The Hardware Lane site that previously held Campari House was completely overhauled and transformed into a huge new Mexican restaurant and bar in mid-2024. Hotel Nacional comes from a crew of hospo veterans — including Taylor Granchi and Alex Greco (Repeat Offender and Rufio) — and is an enormous undertaking. The five-level spot on Hardware Lane is pumping out Mexican-inspired eats that are entirely gluten-free across all five of its floors, including the impressive rooftop bar. Head Chef Sergio Tourn (ex-The Vale and Tino) is responsible for the menu, which combines traditional Mexican elements with plenty of European, Australian and South American influences. This all comes together in dishes like birria beef tacos with pickled onions and consommé, the slow-cooked barbacoa lamb with a Mexican-style barbecue sauce and watercress, cauliflower tofu escabeche with wakame, peanuts and salsa macha, and corn husk meringue with corn-infused cream and persimmon. Those up on the rooftop can also tuck into tostadas and other bar snacks. Tourn and his team are getting creative in the kitchen, especially as everything is 100-percent gluten-free. There are also stacks of vegan options. When it comes to bevs, there's a ten-strong margarita menu — including a beer-spiked lagerita — a selection of signature and classic cocktails, Aussie and international beers on tap — including some that are gluten-free — a stacked lineup of local and European wines, and an even more impressive collection of tequila, mezcal and raicilla. Hotel Nacional is also working hard to draw in new diners with a smorgasbord of deals. This includes its three regular banquets (one of which is completely plant-based), a selection of express lunch menus for city workers, half-priced margaritas every Monday and $30 steaks on Wednesdays. Design-wise, the team hasn't leaned too hard into Mexican-themed cliches, instead opting for a lighter touch. Hotel Nacional has an almost breezy, beachy feel, thanks to the sand-textured walls, rattan furniture, and cacti that dot the terracotta- and beige-hued space. "We wanted to create a venue unlike anything else in the city," shares Managing Director Taylor Granchi. "You walk up the stairs, and you are transported to another location across the globe. The earthy tones, the arches, the shapes, the crazy pavers, the textured walls, the cacti — there is so much Mexican feel. "Being five levels, there are so many aspects to our venue. We wanted something you could explore to create a new memory every time."
They like jumpsuits, one name and living in the same suburb. That's The Kates' quick description of themselves, and of their fame as The Kates, as they've been known ever since The Katering Show proved the funniest thing on the small screen in 2015. Kate McLennan and Kate McCartney didn't start their careers together, but they've become Australia's comedy queens by proving a razor-sharp, whip-smart duo — first while satirising cooking shows in a webseries that was picked up by the ABC for its second season; then by taking on morning television with fellow pitch-perfect two-season parody Get Krack!n; and now with Prime Video's Deadloch, which started streaming its Tasmania-set comedic murder-mystery on Friday, June 2. "There were so many Kates in the show," McCartney notes of their latest project, which The Kates originally gave the working title Funny Broadchurch. One such Kate: Wentworth and Rake's Kate Box, who plays one half of reluctant detective duo in Deadloch's titular small town opposite The Breaker Upperers' Madeleine Sami. "Kate Anderson was our special makeup effects artist. Katie Robertson, Katie Milwright — Katie Robertson is on the show, Kate Milwright was one of the cinematographers — and we had another Kate, Kate Fox, doing locations," McCartney continues. "It was basically if your name was Kate…" adds McLennan, "then you got a job," finishes McCartney. Sami "is in the process of getting her name changed to Kate," McCartney keeps joking. "She hasn't started the paperwork yet," pipes in McLennan. No matter how many other Kates had a hand in Deadloch, the series is instantly recognisable as the work of The Kates. Within seconds of a man being found dead on a beach in the first episode's opening moments, the corpse's penis is on fire. When Box's small-town sergeant Dulcie Collins informs the next of kin, he bellows that he loved him like a brother — but has to be reminded that, yes, the deceased was his actual brother. And when Sami's Eddie Redcliffe blows in like a whirlwind of swearing and Hawaiian shirts, she's the stereotypical arrogant outsider cop, but satirically so. Indeed, with their male victim and female investigators, The Kates gleefully riff on the cop-genre status quo, flip the script to focus on the characters usually robbed of a voice and, although it wasn't originally their aim, balance sidesplitting laughs with making an excellent crime procedural. Deadloch is also an inescapably Australian murder-mystery series in its Tasmanian gothic look, its excavation of the nation's treatment of its First Peoples and, as frequently dropping from Sami's mouth, its love of cursing. The latter gave rise to The Cunt Essay, The Kates explain, to justify why its use of language couldn't be more ordinary on an Aussie-set show. From responding to the standard treatment of women in dead-girl crime thrillers to getting that homegrown vernacular over the line — and scrapping their own filmed cameo in the series, too — we chatted with McLennan and McCartney about all things Deadloch. ON THE NUMBER OF DEAD-WOMAN CRIME SHOWS SOMEONE NEEDS TO WATCH BEFORE THEY DECIDE TO RESPOND McCartney: "Roughly 800, I reckon. I just don't know if there is a single crime show that — if it's not in the first two minutes of a murder show, then you will still eventually see a dead woman." McLennan: "And once you're aware of it as well, you'd watch them and, sure, they're showing you the body of a dead woman, but they would always show a gratuitous shot of her boob. You would always see a nipple. You've got these very serious detectives standing over a body, and you just don't need to see a blue nipple. You don't need to see it." McCartney: "There's always that one at the crime scene. But then you go to the morgue and they have another conversation with the forensic pathologist, and rather than putting a sheet up, they're always completely nude on the slab as well." McLennan: "So we just thought what would be really interesting is if you actually gave those victims a voice. To us, we wanted to know about the backstories of these people that would normally be portrayed as victims in these types of shows. Also, we're just terrible at writing men, so it was easier just to have a dead one instead of writing dialogue for him." ON DEADLOCH'S STARTING POINT AS "FUNNY BROADCHURCH" McCartney: "We thought of the idea in about 2015, when we had just had kids, and the kids were newborns. So we were at home at 3am, in that witching hour of not quite knowing if you exist — and sort of knowing, 'well, I think I do exist because I have a Twitter profile, but I think that's the only thing that tethers me to this realm now because it's so late and I have spent so much time by myself as a tit machine with the baby'. During that time, we both, for whatever reason — and I don't really know what this says about our mental health at the time — but we just gravitated towards crime shows. There was a lot at that point as well, there was a bit of an explosion of Scandi noir. You know, like.. I can't think of a single one. What's that one with jumpers? What's the jumpers? You know, jumpers?" McLennan: "The jumpers?" McCartney: "Jumpers. The Scandi jumpers one." McLennan: "Do you mean The Bridge?" McCartney: "No, The Killing." McLennan: "The Killing." McCartney: "And then The Bridge, and then there was…" In unison: "The Return." McCartney: "And then there was…" In unison: "The Fall." McCartney: "The Fall. Yeah, silk shirts. Gillian Anderson. Silk shirts." McLennan: "And you told me to watch Broadchurch, and I thought it was a comedy because Olivia Colman was in it and I knew her from comedy. So I'm like 'oh, it's a comedy'. So I strapped myself in to watch this funny comedy show. And I'm like 'yeah, this is not a comedy'. But we thought 'what if we did take a show that had that small town, lots of secrets, lots of characters, and you just nudge the comedy". You just nudge the needle up a little bit. We had the idea just after we made The Katering Show. We were pitching Get Krack!n overseas, and we would do the spiel about Get Krack!n and then people would sometimes say 'do you have any other ideas?'. We'd just throw in the Deadloch idea as this last-minute 'we've also got this other show with the working title Funny Broadchurch'. And people just really grabbed onto it. McCartney: "Like, they got it." McLennan: "So we knew that it had legs. We made Get Krack!n and then we thought we'd pitch this other show, and luckily Amazon Prime were ready to jump on board with this." ON MAKING A COMEDIC MURDER-MYSTERY THAT ALSO WORKS AS A MURDER-MYSTERY McCartney: "It wasn't actually [the initial plan]. When we first conceived of it, this was at The Katering Show, that's where we were at in terms of what we were working on. And we did originally conceive of it as being a 30-minute show. And then, we just grew in confidence and ambition as we got into Get Krack!n — and then by the final season of Get Krack!n, we started to really experiment with using that interplay of something dark, then something funny. I think that informed us and bolstered us — that may not be a word — in our confidence and our ability to to be able to pull off something like this. And also having that experience. We'd done a few series. And the things we're trying to emulate, they are a lot longer because of the moodiness and the cinematic quality of it — and you just need more time. And because we're not in it — personally, I'm a terrible actor, so there's only so much I can do — but if you get someone like Kate Box or Madeleine Sami or Alicia Gardner, or anyone like that in your show, you can ask them to do a lot more with the characters. You can actually have proper characters." McLennan: "We wanted the space to tell the story and to do it justice, and to do in a way that felt like it was a rich, rewarding experience for the audience. I think around the time that we going through this creative process with it, Killing Eve had just come out — and I don't know if it did necessarily break the mould, but it made it pretty clear to us that you could tell a story that was longer than half an hour and there was an appetite for that from the streaming services as well." McCartney: "It was the appetite, really. Because we'd already thought about it, we'd already gone 'oh, I think I think this is how it needs to be, this is the kind of show we're looking at, I think we want it to be a proper show'. But the fact that people were watching it and responding to it, there was a precedent that we could go 'people will hang in there'." McLennan: "It certainly made us — when we knew that we had the hour up our sleeve, it's like 'well, we'd better made this crime story really good'." McCartney: "It's a lot. It has to be interesting. Because people aren't going to watch something for an hour if they don't care about the characters, if there aren't actual stakes. You can't just do cop jokes. You can't sit above it and laugh, going 'aren't we clever'." McLennan: "You've got to be invested in it. And play the stakes of the crime." ON DECIDING NOT TO APPEAR ON-SCREEN McCartney: "With Get Krack!n, by the end it was a challenge to have the kind of control over what we were doing that that we like to have, and to make sure that our voice is all-encompassing, and also be on screen. It's a very different brain, and you necessarily have to kind of let things go by the wayside if you're in that role — if you're trying to do those two roles together." McLennan: "I remember being on the couch when we were filming Get Krack!n, and I had my phone and I was answering emails, and then we'd have to go for a take and I'd shove the phone under…" McCartney: "Always shoving it under our legs." McLennan: "And it just felt like the acting was getting in the way of the other job." McCartney: "And we wanted to do the other other job more, because we were pretty done with being on camera as it was." McLennan: "I think audiences were pretty…" McCartney: "They were probably pretty done with us as well." McLennan: "But we did cast ourselves in a cameo in the show. And we filmed that cameo." McCartney: "Probably about half a day, I'd say. So not only did we spend half a day on it, like the production spent half a day filming our cameo, but we also took time out of our personal, very busy showrunner schedule, to do it. So it was like a loss in two ways." McLennan: "Because we were watching rushes, and assembly edits were happening as we're going, we got to see that scene pretty quickly in the edit — and we were so bad that we cut ourselves and recast." McCartney: "So it does exist, but it's in the vault. It's in the Amazon vault. It's in one of those seed things that are in Antartica." ON CASTING KATE BOX AND MADELEINE SAMI McCartney: "Mads was actually a writer on the show. We knew her from quite a way back. We knew she's an extremely funny physical comedian and we've been fans of hers for ages, and obviously we've been massive fans of Kate Box as well." McLennan: "The whole casting process was done over Zoom. I mean, interestingly, we were working with Mads writing scripts with her when the audition process was happening, but we pretended that we didn't know that we were getting her into this." McCartney: "We were secretly in love with her and really hoped that she would play this part." McLennan: "We wanted to keep things very separate, because obviously if we didn't cast her, then that would maybe be a little bit awkward. So we're like 'let's just keep this as two separate streams'. She's like 'guys, did you know I've got an audition?', 'And we're like 'great!'. And the more we worked with Mads, the more that we could see that she was a pretty good fit." McCartney: "In fairness, she was a perfect fit. Setting down a self tape at the best of times is the pits, and really one of the key reasons why I stopped being a performer — but, but, doing it via Zoom, auditioning over zoom…" McLennan: "So Mads and Boxy had both done their separate reads of their characters, and then we got them to do a chemistry test — which again, you can imagine how we that is over Zoom." McCartney: " Zoom chemistry, just you can feel it pinging off the screen, can't you?" McLennan: "But you kind of could with those two." McCartney: "You could, yeah." McLennan: "I remember that day of getting them to do the callback, and to do these scenes together. It was like this immediate calm came over us, like 'this is going to be okay'." McCartney: "Yeah, this is going to be really good." McLennan: "Yeah, they're really good." McCartney: "Boxy is so fucking smart — not the Mads isn't — but Boxy is so smart, and so good at her job. On the page, you don't necessarily see that Dulcie is as funny as she is. And she just got it. So it was the moment she started saying those words, we were like 'not only is this what we hoped the character would be, but it's so much more'. She can do anything, so it seems a bit cheeky to be like 'hey, in this comedy, can you be the straight woman?'. But we needed someone that good at comedy and drama to play that part because everyone else can be a bit silly, but we needed someone to have the stakes all the time, because the audience needs that person." ON KEEPING DEADLOCH'S DIALOGUE UNIQUELY AUSTRALIAN McLennan: "To be honest, we wrote all of the scripts and we did not receive a note on the language in the scripts. And then, just as we're going through the process of getting the show happening — you go through this process where people look over everything, just to make sure that everything's okay — there was just a question on the the volume of swearing. And there is a lot. It opened up a conversation, so we responded to that with what's now known as The Cunt Essay. Our setup director Ben Chessell wrote a thesis essentially on Australians' relationship to the word cunt and other swearing." McCartney: "The local usage of it, and how that differs from overseas usage of it. And how, within this context, it's actually not really even a swear word — in fact, it can be a very nice term. And it's used in advertising campaigns! So we just talked about it in its context in the Australian vernacular, and its cultural context. And also, I think he talked about how it speaks to Australianness as well, that we've taken this word — there's no hierarchy, there aren't bad words, we're not as puritanical because we don't have that secretly underpinning our constitution and our heads of government. He also then tied it into something else, he was talking about reclaiming it — which was a bit more of a stretch, I would say, if we're honest about it, and I think he knew it was a bit of a stretch. But it was very wordy. It was about seven or eight pages." ON MAKING MORE SEASONS OF DEADLOCH McCartney: "You always think about things being more than one series, but we'd always thought of it as being an anthology series. So, retaining some of the characters and moving them to a different location, probably — it was always going to be set around Australia. So, that's the hope. That's the plan. That's the secret mutterings between us." Deadloch streams via Prime Video. Read our full review of season one.
The East Malvern RSL has undergone a family-friendly upgrade, just in time for the warmer months ahead. The RSL has unveiled Banjo's Social Club x Stomping Ground Beer Garden, on the decommissioned bowling green, offering an easy-going, spacious outdoor area for eating, drinking, and letting the kids run free. The project was undertaken by experienced publican Matt Vero, whose venues include the much-loved and family-friendly Orrong Hotel and the Healesville Hotel. Vero says, "The old bowls green had been sitting empty, and we wanted to bring it back as a space for locals to enjoy and hang out. The idea is for Banjo's Social Club to feel like a backyard extension — somewhere you can bring the kids, catch up with mates, or drop in with the dog." The bowling green is now home to a container bar slinging Stomping Ground beers and drinks, picnic tables, and a Mexican food truck serving fresh tacos, salads and nachos. There will be live music and afternoon DJs on the weekends, and even cinema screenings and a Sunday petting zoo. The community-oriented, laidback venue is not only a great place to bring the kids, but it's dog-friendly too. Now, that really is how you do fun for the whole family. "It is all about giving locals a place that feels both familiar and new," says Vero, "We've taken inspiration from the old suburban bowlos that so many Australians grew up around and reimagined them for today. Banjo's Social Club is casual and welcoming, but with great food, great beer and plenty of space for the whole family." Banjo's Social Club will open Fridays through Sunday until November, when it will extend its hours to Wednesday through Sunday. RSL members will enjoy $1 off food and drinks year-round, as well as a free beer on joining. Banjo's Bistro, the restaurant upstairs, will continue to operate as usual. Images: Marcie Raw.
Yoda? Cartoon characters? Pamela Anderson emerging in slo-mo from the surf, flicking her hair to the Baywatch theme? Such are the visions that come to mind when viewing the high-speed photographs of violently shaking dogs, shot by Carli Davidson for her new book, Shake. With plenty more flabby skin and saliva at their disposal, our furry friends put human jowlers utterly to shame. Davidson appears to be a bit of a badass known for her wildlife photography, and according to her bio, was "raised on a secret volcano island by cheetahs". (Her biopic is recommended viewing). She first began photographing animals while working at the Oregon Zoo. The shake project was inspired by her pet dog Norbert (a name which I choose to interpret as an Angry Beavers reference), whose drool Davidson is apparently obliged to scrub from the walls of her home with some frequency. In Shake, she shares 130 high-speed photos of 61 dogs from a range of pedigrees, including a Chinese Crested, that exquisite breed famed for its tendency to win the World's Ugliest Dog competition each year. Different textures of fur coat and jowl surface area contribute to the extremity of 'shake', floppy ears and eyelids flying in opposing directions with a majesty comparable to that of hawks swooping above the Far Northern tundra. One can only imagine the sheer volume of drool lopped onto Davidson's bystanding studio assistants, who by the end must have resembled the victims of some terrible slug fight. The resulting portraits truly inspire — buy them singly as prints, ideal for your stylish home or super tasteful office wall. If that's just not sufficient, order the book on Amazon to be reminded of just how cute and demented doggies really are. The video below, created in conjunction with Variable, is an instant mood-lifter, as all kinds of puppies rattle and roll to an appropriately sentimental soundtrack. Via Colossal.
Ministry of Crab began in 2011 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, as an ode to the country's legendary mud crab. The brand was so successful that it subsequently opened seven additional outposts across Asia. Now, the internationally renowned restaurant can be found at 226 Flinders Lane. The Sri Lankan restaurant found its Melbourne Home inside the historical Invicta House, bringing an exciting new chapter to the building. The team have also taken over the subterranean space of the building, opening II.II.VI (or 'two two six' for those less well-versed in Roman numerals), a charcoal-fuelled, fiery diner, which also happens to sport an impressive seafood selection. Ministry of Crab, co-founded by Dharshan Munidasa and cricketers Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, is loved across continents, for you guessed it, its crab. First, sample crab across an array of starters such as baked crab, crab liver pate, avocado crab salad, and kaphrao crab, a signature dish of mud crab stir-fried with garlic, chilli and Thai basil. For the main event, you choose your size of crab — ranging from medium (700-799 grams) all the way up to Crabzilla (two kilograms) — and which fragrant sauce to accompany it. Options include pepper crab, garlic chilli crab, and Sri Lankan curry crab. While eating crab is messy work, this is no finger-lickin' beachside shack. The globally acclaimed restaurant has been included in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants List for delivering a multi-sensory, impeccable dining experience with quality ingredients, bold flavours and excellent hospitality. Images: Supplied.
Every two years, Sydney turns into one big art trail as the Biennale of Sydney rolls out exhibitions at major museums across the city, tied together by a thoughtful theme. Heading into its 25th edition, the 2026 biennale will spotlight the stories that have slipped through the cracks — either erased, overlooked or untold. In the 2024 edition, the biennale turned its gaze to the sun for the Ten Thousand Suns program. For its 2026 run, it's taken inspiration from a literary idol: in Toni Morrison's novel Beloved, the idea of 'rememory' describes how the past persists to be experienced again and again. The program will explore what it means to remember – and what it means when certain stories are forgotten— by bringing marginalised and diasporic narratives to the surface. [caption id="attachment_1049218" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image supplied[/caption] Barbara Moore, CEO of the Biennale of Sydney, says, "The Biennale of Sydney is a platform for art and ideas that inspire, challenge and connect us. In this moment, more than ever, we need opportunities that invite us to step beyond our own perspectives [and] encounter experiences different from our own, to reflect on what binds us together, and to celebrate what makes us human." International names on the lineup include Nikesha Breeze, Dread Scott, Nahom Teklehaimanot, Tuấn Andrew Nguyễn, Joe Namy and Sandra Monterroso. Closer to home, the program features local talent such as Abdul Abdullah, Dennis Golding, Helen Grace, Wendy Hubert, Richard Bell, Merilyn Fairskye and Michiel Dolk. [caption id="attachment_1053037" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image by Daniel Boud[/caption] The biennale has also partnered with Cartier's Paris-based art arm, Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain. The foundation has commissioned 15 First Nations artists to create new works of art in collaboration with its First Nations Curatorial Fellow Bruce Johnson McLean, who is also a Wierdi person of the Birri Gubba Nation. Indigenous artists globally have hopped onto the initiative, including: Native American interdisciplinary artist Cannupa Hanska Luger; sculptor Rose B. Simpson from the Santa Clara Pueblo tribe in New Mexico; acclaimed Yolngu artist Gunybi Ganambarr; and Tongan artist Benjamin Work, who is slated to present a sculptural tribute to the fusion of traditional Tongan dress with Western clothing. Exhibitions will dominate five arts institutions around Sydney, spanning the Arts Gallery of New South Wales, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Penrith Regional Gallery, Chau Chak Wing Museum, and White Bay Power Station (the once-sleepy industrial site that was turned into an arts hub by the 2024 Biennale of Sydney). Space out your art crawls with a jam-packed public program of evening gigs, crafty workshops and talks. We've compiled a handy guide of exhibitions and events to help you plan your route through the Biennale of Sydney 2026. White Bay Power Station [caption id="attachment_996125" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image supplied[/caption] The biennale kicks off on March 13 with an opening party at White Bay Power Station, soundtracked to beats from local DJ INBRAZA Baile, First Nations-fronted Hand to Earth and Baltimore-born Nourished by Time. Keep an eye out for the car blasting music — it's part of 'Automobile', an elaborate sound installation by Lebanese artist and musician Joe Namy where he gathers local cars outfitted with tricked-out stereo systems that double up as instruments. Two landmark exhibitions will span the venue. One is Nikesha Breeza's 'Living Histories', an archive of stories from enslaved African Americans in the Antebellum South, set in a maze of floor-to-ceiling fabric columns that mimic the African Baobab tree. Another is a striking mural by Garrwa-Yanyuwa painter Nancy Yukuwal McDinny, capturing the post-colonial voices of the traditional custodians of the Gulf of Carpentaria. [caption id="attachment_1049220" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image supplied[/caption] On Friday evenings, White Bay Power Station lights up with Arts After Dark. Three music lineups are locked in so far: March 20 brings ethereal melodies from celebrated Japanese experimental pop artist and composer Tujiko Noriko and a viola-meets-electronic-music set by Sydney-based composer Mara Schwerdtfeger; an electronic commentary by Kashmiri sound artist Ruhail Qaisar and local genre-defying musician Marcus Whale on March 27; and a strings-leaning night with Gomeroi guitarist Liam Keenan and Yorta Yorta bassist Allara Briggs-Pattison on April 3. The heritage-listed site will host a slate of Inner West Council events during the biennale. Attend talks curated by local storyteller Lillian Ahenkan, known by her stage name FlexMami, on March 28. Then on 11 and 12 April, a collection of six performance artworks by Amrita Hepi, Charlotte Farrell, Emma Maye Gibson, Jacqui O'Reilly, Lauren Brincat, Lulu Barkell, Theodore Carroll and Red Rey will take the venue by storm. Redfern [caption id="attachment_638226" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image supplied[/caption] Redfern locals are in for something special. The Block has long been the beating heart of Indigenous communities in Sydney, and artist Dennis Golding will translate his memories of growing up there into a mini festival. Expect a beaded jewellery making workshop on May 10, where some of the beads are 3D printed from the bricks of the iconic Aboriginal Flag mural that once stood over The Block. Then, on April 9, enter a First Nations-led bingo night inspired by community games that used to be held regularly in one of the vacant Eveleigh Street terraces. Plus, there will be three monthly strolls around Redfern with long-time resident Aunty Donna Ingram, who will dive into the area's Aboriginal history. Art Gallery of New South Wales [caption id="attachment_1049224" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image by Iwan Baan[/caption] Known for his collage-style canvases, internationally reowned Eritrean artist Nahom Teklehaimanot presents a trio of new large-scale canvases at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Encapsulated by its title, This is My Silence You Name the Sound, the collection reflects on the complexities of refugees' lives. The 15-year-old Kulata Tjuta Project is also making a stop at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Kulata Tjuta means 'many spears', a literal nod to the thousands of hand-carved spears (and counting) that make up the contemporary work. Anangu artist Frank Young started the project within the Amata community in the remote regions of South Australia in 2010 — it's since expanded to involve over 100 Aṉangu men spanning over three generations of spear-makers. Penrith Regional Gallery [caption id="attachment_1049221" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image by Lyndal Irons[/caption] Just an hour from the city, Penrith Regional Gallery is an intimate homestead with a charming heritage garden. Settle in for a yarn on the grounds, now a sprawling native plant sanctuary nurtured by Yindjibarndi Elder Wendy Hubert. The living showcase of ancestral knowledge features native plants that are used for food, healing, and ceremony. Inside the home-studio-turned-gallery, Monica Rani-Rudhar draws on her lineage to stage a poignant multi-channel video installation that explores how two traces of colonialism — trauma and resistance — are inherited through generations. Campbelltown Arts Centre [caption id="attachment_1049223" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image by Nikki To[/caption] Located in the creative hub of Campbelltown, the Campbelltown Arts Centre is shaping up to be an unmissable stop for film lovers during the Sydney Biennale. When riots erupt in youth detention centres, it's officially labelled a Code Black/Riot. It's also the name of a large-scale collaborative project that aims to amplify the voices of incarcerated Indigenous youths, spearheaded by documentary filmmaker Hoda Afshar. The collective bagged the 2025 National Photographic Prize, and is now making an appearance at the Biennale of Sydney 2026, with Behrouz Boochani, Hoda Afshar and Vernon Ah Kee presenting a multi-channel video exhibition at Campbelltown Arts Centre. Another highlight is the multimedia work of Lebanese filmmakers Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, which follows a circle of friends who are setting off to Christmas Island. Their journey unfolds alongside the annual red crab migration, where a mass of crabs swarm from the forest to the ocean. The result? An immersive installation that interlaces movement, migration and imagined utopias. Chau Chak Wing Museum [caption id="attachment_1049222" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image by David James[/caption] The much-loved museum at the University of Sydney will be home to two contrasting sculptures. One of them hails from Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, where artist Benjamin Work has created a celebratory tribute to the endurance of Indigenous culture, sparked by the 19th century fusion of Western influence with traditional Tongan attire. The other takes a critical approach, examining how Australian arts institutions have preserved Indigenous cultural material. Visit the Biennale of Sydney website for more information.
ALDI is a special grocery brand. Not only is it the cheapest of Australia's big four grocers — the quarterly Choice report says the average basket is cheapest in ALDI compared to Coles, Woolworths and IGA — it's the only place in store where you can buy designer winterwear, a six person tent, a litre of milk and a bottle of wine in the one go. Now, ALDI shoppers in Victoria rejoice, because it's rolling out its home delivery service via DoorDash statewide, following a successful trial in Canberra last month. No more braving the winter chill or piling into a just-too-far-to-be-convenient drive to get your groceries, now a cheap weekly shop just requires you to pull out your phone — what a time to be alive. While there's no guarantee you'll be able to secure some of the rogue middle aisle items (it seems unfair to ask a driver to fit a weighted blanket and two metres of christmas lights in one of those paper bags), it's still great news for those who are looking to cut down on food related expenses, but can't make it to their nearest ALDI on good time. Jordan Lack, Chief Commercial Officer at ALDI Australia, said: "Since entering the Australian market, ALDI's mission has been to deliver high quality groceries at the lowest prices for Australian households and this ambition remains as strong as ever. Through our partnership with DoorDash, we can now literally deliver on this mission directly to Aussies' doorsteps in an exciting new way that we know our customers have been seeking." DoorDash APAC's Vice President Simon Rossi added, "We know that value and convenience are top priorities for Australians, and this partnership is about continuing DoorDash's mission to combine the best of both worlds. With ALDI's trusted quality and DoorDash's on-demand delivery technology, we're excited to create more seamless and accessible shopping experiences." ALDI is available to order from on DoorDash now, download the DoorDash app on the Apple Store or Google Play. Images: Esteban La Tessa
Atria has been towering over Melbourne's skyline (up on the Ritz-Carlton's 80th floor) since March, 2023. Upon opening, punters and publications immediately lauded it as one of Melbourne's best restaurants. But people were gawking at more than just the spectacular views. It's Michael Greenlaw's (ex-Vue de Monde and London's Bibendum) inventive dishes made with top Victorian produce that drew acclaim right away. He and his team work very closely with local harvesters, growers, graziers and fishermen to make sure diners get only the best Aussie produce on their plates. This means that while the menu only has a big seasonal overhaul every few months, many elements of each dish will change even more regularly. It's all based on produce abundance and how much the chefs feel like experimenting that day. Even dishes that have remained on the menu since the fine-diner's inception look very different from when they were first served. And with so many intricate elements going into each dish, there's a lot to play around with and tweak. It won't be a winner absolutely every time, but the chefs aren't going to miss a beat often. You can go à la carte when dining at Atria, choosing from a fairly short selection of dishes, or go down the more popular route by getting the five-course tasting menu. This will typically start with some Baker Bleu bread (even local Melbourne bakeries get the spotlight) with house-made butter, two appetisers, two entrees, a main with sides and dessert. It clocks in at a considerable $180 per person, but this is proper fine-dining. It's best saved for a very special occasion. We also highly recommend getting the beverage pairing ($115 for alcohol and $70 for non-alcoholic bevs). Those who opt for the booze will be greeted by one of the sommeliers, who will take you on a wine and sake journey. Head Sommelier Sean Lam (ex-Beverly Rooftop, RYNE, City Wine Shop and Flower Drum) clearly has a great love for wine, which is matched by an almost endless amount of knowledge. Like the food, there's a great appreciation for all things Australian on the wine list. Small and local winemakers get a good chunk of space on the lengthy selection of drops, while Lam has also collected some incredible international vinos and sakes. You'll enjoy all of this good stuff within luxurious surrounds. Of course, the few tables by the windows have the best views, but we almost prefer those found in the walkway that leads to the loos. From here, you'll look over Southern Cross Station, the industrial parts of Melbourne's west, Queen Vic Market and all the city's main roads that lead west and north. When visiting, we did stop and stare out at this nightime view for a good while. Be sure to take your time when visiting Atria, not just to admire the city skyline, but to fully appreciate all the skill and passion that's gone into the food and drink offerings. It's a bit special to say the least.
Thanks to the warm mornings and late sunsets of summer, there's no better time to reunite with your two-wheeled friend and power through on the pedals. Whether you want to ride across town, whiz downhill, or simply take it slow and meander leisurely through suburban parks and gardens, there's surely a Melbourne bike track that can lure you back into the saddle. So gear up for a Sunday afternoon ride — or a sweaty Saturday morning calve-defining workout — because Melbourne has plenty of bike trails that will get you wheeling all around the city and the suburbs. Recommended reads: The Best Walks Around Metro Melbourne The Best Places to Go Kayaking and Canoeing Near Melbourne The Best Snorkelling Spots Near Melbourne The Best One-Day Hikes Near Melbourne [caption id="attachment_711645" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Josie Withers via Visit Victoria[/caption] For a Salty Sea Breeze: The Bayside Trail Give your helmet hair a touch of the beach windswept look on this leisurely 18-kilometre trail along the coastline of Port Phillip Bay. Start your cycle along The Bayside Trail at the Westgate Bridge and pedal past Albert Park and Port Melbourne before arriving at the huge mouth of Luna Park in St Kilda. Your destination is the lovely bayside town of Brighton. Don't let the length scare you — it's mostly flat and should only take about two hours. Once you arrive in Brighton, sink your feet into the soft sand and treat yourself to fish and chips. If there's more fuel in those legs, keep riding another 27 kilometres along the coast to reach Carrum. [caption id="attachment_711647" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Robert Blackman via Visit Victoria[/caption] For Postcard-Perfect Views: Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail Most likely the inspiration behind 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough', this 40-kilometre path will have you testing the gears on your bike (and the muscles in your calves) as you climb and fly from mountain to valley to river. Following the historical railway line that begins at the old Lilydale Rail Station, the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail passes through the vineyards of the Yarra Valley, over quaint restored bridges and through lush farmland and forests. Apart from the stunning mountain views, you'll likely catch plenty of horse riders and walkers on the way too. Finish off at the quaint town of Warburton, where you'll quietly collapse — rightfully so. [caption id="attachment_642892" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kilcunda Trestle Bridge; Image Credit: Kilcunda General Store[/caption] For Regional Coast Tranquility: Bass Coast Rail Trail Get out of the city and into the saddle with this track on the Gippsland coast, which has been extended to cover 21 kilometres. Offering broad views of the coastline and rolling hills of the regional area, the Bass Coast Rail Trail will take you through old coal mining country. The trail starts at the old Wonthaggi railway station and winds through to the Woolamai Racecourse. It's rough and patchy in parts, but the adventurous soul will find joy crossing the old Kilcunda Trestle Bridge, which is surrounded by the crashing surf — not to mention the stunning views of Bass Strait. [caption id="attachment_622414" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brook James[/caption] For Mid-Ride Picnics: Merri Creek Trail This 21-kilometre Merri Creek Trail meanders through the best of northern suburbia — starting at the inner city waterfall oasis at Dights Falls and continuing past hidden horse paddocks and up to Coburg. It's an easy ride full of wide open spaces, perfect for throwing down a rug for a picnic luncheon or for a spot of frisbee along the way. Highlights include Coburg Lake Reserve (which offers the most impressive playground you will ever lay eyes on), the Brunswick Velodrome and the CERES Community Environment Park. If 21 kilometres isn't enough for you, you can continue the trail where it joins the Western Ring Road Trail to the north or the aforementioned Capital City Trail to the south. [caption id="attachment_711646" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Josie Withers via Visit Victoria[/caption] For Iconic Melbourne: The Capital City Trail For a cycling journey that winds past Melbourne's most historical and iconic landmarks (and with plenty of opportunities for coffee stops, to boot), you can't go wrong with this flat and car-free 30-kilometre Capital City Trail. Grab a share bike from a CBD corner and enjoy being a tourist on wheels, whizzing along the Yarra River past Docklands, Melbourne Zoo, The Royal Botanical Gardens and Dights Falls. If 30 kilometres sounds a bit too far, it's easy enough just to do a portion of it, whether that's South Bank to Burnley Gardens, Moonee Ponds Creek to the Melbourne Exhibition Centre or Abbotsford to Parkville. Just watch out for pedestrians, as this is a much-loved Melbourne walking trail too. [caption id="attachment_711649" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Roberto Seba via Visit Victoria[/caption] For a Riverside Ride: Main Yarra Trail A local favourite among cyclists for its sparkling river views of the Yarra (yes, even the Yarra can sparkle), the Main Yarra Trail starts in Southbank and stretches out to Melbourne's eastern fringe for 33 kilometres — and you can ride it in either direction. Pleasant on the old legs, the compact dirt path is fairly flat for a blissful ride past ancient gums and billabongs. You might even get to hear the sweet native calls of the competitive rower. Finish off with a picnic at Westerfolds Park in Templestowe. Be sure to give your legs a good rest before you make the long (yet leisurely) return trip. [caption id="attachment_711694" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nathan Larkin via Flickr[/caption] For Beauty and Glory: The 1 in 20 Climb Serious lycra-clad road cyclists need look no further than testing out their Tour de France skills on this steep climb (animal blood transfusions not required). Named after the average gradient of this lush and green route in the Dandenong Ranges National Park, the 6.8-kilometre 1 in 20 Climb is a beautiful one, but also terribly challenging. It climbs along the Mountain Highway from The Basin into the dreamy village of Sassafras. On the way, you'll cycle through the fern gullies and grassy forests of Mount Dandenong's western side. This trek is genuinely for serious cyclists only, so do not attempt it if you're a newbie. For a Bit of Art: Banksia Park to Heide While you never forget how to ride a bike, your body might be a tad unkind if you don't move from the couch enough. Blow the cobwebs off your two-wheeler and get that body moving again, starting with this short five-kilometre track. Begin at Banksia Park and follow the fruit trees and gums along the Yarra River and into Heide Sculpture Park, where a new healing garden is located. Whizzing past contemporary sculptures, it's not a bad way to get active and see some art at the same time. And it'll take you just two hours return to make this trip from Banksia Park to Heide, so it can easily be done in an arvo. You can find Abbott's Bakery products at all major supermarkets — and discover more tasty sandwich recipes via its website. Top images: The Bayside Trail by Josie Withers via Visit Victoria.
Under the supervision of acclaimed chef Andrew McConnell (Cumulus Inc, Cutler & Co.), the Builders Arms Hotel's restaurant offering has been an oft-evolving one, debuting as fine diner Moon Under Water in 2012, then dishing up modern Chinese as Ricky & Pinky since 2016. And back in 2018, the public bar and restaurant was given its latest makeover, turning it into a quintessential locals' pub that has enough style to impress your mum. British Michelin-trained head chef Andy Barkham has designed one venue-wide menu: a contemporary, UK-accented lineup with something for after-work snack sessions in the bar, lazy weekend lunches in the dining room and everything in between. It's menu changes regularly, but you should expect to find dishes like Barkham's signature scotch eggs, mussels cooked with fermented chilli and pork sausage, and a proper Brit-style fish pie, loaded with rockling, prawn and smoked ocean trout. Public bar favourites like the legendary cod roe dip and the Builders Arms cheeseburger have stuck around, while the courtyard rotisserie spins a daily changing meat offering to really get excited about. Like all good neighbourhood pubs, this one's also plating up a solid crop of weekly specials, from the locally loved Monday steak night, to Sunday's generous roast offering, cooked over charcoal and served with all the trimmings. To match, there's a 12-strong tap beer rotation filled with favourites, and a considered crop of wines to suit just about every palate. Take yours out back to the leafy, secluded courtyard for the ultimate summer arvo pub sesh. [caption id="attachment_872111" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Roberto Pettinau[/caption] Top image: Harvard Wang. Appears in: The Best Pubs in Melbourne for 2023
A 275-square-metre hotel suite is bigger than the average new Australian home — and Australia builds larger-than-average new homes — let alone a standard apartment. Splash some cash to stay on the Gold Coast from 2026 onwards, and that massive space could be yours for a night or several. Its home: the Glitter Strip's just-announced new Ritz-Carlton hotel, which will join a $480-million waterfront development at Mariner's Cove in Main Beach. If that expansive — and clearly pricey — suite won't fit your budget, the swanky spot will feature 149 other rooms, plus a range of eating, drinking and hangout options. Expect to still treat yo'self cost-wise, however. A signature restaurant will serve bites to eat, as will a cafe, while there'll be three bars: a lobby lounge, a destination bar and a poolside bar. Speaking of swims, the Gold Coast's Ritz-Carlton will boast an outdoor rooftop pool, too, so just think of the views while you're taking a dip. Boasting the signature Ritz-Carlton Spa for pampering sessions, too, plus a 512-square-metre ballroom for functions and parties, the Mariner's Cove site will mark the hotel chain's third in Australian when it opens. At present, it operates in Perth, and will also open an outpost in Melbourne in 2023. Next stop from there: the Goldie. While the Sunshine State tourist spot doesn't lack in hotels near the ocean, the Ritz-Carlton's waterfront location is still set to be a huge drawcard — alongside the luxury the brand is known for. Given the spot, it'll also be in close vicinity to a heap of waterfront restaurants and bars, the Broadwater and beaches. "Once opened, the resort expects to set a new benchmark for luxury on Australia's Gold Coast with the property's enviable waterfront location," said Richard Crawford, Vice President of Hotel Development, Australia, New Zealand and Pacific at Marriott International, which owns the Ritz-Carlton. It's a booming time for big-name hotels either heading to or spreading through Australia, with The Langham launching on the Gold Coast earlier in 2022, Ace Hotels launching its first Down Under site this year and The Waldorf Astoria on its way to Sydney in 2025. You can never have too many staycation/vacation options, though. The Ritz-Carlton is set to open in 2026 in Mariner's Cove, 60–70 Seaworld Drive, Main Beach. We'll update you with an exact launch date when one is announced. 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.
Offering a hearty dose of Mother Nature's magic, there's something pretty special about a cave, all rocky and majestic. There are few better antidotes to that hectic city life than a visit to an impressive natural rock formation. Without trekking too far out of Melbourne, you'll find a handful of captivating grottos to light your adventurous spark — from lofty hilltop caves to underground marvels and huge limestone beauties filled with stalactites. Here are seven caves worth the visit. Recommended reads: The Best One-Day Hikes Near Melbourne The Best Waterfalls You Can Swim Under Near Melbourne The Best Bike Rides In and Around Melbourne The Best Country Towns to Visit on a Day Trip From Melbourne [caption id="attachment_923781" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ben Savage for Visit Victoria[/caption] Buchan Caves, Gippsland Formed almost 400 million years ago, Gippsland's breathtaking Buchan Caves are the result of ancient underground rivers carving their way into limestone rock. Word is, the calcium carbonate that helped create the limestone is made from coral and shellfish skeletons left over from ancient times, when Gippsland was submerged beneath ocean. Today, the system is well set up for visitors, with lights and hallways throughout, as well as expert-led tours running daily, which you'll need to book online in advance. The charmingly named Fairy Cave is packed full of striking stalactites and stalagmites surrounding pools of water, while the nearby Royal Cave boasts some pretty incredible calcite-rimmed pools. The site is highly significant to Gunaikurnai Traditional Owners, and you can find out more about its Aboriginal cultural heritage over here. [caption id="attachment_703046" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Flickr[/caption] Byaduk Caves, Mount Napier State Park Back in the day, Mount Napier volcano blew its top and unleashed a huge lava flow, which solidified and created what we now know as the Byaduk Caves in Mount Napier State Park. Together, they're Victoria's most significant lava caves, though only the one dubbed Harmans 1 is open to the public. It's a sprawling underground chamber set about 20 metres below the earth's surface, filled with stalactites, stalagmites and scores of bent-wing bats. Access this subterranean wonderland via a rocky walking track and through the entrance shrouded in ferns. Just remember to take a good torch and wear some decent clothes — it can get pretty chilly down in these depths. [caption id="attachment_818003" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Robert Blackburn for Visit Victoria[/caption] Hollow Mountain, Grampians National Park Towering high above the Grampians National Park, the aptly named Hollow Mountain is home to a series of spacious caverns that have gradually been carved out of the rock by wind. To experience them up close — and soak up those sweeping vistas of Mount Stapylton and the Wimmera — you'll need to tackle the reasonably adventurous, two-hour return trek along the Hollow Mountain (Wudjub-guyan) walk. It's a steep, rocky trail, requiring a fair bit of scrambling, but you're sure to be impressed by the big chambers you'll find yourself enveloped in once you reach the top. Not to mention the outlook — these caves boast some of the best views around. [caption id="attachment_792008" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria[/caption] Tarragal Caves, Cape Bridgewater A collection of lofty limestone caves overlooking Bridgewater Lakes in Southwest Victoria, the Tarragal Caves remain a significant Aboriginal camping site. Set a good 50-metre hike uphill, the six caves rock some top-notch views, but they're also stunning within, covered in stalactites and home to a colony of bats. One of the caves, which runs over 400 metres into the ground, has a mysterious sinkhole opening which air breezes through — it's said that this was once believed to be the entrance to another cave inhabited by supernatural beings. Britannia Creek Caves, Wesburn If you don't mind a few tight squeezes, Britannia Creek Caves, just under two hours east of the city centre, will be very much your jam. The labyrinthine network of granite caves is dark and rocky enough to require a helmet and a headlamp, though it makes for some pretty special caving adventures. Navigate the array of narrow tunnels, slippery rocks and flooded spots, and you'll be rewarded with a captivating show put on by the resident glow worms. Various groups run adventure caving tours through the system, though if you've got the necessary skills, you can tackle it guideless. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lewis (@lewis_travels_runs) Wells Cave, Cathedral Ranges National Park As far as caves go, this one's not the most claustrophobe-friendly, though avid climbers will find it a real fingertip-burning treat. Wells Cave is a narrow natural passageway flanked by steep rock faces, located along the Wells Cave Track Loop in Cathedral Ranges National Park. It's a squeezy space that's only recommended for those making their ascent up the mountain, but it certainly makes for some memorable hiking. And once you've scrambled your way through and emerged from the cave's close quarters, you'll be well rewarded with incredible 360-degree views from atop the majestic Sugarloaf Peak. And while you're here, don't miss some of the other breathtaking hiking trails located in the area. [caption id="attachment_703043" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria[/caption] Princess Margaret Rose Caves, Mumbannar Venture about five hours west of Melbourne and you'll be rewarded with the dazzling natural beauty of the Princess Margaret Rose Cave, which makes its home within Lower Glenelg National Park. The limestone formation was carved out by the Glenelg River, and first explored back in 1936. As well as a pretty posh name, the cave boasts a colourful array of calcite crystals, stalactites, stalagmites and the more head-scratching helictites — a formation that grows in all different directions. A series of rimstone pools and cave coral have also been produced by the cave's calcite crystal, to stunning effect. See the underground wonder at its best on a 45-minute guided tour. Note: The Princess Margaret Rose Caves are currently closed for upgrades. While no reopening date is confirmed yet, the works are expected to be completed in late 2025. Top image: Hollow Mountain Cave by Robert Blackburn for Visit Victoria.
Balmy, breezy and beckoning, the warmer months are well and truly here, bringing with them blue skies and long days. And while Melbourne isn't blessed with too many beaches in the inner city, it does have plenty of exemplary outdoor pools just waiting for you to glide into their cool, blue waters — either for exercise, play or to just plain cool down. Get your swimmers, slather on some sunscreen and head out to some of the best outdoor swimming pools in Melbourne, stat. Recommended reads: The Best Heated Swimming Pools in Melbourne The Best Beaches in and Around Melbourne The Best Swimming Holes in Melbourne The Best Waterfalls That You Can Swim Under in Victoria Fitzroy Swimming Pool, Fitzroy Fitzroy Pool on Alexandra Parade is a dreamy old-school pool that's perfect for weekday lap swimming or weekend poolside chills. The modernist building is flanked by murals and features an eight-lane 50-metre pool as well as two kiddie pools. The water is always the ideal temperature a swim here is just generally an invigorating experience. It's one of the best pools in the north Melbourne. And the poolside bleachers are the perfect place to sunbathe after your swim. But this pool isn't just for summer. When the weather cools, the team turns on the heaters, keeping it warm (or at least not freezing cold) throughout the year. 160 Alexandra Parade, Fitzroy. Open 6am–8.45pm Monday–Friday and 7am–6.45pm Saturday–Sunday. North Melbourne Recreation Centre, North Melbourne The outdoor pool in North Melbourne is small but perfectly formed. The 25-metre pool has eight lanes for you to just keep swimming and is kept at a balmy 27.5 degrees all year round. There's a seperate kids pool and a few lanes tend to be opened up in summer so people can simply paddle around and float in the main 25-metre pool. Adults don't have to swim laps to cool off here. In the past, it has run aquatic movie nights, where you can catch movies on the big screen while floating in an inflatable pink swan (BYO pink swan and water-resistant popcorn). North Melbourne Recreation Centre is a bit of a hidden gem, still fairly quiet throughout summer. This helps make it one of the best outdoor swimming pools in Melbourne. 204-206 Arden Street, North Melbourne. Open 6am–8pm Monday–Friday and 8am–7pm Saturday–Sunday. Prahran Aquatic Centre, Prahran The Prahran Aquatic Centre may be a public pool, but it's a little bit fancy. The eight-lane, 50-metre pool is heated and overlooked by a gorgeous wooden sunbathing deck — and has recently undergone a major renovation. The pool itself had a refurb, as has the surrounding areas where the team often runs all-day pool parties with DJs and sausage sizzles. The best spot to lay your towel? On the lawns, partly beneath the shade of the trees. Here, there's no need to worry about accidentally napping after swimming a few too many laps. There's also a spa and sauna for those wanting to sweat it out in between dips. 41 Essex Street, Prahran. Open 5.45am–7.45pm Monday–Friday, 6am–6.15pm Saturday and 7am–6:15pm Sunday. Brunswick Baths, Brunswick Whatever swimming you feel like doing, Brunswick Baths have a body of water to suit your needs. it's got a 20-metre indoor pool as well as a spa, sauna and steam room, but when it's hot out you'll want to head straight to the heated eight-lane Olympic-sized outdoor pool. It's open all year round and is great for hardcore lap swimmers. Adding this spot to the list of Melbourne's best outdoor swimming pools is a no-brainer. 14 Dawson Street, Brunswick. Open 5:30am–9:45pm Monday–Friday and 7am–7:45pm Saturday–Sunday. Brighton Baths, Brighton Brighton Baths is not so much a pool as a patch of ocean, so it's not for the faint-hearted or those used to heated water. But if you want to get salty and safely swim 50-metre laps in the ocean, this is the pool for you. The pool area has been sectioned off with a private boardwalk that you can laze around on to dry off. Those swimming here also have access to Brighton Baths' change rooms, steam room, showers and lockers. No need to worry about leaving your valuables on the shore while you swim a few laps. 251 Esplanade, Brighton. The baths are staffed from 6am–8:15pm Monday–Friday and 7am–6pm Saturday–Sunday Monash Aquatic Recreation Centre, Glen Waverley For those of you out east searching for your everything pool, check out the Monash Aquatic Recreation Centre. It has some incredible features, including a 25-metre indoor pool; a spa, sauna and steam room; and — wait for it — a wave pool that you can take a boogie board into. They even set up inflatable obstacle courses for kids parties (sadly, this one isn't for adults). The 50-metre outdoor pool is also one of the best in Melbourne, heated to 26 degrees in summer and 27 degrees in winter. 626 Waverley Road, Glen Waverley. Open 5:45–9pm Monday–Friday and 8am–7pm Saturday–Sunday. Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, Albert Park Just south of Southbank, you'll find the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC) hidden away in Albert Park. If you're a sports person who enjoys running, jumping and movements of all varieties, you'll absolutely love MASC and its huge range of fields, courts and sports doodads. But its aquatic facilities blow all others out of the water (excuse the pun). It has a lush 50-metre outdoor pool that's perfect for both exercise and play. Plus, a 50-metre indoor pool, a 25-metre indoor pool, 14 indoor diving boards, a multipurpose indoor pool, a hydrotherapy pool, an indoor wave pool, a water slide, a spa and change room great facilities. Yes, it's all here. 30 Aughtie Drive, Albert Park. The outdoor pool is open 5:30am–10pm Monday–Friday and 7am–8pm Saturday–Sunday.
You get the best of both worlds with fan favourites LANEIGE and Frank Green joining forces to redefine self-care on the go. The beauty and hydration powerhouses are officially launching a one-of-a-kind innovation: a glossy 34oz Frank Green ceramic reusable bottle with a detachable lip gloss holder — complete with a full-size LANEIGE Glaze Craze Tinted Lip Serum. This limited-edition release marks the next evolution of water bottles, and is available in three shades inspired by LANEIGE's viral lip serums. Each bottle mirrors the same high-shine finish of the raved gloss. The launch also debuts Frank Green's brand-new accessory, a sleek clip-on lip gloss holder, designed to keep hydration and beauty essentials in one place. The drop caters to the rise of luxury drinkware and the craze for lip oils. "We saw the perfect opportunity to create a bespoke product that ensures our community stays hydrated and glowing all day long — inside and out," says Frank Green founder and CEO, Ben Young. The limited-edition set includes a glossy 34oz Frank Green ceramic reusable bottle paired with a matching detachable lip gloss holder, designed for both function and style. Each bottle comes with a full-size LANEIGE' Glaze Craze Tinted Lip Serum in the coordinating shade, creating a cohesive beauty-and-hydration essential that celebrates the viral lip gloss finish fans love. Launching on October 28, 2025, the collection will be available in three shades — Sugar Glaze, Peach Glaze, and Cinnamon Sugar — and will be sold exclusively through Frank Green and LANEIGE's official websites, as well as select retail partners. This is hydration with main character energy, and it's guaranteed to sell out fast. Shop the LANEIGE x Frank Green collab. Images: Supplied.
Dinner and a movie now has an entire cinema dedicated to it: FoMo Cinemas. The brand's name isn't about fearing missing out; instead, it refers to its blend of food and movies. Every one of the six screens in the new Melbourne picture palace is all about watching a film while having a meal. You'll pick between blockbuster, arthouse and retro flicks on the program, plus pizzas, burgers and deli sandwiches on the chef-designed menu. Before you take your seat, you'll also hit up the neon-lit Blade Runner-inspired bar. First announced in 2023, the 392-seat dine-in FoMo Cinemas opens its doors on Thursday, January 18 at East Brunswick Village — and adds something new not just to Melbourne's but to Australia's cinema scene. Co-owners Natalie Miller AO and Barry Peak, who co-founded Carlton's Cinema Nova, have taken their cues from two famed names in the global business: the Alamo Drafthouse chain across the US, plus Nitehawk Cinema in Brooklyn. "Barry and I have been partners in the Nova for 32 years, and Barry's always looking for new ideas and new ventures. And he was very anxious to do a cinema with food and movies based on the Nighthawk and the Alamo in America. So he went out on a survey over there and come back with all the ideas," Miller, who also spent 17 years running South Yarra's old Longford Cinema, tells Concrete Playground. "What very much appeals is the fact that people are time-poor and we are trying to encourage people to come 20 minutes earlier, sit down, they can order their food off an app and then the movie will start. Or if they want to, they can do it during the film. But the idea is to let people have their meal and their film together," Miller continues. "It's not a totally new concept because there's gold class and platinum and all those other cinemas, but ours are at standard ticket prices. So you can come at a standard ticket price and order your meal accordingly." As designed by Head Chef Darren Collier, food choices also include cheese and antipasto platters, as well as desserts — and, when it comes time to deliver your bites and drinks as the movie plays, the focus is on discreet service that doesn't disrupt the viewing experience. As is a drawcard at Alamo Drafthouse, all films are preceded by a pre-show presentation. Expect trivia, interactive quizzes and clips celebrating classic movie moments — and trailers, but no ads. The idea is that you peruse the menu while the pre-show plays, and that it's all part of the experience. And the films? Although Cinema Nova is known for its arthouse selections — and Miller is behind film distributor Sharmill Films, which has brought movies such as Triangle of Sadness and Compartment No. 6 to Australian screens in recent years — FoMo is combining those kinds of flicks with broader fare. So, in its opening weeks, you can see the Mean Girls musical, Sofia Coppola's Priscilla, Michael Mann's Ferrari, Golden Globe-winner The Holdovers, wrestling biopic The Iron Claw and Jason Statham in The Beekeeper. Among repertory titles, both Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049 will have a date with the venue, as will Chef — all befitting the picture palace's look and focus. Specs-wise, two of FoMo's cinemas have a 3D setup, and the 114-seat biggest theatre with a screen that ten-metres-plus wide boasts 4K resolution. While the newly opened East Brunswick Village is the site of the first-ever FoMo, it won't be the last if the debut location proves a success. "If you ask Barry Peak that question, he'd say absolutely yes," Miller advises about the possibility of expanding the chain across Melbourne and even nationally. "We'll test it out and we'll see how it works. We feel that Brunswick's such a growing area with such a young population and student population, and probably a cross-section of the community. And we'll see how it works, and then take it from there." Find FoMo Cinemas at East Brunswick Village, 133 Nicholson Street, East Brunswick from Thursday, January 18.
Australians are eating out less often as cost-of-living pressures bite, but younger diners are helping to keep the country's hospitality industry buzzing. New research released by the Foodservice Association of Australia (FSAA) and consumer insights platform Vypr shows that while three in ten people are cutting back on restaurant visits — and one in ten have stopped altogether — Millennials and older Gen Zs continue to dine out several times a week, or even daily. The 25–34 age group is one-and-a-half times more likely to head to a cafe or restaurant compared to the population average (79 percent versus 57 percent), with many weaving breakfasts, coffee breaks and light lunches into their daily routines. "Our data shows that while Australians are being more careful with their spending, they continue to see dining out as essential to their social lives," said Vypr's International Chief Revenue Officer, Sam Gilding. He noted that socialising with family and friends (60 percent) and celebrating occasions (44 percent) remain the top reasons to head out. [caption id="attachment_1023279" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Diners line up for viral burgers at Brunswick East's Charrd[/caption] Still, diners are more cost-conscious than ever. Nearly four in five spend under $60 per week on eating out, with value for money their biggest priority. More than half (52 percent) want better portion sizes, and almost two-thirds (63 percent) prefer discounts over loyalty schemes. Consistency across venues also matters, with 45 percent of respondents ranking it as a key improvement restaurants could make. Quick-service restaurants are the most frequented (62 percent), followed by casual dining venues (47 percent) and cafes (33 percent). Delivery apps are also especially popular among younger Australians, with 25–34-year-olds twice as likely as average to order via an app. Health and sustainability are increasingly influencing decisions, too — 71 percent of respondents said they seek healthier options, while 42 percent consider sustainability when choosing meals and venues. [caption id="attachment_1018380" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sydney's popular new Enmore bar, Deadwax.[/caption] FSAA CEO Minnie Constan said the report highlights important shifts. "We're thrilled to partner on this independent report at a time of real change in our industry. We pride ourselves on delivering accurate information that helps our members understand shifting consumer expectations and adapt to ensure foodservice remains strong into the future." Read the full Consumer Preferences & Dining Habits 2025 report here. Images: Supplied | Top image: Johnny's Green Room
As the warm weather rolls in, you'll be back to finding ways to stay cool all summer long. Sure, you can try all of your standard attempts to keep refreshed in and around Melbourne this summer. A dip at the local pool is always a solid option, as is a trip to the beach. Or you can stick your head in the fridge. For those of you feeling a little more adventurous, we recommend a swim beneath one of Victoria's many beautiful waterfalls. Here are four such locations within a reasonable drive of the city. Whether that's natural or man-made, up a mountain, along a riverbed or within a national park, this list has you covered. Recommended reads: The Best Swimming Holes Near Melbourne The Best Natural Hot Springs in Victoria The Best Coastal Walks in and Around Melbourne The Best Day Trips From Melbourne to Take in Summer [caption id="attachment_791983" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria[/caption] Nigretta Falls, Grampians National Park While swimming under most of the Grampians National Park's waterfalls is strictly prohibited, you can still swim at one of its many cascades. Located seven kilometres west of Hamilton (a short detour from the Glenelg Highway), Nigretta Falls is one of few Grampians spots where swimming is encouraged. The secluded waterfall is fed by the nearby Wannon River and offers clear waters that are perfect for relaxing. When you're not swimming, head up the stairway to the top of the falls, where a picnic area and barbecue facilities are waiting. [caption id="attachment_703755" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Josie Withers via Visit Victoria[/caption] Ladies Bath Falls, Mount Buffalo National Park Located in Mount Buffalo National Park, the water of the Ladies Bath Falls cascades into a crystal clear pool below. Despite being rather chilly all year round (it is up a mountain, after all), we guarantee you won't be able to resist taking a dip. In the warmer months, this swimming hole is a perfect respite from the heat of the nearby Ovens and Buckland valleys. If you want to get in on more waterfall action while you're here, head up to the Upper and Lower Eurobin Falls. It's only a short walk between all three, but the national park is a four-hour drive northeast of Melbourne — so we recommending staying overnight in nearby Bright. [caption id="attachment_703507" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Strathbogie City Council[/caption] Polly McQuinns, Strathbogie Alright, so this one's kind of cheating. The small, man-made waterfall at this popular swimming hole near Strathbogie doesn't quite have the same natural splendour as the others. But what it lacks in magnificence it makes up for in history. Legend has it that the weir is named for an early settler, Polly McQuinns, who could not grow a beard and drowned in the waters after one too many sherries. Despite the gnarly history, this deep swimming pool offers a welcome respite from the heat. Apart from the man-made waterfalls, there's rapids and a purpose-build diving board for plunging and belly-flops. It's a day-trip for those looking for something a little different and with a bit of character. [caption id="attachment_703752" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ian M Ross[/caption] Turpins Falls, Kyneton Situated on the Campaspe River about a 1.5-hour drive from the Melbourne CBD, the bracingly cold waters of Turpins Falls will require some bravery, but it's a refreshing plunge nonetheless. The 20-metre falls empty into a lagoon that's larger than an Olympic swimming pool and surrounded by high rock walls on three sides (not for jumping off, mind you). It's a beautiful spot to enjoy a picnic or a sneaky drink along the rocks. You can also treat yourself to a high-pressure natural shower under the waterfall. But it can be a bit hard to find, so be sure to bring Google Maps along for the ride while you hunt for one of the best waterfalls to swim under near Melbourne. Top image: Josie Withers via Visit Victoria.
Some gift guides are aspirational. This one is personal — a tight edit of what the Concrete Playground team is actually giving this year, plus the upgrades we're quietly hoping to unwrap ourselves. Expect a mix of design-forward homewares, beauty and wellness tech, kitchen heroes, audio gear and a few well-earned splurges — the kinds of gifts that get used long after the wrapping paper's binned. If your shopping list leans more aesthetic than practical, head to our design and fashion gift guide for beautiful pieces by Australian brands. SKYWALK Experience Gift Voucher, Sydney Tower Eye For those who favour adrenaline over advent calendars, this breath-taking SKYWALK experience delivers open-air views and city stories from the tallest building in Sydney. Step onto the outdoor platform with the CBD directly beneath your feet for a seriously memorable gift. In partnership with Merlin Entertainments. Shop now. Pressurised Mini Keg, TANKY For anyone who loves hosting without playing bartender all night, TANKY keeps cocktails, mocktails or spritzes perfectly chilled and freshly poured from first glass to last. It's a reusable, pressurised mini keg that looks good on the table and cuts down on bottles, mixers and mid-party mess. Shop now. Gelati Bookshelf Speakers, Encel Designed and voiced in Melbourne, these compact speakers deliver rich, engaging sound wrapped in playful, design-forward finishes. With swappable magnetic grilles and serious audio credentials, they're equal parts listening device and interior statement. Shop now. Hatch Restore, Hatch A bedside essential for anyone trying to fix their sleep without doomscrolling, Hatch Restore replaces alarms with gentle sunrise light and phone-free wind-down routines. It's the kind of gift that quietly improves mornings — and nights — without feeling overly techy. Shop now. Classic Dutch Oven, Crumble A true kitchen workhorse, this cast-iron Dutch oven handles everything from slow braises to bakery-worthy sourdough with ease. Durable, non-toxic and genuinely beautiful, it's made to move seamlessly from stovetop to table. Shop now. Dyson Airwrap Co-anda 2x™ Multi-Styler and Dryer, Dyson Dyson's most powerful Airwrap yet, this upgraded multi-styler uses enhanced Co-anda airflow and intelligent attachments to dry, curl, smooth and straighten — all without extreme heat. A luxe, all-in-one pick for anyone who wants salon-level results at home, minus the learning curve. Shop now. Luxe Café Premier Espresso Machine, Ninja This all-in-one machine takes the guesswork out of espresso, cold brew and filter coffee with guided brewing and hands-free milk frothing. Ideal for coffee lovers who want café-quality results without turning their kitchen into a science lab. Shop now. Cotton Robe, Hommey Crafted from soft, breathable cotton, Hommey's robe turns everyday lounging into a considered ritual. It's the kind of gift that gets worn daily — and feels quietly luxurious every time. Shop now. ŌURA Ring 4, ŌURA A sleek alternative to bulky wearables, the ŌURA Ring tracks sleep, recovery, activity and stress in a discreet design. It's wellness tech for people who care about insights, not notifications. Shop now. DRx SpectraLite™ FaceWare Pro, Dr Dennis Gross This clinic-grade LED mask delivers red and blue light therapy in a three-minute daily treatment designed to target breakouts, fine lines and uneven tone. A serious investment, but one backed by real results and dermatologist-level tech. Shop now. Fine Jewellery, Lindelli Designed and handcrafted in Sydney, Lindelli's pieces balance timeless silhouettes with contemporary restraint. Made with lab-grown diamonds and precious metals, they're heirloom-worthy without the traditional baggage. Shop now. Public Possession 6-Panel Cap, MAAP A collaboration that blends cycling culture with graphic design, this cotton cap is understated but distinctive. Easy to wear, well made and finished with subtle embroidered details. Shop now. La Grande Dame Artist Gift Box 2012, Veuve Clicquot Veuve Clicquot's flagship cuvée comes presented in an artist-designed gift box that celebrates creativity as much as craftsmanship. A special-occasion champagne with depth, finesse and undeniable presence. Shop now. ART Sparkling Water Maker, SodaStream With its retro silhouette and hands-on carbonation lever, this SodaStream makes everyday sparkling water feel a little more intentional. A practical gift that reduces waste while keeping bubbles exactly how you like them. Shop now. Pearl Letter Bracelet, Saint Valentine A delicate chain finished with a single initial and freshwater pearls, this bracelet makes a personal gift without being overly sentimental. Designed for everyday wear, it's subtle, meaningful and easy to layer. Shop now. Gift Card, HÜD For anyone who values great skin but prefers choice, a HÜD gift card unlocks access to one of Melbourne's most respected skin clinics. It's an experience-led gift that prioritises long-term results over quick fixes. Shop now. Super Milk Body Spray, Lush A cult-favourite scent spun out from Lush's viral hair product, this biscuity, lemony body spray settles into a creamy vanilla warmth that's surprisingly grown-up. Sweet without tipping cloying, it's an easy, feel-good fragrance you can mist from head to toe — and one that reliably earns compliments on the road. Shop now. 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 has no shortage of beautiful neighbourhoods vying for attention. One gleaming gem in its crown, however, is Potts Point. Just east of the Sydney CBD, and close to the historic Kings Cross, the neighbourhood is a blend of heritage architecture, leafy streets, boutiques, bars, galleries and more. If you're looking to stay in the culturally-rich precinct for the weekend, Hotel Indigo Sydney Potts Point offers front-row access to the best parts of the neighbourhood. [caption id="attachment_1032369" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hotel Indigo Sydney Potts Point[/caption] With its boutique rooms, quirky interiors, and views overlooking the beautiful Rushcutters Bay, Hotel Indigo Sydney Potts Point situates you right in the heart of the action and luxe Sydney lifestyle. Here's how to plan your next weekend exploring the neighbourhood. [caption id="attachment_1032350" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] Begin With A Wander And Coffee Potts Point is a beautiful walkable neighbourhood that's dotted with some of the city's heritage 20th-century architecture. Enjoy an early morning stroll around the suburb to orient yourself and soak up the view. After a wander, head to Piña for a coffee and breakfast. Located down Llankelly Place's laneway, Piña is a buzzy local café that offers outdoor seating, so you can people-watch while sipping on your flat white. Room Ten, located across the road, is also a popular café destination for locals. Be sure to enjoy some breakfast and fuel up for browsing. [caption id="attachment_652937" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Potts Point Bookshop[/caption] Browse The Boutiques Potts Point is a mecca of independent stores and designers. Macleay Street in particular offers a range of boutiques for you to peruse. Potts Point Bookshop is a destination for any bibliophile. Macleay on Manning is another eclectic Potts Point staple that's been around for over two decades. Here you'll find design books, ceramics, candles and fashion to inspire. If you're looking to pick up some new threads, Locale features clothes by both local and international brands such as Elka Collective and King Csila. [caption id="attachment_654859" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Fratelli Paradiso[/caption] Long Lunch After window shopping (or dropping some cash), you've probably worked up an appetite. The Apollo is a Greek restaurant that specialises in the art of the long lunch, while across the road, Cho Cho San serves modern Japanese cuisine. If Italian is more your style, enjoy casual European dining at Fratelli Paradiso. Top off your lunch date with a wine from Dear Sainte Éloise. Also located in the laneway of Llankelly Place, the wine bar features over 350 bottles to choose from, all in a sophisticated Potts Point setting. [caption id="attachment_623519" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Dear Sainte Éloise[/caption] Bar Hopping Post-aperitif at Dear Sainte Éloise, you may want to continue enjoying the buzzy atmosphere of Potts Point. The neighbourhood has always known how to do nightlife. From its King's Cross heyday to the modern and glamorous cocktail bars, there's no shortage of venues to select from. If you enjoy your cocktails with a side of New York City sophistication, drop in to The Roosevelt. Jangling Jack's offers live music and a mean martini, while Dulcie's gives you a glimmer of Sydney's past with its underground cocktail parlour. [caption id="attachment_791596" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Ezra[/caption] Dine Like A Local Looking for a dinner spot for your Potts Point stay? There are several venues for you to head to after exploring the neighbourhood. Ezra serves bold Middle Eastern flavours with a Mediterranean twist in a relaxed setting. Its small plates are perfect for sharing with friends or your date. Meanwhile, Bloom is a café by day and an Italian-inspired restaurant by night. If you're craving some mouth-watering pizzas, check out Bloom's sourdough bases. If you're the traveller who likes to make the most of the hotel, Hotel Indigo Sydney Potts Point is home to Luc-San Restaurant. With a menu crafted by renowned chef Luke Mangan, the casual dining bar offers a blend of French and Japanese-inspired cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere. Plus, you can just hop the elevator back upstairs once finished. Easy. [caption id="attachment_1032368" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Hotel Indigo Sydney Potts Point[/caption] The Perfect Base When you're done wandering (and eating) for the day, Hotel Indigo Sydney Potts Point is ready to welcome you back. Home to stylish rooms with views across the city, and filled with nods to the neighbourhood, the boutique hotel offers a plush place to relax and gather your energy before more exploring tomorrow. [caption id="attachment_1034131" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Hotel Indigo Sydney Potts Point[/caption] Want to stay in the thick of it? Find out more about Hotel Indigo Sydney Potts Point here. Lead image: Hotel Indigo Sydney Potts Point
Tucked between the grey high-rises of Queen Street, you'll find Keki Milkbar: a small, considered cafe that's a cosy escape from (the usual) hustle and bustle of the CBD. If you don't see Keki — although, it's hard to miss its moss green exterior — you'll certainly smell it. The space emanates a delicate sweetness not unlike the bakeries and cake shops you'd find in train stations around Japan. But it was Korea where Keki owner Hangyul 'Han' Oh first thought up the cafe. "It was in Ikseon-dong, Seoul, where I first played with the idea of opening up a cafe," Oh tells Concrete Playground. "My business partner Wookjin 'Jin' Jang and I saw a soufflé pancake cafe while travelling around this popular area in Korea, and he had a recipe up his sleeve." Together with Oh's third business partner Jacob Jeon, the well-versed hospitality trio united back in Melbourne and launched Keki. Instead of finding their own space, though — a difficult feat during a pandemic — they started serving takeaway pancakes at CBD cafe Workshop Bros after dark. To make the gravity-defying pancakes — a dish originating in Japan, but now adored all over the globe — the team whips egg whites into pancake mix to create pillowy, airy batter. They're less sweet than traditional pancakes, too, which leaves room for sugar-filled toppings. [caption id="attachment_775896" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Parker Blain[/caption] "The most important thing is the presentation," says Oh. "Our menu has six flavours and we have tried to make them as good looking as possible. We garnish delicately so every customer see just how jiggly and fluffy the pancake is." Oh's favourite flavours are strawberry ($14) and tiramisu ($14), but other offerings include matcha and red bean ($14), honey-macadamia (made with local honeycomb) and sticky salted caramel ($15) — a popular flavour among regulars. The drinks menu at Keki is almost as impressive as the pancakes. You can choose from orange and lemon, strawberry or mandarin sodas ($5.50), which are made with fresh fruit syrup and fermented for eight hours. They can be served hot, like a tea ($5), too. If you're looking for a milk-based drink, try a matcha, strawberry or chocolate latte ($5–5.50) —served hot or cold — made using a special Keki recipe. Images: Parker Blain
The stars on The Real Housewives of New York City are all more than a little extra — it comes with the territory. Yet, Countess Luann's larger-than-life personality rises above even the most eccentric characters that capture the imaginations of audiences around the globe. Now, Luann de Lesseps is giving the inside scoop on RHONY, as she offers fans a behind-the-scenes look at the show's most iconic moments. Messy, over-the-top, entertaining and endearing, this tea-spilling experience will deliver unparalleled goss from multiple angles. With Lu-Niverse taking over the Melbourne Recital Centre from 7.30pm on Monday, February 23, 2026, the show kicks off with a moderated visual walk down RHONY memory lane. Then, it's time for housewives trivia and an unfiltered audience Q&A, where no question is too outrageous to ask. There's no shortage of tales to cover, with Countess Luann's expansive career spanning life as a television icon, recording artist and celebrated cabaret entertainer. Plus, this one-night affair is bound to have you leaving with even more of Luann's unforgettable one-liners stuck in your head.
The best pottery classes in Melbourne aren't only for those naturally gifted creatives who excel at painting, sculpting and learning musical instruments. The rest of us mere mortals who simply like the idea of having some kind of hobby — that isn't watching tele, propagating plants or going out to the pub — can also get a heap out of these experiences. Melbourne pottery studios run regular one-day courses for total novices, giving them a chance to spin some clay around a wheel or have a go at hand-building — in the hope that they might produce something cool. Longer multi-week courses are also on the cards for those who fall in love with the craft and want to fill their homes with their own masterpieces. To help get you started, we've compiled this guide to the best pottery classes in Melbourne — great for beginners and experts alike. Recommended reads: The Best Creative Classes in Melbourne The Best Plant Shops in Melbourne The Best Bookshops in Melbourne
Maverick is the new contemporary brunch venture from brother-sister duo Adam and Elisa Mariani, the same brains behind Richmond local favourite Mayday Coffee & Food. A playful space filled with deep navy accents and pale pink terrazzo, their latest venue is nestled within the sleek new 80 Collins Street precinct. Settle into a booth or perch at the central communal table to enjoy pastries from Richmond's Penny for Pound and speciality coffee by Axil. From the kitchen comes a seasonal menu of creative brunch fare, starring updated classics alongside familiar favourites. Melbourne mornings are made far more palatable with the likes of thick-cut rye topped with mushrooms, hazelnuts and smoked curd ($17), or the house-made pastrami benedict featuring lashings of bearnaise sauce atop potato hash ($19.50). A herb-roasted chicken roll comes loaded with avocado and buttermilk dressing ($17), the chilli scrambled eggs are infused with three types of cheese ($19), and the answer to that sweet tooth craving lies in the waffles, crowned with fresh strawberries and double cream ($18). [caption id="attachment_774224" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Maverick, CBD[/caption] Looking for something a little stronger than coffee with your lunch? Maverick's daytime-friendly drinks list extends to a considered handful of Aussie wines, local tinnies and classic cocktails, martini included. Dishes and drinks are available from 7am.
It's ten years since Danny Rogers and Jerome Borazio decided to fill a Melbourne alleyway with tunes in 2005. Since then, a relatively unknown Gotye played in a basement, Chk Chk Chk ran across the Sydney College of the Arts rooftop, Lorde happened and Laneway became the very first Australian festival to migrate overseas. This year, the once quiet achiever of the Australian festival scene, Laneway Festival blows out the candles with one of its biggest (but not necessarily commercial) lineups yet. Kicking off in Singapore on Saturday, January 24 in The Meadow, Gardens by the Bay, Laneway will run through seven dates, including Sydney's Sydney College of the Arts on February 1 and Melbourne's Footscray Community Arts Centre and River's Edge on February 7, finishing up at its new home in Fremantle's Esplanade Reserve and West End on Sunday, February 8. But where did Laneway all start (in case you're in the dark)? What did The Avalanches and a dare have to do with it? How did they manage to survive the festival circuit in the face of common Australian festival crash-and-burnery? Let's take a little saunter through the alleyways, warehouse lots and overseas ventures of Laneway — the Australian festival who settled into the country's infrastructure from the smallest of veins. Where it all hatched. St. Jerome's Laneway Festival was born in 2005, when Danny Rogers helped Jerome Borazio book music for his Melbourne laneway bar, St. Jerome's. The every-Sunday 'Summer Series' was born (where The Presets and Architecture in Helsinki played small sets) and the two decided to expand the idea into a Saturday night residency for their mates, The Avalanches. Said Avalanches challenged Rogers and Borazio to make a big ol' birthday shindig for St. Jerome's bar, which would have to close the whole lane. "We said ‘Why not throw a first birthday party for the bar?’ We got excited and then thought ‘Well why don’t we try and close this Laneway down?" recounts Borazio on the Laneway site. "After a few drinks with The Avalanches one night we asked, ‘If we closed this lane down would you guys play? They said ‘You won’t be able to close this lane. So if you do, we’ll play.’ About 1400 showed up and watched Architecture In Helsinki, Art of Fighting, Clare Bowditch and the Feeding Set, The Dears, Eskimo Joe, Gersey and Ground Components and those jokey dare-makers The Avalanches play the very first Laneway. Sydney's turn. Keeping the fire stoked in Melbourne, the Laneway crew decided to expand the concept to Sydney after a chance meeting with super promoter Michael Chugg. "I bumped into Michael Chugg at a health retreat and said to him, 'We have this festival in Melbourne. Check it out, see what you think. He called the next day and got us up to Sydney," says Jerome Borazio on the Laneway website. Thanks to Chugg and his team, Sydney got the green light. Snuggled amongst Circular Quay's Macquarie Square, Reiby Place and The Basement, Laneway saw a rainy but successful run in Sydney that year. Headliners Broken Social Scene were the squealworthy element of the time, alongside Art of Fighting, Augie March, Clare Bowditch and the Feeding Set, Cut Copy, Dane Tucquet, Darren Hanlon, Decoder Ring, Faker, Gersey, Jens Lekman, Les Savy Fav, Mercy Arms, Mountains in the Sky, New Buffalo, Pivot, Pretty Girls Make Graves, The Pop Frenzy Sound Unit, The Posies, The Raveonettes, The Temper Trap, Wolf & Cub and Youth Group over the two cities. Brisbane joins the crew. With Melbourne and Sydney's Laneway chapters under control, Brisbane's first Laneway was held in '07 behind the city's beloved venue, The Zoo. The lineup saw the likes of The Walkmen, Yo La Tengo, Camera Obscura, Peter Bjorn and John, Snowman, Archie Bronson Outfit, Bumblebeez, Casino Twilight Dogs, Dan Kelly, Dappled Cities Fly, Expatriate, Fionn Regan, Gerling, Gersey, Ground Components, Holly Throsby, Love Is All, Macromantics, Midnight Juggernauts, My Disco, The BellRays, The Crayon Fields, The Shaky Hands, The Sleepy Jackson, The Temper Trap and Youth Group play in the teeny laneway out the back — as well as Sydney and Melbourne's laneway set-ups. The Laneway Empire was growing. Oh hey, Adelaide. Heading south-west, Laneway 2008 saw Feist, Gotye, Dan Deacon, The Presets, Stars, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Panics, The Vasco Era and Okkervil River all smooshed themselves into Fowler's Live, all up in the North Terrace. They were joined by Violent Soho, The Cool Kids, The Holidays, Via Tania, Batrider, Bridezilla, Devastations, Little Red, Rudley Interrupted and The Brunettes. Meanwhile, the Melbourne festival expanded — out of Caledonian Lane to Drewery Lane and Londsdale Street. The times were a-changin'. Perth, you're up. Heading to Western Australia for the first time, Laneway 2009 found a new, additional home in the Perth Cultural Centre. Beats were the dominant force this year, with Girl Talk, Stereolab, Buraka Som Sistema, Pivot (with the vowels intact) and Four Tet sharing the stage with Tame Impala, Architecture In Helsinki, Born Ruffians, Canyons, Cut Off Your Hands, Daedelus, El Guincho, Holly Throsby, Jay Reatard, John Steel Singers, Mountains In The Sky, No Age, Port O’Brien, Still Flyin, Tame Impala, Tim Fite, The Drones, The Hold Steady and The Temper Trap. The Laneway crew talk of 2009 as the year of visible expansion in Perth of course, but particularly in the other citie. According to the Laneway website, "a rapidly expanded site, shifting regulations, wild hype and high temperatures contributed to the Melbourne show very suddenly (and publicly) outgrowing itself. Overcrowding and long queues soured an otherwise strong musical showing. And while a realignment of stages in Adelaide was deemed a success by the growing crowds, Sydney’s Macquarie Park location also began showing signs of its limitations." Woah, things got a little turbo-charged in 2010. With one of its biggest lineups yet, Laneway expanded their venues in several cities. Melbourne moved from its hallowed home to the riverside Footscray Community Arts Centre, while Sydney farewelled Circular Quay for Rozelle’s historic Sydney College of the Arts. With Mumford and Sons, Florence and the Machine, and The xx all making their Australian debut at Laneway (not too shabby), the venues were upsized to accommodate Bachelorette, Black Lips, Chris Knox and The Nothing, Cut Off Your Hands, Daniel Johnston, Dappled Cities, Dirty Three, Echo & the Bunnymen, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Hockey, Kid Sam, N.A.S.A., Midnight Juggernauts, Radioclit, Sarah Blasko, Street Chant, The 3Ds, The Middle East, The Naked and Famous, The Very Best, Warpaint, Whitley and Wild Beasts. But Laneway also made its first venture overseas, launching its first instalment in Auckland. According to Laneway, the crew teamed up with Chugg and New Zealand locals Ben Howe, Manolo Echave and Mark Kneebone to create the first Kiwi chapter of Laneway in Auckland's warehouse-dotted Britomart Quarter. And I mean, look at that bloody lineup, no wonder they had to find a bigger boat. Singapore, what's up. Held at Fort Canning Park, the first Singapore Laneway Festival was drenched in torrential rain — but that didn't douse the spirits of thousands of punters. Lineup-wise, goals were kicked yet again by the Laneway team: !!!, The Antlers, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Beach House, Bear in Heaven, Blonde Redhead, Cloud Control, Cut Copy, Deerhunter, Foals, Gotye, The Holidays, Holy Fuck, Jenny & Johnny, Les Savy Fav, Local Natives, Menomena, PVT, Rat Vs Possum, Stornoway, Two Door Cinema Club, Violent Soho, Warpaint, World's End Press and Yeasayer made their way to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Singapore and Auckland (who moved their camp from the Britomart Quarter to Aotea Square in 2011). Auckland finally bunkers down in Silo Park in the Wynard Quarter — its present home. This was a pretty big year for Laneway, steering the lineup toward top-of-the-alternative headliners: M83, SBTRKT live, John Talabot, Feist, Active Child and Jonti joined Anna Calvi, Austra, Bullion, Chairlift, Cults, The Drums, DZ Deathrays, EMA, Geoffrey O’Connor, Girls, Givers, Glasser, The Horrors, Husky, Laura Marling, Oneman, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Pajama Club, The Panics, Portugal. The Man, Toro y Moi, Total Control, Twin Shadow, Washed Out and Yuck. Detroit ahoy. Heading over to the US for their very first Detroit Laneway at Oakland University, the team capitalised on previously successful showcases as the likes of SXSW to bring in an American audience — making them the first Australian festival to migrate to the US. The likes of ADULT., AlunaGeorge, Beacon, Chet Faker, CHVRCHES, Deerhunter, The Dismemberment Plan, Flume, Frightened Rabbit, HAERTS, Heathered Pearls, Icona Pop, Matthew Dear, My Brightest Diamond, The National, Phosphorescent, Run the Jewels (El-P & Killer Mike), Savages, Shigeto, Sigur Ros, Solange, Warpaint, Washed Out and Youth Lagoon cranked out sets in Detroit — a huge undertaking for the Laneway crew. In Australalasia, the likes of alt-J, Flume, Jessie Ware, Chet Faker, Bat For Lashes, Divine Fits, El-P, Japandroids and Nicolas Jaar played alongside Alpine, Cloud Nothings, Henry Wagons & The Unwelcome Company, High Highs, Holy Other, Julia Holter, Kings of Convenience, MS MR, Nite Jewel, Of Monsters and Men, Perfume Genius, Poliça, Pond, Real Estate, Shlohmo, Snakadaktal, The Men, The Neighbourhood, The Rubens, Twerps and Yeasayer. A big ol' year. The year of our Lorde. Hitting #1 in the US, the NZ teenager cranked out memorable Pure Heroine sets at Laneway's most veering-toward-commercial year yet. The soon-to-be Grammy winner was joined by the likes of HAIM, Earl Sweatshirt, James Blake, King Krule, Warpaint, Run the Jewels (El-P & Killer Mike), Jaguar Ma and Vance Joy alongside Adalita, Autre Ne Veut, Cashmere Cat, Cass McCombs, CHVRCHES, Cloud Control, Danny Brown, Daughter, Dick Diver, Doprah, Drenge, Four Tet, Frightened Rabbit, GEMA, Ghost Wave, Jamie xx, Kirin J Callinan, Kurt Vile, Mount Kimbie, MT WARNING, Parquet Courts, PCP Eagles, Rackets, Savages, Scenic, The Growl, The Jezabels, The Observatory, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Vandetta, Watercolours, XXYYXX and Youth Lagoon. Epic. Here we are, ten years later and Laneway's making big moves to remain closer to the up-and-coming pulse than the superheadliners. As of this week, Laneway 2015 is upon us and the lineup is predictably kickass. Returning to the Australian touring circuit is UK on-repeat outfit Jungle, festival jaw-droppers Future Islands and Melbourne's lives-up-to-the-hype queen Courtney Barnett. Two of the biggest hypecards of the bunch, FKA Twigs and BANKS, will fight for the midnight hushed vocal crown. Then there's the ever-epic St. Vincent, punk-as-fuck UK band Eagulls, smooooooth king Flying Lotus, Harlem's top-of-the-game hip hop outfit Ratking and the triumphant returns of Rustie, Jon Hopkins, POND and crisp-as-blazes Caribou, alongside Andy Bull, Angel Olsen, Benjamin Booker, Caribou, Connan Mockasin, Dune Rats, Eves, Flight Facilities, Highasakite, Jesse Davidson, Jon Hopkins, Little Dragon, Mansionair, Perfect Pussy, Peter Bibby, Raury, Royal Blood, Seekae, Sohn, St Vincent and Vic Mensa. And last but not least, Mac DeMarco and his mum, Agnes. What a legend. Happy tenner, Laneway. Cheers to showing punters where the Good Music at, avoiding slapdash, off-brand superheadliners, keeping a finger on many overseas pulses and making onsite attention to detail a colossal priority. We're raising a plastic cup to another ten. Images: Laneway Festival - Simon Fergusson, Daniel Boud, Adrianna Polcyn, Alvin Ho, Nina Sandejas, Chris Schwegler, Annette Geneva, Yael Yaya Stempler.
Lucky for us Melburnians, some of Australia's most breathtaking hiking terrain is within easy reach of the city limits. And, since hiking is a year-round activity in Oz, it's always a good time to swap the city streets for dirt roads, bush tracks and fresh air. Victoria is plentiful in coastal walking trails, inland waterfalls, hidden swimming holes and alpine terrain — so whether you want to stop for a swim, stroll for half a day or spend the weekend trekking up a mountain, these walks will cover just about any whim and time constraint. Here's our pick of the best one-day hikes near Melbourne. It's about time you ticked them off, one by one. Recommended reads: The Best Caves to Visit Near Melbourne The Best Melbourne Metro Walks The Best Bike Rides In and Around Melbourne The Best Country Towns to Visit on a Day Trip From Melbourne [caption id="attachment_614770" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alexandra Milne[/caption] Kalimna Falls Trail, Great Otway Park Hiking to Kalimna Falls is the ideal activity for a balmy afternoon, thanks to the cooling fern-framed waters that await you. Start off with a scenic drive to Lorne along the Great Ocean Road; alternatively, the inland route is substantially quicker (though not nearly as picturesque). The hike itself is eight kilometres return from the Sheoak picnic area, with the option to back-track along the same path or via the 4WD-friendly Garvey Track. The highlight of this walk is the peaceful lower falls — during off-peak hours, it feels like your own private swimming hole. If you like a bit of rock climbing, be sure to push on and head up to the 15-metre-high upper waterfalls as well. [caption id="attachment_923789" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mark Watson for Visit Victoria[/caption] Mount Feathertop Via Razorback Trail, Alpine National Park The Razorback Trail up to Mount Feathertop, Victoria's second highest peak, is a 22-kilometre return trek through the Alpine National Park — and it's not for the fainthearted, nor for windy days. But for all the commitment and hardship, this hike is truly worth it for the simply stunning views. Be sure to wear in your hiking boots prior to setting out and take lots of water and sunscreen. If you want to tackle the walk over two days instead, there is a campsite on the way up. That said, even if you hike it all in one go, you'll need to stay one night in the area, since the park is located over a five-hour drive northeast of Melbourne. Luckily, you won't have any trouble finding a cosy cabin to spend the night in — there are plenty of accommodation options at Mount Hotham, Dinner Plain, Harrietville and Bright. [caption id="attachment_703509" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steve Collis via Flickr[/caption] Werribee Gorge Circuit Walk, Werribee Gorge State Park If you're looking for a hike that will get you home by lunchtime, head to Werribee Gorge State Park, located just an hour out of the CBD. Starting at the Quarry Carpark, the main circuit takes you around the top of the gorge and back down to the bottom. With the great rock faces looming on either side of you, it feels like a scene out of Jurassic Park — which makes sense, given Werribee Gorge has been forged by 500 million years of geological history. The main circuit is around eight kilometres long, takes approximately three hours to complete and is clearly signposted. You're best not to attempt this trek after heavy rainfall though, as there's plenty of rock scrambling involved. [caption id="attachment_787519" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Grampians National Park by Ain Raadik Photography via Visit Victoria[/caption] Mount Rosea Walk, Grampians National Park The Grampians are among the most spectacular mountain ranges in Victoria and are home to one of the region's most epic multi-day hikes. But if you're looking for a shorter stay, the 12-kilometre Mount Rosea Walk takes just four to five hours to complete — though that doesn't mean it's a total breeze, either. Without a clear path, you have to hunt for markers scattered along the trail and occasional rock scrambling keeps things interesting. You'll also cross a suspended bridge at great heights along the way. And a four-wheel drive is recommended to traverse the unsealed roads that lead to the walk. Given all that, this track is best tackled by those who are a little adventurous. While the national park is a three-hour drive out of the CBD, there are plenty of campgrounds and hotels in the area if you plan on staying the night. [caption id="attachment_923795" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cameron Murray Photography for Visit Victoria[/caption] Currawong Falls Track, Great Otways National Park Aireys Inlet is a quiet town located 90 minutes from Melbourne. Close to both the beach and the Otways, the area boasts plenty of great hiking, but our pick is the trail that runs along Ironbark Gorge to Currawong Falls. Clocking in at just over 10 kilometres, this circuit starts at Distillery Picnic Area and takes around three to four hours to complete. There are a number of hikes that begin from the same spot, so make sure you pay attention to the signs to avoid getting lost. Along the way, you'll pass through spring wildflowers in the Ironbark Forest, traipse through heathlands dotted with tree ferns and maybe even spot a few wallabies in the melaleuca swamp. Ancient flowering grass trees can also be seen throughout the trail. Once you've looped all the way back, you'll enjoy some seriously stunning vistas with the Split Point Lighthouse in full view. [caption id="attachment_614775" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tamyka Bell via Flickr[/caption] Mount Bogong via Staircase Spur Trail, Alpine National Park Mount Bogong is the tallest mountain in Victoria, and the Staircase Spur Trail — as the track is very appropriately named — will get you all the way to the summit. The 16-kilometre return walk can be completed in either one or two days as there are campsites with huts, drop toilets and water along the track. For primo views, be sure to check the weather beforehand and plan the hike on a clear day when you'll be rewarded with spectacular, panoramic vistas of the alpine area. If you go in dreary weather, well, you're likely in for some discomfort and disappointment. Needless to say, this walk is best suited to those with hiking experience and decent fitness. [caption id="attachment_923792" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria[/caption] Surf Coast Walk, Great Ocean Road The Surf Coast Walk is a whopping 44-kilometre track connecting the towns of Torquay, Anglesea and Aireys Inlet, though you don't have to cover the entire monster in one day. With 12 trail heads to choose from, just pick a section that suits you. The walk is one-way, but regular car shuttles and local buses run throughout the day (be sure to check the timetables ahead of time). Your best bet is to leave early in the morning so you can fully enjoy the beachside walks before high tide — one of our favourites is Bells Beach. This popular hike is great for beginners, but not for those who hike for seclusion. But these astounding ocean views are well worth battling the crowds for. Top Images: Razorback Trail by Mark Watson for Visit Victoria
Elizabeth Street could be on the verge of a fairly drastic (and particularly green) facelift. Taking cues from cities like Seoul and Fukuko, Japan, a globally-renowned urban planner has put forward a radical new proposal to transform the Melbourne's Elizabeth Street thoroughfare into a leafy tropical canal. Speaking to The Age, Gilbert Rochecouste, founder and managing director of Village Well, said he'd like to rip up the old bitumen and replace it with "a walkable green oasis full of quirky shop and spontaneous day and night experiences." Elizabeth Street already has a waterway, although you wouldn't know just by strolling down the sidewalk. Although confined by storm drains, William’s Creek runs straight down Elizabeth Street to empty into the Yarra. It's the reason that the street is prone to flash flooding during periods of heavy rain — as we saw in 2010. Although it may sound like a bold idea for Elizabeth Street, Rochecouste has a tried and true history when it comes to revitalising urban spaces, having previously helped breathe new life into Melbourne’s dilapidated laneways. This also isn’t the first time Rochecouste has floated the idea for the Elizabeth Street waterway, having previously spoken about it back in 2009. Rochecouste’s new plan would be to expose the creek, lining its banks with trees and local foliage. "Footpaths would become shared spaces that bleed into the creek with activation supported by the myriad of restaurants and cafes,” he explained. “The footpaths/piazza would also become and ancillary events space to happenings throughout the CBD." This GIF gives you a pretty dramatic idea of what to expect: The plan would mirror similar projects in cities around the world. Cheonggyecheon, an 11km redevelopment in downtown Seoul, has proven enormously popular with tourists and locals alike, while urban canals have also been proposed in places like Berlin, Rotterdam and Suqian City, China. Unfortunately, one man who seems less keen on the idea is Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle. “There's no doubt it's useful to have some radical ideas thrown up from time-to-time [but] this one's just a bridge too far,” he told Fairfax radio. Via The Age.
Code Black Coffee knows how to cafe. Each of its six sites serve some of the city's best breakfasts and cups of joe, plus the sleek warehouse design in its larger Brunswick and North Melbourne venues is oh so Melbourne. The team is conquering the city, one cup of coffee and eggs benny at a time, and it shows no signs of slowing down. That was made especially when it opened its seventh outpost on Flinders Lane in mid-2024. Here, the team is pumping out the types of dishes that have seen Code Black assume a rightful claim to being one of the very best places for breakfast in Melbourne. On the menu, you might find dishes like baked eggs with truffled white beans, smoked ham hock and parmigiano; milk bread mille foglie with poached rhubarb and pistachios brought together with a burnt butter mascarpone; and house-made soda bread topped with seasonal mushrooms, whipped buffalo ricotta, crispy onions and chimichurri. Of course, coffee is a also huge feature at the new Flinders Lane spot. Expect your usual milky options and on-tap batch brews as well as coffee flights and caffeine-infused cocktails — both boozy and non-alcoholic. Code Black's more unusual zero-proof bevs include an espresso martini with Vegemite syrup, as well as one featuring lemongrass, anise syrup and earl grey tea, and the Morning Bar Coco that sees cold filter coffee given a lift by rooibos tea, coconut water and cream. You've also got two vodka-based espresso martinis, an alcoholic coffee negroni and a bunch of other caffeinated sips spiked with booze. If you're keen to explore a lot of this menu, you might want to get a few with decaf. The space, designed by We are Humble (Kaiju Cantina, No. 100 Flinders Lane, CoConspirators Brewpub, Ruby Dining and Good Measure), feels a lot more like a cocktail lounge than a cafe, which will make more sense once the team opens for nighttime trade. It's painted in the cafe's signature black all over, decked out with leather upholstery and dimly lit throughout. Melbourne's already got some stellar CBD breakfast spots, but there's always room for more — especially when they're also open on weekends like Code Black Coffee's Morning Bar.
Ever since coming to Australia decades ago, Alejandro Saravia has been on a mission to bring his own unique take on contemporary Peruvian cuisine (and Latin American food in general) to Australian diners. This kicked off when he opened the first Morena in Sydney's Surry Hills back in 2011, which sadly closed in 2013. It didn't seem as if Aussies were quite ready for Peruvian food like this, and so Saravia went on to launch Farmer's Daughters and Victoria by Farmer's Daughters, which both champion produce from Gippsland. Once these were up and running for a while, Saravia returned to the Morena plan and spent many years educating local diners on Latin American food, and finding out exactly how he could successfully bring the restaurant back. He bit the bullet in 2024, opening Morena Sydney within the city's historic GPO. It was an instant hit, serving up contemporary fine-dining twists on classic Latin American cuisine. Months later, Morena Melbourne popped up — the fully realised version of the Morena brand. Located within the 80 Collins precinct, Morena Melbourne is comprised of two distinct but still clearly related neighbouring venues. First off, you have Barra. This all-day diner is the more laidback and playful venue with strong wine bar vibes. You can roll on in for after-work sip-and-snack sessions over cocktails, Latin American wines (far from the old world varietals we Aussies are familiar with) and street food-style bites like ox tongue skewers, squash tostadas and cheese-packed arepas. [caption id="attachment_971280" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Barra[/caption] Larger dishes like steaks, lamb neck with green mole and swordfish loin milanesa are also available for those wanting a proper feed, plus a couple of chef's selection menus. All in all, Saravia and his team don't hold back with the bold flavours, especially when it comes to packing on the chillies. It's also likely that you won't recognise a lot of the ingredients or kinds of sauces used on the menu, but trust these guys know what they're doing, and just go with it. If fine-dining is more your vibe, you can always pop next door to Morena Restaurant, which sits across two levels. Here, Saravia is having the most fun, playing with even more Latin American ingredients you might not know, and complementing them with stacks of local produce. A standout has got to be the coral trout tiradito that's brightly paired with aji amarillo kosho and fermented mandarin emulsion. We also highly recommend the grilled grouper loin that sits on a squid and octopus stew, and the suckling goat served with a 90-plus-ingredient aged mole and corn tortillas. You can pair this all with old world wines, but Morena is all about the new. You've got to get around the natty numbers and less-than-common native Latin American varietals and blends which we doubt you'll find elsewhere in Melbourne. If you've dined at Morena Sydney, you'll notice the Melbourne version is considerably more innovative. Flavours are bigger, and Saravia feels more comfortable to stray from tradition. Finally, Saravia gets to make his dream of bringing his take on contemporary Latin American dining to Australia, and we are absolutely stoked that he's done it. Morena Melbourne is the culmination of his life's work as a chef and restaurateur, and it's clearly a great labour of love. If it's not already on it, make sure you add this one to your Melbourne restaurant bucket list. Images: Arianna Leggiero.
There's a lot to like about modern Cantonese diner Yum Sing House, tucked away down a quieter part of the city on Sutherland Street. Part-restaurant, part-bar, part-private karaoke room, this is a late-night dining and party spot that keeps good times rolling until the early hours of the morning. Start with a feed at the futuristic, playful restaurant on the ground floor, which takes cues from the streetscapes of Hong Kong. It's embracing the art of modern Canto dining, enthusiastically blending together regional Chinese flavours paired with reworked classic cocktails. A share-style menu is headlined by a slew of creative, well-executed entrees. Fremantle octopus is paired with a slathering of XO mayo on housemade bread, traditional pork and prawn sui mai is upgraded with truffles and an ultra-crispy prawn toast is given a refresh with tobiko and prawn mayo. Deeper into the menu, find roasted duck breast matched with a plum jus and two kinds of fried rice. An expertly curated drinks lineup stars an abundance of top-notch cocktails, along with a selection of wines, beer, spirits and mocktails. Love You Oolong Time is an infusion of bourbon, bitter and smoke while the Suzie Wong cocktail brings together gin, lychees and apple. Upstairs, a moody, late-night bar and five private karaoke rooms stay open until 5am on Friday and Saturday night. Each room varies in size and is plucked from the streets of Hong Kong, plus, the snacks menu is available until 3am — so you can order up loaded wagyu mapo fries, BBQ pork buns and more of that truffle sui mai while you sing (another) rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. Images: supplied.
One of Australia's most beloved craft breweries has arrived in Melbourne. Mountain Culture Beer Co. — the trailblazing Blue Mountains outfit behind the three-time GABS Hottest 100-winning Status Quo Pale Ale — has opened a handsome brewpub in Richmond, marking its first foray south of the Murray (with a Hobart outpost not too far behind, either). Set in a striking space that the team calls "one of the most beautiful venues in Melbourne", the new brewpub brings together everything Mountain Culture is known for — fresh, hop-forward beers, a food menu that delivers bold flavours without taking itself too seriously, and the same laidback vibe that have made each of its three Sydney venues a hit. And if the Murphy Street space feels familiar, you're not mistaken — it was most recently home to Fox Friday Brewing, which Mountain Culture acquired earlier this year. Beer is naturally the focus here, and you'll find Mountain Culture's full lineup pouring from the taps. Repeat visitors will be rewarded with rotating limited releases and two brand-new brews dropped every Thursday, and there's a display of takeaway tinnies to stock your home bar. If you're not on the beers, there's a tight list of wine, sparkling, classic cocktails and non-alc serves. The drinks list is complemented by a food menu of remixed pub classics, including a range of hefty sandwiches, as well as plenty of options for vegetarians, gluten-free diners and a dedicated kids' menu. The venue also boasts a hulking on-site smoker that pumps out American-style barbecue — from 16-hour brisket to lemon tahini and chimichurri-basted cauliflower — served with your choice of sides. "This was a big move for Mountain Culture," says Co-Founder and CEO DJ McCready. "We started as a humble brewpub in the Blue Mountains and expanded to Sydney, but Melbourne is quickly catching up as our biggest market. It's never lost on us that the fans we first met in Katoomba are what built this brand into what it is today, and we hope to build a community that's just as strong in Melbourne."
These days, you won't find too many people yet to be bitten by the Melbourne plant-buying bug. If there's one thing we love, it's a dose of Mother Nature in the form of a leafy, green houseplant. And of course, that plant collection is a constant work in progress, because there is always room for one, two or seven more additions. Thankfully, Melbourne's got a mighty offering of expert-run plant nurseries that are more than happy to help fuel your obsession for all things green. Whether you're looking to jazz up your abode with some fresh plant talent, hunting the perfect pot, or in need of a spot of sound advice, here's a round-up of Melbourne plant shops worth putting on your radar. Recommended reads: The Best Bookshops in Melbourne Where to Shop Like a Local In and Around Melbourne CBD The Best Hair Salons in Melbourne
Just removed from the late-night clubs and frazzled chaos of Chapel Street, a new kind of relaxation concept is bringing a unified sense of wellness to Prahran. That'd be SÓL Saunas— a sauna and cold plunge spot designed for people seeking a deeper connection with oneself and others. Inspired by the Nordics in aesthetic and philosophy, SÓL exists in a space overlooked by many recent wellness arrivals. Neither bustling with chatter nor strictly silent, it unfolds at a mid-tempo pace, fostering a calm yet refined energy that's social but sans pressure to perform. At the heart of SÓL is a series of connective wellness experiences. That includes two traditional saunas heated to 75-85 degrees — one for quiet and another for chatting — and five individual stainless steel cold plunge pools offering an awakening jolt at 7-10 degrees. Yet SÓL's ethos extends far beyond mere amenity. All about lagom — the venue's carefully considered aesthetic brings a minimalist, moody design that leans into its Nordic inspiration through warm timber, stone textures and soft light. The work of brothers Jamie and Ben McAvinue, the pair admit they're no wellness gurus. However, they recognised how people felt confined by modern isolation, trading genuine connection for the comfort of their devices. With this in mind, they set out to create a community-driven place where people left feeling better than when they arrived. Having just opened its doors after a lengthy building process, SÓL intends to provide an invigorating wellness experience that delivers a much-needed departure from drink-heavy bars and solitary activities. So, wander through the backstreets of Prahran to discover a communal third place made for easygoing conversation and coming back down to earth. SÓL Saunas is now open Monday–Saturday from 9am–9pm and Sunday from 9am–7pm at 2/22 Cecil Pl, Prahran. Head to the website for more information.
Ahhh, it's the most (forced) romantic time of the year, Valentine's Day! Sure, Valentine's Day might be a heavily commercialised holiday that plays into mass consumerism and social pressures, but couldn't we all use a little extra love and TLC right now? So why not lean in and make it one to remember? Love is in the air, and you're on the clock to find something to do to impress the significant other in your life. While dinner and drinks are a reliable option, use our handy guide of the best things to do this Valentine's Day to find something more exciting to do this year. And even if you think V-Day is lame, you're as single as a Pringle, or are planning to spend the day with mates or glamming up for Galentine's Day, these are still pretty great deals worth checking out. Cupid called, and he said spots are filling up fast, so book ahead and score extra brownie points this Valentine's Day. Recommended reads: The Best Restaurants in Melbourne The Best Wine Bars in Melbourne The Best Pubs in Melbourne The Best Yum Cha in Melbourne For a Romantic Movie Under the Stars: Moonlight Cinema, Botanical Gardens Perennial favourite summer to-do, Moonlight Cinema at the Botanical Gardens is turning up the heat this February with a dedicated Week of Romance. A curated line-up of loved-up films, spanning feel-good rom-coms to darker stories of obsession and desire, is in store for those wanting to spend an evening under the stars. Catch the highly anticipated Wuthering Heights on Valentine's Day, but we suggest booking your spot ASAP before it sells out. For a Cheeky Night at the Museum: Museum of Desire, Collingwood Explore a whole new world of art, play and sensual pleasure at the Museum of Desire this Valentine's Day, as it opens its doors to the ultimate VIP Valentine's Day Weekend, celebrating all things love and lust. Experience live performance art, intimate installations, sensory encounters, and romantic mischief throughout the weekend, curated to seamlessly blend art, intimacy, play, and pleasure. From complimentary kissing booth portraits to spicy lucky dips and naked body painting, there's no better place to turn up the heat, or rekindle that spark this V Day. For a Nostalgic Roller-Skating Ride: Dewberry Roller-Rama, Southbank Channel your inner 90s child with a retro rollerskating session this Valentine's Day weekend. To celebrate the relaunch of its most requested fragrance of all time, Dewberry, The Body Shop is delivering a pop-up roller rink full of 90s energy — think disco vibes and DJs, free samples, and Dewberry-flavoured gelato. While the event is free, it's essential that you book in advance to secure your session. The perfect way to entertain your date, or get the gals out and about, this V-Day. For an Interactive Dessert at a Glam Hotel: W Melbourne, CBD This year, W Melbourne, one of the city's most glammed-up and design-forward hotels, is offering three distinct Valentine's Day experiences, all with the same romantic ending. Whether you choose to go for refined Italian dining at Lollo, an intimate omakase at Warabi, or casual cocktails at Curious, you'll get to experience the signature interactive dessert moment designed for Valentine's Day. The Heart's a Mess dessert features an edible rose cracked over the dish upon serving. For Those Looking for Sexy Speed Dating: High Note, Northcote There's no need to be down in the dumps about being single this V Day, with this sexy speed dating event sure to spice up the most romantic day of the year. Crush Club, the beloved in-person dating series, is partnering with Skylab Radio to throw a flirty and fabulous event at High Note. This structured, yet low-pressure speed-dating scene will help you get off the apps and meet some other like-minded singles. It's open to those aged 25 to 35, with speed dating running from 7.10 to 8pm, followed by a free-entry party at High Note. For a Galentine's Day High Tea: Mary Eats Cake, Montrose and Brunswick Make Valentine's Day all about the gals this year with Mary Eats Cake's high tea experience. Whether you're celebrating with best friends, family members or soul mates, do it with lamington scones, pink champagne cocktails and unlimited specialty teas. The experience is available at the stores in both Montrose and Brunswick from Wednesday, February 4th, to Sunday, March 1st. For a Luxe Staycation: Pan Pacific Melbourne, South Wharf Immerse yourself and your significant other in a world of luxury this Valentine's Day with a staycation at the Pan Pacific Melbourne. For one night only, the hotel's restaurant, DOC 37 Bar & Kitchen, is offering a specially curated four-course set menu featuring dishes such as seared scallops with caviar, oysters with champagne mignonette and beetroot macarons. To add to the romantic atmosphere, a live illustrator will sketch couples throughout the night, creating the perfect keepsake to remember this Valentine's Day. For a Communal Feast Celebrating Singles: Gemini, Coburg Gemini, a beloved neighbourhood bar and pantry in Coburg, is turning up the heat not only for couples this year (offering a romantic four-course dinner for two), but for those going solo too, with their Palentine's Day Singles Dinner. The flirty evening will include a four-course menu served in the Chef's Dining Room, with champagne on arrival and paired wines, creating a low-pressure yet social and dynamic atmosphere that encourages small talk and may lead to more... For an Indulgent Chocolate Treat: Pidapipo, Various Locations One of Melbourne's best gelato stores, Pidapipo, is offering up a seriously sweet treat this Valentine's Day. Back by popular demand, Pidapipo's Valentine's Profiterole, which features Italian choux pastry, vanilla bean gelato, and a hot drizzle of Pidapipo's signature chocolate sauce, is a sweet and saucy way to say I love you this February. It's available at all stores daily until sold out, for $10 a pop, until February 15th. For a Sexy Show to Spice Things Up: VIVA, North Melbourne This cabaret show has redefined Melbourne's nightlife scene since its launch in 2024. The twin productions, Vogue and Vicious, feature an immersive format where guests can drink and dine throughout the performance. While Vogue focuses on high fashion and avant-garde artistry, Vicious is an electrifying spectacle that channels raw power, seductive intrigue and dynamic energy. If you're looking to reignite that spark, consider lighting the flame at VIVA this Valentine's Day. For a Crafty Workshop to Get Your Hands Moving: Red Hill Estate, Mornington Peninsula If you're keen to get out of town this Valentine's Day, head to Red Hill Estate for the ultimate day trip that combines drinking, eating and creating. A Love That Lasts — Valentine's Ceramic Workshop, hosted at Red Hill Estate, is being run by Lilli Fender of Peninsula Ceramics Studio, and includes a glass of bubbles, a grazing platter, and a personalised functional piece to take home. Feature image: VIVA.
This guide to the best dog-friendly hotels in Australia is made for those fur parents out there who can't bare the thought of travelling without their pooch — and let's not to mention the pain of finding a dog-sitter. For you dog owners, the best holiday is one where both your two-legged and four-legged mates are there. There's no denying it. Luckily, there are heaps of accommodation options all over Australia where you don't need to choose between the two. Each spot catering to your pup in its own way — think special beds, treats, beaches and walks, all for your furry pal. Looking for a spot where your dog is welcomed as much as your human friends? These dog-friendly hotels and B&Bs in Australia are here for you. CRYSTALBROOK ALBION, NEW SOUTH WALES The Crystalbrook Albion (formerly, Little Albion) team believe that our little fur babies deserve to enjoy life's luxuries just as much as we do. That's why they've designed their Urban rooms (located down on the ground floor with direct access to outside) to be pet-friendly. They mostly cater to cats and dogs with their special beds and pet treats but are open to other creatures – just make sure to call them up and enquire. We're assuming it's a no to your pet snake…? How much? From $370 per night. YONDAH BEACH HOUSE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA At Yondah Beach House (a 3.5-hour drive from Adelaide), owners Michele Bain and Nick Cureton take the term 'pet-friendly' to a whole new level. They know animals are part of the family — so, they let your dog on every inch of the expansive 150-acre property, including inside the award-winning house, where a special gift will be awaiting your pooch. The beachside home is also fenced on three sides and is one-kilometre from the road, so it's safe for your pup to roam around the Yorke Peninsula coastline on your doorstep. The place isn't just for dogs, either; in the past, Yondah has also welcomed cats, birds and even a turtle. How much? From $490 per night. FOUR SEASONS HOTEL SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES The Four Seasons is the latest addition to the growing group of dog-friendly hotels in Sydney. Their Pet Paw-fection package includes putting you and your pooch up in rooms made specifically for your needs. Each fur-tunate pup gets its own plush bedding, dog toys, bath amenities, outdoor water bowls and specialty treats — Bone Appetit. The concierge is also brimming with knowledge about Sydney's best dog-friendly places and activities. They'll direct your pooch and you all around the city. You can check out the best dog-friendly parks, cafes and bars with your four-legged friend or choose to leave them behind with the dog minding team. They haven't been doing this service for long, but they're already up the top of the list for Australia's best dog-friendly hotels. How much? From $495 per night. MT COTTON RETREAT, QUEENSLAND Mt Cotton Retreat's self contained cabins are located just 30-minutes from the Brisbane CBD, yet offer a real bush retreat for you and your pup. Choose from lakeside or treetop accommodation, with select cabins specifically reserved for pets (and prior approval needed). The property spans 20 hectares and is situated within a private nature refuge — expect to see koalas aplenty, along with wallabies, possums and goannas. And Venman National Park is just a short one-kilometre walk or drive away. So you and your fur baby can't possibly run out of things to do, and will have nice warm cabins to come back to. How much? From $260 per night. ELEMENT RICHMOND MELBOURNE, VICTORIA A great city escape for fur parents is Element Richmond. It's an eco-conscious accommodation option that welcomes guests of both the human and four-legged variety. The hotel expands over 168 suites and offers a contemporary design by award-winning local architects Rothelowman. Up to two pups can share your room, which comes equipped with extra comfy dog beds. Element Richmond also boasts a dog-friendly mini-bar that has featured treats like the Quarter Hounder (pan-fried steak served with green vegetables) and The Good Dog (market fish with steamed carrot). It's safe to say your dog won't want to leave this lap of luxury. How much? From $214 per night. SHAMBHALA BYRON BAY, NEW SOUTH WALES Set along a private stretch of Belongil Beach in Byron Bay, Shambhala is a true oasis for you and your pet. The cottages are located right on the sand, and also back onto stunning rainforest. Each offers sweeping ocean views, specifically across the Coral and Tasman seas. Some of the cottages also include a separate deck that comes complete with an outdoor barbecue and an eight-person dining table, and the resort features a giant steam room and a hot rock sauna. But your doggo isn't forgotten here, either. The hotel provides food and water bowls for your pooch, as well as offers a map of the off-lead and dog exercise areas within range. So, humans and animals alike can soak up all this luxury. How much? From $395 per night. BANNISTERS PORT STEPHENS, NEW SOUTH WALES Bannisters Port Stephens is an opulent dog-friendly hotel in Australia that welcomes your pooch with open arms. It has three dog-friendly rooms, including two ocean deck rooms and the ground floor luxury suite. All three rooms open out onto the garden and are walking distance to Wanda Beach where your pup can roam free. Doggos can also enjoy the Terrace Bar deck, where humans have the added benefit of an infinity pool (not for dogs, sorry). Your four-legged friend can also accompany you for a bite in the Cheeky Dog beer garden. These rooms understandably book out quickly, so be sure to plan in advance. How much? From $320 per night. OVOLO NISHI CANBERRA, AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY Bush and beach retreats aren't the only options for your dog-filled holiday, either. Heaps of Australian cities are now extending accommodation to doggos as well, including Canberra's Ovolo Nishi. The city centre hotel is dedicated to luxury, nature, sustainability — and your four-legged friend. Opt for the VIP Pooch Package, which takes care of dogs just as much as humans. For starters, it includes a special doggy bed, food mat and bowl. Plus, both you and your fur baby will get goodie bags on arrival — your dog's will include toys and treats exclusive to the hotel. And to take it to the next level, the pet-loving staff will also act as dog-sitters, ready to provide assistance as needed. For those looking to venture elsewhere, Ovolo's other hotels in Sydney and Brisbane have the VIP pooch deal, too. How much? VIP Pooch Packages start at $376 per night. LILIANFELS BLUE MOUNTAINS RESORT & SPA, NEW SOUTH WALES Located in the foothills of the Blue Mountains in the small town of Katoomba, Lilianfels offers luxury and pampering for you and your pup. Here, you can book a special BYO dog package, which includes a deluxe view room that comes equipped with a bed, bowl and treats just for your fur baby. The dog-friendly room overlooks the gorgeous surrounds, which also include a tennis court, a spa, two pools — one of which is a heated outdoor infinity pool — and a fine-diner. Plus there are heaps of easily accessible bushwalks to enjoy with your pooch. How much? From $350 per night. THE LANGHAM, VICTORIA AND NEW SOUTH WALES The Langham in Sydney and Melbourne both offer up one of the most luxurious dog-friendly hotel experiences in all of Australia. They're not holding back in any capacity. Four-legged loves staying here get a dedicated Pet Room Service Menu as well as plush beds, signature Langham bowls, gourmet goodies and a pet gift bag on arrival. Reckon you might need a break from your utterly indulged friend? No problem. Pet sitting and walking services are on-hand. They also offer breakfast in bed for both you and your cat or dog (their private dining pet menu is damn impressive). They won't get pampered like this anywhere else, making this a clear front runner for the very best dog-friendly hotels in Australia. How much? From $570 per night. BRIAR ROSE COTTAGES, QUEENSLAND All aboard a dog-friendly wine tour of the Granite Belt! Set up a luxe base camp at Briar Rose Cottages, just 1km outside of Stanthorpe (which happens to be one our favourite day trip destinations from Brisbane). These three darling little cottages are straight out of a picture book. Think, 'aspirational country chic'. Crackling wood-fire heating, white wicker chairs on the verandah and heritage elegance with a welcoming, homey feel. They're self-contained, for 2, 4 or 6 people, but as there's no fence on the property, you'll just have to keep the doggo on a leash when you're outside. When you've settled in, head out to one of the numerous dog-friendly wineries, including Ridgemill Estate, Robert Cannon Wines, Summit Estate and the trendy Symphony Hill Wines. A tasting for you, some head-pats for the pup, then return to your cosy country abode. How much? From $220 per night. QT, VARIOUS AUSTRALIAN LOCATIONS At all QT Hotels & Resorts across Australia and New Zealand, your dog can come for a luxurious sleepover with you. The chain's Pup Yeah! fur-friendly stays include a night's accommodation for you and your doggo, an in-room menu specifically made for woofers and a pooch-friendly mini bar offering and designer canine bedding. The doggy food range is overseen by the brand's head of treats, Nic Wood, and includes steak tartare with raw beef, mushrooms and egg yolk; bone marrow risotto with bone broth and crispy pigs ears; and chicken livers and pork necks on wholemeal toast with chicken gravy. Fancy a pupper dessert? There's also a bacon ice cream sandwich, made from bacon ice cream, dried liver and oat biscuits. The team will also help guide you to all the best pet-friendly cafes and bars in the local area. And this isn't just one of the best dog-friendly hotels in Australia, it's also one the best hotels in Melbourne, period. How much? From $350 per night. HAWLEY HOUSE, TASMANIA A self-proclaimed 'animal paradise', Hawley House is set on a 150-hectare homestead on the northern coast of Tasmania. Your four-legged friends are welcome free of charge — and that goes not only for dogs but also for ferrets, rabbits, horses and cats. At this dog-friendly accommodation, you are surrounded by Tasmanian wildlife, as well as kilometres of private bushwalking trails and a dog-friendly beach that's set just below the property's garden. Dogs are specifically allowed to stay in the Stables Spa Rooms and the Aquarius rooms, as they are ground floor and have easy access to the outdoors. But if you want to get away with all of your best human and furry mates, book out The Hill House — the four bedroom, two bathroom home sleeps up to ten guests and also includes an outdoor deck with barbecue. How much? From $380 per night. PIER ONE, NEW SOUTH WALES Pooches checking into Pier One won't be quite as ridiculously spoiled as those at The Langham, but nonetheless, they'll be greeted with their very own bed, bowl and toy ... not to mention all the harbour views. What's more, the hotel's staff are mad dog lovers, so be prepared for enthusiastic showers of attention. Don't go getting jealous, now. Pet-friendly hotel rooms come with direct access to the pier, so, when walk-time craziness hits, you'll merely have to open the door. The Rocks and Circular Quay are a waddle away, and, should energy levels reach exploding point, there's always nearby Barangaroo. THALIA HAVEN, TASMANIA Located just an hour from Hobart airport, Thalia Haven is set on a private 130-acre peninsula that's surrounded by the Great Oyster Bay. Tassie's wild east coast is at your doorstep, and there are a whopping five kilometres of secluded coastline, plus a private beach for your entire group to enjoy. The ancient stone cottage contains four bedrooms, so it's the best option for you and your entire crew of dog-loving mates. The place is also solar and wind powered and includes an outdoor bathtub, shower and wood-fired sauna. It's safe to say that this would be an incredibly fancy getaway for you and your pup. How much? From $1500 per night. Top image: QT Hotels 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.
Lune has landed on Lonsdale Street, showcasing its crisp croissants and perfect pastries in a new mega store, Maxi Lune. The opening of the west end store marks the brand's second CBD location and the eighth outpost nationally. Situated beneath the Ritz Carlton at 670 Lonsdale Street, the mega store — coming in at a whopping 418 square metres — marks Melbourne's second production site. The space, designed by In Addition, has a distinctly Melbourne feel, with bluestone floor tiles inspired by the NVG, black mirrored glass, and long concrete benches. "After 13 years, our obsession with pastry is as strong as ever. Lonsdale is about bringing the full Lune experience to the other side of town. We're investing in Melbourne CBD and creating something really special. It's not just another bakery," says founder Kate Reid. The new, large-scale production site will ease pressure on the Fitzroy kitchen, boosting capacity during peak periods such as Easter and Christmas. "We haven't been able to meet the demand of our whole market here, but we also don't need to become a bakery on every high street in Melbourne. We're being very selective about where we place a Lune store. It must be intentional," says Reid. To celebrate the opening of the new store, Lune has teamed up with Chappy's to create a limited-edition Chappy's Choc Chip Pastry filled with chip frangipane, potato chip praline, dark chocolate ganache, and caramelised chips. Images: Supplied.
Whether or not making movies has ever been your goal, everyone knows that some film achievements that are just the dream. Getting into SXSW is one of them. If you're from Australia, and from Sydney at that, having your first feature play at Sydney Film Festival ranks as highly. Amy Wang has now notched up both thanks to Slanted, which premiered at Austin's OG version of SXSW in March, then made its Aussie debut at SFF. Was this the dream for Wang? "100 percent. Yes. Yes. Growing up — and I went to film school here in in Sydney as well — there are those film festivals like the Cannes, the Sundances and SXSWs, where you're just like 'wow, even to just play'," she tells Concrete Playground. "I think they choose ten films or eight films to play in competition at South By. I remember that day. I had a friend who had a film that played at South By the previous year, and they had said they got their acceptance email around the beginning of December. So I just had this inkling. I was like 'if I don't get this email today' — it was a Friday — 'then it's probably a no go'. And I got it. It was so surreal for sure. Just so happy." That's how Wang discovered that she'd be unveiling her body-horror satire about a Chinese American teen's desire to be like her peers at her US high school — plus the lengths the character goes to to achieve that aim — in America. For her troubles, she took home 2025's SXSW Narrative Jury Award. Playing Sydney Film Festival is another treasured milestone. "In many ways, I am even more excited to show it in Sydney," she notes. "Growing up in Sydney, I would go to Sydney Film Festival every year since I was a teenager. So I've been to the State Theatre so many times, lined up outside. It's such a prestigious venue." Slanted's first Aussie session did indeed play at the grand venue at the heart of SFF. It's a US-set and -made film, but screening in Australia is a homecoming because its Chinese Australian writer/director has taken inspiration from her childhood experiences right here. The story of Joan Huang (Shirley Chen, Dìdi) isn't far from Wang's own growing up, when she was teased and attacked due to her race, she advises. Well, that setup has its parallels, at least. With Slanted, the filmmaker takes that trauma and transfers it into a world of prom queens and blonde obsessions, crafting a biting exploration of such a nightmare — one where Joan is convinced that the radical step that is "racial transformation surgery" is her only choice. When Joan walks her school's halls, she strolls past photos of past tiara-wearing teens, all blue-eyed and fair-haired. Her bedroom walls are filled with pictures of blonde celebrities. On her phone, she changes her own image with filters. Lightening her tresses IRL follows. Upon arriving in America with her family (Starring Jerry as Himself's Fang Du and The Afterparty's Vivian Wu) as a kid (Kristen Cui, Knock at the Cabin), she was mocked quickly, cementing the idea in her impressionable young mind that assimilating with her classmates was the ideal option. Also as a child, courtesy of her dad's job as a high-school janitor, she discovered prom queens and the adoration that the title brings. So, when a company called Ethnos slides into adolescent Joan's DMs with a proposal, securing all of her fantasies — and befriending the most-popular girl in school (Amelie Zilber, Grown-ish), too — appears closer to becoming a reality. If this sounds like a "be careful what you wish for"-esque setup, that's because it is as Slanted also works Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire star Mckenna Grace into its cast as Jo — and as Wang digs into the desire to belong, its costs, caucasian-centric beauty standards, white privilege and class clashes. Wang knows that this is well-populated territory in general, but "nobody had really done what I've done", she reflects. "Even around White Chicks, for example, it's still the same actors. And obviously Freaky Friday is another example of a body-swap kind of film, but with this, still it's the same person. And it's to do with race, and that's something I think that hasn't really been touched. Obviously a lot of people have been comparing the film to The Substance, which is a little similar as well in terms of themes, but still different. I think it was just the race aspect of it — the fact that it's so personal to myself — that's how I made it different and my own." Was the process of penning and helming Slanted cathartic for its guiding force? "100 percent. 100 percent. I use film and I use writing and directing to work through my own trauma, I think, and it's been deeply cathartic," Wang shares. As much of a focus is ensuring that everyone else that has ever felt like Joan does can see that others have been there. "I made this film so that people didn't feel alone," Wang continues. "And I could express a story about somebody who maybe the majority of Australians or the majority of Americans don't really think about — and to do it an entertaining way so that they are entertained, but also are made to think and reflect on themselves." Wang's path to Slanted spans studying at the American Film Institute, winning accolades for her short film work before her feature's SXSW triumph — 2017's Unnatural picked up a gong at the Cannes Lions — and diving into a sequel to a Hollywood hit. When Crazy Rich Asians 2 makes its way to cinemas, it'll do so with Wang as its writer. Netflix's From Scratch and The Brothers Sun are also on her resume so far. We chatted with Wang about her Slanted journey to date, the movie's response, having an Australian perspective on US teendom and more, including the picture's balancing act, its crucial casting, the visual approach and more. [caption id="attachment_1008985" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Amy E. Price/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images[/caption] On How the 12 Months Since Making Slanted Have Panned Out for Wang "Oh my gosh, it's been nuts. It is kind of crazy to think — like even today on my phone, you know how your iPhone sometimes gives you memories of the last couple of months? I hadn't even started shooting this time last year. So we shot June–July. I think I flew back to LA — because we shot in Atlanta — I flew back to LA in August to start post. And it's been pretty fast, when I think about it. And it was — I mean, it's still crazy. We delivered the film like three days before we premiered. I'm sure SXSW hated us with that. So it was kind of non-stop until the premiere. The night before, I couldn't sleep because I was so nervous. And then we had such a great reaction after that first screening. I thought the festival will tip you off if you win anything, but they don't. I wasn't even going to even go to the awards night. And I just rocked up in a t-shirt and jeans. Other people were dressed up in dresses and suits and everything, and me and my husband were just sat in the back. It was the most-crazy experience, and so I'm still pinching myself." On Whether Wang Expected the Type of Response That Slanted Has Been Receiving "I think I wanted for this response, and I'm really happy that that I've received it. There was definitely a part of me that was a little bit afraid. I like to push buttons with all of my films, the scripts that I write — and in a way, I do like a bit of controversy within the stuff that I do. So I think I was more afraid of that of — like would people take it the wrong way? Would people get offended? But surprisingly it's been — you always get the random Letterboxd reviews or even film critics critiquing the film, but the majority have been so amazing and supportive. I remember after my premiere at South By, when I was walking to the afterparty, there were multiple people who came up to me with tears in their eyes and just telling me about how much they related to the story. And these were Americans. I'm even more excited to see the reaction in Sydney, because, again, the film came from my own experience growing up in Sydney. And Australia, Sydney in particular, has such a huge Asian population. So I'm so interested to see how people relate to the film." [caption id="attachment_938017" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tim Levy[/caption] On How Slanted Evolved From Wang's Childhood in Australia — and Why It Embraces the US as a Setting "The reason why I set it in America was because I moved to America in 2015 to go to film school at AFI. And I ended up staying and working in LA. And it felt, at the time when I came up with the concept, like all of my connections, my career, was really in the US. So I knew I needed to adapt the story that I had in my head to a US audience — because all the money, all of the filming crew, cast, everybody, would have been US-based. So that was really the main reason. If I had written a story that was in Australia, I wouldn't have the slightest clue how to get it made in the Australian bubble. The story is very closely based on my own life. Growing up in Sydney, I, unfortunately for a really long time — and even now to a degree, I think we're all still working towards fully embracing and accepting who we are — but as a teenager, I definitely was very, very aware that I looked very different. And I received a lot of, I wouldn't say very violent attacks, but definitely had people throw things at me, follow me around, say very, very horrible racist, just blatantly racist things to me. And it really just made me feel ashamed of my culture, what I look like, and made me want to look like the blonde surfie girls who I went to high school with, who were the always the most popular. And I remembered wanting to — I didn't grow up very wealthy, I would nag my mum to get me Billabong boardies and those types of bags to fit in a little bit more. And I'd get so ashamed over the lunches my dad would make me, because the kids would tease me about how badly they smelled and how weird they looked. I'm happy that I went through it, because it's made me who I am. And I'm just really happy that I was able to make a film that I think connects to a lot of people who have experienced very similar things — even if you're not Asian Australian. I think everybody feels in some way as an outsider." [caption id="attachment_1008986" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gilbert Flores/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images[/caption] On Whether Having an Outsider Perspective in the US Assisted When Satirising the Prom and American High Schools "Yes, absolutely. You definitely hit the nail on the head. I feel like I was able to really satirise America because I'm not American. And growing up in Australia, growing up on American films and American TV, I think I had that separation and I was able to make fun of it. And also, I think what is cool is because I've been living here so long, to also firsthand experience the ins and outs and the intricacies of American society. I didn't, when I was in Australia, I never knew that American kids did the Pledge of Allegiance. And it was so shocking to me. I remember when I was doing research and visiting high schools in California, and they would all do the Pledge of Allegiance — and I was like 'what? What is this?'. And it just felt so bizarre. But to an American, it's what they grew up with, so they wouldn't question it." View this post on Instagram A post shared by SXSW (@sxsw) On Finding the Right Tone When You're Making a Satire with a Clear Sense of Humour, But That Comes From a Personal Place — and Is a Body-Horror Film, Coming-of-Age Movie and Family Drama as Well "I feel like it's interesting because I didn't really think too hard about — I definitely thought about the tone a lot, but in terms of weaving all of these things together, I didn't think 'ooh, I have to have some body horror in there, I have to have some satire in there'. I think the satire came organically because the initial concept was just 'oh, what if a Chinese girl turned herself into a white girl?' — and so that concept itself was so absurd and surreal that it just automatically steps into that satirical tone and zone. And then, the reason why I'm a filmmaker is because of films like Fight Club and Seven — David Fincher in particular. My favourite filmmaker is Michael Haneke. And I grew up watching a lot of Cronenberg. So I love dark material. And it just makes sense — I wanted to make a film about learning to accept who you are but in a nightmarish storyline, so it just makes sense to see the repercussions of what happens when you decide to transition into something so drastic." On the Importance of Also Digging Into Class Clashes "That's just another theme that I'm very passionate about, because I don't come from a lot of money. And both of my parents are very working class, don't have any association with the film business. And especially coming out to LA, not really having anything, going AFI — which is a great school, but really being surrounded by a lot of people who do come from a lot of money, or has a famous dad or whatever. Especially in the film industry, in Hollywood, I think, I'm constantly surrounded by people who are just wealthier. And I think that's just something that I'm very aware of. Again, I'm really happy with everything I've been through because it always informs my work, but classism and race, those are definitely things that I just am very aware of — of my own differences and of society in general, the wealth disparity, especially in America." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shirley Chen (@shirleylchen) On the Importance of Finding the Right Joan in Shirley Chen and the Right Jo in Mckenna Grace "I found Shirley first. I watched a lot of auditions. And I'd always known of Shirley, cause I've seen her in Dìdi, I'd seen her in this great short called Krista, I think that also played the South By. And then she did Beast Beast, which is a great film as well. She just had such a naturalistic, kind of edgy vibe about her that I just loved. And I remember watching her initial audition just being like 'fantastic, I've found my person'. And then we had lunch and got to know her a little bit. So I knew I had to find Joan first. And then from Shirley, getting to know Shirley a little bit more, I figured out 'okay, this is her general vibe, this is her energy', and I needed to find someone who could match that. And I met with Mckenna — and same with Shirley, I'd seen Mckenna in obviously Ghostbusters, but I saw her in A Friend of the Family, The Handmaid's Tale. She's just an incredible young actress. We also had lunch, and she just told me how much she related to the script — and really blew me away with her interpretation. And after that meeting, I was like 'yeah, she's the one'. After I cast the two of them, we did a lot of rehearsals and body-language imitating exercises and things like that, to really make sure they feel like the same person." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mckenna Grace (@mckennagraceful) On How Chen and Grace Worked Together to Play the Same Character — and Take That Figure on a Shared Emotional Journey "They did so much homework. I know they had shared playlists and really used music to tie themselves, the both of them, together. But I did a lot of exercises. I had Mckenna follow Shirley around, copy how Shirley ate, how she walked, how she danced — all sorts of little fun exercises I came up with. And we also figured out one thing in the movie, that both of them will squeeze their nose, and that was something that really tied it together. And that's something I used to do and my dad used to do. So I think that was a really easy tic that they both really caught onto. And sometimes even on set, I would forget and then they would add it into the scene, and I'd be like 'oh, this is amazing'. So they just they did the work. And Shirley would be on set when Mckenna would be on set, and vice versa, because we'd obviously shoot their scenes intersectionally, so that really helped as well." On Mixing Naturalism and Surrealism in the Film's Stylistic Approach "So my DP and I — my wonderful DP Ed Wu [Mother of the Bride] — we had this almost like a map that's one to ten. One was the most grounded, realistic types of films, like Fish Tank, Andrea Arnold types of films. And then on the other end of the spectrum were the Sorry to Bother You kind of way-more out-there-visually satire. And so with each scene, we'd be like 'okay, this scene, it's sitting more in the one to two', which is more the Andrea Arnold kind camp. But then some scenes, like when we're in Ethnos, definitely ventured more into that hyper-real, Being John Malkovich kind of world. So we had that communication during set, in pre-production as well. And sometimes it was hard, because there would be some scenes where it would go back and forth a little bit. The first half might be more of a one, but then the second half is a ten. So those were a little bit more difficult to really nail. But I think the music was also really big thing. Shirley Song [XO Kitty], she's a fantastic composer." On How Short Films, From Scratch, The Brothers Sun and Writing on Crazy Rich Asians 2 Helped Lead Wang to Her Feature Debut "I was never much of a writer when I got into AFI, to be totally honest. I had always wanted to direct and I went to the American Film Institute for directing. And it was my second year when I really started getting into writing, because a graduate came back and was like 'if you don't want work at Starbucks after you graduate, you're just not going to get paid to direct anything for a very long time, so you need to learn how to write'. So that advice really stuck with me. And that's kind of what I did. So I think that on the writing side, just writing for a lot of studio films — I sold scripts to Paramount and Netflix and all sorts of places. It definitely helped me craft the screenplay in the best way. And then for directing, I think it was just I really enjoyed my experience at AFI. It taught me a lot about directing. And you're just really drawing from personal experiences, and you take apart films. And I made a lot of short films back in Sydney. And all of that experience I think really contributed to making this feature." Slanted is screening at Sydney Film Festival until Sunday, June 15, 2025. Head to the fest's website for more details.
Melbourne-born artist Buff Diss has been filling the streets with his geometric artworks for the past 14 years. Eschewing paint, he works primarily through the medium of tape to create dextrous designs that are not only striking in and of themselves but also create a "relationship" with the spaces on which they're displayed and present a "conversation with the architecture". Using a street art-like style, Buff Diss occupies a unique space in the art world, swapping the permanence and illegality of spray paint for a more novel approach. And it's with this style that he'll take over the Miller Design Lab — an innovative event series we're hosting with Miller Genuine Draft at the SoHigh Gallery, featuring some of the most exciting contemporary artists and musicians Australia has to offer. Here, we talk creative inspirations and aspirations with the artist and about his latest taped-up work to be revealed at the Miller Design Lab on Friday, March 22. Want to see his work come to life — all while enjoying complimentary eats and Miller Genuine Draft? RSVP to the free event here, and read on. A typical work day for Diss starts to the waking call of his infant son. And then it's on to an early surf or skate, coffee, emails, sketching and brainstorming for new projects. "I try to spend as much time with my son as I can, sharing the workload with my wife by balancing projects — [it's] easier said than done," says Diss. "Then [it's a] nice dinner with a good strong red, [and I] put the little fella to bed then catch up on my Feedly." A former computer science student, Buff Diss has turned back to his roots. He's found an interest in the possibilities allowed by augmented reality for two-dimensional artforms and how he can work these into his art. "I'm keen as to set up a Donkey Kong emulation on a mural, where different sections of the painted mural transform to platforms and are populated with playable sprites," muses Diss. "I'm really keen to get back into coding so I can add AR functionality to my future work." But at present, the artist will keep things analog as he takes over every tapeable surface of the Miller Design Lab space on Friday, March 22. Buff Diss' large-scale, bespoke piece will take shape in realtime, as he works and contours tape and linear mesh into bold, graphic murals that represent a map of Milwaukee and the Milwaukee River — the home of Miller Genuine Draft. "I'm mapping out historical aspects of Miller Beer in modern medium," says Diss, distilling his mammoth project into a single line. Each geometric shaping will appear four times alluding to the "four times cold filtered" brewing process of the beer. And at the event, you can watch as he works in response to music and builds to a 'big reveal' moment. With such an interest in architectural terrain, it comes as no surprise that Diss's favourite country is Taiwan, where he completed a project in New Taipei City back in 2015. "It's such a special place, [with] incredibly varied landscapes from mountains, forests and islands," says Diss. "But [it's] the people and the free approach to art there [that's] addictive." Along with his admiration for Taiwan, as well as New York-based streetwear designer Jeff Staples (the global curator of the Miller Design Lab), Diss notes that there's a lot of inspiring stuff coming out of Australia's contemporary and street art scene. He particularly follows the likes of Adelaide street artist Order (aka Seb Humphreys), installation artist Georgia Hill and painters Matthew Fortrose and Laith McGregor. Whenever interstate, Diss makes sure he hits his favourite spots, including Sydney's China Heights Gallery and dining institution Tetsuya's; Hobart's MONA "for the wine" and The Source "for the art"; and Adelaide's Apothecary 1878. At home, it's gnocchi at Lover and ever-changing art at Collingwood's Blackwoods Gallery. Currently reading Musashu by Japanese writer Eiji Yoshikawa, watching Tawainese film The Assassin and listening to British punk-rock band Idles, Diss's interests are seemingly far-spread, both geographically and topically. But a good red wine, he insists, is a constant in his ever-expanding curiosities. As for his future plans? Buff Diss is going more traditional. "Having worked outdoors for so long I'm going to start painting canvas this year. Wish me luck." See the Buff Diss takeover at the Miller Design Lab on Friday, March 22, from 7–10pm. RSVP here to secure your invite, and check out all the events, brought to you by Miller Genuine Draft here. Images: Kate Shanasy.
There are seemingly endless picture-perfect stays across Australia to choose from, so convincing yourself to smash that book button is often easier said than done. Yet keeping tabs on what like-minded holidaymakers are sharing on socials is one way to avoid analysis paralysis when it comes to finding a short-term stay that delivers a breathtaking experience. With this in mind, Airbnb has turned to social media to identify which stays have generated the most Instagram and TikTok engagement over the past 12 months. Resulting in a list capturing the most-loved stays on the platform, a single Aussie Airbnb made the final cut — and it's as serenity-inducing as you'd expect. That'd be Gilay Estate, a meticulously designed off-grid tiny house that calls the similarly small New South Wales town of Quirindi home. Nestled into the state's food bowl on a family farm, this wonderfully cosy Airbnb offers a charming perspective over the laidback farming region, blending contemporary comfort with the natural beauty of Liverpool Plains. When you're not tucked up next to the fireplace with a glass of wine in hand, guests are welcome to stroll the scenic grounds, unwinding amid the fresh country air. Alternatively, the surrounding paddocks and open skies can be enjoyed from the outdoor hot tub or adjacent firepit, primed for sunset cookouts that evoke a slow-living ethos. According to Airbnb, the global survey data used to create the list shows that younger travellers are using platforms like Instagram and TikTok to discover new destinations. Delving a little deeper, Airbnb says the most-loved listings often share some key characteristics, those being the chance to connect offline and feel inspired by unique surroundings. As for the rest of the most-loved list, there's no shortage of fascinating stays to explore. In the US, guests can relish a soothing escape perched right alongside Washington State's glacier-fed Cascade River. Meanwhile, an unsurprising hit on social media is Quetzalcoatl's Nest, a Javier Senosiain-designed stay that reflects Mexico's organic architecture movement. Looking for more travel inspiration? Check out Australia's best Airbnb hosts for 2025 or head to the website to see the full list.
Being alone is wonderful. Especially if you love nothing more than a quiet solo venture with your newest paperback squeeze. Adequate lighting, quality drinks and comfy perches for single derrières have been paramount when choosing these best ofs. As well as those that are inspiring the literature community at large. Sink into someone else's couch, have an author sign your book, join a book club, cosy up with a fire, get fresh at an alfresco table, raid a liquor-licensed library, or simply smash a good vino whilst reading alone in a courtyard — these are your best Melbourne nooks for reading a book.
With people queuing for a table at 7pm on a Wednesday night, you can tell there's got to be something damn good about Bar Lourinha in Melbourne's CBD. Upon closer inspection, it is a combination of the three all-important aspects of any great venue: food, wine and service. It also helps that it feels like a tiny slice of Spain right here in Melbourne. The wine list is heavily focused on European offerings; Spain, France and Italy are the main contenders here. But most of the wines are sold by the bottle, so either come with a mate who shares your taste in wine or come a lone and prepare to leave a little tipsy. And the food? Tapas style. Start the evening with a salted cod croqueta sitting on a bed of aioli and a few bites of the wagyu cruda, which is like an even boojier version of your usual steak tartare. [caption id="attachment_853273" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jo Gamvros[/caption] You can take your time here, ordering as you go. The staff will talk you through the specials, perhaps a plate of pardon peppers, a paella of mussels, prawns chicken and chorizo, or oysters served natural with a squeeze of lemon. If you find yourself overwhelmed by the menu, they might even share the secret that most dishes can be ordered in half serves. Bar Lourinha's larger dishes are well balanced between red meats, seafood and vege options. The spiced chickpeas and spinach sautéed in slices of garlic and herbs is a flavorsome and strong vegetarian dish, while the slow-cooked veal with walnut sauce is a rich and indulgent option. If you're looking for some seafood, the grilled northern king prawns with chilli salt are served whole and are succulent and tender while the yellow tail king fish 'pancetta' with lemon oil is light and fresh. You might finish the evening with a plate of Toggenburger Nidel and muscatels or in true Spanish style go for the churros with dulce de leche. Bar Lourinha will no doubt be busy, but thankfully, these guys now take bookings (this was not originally the case). That means you won't have to line up — just be sure to plan ahead or you will be standing out in the cold while waiting for a table to open up. [caption id="attachment_853274" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jo Gavros[/caption] Appears in: The Best Bars in Melbourne for 2023
On Bram Stoker's pages, as penned into gothic horror history 128 years ago, Count Dracula travels to the UK. It's fitting, then, that Sydney Theatre Company's cine-theatre take on the all-time classic vampire novel is following the same voyage. While pop culture's most-famous bloodsucker ventured from the Carpathian Mountains to London, Kip Williams' inventive interpretation of Dracula is making the trip from Australia — as the theatre-maker's fellow one-actor horror adaptation The Picture of Dorian Gray similarly did. Also shared by Williams' iterations of Dracula and The Picture of Dorian Gray: a big-name actor with international clout stepping into the production's sole role. Sarah Snook (Memoir of a Snail) did the honours for the director's Oscar Wilde adaptation, won an Olivier Award for it, then moved to Broadway with the show and is now nominated for a Tony. Taking the lead for Sydney Theatre Company's dance with the undead: Cynthia Erivo (Poker Face). [caption id="attachment_1004199" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mark Seliger[/caption] Erivo's West End stint in Dracula will start on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, playing the Noël Coward Theatre — and if you're wondering whether she'll add to her trophy cabinet for the production, any awards for her efforts here will join the stacked lineup of accolades that she's already collected. For 2016's The Colour Purple, she won a Tony. For that musical's album, she won a Grammy. And for performing from it on America's Today Show, she won an Emmy. This year, Erivo was also an Oscar-nominee thanks to Wicked, joining her two past nominations for Harriet. Dracula marks her return to the stage, premiering in London after Wicked: For Good hits cinemas globally in November 2025. Erivo will portray all 23 characters in Stoker's story. Yes, that means Count Dracula, obviously, but also spans vampire hunter Van Helsing, solicitor Jonathan Harker, his fiancée Mina Murray and her friend Lucy Westenra, among other figures. "Returning to the stage feels like a homecoming, one that I've been craving for a long time. To do so with a story as rich, complex and haunting as Dracula offers a beautiful opportunity to delve into character, into myth and into the heart of what makes us human," said Erivo. "From the moment I was asked, I could not get the role out of my mind. Kip's vision is thrilling, terrifying and deeply resonant, offering a chance to sit with not only the darkness in the world, but also the light we fight to hold onto. It's a rare gift for an actor to inhabit so many voices and perspectives in one piece, and I'm honoured to do it for West End audiences in this extraordinary production. The prospect of doing this show scares me and I know it will be a huge challenge. This show will ask everything of me — and I'm ready to give it." Added Williams: "I am thrilled to be returning to the West End to direct my adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula and to collaborate with the extraordinary Cynthia Erivo, as she brings to life the many iconic characters of this much-adored tale." "Our production expands upon Stoker's exploration of the tension between fear and desire, offering a contemporary perspective on the vampire as a monster that lurks not beyond, but within. I am excited to reunite with many of my Dorian Gray collaborators on this project, and it is an immense privilege to have such a singularly gifted artist as Cynthia at the heart of it. I can't wait to share this piece with London audiences, especially in the West End, a place where Bram spent so much of his creative life." Dracula is the third instalment in Williams' trilogy for Sydney Theatre Company, following not only The Picture of Dorian Gray but also The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. In Australia, Zahra Newman portrayed every part in this bite of spectacular theatre. Given how popular its namesake, or versions of him, is in cinemas (see: Nosferatu, Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter and Renfield just in the past two years), don't be surprised if Williams' Dracula also gets picked to make a stage-to-screen leap, as The Picture of Dorian Gray has. Dracula will play the Noël Coward Theatre, 85–88 St Martin's Lane, London, from Wednesday, February 4, 2026 — for more information and tickets, head to the production's website. Dracula images: Zahra Newman and camera operator Lucy Parakhina in Sydney Theatre Company's Dracula, 2024, Daniel Boud ©.
People seeking thalassotherapy — swimming in saltwater for health and wellness — have been taking in the enclosed sea waters of Brighton Baths since 1881. A day pass to the Brighton Baths Health Club gives you access to the only private beach and boardwalk in Victoria. Do some laps, float around in a complimentary inflatable tube, and maybe rent a paddleboard or kayak. Then, wander along the enclosed boardwalk to dry off and admire the sea view from every angle. If you've fallen in love with this spot (we don't blame you), also consider becoming a member, which gives you year-round access to the indoor and outdoor gyms, steam room, classes and SUP/kayak hire, too.
Australian Cinémathèque is the cinema within Brisbane's GOMA — and because it's a member of the International Federation of Film Archives, they have access to the best film archives in the world. There are films you won't see on the big screen anywhere else in Australia, and many of the sessions are completely free. On Wednesdays and Fridays (cheap date night, anyone?), Australian Cinémathèque shows flicks from its eclectic range. From contemporary arthouse to historic cinematic fails, rediscovered restored works to cult classics, experimental styles to international oddities — and even silent film featuring live musical performance — a trip here is an absolute must for any true cinephile. Image: John Gollings
Private wellness and social clubs really are the pinnacle of luxury living — giving the wealthiest among us exclusive access to spaces decked out with thermal pools, hammams, saunas, coworking spaces, restaurants, fitness studios, wellbeing treatments, barbers and hairdressers, plus a whole heap of other luxe experiences. These spots are like a spa, gym, coworking space and social hang-out all wrapped up in one. The Ritz-Carlton is currently running its own, but Gurner Group's Saint Haven clubs in Collingwood and South Yarra (a Toorak location is also opening in 2025) really have the market cornered. And the team isn't done yet, with huge plans for global expansion. But before it sets sites beyond Melbourne and Australia, the team is launching its first SAINT clubs — which are meant to be a younger and more high-energy version of the Saint Haven clubs. And the very first outpost has just opened in St Kilda. On arrival, members will first enter The Portal — a sensory cube — and choose either white for relaxation mode or black for high-energy mode. The cube will then transform accordingly and set the mood for the wellness journey that follows. On the white level, you'll find a lobby bar, a coworking space, boardroom, a wholefoods eatery, and a recovery and reverse-aging treatment facility featuring infrared saunas, hyperbaric oxygen chambers and more. Everything on this floor is designed for those seeking to unwind and relax. Those looking for a high-energy experience will need to head down to the basement for the black level. Here, the lights dim and the music changes as rotating DJs play upbeat tunes. Members can hang out in The Den, which is a large sunken lounge area where members are invited to socialise or watch a movie. Here, you'll also find a truly world-class gym floor, featuring a boxing ring, The Arena — a high-octane HITT program class with huge LED screens — reformer pilates and yoga studios, and a breath work and meditation cave that makes you feel like you are outside gazing at the stars. This is some futuristic stuff. Members also have the opportunity to use WHOOP watch wearable tech that syncs with the SAINT app, giving trainers access members' health data so they can create tailored health programs. But not just any person can become a member at SAINT. First, 95% of memberships were sold before the club even opened, but the crew is also highly selective about who they let join. Members must be referred and will be put before a membership committee to vet for approval prior to memberships being accepted. Only then can you pay for the privilege to enter. Founder and Director of Gurner Group Tim Gurner shared, "Launching SAINT in St Kilda was an obvious decision - this iconic seaside suburb boasts a culture deeply rooted in wellness and social connections. It's a place where diversity thrives and the lifestyle we champion at SAINT — one that harmoniously blends health and community — truly resonates with the locals. "A key point of difference with Saint is that it will serve alcohol, signature cocktails, Kava, nootropics and legal plant-based medicines that will allow our members to have a night out at SAINT but in a measured and beautiful way. All alcohol will be organic and focused on recovery. "At SAINT, the experience is entirely yours to shape. With our innovative 'Black' and 'White' themes, every visit offers the unique opportunity to tailor your journey like never before – whether you want to unwind or hype up, you can define your path, ensuring that each moment in the club is as exhilarating as you envision it, leaving you energised and inspired." The team has also shared that it plans to open ten SAINT sites by the end of 2026 and a further 25–30 globally by 2030. So, don't worry if you can't get into St Kilda. You'll have plenty more chances to secure membership. SAINT's first site is officially open, and you can find it at 1 Wellington Street, St Kilda. For further details and to try and get memberships, you can visit the club's website.
It wasn't so long ago that most Australians only knew Wendy's for its insanely viral social media posts. However, since 2022, the American chain has begun to establish a significant presence on our shores. First launching in Surfers Paradise (unless you're counting a series of stores closed in the 1980s), the brand aims to open over 200 locations around Australia by 2034. Well, they've ticked another off the list, with a flagship Wendy's Brisbane restaurant touching down in the heart of the CBD. Serving as a major milestone in the company's national rollout, delivered in partnership with Flynn Group, this two-level themed location provides an extra special nod to the restaurant's bold design, nicknamed Haus of Wendy. Featuring more than enough space for 130 diners, an openair ground floor leads into an expansive lower level, with both decked out in contrasting bright red and blue decor that resonates with fun-loving energy and personality. Going beyond just a splash of paint, red celebrates Wendy's sass and spice, with the in-store experience seeing hand-painted murals set against bespoke wall panelling inspired by Wendy's famed braids. Meanwhile, blue speaks to Wendy's iconic Frosty, with this level featuring a bow wall crafted by local artist Rachel Burke and made from upcycled materials. Here, you'll also encounter a Frosty-inspired lounge area, complete with a photo booth. "This flagship represents everything the Wendy's brand stands for — fresh food and bold personality," said Corina Black, Chief Marketing Officer, Wendy's ANZ. "Brisbane's vibrant energy is a natural fit for Wendy, and we're proud to contribute to the city's reputation as a destination for food, culture and creativity." With the spread of Wendy's across the country just getting underway, this brand-new location remains one of the few spots in Australia where you can dine on the brand's signature dishes. Think classic doubles, Baconmators and spicy chicken sandwiches alongside Wendy's Frosty in chocolate or vanilla. Plus, super crunchy double hand-breaded chicken tenders and sea-salted fries with loaded options hit the mark for an on-the-go snack. "Wendy's has built its reputation on doing things differently, and this flagship takes that spirit to a new level," said Lauren Leahy, Chief Transformation Officer, Flynn Group. "We've taken Wendy's much-loved global brand and reimagined it for Australia. The new store brings that to life in a way that's both unmistakably Wendy's and uniquely Australian." Wendy's Brisbane launches on Wednesday, October 29, at 245 Albert Street, Brisbane, open daily from 9am–10pm. Head to the website for more information.
Jackalope Hotel's dreamy surroundings on the Mornington Peninsula are so inspiring that you might just want to pen a post-stay memoir about the experience. But while you're working on your masterpiece, Jackalope Cinema, presented by Lexus, is returning to the hotel's vineyard with a second program of acclaimed films and cinematic classics showcasing the very best of storytelling. Exclusive to all in-house guests, this upgrade is included in every stay from Sunday, March 1–Tuesday, March 31. Set against Jackalope's tranquil infinity pool, this open-air experience is perfect for hotel guests looking to soak up the magic of cinema beneath the stars. Complemented by a curated menu and elevated cocktails, these alfresco sessions also come with bottomless popcorn and house-made ice cream. So, settle in for a Hollywood-esque encounter on the pool deck, or from your very own private terrace if you've booked a vineyard-facing room. Paired with this impressive setting, Jackalope Cinema's lineup is one hit after another, screening classics new and old, action-packed thrillers and tear-jerking dramas. Curated by Jackalope Founder Louis Li, highlights include Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, a nostalgic ode to 1960s Los Angeles; Conclave, a gripping political thriller set within the secretive world of the Vatican; and Ang Lee's striking Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. "Storytelling is at the heart of everything we do at Jackalope, whether through design or hospitality, and Jackalope Cinema is the perfect extension of this ethos," says Li. "Film is something I am passionate about, having studied it before venturing into design and hospitality, and I'm delighted to share some of my favourite films with our guests." Images: Griffin Simm.
In recent times, a new trend has emerged on the Melbourne dining scene: rotating chef-in-residency programs. More and more venues seem to be leaning into a new way of running a kitchen and keeping things exciting, where young, up-and-coming chefs (such as Chef Aitor Jeronimo Olive at Nobody's Baby), or even old-hand celebrity chefs (such as Shannon Bennett at The StandardX), take over a venue for a period of time. Like an extended pop-up, if you will. Spearheading this movement was the Residence at the Potter. Located at The University of Melbourne's Potter Museum, Residence is a flexible, ever-evolving hospitality space founded by Nathen Doyle and Cameron Earl, whose hospo experience spans wine bars like Carlton Wine Room and Heart Attack and Wine, as well as cafes such as St. ALi. The inaugural iteration of the program, launched in 2025, was Cherrywood, helmed by Robbie Noble (formerly from Vue de Monde), who was given 12 months to run the show. At Cherrywood, Noble curated seasonally rotating menus that paid homage to the nostalgic flavours of his childhood in the north of England, brought to life with his refined skills and high-quality produce. His summer menu, for example, features dishes such as baked mussels with leek and walnut, fried lamb ribs with plum HP sauce, potato rosti with sweetcorn and buttermilk, and John Dory with sunflower and yuzu. The bittersweet nature of such a program is that, for a new concept to be executed, the previous chapter must close. And so, come June 2026, Noble will need to hand the keys over to the next chef in residence. So here is where things get interesting. Nathan and Cameron have decided to go public, launching The Search for the next chef ready to revolutionise the Residence at the Potter. Applications are now open for the Head Chef position, which will be run as a fair and formal job search process. This job goes far beyond the parameters of the kitchen. The once-in-a-lifetime role will give the chosen applicant the opportunity to launch an entirely new concept at the restaurant. This is not a job for someone who just wants to fall in line; it is a unique privilege of creative commission to define the concept, write the menu, and curate the vibe of the entire space. The best part, and the most enviable aspect of this opportunity, is that the chosen chef will get to have creative freedom, all with established support, mentorship, and infrastructure. It is essentially a risk-free incubator for an ambitious chef to put their ideas to the test in a fully set-up, staffed kitchen, with direct guidance from the founders. So if you, or someone you know, has the ideas, the skills, and the ambition to run a kitchen, in what could be a life-changing career decision, now is the time to get serious. Applicants need to submit a thesis outlining their concept for the restaurant's theme and philosophy, and explaining why they are the right fit for the position and ready to succeed. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to present their vision, including menu ideas to show their creativity, and full costings to demonstrate commercial acumen. The chosen applicant will then be offered a formal contract for the 2026/27 residency. Applications for the chef-in-residency program are now open and must include a resume, cover letter, and concept. Be sure to check out Cherrywood at the Potter before it closes. Images: Supplied.
