Love, sex, internet dating, a charismatic conman, psychological abuse, murder — in the realm of true-crime stories, Dirty John had it all. Hosted by Los Angeles Times journalist Christopher Goffard, the podcast became a huge hit when it dropped back in October 2017. Now the tale of John Meehan has been adapted into a TV series, and it's heading to Netflix. Come Thursday, February 14, you'll be able to watch Aussie actor Eric Bana step into the notorious con artist's shoes, opposite Connie Britton as interior designer and Meehan's mark, Debra Newell. The high-profile cast also includes Juno Temple and Maniac's Julia Garner as Newell's daughters. If you've listened to the podcast, you'll know that all four actors will be re-enacting quite the ordeal. The eight-episode series has just finished its week-to-week run on US television, but Netflix will drop all eight episodes when Valentine's Day hits. It's a stroke of great timing on behalf of the streaming platform — if you were looking for alternative plans for what's supposed to be the most romantic day of the year, consider yourself sorted. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG70KroYlik&feature=youtu.be An anthology series, when Dirty John was picked up by its US network Bravo, two seasons were ordered. That means there's more to come; however, when the next season will arrive — and what it will focus on — hasn't yet been revealed. Dirty John drops on Netflix Australia/New Zealand on February 14, 2019.
Stages graced with international acts? Check. A hefty lineup led by Lizzo, Flume and Mumford & Sons? Check again. Gumboots aplenty, everyone from Pussy Riot to Tony Armstrong, and three wild days at North Byron Bay Parklands? Tick them off the 2023 Splendour in the Grass checklist, too. A graveyard, though? No one had that on their Splendour bingo card, but it's part of this year's fest thanks to ABC series War on Waste, which is drawing attention to fast fashion. Sometimes, you need to see a problem to truly grasp it. That's an approach that folks have been applying to the vast piles of textiles that end up in landfill for some time — in 2022, Joost Bakker filled Melbourne's Federation Square with 3000-plus kilograms of fashion waste, for instance. A cemetery symbolising discarded clothing items is another eye-catching away to get everyone thinking about the issue, with this pop-up gracing Splendour for its full 2023 run from Friday, July 21–Sunday, July 23. "Fast fashion has exploded! We've moved to ultrafast fashion, even though 30 percent of clothing in the average wardrobe has not been worn in the last year," said War on Waste host Craig Reucassel. "We're throwing out ten kilograms of fashion per person each year. To make only the cotton clothes that we throw out each year would take as much water as there is in Sydney Harbour. Meanwhile, over 60 percent of our clothes are made from plastic derived from fossil fuels." "Through this activation, we hope to engage the festival community in meaningful conversations about the impact of fast fashion and inspire them to embrace more sustainable and ethical practices. Buy less and wear it longer!" Reucassel continued. Splendour attendees will spot the graveyard opposite the Forum and Comedy Club, acting as a commentary on the 227 million kilograms of clothing that goes to Aussie landfills every year. The site's tombstones jokingly pay tribute to items bought and scrapped quickly, yet won't decompose for hundreds of years, and offer facts about the problem. Everything featured has been recycled or repurposed, and all materials used will be recycled or repurposed again after Splendour is over. As well as getting festivalgoers thinking about their outfits, the cemetery pop-up is timed to promote War on Waste's third season, which hits the ABC from Tuesday, July 25. Splendour in the Grass runs from Friday, July 21–Sunday, July 23, 2023 at North Byron Bay Parklands — head to the festival website for further details and tickets. Images: Georgia Jane Griffiths.
Come on Barbie, let's go party. Let's go to the real world, too. In the second sneak peek at Greta Gerwig's Barbie, the eponymous doll (Margot Robbie, Babylon) and her also-plastic beau Ken (Ryan Gosling, The Gray Man) are living life in Barbie Land, which is meant to be perfect. If you like pink and pastel hues aplenty, which the film splashes through its frames heavily and happily, it'd clearly be a dream. But that supposed bliss brings an existential crisis for the movie's main figure, plus ample everyday angst for its central Ken. Marking Gerwig's third solo stint behind the camera after Lady Bird and Little Women, scripted by the actor-turned-director with fellow filmmaker Noah Baumbach — her helmer on Greenberg, Frances Ha, Mistress America and White Noise, and real-life partner — and boasting a cast that's a gleaming toy chest of talent, Barbie might be the most anticipated toy-to-film release ever. There's that pedigree, of course. There's also the picture's patently playful vibe, which first shone through in an initial teaser trailer that parodied the one and only 2001: A Space Odyssey, and beams just as brightly in its just-dropped next look. Here, there are Barbies everywhere, with Rae (Insecure) as president Barbie, Dua Lipa (making her movie debut) as a mermaid Barbie, Emma Mackey (Emily) as a Nobel Prize-winning physicist Barbie, Alexandra Schipp (tick, tick... BOOM!) as an author Barbie and Ana Cruz Kayne (Jerry and Marge Go Large) as a supreme court justice Barbie — and Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton) as diplomat Barbie, Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live) as a Barbie who is always doing the splits, Hari Nef (Meet Cute) as doctor Barbie, Ritu Arya (The Umbrella Academy) as a Pulitzer-winning Barbie and Sharon Rooney (Jerk) as lawyer Barbie. There's also a whole heap of Kens, including Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Kingsley Ben-Adir (One Night in Miami), Ncuti Gatwa (the incoming Doctor Who) and Scott Evans (Grace and Frankie). And, Michael Cera (Arrested Development) plays Alan, Emerald Fennell (The Crown) plays Midge, Helen Mirren (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) is the narrator, America Ferrera (Superstore) and Ariana Greenblatt (65) are humans, Jamie Demetriou (Catherine Called Birdy) is a suit, Will Ferrell (Spirited) wears a suit as Mattel's CEO and Connor Swindells (also Sex Education) is an intern. Barbie brings all those characters to the screen across its dream house-filled Barbieland and its version of the real world, as its main doll seems to realise that life in plastic mightn't be so fantastic after all. The new trailer provides more of a storyline than the first did, while also teasing the film's sense of humour — largely around Gosling's Ken, whether he's insisting that him and Robbie's Barbie are boyfriend and girlfriend, fighting with Liu's Ken about "beaching" each other off or sneaking into the Barbie convertible with his rollerblades ("I literally go nowhere without them") when Barbie is driving off to reality. What happens from there, and whether this'll be the best figurine-to-film adaptation yet in a mixed field that also includes the Transformers series, Trolls, The Lego Movie and its sequel, Battleship and the GI Joe films, will all be pulled out of the toy box in cinemas on July 20 Down Under. And no, there's still no signs of Aqua's 'Barbie Girl' on the trailer's soundtrack; however, you'll likely get it stuck in your head anyway just thinking about this movie. Check out the latest trailer for Barbie below: Barbie releases in cinemas Down Under on July 20, 2023.
Bored of your usual Wednesday-night entertainment? Head to Friend in Hand for something a little different — crab racing. Expect crisp-and-cold schooners of Reschs, Coopers, Young Henrys and Fat Yak whilst you watch an upturned bucket of hermit crabs race to the finish line. They've been doing it every Wednesday night at 8pm for the past 22 years. Image: Kitti Smallbone
As blissful as it is to escape Sydney for the whole weekend, you don't have to go far to lay your eyes on spectacular views. For a start, there's Sydney Harbour National Park, which gives you countless secluded harbour beaches and windswept cliff tops within the metropolitan area. Travel a bit further for Ku-ring-gai's secret coves; to Kamay Botany Bay for sweeping ocean vistas and Berowra or Lane Cove for tranquil rivers. Here are five hikes within a stone's throw of the city where you can stretch your legs while clearing your head with clear horizons. BEROWRA TO BEROWRA WATERS, BEROWRA VALLEY NATIONAL PARK Catch a train to Berowra Station or drive your car to launch onto this 5.7-kilometre (11.4-kilometre round-trip) walk. The trail follows ridges most of the way, which means you're high enough to catch stunning vistas of Berowra Creek and its surrounding valley. One of the best spots for views is Naa Badu Lookout. You need a decent level of fitness to conquer this one: there's a few steep climbs, as well as several shady gullies, which provide sweet, sweet relief in scorching weather. RIVERSIDE WALK, LANE COVE NATIONAL PARK Desperate for some peace and quiet, but can't find more than a couple of hours to escape everyday demands? Catch a bus or drive your car to Lane Cove National Park. The Riverside Walk might not offer the heady panoramas covered by other hikes on this list, but it's damn pretty. The gentle trail runs alongside the Lane Cove River, scrambling over rocky outcrops and passing through gorgeous picnic areas, while cockatoos flash white overhead. You can enter and leave the trail at various points, so if you're limited for time, you won't have a major issue. [caption id="attachment_592521" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Ian Sanderson via Flickr.[/caption] NORTH HEAD WALK, SYDNEY HARBOUR NATIONAL PARK Escape Manly's meandering crowds with this eleven-kilometre loop around North Head. The track begins on the eastern side of Shelly Beach (stop here on hot days for a dip or snorkel), where stairs disappear into bushland and finish up, handily, at Manly Wharf. Along the way, take in panoramas of the Northern Beaches, the dizzying sandstone cliffs of North Head and Sydney Harbour from all kinds of angles. You also pass through former military barracks and the ex-quarantine station, including its poignant cemetery. Divert to Little Collins Beach on your return journey to meet fairy penguins. [caption id="attachment_553972" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Red Hands Cave, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.[/caption] MACKEREL BEACH AND WEST HEAD LOOP, KU-RING-GAI CHASE NATIONAL PARK As far as views of Pittwater and Brisbane Waters — Sydney's two stunning northern water bodies — go, there's no better vantage point than West Head in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. You can drive there, but walking is way more rewarding. Turn your adventure into a full-day hike with this 8.6-kilometre circuit, which starts and finishes with a ferry ride from Palm Beach. You pass a few sparkling swimming beaches, wander along bush-lined trails (as well as paved roads), visit ancient Aboriginal rock art at Red Hands Cave and get to see legendary Lion Island. HENRY HEAD TRACK, KAMAY BOTANY BAY NATIONAL PARK If you don't feel like moving too much, yet still want all the views, get yourself to Kamay Botany Bay National Park and, more specifically, Henry Head Track. This stroll is really easy, yet, at nearly every twist and turn, there's another refreshing, beautiful perspective of the Tasman Sea and Botany Bay before you wind up at Endeavour Lighthouse. Along the way, expect to be accompanied by kookaburras, lorikeets, yellow-tailed black cockatoos, blue-tongue lizards and water dragons. Make sure you plan ahead for any hike to ensure you have the best and safest experience. Tell somebody you're going and send them your route, take care during your hike as not all tracks are signposted and there may be fragile native plant and animal communities nearby, ensure you bring proper gear and plenty of water, and once you've returned, check in with friends and/or family to make sure they know you've made it back safely. Find more information on bushwalking safety here. For more inspiration to get outside and explore, visit National Parks NSW and check out their Instagram @nswnationalparks.
Who hasn't gone on vacation, soaked up their idyllic temporary surroundings but felt pangs of envy towards a few specific fellow travellers who seem to be having a better time than everyone else? That's how Speak No Evil begins — and it's meant to be relatable. The situation that Louise Dalton (Mackenzie Davis, Station Eleven) and her husband Ben (Scoot McNairy, Invincible) find themselves in while travelling to Tuscany with their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler, Dead Boy Detectives) is a classic grass-is-greener setup. When the American couple look at the brash but charismatic Paddy (James McAvoy, His Dark Materials) and his wife Ciara (Aisling Franciosi, Stopmotion), and as they get to know them over dinners and drinks, they wish that they too were that happy, that carefree and that relaxed. Hopefully no one has endured IRL what comes next in this Blumhouse horror movie directed by Eden Lake and The Woman in Black's James Watkins, which remakes 2022 Danish film Gæsterne, also called Speak No Evil in English. Reluctantly on Louise's part but eagerly by Ben, the Daltons accept an invitation to spend a weekend with Paddy and Ciara, plus their son Ant (Dan Hough, Hollyoaks), at their rural property back in Britain. Actually, we've all been in a scenario where passive-aggression simmers behind smiles and plastered-on friendliness, social discomfort flavours every interaction and toxic masculinity festers. For the Daltons, however, this second getaway turns particularly grim when they discover what lurks behind the blissful facade that their hosts were such experts at projecting in Italy. Both versions of Speak No Evil take viewers on an unsettling trip — but only the do-over boasts powerful performances by McAvoy and Davis. While no one in the cast puts a foot wrong, including Davis' Halt and Catch Fire co-star McNairy, The Nightingale standout Franciosi and the feature's youngest actors, its two leads are tasked with encapsulating the film's clashing sides. Paddy presents himself as earthy and approachable, packaging up his ideas of manhood — notions that can be called traditional at best and outdated if you're still being polite — with a seemingly wholesome, laidback vibe. Louise is understandably constantly anxious and worried, and yet just as persistently eager not to cause a scene. The more time that she spends in Paddy's farmhouse, the more that she realises that she's being forced to ignore her every instinct about him. Speak No Evil also unpacks why that reaction also feels so familiar. These are complicated and layered roles to play, and a balancing act on both McAvoy and Davis' parts. That's one of the things that attracted them each to the movie, the two tell Concrete Playground. For McAvoy, he's back in the darker psychological terrain that he traversed in Split and Glass for M Night Shyamalan — chatting with us back in 2017, the filmmaker called the actor's work in the former "fearless; he was just very fearless about the whole thing" — and also in the unrelated Filth before that. He credits his excellent, can't-look-away efforts both in Split and Speak No Evil to great writing first and foremost. "I was lucky enough on those two particular jobs, this one as much as any other, to be able to feel really strong going into it and make strong choices," he explains. For Davis, she adds another complex portrayal to a resume teeming with them (see: the aforementioned Station Eleven, Black Mirror's 'San Junipero' episode, Blade Runner 2049, Tully, Happiest Season and more), all while ensuring that she's never repeating herself. "Not retreading footsteps that I've already walked in" is what gets her excited about any new role, she advises. "That's a weird mixed metaphor. Honestly, I read so many scripts and I barely like any of them, and then one comes and you're like 'oh, maybe this is a fucked-up little thing to do'." Davis sums up Speak No Evil perfectly, as audiences Down Under can experience in cinemas from Thursday, September 12, 2024. We also chatted with the film's lead pair about the rollercoaster ride that the movie takes viewers on, where inspiration came from to flesh out their parts, being able to see themselves — or aspects of them — in their characters, digging into what it means not to speak up, ensuring that the movie's emotional journey feels logical and more. On McAvoy Having No Fear When Diving Into Dark Roles, Such as in Split and Speak No Evil James: "I think when you've got a good text and you've got a good character drawn well with a good arc, you've got a solid foundation from which to jump. And that was definitely the case with Split, and that was definitely the case with Speak No Evil. And they both happen to be Blumhouse movies, which is great because they're underpinned by something — not just pieces of entertainment, which they are, which they deliver upon, but they've also got something interesting to say socially. So it was a really strong foundation that it jumped from. I think when the text isn't so strong, maybe I'm not so fearless and maybe a bit more fearful. But I was lucky enough on those two particular jobs, this one as much as any other, to be able to feel really strong going into it and make strong choices." On Davis' First Reaction to the Script, and What She Saw That She Could Bring to the Role Mackenzie: "I loved it. I hadn't seen the original, and I knew it existed but wasn't really familiar with anything else other than the title. So this is my first exposure to the conceit — and I just love things that feel as dangerous as being hunted and killed, being placed on that same plane. Because committing, not like a social faux pas or a gaffe, but like really offending someone or hurting somebody's feelings in a really meaningful way, you can get kind of the same adrenaline response as you do when you're trying to save your life. And they do feel like mortal dangers at the time, and I liked how it how it dealt with that. I wasn't sure at first, honestly, because there's a lot of Louise looking to her husband to act, and that worried me a little bit. But I had lots of long, really meaningful chats with James Watkins, the director, and he assured me that he was really interested in Louise's experience of being silent. Like, it's one thing to not speak, and it's another thing for the camera to be interested in why they're not speaking and what they're thinking while they're not speaking. And as long as that was part of it, then I thought it was a really interesting role. I think James [Watkins], before we started making the movie, convinced me that that was important to him. Then in the movie, I really see that, that he's interested in how Louise is feeling and it's not always through a monologue." On Working Through Speak No Evil's Many Layers James: "I was just so glad that I was getting to be involved in something that could be entertaining, could make people laugh, could make them jump, give them the horror experience or the scary experience that you want in the cinema in a communal, sitting-down environment — but at the same time, it had stuff to say as well, which elevates it. Blumhouse do that time and again, and they do it so so well. So it's a privilege to be a part of something like that because you get to do two things at once. Also part of it was about a conversation about masculinity, which I feel is quite timely as well — and what men are attracted to at the moment in terms of looking for answers. Somebody like Ben, who's really drifting, really lost, really hurt, really damaged, he's looking for answers. And here comes along this sort of totem of toxic masculinity, but he seems to have the answer to one of the questions in life, which is how to be happy. He seems really happy. In fact, I would argue he is really happy. As much as he's rage-filled and anger-filled, he's also capable of great joy and happiness, and he really enjoys his life. And that's an attractive quality, but it's also a scary thing in somebody who's also got such worrying doctrine." On the Film's Relatable Situation, Including the Balance Between Trying to Keep the Peace and Recognising Your Instincts Mackenzie: "What's important to me is that I can see myself in that situation. I relate to the choices she makes, even when they're stupid. I can understand why she's doing the thing that might feel wrong to an audience, because you get that there are other things at play other than the right thing and the wrong thing. There's the marriage and keeping that intact. And then there's 'oh my god, did I just make some sort of enormous, grievous misunderstanding of a situation where I thought I was saving my family, but actually I was villainising myself and really offending these lovely people who are hosting us?. And am I being a snob?'. There's so many currents of thought that are going on all the time, and you kind of have to choose one to follow. And I get why, for a lot of the movie, she's prioritising, with difficulty, keeping the peace — and then at a certain point the dam breaks and she just cannot do it anymore. I think that's really, really relatable, trying to be all things at once." On the Balancing Act Required for McAvoy to Play Someone Who is Charismatic, Earthy and Seemingly Free-Spirited, and Also Angry, Reckless and Unsettling James: "The whole film is a balancing act, and the whole performance for me is a bit of a balancing act, because you can't go too far one way or the other. You can't go too scary or too safe. You've got to be right in the middle, until the end anyway, because you dissipate the tension of horror or a scary movie if you just go full bore too quickly. And that's the same either side. Too safe, too dangerous. Too masculine, too not masculine. Too safe masculine, too toxic masculine. Too politically correct, too politically incorrect. You have to ride this line so that both versions of him are possible at all times without ever jumping down and nailing your colours to the mast on one side or the other. So it's a bit of a balancing act that was orchestrated by myself and by the director definitely on the day, James Watkins. He did a lot of that on the page, but even then on the day, it was about getting shades, colours and levels so that when he was in the edit, he had the opportunity to calibrate as he went in that environment as well." On Acting Opposite McAvoy's Powerful Performance Mackenzie: "There's a moment in the movie where he has this sort of smile and then his eyes go dead, but then his mouth twitches a little bit still, and it's so unsettling. And he's playing three different things in like one second. And that's what it feels like to work across from him. He's really surprising. He's enjoying what he's doing so much, which is so fun, because you shoot one scene for like six hours. You're hearing the same lines over and over, and what you want is an actor that's finding a new way into it every time so that it feels exciting and stimulating to engage with it, and he just does that in spades. He's a wonderful person and a really great actor." On What McAvoy and Davis Each Drew Upon to Help Flesh Out Their Complex Characters James: "I've got a friend who will look into my eyes and sing me an entire song, and there's something weirdly sort of threatening about it — because I don't know the song and I'm not singing it back with him, but he's singing it like he's singing some old favourite that we both know. I drew on that, because that's a kind of masculinity. That's a kind of 'I'm dominating you right now'. And I actually do that in the film with Scoot — and my mate will watch this and be like 'you're totally doing me right now'. He's nothing like Paddy, by the way. What did I draw upon? I guess, weirdly, myself. I'm not like Paddy, but I could be, and I could be if I'd made different decisions or indulged different parts of my personality and animal instincts when I was younger, or if different things had happened to me and I reacted to them differently. So those parts of Paddy that are objectionable or even attractive that aren't immediately apparent or inflated in me, they're still in me. So it's about imagining them growing. It's imagining them into your mind, and imagining them into your soul and into your heart, and then letting them out on camera. They'll never become a part of me properly, but if you just quite imagine who you would become, who you would be if your life had been different and things had changed in different ways. I think the parts of Paddy that we find objectionable and frightening are in us all. We all have the capacity to kill, and we all have the capacity to steal and to hurt others, to be selfish and to put ourselves before everyone else. And that's kind of what he does. And I think we all have that in us. It's just we've had different experiences or made different decisions to get us there. But you can look at yourself and recognise Paddy, I think." Mackenzie: "For me, I just want things to make sense. I'm almost a bit mathematical about it in going through the script and being like 'okay, well, why does she do this and how does that make sense, and if she does this, then what does this mean?'. And as long as I can make the math — and everybody has their own particular math, there is not one unifying, it's just the logic of that person — as long as her logic feels believable and at least consistent enough, to me, that the inconsistencies are exciting and surprising, then I'm great. It's when things just feel random and I can't find the throughline that I'm like 'meh, probably I'm not the right person to play this part'." On What Davis Would Do If She Was in the Same Situation as Louise Mackenzie: "I think you'd be charmed by dreams. I think it would be fun. I think were I in the situation, I can see myself being like 'I don't want to spend two days at their house, we don't even know them'. And then being like 'you know, you've got to have adventure in your life. At the very least, it'll be like a good story'. And it was. So maybe I would make the same decision. I keep saying I wouldn't, but now I guess I've kind of convinced myself it'll be fun to do something weird." Speak No Evil opens in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, September 12, 2024.
Anyone who has tasted The Gidley's extraordinary burger will know it's something special. Now, thanks to the annual rankings compiled by the respected World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants judges, we know just how special it is. Ranked ninth on The World's Top Ten Burgers list, the upmarket CBD steakhouse was the only Australian restaurant to earn a nod this year, making its burger the best in the nation. The two carefully hand-crafted beef patties are sourced from hospitality group Liquid & Larder's in-house butchery, located at The Gidley's sister venue Alfie's in the CBD. Once cooked medium rare, they're topped with mature cheddar and a few judiciously placed slivers of dill pickle, all contained within a soft milk bun. [caption id="attachment_751377" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dominic Loneragan[/caption] While customers have the option of adding an egg or rashers of bacon to their sandwich, there are no additional condiments included on The Gidley's burger, and trust us, that's a good thing. When the meat is as tender and moist as this, the rich, beefy juices are more than sufficient to self-sauce every succulent mouthful, right down to the last bite. In other great news for Sydneysiders, The Gidley's award-worthy burger is now also available at Surry Hills whisky bar The Rover. The monster burger at Shoreditch barbecue joint Salt Shed in London took out the top spot on this year's rankings., leading an impressive showing for the British capital, including Bleecker in Bloomberg Arcade in third place, Black Bear Market in Exmouth Market in fifth position, and Burger & Beyond, also in Shoreditch, in seventh. Burgers from New York, Tokyo, Copenhagen, Miami and Valencia made up the rest of the top ten list. For the full list of the World's Best Burgers, head to the World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants website. Images: Dominic Loneragan
It seems entirely appropriate that within five minutes of my meeting Lally Katz, she is drenched. When I call her, it is pouring outside and she mentions she is walking to rehearsals. "It's okay, I've got a small umbre–" She is interrupted by what sounds like a burst of static, but is, in fact, a large amount of water being displaced. "Oh shit. Sorry. Yep. Yeah, that was actually a car just driving through a massive puddle. Now I am, I'm pretty wet." She jokes briefly about how this is a special sort of road rage that drivers get to practice on rainy days and continues on, her spirits, at least, seemingly undampened. I say appropriate because I'm calling to talk to her about Atlantis, her latest work, which had its world premiere at Belvoir just this week. The play loosely revolves around Katz's return to her childhood home in Miami and her efforts to consolidate precious memories before rising seas claim the city forever. That at least one of us is sopping wet while we discuss this seems like providence rather than bad luck. Lally's work has been a staple at Belvoir since 2011 when her play Neighbourhood Watch stormed that year's season. Loosely based on the friendship she shared with her elderly Hungarian neighbour, it took awards by the boatload and gave Belvoir-goers a taste for Katz's witty and surreal style. Since then, she has wrestled with bears and curses in her one-woman show Stories I Have to Tell You in Person, detailed the awkwardness of maintaining joint custody of a cat with one's ex in The Cat and gotten to the bottom of her father's karate obsession in Back at the Dojo. With Atlantis, she flirts yet again with autobiography. As usual, though, fantastical elements flit in and out of the memories, stretching the bounds of possibility to the infinite. Although an accomplished chronicler of her own narrative, Katz's also seems to have an unerring, Louis Theroux-like ability to find garrulous oddballs busting to share an outlandish story. The idea for Atlantis came from a conversation she had with a cabbie in Mississippi. The cabbie told her that the mythical sunken city of Atlantis would come again and that we would all be called back there when it did. With this in mind, the cabbie was saving all of her money so she could move her family to Miami, where she hoped they would have a better chance of being taken first. "I thought 'Oh my God, she wants to drown her whole family'", says Katz. "And I don't think it's that uncommon a belief there. I think there's a network of Atlantis believers for sure." With thoughts of sunken utopias ricocheting through her brain, Katz stumbled across an article suggesting that Miami, the city she'd spent a fair chunk of her childhood in, could be completely underwater by 2030. Before that, she had always resisted the urge to return to the city, wanting to safeguard her memories from the cynicism of adulthood. But the ticking clock made her think otherwise and she's since been back several times. Katz was nine when her parents decided to emigrate from a small cul-de-sac in Miami to the suburbs of Canberra ("not as different as you might think", she points out). And while she was too young to immerse herself in Miami's vibrant culture, she has vivid memories of the wildness of the city's cocaine heydays. She speaks of growing up in a neighbourhood where everyone knew who the drug dealers were — "But they were nice, they were fine" — and of devastatingly glamorous women hitting each other with giant stiletto shoes. Katz is a naturally effusive conversationalist, but her tone changes as she remembers. She is full of nostalgia and wonder. "You know when you go to a place as a kid and it's so magical, and then you go there as an adult and it's like 'well…' (she gives the verbal equivalent of a shrug). But when I went back to my old neighbourhood, I was so struck. It was like a tropical Smurf village and it did feel magical to me. That was a big surprise because I thought I was going to go back there and be disappointed." The play grew out of these memories, from discussions she had with the city's residents, the Atlantis myth and from the looming possibility of Miami joining that fabled city at the bottom of the ocean. I ask whether knowing that she'll put such personal material on stage later makes it harder to enjoy these moments as they take place in reality. "I used to think there's something wrong with me, that I'm not living properly. Then in my mid-30s I came to pieces and thought this is just the way I live. It doesn't mean I'm not living, this is just how I am in the work." [caption id="attachment_643831" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lally Katz.[/caption] By this stage, Lally is indoors and out of the rain. Although as she heads into rehearsals, she points out that a series of hurricanes is staged throughout Atlantis. A car splashing up some water now seems rather small by comparison. Images: Brett Boardman. Atlantis runs in Belvoir's Upstairs Theatre until 26 November. Book your tickets here.
2024 marks a big milestone for an unsung Sydney cultural pillar, one you might not be aware of. As of October, the Entertainment Quarter markets are celebrating 23 years of connecting Sydneysiders with fresh produce and artisanal products from all around Australia and the world. After 23 years, most Sydney residents have likely wandered the stalls at least once, whether they knew the name of the market or not. It's a memorable experience to see the empty showground transformed with the sights, sounds and smells from 100+ stalls. The Entertainment Quarter was organised with an activity-first approach, but the markets bring depth to the usual range of Hoyts, Strike Bowling and al fresco pub dining. Current vendors include Mayfarm Flowers (which brings buckets of flowers directly from its local farm), Vegie King, Prickle Hill Produce and Organic Bread Bar. Choose a delicious lunch option from an array of international options — like Spanish from Mojo Picon, Vietnamese from Pho Bay, Israeli from Food Theatre and Ottoman Turkish Gozleme. Or, stick to old favourite Two Duck Trading Co. with its French provisions, baskets and striped tees. Beyond the food, you can also browse a beautiful natural range of handmade body washes, creams and candles from Verve Candles, and get a jump-start on silly season planning by stopping by Wrappsody and stocking up on premium wrapping paper, cards, ribbons and Christmas bonbons and decorations. The lineup of stalls shifts week to week, changing with the seasons and reflecting growing conditions. If you prefer your shopping to focus on sustainable products, made authentically by original vendors, plan a trip to Moore Park for the EQ Markets. The markets are open from 8am–2pm, every Wednesday and Saturday. Visit the website for more information.
As you might know, The Lansdowne and its sky-high outdoor area have a storied history. The rooftop spanned a few different iterations while the Mary's team was at the helm. Now, under the guidance of the crew behind the Oxford Art Factory, The Lansdowne has brought back sun-soaked sips two days a week — as of March 2023. Head upstairs on a Friday or Saturday and you'll find a bright-blue oasis high above City Road that's perfect for a weekend catch-up with mates. The open-air bar was given a quick-fire revamp during the summer and now boasts retro beach umbrellas to shade you from the sun's rays, as well as the full suite of food and drinks from the pub downstairs. Sweetening the deal is a new deli menu that The Lansdowne has introduced in conjunction with its new Head Chef Eugene Novikov. The accomplished hospitality veteran takes the reins of the beloved pub's kitchen after previously working at three-hatted Queenstown restaurant Amisfield and Hamilton Island's Qualia. [caption id="attachment_903435" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dougal Gorman[/caption] Sandwiches are the heroes of this new culinary offering, with options including a wagyu meatball sambo, a chicken schnitzel sanga, a classic reuben and a cajun-spiced prawn po boy. Accompanying the sandwich selection, you'll find a Chicago-style hot dog, beef and vegan burgers, chicken wings, wedges and waffle fries. "The Lansdowne was an exciting opportunity to demonstrate how food, music and culture can all come together as the city comes back to life with activity," says Novikov. Rounding out the fresh additions to the venue is the return of its weekly music series, Graveyard Shift. The late-night sessions run free gigs in the downstairs bar every Friday from 10.30pm, serving as the ultimate kick-on spot for Sydneysiders looking to start their weekend right. Top images: Alana Dimou Appears in: The Best Pubs in Sydney
We could all use a bit of a mood boost and if there's one surefire way to up those dopamine levels, it's a weekend spent lazing by the harbour, soaking up a taste of that luxe waterfront lifestyle. A holiday from reality, featuring sunshine, water vistas and maybe even a private pool. Well, dotted all around Sydney, you'll find chic harbourside retreats and beachfront villas you can call your own for a couple of nights, offering exclusive addresses and hard-to-match views. We've done the hard work for you and rounded up Sydney's most exclusive harbourside stays you can book right now. Choose a favourite, pack those bags and get ready to live your best-ever holiday life. Stylish Apartment, Pyrmont Taste the high life with a stay at this next-level apartment, kitted out with luxury features and boasting sweeping harbour views. From $1410 a night, sleeps six. Cloudbreak, Mosman This sprawling hillside home makes for one luxurious group getaway, complete with smart styling, an infinity pool and absolute water frontage. From $385 a night, sleeps two. The Boathouse, Kurraba Point Set right on the shoreline of Kurraba Point, this roomy retreat features both a sunny waterfront lawn and a boat shed-turned-entertaining space. From $1833 a night, sleeps six. Harbour Hideaway, Clontarf A bright, breezy coastal escape for two, set right on the shores of Clontarf. Enjoy barbecues on the spacious balcony, overlooking the beach. From $499 a night, sleeps two. Camp Cove Tropical Retreat, Watsons Bay Your own tropical oasis, set just metres from Camp Cove Beach, featuring modern styling, a pool and leafy private garden. From $300 a night, sleeps three. Postcard View, Kirribilli A spectacular apartment on the water edge with direct view of the iconic Opera house and Sydney Harbour Bridge. With ideal views and luxe furnishings, this is the perfect stay for immersing yourself in the Harbour city. From $491 a night, sleeps four. Manly Beach Views, Manly Centrally located with a two minute walk from Manly Beach and Corso shopping strip, you'll have easy access to everything Manly has to offer - stunning views included. From $260 a night, sleeps two. Luxury Yacht Overnight Stay, Rose Bay Indulge yourself in a night of romance on board your own private French built Beneteau yacht moored in Rose Bay. On the waterfront with the Harbour Bridge and Opera House in the background, it will be a stay to remember. From $517 a night, sleeps two. Balmoral Beach Beauty, Mosman This stunning absolute beachfront apartment offers magnificent views of Middle Harbour and Balmoral Beach. From $330 a night, sleeps two. Magnificent Waterfront Living, Double Bay Step into your own peaceful harbourside sanctuary complete with it's own private ten metre marina berth, when you stay in this chic Double Bay apartment. From $1008 a night, sleeps five. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy. Images: courtesy of Airbnb
Bondi is already a hub for top-notch cuppas and smashed avo, but that didn't stop the Sydney suburb from scoring a second outpost for North Sydney's Glory Days located within the revamped Bondi Pavilion. The new beachside spot has rolled out an expanded menu designed for both a quick takeaway bite or a relaxed long lunch. "When the spot at the Pav came up, my mind instantly went to Venice beach in Los Angeles, and the amazing food culture and community around the neighbourhood with loved places like Gjelina," says Glory Days Bondi founder Aaron Crinis. Boasting a fresh white and wood-panelled interior that plays off Bondi Pavilion's redesign, the dining spaces bring together European touches — another influence for Crinis — with hallmarks of Australian cafe culture including a red travertine bar and Australian photographer Adrian Mesko's images of Euro beach culture. Damien Hyde (Cafe Sydney, Watsons Bay Hotel) heads up the kitchen, pulling together a lineup of cafe favourites. Before midday, there's a seasonal fruit plate ($16.50), acai bowls ($16), dutch pancakes ($23) and the Glory Days big brekkie ($27). Once lunchtime hits, the eats extend to oysters ($5), kingfish ceviche ($23) and a soba noodle salad ($23) topped with whipped tofu, soy-pickled cucumber, avocado, edamame and a soy and ginger dressing. More sizeable lunch options include the steak sandwich ($23), which loads up sourdough bread with black Angus rump, beetroot, onions and lettuce; or a classic prawn linguine ($28) with chilli, parsley and pangrattato. As you order, take note of the staff's uniforms. The specially designed gear was created by local brand Double Rainbouu whose beach-rave aesthetic is unmistakable (and can be yours to purchase if you're after a Glory Days cap, silk shirt or beach robe). Appears in: Where to Find the Best Breakfast in Sydney
This cosy bar has become a favourite with Bondi locals, both for its food and beverage options as well as its comfortable surrounds. Forget about OTT beach cocktails: wine is the drink of choice here, served by the bottle or the glass. You'll find drops from all around the country as well as New Zealand, France, Argentina and beyond — but you don't need to be a wine snob to enjoy what's on offer, as the drinks list provides short descriptions below each tipple. In addition to reds and whites you'll find a small but tempting selection of spirits, or you can ask the waiter about their secret beers and ciders. The food offerings are similarly tempting, with a mouthwatering array of tapas share plates along with a generous selection of cheeses. The decor is low-key and casual, with dim lighting, comfy couches and seats for around 20 people, making Speakeasy an ideal place for a quiet night out with friends.
Goodbye Shiv Roy, hello Dorian Gray — plus every other character in Oscar Wilde's gothic-literature masterpiece. That's Sarah Snook's current path. The Australian Succession star is swapping the hit HBO drama, which wrapped up forever with its just-aired four season, with a stage date with the sinister portrait that lets its subject stay young and beautiful. And, she's playing every single role in the production. On the page, The Picture of Dorian Gray is exceptional, as well as astute and unnerving, as it follows the selling of its namesake's soul in order to keep indulging every corporeal whim, urge and desire. There's a reason that it just keeps getting adapted for the screen and in theatres, after all. But there's never been a version like Sydney Theatre Company's The Picture of Dorian Gray, which is the iteration that Snook will star in — in the UK's West End. [caption id="attachment_896386" align="alignnone" width="1920"] HBO[/caption] This news is two huge announcements in one: Snook's return to the London stage after debut in the 2016 production of The Master Builder, and this Aussie reworking of Oscar Wilde's classic making its UK premiere. With its high-profile star, The Picture of Dorian Gray is headed to The Theatre Royal Haymarket, with a season from Tuesday, January 23–Saturday, April 13, 2024 locked in. Premiering in Sydney 2020, this take on the tale uses video and theatre to get its star playing 26 characters. In Australian runs, Eryn Jean Norvill has done the honours, and brilliantly, with Snook following in the actor's footsteps abroad. "I am elated to return to the London stage in such an astonishing piece of theatre," said Snook. "From Oscar Wilde's remarkable original text to Kip Williams' stunning adaptation, this story of morality, innocence, narcissism and consequence is going to be thrilling to recreate for a new audience. I can't wait." Williams, who adapted Wilde's text into the phenomenal production and also directs, is heading to the UK as well. "In creating a new piece of theatre like The Picture of Dorian Gray, you always hope to have the opportunity to share it with a wider audience. I am so excited for theatre lovers in London to experience our show, and am thrilled to have the extraordinary Sarah Snook bringing to life the many characters of Oscar Wilde's remarkable story." [caption id="attachment_856346" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dan Boud[/caption] Taking the show to London is part of a partnership between STC and Michael Cassel Group, which is all about sharing the former's works around the globe. A similar path — from Australia to the UK, but originating from the Griffin Theatre Company — has worked out spectacularly for Prima Facie, with the British production starring Killing Eve's Jodie Comer winning Best New Play and Best Actress at the 2023 Laurence Olivier Awards. On-screen, Snook will next be seen in straight-to-streaming films Run Rabbit Run and The Beanie Bubble. Check out a trailer for STC's Australian seasons of The Picture of Dorian Gray starring Norville below: The Picture of Dorian Gray will play The Theatre Royal Haymarket, 18 Suffolk Street, London from Tuesday, January 23–Saturday, April 13, 2024 — for more information and tickets, head to the venue's website. Top image: Alexi Lubomirski.
In 2022, The Kid LAROI embarked upon his debut headline Australian tour, selling out arenas across the nation and adding more dates to meet demand. Two years later, the Aussie star otherwise known as Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard is hitting local stages again, locking in tour dates for November 2024. Initially announced in 2023 and due to happen in February 2024, then postponed to October due to trying to confirm a "really big surprise and special guest" and "a bunch of other logistical stuff", The Kid LAROI's The First Time Australian tour has now set both its dates and venues. His supports at five of his seven stops: Migos frontman Quavo and Sydney's own ONEFOUR. [caption id="attachment_926206" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Adam Kargenian[/caption] "I'm really excited to confirm the November tour dates and bring my show to Australia. It's going to be incredible to perform back home and share this experience with all of you," said the singer-songwriter, revealing the new dates. "I'm also pumped to announce that Quavo will be joining the tour as a special guest. Can't wait to see you guys and make this tour unforgettable!" The Kid LAROI has made some changes to the tour itinerary, which is in support of The Kid LAROI's debut studio album The First Time and was originally set for a five-city Australian run. This was meant to be his first-ever Aussie stadium tour thanks to shows at Melbourne's AAMI Park, Perth's HBF Park, Adelaide's Coopers Stadium, Sydney's Commbank Stadium and CBUS Super Stadium on the Gold Coast. Now, however, he's hitting up HOTA, Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast, Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Commbank Stadium in Sydney, Perth's RAC Arena, Adelaide Entertainment Centre, MyState Bank Arena in Hobart and Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena. Quavo and ONEFOUR won't be on the bill on the Gold Coast or in Hobart. The First Time might've been a new 2023 arrival, but The Kid LAROI has been releasing music since 2018 — solo, and also teaming up with everyone from Juice WRLD and ONEFOUR to Justin Bieber. Accordingly, fans can look forward to hearing 'Stay', 'Without You', 'Thousand Miles', 'Love Again', 'Girls' and more come spring. The Kid LAROI The First Time Australian Tour 2024: Monday, November 11 — HOTA, Home of the Arts, Gold Coast Thursday, November 14 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Saturday, November 16 — Commbank Stadium, Sydney Wednesday, November 20 —RAC Arena, Perth Sunday, November 24 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Wednesday, November 27 — MyState Bank Arena, Hobart Friday, November 29–Saturday, November 30 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne The Kid LAROI is touring Australia in November 2024, postponed from February 2024. Head to the Australian ticketing site for more information — and for presales from 1pm local time on Tuesday, August 6 and general sales from 1pm local time on Thursday, August 8.
As the country that gave the world Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie, to name just a few world-famous Aussie actresses owning the silver screen in recent years, Australia is no stranger to celebrating formidable women in cinema. It tracks, then, that the country's national centre devoted to moving pictures — aka the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne — has curated a world-premiere exhibition dedicated to femininity across film history. Girls to the front at this six-month-long showcase, with Goddess declaring its affection for ladies of the screen right there in its name. Displaying from Wednesday, April 5–Sunday, October 1, it's both a massive and a landmark exhibition. More than 150 original objects, artworks, props and sketches will grace the Federation Square venue's walls and halls, all championing oh-so-many talented women and their impact upon cinema. [caption id="attachment_882188" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Britt Romstad, 2022, photo by Phoebe Powell. Costume: Kitty (Elaine Crombie) costume, Kiki and Kitty, Australia, 2017, designed by Amelia Gebler, courtesy of Jetty Distribution Pty Limited. Backdrop: Marilyn Monroe on the set of Some Like It Hot, photo by Don Ornitz, © Globe Photos / ZUMAPRESS.com. Image courtesy of ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo.[/caption] That lineup includes costumes that've never been displayed before, various cinematic treasures, large-scale projections and other interactive experiences. While exploring the female footprint upon film is an immensely worthy subject, Goddess will also chart how representations of femininity have changed over the years — not just in different eras, but in different places, too — and inspire a rethink of plenty of cinema's memorable female characters. Silent-era sirens, classic Hollywood heroines, unforgettable femme fatales and villains, Bollywood stars, women in China and Japan's cinematic histories: they're all being given the spotlight. Goddess will also dive into provocative on-screen moments from Hollywood's silent days through to today that've not only left an imprint, but also played a part in defining (and altering) what's considered the feminine ideal. Expect an interrogation of how women on-screen have helped to redefine fashion expectations, sparked a boundary-breaking genre and spearheaded the #MeToo movement — and to spend time thinking about how screen culture has shaped societal views of gender. [caption id="attachment_882194" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Blonde Venus, 1932, Marlene Dietrich. Image courtesy of PARAMOUNT PICTURES / Ronald Grant Archive / Alamy Stock Photo.[/caption] ACMI hasn't revealed the full slate of women highlighted, or films, or items that'll be on display, but the details revealed so far are impressive. Think: Marlene Dietrich in 1930's Morocco, Pam Grier's spectacular Blaxploitation career, Tilda Swinton in 1992's Orlando and the aforementioned Robbie via 2020's Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). Plus, Mae West's sky-high heels from 1934's Belle of the Nineties, costumes worn by Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon in 1991's Thelma & Louise (1991) and Michelle Yeoh's fight-ready silks from 2000's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon will also feature. The list goes on, clearly, spanning Anna May Wong, Marilyn Monroe, Laverne Cox and Zendaya as well. And, expect everything from Glenn Close's Cruella de Vil in 102 Dalmatians to the Carey Mulligan-starring Promising Young Woman to get time to shine. [caption id="attachment_882191" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2000, Yu Xiulian costume.[/caption] "The women of Goddess are bold, rebellious and defiant. Their power is expressed in numerous ways — in what they wear, how they move and the stories they tell," said ACMI Director of Experience and Engagement Dr Britt Romstad, announcing the exhibition. "ACMI's exhibition honours their influence and daring, and explores how they have transformed the face and expectations of on-screen femininity for audiences, time and time again," Romstad continued. [caption id="attachment_882195" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Thelma and Louise, 1991, L-R Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, © MGM. Image courtesy of Moviestore Collection Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo.[/caption] Goddess will pair its wide-ranging display with soundscapes by Melbourne-based composer Chiara Kickdrum, and also feature a sprawling events program complete with late-night parties, performances and talks — and film screenings, of course. The full program, including guests, will be announced in February 2023, which is when tickets go on sale. Unsurprisingly, the exhibition is ACMI's big midyear blockbuster — and its 2023 contribution to the Victorian Government's Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series, as Light: Works from Tate's Collection was in 2022. After showing in Melbourne for its premiere season, Goddess will then tour internationally, taking ACMI's celebration of women on-screen to the world. [caption id="attachment_882197" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Limehouse Blues (AKA. East End Chant), 1934, L-R Anna May Wong, George Raft. Image courtesy of Everett Collection Inc / Alamy Stock Photo.[/caption] Goddess will display at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Federation Square, Melbourne, from Wednesday, April 5–Sunday, October 1, 2023. For more information, and to join the ticket waitlist, head to the ACMI website. Top image: Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, 2020, Margot Robbie, © Warner Bros. Image courtesy of LANDMARK MEDIA / Alamy Stock Photo.
Lightning Ridge might be best known for its enduring opal mining history, but the community's collection of bizarre museums is definitely a close second. Astronomers Monument is a kooky landmark dedicated to scientists like Copernicus. Others not to miss are the Bottle House Museum, Amigo's Castle, Beer Can House and the Kangaroo Hill Complex. Image: John, Flickr
Twenty minutes from the heart of Sydney's CBD is a lovely Mosman village with boutique stores, harbour views, busy restaurants and cosy bars — and of course, the family favourite Taronga Zoo. Mosman is known for its always-busy Military Road, relaxed cafe culture and popular nearby bathing spots like Balmoral Beach and the clothing-optional Cobblers Beach. While you should never bypass a visit to see the elephants and giraffes, Mosman is a great place to spend a leisurely Sunday afternoon browsing its independent shops and businesses. To get you started, we've teamed up with American Express to bring you a round-up of local businesses where you can shop small with your Amex Card.
He's responsible not just for a big Australian movie franchise, but for the big Australian movie franchise. He's also followed a pig in the city, made penguins dance, gotten witchy and granted wishes, too. He's Australian filmmaking icon George Miller, and he has just joined the Sydney Film Festival lineup for 2024 to talk about his career, and of course Mad Max and Furiosa. Mere weeks after Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga hit cinemas — starring Anya Taylor-Joy (The Super Mario Bros Movie) as Furiosa and Chris Hemsworth (Thor: Love and Thunder) as wasteland warlord Dementus — Miller now has a date with Sydney's annual cinema showcase to chat about on-screen storytelling. For company, he'll have someone else who knows a thing or two about action cinema, and just filmmaking in general: stuntman and filmmaker Nash Edgerton, brother of Joel (Dark Matter), and director of episodes of Bodkin, plus Mr Inbetween, Gringo and The Square. The Road to Furiosa — George Miller with Nash Edgerton will take place at 3pm on Saturday, June 15 in the Sydney Film Festival Hub at Town Hall, on the second-last day of the fest. SFF's full dates: Wednesday, June 5–Sunday, June 16. Miller won't just be stepping through his work in a general sense, either. The director that started the Mad Max franchise 45 years ago and has helmed four more films in the saga — and has Babe: Pig in the City, The Witches of Eastwick, the two Happy Feet movies, Lorenzo's Oil and Three Thousand Years of Longing on his resume as well — will dig into a specific action sequence, if you want to find out how it was executed. After also adding a visit from Elvis star Austin Butler for his new picture The Bikeriders and straight-from-Cannes body-horror flick The Substance as closing night's flick since announcing its 2024 program, Sydney Film Festival has now popped something for Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon fans on the bill, too. Ahead of season two's arrival, the Iron Throne spend time at Martin Place from Wednesday, June 5–Friday, June 7. Yes, you can sit in it. Other talks and events on the program also include a queer cinema night, going all in on the 80s to tie in with opening night's Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line, K-pop fun as part of a Korean cinema celebration and a session on the impact of AI. [caption id="attachment_959668" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Belinda Rolland © 2023/SFF[/caption] Sydney Film Festival 2024 takes place from Wednesday, June 5–Sunday, June 16 at various cinemas and venues around Sydney. For more information and tickets, head to the festival's website. Read our interview with George Miller, Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth about Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and our review of the film. Top image: Sonna Studios.
Another year goes by, and we return to another year of Sydney's beloved short film festival: Flickerfest. Anyone who loves to be ahead of the cinematic curve can attest that a night at Australia's only Academy® Qualifying short film festival is a night of screen culture unlike anything you'll catch at the blockbusters. Returning to its home at Bondi Pavilion for the 33rd year running, Flickerfest spans ten days in Sydney before it packs up to tour screens across Australia. Throughout the festival, 200 top films handpicked from over 3400 entries will delight audiences while vying for awards like the Flickerfest Award for Best International Short Film, the Yoram Gross Award for Best International Animation, the Panasonic Lumix for Best Australian Short Film and the Flickerfest Award for Best Documentary - all of which are Academy® qualifying. Flickerfest also includes celebrations of diverse filmmakers of all ages and walks of life. Rainbow Shorts celebrates the work of LGBTQI+ storytellers; and FlickerKids gathers the best of the family-friendly program and Short Laughs will keep you giggling throughout the night. Of course, what's a night at the movies without food and drinks? You'll be able to start your evening right with a bev at the Pav's beachside panoramic bar, enjoying conversations with your crew as the sun goes down behind you. Come by day after a swim in the water then a movie at the indoor cinema, or head into the open-air courtyard after dark and enjoy a night of screenings under the stars. After wrapping its Sydney stint, Flickerfest will share the short-film love and pop up at over 50 venues across the country between February and October 2024. The 33rd Flickerfest International Film Festival will run from Friday, January 19 to Sunday, January 28. Tickets and the full 2024 program are available now. For more information, head to the website.
As first announced in 2017, then officially given the go-ahead by the government in 2018, the Art Gallery of NSW (AGNSW) is currently undergoing a $344 million expansion. Dubbed Sydney Modern Project, it'll see the cultural institution double its current exhibition space, incorporating an entirely new 7830-square-metre building — complete with a gallery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, plus a contemporary art space created from an old WWII oil tank — and an outdoor public art garden. Also part of the plan: revitalising its historic building, including restoring key original features, upgrading and reconfiguring spaces, and revealing old windows that have been covered up in past renovations. As just announced by AGNSW, most of the refurbishment work will start next year and be finished by 2022 — which is when the full Sydney Modern Project is set to be completed. Art lovers can look forward to walking into the 19th- and 20th-century building via a restored entrance vestibule, which'll showcase Walter Liberty Vernon's original 19th-century architecture — and to peering down on the 8.5-metre-high atrium in the 1972-built wing via reinstated internal balconies, too. In the latter area, you'll be able to look out the large windows on the building's northeast facade, getting a glimpse outside to the new art garden. Those windows aren't new, but they've been covered over in recent decades to give the gallery extra hanging space. [caption id="attachment_786960" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Image of the Art Gallery of New South Wales as produced by Mogamma for Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects © Mogamma.[/caption] The original Grand Courts galleries will also score a refurb, including restoring its heritage fabric, removing a staircase that was added in the 70s and installing new energy-saving LED lighting. And, the major temporary exhibition space is moving from Lower Level 1 to Lower Level 2, to give it more space — and to benefit from higher ceilings as well. Other changes span expanding and moving the Capon Research Library and National Art Archive to Lower Level 3, to a new purpose-built site within the building; enhancing facilities for AGNSW's members, including doubling lounge capacity and adding a new outdoor terrace; and upgrading the dedicated area and facilities for volunteers. Along with the new building and gardens — ambitious plans designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architecture and design practice, SANAA, who is also behind New York's New Museum of Contemporary Art and the Louvre's satellite museum in Lens — the revamp of AGNSW's main building is part of an overall effort to all to help the gallery's bid to better compete with its interstate counterparts. While it was the country's most visited gallery in 2007, AGNSW has since dropped to fourth position behind Melbourne's NGV and ACMI and Queensland's GOMA. It's predicted this expansion will double the number of visitors to the Gallery. Construction on AGNSW's Sydney Modern Project is slated for completion in 2022. The Gallery will remain open during this time. Images: Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizama/SANAA, courtesy of the AGNSW.
When Easter rolls around each year, one thing is always on everyone's minds: eating as much chocolate as humanly possible. Chocolate eggs, chocolate ice cream, chocolate cocktails, chocolate-filled hot cross buns — the list goes on. Thanks to SBS, Easter 2020 won't just involve eating chocolate, however. Courtesy of The Chocolate Factory: Inside Cadbury Australia, Australian audiences can also spend three hours watching chocolate Easter treats get made. It's the latest instalment in the network's 'slow TV' series — which has previously let viewers spend 17 hours watching a train journey on not one but two occasions, and tracked a lengthy cruise from Broome to Darwin, and a trip from New Zealand's north island to its south island as well. Of course, vicariously indulging your wanderlust is one thing. Teasing your sweet tooth is another entirely. Spanning three hours — and set to a new original score by Amanda Brown and Caitlin Yeo — The Chocolate Factory: Inside Cadbury Australia charts the chocolate-making process from beginning to end, starting with seeing sugarcane being harvested from north Queensland fields and milk being collected from a Tasmanian dairy farm. Naturally, the observational documentary devotes the bulk of its time to the factory itself, focusing on the creation of its best-selling easter eggs and chocolate bunnies by combining the aforementioned two ingredients with cocoa imported from Ghana. Expect melting, rolling, drying, shaping and wrapping. Expect to be mesmerised by the routine and rhythm, too. Airing twice over the Easter weekend of Saturday, April 11 and Sunday, April 12 — and then available for a year on SBS On Demand — it's basically Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, just without the Oompa-Loompas, songs or everlasting gobstoppers. That said watching chocolate come to fruition will likely have your stomach singing out with hunger, so don't forget to stock up on appropriate snacks (yes, chocolate) to accompany your viewing. Check out the trailer for The Chocolate Factory: Inside Cadbury Australia below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFSE3TW7EPc&feature=youtu.be The Chocolate Factory: Inside Cadbury Australia screens is now available to watch on SBS On Demand.
Are you the kind of person who just has to read the book before watching a TV show or movie? Perhaps you prefer the opposite, soaking in every minute of the series or film afresh with no knowledge of what's to come, then devouring the source material to spending more time in its world and fill in the details. Whichever best describes your style of page-to-screen fandom, you're welcome at a new Australian event that's all about streaming hits adapted from novels: Prime Book Club LIVE. You might've noticed that plenty of the streaming platform's recent fare began on the page. It's true of The Summer I Turned Pretty, and also of the Culpable trilogy and also We Were Liars, for instance. So, the service is celebrating that fact in Sydney, putting on Prime Book Club LIVE with a number of authors and actors connected to its lineup as guests. The third and final season of The Summer I Turned Pretty, the platform's most-successful original series, is streaming from Wednesday, July 16 and releasing episodes through until Wednesday, September 17. Accordingly, author Jenny Han — who not only penned the books The Summer I Turned Pretty, It's Not Summer Without You and We'll Always Have Summer that the show is based on and is the series' showrunner, but also wrote the To All The Boys I've Loved Before trilogy — is on Prime Book Club LIVE's lineup. So are Lola Tung and Rain Spencer (Test Screening). Ahead of Culpa Nuestra (Our Fault), the third and final Culpable trilogy flick after films Culpa Mia (My Fault) and Culpa Tuya (Your Fault), reaching Prime Video in October, author Mercedes Ron is also getting chatting in the Harbour City. Taking place from 5pm on Thursday, July 31, 2025 at Machine Hall in Sydney, Prime Book Club LIVE boasts Lucinda 'Froomes' Price as its host, features a #BookTok panel, and sports an immersive setup spanning interactive experiences, giveaways and more. The event is also set to cover We Were Liars — which has an Australian connection thanks to Invisible Boys talent and future The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping star Joseph Zada — and others that fit the page-to-screen mould, including upcoming book-to-screen titles. Attendance is free, but you'll either need to register for a ticket in advance from 12pm AEST on Monday, July 14 or try your luck for one of the limited seats that'll be available on the day. The Summer I Turned Pretty images: Erika Doss © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC / Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Prime Video.
Traditional horizontal gardens are a fantastic aesthetically pleasing addition to any house, park or natural area. Yet by simply rotating these gardens 90° to make them vertical, their purpose, possibilities and magnificence can completely and utterly transform. Vertical gardens are a recent craze, which are taking the world by storm. Gardens on museum walls, on the outside of buildings, in shopping centres or as feature pieces are popping up in almost every major city of the globe. Aside from adding a wonderful visual and organic element to the concrete shackles of urban centres, vertical gardens also offer a host of environmental benefits. Adding a vertical garden to any space can help improve air quality and respiratory functions, keep the air cool and humidity comfortable through the process of transpiration, reduce harmful levels of CO2 and provide natural insulation and acoustic absorption; not to mention the instinctive elated sensation humans feel when in close proximity to plant life, called biophilia. Here are ten of the most beautiful, useful and impressive vertical gardens from around the world that will make even the most elaborate horizontal garden look boring and mundane. Miami Art Museum Patrick Blanc is the world's most renowned vertical garden specialist and his incredible creations have spread like wildfire across the globe. With his designs appearing in every continent, and his recent publication, 'The Vertical Garden: from Nature to the Cities' being widely acknowledged as the expert book on this new trend, you simply can't go past Blanc's inspired works of art. This amazing garden from the Miami Art Museum is one of Blanc's projects, designed together with Herzog & De Meuron. Who needs the Hanging Gardens of Babylon when we have our own hanging gardens of Miami? Alpha Park II Les Clayes sous Bois At 2,000m², the Alpha Park II Les Clayes sous Bois just West of Paris will become the largest vegetal facade in the world. The shopping centre is being reopened sometime this month with its new organic coating of various plants and flowers. Melbourne Greenhouse Restaurant Joost Vertical Gardens are an up-and-coming business in Australia, which specialises in living walls and columns. Their vertical gardens have appeared in art exhibitions, sculptural installations and high-end architectural fitouts, highlighting their aesthetic value and practical purpose. Through popular demand, Joost's unique designs are now available online and by consultation for restaurants and both domestic and commercial spaces. Vertical Garden Institute Philip and Vicki Yates set up the Vertical Garden Institute in 2007 after witnessing the awe of Blanc's huge vertical garden in Spain. They wanted to promote vertical gardens through sales, research, education and the development of vertical garden partnerships throughout the globe. This vertical art garden was released in July 2010. Berlin Another stunning design from Patrick Blanc, this garden wall in Berlin is a beautiful and eco-friendly addition to the city's streets. Increased temperatures in cities can partially be attributed to the absorption of heat by concrete buildings and roads. However, the natural processes of transpiration in plants ensures that they never go 5°C above the atmospheric temperature, thus helping to keep the urban area cooler. Madrid Caixa Forum This feature wall in the capital of Spain is a magnificent piece of natural artistry that provides a perfect place for tourists and locals alike to marvel at. The building was a former power plant built in 1899 and a rare example of industrial architecture in the old part of the city. The vertical garden is another design from Patrick Blanc and reaches four stories high, with over 15,000 plants from over 250 species. Tokyo AKROS Fukuoka Prefectural International Hall This 15-stepped terrace was shifted from a 10,000m² park in the city centre of Tokyo by US architect, Emilio Ambesz. To stand out from other city park areas, Ambesz opted instead for a garden resembling a mountain, culminating in a belvedere, which offers magnificent views of the harbour. The building is 14 floors above ground and 4 below, making it one of the largest vertical gardens in the group. Bangkok Siam Paragon Shopping Center The vertical garden craze has also reached Thailand, with this example of beautiful plants lining the balconies of the Siam Paragon Shopping Centre in Bangkok. Gardens appear not only in this courtyard of the shopping mall but they also decorate the elevator shaft as well as even some of the shopping booths. Living Walls, Netherlands Rather than being concrete, this colourful wall is made up of a thin layer of felt and rock wool material. To keep the vertical garden alive and vibrant, it also has water pumping through the material. This Dutch house is a perfect example of how easy it is to spice up any building with some floral flair. Bilbao Guggenheim Art Museum Outside the Guggenheim Art Museum in Bilbao, Spain, one would find a giant 43-foot tall 'plant puppy' made out of a steel substructure and an array of colourful vegetation. Jeff Koons created this cute and vibrant vertical garden masterpiece in the mid-1990s and we just couldn't go past this impressive creation. Especially since it made its own notable visit to the lawns of Sydney's MCA in 1995.
White Bay Power Station is ramping up to unveil its new look and new use as a bustling arts and community hub, with lead builder FDC announcing that the restoration and rebuild works are officially complete. The historic site will reopen in March, acting as a core site for the 2024 Biennale of Sydney — the first time the building has been operational in more than 40 years and the first time it's been open to the public in a century. The power station has been in the lengthy process of being revitalised and transformed into an arts, culture and community hub as part of the Bay West precinct. First constructed in 1917, the massive 30,000-square-metre building has been closed since it was decommissioned in 1984. Now it's been transformed into a site for diverse and boundary-pushing art, with FDC leading the charge on the build following its work on other significant cultural projects in Sydney, including Carriageworks, Phoenix Central Park, Chau Chak Museum and the National Arts School. Among the works that FDC completed in order to get the heritage-listed site ready for the public, 1.2 million litres of contaminated water had to be removed from the basement, the iconic chimneys were provided with extensive reinforcement and the 45-metre-tall boilerhouse received widespread work, including the installation of a new staircase. "White Bay Power Station has been a once-in-a-lifetime project for many on our team," says FDC Managing Director Russel Grady. "With any heritage site, and without that vital building blueprint to guide us, it required a high level of agility and creative problem-solving skills to address the many challenges in bringing the massive site to life." [caption id="attachment_920057" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Adam JWC[/caption] The first artists breathing life into the space will be working within the Bienalle's 2024 theme Ten Thousand Suns. Heat, power, light, summer, joy, strength, the changing climate — they're all notions that spring to mind. This is what artists are being asked to ponder when creating their pieces for the citywide event. Running from Saturday, March 9–Monday, June 10 across Sydney, and free to attend as always, the Biennale will feature works by artists such as William Yang, Tracey Moffatt, Serwah Attafuah, Kirtika Kain and Kaylene Whiskey among the homegrown contingent, as well as Sachiko Kazama from Japan, Francisco Toledo from Mexico and Malaysia's Anne Samat. In addition to ample art for attendees to experience, the 24th Biennale of Sydney will also feature a contemporary music lineup in partnership with Phoenix Central Park. The venue's curatorial skills will be taken to new locations beyond its stunning Chippendale site, responding to both Ten Thousand Suns as a theme and the works on display. Alongside the changes to the White Bay Power Station, the long-term plan for the Bay West precinct includes new employment spaces, 250 new homes with provisions for affordable housing and a new Metro station. Overall, the planned changes to the area are expected to create over four hectares of new public and open space. White Bay Power Station is located at 28 Robert Street, Rozelle. Read more about the plans for the massive structure via the NSW Government website and the Biennale of Sydney's website. Images: Toby Peet.
Winter is well and truly upon us. Everywhere you look, Sydneysiders are decked in their downiest puffer jackets and thickest tracksuits. But don't let the oh-so-chilly air stop you, because the city is still in full swing. Winter is a season of warmth, driven by delicious roasts and hot drinks, and you don't need to rug up at home to enjoy that side of the season. Step into the warm sunlight and get ready to browse, because busy markets are popping up across Sydney to fill baskets and bags with all the fresh produce, tasty treats and homemade gifts you'd ever need. Start by pencilling in a visit to the Cronulla Winter Market. This 100-plus stall event is returning to its annual home of Don Lucas Reserve on Saturday, July 29 and Sunday, July 30, from 10am to 3pm. Here, you can get your hands on anything, from swimwear to ceramics. To keep your shopping energy up, fill your stomach with street food, baked goods, healthy choices and everything in between. If time gets the better of you, or if you're looking to get some serious shopping done, make plans for The Ultimate Winter Market EQ. This is being held on Sunday, August 6, from 10am to 3pm, under the Entertainment Quarter's Market Canopy. This is another 100-plus stall market, but it's in the heart of the bustling Entertainment Quarter, so expect live music and entertainment for all ages alongside the goods and food available. You're also within range of the local entertainment venues and can take advantage of two hours of free parking at the Entertainment Quarter. The Cronulla Winter Markets are running on Saturday, July 29 and Sunday, July 30, from 10am to 3pm at Don Lucas Reserve. The Ultimate Winter Market EQ runs on Sunday, August 6 from 10am to 3pm at the Entertainment Quarter. For more information on either, visit the Cambridge Markets website.
One of 2013's best album covers, Pennsylvanian Kurt Vile's LP Waking On a Pretty Daze featured a specially commissioned mural by Steve "ESPO" Powers in Philadelphia. Now the bright, purely inoffensive mural — which controversially features a rampaging dancing snowflake, threateningly adorable postbox and a terribly welcoming couch surround by a love heart and the words "There's a place for all my friends." — has been painted over by local man DJ Lee Mayjahs, according to Philadelphian radio station WXPN. Why? Apparently the mural was "attracting graffiti to the neighbourhood." WARNING: Vile fans, this photo hurts a little. Philadelphia journalist Leah Kaufmann spoke to Mayjahs, turns out he really didn't know what he was doing when he took to the mural with white paint. Mayjahs is apparently horrified by his actions and has offered every sincere apology. "I got home and started doing research on my computer. I can't believe what I had done ad I wrote a letter to Kurt Vile apologising," he said. "I wrote a letter to the artist Espo apologising, telling them that I would pay Espo to come down and repaint it. I also wrote a letter to the mural arts apologising. Apparently it wasn't official. Even though it wasn't official I'm sorry for everything I did. I would do whatever I could do to make it right. I really am sorry. I don't know what I was doing. I literally lost my mind and took it out which was the dumbest thing I've ever done in my entire life." "I live in that neighbourhood. I've lived there for 15 years. I'm always cleaning up the streets and alleyways. I don't know… for some reason I feel like ever since that piece has been there it's attracted more and more graffiti to that neighbourhood, he said. "Every time I paint over illegal graffiti I was blaming it on it (the mural) and I didn't realise the people in the neighbourhood love it, I've never really sat and looked at it. I never did any research on it and then I just snapped." "I didn't think anything through and acted false pretence. I didn't think about the consequences of my actions. I'm sorry about that, I love Philadelphia, I love my neighbourhood and I love the arts. I'm a big supporter of the arts and so for me to do something that offends all of these people is completely out of character for me. Anybody who knows me will tell you the exact same thing. I'm sorry about it." Vile's rep has confirmed to that ESPO will head back to the mural and repaint it. The building's owner and the attached restaurant are apparently fans, seeing no reason to fear a graffiti influx to their Philadelphian streets because of it. Check out the mini-doco about the creation of the mural and just stare forlornly at the Waking On a Pretty Daze album cover for consolation: https://youtube.com/watch?v=I4RlljcBKg0 Via Pitchfork, Metro and WXPN.
The warmer months are here, and our bodies are ready to take our indoor fitness routines to the outside world. Think yoga. Think nature. Think combining the two for the perfect summer activity. As well as mixing up your usual vinyasa routine, doing yoga in natural environments has great benefits for mental health since it combines the benefits of exercise with the restorative effects of being in nature. But where can you realign those chakras outside? We're here to point you to a few golden outdoor spots to practice your asanas. We've also found a few teachers who'll help you through the moves, but these spots are also excellent for when you need a solo session with just you and nature. Either way, make sure to be sun safe and do your sun salutations from the shade when that fiery ball you're saluting is at its strongest (11am–3pm). A sunrise or sunset yoga practice is prime for avoiding peak UV time and for ensuring you aren't a total sweaty mess by the end of class. Whatever time of day you practice, though, make sure to apply that SPF 30+, wear some protective clothing and lay your mat in the shade. NARRABEEN SURF CLUB, NARRABEEN BEACH Nestled halfway up the Northern Beaches, Narrabeen Beach is one of the most consistently clean beaches in Sydney, partly due to local conservation efforts aimed at protecting the ecosystems where Narrabeen Lagoon meets the sea. Slop on that sunscreen, plonk your mat right down on the sand with Louise Kelly of Surfside Yoga, breathe in the fresh air and flow to the calming sound of the waves rolling in. As a bonus, you can often spot dolphins here, giving you the full David Attenborough yogi experience. Corner of Ocean and Albert streets, Narrabeen BONDI BEACH A sweeping view of Bondi Beach, the splash of salt spray, an outdoor lap pool on hand and an outdoor yoga sesh makes an ideal start to any day. Yoga By The Sea runs sunrise classes at the southern pocket of the world-famous beach on Tuesday and Friday mornings, with sessions focusing on strength, fitness and flexibility. Can't make it to Bondi? Classes also take place at Bronte, Manly and Freshwater. 1 Notts Avenue, Bondi Beach [caption id="attachment_852734" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Joppe Spaa (Unsplash)[/caption] MANLY BEACH So, you've mastered yoga on land and you're looking for a new challenge? Look no further: Manly's Flow Mocean has just the ticket with its weekend stand-up paddleboarding yoga classes. Paddle out to the floating studio for a 60-minute class that promises a lighthearted yet challenging practice that caters to just about any fitness and experience level. Prefer to stay on land? Flow Mocean also offers kayak yoga — no, it's not yoga on a kayak, but rather taking a kayak from Manly Kayak Centre Wharf to a secluded beach where you'll have a class on sand before taking a refreshing ocean dip afterwards. [caption id="attachment_852737" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hopefilmphoto (Unsplash)[/caption] YOGA IN THE PARK Health, happiness and community are at the heart of the mission of registered charity Live Life Get Active. Its online and IRL fitness workshops welcome people from all walks of life to stay healthy and active, with classes led by professional trainers. The charity offers regular yoga classes in parks throughout Sydney, from Cronulla to Castle Hill, offering yogis of all experience and fitness levels a chance to practice outdoors. The best part? All classes are absolutely free. If you are looking for more places to feel a sense of connection in New South Wales, head to visitnsw.com.
Heading to Marvel Stadium at Melbourne's Docklands usually means watching a game of AFL. Or, you could be hitting up the venue to see a gig. Moseying beneath the space to wander around an underground light show and labyrinth definitely isn't normally on the cards. That'll change come winter, with the city's Firelight Festival returning for 2024 — and, for the first time, bringing the Firelight Labyrinth with it. The fest itself is a three-day affair over the last weekend in June, running from Friday, June 28–Sunday, June 30 at New Quay Promenade, Victoria Promenade and Harbour Esplanade. On the agenda, as in past years: fire performers, fire pits, fire drums, flame jets, fire arches and fire sculptures. There'll also be live music, African drumming, and an array of stomach-warming food and drink options — such as dumplings, smoked meats, paella, churros and hot chocolates. Flame-filled arts — and bites to feast on and beverages to sip while you're enjoying them — aren't the only drawcard this year, though. Cue more than 144,000 lights beaming beneath Marvel Stadium, with the labyrinth sticking around for over two weeks from Friday, June 28–Sunday, July 14. Accordingly, this year's Firelight Festival is also a huge tourist attraction for locals and visitors alike, especially if you want to see a key Aussie Rules venue in a new light — literally. As well as all of those sources of luminousness, the Firelight Labyrinth will feature immersive audio, making the experience an audio-visual maze. While the festival is free to attend — you'll need your wallet for whatever you eat and drink — the Firelight Labyrinth is ticketed, costing $37.50 for adults.
Drop everything, it's time to book a holiday for next year. At this time of year, every dollar counts, and when else can you book a return flight (domestic and international) and only pay for half the fee? Jetstar — ever the patron saint of affordable getaways — has just announced its latest special offer: three days of deals that offer essentially two flights for the price of one. From midnight tonight (or midday today if you're a Club Jetstar member), customers who purchase an outbound starter fare on select flights will get their return flight completely free, until 11.59pm on Sunday, November 30, or until the 90,000 available fares sell out. As mentioned, the offer is available across both domestic and international trips. Sydneysiders could skip the eight-hour drive to Byron and instead book a flight to Ballina from $42, or to Cairns from $102. Brisbane travellers can book a Whitsundays flight from $63, and Perth locals looking to go cross-country can fly to Melbourne from $199. If you're going out of the country, you're spoilt for choice. Sydneysiders looking for a quick and easy trip to Bali can do so from $249, Melbournians can immersive themselves in the cultural melting pot that is Singapore from $209, and if you're part of the Aussies that have yet to visit the 'it' destination of 2025: you can fly from Brisbane to Tokyo from $373 and Sydney to Osaka for the same price. Just next door is South Korea, which has gone underappreciated for too long — but Brisbanites can fly to Seoul from $309 in 2026. In terms of dates, the availability varies per route, but the offer is open for domestic flights between early February and late October 2026, and for international flights between early February and mid-September 2026. The Jetstar Return for FREE Black Friday sale runs from 12pm AEDT on Thursday, November 27 for Club Jetstar members, and from 12am AEDT for the general public. The sale will run until 11.59pm AEDT on Sunday, November 30, or until fares sell out. Visit the Jetstar website for more information.
In the age of streaming, DVD commentary tracks are no longer as much a part of the home-viewing process. If you're keen to hear insider details about the making of Sydney-shot 1999 sci-fi great The Matrix and 2025's Melbourne-made horror hit Together, however, SXSW Sydney has you covered. 2025's event has unveiled more details of its Screen Festival program for this year, with the return of its Screen Commentary sessions among the highlights. Costume designer Kym Barrett, who has also worked on everything from Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, The Nice Guys, The Shallows, Aquaman and Us to Charlie's Angels, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Three Thousand Years of Longing — and on The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, plus the Wachowskis' Speed Racer, Cloud Atlas and Jupiter Ascending — will talk through her efforts on The Matrix as the film plays. For Together, writer/director Michael Shanks will dig into his debut feature, which also opened 2025's Sydney Film Festival. SXSW Sydney has also announced Screen conference sessions as part of its roster of seminars, workshops and more, with Whitney Fuller, the Development Executive of Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions, one of the big names. Fittingly, Fuller will be part of the festival's Women in Genre panel. Also, producer Liz Watts (The Royal Hotel) and filmmaker Tony Ayres (The Survivors) are teaming up for the What Is an Australian Story? session, while Fantastic Festival Director Lisa Dreyer, Rachel Watt from Watt Social, Yellow Veil Pictures' Joe Yanick and Oscilloscope's Alexandra Fredericks are set to get chatting as well. The panel lineup also spans Jill Kingston from Pacific Shadow Pictures, Enzo Tedeschi and Helen Tuck from Deadhouse Films, and Lake Martin Films' Kate Separovich unpacking all things indie horror from a filmmaking perspective, as well as Invention Studios' Carmen Knox and actor Remy Hii (Arcane) on deciding whether to make the leap to LA. SXSW Sydney's latest screen-centric additions join Paul Feig (Another Simple Favour) hitting the Harbour City as the Screen Festival keynote speaker and its first recipient of the new SXSW Sydney Screen Pioneer Award — and also a 14-hour Freaks and Geeks marathon, plus sessions of Bridesmaids and The Heat, to go along with his time at the fest. There's more to come; however, as similarly announced earlier, viewers will also be able to catch By Design, $POSITIONS, Dead Lover, Zodiac Killer Project, The Last Sacrifice and Bokshi. Among that group, body-swap effort By Design features Juliette Lewis (The Thicket), Mamoudou Athie (Kinds of Kindness) and Robin Tunney (Dear Edward); horror-comedy Dead Lover is a SXSW Austin award-winner; Charlie Shackleton (The Afterlight) digs into a famed serial killer; and everything from comedy to folk horror features. [caption id="attachment_967878" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jaimi Joy[/caption] [caption id="attachment_923287" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for SXSW Sydney[/caption] [caption id="attachment_923317" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for SXSW Sydney[/caption] SXSW Sydney 2025, including the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival, runs from Monday, October 13–Sunday, October 19 at various Sydney venues. Head to the SXSW Sydney website for further details and tickets. The Matrix image: Ronald Siemoneit/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images. Together image: Ben King, Neon.
If your usual night-out routine has been suffering from same-same syndrome of late, left-of-field events company Curious Cartel has just the thing to help you lift your game. The experts of immersive theatre and masters of intrigue — the same ones that brought us Prom Night and Popcorn Therapy — will again lead punters blindly into an unknown world of wonders, this time with their interactive cocktail pop-up and game room, The Lock In. Guests are in for a truly immersive experience here, mixing booze, nostalgia, sci-fi and theatre, as they're led back in time (and over some oceans) to 1980s small-town Indiana, USA. In classic Curious Cartel form, the event is pretty much shrouded in mystery until the moment you walk through the door, entering the pop-up's temporary world above Surry Hills bar The Wanderer. All we know is you'll have 90 minutes to investigate an eerie mystery surrounding a fictional, top-secret government facility, while enjoying cocktails, games, food and a soundtrack of banging 80s jams. UPDATE: MARCH 18, 2019 — Due to overwhelming success, The Lock In has been extended until further notice. To purchase tickets, head this way.
D4vd has officially been removed from the touring lineup of Spilt Milk, in the midst of official investigations into a dead body discovered in a Tesla registered in the artist's name. His 2025 touring schedule has been up in the air ever since the investigation began, but after quietly being scrubbed on the weekend, the organisers have confirmed their decision today as reported on Rolling Stone. The body was discovered in the Tesla trunk after police were called to a tow yard in Hollywood to investigate reports of a foul smell coming from the car. It took a week for medical examiners to identify the victim as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas, who had been missing for over a year. Burke was on tour when Rivas' body was discovered, and he continued to play shows. "Last week we removed d4vd from our website and marketing out of respect for the unfolding story," a statement reads. "We can now confirm d4vd will not perform at Spilt Milk and we are working on a replacement booking which we'll announce as soon as it's finalised." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Spilt Milk (@spiltmilk_au) Tickets for d4vd's headline shows while in the country have also been quietly scrapped. Rolling Stone AU/NZ has contacted promoters for comment. According to a previously released statement, Burke has been "cooperating" with authorities during the investigation. He has not been named as a suspect or a person of interest, nor has he been accused of any crimes. While authorities haven't identified a suspect or person of interest yet, several details about the investigation have come out. For instance, the impounded Tesla was towed from the affluent Bird Streets neighbourhood in the Hollywood Hills, with neighbors telling Rolling Stone that it had been spotted in various places. It was eventually towed from a spot on Bluebird Avenue, where sources said it had been sitting for at least three weeks. After Rivas was identified, law enforcement searched a house around the block from where the car was towed. Police left with several items, including a computer. The home's owner later confirmed to Rolling Stone that the residence had been rented to Burke's manager, Josh Marshall, last year, starting in February 2024. Spilt Milk will take place in Ballarat, Perth, Canberra and the Gold Coast between Saturday, December 6 and Sunday, December 14. For more information on the lineup, visit the website.
Powerhouse Youth Theatre (PYT) Fairfield once again heads out into the local community to do what they do best — that is, highlighting and celebrating cultural pockets of Sydney that are vibrant but often little-known. This time the focus is on the thriving Iraqi culture in Sydney's western suburbs. Little Baghdad is a culinary theatre experience, but it's also an effort to gain public recognition and support for one of the most successful refugee services in the world. Audiences are invited to attend a traditional dinner party in the Parents' Garden Café in Fairfield High School, a commercial kitchen-cum-refugee support centre that has been praised by the UN as a model for welcoming and integrating refugees into a community. The night will consist of food, drink, dance and song as newly arrived Australians share dishes and memories from the country of their birth. Artists and musicians will be showcasing their works, with performances and live music throughout the night. After dinner, though, everyone dances. It's tradition. This is an excellent opportunity to support one of the few positive measures Australians have implemented when it comes to refugees. It's also a great chance to immerse yourself in the culture of a country that's been a tad difficult to explore as a tourist of late. If you need extra incentive, supporting this event is an incredibly creative way of telling Peter Dutton where he can shove it. Although, if you'd rather not spoil your dinner with politics, the first two reasons are perfectly adequate.
Almost three decades ago, before he had the world saying "thank you, thank you very much" to Elvis, before he explored the birth of American hiphop in Netflix's The Get Down, and before gave The Great Gatsby a spin and made Moulin Rouge! spectacular (spectacular), too, Baz Luhrmann achieved two not-too-insignificant things with his film version of Romeo + Juliet. Not only did the Australian director's vibrant take on the classic tragedy completely change the way everyone thinks about Shakespeare adaptations — it also delivered one of the killer soundtracks of the 90s, and one that many a movie has tried and failed to top since. The track list speaks for itself, really, featuring everything Garbage's '#1 Crush' to The Cardigans' 'Lovefool' to Radiohead's 'Talk Show Host'. Everclear, Butthole Surfers, Des'ree and Quindon Tarver's 'Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)' also pop up, with Luhrmann turning the greatest love story ever told into the greatest soundtrack ever sold. If you were around and of a certain age back in 1996, you definitely owned a copy. You probably still do. Even if you weren't loving it before the turn of the century, you should now as well. It's no wonder, then, that not just the picture but the tunes keep being celebrated as Romeo + Juliet nears its 30th anniversary in 2026. In London for more than a decade, concert screenings of the movie with a live choir and band have been wowing audiences and selling out. More than half-a-million filmgoers have attended. Now, Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet: A Cinematic Experience is finally coming to Australia. Young hearts run free to The Astor Theatre in Melbourne, which is playing host to the Australian debut of this live experience from Tuesday, September 23–Sunday, September 28, 2025. New sessions have already been added due to demand, and there's no word yet if the shows will make their way to other Australian cities. "Audiences really feel like they're stepping into Verona as we don the theatre for a multisensory experience," said Dominic Davies, CEO of the UK's Backyard Cinema, which created the experience. "After sellout performances in London, we are thrilled that Sony Music Australia is bringing this production Down Under for the first time." "The Astor Theatre is such an iconic Melbourne venue and will provide a majestic backdrop for the immersive performance — it will be an experience like no other," added Sony Music Australia and New Zealand Chair and CEO Vanessa Picken. "The show has done incredibly well in London for a long time. We're really looking forward to adding a local slant with a well-known narrator to be announced soon." Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet: A Cinematic Experience runs at The Astor Theatre, 1 Chapel Street, St Kilda, from Tuesday, September 23–Sunday, September 28, 2025 — head to Ticketek for more details and tickets. Images: Andrew Ogilvy Photography.
The Entertainment Quarter's multi-storey live music venue is set for a huge transformation with the Mary's Group taking over operations at the Moore Park spot. Formerly Hi-Fi and Max Watt's, the 1200-capacity hall will be renamed Liberty Hall and taken under the wing of burger bros, Mary's founders Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham. Located across from the Hordern Pavillion and the Entertainment Quater's new pub Watson's, Hi-Fi quickly became a Sydney mainstay for midsized gigs in the early 2010s. It was then renamed Max Watt's House of Music in 2015. Now, with Smyth and Graham at the helm, the venue will host gigs ranging from local acts finding their feet and club nights to tours with big international acts. "We are humbled at another opportunity to take the reins of yet another fallen live music venue and pour energy and hard work into creating an exciting creative space for Sydney's arts community," Graham said. Liberty Hall will swing its doors open from late October with initial lineups and shows set to be announced over the next couple of months. View this post on Instagram A post shared by George Kostopoulos (@gm.kosto) "Today's announcement is another great step forward in the renaissance of Sydney's live music scene," NSW 24-Hour Economy Commissioner Michael Rodrigues said. "This new venue will give a platform for creative talent from Sydney and beyond, whilst also helping to revitalise the Entertainment Quarter precinct. It's a big shot in the arm for our city's 24-hour economy and I can't wait to experience its first performances." The live music venue will be accompanied by a new Mary's restaurant next door, serving up the team's signature burgers and fried chicken. The burger joint will become the group's fifth Sydney location, joining Newtown, Castelraigh Street, Circular Quay and the recently opened Castle Hill outpost. This won't be the team's first foray into live music programming. Below the Circular Quay location, you'll find another salvaged space, the underground gig space Mary's Underground. Previously known as The Basement, Mary's resurrected the venue a year after it was forced to close. Smyth and Graham also ran gigs out of The Lansdowne for over half a decade before stepping away from the venue in February. Thankfully for the city's live music junkies, the beloved City Road pub has been saved by the Oxford Art Factory team. [caption id="attachment_747991" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mary's by Kitti Gould[/caption] Liberty Hall will be located at Building 220, 116-122 Lang Road, The Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park. It will open in late October. Images: Tom Wilkinson
When someone spots a giant spider, they take notice, even when it's simply a tall metal piece of art. Seeing one of Louise Bourgeois' towering arachnids is indeed a stunning experience; however, so is watching people clock her lofty works. Her Maman sculptures demand attention. They're the type of public art that audiences just want to sit around, soak in and commune with. They're photo favourites, too, of course — and one is coming to Australia. This will be the first time that Maman has displayed Down Under, with the world-famous work heading to Sydney as part of Sydney International Art Series returns for 2023–24. As previously announced, Bourgeois is one of three hero talents scoring a blockbuster exhibition during event, alongside Wassily Kandinsky and Tacita Dean. And, the nine-metre-high, ten-metre-wide sculpture that she's best known for will be catching Aussie art lovers in its web. [caption id="attachment_914565" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Louise Bourgeois' Maman, located outside the National Gallery of Canada. Radagast via Wikimedia Commons.[/caption] That said, there won't be any physical strings of silk — but Maman is that entrancing. The sculpture hails back to 1999, and boasts its name because it's a tribute to Bourgeois' mother. The artist described her mum as "deliberate, clever, patient, soothing... and [as] useful as a spider". If you're keen to see Maman on home soil, it'll sit on the forecourt of the Art Gallery of New South Wales' South Building from Saturday, November 25, 2023–Sunday, April 28, 2024 during Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day?'s run. And if it sounds familiar, that's because you might've seen permanent installations of the bronze, steel and marble work outside the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo — or at the Tate Modern in the UK, National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville in Arkansas or the Qatar National Convention Center in Doha. [caption id="attachment_914560" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Louise Bourgeois 'Clouds and Caverns' 1982–89, metal, wood, 274.3 x 553.7 x 182.9 cm, Collection The Easton Foundation, New York, courtesy Kunstmuseum Den Haag © The Easton Foundation, photo: Christopher Burke.[/caption] "We are proud that the subject of our first major solo exhibition in our new SANAA-designed North Building, almost one year since opening, is the great Louise Bourgeois. We are honoured to introduce this deeply influential artist to new generations, and to have the opportunity to share the strange beauty and emotional power of her art with Sydney,' said Art Gallery of New South Wales director Michael Brand. "The scale of this exhibition, which is one of the most extensive ever dedicated to an international woman artist in Australia, demonstrates our commitment to revealing the depth and complexity of the artistic careers we explore and our commitment to celebrating the work of women artists in our collection and exhibitions." "We are proud to bring Maman, the largest spider sculpture ever made by Bourgeois, to Sydney for the very first time, and to be showcasing the extraordinary breadth of the artist's practice, which includes fabric sculpture, works on paper, bronzes, works from her series of Cells, mechanised sculpture, and more." [caption id="attachment_914563" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Louise Bourgeois 'Twosome' 1991, steel, paint, electric light, 190.5 x 193 x 1244.6 cm, Collection The Easton Foundation, New York © The Easton Foundation, photo: Elad Sarig.[/caption] A collaboration with The Easton Foundation in New York, Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day? will showcase more than 150 works. It's the largest survey of Bourgeois' work ever displayed in Australia — and, as Brand mentioned, one of the most comprehensive ever devoted to a female artist in the country. The Bourgeois exhibition will display 13 years after the Paris-born artist passed away in New York in 2010, and after she stamped her imprint upon the art of the 20th century. Visitors to will see her Personage sculptures from the 1940s, textile works of the 1990s and 2000s, and plenty in-between, with the showcase playing up the duelling themes and ideas in her work by taking over AGNSW's major exhibition gallery and 'the Tank'. Other highlights include The Destruction of the Father, which is among the pieces that've never been displayed in Australia before; Crouching Spider, and one of the biggest works ever to grace the Tank; Clouds and Caverns, which is rarely seen in general; and the mirrored piece Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day?, which shares the exhibition's moniker. [caption id="attachment_889027" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Louise Bourgeois, The destruction of the father 1974-2017, archival polyurethane, resin, wood, fabric and red light, 237.8 x 362.3 x 248.6 cm. Glenstone Museum, Potomac, Maryland. Photo: Ron Amstutz. © The Easton Foundation.[/caption] Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day? runs from Saturday, November 25, 2023–Sunday, April 28, 2024 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery Road, The Domain, Sydney, with tickets on sale from Wednesday, September 6. Sydney International Art Series runs from November 2023 — head to the AGNSW and MCA websites for further details. Top image: Louise Bourgeois 'Maman' 1999, installed during the exhibition 'Louise Bourgeois: To Unravel a Torment', Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Serralves, Porto, 3 December 2020 – 20 June 2021 © The Easton Foundation, photo: Filipe Braga.
On Friday the much-loved Sydney gallery White Rabbit will reopen and unveil their new show, Serve the People. Which means it's time for one of their famously fun opening night parties! Everyone's welcome, so get there early to grab a prime place in the inevitable queue. The exhibition is curated by Chinese art aficionado Edmund Capon, former director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Capon lends his passionate expertise to this intriguing collection of the best artworks of the ‘21st-century cultural revolution’. So grab a drink and prepare to be impressed by pieces from artists including Yan Siwen, Jin Feng and Madeln Company (Xu Zhen) reflecting a freer period in which the phrase ‘serve the people’ no longer means producing art to further the socialist cause. Instead, in highly experimental, individualistic ways artists are interrogating China’s national image, exploring themes like consumerism, history vs. ideology, corruption, personal identity and censorship. Image: Zhou Xiaohu, "America Likes Me", 2012
For many families in the hospitality industry, children often inherit the beloved restaurants where they spent their formative years. It's not often that you find a hospitality veteran launching a restaurant specifically with his parents in mind. Brookvale's Bazaar and Bar and Sketch Manly founder, Kabir Arora, wanted to give his parents a "real place to land" once they emigrated to Australia from India. "Mum had years of catering experience back in India and deserved a kitchen where she could show off properly," says Kabir. "Dad, BJ, is a numbers guy, so he slid straight into the accounting seat. Sketch became our family project before it ever became a restaurant." If you're not familiar with the curry and craft beer house, Sketch Manly, you've been missing out. The restaurant started with Indian tapas nights that the locals packed out. Throughout COVID, Sketch Manly stayed open every day and nine years into their venture, the restaurant still hasn't closed its doors once. "That's how committed we are to being part of this neighbourhood," says Kabir. "Sketch is what it is because Manly made it that way." Kabir describes Sketch Manly as Indian home-cooking meets a cosy Melbourne bar (despite being in Sydney). "Vibey street energy, hip tunes, and a space built with genuine care for food and drinks," Kabir tells Concrete Playground. Sketch Manly's curries are all Kabir's mum's, Sukh's recipes. "It's simple food done right. Our butter chicken and mushroom korma anchor the menu, and the rest rotates seasonally. No gimmicks. Just home cooking executed properly." Said butter chicken is the "unofficial mascot of Sketch", and Kabir prides himself on their version going back to basics. "Too many Sydney spots have turned butter chicken into dessert, so we went in the opposite direction: tomato, butter, cream, a few spices, and restraint." Kabir's partner, Ivy, has also helped Manly to fall in love with the restaurant's newest dessert: the Chai-misu, an Indian twist on the ever-popular tiramisu. Alongside its food offerings, Sketch Manly is also known for pairing its homemade curries with crispy craft beers. "Spices and a crisp, cold beer are natural mates," says Kabir. "A clean lager cools things down beautifully, but a juicy pale or hazy IPA can actually lift the flavours and make the whole meal pop." Ultimately, the family ethos that began Sketch Manly is what Kabir hopes customers feel after dining in. Similar to eating at your cousin's or mum's place, he says, the family hopes diners leave full, content, happy and planning their next visit. "It's the neighbourhood curry spot where everyone feels welcome," says Kabir. "First-timers, regulars, families, tradies — whoever walks in gets treated like part of the crew. We cook the same way every day, with the same care." So, what's next for the Northern Beaches restaurant? Kabir is setting his sights on more dinner collaborations, hibachi nights, and even an expansion. "And we're finally launching Sketch Goods — small-batch chutneys, sauces, pickles, and other Indian pantry staples we've been quietly perfecting," says Kabir. The idea for Sketch Goods is simple: bring Sketch Manly's beloved flavours into other cafes, delis, pubs, and home kitchens. What began as a family project has turned into a nearly decade-long love affair with the Northern Beaches suburb, and as the Pittwater Road gem expands, it seems Sketch Manly's food and flavours could soon be enjoyed by more than just the locals. Images: Supplied
Those fortunate enough to have spent a night or two at Capella Sydney – a five-star stay immersed in art and heritage – will probably know all about its luxury dining offering, Brasserie 1930. Having just celebrated its second birthday, operator Bentley Restaurant Group saw this moment as the perfect time to shake things up. Entering its next era, Brasserie 1930 has got a new head chef, a new Australian brasserie menu and an exciting culinary experience linking sophisticated food with art and culture. Leading this evolution is Executive Chef Brent Savage and newly appointed Head Chef Troy Spencer (Pomme, Bistro Thierry, L'Etoile Restaurant & Bar). Working closely together, the duo have married Savage's passion for incredible local produce with Spencer's impressive career working in European brasseries. Bringing an elevated Australian-inspired approach to French late-night cuisine, expect dishes featuring native flavours and ingredients that honour tradition without foregoing innovation. Adorning the new menu are highlights such as David Blackmore wagyu tartare with mustard cream, rye cracker and sorrel; Aquna Murray cod, smoked clam with roasted onion butter and paperbark oil; and Kinross Station lamb saddle with eggplant, macadamia and saltbush. There's also a selection of curated cocktails, including a macadamia martini, lemon myrtle sidecar and wattleseed highball. "Brasserie 1930 celebrates the incredible variety of native Australian ingredients, blending the country's unique culinary heritage," says Savage. "It's about highlighting the best of what Australia has to offer in a warm and inviting setting where guests can enjoy exceptional food with attentive, yet relaxed, Australian hospitality. It's about good and honest flavours in a space that feels elegant, yet approachable." Adding to this perspective is the hotel's new monthly series, The Art of Dining, starting from Thursday, May 29. Curated by international art and design consultancy, The Artling, this exclusive experience sees restaurant guests receive a private tour of the hotel's landmark art collection, guided by renowned advisor Fiona McIntosh. Those taking up the tour will also receive a complimentary glass of champagne and a double pass to the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA). With over 1,400 pieces on display, Capella Sydney's art collection is one of the largest in any Australian luxury hotel. That's a fitting status for one of Sydney's heritage icons. Built in 1915 amid what's now called 'the sandstone precinct', the hotel's storied building is best known as the former home of the Department of Education. After the department moved to new digs in 2018, the developer behind Capaella Sydney snapped up the property with incredible results. Brasserie 1930 is situated inside Capella Sydney at 24 Loftus Street, Sydney. Head to the website for more information. Images: Ethan Smart.
While almost everyone loves hot chips, agreeing on which takeaway option does them best is far more contentious. Plus, everyone has their preferences when it comes to tomato sauce. However, Mutti has teamed up with acclaimed chef Nelly Robinson of Sydney's NEL Restaurant to create a single, show-stopping fry that might just settle the debate. Bringing together the humble chip and the world of fine dining, this over-the-top tribute set out to achieve the World's Fanciest Fry. Once you start delving into the ingredients and process that make it happen, it's hard to deny that this unique creation has truly taken the classic side dish to extraordinary heights. "To create a fry truly worthy of Mutti tomato ketchup, we had to go all in. We started with the fanciest Chipperbec potatoes we could get our hands on, blanched them in Wagyu beef fat, and finished them with fresh truffle and served with scampi caviar. This isn't just a chip — it's the McLaren of fries," says chef Nelly Robinson. With a creation this lavish, settling for an ordinary condiment is simply not an option. Fortunately, Mutti's range of premium table sauces made for the ideal pairing at the launch of this special dish. If you're the kind of person to slather your chips in sauce, perhaps they'll also take your humble feast up a notch. As for the World's Fanciest Fry, it's now available on NEL Restaurant's menu until the end of June. But don't expect this supremely decadent treat to come cheap. Priced at $35, this curious delicacy has seen the everyday, moreish side dish transformed into a luxurious morsel that takes centre stage. Says Robinson: "It's crispy, rich, outrageously indulgent and possibly the most culinary brainpower ever invested in a single hot chip. But with a ketchup as good as Mutti's, the fry's gotta bring its A-game!" The World's Fanciest Fry is available until the end of June at NEL Restaurant, 75 Wentworth Avenue, Sydney. Head to the website for more information.
A lavish European-influenced brasserie is swinging open its doors in Sydney's CBD. Brasserie 1930 will officially arrive on Wednesday, March 15, coming to the new luxury hotel Capella Sydney from the Bentley Restaurant Group. The acclaimed hospitality crew behind Bentley Restaurant and Bar, Monopole, Yellow and Cirrus will bring an elegant dining room, next-level eats and a meticulously curated wine program to the expansive inner-city hotel — the first Australian opening from the Capella hotel group. Named after the year the Young Street section of the building was completed, Brasserie 1930 takes the idea of an elevated French diner and injects it with local Australian produce and Sydney-favourite dishes. Expect to kick off your meal with Sydney rock or Tasmanian pacific oysters, as well as prawns paired with fermented chilli mayonnaise. Highlights from the starters section of the menu include beef tartare, brown butter scallops, spanner crab alla chitarra with sea urchin sauce and glazed quail paired with whipped feta. [caption id="attachment_892588" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kris Paulsen[/caption] Then there's the mains. Starting from $48, this portion of the offerings is full of no-holds-barred luxury. The seafood selections, for example, include coral trout with potato yoghurt puree and leek, coal-roasted Murray cod with pepperberry butter and eastern rock lobster. There are three steaks on offer if that's what you're craving. Take your pick from the Yarabah wagyu rump cap, O'Connor's bone-in sirloin or Coppertree Farms 600-gram rib eye that'll set you back an easy $110. And, rounding out the mains is the whole-roasted duck which you can order for the table. This $190 share dish comes accompanied by duck-neck sausage, roasted plum, fennel, spinach and glazed eschalots. [caption id="attachment_892592" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Timothy Kaye[/caption] Bentley Restaurant Group's co-owner and sommelier Nick Hildebrandt has pulled together a massive wine list to compliment the elegant menu. More than 400 producers from across Australia and Europe are on show, with the by-the-glass menu set to evolve and change over time, spotlighting picks from the hospitality group's wine vault. All of this is housed within an equally grand dining space. Original architectural features of the nearly century-old building have been restored, then complemented with sleek modern furnishings and light fixtures. Brasserie 1930 will join the McRae Bar in the 192-room, eight-storey Capella Sydney hotel. The luxury accommodation will become Australia's first Capella when it also opens on Wednesday, March 15, offering guests an elevated inner-city stay featuring swimming and vitality pools, a fitness centre and a spa alongside the impressive dining options. [caption id="attachment_892589" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kris Paulsen[/caption] Capella Sydney and Brasserie 1930 both open on Wednesday, March 15 at 2–4 Farrer Place, Sydney. Top image: Kris Paulsen.
Maroubra locals who have been looking at the inner west with envy at the area's range of markets are about to be blessed with a monthly market of their own. After two false starts due to extreme weather, the market maestros at Cambridge Markets launched this monthly market at Maroubra Beach in partnership with Randwick City Council on Saturday, November 2, which runs from 8am–2pm. Dozens of vendors will dish out hot food, cool drinks, and all sorts of homemade goodies, so you'll want to bring plenty of shopping bags with you. There will also be water bottle refill stations so you can stay hydrated as you explore. Expect also to find fashion, homewares, toys, fresh produce, art, craft, gifting, vintage clothing, plants, and plenty more. Plus, there'll also be live music, along with activities to partake in and some fun rides for the kids. Held down at Broadarrow Reserve, mere steps from the beach, the Maroubra Beach Markets will be held on the first Saturday of each month from 8am–2pm. The Maroubra Beach Markets are taking place on the first Saturday of every month from Saturday, November 2, from 8am–2pm. For more information on Cambridge Markets or any of its events or markets across Sydney, visit the website.
In Greek, 'Ela ela' means 'come here', which is exactly what chef Peter Consistis (ex-Alpha) hopes Sydneysiders will do to sample his new menu of reimagined Mediterranean fare. Ela Ela is the sixth and final venue to open at the new dining and nightlife hotspot The Bristol. Once a historic Sydney pub, The Bristol Arms Hotel was permanently closed during the pandemic. Following a multimillion-dollar refurbishment, the building has been reborn as a multilevel hospitality haven, complete with a rooftop bar, an art deco cocktail lounge, a pumping nightclub, a sports bar and a casual public bar on the ground floor – an homage to building's pub heritage. The arrival of Ela Ela, the site's main dining space, completes The Bristol's comprehensive offering, delivering a complete night out from pre-dinner drinks to late-night revels. The restaurant's 80-seat dining space takes its design cues from a traditional Greek mezedopolio, but with a modern sheen. Green and orange jewel tones complement the rustic design of the furnishings, giving the revamped restaurant a warm and inviting atmosphere. Consistis has created a menu that champions the classic flavours of Greek cuisine, infused with his signature contemporary flare and notes from Greece's Mediterranean neighbours. Ela Ela's kitchen is centred around its woodfired grill, where charred octopus with gigantes beans and fire-roasted king prawns are imbued with a rich smokiness. For a more refined interpretation of classic Greek cuisine, Consistis presents a goat moussaka with globe artichoke and goat feta bechamel. Diners can wash their meal down with their choice of an extensive selection of beers and wines, carefully picked to pair perfectly with Ela Ela's pyro-powered menu. And as for cocktails, there are a selection of Greek-inspired mingles — in sizes 'mini' and 'not mini' — including a dirty Greek martini, featuring a tea made from tomatoes, cucumbers, green olives and feta brine, olive-infused vodka, vermouth and finished with a Greek salad skewer. [caption id="attachment_977926" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Peter Consistis[/caption] Images: Paul Papadopulos
With the end of Summer almost in sight, it's time to make the most of those long lazy afternoons. And what better way to do that than with a few cold drinks in a relaxed, comfortable outdoor setting — AKA, a lush beer garden. So we've rounded up the best lesser-known beer gardens in the inner west, where you can soak up some rays and brews this summer (without struggling to find a place to sit).
The Colins Butcher is an excellent place to visit for your culinary needs, with an extensive selection of gourmet meats on offer. This butchery in Zetland is great for fresh and ethically sourced meat — it boasts produce that is 'natural, hormone and chemical-free' to ensure you get the best quality. Colins also sells handmade sausages and smoked meats, and it has its own biltong machine for dehydrating. There's also a hot food deli counter, so you can try before you buy. The team at Colins is passionate about its stock, so ask them a couple of questions and see what they can recommend — your dinner guests will thank you later.
A beloved staple of the meeting point between Marrickville, Enmore and St Peters in Sydney's Inner West, West Juliett shut its doors earlier in 2023. Luckily for all of the fans of this corner cafe, the original founders have opened Agnes just a five-minute drive away. John and Kathryn Stavropoulos have remained in Marrickville, swinging open the doors to their latest venture on Meeks Road just off Marrickville Road. The duo has enlisted an all-star team for their new opening, with Agnes team members boasting experience from across Flour and Stone, Black Star Pastry and Cross Eatery. Housed in a classic graffiti-laden red-brick terrace that had been left dormant, the cafe offers White Horse coffee, plenty of baked treats, and a hefty breakfast and lunch menu which can be taken away, enjoyed inside or paired with some Vitamin D out on the pair of al fresco tables. Pastry chef Etta Napier's focaccia features heavily throughout the menu. For breakfast, you can order it with a simple spread, stacked with avocado and feta, or as the basis for a loaded breakfast sandwich. Come 11am, there are five sandwiches on offer, all piled high atop the focaccia. Veggie lovers can opt for charred miso eggplant with crunchy slaw and pickled red onion, or you can keep it classic with a classic crumbed chicken sambo partnered with nori and fermented chilli mayo. Following your savoury selection, it's only right to treat yourself to a little something sweet. Expect blueberry, lime and cheesecake tarts, plus West Juliett's famous pink salt chocolate-chip cookies. The Agnes team is also committed to keeping things local and in-house, with the honey, jams, pickles and milkshake syrups all made right there at the cafe, or at John and Kathryn's apiary. Even the bacon is smoked locally. "Agnes is more than just a cafe — it's a place where people can come together, enjoy delicious food, connect with friends and create lasting memories," says Kathryn Stavropoulos. Find Agnes at 69 Meeks Road, Marrickville. It's currently open 7am–3pm Monday–Friday and is considering expanding its opening hours to Saturdays.
