As Melburnians manoeuvred their way in and out of restrictions through the last 18 months of the pandemic, we've all discovered a newfound appreciation for the humble public park. As an unexpected byproduct of outdoor meet-ups (the least risky socialisation option), the city has begun to recognise the importance of green public spaces. Handy then, that Melbourne is set to score a brand new grassy space for picnics and al fresco gatherings with a new pop-up park to descend on Queen Victoria Market. As part of the joint City of Melbourne and Victorian Government Melbourne City Recovery Fund, Market Square will be transformed into a new temporary park — clocking in at around the same size as the State Library Victoria forecourt. Currently home to an asphalt car park, this section of Queen Street will be reimagined as an open green space thanks to a cool $2 million investment. Once completed, the park is slated to remain for two years and play host to a program of live music, art installations, community events and recreational activities. It will also double as a comfy al fresco setting where marketgoers can chow down on any fresh purchases as well. The plan will require the removal of 115 existing outdoor parking bays, though the 500 new underground parking spaces recently unveiled within the adjoining Munro development should more than make up for any loss. The pop-up park is just a taster of what's to come for the precinct, marking the first stage of an extensive plan to transform Market Square into 1.75 hectares of public open space. Earlier this year, the City of Melbourne also announced plans to pour nearly $40 million into redeveloping Queen Victoria Market, including upgrades to the historic sheds and a complete refurbishment of the food hall. Work will begin on the Queen Victoria Market pop-up park this month. Once complete, it'll remain open for two years, as part of a larger market renewal project. You can read more about the plan on the City of Melbourne website here.
Winter isn't just the frosty season, or woolly clothes season, or igloos-popping-up-at-every-bar season. It isn't simply soup season, roast season or mulled wine season, either. It's also prime hot chocolate season, not that there's ever a bad time to sip warm cups of cocoa. Only winter brings Australia's dedicated Hot Chocolate Festival, however. An annual favourite running for the entire month of August, this festival is held across three locations: the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie, the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie and the Mornington Peninsula Chocolaterie. While that's excellent news for Victorians, the fest also does an at-home component, sending out its flavours nationwide. And there are flavours — 31 of them, in fact, all ranging far beyond just swapping milk chocolate for dark or white chocolate. The festival's concept is 31 hot chocolate flavours over 31 days, with different varieties on offer each week in-person. The trio of chocolate havens only tease parts of the full list in advance, but this year's includes a nod to Barbie via a pink-infused hot chocolate, as well as an Iced Vovo hot chocolate that features chocolate iced doughnuts for dunking. Or, you can sip on a poached pear and hazelnut version, a dulce de leche churros hot chocolate and a Biscoff hedgehog variety. The Happy Vegemite hot chocolate includes handcrafted caramel koalas to dip, then enjoy the melty goodness. And the Harry Potter-inspired hot choc has a chocolate wand for doing the same. Other flavours come topped with waffles or pretzels, and there's even a puppachino carob iteration so that your dog can join in. This fest gets boozy, too. In 2023, that's happening via the salted caramel espresso martini hot chocolate, plus a dark chocolate variety called French Connection that features red, white and blue balls filled with cognac. And yes, the demand for these limited-edition hot chocs is hefty, with more than 6000 usually created across the three chocolateries per year. Each hot chocolate is made with hot couverture chocolate in dark, milk, white, ruby or caramel, then served with a giant handcrafted marshmallow. For those heading along physically, each site also does tasting sessions for $24, which lets you not only sample eight hot chocolates, but pick from 50-plus ingredients to create three hot chocolate spoons to take home. And for folks who can't make the visit, single-flavour at-home packs will survey a variety of this year's flavours. The 2023 Hot Chocolate Festival runs daily between Tuesday, August 1–Thursday, August 31 at the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie, 1200 Great Ocean Road, Bellbrae; the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie, 35 Old Healesville Road, Yarra Glen; and the Mornington Peninsula Chocolaterie, 45 Cook Street, Flinders. You can also order at-home packs online via each store. Images: A Myszka.
While most Australian states and territories shiver their way through winter, the Top End becomes an ideal vacay destination thanks to its balmy dry season (which runs from May–October). And, if you needed even more reason to escape the winter chill, the region is turning up the heat this season with a stack of arts and cultural events. Sure, Australian cities are in no short supply of creative endeavours. But Darwin is different. Billing itself as the beating heart of First Nations culture and creativity, the Northern Territory's capital has long-recognised the traditional custodians of the land, specifically the Larrakia people. Fittingly, this August, it's got an epic month-long lineup of First Nations-focused exhibitions, runway shows, art fairs and a one-night music celebration. In partnership with Darwin Festival and its Beating Heart of First Nations Culture events series, we've rounded up seven must-see gigs that are not only worth the plane trip, but also represent Australia's past, present and future. So go on — book that flight. [caption id="attachment_817479" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Elise Derwin[/caption] DARWIN FESTIVAL August 5–22 Darwin's annual winter party is not shy of events this year, with music, dance, theatre, cabaret and comedy performances popping up across a whole host of Top End locations. Naturally, the three-week fest is championing First Nations performers. You can catch openair concert Buŋgul on opening night (more about this later) and the world-premiere of intercultural dance troupe Marrugeku's provocative new production Jurrungu Ngan-ga (Straight Talk) (August 13–14). The stirring show combines dance and theatre, and is inspired by both Yawuru leader Patrick Dodson and Kurdish-Iranian writer Behrouz Boochani's perspectives on incarceration. Ilbijerri Theatre Company's Heart is a Wasteland (August 11–15) — a play and (whisky-fuelled) live music show of First Nations storytelling — is one you won't want to miss. Also on the bill is singer-songwriter Sycco, of Torres Strait Islander heritage, who's playing alongside Confidence Man and Flight Facilities (August 13). To check out the full program, head to the festival's website. BUŊGUL August 5 We promised you we'd talk more about this one. Kicking off Darwin Festival is this free, openair concert celebrating the music of Gurrumul and the people of North East Arnhem Land. Born blind, proud Galiwin'ku man and award-winning musician Gurrumul (AKA Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupiŋu) was a member of Yothu Yindi and Saltwater Band, and had a successful solo career. Dubbed 'Australia's most important voice' by Rolling Stone Australia, he remains one of the most celebrated — and commercially successful — First Nations musicians. His impact is still deeply felt and Buŋgul is set to shine a light on his genius. Featuring Yolŋu dancers, songmen and the Darwin Symphony Orchestra, the opening night event will be held at Darwin Amphitheatre at George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens — we recommend getting in early for this one, as spaces are limited. While the concert is free, registration is required. NATIONAL INDIGENOUS MUSIC AWARDS August 7 The music at the Botanic Gardens continues on August 7 with the National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA). The event has been celebrating Aussie music for 16 years, and every year it recognises the stellar tunes coming from First Nations musicians from every corner of the country. From emerging artists to those of international acclaim, past awards have been picked up by the likes of Archie Roach, Baker Boy, Emma Donovan, Dan Sultan, Gurrumul and JK-47. Get in on all the action and head to Darwin Amphitheatre to see who will add their names to the honour roll and catch a heap of live acts including Baker Boy, Miiesha, Electric Fields, King Stingray, Alice Skye, and Dallas Woods and Kee'ahn. [caption id="attachment_814319" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dylan Buckee[/caption] DARWIN ABORIGINAL ART FAIR August 6–8 On the visual arts front, the first weekend of August will see the return of the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF). Showcasing more than 70 Indigenous-owned galleries under one roof, the fair is a unique opportunity for you to purchase artworks directly from the source. Misrepresentation of First Nations artists is not uncommon, so if you want to pick up authentic Indigenous artworks in an ethical fashion, DAAF is a surefire bet — 100 percent of sales to date go back into First Nations creative communities. The fair always has an exciting entertainment program, with this year promising dance performances, workshops, material demonstrations and artist talks, as well as food, film and fashion. You can check out the full program on the DAAF website. [caption id="attachment_814321" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Charlie Bliss[/caption] TELSTRA NATIONAL ABORIGINAL & TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER AWARDS August 2021–February 2022 The Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA), presented by the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in Darwin, is the longest-running and most prestigious art awards program for First Nations artists. For 37 years, it has celebrated contemporary artworks from around the nation across a broad range of disciplines — from paintings to photography and textile works. What makes the awards so special is the diversity in storytelling; here, you can explore perspectives from coastal regions, desert towns, cities and everywhere between. Can't make it to the Top End this season? The exhibition is running right through to next year. Otherwise, you catch it from your couch thanks to the virtual gallery. [caption id="attachment_814318" align="alignnone" width="1920"] George F Photography[/caption] COUNTRY TO COUTURE August 4 Missed seeing Australian Fashion Week make history with its all-Indigenous fashion showcase this year? No worries — you can still get your fashion fix in the NT this August. Falling under the umbrella of DAAF, the National Indigenous Fashion Awards (NIFA) are set to return on August 3. Launched only last year, the awards are a celebration of the innovative, diverse and ethical practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and fashion designers. DAAF even has its own runway show, dubbed Country to Couture, set to take over Darwin Convention Centre on August 4. The stylish show has run alongside the annual DAAF since 2016 and champions First Nations contemporary fine art, textiles and high-end fashion. For tickets, head to the event website. [caption id="attachment_817282" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'Ngayuku Ngura – My Country' by Barbara Moore, acrylic on linen. Photo: Elise Derwin[/caption] SALON DES REFUSÉS August 5–September 25 Rounding out the stacked events calendar is Salon des Refusés, presented by Salon Art Projects. This year, the organisation is presenting seven Indigenous art exhibitions across five local galleries from July to September. But it's the much-anticipated aforementioned show, running from August 5 to September 25, that you'll most want to check out. Held in Charles Darwin University Art Gallery, the exhibition showcases works submitted but not accepted into NATSIAA. The high quality of works on display showcase First Nations artists from around Australia, while shining a light on the current state of Indigenous art and what its future might look like. Now in its ninth year, the event is also hosting an opening night shindig on Wednesday, August 4. Time to start planning that trip north? Darwin Festival — and its Beating Heart events — runs from Thursday, August 5–Sunday, August 22. For the full program of events, head to the website. Top image: Elise Derwin
In November last year, Sydney hospitality giant Merivale confirmed the Lorne Hotel would play host to a fifth outpost of the hospitality group's much-loved Italian eatery Totti's. Now, we have a confirmed opening date for pasta lovers in Victoria. Victoria's first Totti's venue will throw open its doors this Saturday, March 11, with bookings opening later this week on Wednesday, March 8. Launching as the group's first Victorian opening — and the first-ever outside of New South Wales — the restaurant will be helmed by Merivale Executive Chef (and Totti's creator) Mike Eggert, along with Lorne Hotel Executive Chef and Surf Coast local Matt Germanchis. It'll take over the Ground Floor space formerly home to MoVida Lorne, where Germanchis was most recently on the pans. The venue's set to plate up a faithful interpretation of the Italian fare that's earned Totti's its cult status up north, though with a few twists and new creations courtesy of the local chef. Familiar favourites will be in strong supply, from the puffy wood-fired bread to the fresh pasta; while the hotel's location will guide the menu's expansive seafood offering, showing off plenty of locally sourced ocean-fresh inclusions. Similarly, the drinks list is set to zero in on Victorian winemakers and producers, across a broad-ranging lineup of drops for all tastes. As for the vibe, it'll also embrace the restaurant's coastal setting, the space just as well suited to long weekend lunches, as to thirsty walk-ins strolling fresh off the beach. And you can expect foreshore views from every seat in the house. Totti's has proved a winning concept in Sydney since the opening of its OG Bondi outpost. The stable has expanded to include venues in Rozelle, the Sydney CBD and, as of August, Allianz Stadium, where Merivale has taken over the entire food and drink offering. The expansion into Victoria was initially announced back in May of 2021, with the news it had purchased the historic Lorne Hotel to play host to Victoria's first Totti's. Totti's Lorne will open its doors on Saturday, March 11 at midday at 176 Mountjoy Pde, Great Ocean Rd, Lorne. Bookings will open via the Totti's Lorne website at 9am, Wednesday March 8. Images: Ashley Ludkin
Describing itself as a candy store but for herbs and spices, Gewürzhaus presents visitors with 350 single-origin spices, herbs, salts, peppers, teas and sugars imported from around the world. Located inside the CBD's Block Arcade, the shop also stocks more than 100 small-batch blends that are mixed and milled in-store on a weekly basis. From premium quality thyme to sage and tarragon, send your tastebuds into overdrive as your cooking will assuredly be taken to whole new levels following your visit. Images: Parker Blain.
University students might be accustomed to pairing their education with a few alcoholic beverages; however most don't expect their tertiary institution to have its own tipple. That rings particularly true when one of the most famous and prestigious universities in the world is involved — but, as well as teaching bright minds, Oxford University is bursting boundaries. The British uni has just added an official brand of gin to its list of achievements: Physic Gin, aka an especially aptly named juniper spirit. It's a product of The Oxford Artisan Distillery (TOAD), which is located in the same city, but is separate from the university. With their collaboration — the result of one of TOAD's distillers meeting one of Oxford's botany professors — they've created the first gin made for the university and bearing its name. Branding isn't Physic Gin's only Oxford connection. It's also flavoured using plants from the uni's botanic garden. Founded in 1621 to help teach herbal medicine, the patch of greenery in question is the oldest of its kind in the country. In total, 25 botanicals grown and foraged in Oxford's garden are used in the tipple, most of which were listed in a catalogue kept by its first keeper back in the 1640s. According to TOAD master distiller Cory Mason, anyone keen on a sip should expect a rich, earthy taste thanks to ingredients such as wormwood, rue and sweet woodruff — which "bring a deeply complex flavour to bear and take us back to the time when plants formed the base of all medicine." TOAD also use ancient, organic, super-sustainable grains in their production of Physic Gin, plus their original Oxford Dry Gin and Oxford Rye Vodka. For more information, visit www.spiritoftoad.com Via The Guardian. Image: The Oxford Artisan Distillery.
All across New South Wales, stages are being swept, setlists are being finalised, speakers are being stress tested, and crowds are gearing up — all for the long-awaited return of Great Southern Nights in 2025. Great Southern Nights sees well over 300 gigs taking place in major cities across the state — stretching from Byron Bay to Broken Hill and beyond. The Central Coast, just north of Sydney, is one of the festival's main regions. If you're planning to head up for a gig or if you happen to be in the area between Friday, March 21 and Sunday, April 6, we've teamed up with Great Southern Nights to tell you when and where the hottest gigs are taking place and where to catch your breath between them. The Lineup So who is actually on the lineup? The highlight acts start with The Rions, hitting the stage at The Sunken Monkey in Erina on Saturday, March 22. The next day, Australian Idol star Marcia Hines takes the spotlight at The Art House in Wyong, a fittingly flashy venue for such a star. Later on, the fun returns to Erina in the form of indie trio Telenova on Thursday, March 27. That's not all — next on the roster is the ARIA-nominated Ngaiire, who will make a memorable appearance across Lake Macquarie in Warner's Bay Theatre on Saturday, March 29. And among the final weekend roster are two examples of what Great Southern Night does best: homegrown talent. The Art House in Wyong will set the scene for Troy Cassar-Daley while 90's Aussie rock icons Baby Animals bring the noise to Doyalson RSL on Friday, April 4, and Melbourne rock trio The Grogans end things with a show at Drifter's Wharf, Gosford on Sunday, April 6. Local Eats and Treats The Central Coast is a big place, so there are plenty of fantastic bars, cafes and restaurants to discover all over. However, allow us to offer some suggestions and hints to get you started. If you're near Erina, seek out the fine flavours of the Tuscan countryside at La Gioia; get a cosy garden meal and a boutique gin cocktail at Bar Botanica; or enjoy drinks by night and coffee by day at the Tame Fox. In Wyong, one of the most popular spots for patrons of all ages is the historic Wyong Milk Factory — it boasts breakfast and lunch menus (the former available from 7.30am and the latter from 10.30am), a kid's play area, the secluded Holy Cow Bar and a range of local dairy-based products for sale. Another favourite is Woodblock Bar & Grill, which dishes out hefty plates of comfort food for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Otherwise, Terrigal boasts one of the highest concentrations of quality restaurants in the area and is definitely worth a visit during your stay. [caption id="attachment_920860" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Terrigal Ocean Tours[/caption] Things to Do and Places to See You'll need breaks between gigs of course, so where can you take some time off? The Central Coast is home to some of Mother Nature's most stunning and accessible sights spanning beaches, bushland and beyond. In addition to excellent dining options, Terrigal also stands out as one of Sydney's top seaside suburbs for visitors. Be it whale watching or a simple swim, this is one heck of a beach trip. Another divine coastal destination is Bouddi National Park, which traces the shoreline from Broken Bay to MacMasters Beach. Here, you can lace up the boots and hit a walking trail, pitch a tent and camp on one of its beaches and keep your eyes peeled for protected marine life, a shipwreck and more. Elsewhere, take a sunny boat tour on a working oyster farm (with tastings included) in Broken Bay, enjoy a close encounter with native wildlife at the free-range, heritage-listed Walkabout Wildlife Sanctuary or spend two-and-a-half hours scrambling, climbing and bouncing through the tree canopy at Treetops Adventure Central Coast. [caption id="attachment_947613" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Crowne Plaza Terrigal Pacific[/caption] Where to Spend the Night Rest assured there are plenty of ideal overnight stays scattered around the Central Coast. If you're on a budget, the Pacific Highway offers motels aplenty, but if you're willing to splash a bit of cash, we have some suggestions. If you can't bear to part from the always-buzzing and beautiful Terrigal, Crowne Plaza Terrigal Pacific is your best bet. Just across the road from the water and with sunrise views to boot, it's one of the most luxurious stays in the area. With an onsite luxury restaurant, Meribella, offering breakfast, dinner and luxe set menus and the ground floor eatery Terrigal Beach House serving beers, snacks and seafood platters, you're certainly not going to leave hungry. Further north is another great pick that oozes luxury, Pullman Magenta Shores, resting between The Entrance and Soldier's Beach. This more secluded stay is easily accessed but further from any hustle and bustle, ideal for anyone seeking a bit of serenity. Though it's not far from the beach, Pullman Magenta Shores offers swimming, dining and relaxation en masse within its property. Rooms vary from villas to studios, and you'll have your pick of dining from two on-site venues for maximum convenience. If you want something a touch more rustic, the Central Coast is home to quite a few countryside stays in its western districts. Close to Wyong in the Yarramalong Valley is Lost Ranches Farmstay, a barn situated on 50 acres of historic farmland, perfect for larger groups who want to avoid staying within earshot of the action. Head out west even further, and you could end up glamping in Noonaweena to really get out into the wilderness of the Central Coast. Great Southern Nights is set to take over venues across NSW between Friday, March 21 and Sunday, April 6. Check out our gig guides for Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle or visit the website for more information.
Feel like your interior space needs a 2023 refresh, but don't want to spend thousands on a couple of exxy cushions? We get it. Luckily the cost-effective homewares market is just getting better and better these days — and of course, a huge player is everyone's fave Aussie department store, Kmart. Well, take an extended lunch break or block out some time in the diary for online shopping — we mean, a 'meeting' — because today, Thursday, February 2, Kmart has just unveiled its latest home-focused lineup. Expect it to fly off the shelves. With prices starting at $3.50 — for dinnerware, should your kitchen need a revamp — the February Living Range goes heavy on colourful hues, natural materials and vintage inspiration. There are three main themes: timeless, natural and urban. The first two themes skew soft, gently preparing us for autumn with shearling fabrics, hygge-friendly throws and rugs, curved shapes and delicate glassware. The latter theme, which is still designed to mix and match with the rest of the range, is where bold silhouettes and gleaming surfaces come in. We also have it on good authority that deep purples and red wine tones are going to be big this year. Covering items for the dining room, bathroom, bedroom and living room as well, Kmart's current drop includes some 70s-inspired picks like a cream cloud chair (available online only), an arched bedside table and some funky vases and candles — all of which you'll probably see on TikTok in about six minutes flat. And it being Kmart there are all the classic beachy and boho tones that have become synonymous with the brand: think rattan baskets, chambray throws and fringed ottomans. Our top picks? The new coloured and curved water glasses are guaranteed to go viral — especially starting at just $14 for a set of four — while the coupe glasses are screaming cocktails in the sunshine to us. Scatter them along a long table for your next dinner party, amid your new pastel $5 candles and scallop-edged placemats. Oh and you can probably cater the party using Kmart's new outrageously affordable pizza oven and LED-screen air fryer (complete with a dehydrator for DIY cocktail garnishing). For the bathroom, make sure you grab the plush towels that are in our eyes a total dupe for Missoni — except they're only $13 each. But be warned — you only have a short period to get your mitts on your favourite pieces. The February Living Range is on sale online and in-store from Thursday, February 2 until Wednesday, February 22. This drop also includes a newly increased DIY line of decorative pieces like wallpaper, adhesive tiles, window dressings and door handles, for refreshing tired existing spaces around the house. Kmart's February Living range is on sale online and in-store from Thursday, February 2 until Wednesday, February 22.
In the dramedy that bears his name, which streams in Australia via Stan, Ramy Youssef is a quintuple threat. The standup comic and Mr Robot and Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot actor created Ramy. He plays the eponymous Ramy. He also executive produces the series and, across all three seasons to-date, he frequently writes and directs. It's a show about a Queens-born first-generation American Muslim raised in New Jersey to Egyptian parents, too, as Youssef himself is. Indeed, there's no doubting that Ramy springs from a personal place, a feeling that echoes in every one of its 30 episodes so far. There's a difference between bringing your own exact existence to the screen and conveying the truth behind your experiences, however. Ramy falls into the second category. As the series charts its titular figure's struggles, specifically as his faith conflicts with his lifestyle, it doesn't pretend for a second that its two Ramys — Youssef off-screen, Hassan on-screen — are one and the same. Instead, it proves deeply steeped in the lived reality of feeling torn between two cultures, and so specific in the details that stem from that fact, while also universal and relatable in its emotions and insights. That's been the case since Ramy's first Golden Globe-winning season in 2019, and none of the above changes in the newly released third batch of episodes, which rank among the show's finest moments yet. In this ten-episode latest run, the lives of Ramy and his loved ones are rarely blessed with fine moments, no matter how eagerly and desperately they seek them. Youssef's on-screen alter-ego keeps threatening his own heart, mind and soul with his choices, and being disappointed with the outcome. Season two ended with a brief marriage to Zainab (MaameYaa Boafo, The Mysterious Benedict Society), the daughter of Sheikh Malik (Mahershala Ali, Swan Song). With one lustful bad decision, Ramy blew up his personal and religious connections, leaving him alone in a car with only an incarcerated pal's dog for company in its last scene. A year has passed on-screen now, but the fallout still lingers because nothing is easy to escape in this series. Zainab won't talk to Ramy, but there's a cash payout that needs settling for breaking their marriage contract. Accordingly, Ramy has thrown himself into making his Uncle Naseem's (Laith Nakli, Ms Marvel) diamond dealership a success — as a distraction, and to take care of his debt — and, as the season continues, he branches out on his own with Jewish friend Michael (Michael Chernus, Severance) and his Israeli-syndicate backers. He now has money, as well as his own place. Soon, he has his own jewellery business, and the boost to his ego that its triumph brings. But none of this herald's happiness, or comfort, or the ability to truly work out who he wants to be as he still tussles with balancing his beliefs with impulses, and overcoming his selfishness in general. It's easy to think of Uncut Gems while watching Ramy stake his sense of self on the money and hustle of the jewellery game, but that isn't the only Safdie brothers film that springs to mind in season three. Youssef doesn't sport bleached hair as Robert Pattinson did in Good Time, but he has a similarly careening vibe — and the same propensity to always put himself first, usually by making the worst move he can, while thinking he's helping others. In the new season's Ramy-focused instalments, the show sports the same feverish energy, too; there's no heists here, but that's the engrained mood. Actually, is Ramy heisting himself all along? He thinks he can bluff his way to contentment by getting big in the jewellery game and boosting his bank balance, but he's just as conflicted in this run of episodes as he's always been. One of Ramy's strengths has always been its willingness to see its protagonist, his flaws and poor choices with clear eyes, while remaining empathetic to his attempts to honour his faith — even as he makes such terrible decisions. Also one of the series' highlights: that it isn't simply about Ramy, with full episodes surveying his family and friends' lives as they grapple with their own woes. For his sister Dena (May Calamawy, Moon Knight), striving hard to take the bar exam isn't paying off, especially when her parents Maysa (Hiam Abbass, Succession) and Farouk (Amr Waked, Wonder Woman 1984) are open about how differently they see her and her future to Ramy's — and she's reassessing not only her dreams, but what's behind them. That's one of the third season's big themes, with a question bubbling up again and again: are the lives that the Hassans have been working towards truly what they want, and what'll bring them emotional, physical, psychological and spiritual fulfilment? That query ripples with an immense sense of melancholy with the elder Hassans, who are adjusting to Farouk being out of work, a bad financial investment that might mean they have to sell the family home and decades of feeling like they're treading water. And, it informs the subplot with Naseem, who is visibly hurt by Ramy leaving him behind, and also frantic about potentially being outed when one of his app-driven hookups turns out to be friends with Dena. Storylines involving Ramy's friends Steve (Steve Way, Nepotism), Ahmed (Dave Merheje, Mr D) and Mo (Mohammed Amer, Mo) are all guided by a similar train of thought, thoughtfully so. Season three serves up character study after character study, and with humour and insight in tandem, including laughs that echo because sometimes that's the only way to cope with life's chaos. Three seasons in, the fact that Ramy boasts one of the best casts on TV isn't new news. That said, an appearance by Bella Hadid as Steve's new The Office-worshipping girlfriend plays awkwardly, but James Badge Dale's (The Empty Man) bit part as televangelical-style Muslim convert is a cringe-inducing scene-stealer — as is Christopher Abbott's (On the Count of Three) efforts as one of Ramy's wealthy customers. No matter who pops up around them, though, the show's core group of actors keep turning in standout work. That Ramy keeps remaining a stunningly perceptive and engaging exploration of the battle to remain true to oneself — and one's hopes, dreams and religion — is firmly a communal effort. That it's a rich, authentic, poignant and devastatingly potent comedy that just keeps getting better and diving deeper is as well. Check out the trailer for Ramy season three below: Ramy streams via Stan.
Rooftop at QT has re-emerged from its chrysalis, and with it comes new drinks, a new vibe and a Mediterranean menu with a fresh coat of inspiration — and the same skyline vistas. After announcing a revamp earlier in spring, the venue relaunched in mid-October ready for prime warm-weather sips with a view. First off, the drinks. Chris Stock, the man who helped Dandelyan in London strut to the number one spot on the World's 50 Best Bars list back in 2018, is at the helm — so you're in good hands. Expect a drink menu that pulls from old favourites but throws in a splash of the new. Fancy a twist on the classic daiquiri? Go for the Son of Man, taking inspiration from Margritte's painting and infusing the drink with basil oil for a hint of aroma. And if you're after an espresso martini (we all love them, don't lie to yourself), there's an interesting variant on offer that utilises rye whiskey and orange and miso syrup. On the food front, Nic Wood has returned to the QT chain after a stint in LA to take the helm of Executive Chef. He brings with him a Mediterranean menu encompassing everything from snacky delights to grand sharing platters that will, for better or worse, end up in a lot of your mates' Instagram stories. Expect snapper cannoli, fried mortadella sandos and lobster cocktails, plus ice cream sandwiches for dessert, to name just a few. As for music, Rooftop at QT is going with day-to-night soundtracks, morphing easy chill daytime tunes into more energetic night-time beats, vintage disco and soul with a twist of the modern. Meanwhile, local artist Dwayne Hutton brings the walls to life with his art all about the space, including cool hand-painted wallpaper. For those keen on ambience and vibe, designer Nic Graham ensured the interior facelift of the joint filled the shoes of its predecessor, and then some. He's serving up private booths, an intimate lounge, an outdoor bar, high banquet seating, a brand-new private dining room and tabletops with custom tiling. Find Rooftop at QT at QT Melbourne, 133 Russell Street, Melbourne. It's open Monday–Wednesday, 3pm–late, and Thursday–Sunday, 12pm–late.
Exploring the best of modern Japanese cuisine, OMI restaurants around the country usually specialise in a single tantalising dining concept, from wagyu to matcha to baked goods. For instance, OMI Bēkarī is where fans can dine on authentic Japanese breads and reimagined Western pastries, while OMI 5 Series sees premium shopping centres adorned with handcrafted dishes produced using top-notch ingredients. Now the brand is ready to unveil a new flagship destination — OMI 380. Landing in the city on Lonsdale Street, this expansive 600-square-metre setting unites five culinary aspects central to the brand, leading to a fascinating fusion of flavour and culture under a single roof. While each space offers its own distinct personality and cuisine, together they form a harmonious dining experience brimming with refined Japanese dining. Inside, OMI Wagyu is where guests sit down for signature donburi, premium A5 wagyu, sizzling izakaya plates and hotpot favourites. Featuring a menu teeming with premium cuts cooked to perfection, this part of the venue could be considered the heart of OMI 380. However, the cuisine on offer goes much further, as OMI Bēkarī & Gelato presents innovative sweet and savoury treats made fresh daily. Think mini pan pan, shokupan and canelés alongside matcha gelato scoops available in three intensity levels. Next up, OMI Matcha deliberately dials down the mood to achieve a sense of calm. Now is the ideal chance to sip back a traditional matcha latte, made with a superior, Japanese-grown ingredient. Plus, you're invited to explore a wealth of original OMI inventions, like the fruity Matcha Daydream. Coffee isn't overlooked either, with creative beverages using the award-winning beans of Five Senses Coffee to bring another dimension to the menu. As for the final space, the soon-to-open OMI Saké offers a refined celebration of Japanese brewing. Here, you're welcome to sample the restaurant's sake tasting sets or indulge in a signature sake-forward cocktail, like the Matcha Moonlight. Conceived as a refreshing take on tradition, expect both innovative and time-tested sakes to light up the drinks menu. Roaming from one delicious concept to the next, this multi-sensory journey is levelling up the fun following its grand opening by inviting guests to embark on the OMI Stamp Map Challenge. From Wednesday, May 21, make a purchase at each concept to collect a stamp. Once you've gathered all five, just present your receipt to the cashier to redeem an exclusive tote bag at the Bēkarī counter. OMI 380 is open daily from 10am–9pm at 380 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. Head to the website for more information.
If there's one scent that sums up the 90s for Millennials, it has to be Dewberry. Fruity and floral like a dreamy garden picnic, people would flock to The Body Shop to score the generation-defining aroma in perfume oil, body butter, hand balm and more. So, when it was discontinued in 2002, let's just say people had a hard time letting it go. Now, over 20 years later, the constant petitions and nostalgia-laced social media posts have paid off, with The Body Shop bringing back its most requested fragrance of all time. To celebrate its return in Melbourne, the cosmetics brand is taking over Queensbridge Square in Southbank with the one-weekend-only Dewberry Roller-Rama. Playing on the scent's legacy, The Body Shop is leaning into the carefree 90s spirit, with DJs serving up the decade's top tunes alongside roller-disco energy and a fully immersive celebration of Dewberry's uplifting bouquet. Held over Valentine's Day weekend from Friday, February 13–Sunday, February 15, it's the perfect time to rediscover this iconic fragrance. In addition to a 45-minute skate at the roller rink, the pop-up will feature free product samples and Dewberry-flavoured gelato. While attendance is free, sessions are limited, so register to secure your spot. "Bringing the Dewberry Roller-rama to Melbourne is our way of celebrating everything this fragrance represents: confidence, fun, and a whole lot of nostalgia, while welcoming a new generation to fall in love with it," says The Body Shop's Fiona Lancaster.
The World's 50 Best Bars list was just announced in Hong Kong, with two Australian hot spots taking out impressive rankings. Sydney's Maybe Sammy affirmed its position as Australia's most consistently awarded bar on the list, while Melbourne's Caretaker's Cottage improved its previous ranking. The annual list, which has been operating since 2009, is curated from the votes of The World's 50 Best Bars Academy, which includes expert bartenders, consultants, specialists and drinks writers. The list, as voted for by more than 800 experts across the world, represents an international guide to the best bars and drinking destinations globally. The inclusion on the list this year, at number 42, marks seven consecutive years for Sydney bar Maybe Sammy. The bar, co-founded by Vince Lombardo and Stefano Catino in 2019, has garnered an impressive array of national and international awards since its opening, including being named Best Bar in Australasia five times by The World's 50 Best Bars. Catino says, "For seven years, we've proudly put Sydney on the global cocktail map, and that consistency means everything to us. Australia is one of the best food and drink destinations in the world, and we're honoured to be part of it. Thank you to everyone who voted — it truly means the world." Caretaker's Cottage, tucked away in Wesley Place precinct in a historic bluestone building, is no doubt one of Melbourne's favourite and most awarded bars. It can now add another notch in its belt, being ranked number 19 on the list, and taking out the Best Bar in Australasia award for 2025. The World's 50 Best Bars List says of the petite-sized Melbourne hotspot, "Beneath the skyscrapers in the middle of the Melbourne CBD, there's a small, humble-looking place that was once the residence of the caretaker of the church next door. It's here you'll find a small team taking care of the thirsty, the tired and those in need of a good time…the real feat they've achieved in a small place is ensuring that — despite being Melbourne's busiest cocktail bar — every guest feels like they've found a place of their own." In another impressive feat that puts Aussies on the world stage, the double-concept venue Tigra (downstairs) and Disco Pantera (upstairs) were honoured with the Best Bar Design Award 2025. Feels like a drink is in order all round. Images: Mario Francisco. All this talk of drinks got you feeling like a bar crawl? Check out the best bars in Melbourne — weekend plans sorted.
Something of a Footscray institution, Cafe Lalibela has a dedicated following of locals and regulars filling out its tables seven days a week. Drop by and you'll see all sorts of punters happily demolishing clay pots of beef, lamb, chicken and veggies, mopping up the rich, savoury sauces with pieces of light, fluffy injera. The family-owned venue has a welcoming, accessible vibe, with staff more than happy to recommend dishes and perhaps an Ethiopian beer to help wash it all down. An emphasis on sharing makes this a great spot for groups to gather and order a variety of different dishes, while plenty of options for vegetarians and vegans ensure all parties are catered for. There is also traditional hand-roasted coffee on offer, complete with the traditional roasting ceremony as part of its service — it's best to book in advance if you're after this unique experience. Images: Julia Sansone
Melbourne's latest lockdown has hit the city's hospitality scene as hard as any before it, with venues forced to close their doors and rely entirely on takeaway and delivery trade for almost six weeks to date — and an unknown number more to come. That's seen a drop in income for a huge number of employees across the state, as the hours and shifts used to pay for essential bills are cut. And at this stage, no one has an end date. But, if Melbourne's hospitality scene is anything — it's resilient, even when its people wish they didn't have to be. In an entirely Melbourne show of solidarity, some of the city's most loved eateries are throwing their support behind the hospitality community — and many others — by giving back to those that have been hit by the lockdown the hardest. If you're a worker who's been impacted by lockdown, here's where to find a helping hand and a hot feed, no questions asked. Under metro Melbourne's current lockdown rules, you're required to stay within five kilometres of home. For more details on current restrictions, head to the DHHS website. [caption id="attachment_795681" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 1800 Lasagne, by Parker Blain[/caption] 1800 Lasagne, led by all-round champion of the people Joey Kellock, has been involved in a whole swag of community-focused initiatives during Melbourne's various lockdowns; from meal giveaways to giant posters declaring messages of support. Most recently, in one day the restaurant handed out 150 DIY pasta packs to those doing it tough, heroing donations from the likes of Mount Zero and Mediterranean Wholesalers. And we're told another community giveaway is in the works for this Sunday, September 19 — stay tuned on Instagram for the latest info. Over in Yarraville, family-run Greek restaurant Eleni's Kitchen and Bar received such an overwhelming response to an initial community cook-up it hosted, that the team decided to make it a weekly thing. "After we did the first giveaway I realised how many people were doing it tough, not only from a food perspective but also mentally," co-owner Eleftheria Amanatidis explained. "How often I got told that [it] made their day really stayed with me." The venue now runs a different food giveaway each Thursday, featuring ingredients generously donated by its suppliers and with showbags courtesy of the Western Bulldogs AFL team. Over 1000 meals have been handed out so far and they've got plans to continue as long as lockdown does. View this post on Instagram A post shared by GREEK RESTAURANT MELBOURNE (@eleniskitchenandbar) In Carlton North, the team at artisan food store Maria's Pasta have spearheaded a program of community dinners, serving up hot, handmade takeaway meals to those within their five kilometre travel bubble. Now running every Tuesday, the events have become an important neighbourhood fixture, with co-owner Kylie Italiano calling the initiative: "Essentially an extended family dinner table that expanded into the homes of those around our area!" The menu changes weekly, but almost always stars offerings from fellow northside mates like Sibling Cafe, The Empress Hotel and The Fishmonger's Son, along with Maria's own fresh pasta. The store is also home to a pay-it-forward wall, where people can prepay meals or vouchers for anyone who could use one. Last weekend, the folks behind iconic shipping container bar Section 8 (in collaboration with The Operatives and Crown Ruler) put together a virtual music festival to drum up donations for their own support program. The aim? To feed a stack of hospitality and music industry workers in need. Along with additional donations from Pernod Ricard, Dinnerly and Deliveroo, the money raised from the 12-hour live stream will now be used to assemble a whole bunch of care packages and ready-to-eat meals to be distributed to workers impacted by the ongoing lockdowns. If that's you, you'll find details on how and where to get involved released shortly on the Section Aid Instagram page. Otherwise, donations are still open — jump over here if you're able to throw some support behind the program. [caption id="attachment_825575" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yeah Boy Windsor[/caption] No stranger to providing good vibes and community support during these crazy times, Windsor's Yeah Boy has been running some sweet initiatives to help make lives a little easier. A recent Pay It Forward promotion invited punters to nominate other deserving folk to win an all-inclusive dining experience, while the current Gym Keeper program is handing out free feeds to employees impacted by gym and fitness studio closures. If you could use a little helping hand from this last initiative, it's running 4–6pm each day the Windsor venue is open. Another community support project is in the pipeline, too — keep an eye on the Instagram page for details. Southside pub The Wolf Windsor has been hosting weekly hospo parma nights to help out anyone in that industry who's lost work due to the lockdown. These usually kick off from 5pm, with the venue shouting 50 free takeaway parmas per event, as well as offering one-litre beer growler refills for $12. Check out the socials for more details. Previous lockdowns have delivered plenty of other generous projects, too, including the 500 free hospitality meals handed out by the Lucas Group in June, Good Gnocchi's free spaghetti day, and the San Telmo Group's hospo-focused giveaway of 1000 free feeds back in Lockdown 5.0. Top image: Section 8, by Arianna Leggiero
Bangarra Dance Theatre has been creating poignant theatrical performances since 1989, fusing together contemporary dance, music, poetry, art and design to spotlight First Nations culture and stories. The company's latest work is Horizon — a double bill of contemporary dance works that pay homage to the landscapes, skies and spirits that are considered significant by First Peoples across the Oceania region, from Australia to the Torres Strait Islands and Aotearoa. Sani Townson's Kulka opens the show, honouring his grandfather and highlighting his Torres Strait heritage. This is followed by collaborative work The Light Inside by Bangarra alum and Torres Strait choreographer Deborah Brown and Māori Arts Laureate Moss Te Ururangi Patterson. In partnership with Bangarra Dance Theatre, we spoke to Sani Townson — choreographer, Bangarra alum and presently Bangarra's Youth Programs Coordinator — about creating Kulka, what sparked his passion for dance, and why you need to see Horizon. On What You Love Most About Working with Bangarra Dance Theatre The sense of family. I've been on all sides of this company — I was a dancer and am three years back into the fold of Bangarra again, inspiring and nurturing a new generation of young talent in the Youth Programs team. Now I have this opportunity to create with the company. My heart is full. On the Power of Dance When I was younger, traditional dance was the first time I ever fell in love with movement — how song and dance marry together. But with the contemporary art form of dance, I loved how you can make amazing shapes with bodies; how you can manipulate the muscles on your body with the use of light; and how the human body can act as a paintbrush on a blank piece of canvas. On the Inspiration Behind 'Kulka' In my Grandfather's language of Kalaw Kawaw Ya, 'kulka' means 'blood'. This piece pays homage to my grandfather, Sania Guy Townson. This is merely my interpretation, in contemporary dance form, of a story he passed on to me about how my family got our totem and our clan. I've carried his name my whole life as he was an important man to my Saibai Island families. Carrying a name like his has definitely made me work extremely hard to get to where I am today. I have taken his name all over the globe and I will continue to do so where I can. He has seen me perform as a dancer with Bangarra and now his voice will be in the Drama Theatre in the Sydney Opera House. On Spotlighting Your Torres Strait Heritage Through Your Work All my works have always been in the mother tongues of both Kalaw Lagaw Ya and Kalaw Kawaw Ya. Every time I make a work, I really want to make sure that you, as the audience, will leave the theatre with a bit of the Torres Strait with you. On What Makes 'Horizon' So Special This is a cross-collaboration between the First Nations peoples of Australia and Aotearoa and the one thing we share, which is the night sky. My piece starts coming from the stars and ends looking up to the stars. Our cultures differ but share the night sky. In a world premiere, Horizon will run at the Sydney Opera House from Tuesday, June 11–Saturday, July 13, before touring Canberra from Thursday July 18–Saturday, July 20, Brisbane from Wednesday, August 7–Saturday, August 17, and Melbourne from Wednesday, August 28–Saturday, September 7. Book your tickets to Horizon today, and find out more, at the Bangarra Dance Theatre website.
Come down and have a taste of the Emerald Isle at The Fifth Province Irish Pub, a gastropub in the heart of St Kilda. Step inside and you'd think you've stepped into a pub along Shop Street in Galway or O'Connell Street in Dublin. There are framed old-school Guinness posters on the walls touting the old tagline "My Goodness, My Guinness", plus a carefully crafted wine list, a specialised Irish cocktail menu and an array of local craft beers on tap — there are 14 taps on rotation. The pub hosts a weekly lineup of classic specials plus what it says is the best Happy Hour in Melbourne — Monday–Thursday from 4–6pm when you can get $7 house wines, spirits, and pints — and live music most nights during the week and every weekend. The menu features a selection of contemporary pub meals and Irish classics that hero Victoria's seasonal produce. You'll find the lesser-known Irish lunch staple the chicken fillet roll alongside a braised beef and Guinness pie and a McDonnell's chicken curry — the preferred curry powder in the land of saints and scholars. Every Wednesday from 11am is Parma Day with $20 house made chicken parmas and every Thursday from 11am is $25 steak day. Locals also get their own special night with 20% off mains on Mondays and Tuesdays from 6pm. The local favourite is arguably the Sunday roast lunch, every Sunday from 11am there's a choice of two roast lunch options with all the trimmings — we're talking mash, beef fat roast potato, roast veggies, Yorkshire pudding and gravy
Inspired by the urban grunge of St Kilda's roots, the Newmarket Hotel combines retro funk with modern sophistication. Known for its fairy-light speckled beer garden, fresh take on Australian pub classics, striking interiors and dedicated gig space, this St Kilda resident is one to check out. Having undergone extensive renovations in recent years, Newmarket Hotel has been revitalised from the ground up. Offering a range of pub classics, alongside some Newmarket twists, the menu compliments Melbourne's ever-changing climate. Complimenting the top-notch menu is a wine and beer list to match, with over 17 beers on tap. Plus, like us, the pub believes that even our four-legged friends deserve a decent pub meal. So, every Tuesday the pub is serving up dog-friendly parmas for just $5 a pop. The mini chicken schnitzel comes topped with shaved ham and bocconcini, and is served with a side of 'chips' and 'salad' (well, dog treats and kibble). Humans will find parmas here, too, with the dish available every Tuesday for just $15 (compared to the usual $21) including a side of beer-battered chips and salad. If you rock up between 4–7pm, you'll also be able to score some happy hour drinks, with $5.50 draught beer, house wine and spirits, and $12 cocktails. Newmarket's newly revamped dedicated gig space, the Hummingbird, is host to a genre-tripping lineup of acts, from jazz to soul funk to R&B and even comedy. The intimate band room features a shiny new stage and sound system, hosting a bunch of shows every week.
Film fans, your spider-senses should be tingling: there's a new batch of Spider-Man-adjacent characters swinging onto the big screen. Get ready to meet Dakota Johnson (Cha Cha Real Smooth) as Madame Web, aka clairvoyant paramedic Cassandra Webb. Get ready, too, for Sydney Sweeney (Reality) as Julia Carpenter, who has a stint as Spider-Woman in her story in the comic books. Johnson and Sweeney lead Madame Web, the fourth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe. That's the name for the studio's franchise of flicks that have been spun off from its Spider-Man movies — so from Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home — but aren't part of the the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hitting cinemas on Wednesday, February 14, 2024, it slings in alongside Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Morbius, plus the delayed Kraven the Hunter when it arrives later the same year, to spread another web of superhero-related pictures. Given its name, there's no chance of thinking that Madame Web would be subtle about its Spidey links. The just-dropped first trailer for the film makes that plain not just in multiple Spider-Woman sightings, but in an explanatory line from Johnson designed to drop some backstory: "he was in the Amazon with my mum when she was researching spiders right before she died". In the first SSU movie with a female lead, the man that Webb is talking about is Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim, Extrapolations), a character who also hails from the page. He factors into a narrative that has Webb almost drowning, then discovering that she can see the future, with not just Sims but Carpenter linked to her fortunes. Also, would this be a Spider-Man-related movie, or a comic book movie in general, if a complicated past didn't also play a part? Also featuring on-screen in Madame Web: Celeste O'Connor (Ghostbusters: Afterlife), Isabela Merced (Rosaline), Mike Epps (I'm a Virgo), Emma Roberts (American Horror Story) and Adam Scott (Party Down). Veteran TV helmer SJ Clarkson (Succession, Vinyl, Jessica Jones) directs, and also co-wrote the script with producer Claire Parker (Life on Mars). Check out the trailer for Madame Web below: Madame Web opens in cinemas Down Under on Wednesday, February 14, 2024.
With more than a century in the journalism game, Time Magazine has seen and done more than most. With this in mind, it's fair to say the editorial team is well-qualified to create a list that's loftily named The World's Greatest Places, an annual record published since 2018. Divided into distinct sections — 'Places to Stay' and 'Places to Visit' — two spots in Oceania scored a place on the former, with four more landing on the latter. On Australian shores, Sea Sea Hotel is the country's sole accommodation representative, set on Dunghutti Country near the NSW surf town of Crescent Head. Meticulously considered from top to bottom, the hotel's kitchen is also a standout amenity. Pairing modern-casual dining with an ocean-slanted, ingredient-focused menu, former Iceberg's chef Daniel Medcalf has shaped an epic experience designed to showcase the very best of the surrounding Macleay Valley region's native pantry. Also making Time's cut in our backyard is Flockhill — a historic 36,000-acre sheep station located in New Zealand's Cragieburn Valley. From a sprawling base amid the Southern Alps, this luxury accommodation is one of the most lavish ways imaginable to explore the country's wild side. Besides stays, Time had nice things to say about four places to visit across Australia and New Zealand. That includes the newly relaunched Sydney Fish Market and Pilbara's Murujuga Cultural Landscape — the world's densest collection of petroglyphs and megaliths. To see the full list, head to the website for more information. Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
What's your age again? Old enough to remember when blink-182's classic lineup of Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker were initially together — and old enough to be excited that DeLonge has now rejoined the band, too. If that's you, then you will have been mighty excited about the above news, as well as the fact that the trio is hitting the road on a huge world tour, including heading to Australia. To the surprise of no one, blink-182's upcoming trip Down Under has been getting a huge response, even before general tickets to its February 2024 shows go on sale. So, also unsurprisingly, the band has just added extra gigs in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. [caption id="attachment_873239" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jack Bridgland[/caption] Melburnians can now choose between Tuesday, February 13 and Wednesday, February 14 at Rod Laver Arena; Sydneysiders can opt for either Friday, February 16 or Saturday, February 17 at Qudos Bank Arena; and Brisbanites have Monday, February 19 and Tuesday, February 20 at Brisbane Entertainment Centre to pick from. Well, assuming you nab tickets quick smart from 1pm on Thursday, October 20 local time — or hop on the Live Nation and Spotify pre-sales at 1pm on Wednesday, October 19. That feeling you get when a decades-old band either reforms its beloved lineup and hits the road, or tours your way with a huge history behind them, kickstarting all those nostalgic old memories? If you're blink-182 fan, you clearly know the right words for that: well I guess this is growing up. DeLonge, Hoppus and Barker — with Rise Against in support — will start their Australian run in Perth, then head to Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. For three decades, blink-182 have been the voice inside punk and rock fans' heads, especially in the late 90s and early 00s thanks to albums Enema of the State and Take Off Your Pants and Jacket. Now that they're back together after DeLonge left the band in 2015, blink-182 are also recording new music together, with single 'Edging' out now. Expect to hear everything from 'Dammit', 'Josie' and 'What's My Age Again?' to 'All the Small Things' and 'I Miss You' live, though — and yes, the latter feels oh-so-apt right now. BLINK-182 2024 AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND TOUR: Friday, February 9 — RAC Arena, Perth Sunday, February 11 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Tuesday, February 13–Wednesday, February 14 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Friday, February 16–Saturday, February 17 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Monday, February 19–Tuesday, February 20 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Friday, February 23 — Spark Arena, Auckland Monday, February 26 — Christchurch Arena, Christchurch Blink-182 will tour Australia and New Zealand in February 2024. Live Nation and Spotify pre-sales start at 1pm on Wednesday, October 19 — and general sales from 1pm on Thursday, October 20 (all local time). For more information, head to the Live Nation website.
Since winding up the breakfast show at Triple J last year, comedian Tom Ballard has not slowed down in the slightest. Sure, he might not have to get up so early every weekday morning, but in between nationally touring his stand-up comedy shows, writing op-eds and returning to radio for a six-week Chatback stint, Ballard is one busy lad. Now he's set to launch and host his own show on ABC TV called Reality Check, which will look exclusively at the bizarre world of reality TV. Before that all happens, we were lucky enough to pull him over for a quick chat about his stand-up comedy career, Dry July, Thorpie and RuPaul's Drag Race. Congrats on the new show. What made you want to explore the world of reality TV? Ahhh, the money? Since I left Triple J breakfast I'm destitute and living on the street, so having a regular paycheck is pretty good! But it's also a bonus that it's a really fascinating topic that we don't talk about enough, and I get to do it with CJZ [the merger of Cordell Jigsaw Productions and Zapruder's Other Films, independently responsible for shows such as The Gruen Transfer and Go Back to Where You Came From] and ABC who make pretty awesome TV together. There is a wealth of material that hasn't been mined yet, there's a shitload of really important, moving stuff, but there's obviously a ton of jokes as well. It's the perfect sweet spot for me. You'll be joined by previous reality TV 'stars' — I use that term very loosely! Who are you most excited to have on the panel? (Slyly giggles to himself) Well, I have to be a bit boring and tell you we're keeping that one close to our chest at the moment. We've had a bunch of producers whose names you may not know, but they're actually responsible for huge reality TV hits, as well as previous judges and contestants. We've spoken to some people who have been the voice of Big Brother, some people who have won a major series, and people who have worked in the UK and America who have batshit crazy shows so it's really fascinating talking to them. Every week there will be names who are very familiar to reality TV addicts but also people who only follow it on the periphery. We worked really hard on getting some good names who can give us a lot of insight on the shows and the issues we want to talk about. https://youtube.com/watch?v=RmfHMNkhtn8 What reality TV shows did you watch growing up? Or are there still some that you watch now? Australian Idol was huge for me. I watched the first series. I was a big MasterChef head as well. I love RuPaul's Drag Race as well, and that is a really funny show. Come Dine With Me, and just stupid shit like the Kardashians. For this show we've watched a shit-ton of stuff and looking at the crazy moments that have happened in other countries like Nigeria's Got Talent and China's Got Talent, Big Brother Houses in other countries, one which was full of short-statured people. There's a UK show called Tourettes: Let Me Entertain You, which was basically a talent search for young people with Tourettes, just insane shit like that. I'm really excited about bringing that to the fore and laughing and celebrating all that stuff we get to see. You have just wound up your return to Triple J with Chatback: What was it like being back? It was great. It was really lovely, I was starting to miss everyone quite a lot so I got to go in on Thursdays and say hello to everyone. It reminded me how much I love radio and all the cool and crazy stuff that station does. There were also a few of your famous friends calling in under aliases, did any of them give you a heads up about their characters, or did they just let you have it? Yeah, we workshopped them all, a lot of that stuff was pre-recorded. We went back and forth with a few ideas, and then characters that people really liked, like Rebecca or Dr Jangles, came back in later weeks. It was really fun to have a character on twice because people were really keen to hear more from them and find out how their lives are going. I just think radio like this is underutilised. At the BBC in the UK the amount of comedy radio out there is amazing and I'd love to see more of that in Australia, because there's just so much fun you can have on a very low budget. It's just messing with peoples minds. That's what Chatback was — it was funny how worked up people got who thought they were real people. You also wrote a great op-ed recently about Thorpie coming out and why that was so important. It's no secret you're an opinionated young man, but what has to happen for you to decide, right, I'm going to write an op-ed about this? Well, to be honest a friend of mine who works at Fairfax called me and they wanted a young gay person's perspective on the issue. But honestly I did think about it, because there were a million think pieces and even for the next two days everyone and his dog had an opinion on the whole situation. I felt like I had something to say that I hadn't seen in many other media outlets so I thought that was a good chance. I want to be a comedian, that's what I want people to think of me as so I don't want to get on my high horse too often, but it is something that's really important to me. I'm really passionate about the mental health of young queer kids, and I wanted to remind people that when someone comes out, we should be happy. Yes we can have our criticisms about it, but ultimately it's a good news story. Have you enjoyed having more time to focus on your stand-up comedy this year? Although to be fair, it looks like you've had a million other side projects going. The first six months of the year had a lot of touring, so I wasn't being very visible on other media. It was all about getting out there and doing a whole bunch of stand up which was really fun. The truth of the matter is if you want to make a living from being a stand-up comic in this country you do need to push your media profile to make sure people are aware of you from other areas. It's kind of a balancing act. I am really excited about this show, I think it's going to be super fun, but I'm also excited about the fact that hopefully more people will come see me live and laugh at my jokes in front of me. Finally, how did your Dry July go? [Tom was on a team called 'Alco-Hellllll No!' with Megan Washington, and Triple J staff including Zan Rowe and Kyran Wheatly] Hahaha! Ummm…. Bad? I've raised money and it's been great not drinking, I feel a bit healthier and it's for an awesome cause, but it's much tougher than I thought it would be! Reality Check premieres on ABC TV on Wednesday, August 13, at 9pm.
For its 21st birthday, Splendour in the Grass is giving Australia the party we all wish we could've had hitting that milestone: a party headlined by Lizzo. Ahead of announcing its full 2023 lineup, the Byron Bay-based festival has just revealed one of its major acts, with the 'Juice' and 'Truth Hurts' singer set to take to the North Byron Bay Parklands stage this July. In the words of the US rapper herself, it's about damn time. Splendour hasn't revealed any other 2023 talents as yet, so watch this space — but if a fest is going to kick off its announcements with just one name, this is the one to do it with. The songwriter, singer and flautist — and Grammy- and Emmy-winner, too — will add to a whirlwind few years by making her Splendour debut. Yes, it's set to be good as hell. [caption id="attachment_750739" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Luke Gilford[/caption] Expect to hear hits from 2019's CUZ I LOVE YOU and 2022's Special — including, of course, Grammy Record of the Year-winning single 'About Damn Time'. Expect a set filled with dance-ready beats as well, in what's certain to make Splendour 2023 a fest to remember. After 2022's Splendour in the Mud — or Splendour in the Pool if you like — the two-decade-old festival could use some good news. Lizzo fans, pop Friday, July 21–Sunday, July 23 in your calendar now, and start searching for your gumboots (while crossing your fingers that this year's fest won't be as boggy). Splendour hasn't revealed when the full lineup will drop but, pre-COVID-19, the fest's full roster was always here by April at the latest — so expect further details soon. For now, the festival has also announced that first-release tickets go on sale at 9am AEDT on Thursday, March 23. Head to the Splendour website to sign up for access ASAP. Splendour in the Grass will take over North Byron Bay Parklands from Friday, July 21–Sunday, July 23, 2023. We'll update you with the full lineup details when they're announced. For more information in the interim — and to sign up for first-release tickets, which go on sale at 9am AEDT on Thursday, March 23, head to the festival website.
Taking a trip to Thailand or Japan is already on the cheaper end of itineraries for Australian travellers. Yet the cost of your next trip could be even more affordable than usual, as Scoot has just announced new flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, and Okinawa and Tokyo in Japan. Commencing between December 2025 and March 2026, these deals might convince you and the crew to lock in another adventure. Ready to take to the skies? One-way economy flights to Chiang Rai start at $219, while Okinawa and Tokyo (Haneda) fares start at $329. With all flights from Australia including a stopover in Singapore — Scoot is Singapore Airlines' low-cost subsidiary — now is your chance to check out what many consider the world's best airport, from its peaceful butterfly garden to the Rain Vortex — the world's tallest indoor waterfall. But if a stellar stopover isn't enough to convince you to book, the destination at the end of your flight might. Situated in Thailand's lush northern region, Chiang Rai's mountainous terrain and cool climate present a different side of the country from its white-sand beachfronts. With the Lanna region home to seven major hill tribes, expect a multicultural experience captured through architecture, cuisine and art. Okinawa and its 160 island neighbours present a similarly distinct experience for those keen to visit Japan. Located over 600 kilometres south of the mainland, this subtropical archipelago is renowned for its pristine beaches, clear waters and Ryukyu heritage shaped by the region's indigenous people and culture. Paddle a canoe deep into Yambaru National Park to explore the region's immense natural beauty. Though it needs little introduction, Scoot is also offering cut-price fares to Tokyo's Haneda Airport. Whether you're heading along for the first time to see what all the fuss is about or returning for a second, third, or fourth adventure, you could spend years exploring this megalopolis and barely scratch the surface. Best of all, making the most of a Tokyo adventure on a shoestring budget is simple with a little research and planning. Perfect for an end-of-year escape, three-time weekly flights to Okinawa will begin on Monday, December 15, while Scoot will begin five-time weekly flights to Chiang Rai on Thursday, January 1, 2026. Meanwhile, daily flights to Tokyo (Haneda) will commence on Sunday, March 1, 2026. With loads of flights added to the schedule, the launch of these three routes could be just the excuse you need to take off in the months ahead. Scoot's new flight service commences from Monday, December 15, with bookings now open. Head to the website for more information.
Melbourne's much-loved pop-up wine festival Into The Vines is heading back to The Rochester Hotel (The Rochey) for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival with a special Iberian-themed edition. Head over to the Johnston Street pub on Thursday, March 27, where you'll get to meet winemakers and try an excellent selection of wines. There will be locally-grown Iberian varieties alongside wines from some of Victoria's top wine importers that are often only found in restaurants, providing a unique opportunity to compare old world and new. Whether you're new to the world of wine or a seasoned connoisseur, there'll be the chance to upskill your wine knowledge with a glossary of wine terms and a card to rank and score wines you sample over the course of the evening. To give you an idea, expect drops from local wineries like Sutherland Estate, Steels Gate Wines and Muto Wines, alongside Tasty Things Wines and Soul Wines, imported from Portugal and Spain, respectively. Tickets cost $38 a pop, and they include a heap of tastings and a $10 voucher that you can use to purchase bottles of your favourite vinos. This is the perfect excuse to fill your fridge, cellar or bar cart with special drops to last you through the year. You've also got the option to preorder an Iberian-inspired dinner on the night; Chicken ragu canelones with squid ink, corn butter sauce, and fermented chilli. You'll be buying these drops directly from the winemakers, so expect great prices and that warm fuzzy feeling that comes with supporting a small local business. Moreover, some of these wines are only available on-premise at Melbourne's wine bars and restaurants, so it's a great way to shop them at a more affordable price. You're also guaranteed to love what you get because you'll have tried it already. But if you're after more, you can get around the special masterclass (an additional $20) run by wine expert Jay Bessel — who's highly regarded and sought after for curating wine lists in many of Melbourne's top dining establishments. Sample and talk through one wine from each of the producers paired with bites from the region prepared by chef Ian Ho. Bessel will be on hand to explain why the pairing elevates both the food and the drink, the terroir the wine is best produced in, and how to compare locally made to its native origin. Into The Vines' regular inner-city wine festivals are always hugely popular and sell out, so make sure you lock in your tickets ASAP for this special Iberian-edition evening.
This winter, a brand new free music festival is set to heat up the St Kilda shoreline, blasting away the chills with a jam-packed lineup featuring the likes of Hiatus Kaiyote, Adalita, Briggs and more. The inaugural Southside Live will descend on South Beach Reserve across two tune-filled weekends, from Friday, June 24–Sunday, June 26, and Friday, July 1–Sunday, July 3. The beachside stage will fire up with sounds from a diverse bunch of Aussie acts — soul-pop songstress Akosia, renowned Indigenous vocalist Emma Donovan with The Putbacks, RnB star Pania and post-punk outfit Pinch Points, to name a few. Mitch Tambo, Kaiit, Dallas Woods, Kira Puru, The Black Sorrows, Isaiah Firebrace and Freeds are also on the bill. Your ears aren't the only things in for a treat, however. The whole Southside Live precinct will be decked out like a wintry wonderland, with market stalls, neon art, food pop-ups and plenty of mulled wine to keep those cockles warm. Southside Live will run on Friday, June 24 (6–9pm), Saturday, June 25 (3–7pm), Sunday, June 26 (2–6pm), Friday, July 1 (6–9pm), Saturday, July 2 (3–7pm) and Sunday, July 3 (2–6pm). [caption id="attachment_806820" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Emma Donovan and the Putbacks[/caption] Top Image: J. Forsyth
There are times when we live paycheque to paycheque. Then there are times when it's appropriate to live a little large. Right now we're feeling the need to indulge. Whether that's catching an award-winning opera with epic Sydney Harbour views, spending three hours at a top-end-of-town spa, or dining at one of Sydney's famous restaurants. In partnership with Destination NSW, we've picked out seven outrageously fancy things to do in Sydney, so when you're in need of a treat you know exactly where to start. [caption id="attachment_805157" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hamilton Lund[/caption] SEE LA TRAVIATA ON SYDNEY HARBOUR One of our city's most extravagant annual events is back for 2021 with extra gusto. Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour will once again host an award-winning opera on its openair theatre. This time it's Verdi's famous opera La Traviata — a story that inspired Moulin Rouge. You can expect decadence in the form of a nine-metre-high chandelier hanging above the stage (complete with 10,000 crystals) and fireworks at every performance. Not to mention those unbeatable harbour views. To truly experience the luxury event, book a pre-show dinner and interval drinks at the HSBC Platinum Club. Tickets for La Traviata start from $99. The show runs until April 25. INDULGE IN A SPA EXPERIENCE AT SHANGRI-LA Next time you're in need of pampering, don't settle for your high street massage place. Instead, step it up a notch with a spa day at Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney. The luxury hotel's in-house Chi, The Spa has heaps of packages to choose from. The most luxurious is the Journey Down Under ($535–605 per person). This 3.25-hour experience features a 75-minute wattleseed scrub and pink clay wrap combo followed by a 60-minute aroma massage, then a one-hour deep cleansing facial. The spa uses ethically sourced natural ingredients, too. Fully booked? Here are more indulgent spa experiences in Sydney. SPEND A NIGHT IN THE BEST HOTEL ROOM IN THE CITY One of the most expensive suites in the city can be found at five-star hotel The Langham, Sydney. The most expensive and luxurious room in the house is The Observatory Suite (from $2,448 per night). Boasting views over Observatory Hill, the 122-square-metre space features a double drawing room with a fireplace, a grand eight-person dining room and an extra comfy master bedroom. Plus, it has a gorgeous marble bathroom with a separate tub for the most extra soak you'll ever have. After a long bath, throw on that plush bathrobe and slippers and enjoy the 24-hour room service. TAKE A SEAPLANE TO A REMOTE WATERSIDE RESTAURANT Sure, you could easily drive to Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, but where's the fun in that? Instead, live like a celeb and hop on a seaplane to take you there — with food awaiting your arrival. Sydney Seaplanes will fly you to this award-winning waterside cottage, set on Cowan Creek. The decadent three-course lunch ($580 each) is created by head chef Kevin Solomon (formerly at Guillaume). If you can't bear to leave your tranquil surrounds, you can stay overnight at Cottage Point Inn for $775 per person, including your meal and flight. In the morning, you'll be treated to a continental breakfast before flying back to Rose Bay. [caption id="attachment_677793" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] EAT AT ONE OF SYDNEY'S FAMOUS FINE DINERS Peter Gilmore's Quay is a dining experience worthy of its extravagance. You can choose from a six- or eight-course feast ($240–290) and, no matter your decision, you'll experience the finest ingredients presented beautifully. Raw scallops are paired with liquorice kombu and oyster cream; smoked eel with caviar and sea cucumber crackling; bone marrow noodles with mud crab and miso butter; and Maremma duck with black garlic and preserved blueberries. Complete your evening with the sommelier wine pairing for $190–230. CHARTER A PRIVATE YACHT FOR 20 OF YOUR NEAREST AND DEAREST Want to feel like a billionaire? If the answer is 'so freakin' bad', pretend you're Bruno Mars right here in Sydney. Plenty of local companies hire out yachts by the hour. Sydney Harbour Escapes, which operates the popular party boat Starship Sydney, has four-person boats all the way up to mega yachts for 950 guests. If you're going all out, treat 20 of your nearest and dearest to a yacht day, from $325 per hour. Living large? Opt for a skippered overnight stay with Taylor Made Escapes in Palm Beach from $499. [caption id="attachment_795541" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Balloon Aloft, Destination NSW[/caption] WATCH THE SUNRISE FROM A HOT AIR BALLOON There's more than one way to take to the skies. For the most leisurely flight option, hop aboard a hot air balloon. There are heaps of these nostalgic experiences out there, but we rate Balloon Aloft's flights in Camden and Hunter Valley. Each one-hour flight will cost you $279 per person. Whichever location you choose, you'll set out at sunrise and pass over rolling countryside and lush valleys. After your flight, you'll enjoy a gourmet brekkie complete with sparkling wine, either at Peterson House Winery in the Hunter or Camden Valley Inn in the Macarthur region. Going on a luxe getaway? Balloon Aloft also runs experiences in Mudgee and Byron Bay. 'La Traviata' runs until April 25, 2021. Tickets start from $99. Top image: Sydney Seaplanes
Do you remember when you lost at something as a kid and your parents told you that it didn't matter? "Winning isn't everything" and "It isn't winning that matters, it is about taking part" were lines bandied around regularly by our mums and dads in order to shelter us from the truth: winning does matter. Who wants to be Buzz Aldrin when you can be Neil Armstrong? Nothing wants to come second, especially nations. Global politics is the most competitive arena on this planet. It has led to world wars and bloody competition for resources. Thankfully, though, the world can now sleep easy as the peacemakers over at Doghouse Diaries have created a light-hearted infographic titled What Each Country Leads The World In that allows every country to be a winner. Whilst some titles will be unwanted, including Ethiopia leading the way in employing children and Yemen's crowning as the ruler of the gender gap, some will be celebrated. Norway can enjoy its position atop the summit of democracy and Ireland can bask in its quality of life. Of course, the best discoveries are the statistics that appear tongue-in-cheek. Greenland leads the way in personal space and my favourite, Antarctica has the most penguins. Explore the world in our gallery below and be surprised at what many countries lead the world in. Via Fast Co.Create.
Even speaking as a big West Wing fan I never expected to be hooked on a Danish political drama that hinged on delicate coalition negotiations and that educated me about Greenland. But that’s exactly what the three-year-old, UK-captivating, Danish drama Borgen manages to do. If you saw Daniel Day Lewis’s turn as Lincoln, you’d have some idea about how much drama can be twisted out of the politics of the middle ground. That film has a moment in which the future of the slavery debate hinges on one famously unswerving character’s ability to compromise. Will he or won’t he? Borgen gives its lead character that same moral dilemma and it spreads it over years. “Borgen” means “castle”, and is shorthand for the Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen where the Danish Parliament sits. The show follows Birgitte Nyborg (Sidse Babett Knudsen), the leader of a small political party, as she’s unexpectedly thrust into the role of Prime Minister (well, stats minister) at the head of a coalition government. Around her, in Denmark’s complex parliament, political rivals jockey — some are in her cabinet, some outside — a 7.30-style news shows keeps watch and her family gets slotted into her diary around it all. Both Aussie and British coalition experiences seem to inform the political setup, but the politics of the show are all Nyborg. Nyborg is no Gillard. On the day of the election, she bicycles to work. When her spin doctor offers her a game-changing leak from a shady connection to the government, she refuses. Later that night, her husband Philip (Mikael Birkkjær) offers to take their kids home from the election party. And he’s ok with that. Nyborg is the politician that we want. She’s the sort of politician we most likely already have, quietly, at many levels of government, but in Borgen we get to watch from behind the scenes. We see her wrestle with her own intentions, her “team of rivals” cabinet and the whole road to her political wrangling’s public results. But these compromises begin to take a toll on the forthrightness that propelled her to office in the first place. And, as time goes on, her marriage as well. Nyborg’s marriage isn't the typical TV marriage of a career woman in dilemma. In many ways, it’s the same marriage that TV has always reserved for men, only better drawn. Nyborg’s career so dominates her family’s life that her husband Philip sacrifices his own career to look after the kids. Their connection has a powerful warmth and consideration, which give real scary weight to the tensions as the pressure increases over the course of the series. So much so that, despite the arresting politics, news and betrayals, this layered portrait of marriage quickly becomes the centre of program. It’s a program that gives real vulnerability to its men, too. Philip's feelings are as much a focus of the show as Nyborg, and even Nyborg’s sharp, devious spin doctor, Kasper (Pilou Asbæk) shows a strongly vulnerable underside as the series progresses. It’s a vulnerability is made all the more powerful by exactly how bruising the Machiavellian politics in the show are. It's a politics that Nyborg, clear-talking compromiser though she is, has little hesitation wading into. Does that tip her over the edge into exactly the sort of political arrogance that typified her rivals as the show begins? That’s the work of the series. Watching the political and the personal in Borgen unfold is gripping. And, in Australia, it’s a balancing act that feels very, very real indeed. Borgen starts on SBS tonight, screening at 9.35pm on SBS1 and via SBS on demand. You can skip ahead via the ABC Shop DVD. Photographs by Mike Kollöffel, Courtesy of DR TV.
UPDATE, August 21, 2022: Cyrano is now available to stream via Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. Love can spring quickly, igniting sparks instantly. Or, it can build gradually and gracefully, including over a lifetime. It can be swift and bold like a lightning strike, too, or it can linger, evolve and swell like a gentle breeze. In the sumptuous confines of Cyrano, all of the above happens. The latest adaptation of Edmond Rostand's 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac, this time as a musical via playwright Erica Schmidt's own song-filled on-stage version, lends its attention to two men who've fallen for the plucky Roxanne (Haley Bennett, Hillbilly Elegy) in opposite ways. Charming soldier Christian de Neuvillette (Kelvin Harrison Jr, The Trial of the Chicago 7) gets the fast-and-infatuated experience, while the movie's namesake (Peter Dinklage, I Care a Lot), a poet also handy in battle, has ached for his childhood pal for as long as he can remember. Roxanne's two suitors make a chalk-and-cheese pair, with their contrasting approaches to matters of the heart — specifically, to winning her heart and helping ensure that she doesn't have to marry the rich and ruthless De Guiche (Ben Mendelsohn, The Outsider) to secure her future — driving much of Cyrano's drama. Also present and accounted for, as all takes on the tale have included (see also: 80s rom-com Roxanne with Steve Martin, the Gérard Depardieu-starring Cyrano de Bergerac, 90s rom-com The Truth About Cats & Dogs with Uma Thurman and Janeane Garofalo, plus recent Netflix teen flicks Sierra Burgess Is a Loser and The Half of It): insecurities about appearance, a way with words and a ghostwriting gambit. Short in stature given Dinklage's casting, Cyrano can't even dream that Roxanne could love him. But he wants her to be happy above all else and knows that she's smitten with Christian, so he secretly lends his romantic rival his letter-penning abilities to help woo her by lyrical prose. This Cyrano may have a different reason for not believing that Roxanne could reciprocate his feelings, even as she gets giddy over the correspondence he scripts for Christian — traditionally, a large nose gets in his way — but his slow-and-steady affection is especially apt in this particular film. The latest period piece from Joe Wright, it slips into the British director's resume alongside Pride & Prejudice, Atonement and Anna Karenina, and initially seems as standard a silver-screen staging of Cyrano as a musical as he could reliably muster. But all three of those aforementioned movies are stunning in their own ways, especially the gutsy Anna Karenina. Unsurprisingly, his newest feature is as well. Doing his best work since that Tolstoy adaptation, and clearly back in his comfort zone after Pan, Darkest Hour and The Woman in the Window, Wright lets Cyrano take its time to bloom and blossom. And, when it flowers partway through, it makes viewers realise that it's been a gorgeous gem of a film all along. Like on-screen love story, like surrounding flick, basically. That said, the routine air that initially seems to float through Cyrano's first act can't have been by design. Rather, the film winds up to its full heart-wrenching powers so patiently that it appears a tad too expected while its various pieces are being put into place — a fact hardly helped by how often this exact narrative or variations of it have made it to screens — until it's just simply and unshakeably wonderful. Wright doesn't change anything in his approach, helming a handsome, detail-laden, rhythmic piece of cinema from the outset, but the emotions that truly make the movie sing strengthen minute by minute. And yes, when it all clicks in just so, it's with its three main players literally crooning, conveying so much about their huge, swirling, all-encompassing feelings that normal dialogue couldn't have done justice to. That swooning sensation — because this is a feature that it's easy to tumble head-over-heels for — helps answer the obvious question that needs asking whenever a famed tale gains songs. That query: why? Wright and screenwriter Schmidt, the latter of whom is married to Dinklage and wrote her crooning-heavy stage version for him in 2018, reply by making it rousingly plain how much yearning and desire resides in each musical number. The movie's tunes come courtesy of The National's Aaron and Bryce Dessner, fresh from their efforts scoring C'mon C'mon, and prove worlds away from big, barnstorming Broadway numbers. Emotionally sweeping, they survey the full range from longing to heartache, while also navigating an immensely tricky task: relaying what simmers inside each character that not only goes unspoken, but isn't inked in the feature's back-and-forth love letters. Thank goodness for not just Wright's finessed handling of these musical scenes, which lets those sung-about feelings echo with weight and heart-swelling resonance, but also for his clear passion for the musical genre. This marks his first entry, although both rhythm and music have been key to so much of his back catalogue — not the least of which being spy thriller Hanna with its melodic Chemical Brothers score — and he whirls properly into the fold like he was always meant to dance there. Even when no one is singing, Cyrano has the soul of a musical in its lush staging, Seamus McGarvey's (Bad Times at the El Royale) fleet-footed cinematography, the pace instilled by Valerio Bonelli's (The Woman in the Window) lithe editing and its performances. It has its own beat and vibe, and every element drums and hums along in time. Also trilling the right tune, regardless of whether they're singing (which they each do well): Dinklage, Bennett and Harrison Jr. Australia's own Mendo still gives exceptional villain, and darkly and cunningly so; however, being enamoured with Cyrano's main trio is inescapable. The decision to cast Dinklage and Bennett straight from the stage production is a winner. He imparts melancholy, wit and spark into his romantic lead, as he so consistently did in Game of Thrones, too, while she ensures that Roxanne's quest for a big and fulfilling life — and love — cuts deep. And, as much chemistry buzzes between the two, enlisting Luce and Waves' standout Harrison Jr as the man between them is another masterstroke. Indeed, Cyrano adores Roxanne and Christian's romance as much as it feels its eponymous figure's pining, loves his rhapsodic words and wants his heart's desire to come true — and sharing it all comes, gradually but still overwhelmingly, with the cost of admission.
There are 8222 islands within Australia's watery borders. You could spend your entire life hopping from one to another and never quite make them all (well, unless you're very, very quick). So, we thought we'd save you some time and handpick ten of the best. They should at least get you started. Next time you start imagining yourself on a white-sanded beach with quokkas close by, sea lions in the distance and your desk a few hundred kilometres away, these are the spots to catch a boat/plane/ferry to. Remember: when you leave the mainland, you leave all your worries there, too. From pristine beaches and bountiful wine regions to alpine hideaways and bustling country towns, Australia has a wealth of places to explore at any time of year. We've put together a list of some of our favourite island escapes — no passport or immense jet lag required. [caption id="attachment_688571" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paul Ewart/Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] NORTH STRADBROKE ISLAND, QLD Located 25 minutes by ferry off the Queensland coast, Stradbroke Island is an easy day trip from Brisbane. It's the second biggest sand island in the world after Fraser Island (more on that later). For swimming in gentle waves, head to idyllic Cylinder Beach; for wilder surf, make your destination 38-kilometre-long Main Beach. Overnight stays include beach camping, as well as an array of cottages, hotels and B&Bs. Just north of Straddie is Moreton Island, a wonderland of long beaches, clear lakes and a national park. And, consider sleeping over at Tangalooma, an eco-friendly resort where you can hand-feed wild dolphins and swim around a shipwreck. [caption id="attachment_688550" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trevor King/Destination NSW[/caption] LORD HOWE ISLAND, NSW Just 11 kilometres long and two kilometres wide, Lord Howe, a two-hour flight east of Sydney, is explorable within a few days. Whenever you travel, you won't have to fear tourist crowds: only 400 visitors are permitted at any one time and the population was just 382 at last count back in 2016. Prepare to have pretty beaches, spectacular diving sites and rugged terrain all to yourself. Among the best adventures are the Mount Gower Trail, a steep, eight-hour trek that carries you 875 metres above sea level, and Erscott's Hole, a natural wonder where you can snorkel among staghorn coral, bluefish and double-headed wrasse. [caption id="attachment_688568" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Khy Orchard/Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] MAGNETIC ISLAND, QLD There are hundreds of islands in the Great Barrier Reef area, offering everything from secluded campsites to five-star luxury resorts. But, for convenience, outdoor adventures and, most importantly, koala spotting, Magnetic Island is hard to go past. You'll find it just 20 minutes from Townsville. Get active with sea kayaking tours and yoga classes, get artsy at beachside markets and galleries or relax at stunning beaches like Horseshoe Bay. If you're keen to venture further, jump aboard a Great Barrier Reef snorkelling, diving or sightseeing tour. [caption id="attachment_688400" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Isaac Forman/SA Tourism Commission[/caption] KANGAROO ISLAND, SA With a whopping 509 kilometres of coastline, Kangaroo Island could have you exploring for weeks. The island was pretty badly affected by bushfires back in 2020, but this guide will help you navigate — including which businesses to support. To get there, take a 45-minute ferry ride from Cape Jervis, on the Fleurieu Peninsula, around 100 kilometres south of Adelaide. Then gear up to share your holiday with sea lions, fur seals, little penguins, echidnas, koalas and, you guessed it, kangaroos. The island is a haven for creatures who've struggled to survive elsewhere, especially Australian sea lions, who were hunted to the brink of extinction in the 19th and 20th centuries. There are numerous national parks and conservation areas, and the over 4000-strong population is big on food and wine. ROTTNEST ISLAND, WA This island is a 90-minute ferry ride from Barrack Street Jetty, Perth, or 25 minutes from Fremantle. Like Kangaroo Island, Rottnest has given a big dose of much-needed love to our wild creatures, particularly quokkas, which now number 12,000 or so. Dedicate some time to spotting them (though please don't go touching, patting or feeding), before visiting pristine beaches — such as The Basin, where you'll find an underwater playground, and Little Parakeet Bay, backdropped by striking rock formations. [caption id="attachment_724590" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria[/caption] PHILLIP ISLAND, VIC Phillip Island's biggest drawcard is its penguin parade. Every night, at sunset, the island's resident little penguins return to their terrestrial homes, having spent the day out and about fishing. Beyond wildlife watching, go wine and craft beer tasting, bliss out with a massage or spa treatment, or conquer a trail on foot — such as the Cape Woolamai Walk, which traverses dramatic clifftops along Phillip's southernmost point. Find suggestions on where to eat, drink and stay in our guide. Unlike all the other islands on this list, you can reach this one by road: it's around 90 minutes south of Melbourne. [caption id="attachment_770035" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Australia[/caption] BRUNY ISLAND, TAS Bruny feels completely remote, yet it's just a 20-minute ferry ride from the coast and, with driving time added, 50 minutes from Hobart. The beauty of this proximity to the city is that, despite all the wilderness, you can find some top nosh: for fish and chips head to Jetty Cafe; for pub grub swing by Hotel Bruny; for cheese visit Bruny Island Cheese Company; and for a tipple, there's the Bruny Island House of Whisky. Meanwhile, nature lovers will find white wallabies at Inala Nature Reserve, windswept headlands at Cape Bruny Lighthouse and head-clearing watery views at Cloudy Bay. [caption id="attachment_688565" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Matt Raimondo/Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] K'GARI (FRASER ISLAND), QLD World Heritage-listed K'gari (Fraser Island) is the biggest sand island in the world. There are 184,000 hectares of the stuff, comprising of 72 different colours and mostly in the form of magnificent dunes, many of which are covered in rainforest. If you've time on your hands, take on the Great Walk, an eight-day epic that visits many of Fraser's 100 freshwater lakes. If not, jump aboard a 4WD and cruise along 75 Mile Beach, take a dip at Champagne Pools along the way and pay a visit to awe-inspiring Boorangoora(Lake McKenzie), a perched lake made up of rainwater and soft silica sand. [caption id="attachment_688583" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andrew Wilson/Tourism Tasmania[/caption] KING ISLAND, TASMANIA You might have no idea where this island is, but you've no doubt seen its cheese at your local supermarket. King Island Dairy's decadent triple cream brie is an Aussie gourmet staple. But it's far from the only treat you'll be sampling in this lush place, which lies in the Bass Strait, halfway between Victoria and Tassie. Count, too, on super-fresh seafood, flavourful beef and a cornucopia of produce from local growers. When you're finished feasting, stroll along the white sands of Disappointment Bay, visit a 7000-year-old calcified forest and go horse riding by the sea. [caption id="attachment_688591" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Coral Coast Tourism[/caption] ABROLHOS ISLANDS, WA The Houtman Abrolhos isn't just an island, it's an archipelago. There are 122 isles that make up the marvel, more or less clustered in three groups, across 100 kilometres. They lie around 60 kilometres off the Coral Coast, west of Geraldton, which is four hours' drive north of Perth. Lose yourself snorkelling or diving among colourful coral, spotting Australian sea lions and looking out for more than 90 species of seabirds, including majestic white-breasted sea eagles. For mind-blowing views, jump aboard a scenic flight. Top image: Lord Howe Island, tom-archer.com via Destination NSW
With the Year of the Horse officially kicking off soon, Melbourne's Lunar New Year festivities are popping up right across the city. You can join huge street parties in Chinatown, indulge in special banquets with lion dances and prizes, and buy some extra-special treats made just for the occasion. However hard you want to go this year when celebrating Lunar New Year — whether you decide to stay in or go all out with a luxe night out on the town — this guide will have you sorted with heaps of the best bits. Check it all out here. Recommended reads: The Best Things to Do This Weekend in Melbourne The Best Chinese Restaurants in Melbourne The Best Thai Restaurants in Melbourne The Best Japanese Restaurants in Melbourne Chinatown Lunar New Year Festival Chinatown is going big this Lunar New Year, closing off Little Bourke Street (between Swanston Street and Exhibition Street) on Sunday, February 22, for a massive street party. During the day, you can expect to find plenty of food stalls, restaurant dining deals, a dragon parade, live music and a pop-up beer garden. The official party lasts from 10am–10pm, but the street will be closed to cars until 2am. You can easily keep the party going by hitting up these late-night dining spots, dumpling houses, ramen joints, and Melbourne CBD diners. Quang Minh Tet Festival Quang Minh Temple is an important spiritual centre in Melbourne's West. And its annual Tet Festival provides a really brilliant opportunity for the local community, Vietnamese, Chinese Buddhists and non-Buddhists to come together and explore and experience the beauty and richness of Lunar and Buddhist traditional celebrations. This year's Quang Minh Tet Festival includes cultural performances and firecrackers, displays, rides, chanting, vegetarian food and midnight fireworks, which mark the beginning of the new lunar year. It's running from Monday, February 16–Tuesday, February 17, and is a truly special Melbourne Lunar New Year event. Sunshine Lunar New Year Festival You don't have to run into the CBD for Lunar New Year celebrations this year, with plenty of local councils running their own festivities. And one that always goes off is found over in Sunshine. It's running from 12–10 pm on Sunday, February 8. This year's festival is similar to previous years, featuring live entertainment, red pocket giveaways, street performers, face-painting, lion and dragon dancing, fireworks, indoor and outdoor dining options, kids' rides and plenty of market stalls. They're going out all year, closing off Hampshire Road for the whole day. Vietnamese TET Lunar New Year Festival The Vietnamese Community in Australia (Victoria Chapter)'s TET festival returns to Footscray Park this February with a free two-day program packed with performances, exhibits, food, fireworks and activities for all ages. You'll find most of the fun over at Footscray Park from Saturday. February 28–Sunday, March 1. St Albans Lunar New Year Head to Melbourne's West to catch the St Albans Lunar New Year Festival — the city's largest and longest-running Lunar New Year Festival. First held in 1998, this free multicultural shindig has become a sprawling annual tradition, taking over Alfrieda Street from 10am–10pm on Sunday, January 18. On the agenda are traditional lion and dragon dances, alongside live music and cultural performances led by local and emerging artists. There's also non-stop tasty bites at street food stands and market stalls, as well as carnival rides for the kids. At 9.30pm, the sky comes to life with a family-friendly fireworks display. [caption id="attachment_837098" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ari Hatzis[/caption] Lunar New Year at Aru Make your Lunar New Year celebrations extra auspicious by dining on a quartet of new dishes at Aru, crafted just for the occasion. Available from Monday, February 16–Saturday, February 28, these elevated additions to the already innovative menu will ideally enhance your good fortune and prosperity for the year ahead. Dine on Ora King Salmon yee sangs, showcasing fresh salmon, raw Japanese scallops and smoked Yarra Valley salmon caviar, while a whole butterflied rainbow trout is grilled head to tail and served alongside two sambals. Pre-orders for both are essential 48 hours before your reservation. Also available at Aru over Lunar New Year are limited quantities of prawn and scallop shui jiao, served with a smoked soy dressing, chilli oil and brown butter. Meanwhile, wok-tossed longevity noodles, made with spring onion, fried shrimp and garlic chives, round out this festive menu. Lunar New Year Banquet at Spice Temple In typical Spice Temple style, the restaurant is pulling out all the stops for Lunar New Year 2026. Ramping up the symbolism of every dish from Monday, February 9–Tuesday, March 3, this LNY culinary journey is designed to grant guests a little more luck and love. The menu features a host of highlights, with bright ocean trout yee sang, followed by greenlip abalone with black oscietra caviar, festive seafood, smoky longevity noodles and Berkshire pork belly, all capturing a sense of new beginnings. Before the feast is complete, guests will round out their celebration with a Chinese date crème caramel. What's more, every banquet guest will receive an auspicious red packet, symbolising luck and gratitude and putting them in good standing until the Lunar New Year returns. [caption id="attachment_1069669" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alex Squadrito[/caption] Lunar New Year at From Here by Mike If you missed the news, one of the most exciting restaurant openings of 2025 was From Here by Mike — Chef Mike McEnearney's collaboration with 1 Hotel Melbourne. With the produce-driven restaurant now firmly established, the kitchen is serving a series of LNY specials from Tuesday, February 17–Saturday, February 21. Inspired by traditional Lunar New Year cuisine and the holiday's fascinating symbolism, McEnearney and the team have reimagined these ideas through the lens of the restaurant's commitment to honest, veggie-focused flavours. Available for lunch or dinner, these are four specials to explore, such as the fire horse noodles, featuring egg noodles tossed with spanner crab, black beans and soy butter, and beef short ribs in master stock, finished in a comfort-inducing combo of charred wombok, orange and star anise. Lunar New Year Yum Cha at David's Restaurant David's is welcoming in the Year of the Horse with a classic Lunar New Year Yum Cha event. Held on Saturday, February 21, a fortuitous menu will span several of the much-loved Chinese restaurant's dishes alongside seasonal specials whipped up just for the day. To name just a few of the dishes guests can expect, this familiar yum cha feast includes Shanghai xiao long bao, pan-fried barbecue bao, and chilli honey chicken. And to finish? David's is serving up its signature white chocolate dumplings. Keen to book? There are two seating options available on LNY: the 11.15am session offers an easygoing way to celebrate the day, while the 1.30pm session adds a high-energy lion dance later in the afternoon to take the experience up a notch. Chinese New Year at Moondrop You won't find many better venues than Fitzroy's Moondrop to celebrate Chinese New Year, with this recently opened Shanghainese-inspired cocktail bar hosting festivities for the entire month. Running every day throughout February, Red Envelope of Fortune sees the first 17 guests each day receive an envelope with special perks, such as free dumplings and cocktails. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, February 17, Moondrop will burst to life with the Chinese New Year Lion Dance Performance. Featuring a special cocktail menu, co-owner Jesse Kourmouzis has produced a series of fascinating drinks shaped by traditional Chinese flavours and ingredients, from Baijiu to MSG and imported tea. Closing out the event, guests can also get down to Moondrop to experience the first of its monthly mahjong nights on Sunday, February 28. If you're excited to test your skills, the buy-in is $20 per person, with the winner of each table scoring themselves an $80 bar tab. Chinese New Year Feast at Sleepy's Cafe & Wine Bar Sleepy's Cafe & Wine Bar is leaning into Chinese New Year fun, returning with its annual feast on Saturday, February 20. Playing on the themes of luck and abundance, this one-night-only experience spans seven courses that ring in the Year of the Horse in style. Available for $75 per person, with limited space for walk-ins, highlights include pork and prawn-stuffed tofu, Peking duck pancakes with plum sauce, and chicken congee with century egg and chilli. Lunar New Year at QV Melbourne There's no shortage of ways to celebrate LNY at QV Melbourne. Inspired by the best of Chinese takeaway, the Happy Horse Noodle Bar invites guests to step inside a giant noodle box, complete with tasty traditional dishes. Think the signature KL hokkien mee from Malaysian street food restaurant EatAlley, or spring rolls from Sichuan eatery Dainty Sichuan. Plus, QV is featuring a series of action-packed LNY performances from Monday, February 16–Tuesday, February 17 and Saturday, February 21–Sunday, February 22. Expect lion dances, dragon dances, and martial artists from the Chinese Masonic Society, ensuring an entertaining experience for the whole family. Lunar New Year Celebration at The Glen and Box Hill Central The festive spirit will be sky-high at The Glen and Box Hill Central, as a series of family-friendly experiences celebrate the colour and culture befitting the Year of the Horse. Get a glimpse of what lies ahead with horoscope readings, or give your hopes for the year the best chance of becoming a reality by hanging them on the wishing tree. Both shopping centres will also feature glowing art installations designed by Chinese-Australian artist Chrissy Lau, while a gold-coin feature symbolises prosperity, health and success. And for those heading along to Box Hill Central, a special Lantern Festival is happening from Friday, February 27–Wednesday, March 4. Lunar New Year High Tea at Dorsett Melbourne Pairing high tea with LNY celebrations, luxe CBD stay Dorsett Melbourne has teamed up with T6 Patisserie to deliver a different kind of Year of the Horse experience. Featuring a curated selection of sweet and savoury treats, both culinary teams have combined to bring an Asian-inspired twist to artisan French desserts. On the sweet end of the spectrum, expect mandarin and jasmine mousse, Cantonese-style mango pudding, and yuzu milk chocolate tart. For something savoury, it's all about pork char siu, roasted Peking duck wraps and mini tofu banh mi. At the same time, sip on jasmine green tea or explore a range of alcoholic beverages. Lunar New Year Banquet at Ministry of Crab Launched 15 years ago in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Ministry of Crab quickly rose to prominence, celebrating the country's legendary mud crab cuisine. Now, after multiple outposts spawned across Asia, Ministry of Crab has officially touched down with a brand-new Flinders Lane location, bringing a new edge to the historic Invicta House. For Lunar New Year, the acclaimed restaurant is serving abundance, flavour and celebration in droves, with three banquet options available from Monday, February 16–Sunday, February 22. Besides lobster rolls, chilli prawn noodles, and coconut creme brulee, guests can also add yee sang for an even more auspicious dining. Lunar New Year at Preston Market Preston Market: it's where culture, community and food come together all year round. But with the arrival of the Lunar New Year, the festivities are looking more vibrant than usual. On Sunday, February 8, the market is welcoming the Year of the Horse with a family-friendly celebration spanning traditional performances, live music, kids' activities, pop-up stalls and more. Running from 9am–2pm, the day kicks off with a Cai Shen stilt walker, followed by face changers, magicians and a captivating lion dance roaming through the space. Alongside store blessings, Qigong breathing sessions, stellar performances and the Chinese Melbourne Choir, kids can take part in a fan-decorating class. Plus, there are loads of delicious bites and sips. Top image: Yum Sing House.
Record Collectors Corner merged their stock with the late and great Missing Link in 2010, thus creating a megastore that caters for a diverse crowd. They get the latest imports from the USA and Europe, as well as supporting local musicians both popular and independent. Missing Link used to be well known for its punk and metal music, but now Record Collectors Corner covers everything from classic rock to psych, prog, indie, blues, jazz, hip hop, reggae, soul and funk.
This dough-fuelled Melbourne project has been baking in the oven for a while — and has now finally risen to perfection. Since Tuesday, October 17, ANTARA 128 is dishing out an array of tempting baked goods and woodfired plates to citygoers on Exhibition Street. While much has changed since news first dropped about the venue's arrival — with Head Chef Allan Doert-Eccles (ex-Gimlet, Embla and Lesa) now leading the charge alongside Head Baker Didiet Radityawan (ex-Vue de Monde, Cobb Lane, Penny for Pound and STREA) — what has not changed is the bakery and all-day eatery's commitment to a bountiful supply of baked goods and carefully crafted dishes that stray from tradition. The star-studded team behind ANTARA 128 also consists of baker Michael James (ex-Tivoli Road, Bourke St Bakery, Baker D. Chirico and MoVida) and Group Development Chef Joel Alderson (ex-Attica, Stellar, Paringa Estate and more). Thanks to Kerstin Thompson Architecture, the bakery's fitout takes a sophisticated approach, as centred around creating a viewing space for guests. The mezzanine features contemporary stone benches, plus a glass-front room where you can enjoy the baking process in full. As you wait, expect scenes of chefs and bakers preparing menu items, with some hitting the woodfired oven and others in the laminating stage. The accompanying eating house goes with elegant, earthy interiors paired with timber furniture, dark green drapery and high ceilings. ANTARA 128's menu — described as "Melbourne" by Doert-Eccles — stars artisan-crafted baked goods and produce-forward dishes that draw inspiration from its locality — but don't just do the usual. During the day, you'll stumble across a selection of seasonal viennoiseries alongside a rotating menu of varying bread loaves. The crowd favourite is the city loaf, which caters for one to two people and is made with local Victorian flours. Plus, there are also breakfast and brunch options to choose from, including several egg options, fruit-topped coconut yoghurt, and a vegetable plate paired with cheddar custard and braised onions — all of which showcase European-centric dishes with a modern Australian twist. For those dining at the all-day eatery, this theme continues. While a woodfired selection and wholefood goods feature heavily, each dish benefits from a ANTARA 128 twist. Take your pick from snacks like the anchovy twist with miso cheddar onion, and sides such as the sugarloaf cabbage with fermented cream and mushroom oil. Or, opt for heftier selections like the stone-ground conchiglie with roasted duck and a mushroom broth, or the slow-roasted and generously glazed wagyu short rib. To top it off, bakery staples make an appearance on the eatery's menu. Sourdough in particular features creatively — infused into the ice cream paired with the woodroasted apple tart, for instance — and is also used to thicken sauces and in miso. Find ANTARA 128 at 128 Exhibition Street, Melbourne — with the bakery open from 8am–2pm Sunday–Monday, 7.30am–5.30pm Tuesday–Friday and 8am–5.30pm Saturdays, and restaurant breakfast service from 7.30am–11am Tuesday–Saturday, lunch from 12–3pm Tuesday–Saturday and dinner from 5.30–10pm Tuesday–Saturday. Images: Chris McConville and Haydn Cattach.
Acclaim, awards, and Josh and Julie Niland all go hand in hand. The Sydney duo have been winning fans locally since 2016, when they opened Saint Peter, and the praise has kept flowing and growing from there. Josh's applauded The Whole Fish Cookbook earned him the prestigious James Beard Book of the Year Award back in 2020, becoming the first Australian to ever take out the prize. Earlier in 2022, he was the only Australian chef to feature in The Best Chefs Awards for 2022 — aka the list of the top 100 best globally — too. Now, with Julie, another gong has come the Nilands' way: the Game Changer Award from France's La Liste. La Liste is known for picking the best 1000 restaurants in the world annually, and it has also just done exactly that for 2023. But it gives out awards as well, with its latest round handed out on the evening of Monday, November 28 in Paris. That's where Josh and Julie earned some love for their approach to seafood, and the businesses that've sprang from their efforts. [caption id="attachment_771911" align="alignnone" width="1920"] by Rob Palmer, from Josh Niland's The Whole Fish Cookbook[/caption] "Australian chef Josh Niland, whose wife Julie runs his ever evolving Sydney business, has changed the way chefs use fish all over the world with his zero-waste 'fish butchery' approach," La Liste notes in its explanation for its 2023 Game Changer pick. "His methods seemed radical when he started talking about them, but make sense — use the whole fish, from fin-to-gill, as we do nose-to-tail with animals. Age and cure fish. Don't forget the offal. As many chefs lack the knowledge to do this, he shares his ideas in two cookbooks, The Whole Fish and Take One Fish," the statement continues. [caption id="attachment_878784" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rob Palmer[/caption] Clearly, Sydneysiders will be familiar with the Nilands courtesy of Saint Peter, and also thanks to Fish Butchery since 2018 — with the latter now in both Paddington and Waterloo — plus sustainable fish and chip shop Charcoal Fish in Rose Bay. They have more venues in the works, with Saint Peter moving into The Grand National Hotel, the Nilands taking over the whole place, and new 60-seat restaurant and bar Petermen coming to St Leonards, all in 2023. The Nilands' La Liste prize saw them earn international recognition alongside fellow Aussie chefs James Henry and Shaun Kelly, who scored one of the Hidden Gems awards for Le Doyenné in Saint-Vrain in France. Also picking up a win among the global recipients: Michel Guérard, who nabbed a special Award of Honour; Chika Tillman from New York's ChikaLicious Dessert Bar, who received the Top Pastry Chef Award; and Yotam Ottolenghi for championing the Mediterranean region, which scored him the New Destination Champion Award. Plus, Italy's Niko Romito was given the Innovation Award, France's Yannick Alléno the Community Spirit prize, and Brazil's Manoella Buffara took home the Ethical and Sustainability Award. Among La Liste 2023's 1000 restaurants, Saint Peter obviously featured, as did a nice lineup of other Australian spots. In Sydney, Oncore by Clare Smyth, Quay, Tetsuya's, Bentley Restaurant and Bar, Bennelong, Ormeggio at The Spit, and Rockpool Bar and Grill made the list, while Melbourne's inclusions span Vue de Monde, Attica, Cutler and Co, Minamishina, Lume, Grossi Florentino Upstairs and Flower Drum. In regional Victoria, Brae, Lake House and Provenance got the nod, as did Penfolds Magill Estate in Adelaide. [caption id="attachment_690417" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brae[/caption] For La Liste's full list of awards, and best restaurants, head to the guide's website. Top image: Rob Palmer.
Few festivals in Australia have the energy and dynamism of Next Wave. Even though it has just hit 30 years of age, the festival is still bouncing around in fluoro lycra, staying out in galleries all night, and finding the best emerging artists from home and abroad. This year Next Wave boasts a lineup of 239 artists over a month-long program in locations all across the city. And, with a real life fight club and a yoga dance party, the work on show is unlikely to disappoint. Themed 'New Grand Narrative', festival director Emily Sexton defines this year's offering as "a rallying call". "Many institutions that operated throughout the 20th century are cracking," she says. "These institutions have deep, deep flaws, and in this time of transition – to what, we don't know – we offer this festival and these artists, as a series of potent visions for a new world, and the relationships within it." Accordingly, much of the work on show is concerned with outsider stories. From the festival's keynote initiative Blak Wave to a puberty-themed games arcade made by transgender artist Jackson Fydim Stacy — Next Wave tackles the big issues with thoughtful detail and a little bit of a cheeky grin. The Testosterdome Puberty is a time of our lives often wilfully forgotten. The hormones, the hair, the social awkwardness and general awfulness... the mental scars rival the ones left over from our acne. But with this work, Sydney artist Jackson Fydim Stacy asks us to reexamine the maligned rite of passage in the best way possible. In the simplest terms, Testosterdome is a puberty-themed video games arcade. Instead of Dance Dance Revolution, Stacy gives us Sad Boy Hoop Shooter — a game in which we "slam dunk our repressed emotions"; the obligatory race-car game is transformed to a way of chasing girls. All of this does however come with a message. Stacy is a queer transgender artist who described the process of coming out and taking hormones a kind of "second puberty" — a complex time of transition that's not as easy to forget as teenage wet dreams. Fort Delta, May 1 - 11, Free Article 14.1 Next Wave Director, Emily Sexton, once described this artist's work as having an "eloquent politics", and this latest offering is no exception. From March 1 - 11, Phuong Ngo will be living in plain sight at No Vacancy Gallery with the same rations his parents had on their 10-day boat journey to Australia in 1981. In an act with obvious but important political implications, Ngo invites audience members to sit with him during the work and fold origami boats out of bank notes while listening to narrative recordings of other Vietnamese refugees. On the final night these boats will be burned in a huge, ritualistic fire. No Vacancy Gallery, May 1 - 11, free A Wake: Kids Killing Kids This show is a bit of an anomaly. In 2011, four young Australian writers travelled to Manila to collaborate with local artists from the Sipat Lawin Ensemble on an adaptation of the famous novel Battle Royale. The show attracted huge crowds as each performance birthed a cultish and worrying following. Then the writers decided to translate their experience to the stage in last year's Fringe hit Kids Killing Kids. This new show will tell the same story from the perspective of their Filipino collaborators. Is it overkill (for lack of a better word)? Time will tell. Either way, this is what it looks like when theatre-makers go full-on Inception. Arts House, May 1 -4; 7-11, $18 - $23 Maximum This latest work from Natalie Abbott is all about extremes. Big and small, toned and flabby — for something so diverse, it's nothing short of amazing that our bodies all operate in much the same way. In Maximum, Abbott is set to explore these differences and push them into the extreme. Joined on stage by a bulky male body-builder, this small lithe dancer will investigate the universal nature of the body and test its limits via the oh-so-gruelling medium of physical movement. Featuring dance, posing, lifts and even fake tan, Maximum seems more like a durational live art piece than a formal show. This is exacerbated by the fact it has nearly 10 performances in under two weeks. Yikes. Our muscles are hurting already (but we can't wait to see the results). Arts House, May 1 - 4; 7 - 11, $18 - $23 The Blaktism Part of Next Wave's Blak Wave program, this work by Megan Cope tells the true story of the artist obtaining her 'Certificate of Aboriginality' and the concerns which this process raised. "After discussing with an Elder about the procedure, the thought of being legitimately certified suddenly cast a dark shadow of doubt across my mind and left me wondering if I was Aboriginal enough," said the artist. This seven-minute film screening daily at Screen Space expounds that journey through satire and wit, and questions the relevance of such bureaucracy. Through caricatures of Australian racism and tradition, Cope interrogates the frameworks of power and assimilation that still lay in place today. Screen Space, May 1 - 14, free Deep Soulful Sweats Ever thought your yoga class would be more entertaining if there was some good dance music cranking? Maybe you've been dissatisfied with a night clubbing because you felt disconnected from your chakras? Either way, this yoga class come dance party has all your unspoken prayers answered. That's right — it's a yoga dance party. Punters are advised to come dressed in lycra, stretch valour and the same colour clothing as your star sign (just go with it), and all other instructions will be given at the door. Though no yoga or dance experience is necessary, participants should be willing to let loose in the LED mayhem. After all, what is a yoga dance party if not the perfect place to relax? Northcote Town Hall, April 24, $15 Can We Please Play the Internet? New media artworks about "the internet" and "the Facebook" and the "total lack of privacy in our networked society leading to a enormous cultural and artistic shift in our generation" can often be a bit naff. Everything always leads to Skynet references and inevitable doomsday predictions. What's refreshing about this show is its light tone. Can We Play the Internet is a joint exhibition at West Space featuring the work of Janine DeFeo & Paul Zaba (pictured), Andrea Buren & Eleonora Sovrani, Angus Tarnawsky & Nathan Liow and Ilya Milstein. If you've ever wanted to see Google Image search results printed and mounted on all four walls of a white room, this is the show for you. West Space, April 11 - May 11, free Smell You Later The best thing about these festivals is that art pops up all over the place. A drink with friends at the festival club can easily turn into a makeshift audience for a roaming performer; at the Fringe club I was even pulled into a closet for an intimate one-on-one performance. But Next Wave is going one step further and taking art to the corridors, stairwells and lobbies of venues all over the city — furthermore, it's art you can't even see. From May 1 - 11, artists will be hiding distinctive aroma diffusers around their shows, capitalising on the strong link between scent and memory. Two weeks after your festival experience you'll smell an apple and cinnamon pie and suddenly feel compelled to talk about a particular artwork. Magic! Various loactions, May 1 -11, free Altertruism Technology, hedonism, and performance seem like the making of a great party, but the work of Brisbane collective Golden Solution is a little more complex than that. From May 2 - 10, Michael Candy, Kiah Reading and Andrew McLellan will be confronting their audience with some particularly trying social experiments. Hosting Shower Party at Goodtime Studios on May 2, the group have crafted a system where guests can serve themselves cocktails, but each drink adjusts the correspondent water level in a giant martini-shaped goldfish tank. To induce further guilt, both the lighting and music are also controlled via motion detectors in the tank. Other happenings include a drones hovering over your head at BUS Projects, and a public symposium "for the future automation of our civil life". Goodtime Studios, May 2 - 10, free The Club 3.0 This is a real life fight club. I repeat: a real life fight club. The work is brought to us by one of the festival's few international commissions — Dutch collective, New Heroes — and it looks to be every bit as gritty, dark and political as both the seminal 1996 Palahniuk novel and subsequent David Fincher film. "This is not a play," the event reads. "It's a fight club in which people can fight, talk, blow up ideas and rebuild them again. This is a club where you search for your role in society." Covering topics as dense and diverse as climate change, asylum seekers and the economic crisis, New Heroes will be calling upon willing audience members to let out frustration via their fists. But don't worry — although we may have just broken the first rule — if this is your first time at fight club, you don't have to fight. Arts House May 1 - 4 & 7 -11, $18 - $23 For a full program of events including ticketing information, check the Next Wave website.
Seven First Nations artists have been celebrated at the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards on Friday, August 7. Held for the first time in a special live-streamed virtual ceremony, this year's Telstra NATSIAA was presented by journalist and Gamilaroi woman Brooke Boney, who announced the winners across several categories, each with a cash prize. The artists were chosen from a suite of 65 finalists by this year's judging panel: Director of Injalak Arts Donna Nadjamerrek, Darwin-based visual artist Karen Mills, and Curator of Araluen Arts Centre Stephen Williamson. Each artist represents a different community, and they've shared stories of their land, the sea, their history, creation and healing through a variety of styles and mediums, highlighting the enormous and diverse talent of Indigenous artists from across the nation. You can see all the finalists' works in this year's Telstra NATSIAA via the virtual exhibition, and you can also sling a vote for your favourite artwork online in the Telstra People's Choice Award. Check out the seven winners from this year's awards, below. NGARRALJA TOMMY MAY Winner of the Telstra Art Award 2020 — prize $50,000 Wangkajunga/Walmajarri man Ngarralja Tommy May has been awarded this year's major prize in the Telstra NATSIAA. The piece, titled 'Wirrkanja' (2020), depicts flood time on the artist's country in the Great Sandy Desert. The now Fitzroy Crossing-based artist has been pioneering his unique style in a career spanning three decades; this year's judging panel noted 'Wirrkanja' shows May at his peak with a work that displays "exquisite beauty and power". May says his work shows a place significant to him; "It's the country where I lost my brother, it's jilji (sand dune) and flat country. There's a jila (living spring waterhole). It's not far from Kurtal, over two sand dunes. In flood time, the water runs down the jilji (sand dunes). This is my country and my family's country. This is my job, it's a good job." JENNA LEE Winner of the Wandjuk Marika 3D Memorial Award (sponsored by Telstra) — prize $5,000 Larrakia/Wardaman/Karajarri artist Jenna Lee lives in Brisbane. Her entry artwork was created in response to the 250-year anniversary of Lieutenant James Cook's arrival at Botany Bay, marked this year. 'HIStory Vessels' is a reconstruction of the cover of a Ladybird History Book, The Adventures of Captain Cook. The interdisciplinary artist was inspired to create the artwork during an artist residency in the UK, to reclaim the omnipresent, white, patriarchal narrative of Cook and its impact on First Nations stories. She says, "I aim to take this narrative and reconstruct it as a story of personal and cultural resilience, beauty and strength." CECILIA UMBAGAI Winner of the Telstra Emerging Artist Award — prize $5,000 Painting on bark that was harvested from her country in the West Kimberley region, young Worrorra woman Cecilia Umbagai says she likes to use traditional materials to create her contemporary depictions of Wandjina Wunggund law, the dreaming stories of her people. The artist usually works across several mediums including acrylic on canvas and photography, and she only started working with bark in 2019. The artist says she loves the texture of the bark with its "curves and irregularities". Using earth pigments on stringybark, Umbagai's winning entry 'Yoogu' is based on traditional cave drawings of the Wandjina spirit of the boab tree, a story she remembers being told as a child. SIENA MAYUTU WURMARRI STUBBS Winner of the Telstra Multimedia Award — prize $5,000 The youngest finalist in this year's Telstra NATSIAA is 18-year-old artist Siena Mayutu Wurmarri Stubbs. The winning artwork is a poem and film inspired by a school trip in 2019. Shinkansen was made on the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Nagoya to Kyoto in Japan. The Yolŋu Matha woman has grown up surrounded by her culture, family and Yolŋu lore, which she explores in all of her artistic endeavours. In such a short career the artist and filmmaker has already won multiple awards for her non-fiction, and curators remark that her work conveys a maturity beyond her years. ADRIAN JANGALA ROBERTSON Winner of the Telstra General Painting Award — prize $5,000 In his artworks, Alice Springs-based Warlpiri artist Adrian Jangala Robertson often refers to his mother's country, Yalpirakinu. Revering the ridges, trees and desert mountains that make up the landscape, Robertson's painting style is described as being loaded with energy and drama. Born in Papunya in 1962, Robertson witnessed the emergence of the Western Desert painting movement, which informs his style to this day. Typically using a minimal range of colour, the widely respected landscape artist injects character and movement into his work with brushstrokes that he says are his connection to his country and "loaded with memories". His winning artwork is a synthetic polymer paint on canvas titled 'Yalpirakinu' (2020). MARRNYULA MUNUŊGURR Winner of the Telstra Bark Painting Award — prize $5,000 Coming from a lineage of prolific and award-winning bark painters, Yirrkala-based Munuŋgurr, of Djapu and Balamumu clans, has carried on the tradition of her family in her creation of ground-breaking bark installations. The artist grew up assisting both of her parents with their own bark work, and in particular her father Djutjadjutja with his sacred Djapu paintings that also won him the Bark Painting Award in the 1997 NATSIAA. For this year's award, Marrnyula created a cross hatching grid pattern — a sacred design for the freshwaters of the Djapu clan at the clan's homeland of Waṉḏawuy. Unlike her other well known artworks in which the artist creates large-scale installations using hundreds of small pieces of bark, this time the artist has chosen to create the same effect on just one piece of bark. The winning stringybark is titled 'Muṉguymirri' (2020), which means 'in small pieces'. ILUWANTI KEN Winner of the Telstra Works on Paper Award — prize $5,000 Pitjantjatjara artist Iluwanti Ken, who is from Watarru and now based in Rocket Bore community in the NT, says birds have lessons for Anangu women about how to hunt and how to care for one's children. A highly respected ngangkari (traditional healer) and a skilled tjanpi (grass sculpture) weaver, Ken is mostly known for depictions of hunting eagles. Ken's winning ink on paper entry, 'Walawulu ngunytju kukaku ananyi (Mother eagles going hunting)', tells the story of female adult eagles hunting for food and bringing it back to feed their babies. The artist says birds are like Anangu mothers in that they protect their babies from outside dangers. Take a look at the virtual gallery and vote for your favourite artwork in the 2020 Telstra NATSIAA People's Choice Award. Top image: Njarralja Tommy May by Damian Kelly.
When tired old Dymocks just won't cut it for that special someone with wild bookish tastes, look no further than the quaint shelves at Perimeter. Browsing this bookshop and art space is a delight — as well as breathing in the aroma of paperbacks, you'll enjoy running your fingers over the stacks of independent small press books from international and local publications on art, photography, design and architecture.
From atop South Yarra's Goldfields House, Beverly soars above the Chapel Street precinct from the 24th floor. Yet those hoping to soak up the 270-degree views in recent times might have been surprised to see the venue shut: unexpected water damage saw the venue close its doors in March. But putting a bad time to good use, the venue has quietly reinvented itself with new menus and experiences alongside a limited-time activation, Late Night Tales. Just in time for Beverly's second birthday, the venue's relaunch offers elevated yet easygoing lunch services, post-work DJ sessions and new function packages with unbeatable views. But it's the Late Night Tales sessions — held Thursday through Sunday from 9.30pm until the end of July — that are bound to attract attention. Here, guests choose a crafted cocktail and a handmade dessert for $45 per person. Perfect for the cold season, these cocktails go above and beyond. The indulgent Banoffee Bonfire features burnt butter-washed rum, banana liqueur and miso caramel, while the Cognac Cacao presents a luxe hot chocolate with a French twist. Adding to the cosiness, the menu also offers a winter-warming Gingerbread Amaretto and an Irish Coffee, brimming with refined espresso notes and a soft bourbon undercurrent. Each complements the venue's new dessert lineup, which includes treats like a Maya brownie with tequila-glazed pineapple, or the Mont Blanc with meringue and crumbly hazelnut streusel. "With Late Night Tales, we wanted to provide Melburnians with a luxurious respite from the cold and the opportunity to make the most of our vibrant city even as temperatures drop," says Beverly Co-Founder and Director Cameron Northway. The daytime dining menu has also received a makeover following Beverly's reopening. Head Chef David Ball's à la carte offering builds upon the venue's modern Australian cuisine, served with subtle Southern Californian flair. New dishes to sample include a prawn dog inspired by Ball's travels to Los Angeles and a bluefin tuna crudo, finished with bright winter citrus, black olives and pollen. "I see Beverly as a tree putting down roots," says Ball. "The more established she becomes, the further those roots grow. We're on an ever-expanding journey of progression, and capitalised on our temporary closure as an opportunity to really reflect and curate an approachable, produce-forward menu that's fitting for Beverly as she enters her third year." Beverly is open Monday from 4pm–late and Tuesday–Sunday from 12pm–late at Level 24, 627 Chapel Street, South Yarra. Head to the website for more information.
While Premier Daniel Andrews has told Melburnians to keep working from home if they can, not everyone is lucky enough to be able to work remotely. For those who can't — and want to avoid spending too long on public transport — there's a new affordable solution: $5 all-day parking. For June and July, The District Docklands is charging just $5 per day, seven days a week. If you only need to pop in to do a chore or two, it's also offering 90 minutes of free parking — which is particularly nifty now that City of Melbourne's parking inspectors have resumed handing out all fines from May 11. As The District Docklands is located just outside of the CBD, near Marvel Stadium, you will need to walk about 30 minutes to your workplace (depending where it's located) or jump on the City Circle, 70 or 86 tram on Docklands Drive. As it's part of the Free Tram Zone, you won't need to pay a cent, either. The reduced parking fees will only be in place for a limited time, so check the website before heading in. For more information about parking at The District Docklands, head to the website.
Two months, five new Wes Anderson films: that's the maths Down Under in 2023. Asteroid City reached cinemas in August, and September will bring not one, two or three but four brand-new shorts directed by the symmetry-adoring director. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar had already been announced, and it now has fellow Roald Dahl-based company. Netflix is bringing the 39-minute The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar to streaming on Wednesday, September 27, following its recent world-premiere slot out of competition at the Venice Film Festival. So, viewers at home get to see the flick in mere weeks after its big-screen debut. The day after it arrives, The Swan will also drop on Netflix on Thursday, September 28. Next comes The Ratcatcher on Friday, September 29. And, Poison will wrap up this Anderson-meets-Dahl frenzy on Saturday, September 30. All four shorts not only stem from Dahl's pen originally, but cycle through a few core cast members — all of which play multiple roles. Stepping in front of the camera for Anderson: Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), Dev Patel (The Green Knight), Ben Kingsley (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Richard Ayoade (The Souvenir: Part II) and Rupert Friend (Asteroid City). In glorious news for The Grand Budapest Hotel fans, Ralph Fiennes (The Menu) also reteams with the director. Fingers crossed for more line readings that are so completely perfect that they're unforgettable. Now, the stories. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar comes from one of the seven tales in Dahl's 1977 book The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More, telling of a wealthy man who is so fond of wagering that he comes up with a crafty plan. After discovering a guru who can see without using his eyes, he decides to learn to the same to cheat while having a bet. Running for 17 minutes, The Swan also takes inspiration from a tale in the same book, this time about a small and smart boy being bullied. Clocking in at 17 minutes as well, The Ratcatcher adapts a lesser-known story of the same name — not from the same text this time — which is unsurprisingly about a rodent exterminator. And, running for the same duration, Poison dates back to 1950, focusing on a man finding a venomous snake. In 1958, the same tale was adapted for TV by none other than Alfred Hitchcock, in an episode of anthology series Alfred Hitchcock Presents. All up, that's 90 minutes of new Anderson work that'll be ready to stream by the time that September is out. If you watch them all together rather than day by day, it's basically an anthology feature. There's no trailer yet for The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, The Swan, The Ratcatcher or Poison, but you can enjoy the Asteroid City and The Grand Budapest Hotel clips instead in the interim: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar will be available to stream via Netflix from Wednesday, September 27. The Swan arrives on Thursday, September 28, then The Ratcatcher on Friday, September 29 and Poison on Saturday, September 30. Images: courtesy of Netflix.
In Stay of the Week, we explore some of the world's best and most unique accommodations — giving you a little inspiration for your next trip. In this instalment, we take you to Monte Pacis in Lithuania, an outrageously grand monastery that's been partly transformed into a luxury hotel. If you're planning a big European getaway this summer, think about spending a few nights here. WHAT'S SO SPECIAL? It's a 17th century monastery located on a gorgeous lagoon surrounded by nature — need we say more? THE ROOMS The 13 rooms and apartments at Monte Pacis are decorated in baroque style, each complete with a minibar and private bathroom. Large canopy beds sit in rooms with double-vaulted ceilings and chandeliers dripping from large wooden beams. Ornately decorated and grand in scale, it feels more like a royal castle than the home of monks. And with so few people staying here at one time, you are almost guaranteed peace and quiet. FOOD AND DRINK The restaurant at Monte Pacis is known as one of the very best places to eat in the Baltics. It offers a four- or six-course tasting menu that changes seasonally (notably, much of the produce comes from the monastery grounds). Head chef Raimundas Dambrauskas is known for creating challenging dishes that rival Michelin-starred restaurants. On the booze front? The team has won awards for the extensive wine list, with some wines coming from other monasteries in the region. Be sure to add the (very) reasonably priced wine pairings onto your tasting menu experience. THE LOCAL AREA The hotel sits on the bank of Lithuania's Kaunas Lagoon, where you can swim and sail during summer and take wintery walks in the colder months — you might even be able to walk across some of the frozen parts. If that sounds too risky, you can simply stick to some of the many hiking trails that wind around the protected forests. The local city of Kaunas must be explored too. In 2022, it was named the European Capital of Culture thanks to the abundance of galleries, festivals and dining venues. There's stacks going on in this little known city — both ancient and modern. Next time you go gallivanting around Europe, be sure to add Lithuania to your list of must-visit countries. THE EXTRAS When staying at Monte Pacis, you are surrounded by history and tradition. That's why it's imperative you take a tour of the monastery and its grounds — seeing how monks, both past and present, use the space while marvelling at all the baroque artworks. The hotel's residents even have access to the historical literature library and spiritual literature room. Either attempt to read something from the shelves or bring your own book to enjoy within the staggering space. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world.
UPDATE Thursday, June 29: Ocean Alley have now been announced as the replacement for Lewis Capaldi. Find the full 2023 Splendour in the Grass lineup and set times at the festival website. Splendour in the Grass is just weeks away from its 2023 festival, and two new artists have just been added to the lineup, with one more major announcement still set to come. Danny Brown and Thelma Plum have both joined the bill as replacements for Slowthai and Rainbow Kitten Surprise. Plus, Splendour has confirmed that a replacement for Lewis Capaldi is coming, after the Scottish singer-songwriter advised that he would be taking a break from touring to focus on his health. Eccentric US rapper Danny Brown will join the lineup as an Australian exclusive, playing his first Australian show in over five years. He'll head up the Mix Up Stage on the Friday night, bringing his catalogue of experimental rap hits including his highly acclaimed recent collaborative project SCARING THE HOES with Jpegmafia (who you can catch at this year's Listen Out). Thelma Plum also joins the lineup of musicians that'll will arrive at North Byron Parklands from Friday, July 21–Sunday, July 23, alongside the likes of Lizzo, Flume, Mumford & Sons and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs — the latter of which were slated to headline 2022's Splendour in the Grass lineup, but cancelled in the leadup. Plum was a highlight of the festival back in 2019, and was also scheduled to play at the 2020 edition before it was cancelled due to the pandemic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YgxQlS2054 Along with the new acts, the annual winter event has also just unveiled its set times and maps, so you can start planning your weekend and prepare for set clashes if you've nabbed tickets. The schedule reveals an hour-long gap on the Amphitheatre stage between Ruel and J Balvin where festivalgoers can expect Capaldi's replacement to pop up. Just last week, Splendour added a heap of new talent to the weekend, including powerhouse Russian punk group Pussy Riot and a heap of names for its Forum, Science Tent, Comedy Club and Forum Live Podcasts programs. These additions included a talk with Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova, everyone's favourite ex-AFL player-turned-sports newsreader Tony Armstrong, The Betoota Advocate, Dr Karl, Brooke Boney, and comedians such as Deadloch star Nina Oyama and Michael Hing. [caption id="attachment_907565" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Stephen Booth[/caption] SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS 2023 MUSIC LINEUP: Danny Brown (Australian exclusive) Thelma Plum Ocean Alley Joining Lizzo Flume (Australian exclusive: ten years of Flume) Mumford & Sons (Australian exclusive) Yeah Yeah Yeahs Hilltop Hoods J Balvin Sam Fender Idles Little Simz Tove Lo 100 Gecs (Australian exclusive) Arlo Parks Ball Park Music Iann Dior King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard 070 Shake Pussy Riot Pnau Ruel Loyle Carner Benee Marlon Williams Hooligan Hefs Peach PRC Palace Dune Rats Tkay Maidza Noah Cyrus Skegss Sudan Archives Cub Sport Meg Mac X Club. Claire Rosinkranz Jack River The Smith Street Band Lastlings Jeremy Zucker Young Franco Sly Withers MAY-A The Vanns Telenova Vallis Alps Jamesjamesjames Kaycyy RVG Teenage Dads Balming Tiger Automatic Harvey Sutherland Gali Del Water Gap Royel Otis Shag Rock Big Wett Mia Wray Memphis LK Gold Fang Milku Sumner Forest Claudette Full Flower Moon Band William Crighton Hellcat Speedracer Triple J Unearthed Winners Mix Up DJs: Tseba Crybaby Latifa Tee Foura Caucasianopportunities Luen Mowgli DJ Macaroni Crescendoll Splendour in the Grass will take over North Byron Bay Parklands from Friday, July 21–Sunday, July 23, 2023 — head to the festival website for further details and tickets.
"On a bitter, cold Christmas eve, one dark soul is selected for redemption by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and yet to come". So starts the narration for the trailer for new festive flick Spirited — and so starts another new take on A Christmas Carol, too. But this adaptation and updating of Charles Dickens' well-known tale has a few things that most others don't, plus a twist. First, there's tunes, because this movie is a musical, complete with plenty of big song-and-dance scenes in the just-dropped sneak peek. Also, it features Will Ferrell (The Shrink Next Door) and Ryan Reynolds (The Adam Project) leading the show. (Yes, you now have another Ferrell movie to add to your Elf-led festive binge.) Reynolds yet again plays 'ordinary guy that something unusual happens to'. Actually, he plays Clint Briggs — but thanks to films like Free Guy and The Change-Up, he has slipped into this kind of part before. Here, he's the "level-20 pain in the Dickens" who is selected by the Ghost of Christmas Present (Ferrell) to get a haunting visit, to hopefully spark him to reform his ways. As brought to the screen and stage countless times, transforming from curmudgeonly to compassionate is the aim of this spirited intervention, which also features Octavia Spencer (The Witches) as Clint's boss — and someone that the Ghost of Christmas Present is quite fond of. The twist with Spirited, other than the songs? The film unfurls A Christmas Carol's narrative from the perspective of the ghosts. Writer/director Sean Anders and his co-scribe John Morris say "bah humbug!" to the regular version of the story, clearly, with the pair reteaming after Instant Family, the Daddy's Home movies and Horrible Bosses 2 — and reuniting with Ferrell after Daddy's Home franchise as well. Apple TV+ will stream the end result, releasing Spirited on Friday, November 18, and adding it to the 'films based on A Christmas Carol' subgenre alongside everything from Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and Scrooged. Check out the trailer for Spirited below: Spirited will be available to stream via Apple TV+ from Friday, November 18.
Back in 2019, the thought of spending August in Melbourne doing anything other than sitting in a darkened room watching movie after movie would've sounded like flat-out cinephile blasphemy. Thankfully, after two pandemic-affected years that put Melbourne International Film Festival's in-person plans on hold not once but twice, that idea won't be a reality in 2022. Yes, the city's major cinema celebration is back in its best guise this year — and it'll have you making grooves in your favourite ACMI, The Capitol, Forum, Hoyts Melbourne Central, IMAX, Kino Cinema and Cinema Nova seats again. You'd better stock up on healthy mid-film snacks now, given you'll soon have a massive 371 features, shorts and extended-reality titles to watch. You'd best start training for all that time spent sitting down, too. Hitting cinemas for the first time in three years after pivoting online in 2020 and 2021 out of lockdown-fuelled necessity, MIFF is returning to Melbourne's picture palaces with a bang between Thursday, August 4–Sunday, August 21. That's already been obvious since back in June, when the fest unveiled its first 33 flicks for this year, its 70th event — and the full 2022 lineup proves that accurate again. Among the highlights, MIFF will boast the Australian premiere of The Stranger, a true-crime thriller starring Joel Edgerton (Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Sean Harris (Spencer), as directed by Acute Misfortune's Thomas M Wright; the local debut of Aftersun, another straight-from-Cannes pick led by Normal People's Paul Mescal; a big session of Three Thousand Years of Longing, the Tilda Swinton (Memoria)- and Idris Elba (The Harder They Fall)-starring latest from Mad Max: Fury Road's George Miller; and also David Cronenberg's Crimes of the Future, the iconic filmmaker's first feature since 2014's Maps to the Stars. Also massive: the Aussie premiere of documentary Moonage Daydream. As the title instantly makes plain to fans of David Bowie, it's all about the music icon, with Cobain: Montage of Heck and Jane filmmaker Brett Morgen creating a collage that steps through the singer's life using restored and never-before-seen footage. Or, there's also Decision to Leave, a noir romance that saw Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook (Stoker, Oldboy) win Cannes' Best Director gong — and documentaries by Ethan Coen (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs), making his solo directing debut by surveying Jerry Lee Lewis; and Luca Guadagnino (Call Me by Your Name), about shoe designer Salvatore Ferragamo. In 2022, MIFF is debuting a new competition, too, which'll boast a $140,000 Best Film Award. Called Bright Horizons, it'll feature 11 movies vying for the prize — including the aforementioned The Stranger and Aftersun, Mexican drug trade drama Robe of Gems, cyber-musical Neptune Frost, Sundance Special Jury Award-winner Leonor Will Never Die, and Aussie filmmaker Alena Lodkina's (Strange Colours) second feature Petrol. The list of MIFF highlights also covers Palme d'Or winner Triangle of Sadness, which satirises the mega rich, is directed by Force Majeure's Ruben Östlund, and marks his second Palme win after The Square; and Broker, the latest from acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda, who won the Palme d'Or back in 2018 with the sublime Shoplifters. This time, the latter has made a movie in Korea — his first Korean-language film, in fact, starring Parasite's Song Kang-ho, who won Cannes' Best Actor Award — with Broker again exploring the ties that bind and the connections of family. MIFF's genre selection is always a treat, and 2022 is no different. That's where you'll find standouts such as Bodies Bodies Bodies, the A24 horror-comedy starring Rachel Sennott, Amandla Stenberg and Pete Davidson; Canberra-shot social media-skewering delight Sissy; and Something in the Dirt, the latest mind-bender directed by and starring Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (The Endless). The fest is also dedicating its filmmaker retrospectives to Hungarian auteur Márta Mészáros and French-Bosnian writer/director Lucile Hadžihalilović — and, there's also opening night's coming-of-age feature Of an Age, a Hear My Eyes session of Chopper, the Aubrey Plaza (Best Sellers)-starring thriller Emily the Criminal, and horror-comedy Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon from A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night's Ana Lily Amirpour.
This modern Melbourne izakaya takes both its name and its culinary inspiration from bincho-tan – a top-quality white charcoal traditionally used in Japanese cooking. Bincho Boss has landed on Little Bourke Street, and it's teaming contemporary Japanese flavours with seasonal Aussie ingredients. Here, much of the menu is brought to life by the kitchen's konro grill, promising big flavours and plenty of heady aromas. A modern, neon-splashed space is the backdrop for fun, casual dining, for both lunch and dinner. Sure-fire hits include salt-crusted, charcoal-grilled wagyu beef matched with soy wasabi ($36), a two-person turkey hot pot starring meatballs in an aromatic broth ($26), and a pan-fried udon loaded with scallops, calamari and prawn ($18.50). Fresh, house-made tofu is reminiscent of the kind you'll find in Tokyo ($7), while a signature dessert teams espresso-flavoured creme caramel with a rich chestnut sauce. You can grab the seven-course 'bincho' set menu for $55, or drop $85 each to settle in with ten courses of 'The Boss'. In true izakaya style, the drinks offering has a little something for everyone, featuring imported brews, Asahi on tap, a largely local wine list and a strong selection of sake, including the smooth, umami-rich Kiku-Masamune koujo junmai-shu ($15.50). Meanwhile, a crafty cocktail list will see you sipping on clever concoctions like the Shimanchu Fizz blend of black sugar umeshu, grapefruit and prosecco ($17).
A cup of tea can't soothe all ills, solve any traumas of the past or smooth over centuries of systemic oppression; however, it is how the biggest New Zealand film of 2022 started to spring to fruition. That movie is Muru, writer/director Tearepa Kahi's (Poi E: The Story of Our Song, Mt Zion) take on the treatment of Aotearoa's Tūhoe community by the NZ government and law enforcement. It spins a story easily tied to one event, the October 2007 armed police raids of Rūātoki that were carried out under terrorism laws — acting on supposed suspicion of paramilitary training camps in the Urewera mountain range — but it gleans inspiration from multiple incidents that've blighted the country's history. "This film is not a recreation… it is a response," Muru tells its audience at the outset. That's an important statement. Kahi's approach is to work through the raids — and to draw upon the police shooting of Steven Wallace in Waitara in 2000, and from the arrest of Rua Kēnana in Maungapōhatu in 1916 — to offer a reply that might just prevent such horrors from recurring in the future. His feature lays bare how the community was impacted when police stormed in 15 years ago, and the distress it brought. An emotional film as well as an action-packed one, Muru doesn't hold back, whether it's confronting generations of prejudice, reckoning with its consequences or depicting what that kind of experience is like in shattering detail. When the cups of teas behind Muru began being poured, Kahi wasn't the only one doing the sipping. Also at the table: Tāme Iti, who was one of 18 people arrested during the 2007 raids. His off-screen input was always going to be crucial; his on-screen presence is as well. The activist and Rūātoki local plays himself in the film opposite fellow tea-drinker and NZ actor Cliff Curtis (Reminiscence), with Kahi bringing two famed Aotearoans together for a pivotal cause. Passion radiates from the end result: passion to tell this tale, to do it justice, to reflect the community's ordeal and to make a difference. It's no wonder that Muru has not only resonated on home soil, including opening the 2022 New Zealand International Film Festival midyear and its local box-office success, but also travelled further afield. Berths at the Toronto and Busan film fests, a cinema release in Australia, earning the Asia Pacific Screen Awards' Cultural Diversity Award: they've all followed. As Muru continues to share its story in NZ, in Australia and beyond, we spoke with Kahi and Iti about making a feature that history demanded, those cups of teas, the responsibilities of a film like this and more. ON DECIDING TO MAKE A FILM THAT RESPONDS TO THE TŪHOE RAIDS Tearepa: "Our first cup of tea together was in 2018, but my father and Papa Tāme, and my father-in-law and Papa Tāme, are friends, so the relationship predates 2018. You could almost say 'where did this film start?'. It probably started on the 15th of October 2007." Tāme: "I think those beginnings, it was really talking to people that we can trust. For me personally, it was: who do I need to talk to, and how do we do that, and the purpose? Who's the audience? And so forth and all that. For me, sharing my story, our story, the village's story to Tearepa is based on trust, connections and having those relationships with him and his family. So it has become a family collaboration or participation. It is really the timing too — it happened at the right time — and putting those layers of the story together. They came up with the magic." [Tāme points to Tearepa.] Tearepa: "The three of us — one, two and Cliff — we all started having cups of tea and plotting this chessboard out, really interrogating the themes, and pulling this chessboard of characters together." ON TĀME ITI PLAYING HIMSELF Tāme: "I mean, when Tearepa and I were talking about the character…" Tearepa: "I had a secret. And I kept the secret from him." Tāme: "It was all good. At the end of it, I did agree to it. There was a moment of anxiety, but I got over it and just moved along — it was fun, really." Tearepa: "We surrounded Papa Tāme with the best cast we could produce from NZ at the time of shooting. We were really proud — and the fact is that all of these people came on was because everyone was committed to wanting to bring Papa Tāme's story to life on-screen." Tāme: "And having the experience working with people like Cliff Curtis and Manu Bennett." Tearepa: "And Jay Ryan." Tāme: "And Jay Ryan. That was a new experience for me, working with people that have the craft and they're very good at it, and learning from that, too." Tearepa: "They learned a lot from you too, though. They learned a lot from you Papa." Tāme: "But it was great." ON FINDING THE RIGHT APPROACH Tearepa: "It's not what happened — it's a response to what happened. In that spirit, the spirit that guided us through here, is that this film, Muru, we hope is a prevention from this occurring to Tūhoe or to any Māori community ever again. Two times, our government has repeated their actions. And in many ways this is more than a reminder — it's a clear, strong message that the memory of the community is alive and well. It's saying: 'we know what you've done and we know what has happened, and here is our response. We've taken preventative measures to ensure the safety, the ongoing safety of our communities'. There was another version that was just much more Beehive and Wellington and police-focused, and a sort of very faithful chronological understanding of the machine and the system, and how it reached the moment of pushing the red button. But when we really held that script up and stress-tested it, there's no heart there, there's nothing to learn there. Why aren't we in the community? So we successfully screwed that one up and threw it into the basket, and put our story where it rightfully should be told." ON WORKING THROUGH REAL-LIFE TRAUMA WITH THE TŪHOE COMMUNITY Tāme: "That was my role, and others around us, to have those conversations with the community." Tearepa: "We had two years' worth of conversations. This was something that we carried with us every day, over the entire process. Is the commitment to telling this story going to enact more trauma, or retraumatise? Or, can we do this in a way where the point is so well-articulated, and the kaupapa is so well-understood and carried by everybody involved with this, that we do understand it as a prevention?" ON MAKING THE FILM WHERE THE RAIDS HAPPENED Tearepa: "What was it like staging an action film in Tāme's backyard? It was the most fun we've ever had as a full, experienced crew. We made many decisions from the outset, and one of them was not to shoot this in a West Auckland studio, or on a Lord of the Rings set. So we went to Tāme's backyard, and we spent our time conversing and communicating with everybody there so everyone in the community had an understanding of what was going to happen. It was an incredible amount of fun. It required an incredible amount of focus. Why it was easy was because it was all character-motivated and generated, so we're not imposing this external new worldview into the film — the film and the sequences are driven by the action of the characters. So that made it clear for everyone." ON SHOOTING DURING THE PANDEMIC Tearepa: "It was the best thing for us because it brought us much focus, and it brought us closer together. We're always trying to cast the lightest footprint in and amongst the community, but the amount of focus meant there was no third wheel to lean on. It was really up to us. It was like making an old-school 1980s film, you know, an old-school George Miller or an old-school Geoff Murphy film. It was just us and the crew, deep in the Valley, making this thing happen." ON THE PERSONAL IMPACT AMONG THE COMMUNITY, CAST AND CREW Tāme: "It was a whole new experience for the Valley, and bringing people into the space. Actually, that part was quite fun. After everybody agreed to participate in the making of the movie — it was a big thing for the village, to see something big is happening within our village — they were really excited, particularly my generation, the older folks, the ladies and the men there. And meeting Cliff Curtis and Manu Bennett, and all those guys — they really loved that." Tearepa: "There was an excitement factor, but then down inside each character, our cast members, there was a personal connection to the date, to the day that we're trying to bring to life as well. And that's what everyone was carrying — this personal connection. A lot of people were caught up inside this raid that day, and everyone had a personal story that connected them to someone who had been victimised or someone who had been caught up in this false net, so the personal stakes were really, really high." ON BRINGING THIS STORY TO THE WORLD Tearepa: "Everyone stays glued to their seats when the credits roll. We have been so specific with the Valley, in terms of the dialect, the language, the relationships — they are so specific. And I guess in committing to that level of specificity, you are universalising the story. There's a big undercurrent that's happening worldwide in terms of questions of authority, policing and how they should be protecting communities — there's always been a question mark there. So with that theme of loyalty and protection and authority, there is a lot of international resonance when they watch this specific valley." Tāme: "I had this conversation with Tearepa, sharing some of those experiences, those stories that come from within the village. The experiences we're covering come from well over 100 years — not just what happened in 2007, but what happened in 1916 to Rua Kēnana, what happened in the 1860s, right through that whole period of time. We survived here to tell the story, and to bring that story here and share it to the world really. And of course it resonated to many other Indigenous people, to other people that have been through the same experiences like our village." Tearepa: "To add to it, there is an overall awareness of the why we're making it — but really, in terms of the scriptwriting, it was about understanding and turning inwards. It was very inward-facing, to look into the Valley, to look into Papa Tāme's personal story. And with those themes, how we could bring those themes to life with characters within the village, within the Valley? Muru is screening in Australian and New Zealand cinemas. Read our full review. Images: Jawbone Pictures, Wheke Group Limited.
These days, you'll find yakitori all over the city. But skewers aren't the only thing Japanese people cook over coals. There's a huge branch of the cuisine, yakiniku, that covers barbecued eats, and the new Yakinau is here to show us exactly what that can look like. Chef Hugo Mai (ex-Nobu) is overseeing the food concept here, which is casual, fun and heavy on the DIY barbecuing. Like your usual KBBQ joints, every table has its own gas-powered grill where you'll cook up whatever cuts of wagyu — including a selection of M9-grade cuts from Victorian producer Blackmore — you desire. You can also supplement your wagyu with a selection of flame-kissed eats from the main kitchen — the a la carte menu includes eight different types of yakitori, as well as share plates like a tomahawk pork chop katsu, carbonara somen, and a spicy wagyu fried rice. Classic izakaya bar snacks also feature for those wanting to spend the night grazing while sipping on sake and knocking back beers. You've got chicken karaage, wagyu tartare, donburi bowls, deep-fried garlic wings and soft-shell crab tempura, just to name a few. Pair all this with Japanese whiskies, sake beer and cocktails to get the full izakaya experience. There's a lot going on at Yakinau, giving you the chance to choose your own delicious adventure. Images by Long Boy Media and Pablo Diaz.
There's not a souvlaki in sight at this Oakleigh eatery, which is a pretty rare occurrence — the area is generally dry of non-Greek eating options. Instead, Cote Terra is a beautiful café, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the southeastern suburb's Eaton Mall. The establishment serves breakfast all day, with dishes coming in the form of chia and quinoa pudding with stewed apples ($12), and the hearty twice-cooked French toast with peanut butter mousse ($17). Not savoury enough? Then maybe the roasted button mushrooms with goats' curd, radish, dukkah and poached eggs on sourdough will satisfy you ($16). If you make it in time for lunch, you'll discover things such as a soft-shell crab burger with chips ($17) among other sandwiches and salads. And before you ask, serving sizes are generous here, so don't even think about having a bite beforehand — you'll regret it. As for coffee, the cafe serves pour overs of Proud Mary beans and also does a filter coffee using the AeroPress. If you've exceeded your caffeine count for the day, alternatives include Prana Chai, Dutch cocoa, juices and milkshakes. The cafe is also (surprisingly) licensed, serving beers and wines from both Europe and Australia. With a pared back fit-out — including cosy banquettes and warm lighting — and a relaxed vibe, Cote Terra lets the food speak for itself. On a beautiful day, you may want to relocate to the courtyard out back. It's also a stone's throw away from Oakleigh station, making it a prime option for a pre-commute meal or takeaway coffee. One thing to note before visiting though — the kitchen closes one hour before closing each day. So make sure you leave enough time to order. You don't want to be stuck with sub-par souvlaki.
