediately engaging". Across the board, there was an emphasis on architecture with a public purpose. "Many of the projects, particularly the public projects, achieved not only their immediate brief but also produced other social and community benefits," jury chair Paul Berkemeier said in a Guardian Australia interview. "That was certainly something we observed as being valuable. The successors go beyond the expectations of the brief." UQ wasn’t the only educational institution to have its facilities recognised. The CB Alexander College, Tocal, designed by Ian McKay and Philip Cox, scored the National Enduring Architecture Award. And, in addition to the Prince Alfred Park revamp nabbing both the Walter Burley Griffin Award for Urban Design and the National Award for Public Architecture, a couple of other water-inspired designs got the thumbs up. Tasmania’s irresistibly cute Bicheno Surf Life Saving Club received the Nicholas Murcutt Award for Small Project Architecture, while North Bondi’s super slick new Surf Life Saving Club was acknowledged with a Commendation for Public Architecture. Image credit: Darren Bradley. As University of Sydney Professor of Architecture Michael Tawa points out, the judges also lauded many of the buildings for their 'celebration' of immediate surroundings, some particular aspect of the Australian lifestyle or our heritage. Eternity, for example, which inhabits a 126-year-old heritage listed building, won the Lachlan Macquarie Award for Heritage. Check out the full list of 2014 winners here.
Great renewal news for fans of Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez, The Dead Don't Die), Oliver Putnam (Martin Short, Schmigadoon!) and Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin, It's Complicated) usually means bad news for the folks that the trio know on-screen. Only Murders in the Building viewers get more episodes, but that means more deaths within the hit murder-mystery comedy's narrative. That's exactly the case right now, with the series just wrapping up its Paul Rudd (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania)- and Meryl Streep (Don't Look Up)-guest starring third season, then revealing that there's more in store — with the show locked in for season four. More instalments, more killings and more amusing antics are all on the way, then, for the series that first got Gomez, Short and Martin sleuthing in 2021's season one (aka one of the best new shows of that year), then followed it up with 2022's season two (aka one of the best returning shows of that year, too) before arriving for its third go-around in 2023. Details of when the series will return, who else will pop up and the like haven't yet been announced, but expect to spend more time in Only Murders in the Building's world. The show started with three residents of the same New York apartment building crossing paths after a murder in their building — hence the title — then bonding over true-crime podcasts. Next, they did what everyone that's jumped on that bandwagon knows they would if they were ever in the same situation, starting their own audio series that's also called Only Murders in the Building. That's how season one kicked off — and continued, proving a warm, funny, smart and savvy series at every step along the way. In the show's second season, another death needed investigating. That time, it was someone the main trio were all known not to be that fond of, so suspicions kept pointing in their direction. Indeed, every season, another death has given aspiring artist Mabel, Broadway producer Oliver and actor Charles-Haden another case to dive into. In season three, that involved looking into who caused Ben Glenroy (Rudd) to shuffle off this mortal coil at the opening night of Oliver's latest show. "Is this really happening again?" asked the theatre figure in the first teaser trailer for season three. "Yes, yes it is" was the answer from Only Murders in the Building's audience then — and still now. "The trio's journey is far from over," US streaming platform Hulu, which produces the show, announced on social media. There's no sneak peek at season four as yet, but you can check out the full trailer for Only Murders in the Building season three below: Only Murders in the Building's streams Down Under via Star on Disney+. Read our full reviews of season one, season two and season three. Images: Hulu.
