Most popular in the city of its birth, No Lights No Lycra has spread across the globe but remains at its most wild and daggy at its two Melbourne haunts. Daggy entirely by choice, and proud to be, NLNL is the dance community we should all worship. From its organic, loose-limbed beginnings in 2009, NLNL is an opportunity to truly set your mind and body free in a space where everyone is equal under the shadow of darkness. The concept is simple: it’s dark and no one is expected to wear tightly fitting lycra (though no one is stopping you, either - they’re free and easy like that). The unruly dance students who started the movement, Alice Glenn and Heidi Barrett, still run the classes at Will Sampson Hall in Windsor every Tuesday evening, and at 49 Nicholson Street, Brunswick East, on Wednesdays. Often oversubscribed, it’s important to check if there’s space at a class before rocking up. Wednesdays in Brunswick East might be your best bet. The class starts at 7pm, under the church. For the most up-to-date information, it’s best to follow their Twitter account. Trust us, this is a welcoming bunch and if ever there was a congregation to support the goodness of your soul through the graceless flinging of one’s limbs, this is it. Image by masochismtango.
Ever since I started watching How to Make it in America I started noticing more and more graffitied vans looking very much like the Rasta Monsta van from the show. Although it's taken watching the television show to notice run-down but artfully graffitied vans about town, illustrated vans make quite an interesting addition to the otherwise boring-coloured vehicles that line the streets of the city. New York artist Kevin Cyr takes this admiration of cars-as-mobile-canvases-for-graffiti to another level. His Van Series of oil and silkscreen paintings capture the finer details of twenty vans and vehicles found in Brooklyn, NY, and take note of the commercial aspect of vehicles otherwise dismissed as well past their used-by date. [via Flavorwire]
From the classical sounds of the MSO to the live indie acts of Falls Festival, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl has played host to an array of entertainment genres this summer. And next up on the agenda, it's embracing the magic of movement and dance, when free production Ballet Under the Stars takes the stage on Saturday, February 25. The one-off event comes courtesy of The Australian Ballet, as the company kicks off its 60th-anniversary festivities. With David Hallberg and Livinia Nixon as the evening's hosts, the show's set to wow audiences with a mix of classical and contemporary ballet moves, the dancers performing alongside Orchestra Victoria's full 64-piece ensemble. [caption id="attachment_889532" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'The Vow', The Australian Ballet, by Daniel Boud[/caption] From 7.45pm, you'll score a taste of productions like Kunstkamer, Don Quixote and Le Corsaire, as well as new works like Lucas Jervies' The Vow, all unfolding as the sun sets. Plus, if you fancy a behind-the-scenes glimpse, arrive a little earlier (from 6pm) to catch the pre-show program, including a performance of The Story of Pomi & Gobba and an on-stage ballet barre warm-up. You can pack a picnic to enjoy while you watch, otherwise there'll be a selection of food trucks slinging snacks on the night. [caption id="attachment_889531" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'Kunstkamer', The Australian Ballet, by Chris Rogers-Wilson[/caption] Top image: 'Don Quixote', The Australian Ballet, by Jeff Busby
If you're tossing and turning all night — it might not just be because of the state of the world. Your mattress and pillow is something you spend nearly a third of every day lounging on, so it's never not a good time to treat yourself to some upgrades. Luckily, premium homewares brand Ecosa wants to help out. In the lead-up to the end of financial year, everything on the Ecosa website is 25 percent off from Monday, May 31 until Wednesday, June 30. So, if you've been complaining non-stop to your office buddies about a crook neck, get yourself fancy memory foam pillow. The ergonomic pillow boasts an adjustable height, a curved shape that suits side and back sleepers and a compressible foam that supports the natural shape of your head. Plus, it comes with two compression bags so you can pack it up and take it with you everywhere. If that's not enough, Ecosa is also offering free shipping and returns Australia-wide, plus a 100-day free trial period. So if you order a mattress, bed base or one of Ecosa's new cot mattresses, you'll be treated to free same-day delivery, meaning you can start sleeping right from tonight. Ecosa is a one-stop sleep shop with luxe bamboo sheets, silk pillowcases, wooden bed base, memory foam mattress and weighted blanket all available at the discounted price. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Sydney's newest hotel is so keen on the whole 'choose-your-own-adventure' idea that, when it opens next month, it will let guests select their own rooms. Billed as the city's "first authentic custom designed hotel", Camperdown's soon-to-open Collectionist Hotel wants to push that concept of individualised guest experiences to a whole new level, letting them pick a favourite from the assortment of designer suites on offer. It's slated to open next month in a former warehouse space, where a team of seven designers and 13 artists have been kept busy creating 39 unique rooms. But instead of being allocated a random suite, guests at The Collectionist will suss out the available rooms at check-in and choose exactly where they want to spend their stay over a welcome drink — a concept Collectic Hotels co-founder Daniel Symonds likens to browsing works of art. No two two rooms are the same, apparently, as each will boast its own unique colours, textures and style. A great idea if you're in the mood to choose, but probably less than ideal when you're crashing hard after a long-haul flight. Or if all the rooms have already been taken by people who arrived earlier than you. Unsurprisingly, The Collectionist has also done away with the usual room number caper, in favour of eclectic names like the Queenie Fah Fah, Cloud Runner and La Chamber Noir. Just don't expect them all to be your cup of tea. "I would be surprised — and a little disappointed, to be honest — if there weren't some divided opinions on the rooms designs," said Symonds. "We have purposely set about creating rooms that will challenge the 'norms' on hotel room design." The Collectionist Hotel will open at 9–13 Marsden Street, Camperdown in May 2018. You can't book a room yet, but you can check the website for updates.
Sweet tooths, assemble. Pastry chef Pierre Roelofs and his team of wicked enablers have resurrected their legendary Dessert Evenings, shattering our halfhearted plans for a relatively healthy end to the year like the crust on so many crème brulees. After five yearsat Cafe Rosamond in Fitzroy, Roelofs' dessert extravaganzas have recently made the move to Adriano Zumbo's Fancy Nance in South Yarra. Hosted every second Thursday, diners can expect a four-course degustation — the catch being that all four courses are dessert. The menu is top secret and changes every time. We can tell you that the last one involved mascarpone, strawberry, honey, orange, cardamom and speculaas, plus a deconstructed bread and butter pudding served in a test tube. Roelofs will also be offering a gluten-free option on October 29, and a vegan option on November 26.
2015 brought you a cornucopia of hideous yet good for you root veggies, international restaurant swaps and bargain basement lobster, among other gustatory revelations. So, what's in store for 2016? Well, the restaurant transplants are set to continue with Copenhagen's Noma popping up in Sydney later this month, and not-so aesthetically appealing foodstuffs are sticking around (see: algae). But just when you thought chefs and food technologists couldn't invent anything weirder, they come up with the goods. Then again, with the likes of Bompas and Parr setting up food museums, we shouldn't be surprised. This year is set to deliver a slew of culinary adventures, from cocktails you can inhale to niche food festivals, to more dishes featuring native Australian ingredients. Here are ten trends we've got our money on. [caption id="attachment_555266" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Attica[/caption] NATIVE AUSSIE INGREDIENTS Kylie Kwong's been caramelising wallaby tail and stir-frying native greens for a few years now, while our own Attica offers a dish of salt cured red kangaroo with bunya bunya (pictured). By and large though, Australian chefs have been slow to capitalise on Australia's indigenous produce. That might change when Copenhagen's two Michelin-starred restaurant Noma pops up in Sydney on January 26 for ten weeks. Head chef Rene Redzepi is passionate about expressing an area's unique environment through his cooking, and is sure to use our best native ingredients while he's here. Read more about the incredible potential of native foods over here. [caption id="attachment_555499" align="alignnone" width="1280"] blumblaum via Flickr[/caption] ALGAE Kale's still kicking around, but algae is closing in. In October, an upmarket Californian store put the world's first ever algae cooking oil on its shelves. With scientists warning us off other veggie oils due to their toxicity, this new product promises "goodness to your heart, the kitchen and the planet". Expect it to be added to foods and beverages to reduce fat and cholesterol and add a bit of extra protein and antioxidants. Meanwhile, a design collective has imagined a futuristic opera, in which singers grow algae with their breath during the show and give it to audiences to eat afterwards. But maybe that belongs under theatre trends. [caption id="attachment_555557" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Hunter and Barrel[/caption] PLAYING WITH FIRE Lucky we've been giving you inside info on how to throw an epic barbecue, because your tong-wielding skills are about to come in handy. When electricity arrived, we cast aside one of humankind's oldest technological developments, but, as any dedicated hiker knows, there ain't no potato like a campfire-cooked potato. So expect to see a lot more cooking with fire this year, whether it's at Hunter & Barrel, the new San Antone by Bludso or any of our favourite BBQ joints. Just don't think you can go wandering into any of these bars with your marshmallow on a stick. [caption id="attachment_555568" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Stefano via Flickr[/caption] DNA MATCHING Not as in, would you like a chardonnay or a cup of genes with that salad, but choosing foods that best suit your DNA to avoid unpleasant symptoms and improve your health. Yep, it's a thing. It turns out your wheat intolerance mightn't be just about gluten, it might be linked to a plethora of factors, especially your DNA. Old mates Bompas and Parr are already onto this, having worked on a project that created bespoke cocktails based on your DNA last year. And Dr. Fredric Abramson, founder of Digital Nutrition, is already offering a service that helps you match your diet to your genes. So get on it. [caption id="attachment_555298" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Fir0002 via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] GETTING GOATY With bacon having some copped some bad press for its carcinogenic qualities, goat sales are on the rise. It's profitable news for Aussie farmers, who are the world's biggest exporters of goat meat. Long a staple of Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Sri Lankan, Pakistani and Indian diets, the horned creature will be making its way onto mainstream menus more and more often . In London, Aussie-born chef Brett Graham is already on the bandwagon at The Ledbury. NICHE FOOD FESTIVALS So, it happened before processed meat was added to WHO's top five most cancerous items, but Sydney hosted its biggest ever bacon party in August 2015. And in Melbourne, we had Pinot Palooza, a touring festival devoted to the mighty pinot noir, return for another year, and Juniperlooza answered all our prayers with a two-day festival showcasing the country's best gin. Food festivals have been around for thousands of years, but we reckon they're going to get more and more specific in 2016 — in fact, a festival 100 per cent dedicated to Nutella will be hitting Adelaide in April. [caption id="attachment_555572" align="alignnone" width="960"] Master's 'Roast Potato' by kseet via Instagram[/caption] SWEET AND SAVOURY DESSERTS Everyone knows what a decent dash of salt can do for a good chocolate. And the ebullient marrying of sweet and savoury flavours is likely to feature in desserts all over the planet in 2016. New Yorkers are already sampling beetroot, carrot and sweet potato yoghurts, courtesy of Blue Hill founder Dan Barber, and Sydney's Master is pushing the sweet-savoury envelope with their roast potato ice cream dessert. Here in Melbourne Lume is going down the same lines with their beetroot cake dessert, and Mammoth is confusing everyone's tastebuds with their sugary doughnut lobster burger. INHALABLE COCKTAILS Many of our favourite bars look to the cocktail's 'golden age' for inspiration. And with good reason — an old-fashioned or a martini is hard to beat. But the inhalable incarnation of the cocktail is bringing the drink into the 21st century. This is thanks to Bompas and Parr, who ran a pop-up bar named Alcohol Architecture in London last August. Visitors were invited to walk into a 'cocktail cloud', created with enormous humidifiers. Inspired by the duo, Brisbane Festival got on this last year, creating a breathable gin and tonic room as part of their 2015 program. We can't wait to see where this goes next. LEAVES OF ALL KINDS Your iceberg lettuce just won't cut it anymore. And neither will your cos, rocket or radicchio, for that matter. Your salads are about to get much, much fancier and more diverse. Heston Blumenthal was onto it at 2015's Fat Duck pop-up — he organised exclusive access to a source of local oyster leaves, which he combined with chicken, grilled onion emulsion and spiced celeriac sauce. [caption id="attachment_555270" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Superfood Sushi[/caption] GOING VEGAN Veganism is nothing new, but this year looks like it might be the one to firmly cement it as a full-blown cuisine. Last year, Smith & Deli was one of the biggest openings of the year, and Transformer took vegan dining up to a much fancier level. Over in Sydney, Newtown's King Street added vegan superfood sushi and Bliss 'n' Chips — where soy-based protein and konjac are transmogrified into incredibly convincing deep fried seafood dishes — to its many restaurants, and and then, in news that shocked many, much-loved pizza place Gigi announced it was taking animal products out of its pizzas. All three businesses seem to be thriving, so we're banking on more vegan openings and conversions this year. But for now, here are our top ten vegan joints. Top image: Bompas and Parr
If you're a true seafood lover who's keen on a long-haul road trip down the coast, this one's for you. The annual Wild Harvest Seafood Festival returns to Mallacoota from Friday, April 26, to Sunday, April 28, and it's the perfect excuse to squeeze in a weekend getaway. This year's festivities are set to deliver a jam-packed celebration of top local produce, community and history. One of the main events is a huge seafood market on Saturday featuring food stalls, local booze pop-ups and a stack of local producers showcasing their finest ocean-fresh hauls, with abalone, sea urchin, prawns and many (many) oysters all on offer. Elsewhere, you'll have the chance to jump aboard a Mallacoota lake cruise to watch the sunset with bubbles, beer and brilliant seafood in hand, or take a daytime jaunt aboard the historic M.V Loch-Ard to learn all about estuary health and the tasty sea creatures that live just beneath the water's surface. The stacked lineup of events at this year's Wild Harvest Seafood Festival also includes a night-time lantern festival, paella picnic, sand sculpting competition and bush food walk with Budawang Elder from the Yuin Nation Noel Butler. Images: Destination Gippsland
What's the best part about making the most expensive film ever produced in a country of over one billion people? One word: 'extras'. All the computer wizardry in the world can't compete with the visual feast that is thousands of actual humans teeming across a screen with balletic precision, especially when they're dressed like Terracotta Warriors after a Taubmans Colour Chart treatment. Red archers, purple foot soldiers and blue 'crane spear wielders' form the basis of China's secret Great Wall defence, and they're an absolute delight to behold throughout famed director Zhang Yimou's first English language epic of the same name. The concept of a giant wall built to keep out illegal aliens receives more of a literal rendering in this supernatural saga that sees China's army pitted against waves of other-worldly beasts. Spawning from a distant, meteorite-affected mountain, these grotesque monsters inexplicably only attack the wall once every sixty years. Just as curious is China's determination to keep the threat a secret from the rest of the world. Thrust into the mix are western mercenaries William Garoi (Matt Damon) and Pero Tovar (Game of Thrones' Pedro Pascal), whose perilous search for the fabled 'black powder' of the Chinese alchemists sees them stumble unwittingly into the middle of this centuries-old conflict. Fears of another Hollywood 'white-washing' are, however, quickly dispensed with, for it's the Chinese who consistently prove to be the smarter, braver and more honourable participants in both life and in battle. It's refreshing, certainly, but hardly a surprise, for in addition to 'extras' there's another critical, one-word answer to the original question posed: 'audience'. Hollywood's increasing flirtation with a US-Chinese cinematic co-op stems in no small part from the desire to access one of the largest movie-going markets in the world. At a cost of $135 million, The Great Wall represents the first out-and-out attempt to make that union a reality. Damon might be a big deal in the West, but in The Great Wall he's surrounded by some of the biggest names in Chinese entertainment, including Zhang Hanyu, Eddie Peng, Kenny Lin Gengxin, Jing Tian and K-Pop star Lu Han. The problem with a film (and cast) of this size, however, is that it comes at the expense of character. None of the principals receive anything more than a cursory backstory and even less of an arc moving forward. The Chinese generals are unflinching archetypes, while the westerners are, for the most part, untrustworthy slaves to greed. The consequence is a lack of emotional investment on the part of audiences, who'll respond to each new death with pronounced apathy. Given The Great Wall's style and setting, comparisons with Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers are both fair and inevitable, and – at least visually – Zhang's film more than meets the challenge. Its costuming, in particular, sets it amongst the finest we've seen in a long time, yet its threadbare characters and generic plot leave much to be desired. Whether such an expensive gamble ultimately pays off for the movie's producers, only time will tell. Still, as the first major step in cinema's US-China alliance, there's at least enough here to offer reserved optimism for the future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avF6GHyyk5c
There's nothing quite like scoring some validation that your favourite local spots are also certified gems that the rest of the world is loving too. And that's exactly the kind of street cred that fans of Flinders Lane restaurant Supernormal can now lay a little extra claim to, after the venue received the coveted 2022 Hospitality Award in the annual Melbourne Awards. At a ceremony held on Saturday, November 12, Andrew McConnell's famed Japanese-inspired eatery took out top honours in the hospitality portion of the City of Melbourne-run awards, as they returned to celebrate their 20th edition. A pop-up turned perennial favourite, Supernormal first opened the doors to its current Flinders Lane digs in early 2014 and has been earning fans ever since for its crafty fusion fare — including the famous signature lobster roll. Other finalists for this year's Hospitality Award included Southbank event space Metropolis Events, and the Arbory Afloat crew's new multi-storey CBD haunt HER. [caption id="attachment_776985" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] "We're thrilled to recognise this year's winners, who have worked hard to create positive change, inclusive communities and make Melbourne a better place to call home," Lord Mayor Sally Capp said of all the venues, organisations and people honoured as 2022 finalists. The awards celebrate the significant contributions of Melburnians across a variety of industries each year. Other 2022 winners included Antoinette Braybrook — named Melburnian of the Year for her long service to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and the first Aboriginal woman in history to win the award — and PHOTO 2022 International Festival of Photography, which scored the Arts and Events Award. Last year's Hospitality Award went to Alejandro Saravia's Gippsland-focused restaurant Farmer's Daughters, earning the title for its commitment to local sourcing and sustainability. [caption id="attachment_730326" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] For more information about the Melbourne Awards and this year's winners, head to the City of Melbourne website. You'll find Supernormal at 180 Flinders Lane, Melbourne. Top Image: Nikki To
Sinematek is a roving movie night, and it's popping up at Fitzroy North's LongPlay. It'll show a film at the bar every Sunday night in June — and tickets are just $10 a pop. The theme for the month is Winter Darkness, and the four chosen films will all celebrate the archetypal conflicts of one's self and surroundings. And there's certainly some twisted and conflicted flicks on the agenda. It'll kick things off with Jesus Camp by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady: a documentary about children attending a born again Christian 'Kids of Fire' camp. Then, it's Al Pacino in William Friedkin's Cruising, as he goes undercover in the leather gay bar scene to catch a serial killer. Penelope Spheeris's doco about punk groups on the US west coast in the 80s, The Decline of Western Civilization is next, followed by Jessica Hausner's Lourdes, a tale of a wheelchair-bound woman who experiences a miracle in the Pyrenees. Aiming for transcendental cinema, Sinematek will make sure you're feeling even more warm and cosy with LongPlay's winter menu of gnocchi and risotto. Pop in one Sunday for a film, a plate of warmth and a good time.
Anything Jamie Dornan can do, Zac Efron can, too? That's the situation that'll play out on streaming service Stan this January. First, Dornan will get stranded in the outback in TV thriller The Tourist, and then Efron will do the same in Gold — aka the movie he shot when he decamped from Hollywood to Australia during the pandemic and seemed to be the only thing other than COVID-19 that was making headlines. Gold will also play in some cinemas, if you'd like to watch Efron try to survive the Aussie landscape on the big screen — with the film receiving a theatrical release on January 13, then streaming via Stan on January 26. Wherever you choose to watch it, you'll see the High School Musical, The Greatest Showman and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile actor get a serious case of gold fever after stumbling upon the biggest gold nugget ever found. Efron's character, known only as Man One, discovers the huge chunk of gold with the movie's writer/director/co-star Anthony Hayes (Total Control) — who, yes, plays a figure known as Man Two. The pair of drifters then come up with a plan to excavate the precious metal, but it involves Man One staying behind to guard it while Man Two goes to nab the necessary equipment. As the just-dropped first trailer for Gold shows, that doesn't look too promising for Man One. Gold also features Wentworth and Cargo's Susie Porter as a stranger who crosses Man One's path — and obviously features oh-so-many lingering looks at the outback backdrop that filmmakers have loved ever since 70s greats such as Wake in Fright and Walkabout. Plonking big-name stars against Australia's striking terrain is only a small genre, but it's still a growing one — with Gold joining everything from The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Australia to The Rover and The Dressmaker. Check out the trailer for Gold below: Gold will screen in selected cinemas from January 13, and stream via Stan from January 26.
It's blast from the past time, again — and time to spend a couple of nights journeying back a few decades just by hitting the dance floor. Whether you lived through the 90s rave scene, spent every weekend enjoying club life in the 00s or just wish you were old enough to have ticked both boxes, Ministry of Sound will take you there when its huge Testament parties return for 2024. Ministry of Sound itself was around through both eras, so you couldn't be in better hands to get retro via old-school 90s and 00s bangers. The Testament events last toured Australia in 2023, and will return for this year from the end of August through to early September — for two nights each in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, plus one-day-only stops on the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast. Each evening is devoted to either the 90s or the 00s, so you'll need to attend both if you want to make shapes to tunes from both decades. But it's a choose-your-own-adventure type of affair, so fans of late 20th-century beats can hit up the session dedicated to 90s house, rave, trance and garage tracks if that's all that you're keen on, while lovers of 00s electro and breaks get their own shindig. More than 80 DJs will be on the decks between Saturday, August 31–Sunday, September 8, with Danny Rampling, Judge Jules and Seb Fontaine joined by Mousse T, Laidback Luke and X-Press 2 on headlining duties. The first three, all from the UK, are all about the 90s — and the second three are no strangers to getting dance floors pumping with 00s tunes. Australia's own John Course, Mark Dynamix and Dirty South are also on the lineup, alongside over 70 other names across the tour. And if you went to 2023's events, you'll be making a date with different venues in some cities. In Sydney, the newly reopened White Bay Power Station will host a music party of this type for the first time. In Brisbane, Felons Barrel Hall awaits for letting loose by the river. Ministry of Sound: Testament 2024 Dates: Sydney: Saturday, August 31 — 00s session at White Bay Power Station Saturday, September 7 — 90s session at White Bay Power Station Melbourne: Saturday, August 31 — 90s session at The Timber Yard Saturday, September 7 — 00s session at The Timber Yard Brisbane: Sunday, September 1 — 00s session at Felons Barrel Hall Friday, September 6 — 90s session at Felons Barrel Hall Gold Coast: Sunday, September 1 — 90s session at Miami Marketta Sunshine Coast: Sunday, September 8 — 00s session at The Station Perth: Friday, August 30 — 00s session at Metro City Sunday, September 8 — 90s session at The Court Ministry of Sound: Testament 2024 Lineup: Danny Rampling Judge Jules Laidback Luke Mousse T Seb Fontaine X-Press 2 Dirty South John Course Mark Dynamix Minx Alex Taylor Andy Murphy Ange Annabelle Gasper Barking Boy Ben Korbel B2B Declan Lee Boogs Casey Leaver Cassette Chantal Chiari Chris Wilson Craig Obey Darren Briais Diamond D Ember Franky D Gavin Campbell General Lee Goodwill Greg Sara Hutcho Ian Spicer Illya Jackness Jade James A Jen E JJ John Ferris Jumping Jack Kate Monroe Kevin Matt Kitshon Matt Nugent Menis Micah Miggy Mike Dotch Mind Electric Ming D Miss Doodes Mr Sparkles Pete McNamara pH Pussymittens Rachel Harvey Rob Sharp Robbie Lowe Robin Knight RobKAY Rudy Sam Hill Sardi Sgt Slick Shamus & Gabby Sheen Spacey Space Stephen Ferris Sunshine Sweet Chilli DJ's T-Rek Tim McGee Tonez Trent Anthony Ministry of Sound: Testament 2024 will tour Australia in August and September. For further details, and to buy tickets — with pre-sale registrations until 11.59pm on Tuesday, May 21, then pre-sales from 12pm on Wednesday, May 22 and general sales from 12pm on Thursday, May 23 — head to the event's website. Images: Rachel Rachel / Ashlea Caygill.
If you're a fan of craft brews and you like being spoilt for choice, then we've found the booze-based pilgrimage you've been waiting for. Collingwood, aka one of the epicentres of Melbourne's indie beer scene, is playing host to the next edition of the Urban Craft Beer Crawl — a hoppy self-guided adventure from the minds behind the long-running Urban Wine Walk. From 12–4pm on Saturday, November 12, you'll stroll around Collingwood, sipping your way between some of the suburb's best-loved breweries and beer bars. There are seven venues on the lineup, including The Mill Brewery, Molly Rose, Hotel Collingwood, The Craft & Co, Fixation Brewing Co and more. [caption id="attachment_807469" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Molly Rose, by Amanda Santamaria[/caption] Tickets will set you back $65 and you'll get to choose which venue you kick off from, though spots are limited. Guests will enjoy a three-pour tasting paddle at each stop, along with a full-sized beer at their starting venue and a $10 voucher to spend on lunch. [caption id="attachment_829519" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hotel Collingwood[/caption]
It might have come a little late in Melbourne's outdoor drinking season, but the city's CBD just got a luxe new rooftop bar. Fleet, sitting on top of Vibe Hotel Melbourne (within the hotel's former penthouse apartments), boasts views over Flinders Street Station and the Yarra River that can be enjoyed no matter the weather, thanks to the retractable roof and smattering of indoor seating. Interior architecture firm Paul Kelly Design (BLACK Bar & Grill and Crown Casino) has designed the light-filled space, incorporating natural amber and pink hues throughout an interior full of high tables and plush stools. In contrast to these dusty tones, the wrap-around terrace is considerably brighter, with white accents. Low tables and upholstered couches line the windows, making the space ideal for long, casual hangouts in the sunshine. The drinks lineup comes courtesy of food and beverage consultant Grant Collins, who has stocked the bar with more than 70 different rums from across the globe, including a vintage and rare bottle collection dating back to the 1930s. But rum isn't all that's on show. There are 50 different gins on the docket, alongside an extensive list of other spirits. Collins has also curated a lengthy menu of nautical-themed cocktails, plus a few different spritzes, negronis and martinis. Craft beers, Victorian wines and mocktails round out the impressive bevs list. Whatever you want to drink, Fleet is likely to have it. And while you'll spend plenty of time flipping through the drinks menu, food is kept to a very manageable single page. Either keep it simple with fresh oysters and a meat and cheese board, or opt for a bigger spread. Chef Asish Kumar has crafted a Euro-centric menu with plenty of luxury French and Italian influences — think charcoal mushroom arancini, seared scallops with butter and caviar, lobster crepes and a chocolate cremieux with coffee caviar and cocoa meringue. Even though, first and foremost, this is a bar, the food is no mere afterthought. Folks can happily sip and snack a night away up at Fleet while admiring Melbourne's lit-up skyline and river. Fleet is located at Level 22 of 1 Queen Street, Melbourne (on the corner of Queen and Flinders Streets). It operates from 3pm–late Tuesday through Saturday. For more details, visit the rooftop bar's website.
When it comes to loving a particular film, not all affection is created equal. There's the type of fondness that inspires a fan to tell all their friends about something great that they've seen, and then rewatch it over and over again. Then there's the kind of adoration that becomes a fully fledged obsession. Kumiko (Rinko Kikuchi) fits the latter bill, but even then her fascination is a little more passionate than most. Joel and Ethan Coen's Fargo is the object of her excessive attention, and she doesn't just fixate over it, she believes it. It's not the bickering hitmen, inept car salesman and determined local sheriff — as anyone who has seen the blackly comic crime classic will be familiar with — that strikes a chord. Instead, it's the briefcase filled with money buried in the Minnesota snow. To understand why she's so intent on thinking the movie is more than fiction is to understand her largely solitary existence in Tokyo. Kumiko is 29 years old and still working as an office lady, a position her boss thinks she should've well and truly outgrown. Her mother only calls to scold her about her dismal personal life, and her only friend is her pet rabbit, Bunzo. So when she happens across a VHS copy of Fargo, embracing its tall tale as truth adds purpose to her days, and trekking across America to find the stack of cash it tells of becomes her destiny. Reality is actually at the heart of Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter, though the filmmaking Zellner brothers — writer, director and actor David and co-writer and producer Nathan — aren't just living this fantasy themselves. They're delving into an urban legend that sprang up around the death of a Japanese woman in the US, which was first chronicled in 2003 documentary This Is a True Story. Indeed, those exact words are the first seen in Fargo itself, sparking reports at the time that it was based on real-life circumstances. Keeping that in mind, Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter makes its own fable out of diving into the strangeness that can stem from both truth and fiction, as well as the tenuous relationship between the two. The basis for its premise aside, the film also offers an offbeat look at isolation, and the lengths someone will go to in order to escape into a dream rather than face their reality. There's no mistaking the magical realism at work in the Zellners' approach, as their gorgeous icy frames make Kumiko's quest seem larger than life, and the atmospheric score by The Octopus Project proves both haunting and hopeful. There's no avoiding the questions it raises about the protagonist's fragile, lonely state, either. Kikuchi plays the titular character with perfection, her performance as slow in building as the movie itself, but also as beguiling the longer she's on screen. It's one of quirks and details adding up to something you can't look away from, even if you're simultaneously enthralled and frustrated. That's the reaction Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter elicits: whole-hearted intrigue in its ideas, and traces of exasperation in its meandering. Well, that, and making you want to rewatch Fargo as soon as possible — and as long as you don't book a plane ticket to America to search for the briefcase yourself, that's not a bad thing.
The Australian Ballet is bringing its production of The Nutcracker to town this month, but it's not the only one getting into the spirit of the tale's famed fictional Land of Sweets. Much-loved gelato joint Piccolina has pulled inspiration from the classic story to whip up three limited-edition flavours, available all through The Nutcracker's local run. And you'll be able to try them for free. On offer at Piccolina's Collingwood store from September 17–28, you'll find the Sugar Plum Fairy, featuring rich crema gelato with plum and raspberry coulis and a silver leaf crown; a spiced apple and gingerbread fusion dubbed Clara and the Nutcracker; and The Land of Sweets, blending white chocolate gelato with strawberry boba, torched meringue and white chocolate-covered freeze-dried strawberries. What's more, you can try them out on the house on Friday, September 13, ahead of the show's launch. The Collingwood store will be dishing up free scoops of all three flavours for one hour, from 6.30–7.30pm. If you can't get to Collingwood, the Land of Sweets will also be available as a choc top, which you can grab from the Arts Centre Melbourne's State Theatre while the production's on. Images: Kate Longley.
No matter what cuisine rules your annual Christmas feast, we bet it'll work a treat with a sweet Italian finish. Especially one that comes courtesy of Piccolina Gelateria. The local frozen treats expert has unveiled a new creation just in time for the festive season: an indulgent panettone con gelato. The new limited-edition treat is the ultimate mash-up of two traditional Italian desserts, teaming a handmade Christmas panettone with plenty of Piccolina's signature gelato. For the uninitiated, panettone is classically crafted on a sweet, buttery dough spiked with spices, sultanas and candied fruit peel. And it's certainly a labour of love, usually taking around three days to make if you're doing it properly. [caption id="attachment_753962" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tim Allen[/caption] Piccolina's chefs are whipping up two varieties of the gelato cake, each of which is big enough to feed 12–14 people. There's the Nutella version, featuring handmade panettone stuffed with Piccolina's Better than Nutella gelato, coated in a roasted hazelnut and dark chocolate glaze, and crowned with a hazelnut truffle. Or, you might fancy the vanilla number, which is filled with classic vanilla gelato, slathered in white chocolate, and bedazzled with candied orange, gold pearl crisps and a golden cherry topper. They're preservative-free and are bound to look pretty darn fabulous on your Christmas table. [caption id="attachment_753950" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tim Allen[/caption] Clocking in at $85, each share-friendly cake comes hand-wrapped in a special edition canvas bag and finished with festive red ribbon. Piccolina's panettone con gelato can be pre-ordered via the website, otherwise a limited number are now available to buy in-store at Piccolina Collingwood, Hawthorn and St Kilda. Images: Tim Allen
With international travel banned indefinitely and many Australian states and territories closing their borders, travel is in no one's immediate plans — and the airline industry is responding accordingly. In late March, Qantas and Jetstar suspended all international flights and cut domestic flights by 60 percent, temporarily stepping down two-thirds of their 30,000-person staff in the process. Virgin Australia also suspended all international flights from March 30 — and cut domestic flights by 50 percent — but is now reducing its local capacity even further. From yesterday, Friday, April 10, Virgin Australia has suspended all domestic passenger flights except for a return service between Melbourne and Sydney, running once daily except Saturdays. In a statement on the airline's website, the group said "Demand for travel has continued to decline with border restrictions and the need for people to stay home due to social distancing measures." https://www.facebook.com/virginaustralia/photos/a.10151888728861990/10156927916476990/?type=3&theater Tasmania, WA, SA, NT and Queensland have all closed their borders to non-essential travel and require interstate visitors to quarantine for 14 days. And, as of yesterday, Queenslanders are required to obtain a permit to cross back over the border from interstate, too. These measures are similar to those currently in place for Australians returning from overseas, which mandates compulsory 14-day isolation periods for all international travellers Qantas and Jetstar haven't yet announced further cuts to their domestic flights, and all three airlines currently working with the government to help bring stranded Australians home. Qantas is helping bring Aussies back from Peru, Argentina and South Africa, while Virgin Australia is running flights to Los Angeles and Hong Kong. If you have ticket for travel up to June 30, 2020, Virgin Australian will let you change your booking or cancel and request a travel credit with no change and cancellation fees. You can find out more about this on its website. For more information about Virgin Australia's reductions, visit its website. For further details about Qantas and Jetstar's plans, visit the company's website.
As December rapidly approaches (it'll be 2020 before you know it, people) and temperatures soar, it's time to enjoy some of those traditionally festive flavours with an Australian twist. Ahead of the holiday season, Grey Goose La Vanille has returned to a selection of local bars for a limited time only. The premium French vodka is infused with natural vanilla flavours from beans harvested in Madagascar — there's no added sugar. The flavour originally swept through bars back in 2003, and though it's not available to buy in shops, it started reappearing on international shelves last year. Now, the bold caramelised toffee notes are back just in time to add a vanilla twist to classic vodka cocktails throughout the holidays. Thankfully, we have the hook ups — here's where you can get your lips around an exclusive cocktail with a vanilla twist. [caption id="attachment_705698" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Peaches by Kate Shanasy[/caption] WHERE CAN YOU DRINK IT? With such exclusivity surrounding Grey Goose La Vanille, bartenders around town are taking the opportunity to whip up some special creations for the occasion. At just a handful of bars around Australia — including Sydney's Maybe Sammy, Eleven Rooftop in Brisbane, Geelong's The 18th Amendment Bar and Adelaide's 2KW — you'll find some delightfully summery cocktails championing the smooth vanilla flavour. In Melbourne, get down to Peaches, the CBD cocktail bar just above barbecue restaurant Cheek, where a delicious vanilla cocktail is sure to go down a treat as you relax among the whimsical retro-pink decor. Down in Windsor, Aussie-themed cocktail bar and bottle shop Galah will be mixing up something special with homegrown flavours, too. GALAH: LIVING LEGEND This one is sure to live up to its name. The bold toffee notes of Grey Goose La Vanille meet a fruit salad of sweet and tart flavours, including lychee, passionfruit, grapefruit and lime. Not to stray too far from the Aussie tilt of a Galah, there's also native inspiration in the kakadu plum chardonnay and rivermint to round out the drink, which is shaken and strained into a coupe glass. Pair the Living Legend with modern Australiana bar food, like a leek and potato tart, crocodile skewers or fried cauliflower. [caption id="attachment_705708" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kate Shanasy[/caption] PEACHES: VANILLA WATERFOWLER The crew at CBD newcomer Peaches have kept it nice and simple with this one. In a collins glass, you'll get Grey Goose La Vanille with lemon, Italicus Rosolio Di Bergamotto Liqueur, vanilla sugar and five mint leaves. It's shaken and strained before being topped with Garage Project White Mischief Salted Peach Sour. It's sure to have you feeling refreshed on a hot summer day, and will go well with Peaches' beloved chicken sanga. Each Grey Goose bottle is distilled and bottled in France, and the high quality vodka has a 100 percent traceable production process, from crop to cork. Upgrade your weekend by choosing the premium vodka — with a vanilla twist — in your classic cocktail.
Melbourne's inner north suburb of Coburg is set to score a shiny new addition, with Intercontinental Hotel Group revealing plans to open a Holiday Inn design hotel on Sydney Road. Slated to be up and running by 2020, the 150-room hotel will be a huge win for a pocket of Melbourne that's not exactly brimming with great accommodation options. It'll boast sweeping views across town and the Coburg Lake Reserve, while a new onsite bar and all-day dining offering is sure to prove as popular with locals as with the guests. As for looks, this hotel's steering right away from the usual Holiday Inn vibe. The bold, mirrored glass design is the work of acclaimed architects Hachem, whose previous projects include the likes of Om Nom dessert bar and the newly revamped Baroq House. Find Holiday Inn Melbourne Coburg on Sydney Road from 2020, and keep an eye on the Intercontinental Hotel Group website for further details.
Ah, Sriracha. Possibly the only condiment with a true cult following. From ramen to lollies, it can be used on and in anything, literally. Devotes can’t live without that so hot but so good burn that leaves mouths on fire, noses runny and eyes watery. Well, people, there’s some bad news. The major Sriracha factory in California is partially shutting down. All because the citizens of Irwindale couldn’t take a little heat. Residents complained of heartburn, inflamed asthma and even nosebleeds that were caused by a "spicy odour" coming from the factory. They took Huy Fong Foods to court, where a local judge ordered the manufacturer to stop doing, er, whatever they were doing to cause the stench. The ruling does not order the company to stop operating entirely, nor specify the types of actions that are required. Basically, they can go back to making their spicy sauce once they get that damn smell under wraps. The best part: the judge conceded to the "lack of credible evidence" linking the apparent health problems to the odour, but said that it seems to be "extremely annoying, irritating and offensive to the senses warranting consideration as a public nuisance." Weeeak. So what does this mean for Sriracha lovers? Well, because Huy Fong uses only the freshest chillies in its secret recipe, the fiery little guys must be ground within days of harvest. This process, which happens only two or three months out of the year, has fortunately been completed. The bottling process goes on year round, but a partial shutdown of this factory, the largest of two, could leave the sauce to spoil. Since the company already struggles to keep up with its growing global demand, this is no bueno. Huy Fong’s founder, David Tran, claims he’s never raised the wholesale price for the sauce in over 30 years, but that might have to change. So you might want to think about making a supermarket trip or two, like soon. Image via ilovememphis. Story via Quartz.
That bully who stole your lunch money in school? Send 'em glitter. In one of the most gleefully evil services we've seen in years, website Ship Your Enemies Glitter does just that — you hand over AUD$10, they send an envelope of glitter (or "herpes of the craft world") to your enemies. They'll inevitably open the suspicious package, get glitter all over themselves and never be able to rid themselves of the shiny stuff again. "We fucking hate glitter. People call it the herpes of the craft world," say the team on their site. "What we hate more though are the soulless people who get their jollies off by sending glitter in envelopes. We’ve had enough so here’s the deal: there’s someone in your life right now who you fucking hate. Whether it be your shitty neighbour, a family member or that bitch Amy down the road who thinks it’s cool to invite you to High Tea but not provide any weed." Thanks to Reddit, the site has gone viral and is experiencing the odd downed service moment due to epic visits. We know what you're thinking, isn't this pretty dangerous? Envelopes full of suspicious stuff are White House lockdown material. The Inquisitr pointed out the FAQs on the site reveal a darker side to the seemingly lighthearted prank. But the Ship Your Enemies Glitter team aren't backing down. One user complained, "My recipient got glitter in both eyeballs, is now blind and would like to file charges. Help?" To which the team simply replied, "Heh." Way harsh Tai. UPDATE 11AM THURSDAY, JANUARY 14: After being in business for about 24 hours, Ship Your Enemies Glitter is up for sale. After making a cheeky five figures in less than a day, Owner Mathew Carpenter tweeted this last night: "ShipYourEnemiesGlitter with 1m visits, 270k social shares, $xx,xxx in sales, tonnes of people wanting to order. 24 hours old. For sale." According to StartUp Smart, Carpenter claims the website had a cheeky one million visits, 270,000 social media shares and sold over six figures in glitter within an hour. Now he's done. Crafty bastard. Via Inquisitr and StartUp Smart.
Activewear fans, we've got some big news: P.E. Nation is bringing back its warehouse sample sale — but, this year, it's all online. The athleisure experts hosted their first ever sample sale in 2016 (and everything sold out in the first day) but, luckily, you don't have to worry about being crushed in a throng this year. You just need to have your mouse at the ready. Whether you're stocking up your own balcony-gym wardrobe (or WFH outfit, if we're totally honest) or doing a solid for sporty loved ones, you'll find an extensive array of swim, activewear, accessories, sweaters and jackets available from 12pm on Thursday, April 16 — and all for 60 percent off. There'll be accessories from $40, tops and bottoms from $60, outerwear from $140 and snow (for those future holidays) from $230. Remember the age-old advice of when it comes to sample sales, you need to get in quick. Given the following the label has amassed since General Pants Co. design director Pip Edwards and former senior Sass & Bide designer Claire Tregoning joined forces, its functional, fashionable bits and pieces are bound to be popular. So, keep an eye on the website. P.E. Nation's Online Warehouse Sale goes live on Thursday, April 16. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Pack your suitcases, don your best 30s-style outfit and keep an eye out for that lobby boy — it's time to check into Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel. That's where Underground Cinema is taking viewers to finish out its 2019 season, recreating the glitz, glamour and hijinks of the beloved 2014 movie. Here's hoping that Mendl's chocolates will be on the menu. Known for its immersive screenings (complete with live recreations and plenty of audience participation), Underground Cinema is going all out for this special event, taking over The Hotel Windsor on Spring Street. Nab a ticket for Friday, November 22, Saturday, November 23 or Sunday, November 24, and you won't just watch the flick starring Ralph Fiennes, Jeff Goldblum, Saoirse Ronan and Tilda Swinton — you'll feel like you've stepped inside it. Running over more than four hours each night, this suave soiree will serve up a light grazing menu, all the fun and frenzy of the famous fictional hotel presided over by the fastidious M.Gustave, a session of the film, and — for an extra price — a heap of stiff drinks. Tickets cost $89.95, or $110 if you're keen on a one-on-one experience — although just what the entails hasn't been revealed. And, like all of Underground Cinema's incredibly popular events, getting in quickly in recommended. UPDATE, OCTOBER 20: Underground Cinema's first two The Grand Budapest Hotel sessions sold out quickly; however an extra screening has been announced, taking place at 6.30pm on Sunday, November 24. This article has been updated to reflect the new date — and tickets will go on sale at 1pm on Monday, October 21.
The enticing aromas of a Middle Eastern market will soon be wafting through the Melbourne CBD. Set to open in one of the city's countless laneways sometime in early March, Souk will serve up mouthwatering mix of Arabic, Anatolian and North African cuisine with a contemporary edge, along with a selection of Middle East-inspired cocktails. The menu at Souk is the brainchild of Mexican-born chef Rogelio Almanza, who has promised to unleash an explosion of flavour. "It's an enjoyable challenge for me because it is gastronomy of the Middle East but I understand the concept very well as it is similar to Mexican gastronomy," he added. With a strong focus on share plates, starters at Souk include prawn falafel served on smoked black tahini, and Kuwaiti fried chicken ribs crumbed with el-hanout spice mix, served with sweet cucumber and garlic sauce. Down the page you'll find heartier dishes, such as charcoal octopus with Muhammara sauce and roasted potato, apricot chicken koftas served with beetroot hummus, and traditional Turkish meatballs because of course. Souk will be split into two levels: a 130-seat upstairs dining room, and a downstairs bar. It's in the latter space that you'll find a mix of local, European and Middle Eastern wines, plus cocktails including Aladdin's Mistress made with Moroccan green iced tea, crush cardamom pods, white rum, dark rum and mint. Souk will open from early March at 13 Bligh Place, Melbourne. For more information check them out on Instagram or visit soukmelbourne.com.au.
Chances are, you've already knocked back a few top-notch cold beers this summer. And you can continue your roll when the Great Australian Beer Festival returns to Geelong for its tenth anniversary edition later this month. Taking over Johnstone Park on Friday, January 20 and Saturday, January 21, the fest is dishing up a bumper serve of craft beer plus live entertainment, masterclasses, street food and more. You'll be able to taste your way through hundreds of drops from a hefty lineup of local breweries including Moon Dog, Hop Nation, Burnley Brewing, Kaiju, Stomping Ground and more. Plus, sample plenty more in the way of vino, cider, spirits and cocktails. More beery goodness comes in the form of expert masterclasses, forums, food pairing sessions and guided tastings. There'll be beer-friendly fare in abundance, courtesy of favourites like Burn City Smokers, Bavarian Bangers and Lil Dumpling Van. And over on the Culinary Stage, you'll catch sustainability-focused cooking demos whipping up everything from toasties to beer snacks. As for the entertainment, musical acts like Tyne-James Organ, Ash Grunwald, Jolyon Petch and Telenova will be hitting the Gage Roads Stage, while the live comedy stage is set to play host to big ticket acts including Tom Ballard, Kirsty Webeck and Alex Ward. One-day passes start from $37.62 with various packages available. The festivities run from 4–10pm on the Friday and 12–7pm on the Saturday.
It's official: the warm weather has finally returned to our shores. If there is ever a time to plan a quick jaunt to Sydney, it's right now — the beaches are beautiful, the city is buzzing with activity and there are bars popping up all over the place, so you can get a good fix of vitamin D with a drink in hand. Once you've arrived, we're guessing one of the first things on your agenda is to sit in the sun and sip some cocktails by the water. And luckily, you can do just that — and catch some legendary art — at Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art on your visit. The museum has teamed up with top-notch tequila brand Patrón to launch a summer pop-up bar. The bar opened on Thursday, October 31 and is running from 4–10pm every Wednesday through Sunday until February 16. It'll be running alongside the gallery's retrospective exhibition of British artist Cornelia Parker, also sponsored by Patrón, as part of the MCA's 2019/2020 Sydney International Art Series. It's an all-out celebration of art, culture and fine tequila — and everyone is invited. The ground floor terrace has been transformed into an airy, hacienda-inspired bar that looks straight out over the harbour. Expect an openair space with a polished concrete bar, colourful wall murals and heaps of leafy plants. The bar opens out onto a 'lawn' with wicker sling-back chairs surrounding tequila barrel tables. The space offers unrestricted views across to the Sydney Opera House and will surely give a few other harbourside bars a run for their money this season. Instead of using your usual gin or whisky cocktails, the bartenders will, of course, be shaking and stirring drinks with Patrón — namely Silver, Reposado and Añejo. The 100-percent agave tequila is hand-harvested and produced in small batches in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico, which gives it its premium edge, so expect after-work drinks to get a lot fancier. You (and your mates) will be able to spend a balmy evening sipping negronis, highballs and old-fashioneds, all with a seasonal tequila twist. You can also opt for a Patrón, lime and soda, or the signature cocktail inspired by British artist Cornelia Parker — the Cold Dark Matter, made with Patrón Reposado, blackberry liqueur, lime and ginger ale. For the purists, there are classic margaritas and palomas on the docket, too. Apart from the cocktails, there are plenty of Mexican eats from Simon Fox (Graze Restaurant) to keep you going. Think bar snacks like margarita-spiced popcorn ($5) and chilli lime peanuts ($5), or, the star of the show, the Nixtamal tortilla tostadas. These tortillas have been made using a special ancient Aztec method of cooking and grinding corn, and you can nab three for $20. Varieties include slow-cooked pulled pork with pickled cabbage, salt and fennel crusted salmon with sesame yoghurt and an Asian-inspired version with crispy pulled duck, shallots and crushed peanuts. Two vegetarian options are also up for grabs — the mole verde with pickled cactus and chipotle aioli and the pickled eggplant with avocado, marinated olives and feta. And, since its the MCA, you can expect plenty of art, culture and entertainment happenings, too. There'll be interactive performances, DJ sets, art installations and VR experiences to check out throughout the pop-up. Plus, every Sunday, you can try out your own artistic hand — by painting and decorating a 200ml bottle of Patron, that is. If all that isn't enough, you can turn your visit here into the start of a very festive bar crawl around Sydney Harbour. In addition to the MCA pop-up bar, Patrón has also teamed up with a number of other bars around Circular Quay — Bar Patrón, Quay Bar and The Argyle — to create The Art of Patrón precinct. Just keep your Patrón cocktail coaster and scan it at each venue (all in one night or across the entire summer period) to score a complimentary ceramic mug. The Patrón Pop-up will run from Thursday, October 31 through February 16 (excluding public holidays and New Year's Eve). It is open every Wednesday through Sunday from 4–10pm. Visit Patron's website for more details.
Summer is here, which means that it's time to leave the den that we've crafted for ourselves for our winter hibernation. We need to go outside, and there's no better way to get into the 'outside' than by roughing it under a canvas sheet with fire and nature. But camping doesn't have to be all about being at one with nature; it can be about surviving in the coolest way possible. With this level of bad-assery in mind, here are the top ten gadgets you need to make camping an excellent trip to the great outdoors instead of a terrible trip to the hospital with hypothermia. TENTSILE STINGRAY TREEHOUSE TENT First on your pyramid of camping needs is shelter, and this is the coolest shelter around. The Stingray hangs from the trees, keeping you safe from bugs, animals and all those things that go bump in the night. Going for about AU$850, this genius tent is 4.6 metres square and can hold a whopping 400kg. Now all you have to worry about are the Drop Bears. US$749 from tentsile.com MUSUCBAG LITE Despite having a potential gross-out for a name, this is the 'handiest' sleeping bag you'll ever see. Because it has hands. And feet. Ever get sick of having to get up out of your sleeping bag to get some water or a snack? Fear not, the MusucBag has you covered. Now you can sit around drinking with friends without having to leave the comfort of your bedding. It's like the Snuggie of the camping world. The 'classic' is 119 euros from musucbag.com. TRANSPARENT CANOE For the more sporty of us, summer camping trips are all about getting in or on the water, whether it's the beach or a not-at-all scary lake. For these grand occasions, there's Hammacher's Transparent Canoe. Can't decide between snorkelling or kayaking? Fine, because now you can row your heart out and check out the depths beneath you, all at the same time. US$1900 from the Hammacher online store. BIOLITE CAMPSTOVE Possibly the coolest innovation in heat since the discovery of fire, the BioLite CampStove takes the heat from an internal fire to create electricity that charges phones, tablets, lights and anything else with a power cord. One chamber holds a fire made from twigs that's suitable for cooking, which fuels a generator in another chamber. It's about the size of a drink bottle, affordable and eliminates the need for lighting a giant fire every time you want a cup of tea. The BioLite CampStove is simply one of the coolest inventions in town. US$129.95 from the BioLite online store. KANZ FIELD KITCHEN Camping can seem somewhat less appealing when you think about the fact that it means eating a whole load of tinned spaghetti — it's hard to lug around the gear necessary to cook a decent meal. Instead, why not pack up the portable and awesomely nifty Field Kitchen? It houses a two-burner stove top, cabinets and a prep area, all in less than a metre cubed. Get the fully pimped propane version for US$1640 from the Kanz online store. LIFESTRAW Not only is it important to be comfortable and have your phone charged whilst camping, it's also important to have clean water, which is where the life straw comes in. The straw looks like a little water bottle, and can filter 1000L of filthy, stagnant water into the purest elixir you've ever had. Handy for when you just can't boil up some river water and wait for it to cool. US$19.95 from the Lifestraw store. Plus, for every straw you buy, part of the funds go towards distributing LifeStraw Community institutional water purifiers to schools in Africa. BEAR GRYLLS SCOUT ESSENTIALS KIT Whether or not Bear Grylls really does do all the wicked stuff he appears to on television, there's no doubt that he's the ultimate survival guy, and this kit is all the basics he deems necessary to live outside. There's a scout knife, a first aid kit, a compass and an LED light, just for starters, and it's all packaged up polypropylene case. £35.99 at the Bear Grylls website. VICTORINOX TINKER DELUXE SWISS ARMY KNIFE This isn't just a camping essential; this is a life essential. Everyone needs a Swiss Army Knife because they can do just about anything. Victorinox are always coming up with innovations that already improve on the perfect design, and the Tinker Deluxe is one of the best examples. With a knife, a can opener, scissors, pliers, screwdriver and the always handy bottle opener, this camping/life essential is well worth the $80 it costs to have one. YETI TUNDRA 65 WHITE COOLER The Tundra 65 isn't the cheapest cooler in town, but it sure is the best. It holds 60L, which is about 39 cans of beer. Which is a lot. Plus, the walls are super thick, so it keeps these cans of beer cooler for much longer than your regular old cooler. It may cost a pretty penny, but what a price to pay for beer that's still cold until you've finished the case, which is what camping is all about, isn't it? US$399.99 from Yeti, FESTIVE BRAZIL HAMMOCK Finally, it's essential to touch on the more comfortable side of sleeping outdoors — glamping, if you will. For those of us who really don't like getting dirty or sleeping on a thin mat, glamping is an opportunity to enjoy the fresh air and beautiful views outdoors in comfort. And for that, there's the Festive Brazil Artisan Crafted Hammock. Not only is it big enough for two, it's all done up in pretty rainbow colours, and is finished with crocheted draping, hand crafted by Brazilian artisans. At $160, it's the perfect excuse to skip the hike. US$159.99 from Novica.
Sorry, music lovers — you won't be making the pilgrimage to the Supernatural Amphitheatre in 2022, because Golden Plains has just announced that it won't be returning next year. Meredith's other beloved festival (the one that isn't literally called Meredith Music Festival), it was hoping to return in March; however, in a statement released today, Friday, November 19, organisers have advised that that won't be possible. "We tried incredibly hard to make it happen. Turned every stone a hundred times. Looked at it from every possible, and impossible, angle. We allowed as much time and space as we could," the Aunty team announced. "In the end, there wasn't any one single thing that knocked it out. More a seriously sizeable series of things which proved — at this particular moment in time, for our particular circumstances — insurmountable for Golden Plains to take flight." Catering to 12,000 punters each year across three days and two nights — when it goes ahead, that is — the fest has long proven a favourite for its one-stage setup, which skips the need for frantic timetabling. And, like sibling festival Meredith, Golden Plains is also known for the Aunty crew's star-studded lineups. In good news for that other fest, however, Meredith is still set to take place in December 2022 — after sitting out this year, just as it did in 2020. It's obviously far too early for lineup details but, when it returns, it'll be celebrating its 30th fest. And, as for Golden Plains, mark March 2023 in your diary now. If that'll leave a gap in your 2022 festival schedule, a heap of other music fests around Victoria have been locking in their plans for the new few months — including Boiler Room x Sugar Mountain, So Frenchy So Chic, For the Love, new touring fest Summer Camp and Beyond the City. Golden Plains won't return in 2022, with further details available via the festival's website. Images: Steve Benn / Theresa Harrison
Frontmen rarely come as charismatic as Henry Wagons. A storytelling character and a half, the Melburnian native has returned from the dark desert highways of the US to reunite with his band and bring Wagons' shiny new album to the townspeople. Seeing music as a joyous occasion rather than a moment to wallow in your sorrows, Wagons' shows are downright shindiggerous in their approach. "'Music is a public activity — the very birth of music was designed to be joined in on,'' Wagons told SMH. ''The first music was played at celebrations. The insular emo songwriter in the bedroom is this recent offshoot of what music is at its core. Music for me is for other people. I write it alone, but with the idea of playing it for other people.'' These "other people" make up the remaining five members of Wagons, one of Australia's best and most underrated live bands. Wagons have just released their latest single 'Beer Barrel Bar', taken from brand new, sixth studio album Acid Rain and Sugar Cane and nabbing a four-star rating from Rolling Stone. Landing feature album at 2ser and RTR, Wagons' new release heralds the end of a long period between drinks for the band — Henry Wagons released his own lovelorn ballad-filled solo album in 2013 and spent many months on the dusty highways of America touring his wares. With Mick Harvey (The Birthday Party/Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds) behind the mixing desk and Wagons himself bringing his US-inspired country stomping style to the plate, Acid Rain and Sugar Cane has quite the Nashville twang to it. Best enjoyed with a whiskey in hand and a soulmate far away, the LP is a natural evolution of Wagons' indie country blues into an Ameristralian tavern hootenanny. Kicking off their national tour in Adelaide on May 22, Wagons will make their way through major cities and regional centres, hopping from Fremantle to Hobart, back up to Geelong, Melbourne and Ballarat, up to the Canberran capital, east to Wollongong, Sydney and Newcastle before heading north to Brisbane and finishing up at Darwin's Railway Hotel on June 21. Warming up the stage at The Hi-Fi for Wagons is Nashville singer-songwriter Jonny Fritz, known for his wise-cracking, storytelling onstage persona and his former moniker of Jonny Corndawg. Fritz signed his contract with ATO Records in gravy at Nashville landmark Arnold's Country Kitchen. Yee-ha. https://youtube.com/watch?v=WXoiX2bFPDY
Fashion runways usually feature models of the leggy variety, but don't expect to see any of those at the NGV's Kids Summer Festival fashion parade, which instead will star a drove of tiny-legged dapperly dressed dachshunds. Taking over the NGV's Great Hall on Australia Day, this pup parade will conclude the annual, 11-day festival of kid-friendly fun. Although 'technically' for 'kids', anyone can head along to see the four-legged fashionistas show off their threads for free. Take a little one along and let them run wild in the gallery afterwards — they can unleash their own creativity by crafting dog-inspired 3D paper designs under the guidance of illustrator Alice Oehr and artist group Soft Stories. 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). The rest of the Kids Summer Festival program is chock-full of legitimately awesome free events — think magic performances, kids yoga, dance classes and a swag of creative workshops hosted by local artists. Images: Wayne Taylor.
The twin film phenomenon means that movies often come in pairs, with two flicks with the same premise arriving at the same time. Now, meet Australia's two current twin flight sales. After Virgin launched a Valentine's Day sale for flights to and from Queensland, Qantas has unveiled a 72-hour sale on fares across the country. Whether you're a Sydneysider thinking about a Byron Bay getaway, a Melburnian keen on jaunt to Tasmania or a Brisbanite eager to hit The Whitsundays, you have options. There's more than 500,000 fares covered, featuring everywhere from Queensland's tropics to the Apple Isle's cities, and from Perth to Sydney, too, as well as all the other state capitals, the Gold Coast, Coffs Harbour, Broken Hill and more. And, on 25-plus routes, flights will cost you under $150. The cheapest, as tends to be the case on all flight sales, is the Sydney–Ballina route, which'll get you from the Harbour City to Byron Bay from $109. Then, the Melbourne–Launceston fare comes in at $119, Gold Coast–Sydney at $125, Gold Coast–Melbourne at $129 and Brisbane–Hervey Bay at $139. The sale runs until 11.59pm on Saturday, February 17, so you'll want to get in quickly to get a bargain. And, as always, if fares sell out earlier, you'll miss out. Inclusions-wise, the sale covers fares with checked baggage, complimentary food and beverages, wifi and seat selection. If you're keen on heading further afield, but just across the ditch, Qantas also has a sale on flights to New Zealand on right now. This one runs until 11.59pm AEDT on Monday, February 19, or until sold out again. The sale covers Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown and Wellington, for dates between March–December 2024, with starting prices from $499 return. Go on, pack your bags. Qantas' 72-hour surprise sale runs for 72 hours until 11.59pm on Saturday, February 17, or until sold out. It's also doing a New Zealand sale until 11.59pm AEDT on Monday, February 19, or until sold out again. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
As summer draws nearer we all feel that urge to GTFO of the city, and when the weather heats up sometimes all we want to do is eat oysters on the Great Ocean Road or blast out summery tunes on the way to a three-day music festival. The list of cool, boutique festivals seems to get longer and more varied, so we've picked out seven regional festivals that we think are worth the drive not only for the main event, but also for the cute country towns and rolling vineyards they inhabit — from grape harvests in the Granite Belt of Queensland to family-friendly music festivals in country New South Wales. Before you head out on a long drive, make sure you're doing it in comfort. MG's new limited-edition MG3S hatchback has ample luggage space (perfect for three-day camping festivals), rear camera and parking sensors (to help you nab that last parking spot) and an AppleCarPlay system (for that podcast binge). Start planning your journey to these seven events below.
If you thought that Michael Jordan was the epitome of cool and Albert Einstein didn't know how to have a good time then prepare to have your perceptions shattered. A significant part of being a successful celebrity is the act of persuasion. This includes the constant act of generating and maintaining a public image that appeals to a wide audience. Kurt Cobain did dense and brooding, Bill Clinton did regal and commanding, and Stalin did intense and intimidating. Yet here are ten photos that prove that sometimes what the spin media show us about famous people is not exactly the whole story. Teenage Eminem adorned in Alf T-shirt Kurt Cobain eating pizza Hillary and Bill 'The Dude' Clinton at Yale Dean Martin and John Wayne cooking spaghetti Hitler looked ominous even when riding a sled Michael Jordan as a dorky College kid Stalin: Part time dictator, part time model Colonel Sanders with Alice Cooper Winston Churchill says 'Line up, ladies!' Albert Einstein: everyone's favourite drunk uncle
For the past 11 years, Australians that are fond of a tipple have been familiar with one particular figure: two standard drinks per day. Equating to 14 drinks per week, that's the maximum number of standard beverages that Aussies were told they should consume to minimise the risk of health repercussions from their boozing, as per the National Health and Medical Research Council's (NHMRC) guidelines on the subject. But that amount has just been revised as part of the first revamp of those recommendations since 2009. Now, as initially flagged this time last year but officially confirmed today, Tuesday, December 8, by the NHMRC, only ten drinks per week is recommended. Staying within that number will "reduce the risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury" in healthy men and women, the organisation advised. And if you're wondering how many of those ten tipples you should have in one sitting, the NHMRC says you shouldn't exceed four standard drinks on any single day. If you need a reminder, a standard drink is defined as ten grams of pure alcohol, no matter what type of beverage you're sipping. That's around 285 millilitres of full-strength beer or a can of mid-strength beer — and 100 millilitres of wine or a single shot of spirits. Sticking within the new guidelines — which aren't rules or laws, but recommendations — means that you'll have "less than a one in 100 chance of dying from an alcohol-related condition", Australia's Acting Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly says. "Every year there are more than 4000 alcohol-related deaths in Australia, and more than 70,000 hospital admissions. Alcohol is linked to more than 40 medical conditions, including many cancers," he explains. Just how many bevvies you should have a week and a day comprises the first guideline. You'll already be well aware of the other two. They recommend that children and people under 18 years of age should not drink alcohol — which has been legislated, of course — and that women who are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding shouldn't either. The change to the number of standard drinks recommended per week came about after a wide-ranging analysis and review by the NHMRC — into "health effects of drinking alcohol, modelling, data on Australian drinking patterns and best practice guideline development processes", the statement about the change advises. An Alcohol Working Committee was formed, featuring independent health experts such as doctors, medical and public health professionals, researchers and consumer representatives, to guide the development of the new guidelines. And then the NHMRC Council, which includes the Chief Medical Officers of the Commonwealth and each state and territory, endorsed the new guidelines. Alcohol industry body Alcohol Beverages Australia has already voiced its unhappiness about the new recommendation, while the Cancer Council has come out in support of the changes — with the latter noting that three percent of cancers diagnosed in Australia are caused by alcohol. For more information about Australia's new guidelines for reducing the health risks from drinking alcohol, head to the National Health and Medical Research Council website.
As social distancing has become our new way of life, Aussies are preparing to spend a solid chunk of the coming weeks at home, which means you're probably already busy scouting out bulk entertainment options to see you through. Well now, you can add a few audiobooks to that hit-list, thanks to the good folk at Audible. The online retailer is offering a bunch of its recorded books to download for free. And that's without locking you into its usual free trial period. The newly launched free collection of stories is primarily aimed at kids stuck at home during the outbreak (and of course, their parents), though it's also got a few literary classics tucked away in there as well. Among the books translated into six different languages, you'll find gems like Jane Eyre — narrated by UK actress Thandie Newton — Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and Aldous Huxley's novel Brave New World. You might fancy diving into The Call of The Wild by Jack London, or even settling in with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Whatever your style, there's plenty of hours of entertainment amongst this lot. The stories are free to stream on your phone, tablet, desktop or laptop, and with no sign-up required, you can jump on and start listening straight away. The free Audible Stories are available now via the website.
If there's one thing Aussies love, it's taking the day off work and catching up with mates over a couple of beers, a bottle of wine, or a cocktail jug in celebration of not being in the office. So, there's absolutely no chance we Melburnians will let a public holiday such as Melbourne Cup Day pass by without some good celebration. As always, the problem isn't finding somewhere that's open on a public holiday, it's picking the best place on offer out of the many venues in our vibrant city. Ahead of the big one on Tuesday, November 5, we've put together a cheeky list of ways to get down on the day without blowing big bucks. Think bottomless brunches, high tea packages, three-course meals, a party hosted by drag queens and endless grazing stations. Make sure to get your best frocks out, as there are plenty of prizes up for grabs across the city for best (and worst) dressed.
Interactive detective game CluedUpp has taken over Australia's streets before — and if you like the idea of true crime and Cluedo colliding while you run around town, then it's the pastime for you. Its next Melbourne event on Saturday, December 11 will bring the classic board game to life throughout the city once again, with a slight twist. The outdoor adventure will have you tracking a Jack the Ripper copycat — and while the serial killer was very real, everything else about this murder-mystery game will be fictional. Forget Colonel Mustard with the candlestick in the study — this event will bring you and your friends closer to reality and out onto the streets to solve the case. The game will kick off at a secret location, and you can choose to start whenever you like between 9am–2pm. Then, how long it takes depends on how good of a detective you are. The best news of all, however, is that the event is dog friendly — and there are prizes to be won by both human and canine detectives. All you need to play is some friends and your phone. Dressing up as a detective is encouraged, so you can really get yourself into character. A ticket will set you back $65 per team of six, but you only need two humans to play. With only 100 teams available, get in quick for your chance to solve the mystery.
Yeah, so this happened. Wellington pub The Green Man decided to go ahead and serve locally-brewed stout beer featuring a cheeky little amount of stag semen. While we're half-heartedly reeling and equally intrigued, we have a lot of questions. Responsible for this drinkable abomination are local Wellington brewers Choice Bros, probably looking for a little free publicity pre-Beervana. Well, they certainly got that. We're assured that the deer semen is "export quality", however that was judged. The stag was apparently "milked" and had a restful sleep afterwards. Warning, you might grab a sick bag for this next bit. According to the brewers, the stout beer apparently has a "creamy" mouthfeel. Ugh. "Everyone so far has swallowed and not spat… The beer itself is excellent. It’s a creamy chocolate stout with coffee notes. The semen… well that’s something you’ve got to experience to describe," pub director Steve Drummond, a man who clearly knows his sexual innuendo, told BuzzFeed. If you can believe it, this is not The Green Man's first time serving semen-infused bevs. Stuff reported that "In 2011 its apple-infused horse semen shots proved popular with women, while 2013 saw syringes of stag semen on offer." God help us all. After doing the calculations of the novelty factor to lifelong trauma ratio, we'd love to hear of any brave, disgusting souls who head down to The Green Man on Victoria Street in Wellington to try this horrific cocktail out. Please, show yourselves. Via BuzzFeed.
Erica Rasmussen’s latest work, Silhouettes, Inside Outside, sits right at the intersection of music, art and performance. A multidisciplinary, multi-sensory, performance art piece this work features classical musicians Andrea Keeble and Elisse Kleiner, visual artists Sam Haycroft and Natalya Garden-Thompson, and most importantly, you. Essentially, as the musicians perform, the visual artists will capture their silhouettes by drawing their outlines on canvases placed behind them. Now here’s where you come in: audience members will then add colour to these silhouettes as interpretations of the music. Don't worry if you're a little shy. Silhouettes, Inside Outside is as interactive as you make it. You’re welcome to sit there and take it all in or jump up and grab a brush when the mood strikes you. Heads up for those attending, don't wear your favourite frock to this event. Bring an old shirt to throw over the top and let your creativity run wild.
The National Gallery of Victoria has your summer art fix sorted, showcasing works from over 100 artists as part of its ambitious NGV Triennial exhibition. And now the fun is set to continue after hours, too, with the ultimate supporting act — a month-long series of tunes, performances, eats and drinks, dubbed Triennial Extra. Taking over the NGV International precinct nightly from Friday, January 15–Sunday, February 14, this free festival will be making the most of those balmy summer evenings to come. As well as late-night access to the NGV Triennial from 5-9pm, visitors can tuck into an exclusive menu of modern Indian eats, with a pop-up restaurant from Adam D'Sylva's acclaimed Tonka descending on the NGV's Garden Restaurant. Elsewhere, you'll find pop-up bars from the likes of Asahi and Yering Station, and bespoke Triennial-inspired pastries from the famed Lune Croissanterie. [caption id="attachment_796275" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tonka's modern Indian fare, by Tim Grey[/caption] Meanwhile, Melbourne Music Week has jumped on board to help curate a lineup of DJ sets, gracing the Triennial Summer Stage in the fairy-lit Grollo Equiset Garden each night. Across the month, you'll catch sounds from the likes of Andee Frost, Pjenné, Sui Zhen, Claire Knight, IN2STELLAR, Edd Fisher and many more. And that's just a taste of what's on offer, with the full Triennial Extra program dropping on Monday, January 11.
Forget the "find someone who looks at you like…" meme. That's great advice in general, and absolutely mandatory if you've ever seen a Céline Sciamma film. No one peers at on-screen characters with as much affection, attention, emotion and empathy as the French director. Few filmmakers even come close, and most don't ever even try. That's been bewitchingly on display in her past features Water Lillies, Tomboy, Girlhood and Portrait of a Lady on Fire, any of which another helmer would kill to have on their resume. It's just as apparent in Petite Maman, her entrancing latest release, as well. Now 15 years into her directorial career, Sciamma's talent for truly seeing into hearts and minds is unshakeable, unparalleled and such a lovely wonder to watch — especially when it shines as sublimely and touchingly as it does here. In Sciamma's new delicate and exquisite masterpiece, the filmmaker follows eight-year-old Nelly (debutant Joséphine Sanz) on a trip to her mother's (Nina Meurisse, Camille) childhood home. The girl's maternal grandmother (Margot Abascal, The Sower) has died, the house needs packing up, and the trip is loaded with feelings on all sides. Her mum wades between sorrow and attending to the task. With melancholy, she pushes back against her daughter's attempts to help, too. Nelly's laidback father (Stéphane Varupenne, Monsieur Chocolat) assists as well, but with a sense of distance; going through the lifelong belongings of someone else's mother, even your spouse's, isn't the same as sifting through your own mum's items for the last time. While her parents work, the curious Nelly roves around the surrounding woods — picture-perfect and oh-so-enticing as they are — and discovers Marion (fellow newcomer Gabrielle Sanz), a girl who could be her twin. The Sanz sisters are identical twins IRL, and why they've been cast is right there in Petite Maman's name. Spelling out anything further would be saying more than is needed going in; flitting through the story's intricacies alongside Nelly is one of its many marvels. Like all kids, she's naturally inquisitive about her parents' upbringings. "You never tell me about when you were children," she complains to her dad, who counters that, actually, he and her mother do. Like all kids, she's also keenly aware of the special alchemy that comes with following in your mother and father's youthful footsteps, all just by being in the house and roaming around the woods where her mum grew up. There's nothing as immersive in helping to understand why one of the people that brought you into the world became who they are. Indeed, it's no surprise that Sciamma and her cinematographer Claire Mathon (Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Spencer) shoot the film in golden and glowing autumnal hues. Nelly has questions for Marion, too, and vice versa; however, spending time in each other's company, watching the connection that springs and embracing every emotion it evokes is Sciamma's plan for the quickly thick-as-thieves pair. Explanations about what's happening are unnecessary; only the experience itself, the mood and the resonance it all holds are what matters. So, the girls do what kids do, whether amid all that ethereal greenery or inside Marion's home, decked out in vintage decor as it is, where Nelly meets her new pal's mother. The two girls play, including in a teepee-like hut made out of branches. They write and perform their own play, costumes and all. They share secrets, talk about their dreams for the future, make pancakes, bust out boardgames, and also float through their new friendship as if they're the only people who matter — in that intimate, serious and earnest way that children do with their friends. Sciamma is exceptionally skilled at many things, creating richly detailed and textured cinematic worlds high among them. She doesn't build franchises or big fantasy realms, but surveys faces, spaces, thoughts and feelings — exploring them like the entire universes they are. The Sanz duo's pint-sized features whisper and bellow about the world whenever Mathon's lens looks in their direction, as Sciamma is well-aware. The young actors welcome Petite Maman's audience into their own insular zone, in fact, and it's a revealing place to inhabit. The landscape that surrounds them is just as laden with meaning and mood, brimming with possibilities as it is to Nelly and Marion. It's a playground, as all forests are to young hearts, minds and limbs. It's also the place that brings them together. That it never appears anything short of magical is hardly astonishing, even for a filmmaker as acutely attuned to her characters' relationship with their scenery as Sciamma has always been. That love for observing, soaking in the minutiae and letting what's seen speak louder than what's said — and doing all of the above with sensitivity and matter-of-fact naturalism — pulsates through every frame of Petite Maman like a heartbeat. The film resembles a gentle but soul-replenishing breeze in its rustic look and serene pacing, but it thrums with feeling and insight about forging one's sense of self and navigating generational angst at every moment. It's a modern-day fairy tale, too, complete with its glorious twist, musing deeply on mothers, daughters and the ties that bind in the process. It predates them on the festival circuit, but it'd make a heartfelt triple bill with Turning Red and Everything Everywhere All At Once. With Sciamma returning to the adventures and emotions of childhood again after dancing with adult longing in her breathtaking last movie, Petite Maman is as radiant, affecting, smart and perceptive a reminder there is that the links between parents and kids are their own unique realms. With French cinema's abundant array of coming-of-age tales — from François Truffaut's French New Wave masterpiece The 400 Blows through to Sciamma's pre-Portrait of a Lady on Fire films — Petite Maman springs from a rich history. It's a movie about history, in its own manner, but it also never treads in anything else's footsteps. That's one of its filmmakers many gifts, because no story she's brought to the screen yet has ever felt like it's been told this way before (and if Petite Maman had to be compared to another director's work, it'd by the enchanting and spellbinding visions of youth that Hayao Miyazaki has committed to animation). Here, Sciamma is clearly working in miniature. Her protagonists are petite, as the title makes plain. Her choice of locations is condensed, and her style and storytelling is modest. The movie itself only runs for a concise 72 minutes, not that it ever feels rushed. There's nothing tiny about a film that's as potent and wondrous as this, though, or as deeply moving.
It's been more than five decades since a group of Italian immigrants in the South Gippsland village of Mirboo North commissioned a statue of St Paul from back home and had it sent over, so kicking off the inaugural St Paul's Festival. Fast forward to 2023 and that annual celebration of all things Italian is still going strong — now known as the Mirboo North Italian Festa, it'll take over the town for its next edition on Sunday, February 12. You'll want to be sure to bring your appetite so you can sink your teeth into the day's generous lineup of Italian food stalls — slinging pizza, handmade pasta and pillowy gnocchi, arrosticini, spicy salsicce, tiramisu and plenty more. What's more, you can pair your culinary haul with anything from imported beers and vino, to espresso and Aperol spritz from the outdoor pop-up bars. There'll also be market stalls, grape stomping and regional Italian cooking demonstrations; not to mention entertainment galore including comedy, traditional dancing and live tunes.
With the fifth and final season of the much loved cult series Broad City on its way, Melburnians are getting a very special surprise when co-creator and yas queen Ilana Glazer heads to Melbourne's Hamer Hall for a one-hour stand-up gig on Saturday, June 9. If you've already left this page to book, we understand. Glazer's hilarious portrayal of Ilana Wexler on Broad City has launched her and co-star Abbi Jacobson into comedic fame since the show first aired back in 2014. Since then, you may have also have seen her alongside Scarlett Johansson and Demi Moore in Rough Night, as well as recognised her voice in the Netflix animated series BoJac Horseman. Most recently, Glazer has been busy on an 11-city comedy tour with comedian Phoebe Robinson, who hosts the podcast Sooo Many White Guys (also produced by Glazer). This means her stand-up act will be well primed for this one-off Australian gig. Presented by the Arts Centre Melbourne and Penny Drop, Glazer is the headline act of MEL&NYC, a new winter program of multi-disciplinary events that showcase the influence that New York City has on the Melbourne arts and culture scene. The program will take over the city's best cultural venues from June through August and see leading New Yorkers and Australians share their everyday experiences in a series of conversations, music, performances, educational talks and community outreach events. Other gigs include shows by Regina Spektor and Exo-Tech featuring Kimbra and Sophia Brousa, plus a live-to-film performance of West Side Story and a John Cameron Mitchell musical performance.
The Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley have just about reached wine region superstardom, and rightly so. But Gippsland — located east of the aforementioned areas — is on its way to attaining the same title, especially if the opening of Hogget Kitchen in Warragul has anything to do with it. Head chef and owner Trevor Perkins wants Hogget to become a "destination restaurant", and the easy drive down the M1 (and the undulating hills that accompany it) definitely doesn't hinder his pursuit. Neither does the setting. The modern Australian restaurant is located on the grounds of Wild Dog Winery, and the tables overlook the grand drop of the winery's vineyards out to the Strzelecki Hills, a stunning sector of the Great Dividing Range (particularly with a glass of wine in hand). The setting is incredible to say the least and, on a beautiful day, you'll want to spend hours there. Like most regional restaurants in Victoria (two of which have just been crowned amongst the best in the world), Hogget sets out to showcase the best of its surrounds. Local wines proudly dominate the wine list, while seafood makes its way from Lakes Entrance and a substantial amount of vegetables come from Perkins' mum Jennie's (clearly thriving) garden. That's alongside berries, veggies and herbs that are cultivated at the on-site native garden, which leads to a bush walk if you're up for a post-meal adventure. As you would expect from such a localised operation, the menu changes daily depending on season and weather. On our visit, luscious Lakes Entrance Balmain bugs — a slightly wider version of Morton Bay bugs — grace the menu, complemented perfectly by homemade lemon mayonnaise and a barley salad ($24). We also applaud the quality, flavour and succulence of meat used at Hogget, which is ethically farmed and butchered by Perkins' father. Meats are used in a variety of ways, making up dishes such a potato gnocchi with lamb navarin ($24) as well as capocollo and bresaola, which are cured on-site to form charcuterie boards. However, if you like your meat fresh, try the smoked lamb — it's cooked in a smoker Perkins built himself ($32). After feasting on meat, dessert can be a push, particularly if you visit for lunch. But when the baked lemon tart is on the menu, do not leave without ordering it. The princely slice is topped with lemon myrtle granita, perfectly fusing sweet, sour and a touch of bitterness. The lemon myrtle is grown in Hogget's garden, meaning its flavour can be enjoyed in full glory instead of being compromised by travel or preservatives. The wine list is the construct of Patrick Sullivan and William Downie's selections; here, the two local winemakers have truly championed wines from Baw Baw and Gippsland. The Ada River Pinot Gris complements will any vegetables or meat you choose to order. On a weekend, waitstaff are usually setting up for a wedding or birthday function. We can understand why people want to spend some of the most important days in their lives here — to indulge in comforting, home-style cooking, taken to the next level via experienced chefs and techniques, with incredible views to match. When it comes to a weekend lunch, dinner or even brunch, we couldn't ask for much more. Images: Tim Grey.
If you need to head to the CBD to pick up essentials or for medical needs — two of the times when the Prime Minister says it is OK to leave the house, as well as for work, to provide support and to exercise in small groups — you have one less thing to worry about: parking fines. The City of Melbourne announced it's easing up on issuing parking fines for minor infringements for the time being. Taking to Twitter yesterday, the Council said, "given these exceptional times, we will use our discretion and only issue fines when vehicles are parked unsafely". So, while you can probably get away with overstaying your backstreet meter session a little, you'll still cop a fine for blocking driveways, clearways or lanes, parking in a resident permit zone, parking too close to an intersection or parking in a disability bay without the proper permit. https://twitter.com/cityofmelbourne/status/1242248440341344258 The council also said, "We ask everyone to be mindful of the importance of vehicle turnover to support people needing to access essential services and businesses." While there are now less people out and about, and fewer cars on the streets, it's certainly not a time to be a carpark hog. That said, if you're heading out, ensure you're following the Australian Government's social distancing guidelines. For more information about the measures the City of Melbourne is taking to contain COVID-19, head to the website.
A global pandemic, lengthy international border closures and postponements galore have left Melbourne's events calendar looking pretty slim these past two years. But as they say, the show must go on — and indeed, finally, there are some very exciting things in the works for our arts and performance scene. Not least of which is the launch of a brand new state-wide contemporary music celebration, dubbed Always Live. Coming in hot this year as the second cultural addition to Victoria's 2022 Major Events programming (the other being arts fest Rising), Always Live is set to deliver a blockbuster offering of music events that'll have people visiting from far and wide. The globally significant celebration will kick off with a bang, too — as a sneak-peek at what's to come, it's hosting a one-off Foo Fighters concert at Geelong's GMHBA Stadium on Friday, March 4. The 12-time Grammy Award-winning US rockers will be joined by local legends Amyl & The Sniffers and The Meanies, in what's set to be the most significant gig regional Victoria has ever seen. You can nab tickets here from February 25. Later in the year, we'll score a look at the full Always Live program, which is set to cement the state's status as an international music destination. Expect a bumper lineup of homegrown talent, Aussie music stars and overseas heavyweights, across a jam-packed offering of intimate gigs, stadium shows and everything in between. Always Live marks the realisation of a long-held dream of late Aussie music icon Michael Gudinski AM, the event chaired by son Matt Gudinski. "Always Live was a passion project for my dad to ensure Victoria continued to be recognised as the music capital of Australia, and Melbourne as one of the leading music cities in the world," he said in a statement. "I'm honoured to be part of now making it a reality at a time when the live music scene needs all the support it can get. I know Dad would be very proud to see the event launched and form a major part of re-establishing a thriving live music scene." The full Always Live program will be revealed mid 2022, but you can check out the website for more info in the meantime. The Always Live Foo Fighters concert will hit GMHBA Stadium on March 4, with tickets on sale from 12pm on February 25.
Technology has changed the way we travel, and as the world gets smaller it's becoming an increasingly complex place to navigate. Where once we relied on the endorsements of friends and family to help shape our plans, we now treat the opinions of total strangers on TripAdvisor, Expedia and Stayz as gospel. As Lonely Planet roll out their trusty guide books in every digital format imaginable, niche publishers like Wallpaper and le cool are getting in on the act by creating city guides for people seeking experiences that complement their new Paul Smith socks. And what's more, social networking sites Facebook, Path and Google+, paired with photography apps like Instagram and Hipstamatic, let us share things as they happen and make us look like we actually know how to use our SLRs. But what generally lies at the heart of a traveller's wishlist is not the desire to micromanage every detail of their holiday, but to witness something truly beautiful. What these new technologies provide us with is rapid access to the places and people that capture the imagination. Here are 21 locations from around the world that do just that. Mount Roraima, Venezuela Wineglass Bay, Tasmania Multnomah Falls, Oregon, USA Preikestolen, Norway Paterswoldsemeer, Netherlands Blue Caves, Zakynthos, Greece Petra, Jordan Huangshan, China Skaftafell, Iceland Ebenalp, Switzerland Kawasan Falls, Philippines Anse Lazio, Seychelles Yi Peng Festival, Thailand Sagano Bamboo Forest, Japan Santorini, Greece Bora Bora, French Polynesia Moraine Lake, Alberta, Canada Soufriere, St Lucia Capilano Suspension Bridge, British Columbia, Canada Siminopetra, Greece Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, Iceland [Images via Coolhunter]
