It's almost that time of year when Sydney Festival takes over this town and spoils us with fascinating, thought-provoking and straight-up stunning art and culture from all over the world (and plenty from right here at home). As always there are some amazing international musicians, and we've picked out ten of the best to help you decide what gets included in those precious festival multi-packs. From underwater music and concept concerts about nuclear war to protest punk operas and politically charged cabaret, there won't be a dull moment. But of course, this is just a snapshot of the massive lineup, so go check out the full program at the Sydney Festival website.
This year, Melbourne and Australia got its first not-for-profit bar Shebeen on Manchester Lane. With every drink sold going towards developing projects in its country of origin, it is changing the way we think about charity and sipping a tipple. We have Simon Griffiths to thank for this. Concrete Playground got hold of Simon to talk about his philanthropic work, Shebeen, toilet paper and his cat. What drove you to philanthropic work? I started working in the corporate world but quickly realised that I wanted to use my skills to solve social problems, not just business problems. After a lot of research I found that the number one problem faced by development aid organisations was a lack of funding, so I decided to create a new channel for funding, moving away from the donation market, and instead creating an avenue for consumer dollars to create social impact. After you came up with the concept for Shebeen with Zanna McComish, what was it that made you think, this really might work? The basic concept was actually 100 percent Zanna's, but it has snowballed into something much larger and more sustainable over the years. When Zanna first mentioned the idea to me, I was so excited that I knew a lot of people would dig it as well ... we just had to figure out how to make the business model work. How was it getting partners and suppliers on board? The really tricky part was raising the capital to get the venue open. We ended up raising social capital, i.e. without any financial return, from 20-25 different investors, then pieced together product partnerships with Brown-Forman, Schweppes and Silver Chef to fill the remaining cash shortage. We did everything on a tiny budget, so had to garner pro bono support from anyone and everyone, including Foolscap Studio (interior architecture), Swear Words (graphic design), Run Forrest (PR and communications), McCorkells Construction (building), Alpha 60 (uniforms), Tin & Ed (murals and uniform graphics), and so on. It has been a long but amazing ride! What is one of the projects you are most excited about contributing to in the developing world? I really get off on KickStart, who we work with in Ethiopia. Around 80 percent of the poor in Sub-Saharan Africa are small-scale farmers who depend on unreliable rain to grow crops. KickStart figured out that irrigation would allow many of them to move from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture, so they developed the MoneyMaker pump to allow farmers to draw water from rivers, ponds and wells to irrigate large areas of land year-round. Basically their pumps create a substantial and sustainable increase in household income — and they're really great at measuring their impact. We know that every $1 we give them turns into $12 of profits and wages for one of their farmers. That's a pretty exciting return-on-investment — or return-on-drinking-an-Ethiopian-beer. For you, how does Shebeen's support to the developing world differ from other charitable organisations? Basically we give consumers an opportunity to put their purchasing power to work. Now that we're open we're 100 percent self sustaining — we're already profitable and will start donating funds in the next four months or so. We'll only seek to raise additional capital to open new venues. What do you want people to take away from Shebeen? We want them to start thinking a little differently about what it means to be a consumer, and where their money ends up. After five years in the making. What does it feel like to walk into the bar and see it as a reality? It's still quite surreal to see people in there! But we've been so busy it's also been difficult to stop and celebrate. I'm taking my first weekend off for the year this weekend — it's going to be great! Where do you see Shebeen in five years? In five years we're hoping to have venues in five or more locations and will hopefully be looking at our own retail range of products as well. What is your favourite drink on the menu? I've really gotten into our cocktails. I really like the Ginger Kaffir Limeade, which is made with Kaffir Lime infused Finlandia vodka, and our warhead-sour lemon frozen margaritas, which we're making with El Jimador tequila. We're just about to start experimenting with cocktails on tap, too. What gets you out of bed in the morning? Usually my alarm, or my cat biting my foot. Occasionally it's a hangover. What's next for Simon Griffiths? Getting Shebeen doing a great takeaway lunchtime trade, opening the second Shebeen venue, and selling more toilet paper — I also run whogivesacrap.org. Images by Clever Deer.
It can sometimes be hard for cafes to stand out in this city. With so many places peddling their wares, it's not the easiest thing for operators to find their niche — the one little difference that puts them before the rest. I mean, something as simple as geographic location is usually the clincher when I decide where to eat in the morning. At Sticky Fingers, which is nestled in the backstreets of Surry Hills, they've gone for a strongly Asian-influenced menu for both brunch and lunch that tends towards a sweet Sunday morning decadence. The fit-out in the café is a classic, semi-industrial chic that shows off the history of the building and the suburb. There's a communal table and plenty of space for a few groups, but the option for more intimate dining is there as well. It's a place that caters for everyone, and this is obvious from the menu, as well as the décor. Look out for breakfast items like the pulled pork Benedict, served on a soft bun and garnished with a forest of fried sweet potato shavings ($18). The pork itself is lovely, not too dry and not too salty, and the overall dish a massive undertaking — perfect for a hungover or famished patron. The lunch menu takes the Asian influence a bit more seriously, with the inclusion of dishes like a succulent duck stir fry ($17). The duck, which can be so easy to overcook, is soft and delicious; a sharp sauce with a subtle umami binds protein, rice and crisp vegetables together. As is the norm, the coffee rotates regularly (depending on how you take your Joe), and comes from Marrickville's Golden Cobra. It's tops and the Bloody Marys are incredible. All in all, it's a comfortable, welcoming joint with a varied menu that caters for everyone without ever compromising the cafe's brand.
In the Annex is proof that Forest Lodge — that half suburb in between Annandale and Glebe, whose main drag Ross Street left much to be desired until now — is slowly catching up to its neighbours. The 30-seater joint's got the cafe trifecta: a bang on coffee dispensary manned by barista babes, a compact menu based on fresh, seasonal produce and conversation-worthy decor. And if our recent visit was anything to go by, we're not the only ones who've been charmed. Flodge's newest kid on the coffee shop block's got it going on in large part due to the beans — Umami beans. A blend is used for milk-based coffee while a single origin, roasted slightly lighter, is used for black. The delivery of your morning pick-me-up is just as considered — flats and caps come in teacups while lattes come in science beakers. And while we're on the liquids, there's plenty more worth noting. In the Annex offers a colourful selection of freshly squeezed juice, frappes and smoothies with unique flavour combos akin to those you'd expect to find at some dreamy beachside resort. Try the grapefruit, ginger, tonic and honey frappe ($8) for fresh citric goodness; the kale, banana, coconut and chia smoothie ($8) for a taste of suburban Tropicana; or the almond, macadamia, cinnamon and rice milk smoothie ($9) for nutty indulgence. And who's banging about the pans? That's a certain Joey Astorga (ex El Capo) whose seasonal menu caters for a number of tastes. Astorga's dishes are well executed and demonstrate a great understanding of portion control and ethical food processes — all eggs are free range and meats sustainably farmed. The best part? Chef's food is delivered by only the most amicable service. Win win. The breaky burrito ($10) — scrambled egg, rice 'n' beans with guac and jalapenos — is perhaps the least inventive on the menu, but caught my eye nonetheless. For something more carnivorous, go for the cured duck, roasted Brussels sprouts, brioche and duck egg ($16). This baby looks like something you'd see served in a hatted restaurant and clearly demonstrates chef's inventive presentation, but the best part? You're free to dig in sans any obligation to do so with the refined poise often expected at aforementioned swank fest. Then there's the crumbed egg with bubble and squeek ($14), which is the hero dish in my opinion. Slice into the crumbed egg and warm yolk oozes out to provide the desired mess — a yolky mess to be mopped up by remaining mash, whole baby potatoes, peas, green beans and heirloom carrots. Lest we forget to mention one more thing. It's a must you check out the In the Annex's goodie cabinet up front. A selection of sambos and sweet treats are readily available for those on the go. And if you're lucky, you might catch a glimpse of a few Hubba Bubba-flavoured lamingtons. Yeah, that's right. I just said Hubba Bubba-flavoured lamingtons. Do it. Alas, no longer is Ross Street a cultural wasteland swarming with vacant shopfronts and barefooted students. In the Annex has amped things up and seems to be vibing on something along the lines of, "I've done this before, I know how to please you and I'm doing it for your own good." And to that I say thank you. Cue In the Annex: You're welcome.
A drive to the airport in a rideshare is one of life's mundane experiences, whether or not you're en route to a wedding, and also regardless of if you're meant to be collecting your partner and their dry-cleaned suit along the way. In Fake, this routine journey on an average Melbourne day is a masterclass in tension, a portrait of an unravelling and an unwanted realisation unfurling with no escape. With journalist Birdie Bell (Asher Keddie, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart) sitting in the backseat as much that she's trusted melts down, it's a stunning episode of television, arriving five instalments into this eight-part Australian thriller that brings its page-to-screen and reality-to-fiction tale to Paramount+ in full from Thursday, July 4. Viewers spend the preceding four episodes of Fake waiting for a moment like this. For those who haven't read Stephanie Wood's memoir of the same name, charting her time dating a former architect-turned-grazier who pairs his grand romantic gestures with erratic behaviour, there's still no doubt that it's coming. It has to, and not just because series creator Anya Beyersdorf (The Twelve) and her co-scribes Jessica Tuckwell (Year Of) and Hyun Lee (Born to Spy) have Birdie's beau Joe Burt (David Wenham, Elvis) note in voiceover that she was onto him from the get-go. While Fake is a love- and lies-fuelled saga, it's also about how someone gets taken in not by the kind of tales that Joe spins but by the emotions that they prey upon, even when their intuition tingles at the outset — and how deceptions like this, from someone manipulating others and someone fooling themselves alike, always shatter. The words "Joe, 51, grazier" on a dating app introduce the ex-property big shot to Birdie; however, everything that he utters on their first date almost halts their romance there. When the pair meet at a sleek bar, he has a business acquaintance (Yuchen Wang, White Fever) in tow and talks only of himself, grandstanding with the recognisable arrogance of someone who refuses to believe (or simply hasn't stopped once to consider) that they aren't the most-interesting person in the room. She cuts and leaves quickly, despite his insistence to the waitstaff that they'll share more wine. Then she ignores his persistent follow-ups afterwards, until she doesn't. Stylistically, Beyersdorf, her co-writers, and also directors Jennifer Leacey (Prosper), Emma Freeman (The Newsreader) and Taylor Ferguson (Fires) adopt two approaches to bringing both Joe's flurry of messages and Birdie's inner questioning to audiences. The contents of texts and emails are written across the screen, overlaid upon the scene's ordinary background — train windows feature heavily — and also spoken aloud, as worries about being almost 50, single and heartbroken from a failed IVF experience are similarly given voice through repeated snippets of conversation. Sometimes, Birdie's own words haunt her. Sometimes, Joe's do. Sometimes, the judgement of her sniping mother Margeaux (Heather Mitchell, Ricky Stanicky) echoes. Combined, the impact is inescapable: when his indefatigable pursuit joins her lifetime of doubts, especially that she's being too fussy and will always be alone, relenting to his overtures and investing in his narrative is the inevitable outcome. Fake relays its story within this psychological space — a place where it's clear to everyone, including to Birdie, that little is right — to explore how a person who investigates for a living succumbs to fantasy over fact. Joe gleefully spins dreams, beginning with his quiet farm life, then escalating into bigger and bolder promises. He also ticks the basics, such as showing interest, sticking around, declaring his love and making Birdie feel like romance hasn't passed her by. But Joe equally has a tale for everything that always seems tall. He misses as many dates as he makes, his excuses mushrooming as well. His ex-wife receives ample blame, frequently with the smack of convenience. He's cagey about specifics, too, and vague and defensive when questioned. When Leacey, Freeman and Ferguson, plus cinematographer Sky Davies (House of Gods), devote Fake's frames to staring Birdie's way, they push Keddie's excellent performance to the fore — and it is exceptional. She's the lead in a yell-at-the-TV type of show, where viewers can't help but say aloud that Birdie is making the wrong choice again and again, and grounding those ill-fated decisions in relatable emotions isn't a simple task. The more that Fake peers, the more that it also turns the sight of its protagonist hoping yet fraying into a mirror. One of Birdie's potential articles at work is about homelessness, a situation that's never as far away as most would like to think — and one of Fake's throughlines is that being Birdie with Joe isn't beyond anyone's realm of possibility. Wenham, no stranger to on-screen shadiness and slipperiness but with memories of SeaChange's Diver Dan still imprinted in Australia's pop-cultural memory, is equally first-rate. His remit isn't straightforward, either, selling the charm that still wins Birdie over in tandem with the sketchiness that's lurking beneath Joe's striving facade — and the character is almost ceaselessly striving — which is a gig on par with both Joshua Jackson (Fatal Attraction) and Edgar Ramirez's (Wolf Like Me) efforts in season one and two of medical-meets-romance scam series Dr Death. Indeed, Wenham does such an unshakeable job as Joe that by the time that Fake spends the aforementioned fifth episode in a car with Birdie, his presence doesn't stop cutting deep, nor showing the scars that it's carving, even just over the phone. It's hardly astonishing, then, that Fake is impossible to stop binge-watching once its first instalment puts its pieces in place: that warning-sign initial date, Birdie's loneliness trumping her niggling uncertainty, society's conditioning that to be a woman of a certain age without a partner and kids is to be a failure, the disappointment that we can all direct at ourselves if we haven't met our own expectations and, of course, the clash of Joe's dubiousness and his magnetism, for starters. It's also far from surprising that when the route to the airport beckons, and one of 2024's best episodes of TV with it, Fake's audience is right there in the Uber with Birdie, riding and feeling the same bumps. Check out the trailer for Fake below: Fake streams via Paramount+ from Thursday, July 4, 2024.
When Bridgerton initially premiered on Netflix at the end of 2020, becoming the platform's most-watched original show ever at the time, did it get you dreaming of stepping into its world? If so, you've been in luck ever since thanks to a flurry of events themed around the series, including unofficial balls, garden brunches and more. Your next opportunity arrives soon, and also requires venturing out of Australia's capital cities. Your destination: Bowral in the New South Wales Southern Highlands. Bridgerton season three is on its way, dropping four episodes in May 2024 and then four more in June this year — and to celebrate, Netflix is bringing the series into real life. This is the streaming service that set up public toilets based on Squid Game, Heartbreak High and Emily in Paris back in February, after all. In the past, it has also opened a Stranger Things rift on Bondi Beach, unleashed the Squid Game Red Light, Green Light doll by Sydney Harbour and a had pop-up Heartbreak High uniform shop slinging threads in Newtown, too. This time, it's giving a regional town a makeover. Head to Bowral between Tuesday, April 16–Tuesday, April 23 and you'll see what this patch of Australia looks like when it's harking back to the regency era. A number of spots around town will receive the Bridgerton treatment, with local businesses joining in on the fun. The idea is to make you feel like you're getting the full ton experience. If you want to dress up to fit the part, that's obviously up to you. While the bulk of the details are still vague, a few specifics have been revealed already, including the fact that there'll be a garden party at Milton Park to close out the week. To score tickets, you'll need to channel your inner Lady Whistledown — because noting what would be written about you in the series' gossip sheet in 25 words or less is how you'll enter to nab a spot at the shindig. Also, Bowral's Empire Cinemas will be hosting four free screenings of the first episode of Bridgerton's third season across Monday, April 22–Tuesday, April 23, letting you see it weeks before it makes its way to Netflix on Thursday, May 16. If you're going to treat yourself to a getaway this April, you can now make it a Bridgerton-loving getaway. And if you're a Bridgerton obsessive who lives in Bowral, prepare for plenty of company. Check out sneak peeks at Bridgerton season three below: The town of Bowral will get a Bridgerton-themed makeover from Tuesday, April 16–Tuesday, April 23. For more information, keep an eye on the event's website. Bridgerton season three will stream via Netflix in two parts, with four episodes on Thursday, May 16, 2024 and four on Thursday, June 13, 2024. Images: Liam Daniel/Netflix.
"For us, it's about trying to take risks," says director Amiel Courtin-Wilson. "Further the process, and see how far you can push things before they break." Certainly, the Melbourne-born filmmaker is not afraid of pushing the envelope. After beginning his career in documentary with films like Chasing Buddha and Bastardy, Courtin-Wilson's first fiction feature was 2012's Hail, a dark, critically divisive love story that blended naturalistic cinematography and dialogue with striking moments of visual experimentation. A similar methodology is at work in his follow-up, Ruin, which he co-directed with Hail producer Michael Cody. Inspired by Cody's time living and working in South-East Asia, the film is a romantic drama about the relationship between a runaway prostitute and a factory worker in Phnom Penh and the desperate lengths they must go to in order to survive. "On average I don't think we did a day shorter than 15 or 16 hours," says Courtin-Wilson of the gruelling, unconventional shoot, which was broken into two separate three-week blocks with a yearlong gap in between. "The last week we were shooting 20, 21 hour days." Now it seems that the hard work has paid off. Since its completion, Ruin has won numerous festival awards, including the Special Jury Prize at Venice, and had its Australian debut in competition at the Sydney Film Festival. In the lead-up to their local premiere, Courtin-Wilson and Cody took the time to talk with Concrete Playground about the experience of putting the film together. https://youtube.com/watch?v=5VEQ2Hvq_Cs No Script, no problem When asked about the project's origins, both directors grin. "We landed in Cambodia without a script, without any finance and without any sense of a story," remembers Courtin-Wilson. "Within about a month we had some finance, we had a cast, we had a crew from Australia, and we had a 15-page outline. So in many ways it was just an experiment in sheer momentum." The Australian crew came together under the banner of Courtin-Wilson's film collective, Flood Projects. Many of them worked for free, even paying for their own plane tickets to Cambodia. "If someone's prepared to do that, they're obviously there for the right reason," says Cody, "and that's very humbling. It means that the process is genuinely very collaborative; everyone's invested in it, and we're super grateful to them for being there." Courtin-Wilson agrees. "I think what happens when you give over to that process without the usual hierarchies, when someone can literally have four or five roles, is that everyone is so invested and so excited," he says. "Someone can be down the street for lunch and find some amazing potential cast member, or find an amazing cafe for a scene … it was the most exhilarating filmmaking experience I've ever had." A road movie with no road map Part of Ruin's naturalistic feel comes from the filmmakers being willing to draw from their environment. "Structurally, working with a road movie paradigm meant that you could expand or contract the film according to who you met along the way," says Courtin-Wilson. "It's episodic in nature … we'd meet an amazing fisherman in a province halfway through shooting and then we'd sit down and write a scene for him, and integrate that into the story. "The idea that filmmaking has to be a one-way street in which you can't fundamentally reinvent the film in the edit..." Courtin-Wilson trails off, shaking his head. "If anything, we were trying to inject more chaos into the process, because that's where the discoveries lie." "I'm pretty sure [the cast] thought we were just mental cases for a lot of the time shooting the film," says Cody, laughing. The guidance of trauma "We had a really fundamental idea of what the theme of the film was, which came from Cody's initial idea of trauma, and how trauma sits in the body," says Courtin-Wilson. "This is a whole country that's been traumatised," adds Cody. "One thing I'm really pleased with is the way the history of the place comes through, but in an oblique way. It's subtle, as it is in everyday life there. You can feel it everywhere, all around you, but it's not discussed. These people have to deal with the reality of that history, in their lives and their relationships. You know, like living down the road from the guy that executed your father, that sort of stuff." "In early screenings of the film we had in Cambodia," says Courtin-Wilson, "the greatest compliment [came from] showing it to a group of Cambodian artists, musicians and filmmakers, and for them to say 'this feels like Cambodia today'. If we even came close to capturing that, that's all I would ever want." Ruin is on at the Melbourne International Film Festival on Wednesday, August 13, and Saturday, August 17. For tickets, see the MIFF website.
It's not hard to see why this thermal pool in the Kosciuszko National Park is a local favourite. Quiet and secluded, with heaps to explore in the surroundings, it's the perfect destination for a crisp winter's day. Filled with water from a natural hot spring, the 20-metre pool remains at a perfect 27 degrees all year round. Get there via a short (but steep) 700-metre walk from the nearby car park, or wind your way along the three-kilometre River Walk. If the temps aren't too frosty, have a post-swim feed in the adjacent picnic area before exploring the surrounding caves. [caption id="attachment_745862" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yarrangobilly Caves[/caption] Top image: National Parks NSW, Murray Vanderveer
Founded by twins Cam and Chris Grant back in early 2017, Unyoked's tiny houses have been in high demand since the outset. There are 13 cabins across NSW, Victoria and Queensland, including one designed by Matthew McConaughey. All properties have been placed in secret patches of wilderness, in the middle of nowhere, allowing you to escape all the hustle and bustle of the city. The off-the-grid experience brings you the convenience and comforts of four solid walls, alongside the adventure, spontaneity and closeness-to-nature of camping. Unyoked's ethos is to connect back with nature to help unplug, alleviate stress and anxiety. Each cabin is designed to make you feel like you're part of the surrounding landscape, too. Think timber, oversized windows, solar power, composting toilets and a blissful lack of wi-fi. At the same time, though, simple comforts are taken care of, so you get a cosy bed, kitchen appliances, firewood, coffee, milk, herbs and the like. [caption id="attachment_745749" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Luisa Brimble[/caption] Images: Unyoked and Luisa Brimble
There's nothing quite like exploring the great outdoors with your best mate by your side. We're referring, of course, to your four-legged friend, not your human kind. To help you get started, we've put together this list of camping, hiking and swimming spots in New South Wales where your pup is just as welcome as you are. Whether it's riverside camping, exploring a few Blue Mountains waterfalls or splashing around at a 24-hour off-leash beach, this list has you and your doggo covered. Recommended Reads: The Best Dog-Friendly Bars, Restaurants and Cafes in Sydney The Best Free Camping Sites in NSW The Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Sydney The Best Multi-Day Hikes in NSW DOG-FRIENDLY CAMPING [caption id="attachment_794243" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mystery Bay Beach by Sol Ramana-Clark via Destination NSW[/caption] MYSTERY BAY CAMPGROUND, SOUTH COAST Located five hours down the coast from Sydney, Mystery Bay Campground is set directly along a stunning stretch of ocean, and your pup is invited to share every bit of it with you. It's definitely a more rustic campsite than the two below, with cold showers, pit toilets and unpowered camping on offer (though firewood is available onsite when there isn't a fire ban). But it's a chance to truly unplug and unwind with your best mate. Go for a swim or a surf in turquoise waters, then explore the region's rocky coves together. On the way in, don't forget to stop off at Narooma, where you can grab provisions. RIVERWOOD DOWNS, BARRINGTON TOPS NATIONAL PARK Set near Barrington Tops National Park, three hours north of Sydney, the Riverwood Downs campground offers riverside sites, hot showers, laundry facilities, a kiosk and — most importantly — welcomes your pup with open arms. Campers can choose between powered and unpowered tent sites, both of which sit near the mountain river that extends five kilometres through the Monkerai Valley campsite. Located 2.5 hours north of Sydney, this 750-acre, award-winning property lets your pet roam on- and off-lead, with plenty of mountains trails and watering holes in reach. REFLECTIONS WEE JASPER – CAMPGROUND, WEE JASPER A dog lover's paradise, Reflections Wee Jasper – Campground is home to four camping sites — Billy Grace, Fitzpatrick Trackhead, Swinging Bridge and Micalong Creek — all of which are pooch-friendly. While camping at Wee Jasper is unpowered, some of the sites do offer other 'luxe' amenities such as flushing toilets, hot showers, barbecues and picnic tables. Located four hours southwest of Sydney, the campgrounds offer everything from wild caves and bushwalks to swimming, kayaking and fishing. Just be sure to book ahead, with camping costing $17 per night. DOG-FRIENDLY HIKING TRAILS SPIT BRIDGE TO MANLY, NORTHERN BEACHES One of the best coastal walks in Sydney, Spit Bridge to Manly is all the better with your pup by your side. Unfortunately, your doggo is not allowed within the Sydney Harbour National Park section of the hike (at Dobroyd Head), but it's easily avoidable on this walk — and the rest of the trek is completely dog friendly. Start this nine-kilometre trip with a swim at Spit Reserve, where fur babies are welcome and allowed to roam off-leash at certain times. Then, cross the bridge and hike along the Fisher Bay Walk. Stop off for another sand run at Sandy Bay on the way, which is also a pooch's paradise. Instead of continuing along the coast on the Clontarf Track, turn into the lovely residential streets of Balgowlah Heights. From here, you can link back up with the coast (outside of the national park) and continue on your way to the Manly Wharf. [caption id="attachment_794244" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] SOUTH LAWSON WATERFALL CIRCUIT, BLUE MOUNTAINS While the Blue Mountains National Park is generally off-limits to your furry friend, there are some pockets of the region that allow pups. Set outside the national park in Lawson (near Wentworth Falls), the South Lawson Waterfall Circuit is a well-known hike for humans and their four-legged pals alike. The three-kilometre trail passes four waterfalls on the way — including Adelina Falls, the sand-lined Federal Falls, Cataract Falls and the epic cascades at Junction Falls. This trek is great in summer, as you and your dog can avoid the bulk of the heat with this high-altitude hike. [caption id="attachment_794242" align="alignnone" width="1920"] NSW National Parks & Wildlife[/caption] SECOND PONDS CREEK WALKING TRACK, ROUSE HILL REGIONAL PARK Located within The Hills district just 1.5-hours north of the CBD, the Rouse Hill Regional Park is a bush escape set within the Sydney boundaries. Your dog is allowed on-leash throughout the park (except for in the hired pavilions and children's play areas). Go for a jog around the short but sweet Second Ponds Creek Walking Track, which is mostly flat but will get your heart pumping. The scenic trail will take you through woodlands and past the park's picturesque pond. After your bit of exercise, relax on the grass or enjoy a barbecue in the picnic area — just be sure to share those snags with your best mate. DOG-FRIENDLY SWIM SPOTS [caption id="attachment_794249" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] WASHERWOMANS BEACH, BENDALONG Located around three hours from Sydney on the south coast, Bendalong's Washerwomans Beach is home to calm, turquoise waters and an 840-metre stretch of golden sands — plus doggos aplenty. The tree-lined beach is a 24-hour off-leash area, offering heaps of space for your pup to roam free. Set between Dee Beach and Bendalong, the curved shape also protects Washerwomans from large swells. This makes it a safe place to take your dog for a dip without worrying about overpowering waves. Even after spending hours on these shores, your pooch won't want to leave — and neither will you. [caption id="attachment_794247" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] CURRARONG BEACH, CURRARONG If striking blue water set among rock formations and beach caves are your (and your dog's) thing, look no further than Currarong Beach. Located just under three hours' south of Sydney, this coastal beauty offers sheltered swimming (or kayaking) for you and your pup. It's off-leash at different times depending on the season, so check the Shoalhaven website before letting Fido roam free. On the way down south, don't forget to stop off at Shoalhaven Heads, which has its own 24-hour off-leash areas along the expansive Seven Mile Beach — it spans 12 kilometres and is located about 45-minutes north of Currarong. ROWLAND RESERVE DOG PARK, BAYVIEW You don't have to travel far from Sydney to enjoy the waves with your pup, either. Go for a frolic at Rowland Reserve, which is 45 minutes north of the CBD, in between Newport and Mona Vale. The park is open 24 hours, it has drinking water available and occasionally dog washing facilities on the weekend. Plus, pooches can swim to their heart's content. There's a big sandy spit, and the water's pretty shallow, so your pooch won't find itself (literally) in the deep end. Once your pup is done frollicking, you can also head over to The Newport, which also welcomes four-legged friends.
When you go to the movies to watch a flick on the big screen, you abide by the usual cinema etiquette rules. You don't kick the seat in front of you, you refrain from checking your phone and lighting up the darkened theatre with its bright glow, and you don't natter away through the feature and annoy everyone around you, for instance. Also, you wear clothes. Well, usually. If you're going to the Randwick Ritz's special nude session of Nude Tuesday, however, disrobing is highly encouraged. Yes, you read that correctly. When the New Zealand comedy hits screens Down Under this winter, it's baring all, and the Ritz wants you to join in. Featuring Flight of the Conchords' Jemaine Clement, his What We Do in the Shadows co-star Jackie van Beek, and Aussie Mindhunter and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actor Damon Herriman, Nude Tuesday follows an unhappy couple who are gifted a trip to a remote couples' retreat to help save their marriage — a spot where getting in the buff often is recommended — after all. Attendees are asked to strip down for the session (or just wear their underwear) at 4pm on Sunday, June 26. There are a few ground rules, though. Photography is completely off limits, you'll need to bring a towel to sit on, only patrons over the age of 18 can attend and you're asked to respect your fellow movie-goers' personal space. You also need to rock up fully clothed, and then disrobe inside the cinema. And, if you have to go to the bathroom during the movie — or want something from the candy bar — you'll need to get dressed again. This isn't the Ritz's first clothing-optional session — or its first involving Clement, for that matter. Fans might remember that the venue did the same for another comedy called Patrick last year.
Maybe Sammy is no stranger to winning an award. It was named in the top 50 bars in the world in 2019, 2020 and 2021 — and named the Best Bar in Australasia at The World's 50 Best Bars in all three years. Back in 2019, it was also named the Best International New Cocktail Bar at the 2019 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards in New Orleans. The Spirited Awards recognises the best cocktail bars from around the world since 2007, and this year Maybe Sammy has one-upped itself taking out two honours at the 2022 ceremony. Firstly, the bar's staff have been crowned Best International Bar Team, while co-founder Martin Hudak has also been awarded Best International Brand Ambassador. Maybe Sammy beat out the Best International Bar Team shortlist which included Columbia's Alquimico, Greece's The Clumsies and Spain's Two Schmucks to be named the cream of the crop in the areas of experience, professionalism, hospitality and consistency of service. While the entire team was recognised, Hudak was singled out and named Best International Brand Ambassador for his work with the beloved local coffee liqueur brand Mr Black. Maybe Sammy was the only Australian bar to be recognised at the ceremony. Elsewhere in the world, London featured heavily in the international categories, with Tayer + Elementary taking out the Best International Cocktail Bar, Sexy Fish being named Best International Restaurant Bar and the confusingly named A Bar with Shapes for a Name winning Best New International Cocktail Bar. Plus, Katana Kitten out of New York was named Best US Cocktail Bar, New Orlean's Jewel of the South took out Best US Restaurant Bar and fresh Albuquerque face Happy Accidents won Best New US Cocktail Bar. [caption id="attachment_794856" align="alignnone" width="1920"] DS Oficina[/caption] You can find the list of winners for the Tales of the Cocktail 2022 Spirited Awards at the award ceremony's website.
As Sydneysiders, we're lucky to be situated so close to so many of Australia's most celebrated wine regions: Orange, Mudgee, the Hunter Valley and Kangaroo Valley (the list continues). Whether you're looking for organically produced, family-operated or award-winning, you'll find it all just a road trip away. If you're a wine fan and you're not taking advantage of NSW's seriously impressive vineyards, it's time to get those engines revving. Here are ten cellar doors worth travelling for, from an elegant farmhouse to an old-school organic vineyard, and even one with its own craft brewery and live music amphitheatre. From pristine beaches and bountiful wine regions to alpine hideaways and bustling country towns, Australia has a wealth of places to explore at any time of year. We've partnered with Tourism Australia to help you plan your road trips, weekend detours and summer getaways so that when you're ready to hit the road you can Holiday Here This Year. While regional holidays within NSW will be allowed from June 1, some of the places mentioned below may still be closed — or operating differently — due to COVID-19 restrictions. Please check websites before making any plans.
Forget those boring corporate teamwork exercises involving straws, raw eggs or paper planes. A far better way to get the team working in harmony is by trapping them in a locked room with an increasingly tense hypothetical scenario and making them problem-solve their way out. Escape rooms have never been more popular and have a strong focus on successful collaboration, so they're basically professional development disguised as fun (which will make the boss happy). Social Escape in Alexandria has four different escape rooms, each with a unique theme and premise, from a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery to a bank heist with a diamond-filled vault.
Hej! Spring has arrived, the sun is out and colourful dresses complete with Swedish clogs have started to reappear on the streets. There’s no better time to head over to Sydney’s unofficial Swedish enclave, the relaxed beachside 'burb of Manly. This trendy north-shore hub has an enviable collection of Nordic design stores, and amongst the mix you’ll find Fika Swedish Kitchen. The breezy, chic cafe was founded by expats whose wistful thoughts of home resulted in the brainwave of bringing the best of Swedish culture to the heart of Manly. It channels a Scandinavian summerhouse vibe and seems staffed entirely by attractive blondes like something from a Swedish travel brochure. The sunshine streams into the neatly curated space, illuminating the modern whitewash interior, rendered concrete benchtop and simple artwork. The minimalism is balanced with homely touches of wooden furnishings, scattered cushions, pops of vibrant yellow and decorative jars of Swedish sweets. Fika translates as ‘taking a break for coffee and a bite to eat', and with that welcoming attitude and the open pavement dining, it buzzes with laidback Manly locals over the warmer months. We decide to take a time out from our Marimekko homeware shopping, and dabble in some Swedish fare — but first we crack open a Rekorderlig cider while we peruse the lunch menu casually scrawled across the back wall. The obvious crowd-pleaser is the Swedish meatballs with potato mash, gravy and lingonberry jam ($18), comfortingly served up on canteen-style enamel plates. If you miss the lunch hours, open sandwiches are available throughout the afternoon. Try the gravlax cured salmon skagen, a lavish open sandwich heaped with mashed egg and håvmästar sauce. If you are feeling a little indecisive there is always the smörgåstårta, a sandwich as complicated as its name is to pronounce. It's a three-layer stack of smashed egg, prawn skagen, gravlax, meatball, ham and Jarlsberg ($15). Our table quickly became a smorgasbord, which literally translates to ‘sandwich table’. There was so much sandwich on our table that there was hardly any table. Not for long though. There were only a few crumbs left on our plates to remind us of what once was. Now, everyone knows that hanging out in Manly is like being on holiday, and on holiday one always has room for dessert. With such an endearing name, it was impossible to go past Grandma Elly’s Apple Pie ($8) — the just-out-the-oven golden goodness served with a hearty dollop of vanilla whip made me momentarily wish I were related to Grandma Elly. For an authentic brew, try the refillable Swedish coffee ($2), which is perfect coupled with a cinnamon bun ($5) from the freshly baked batch sitting enticingly on the counter. After you tear into this traditional pastry, you’ll be tempted to order a few as souvenirs to take on the trip home. With such sincere fare, simple Scandi design and the happy chatter of Swedish expats enjoying a taste of home, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that you aren’t actually in Stockholm.
The second biggest country music festival in the world — after Nashville, nonetheless — Tamworth attracts tens of thousands of boot scooters every January. It's a ten-day shindig that takes over the entire town with outdoor concerts, pub gigs, bands, singer-songwriters, buskers, whip crackers, sheep dogs and every other element of country living you can think of. Best of all, much of the program is free. So, if you're on a budget, park your tent at Riverside Park and go wandering from gig to gig, without spending a cent. Every night, Toyota Park hosts a massive free concert under the stars, including the Toyota Star Maker Grand Final and the Toyota Busking Championships. Alternatively, splurge on a major show, like the Golden Guitar Awards (where pretty much all the best country stars of the year play a song or two). Or, if you're more into country mixed with contemporary sounds, check out the Cake & Cordial Sessions, which feature indie singer-songwriters, or Late Nite Alt, where secret acts play until 1.30am. Last year's crop included Henry Wagons, Shane Nicholson, Harmony James and the Wilson Pickers.
It's time to get the word "Jellicle" stuck in your head again: to mark 40 years since it first hit the stage in Australia, Cats has locked in a new season Down Under. Back in July 1985, Aussie audiences initially experienced Andrew Lloyd Webber's acclaimed production, which turned a tale inspired by poems from T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats into an award-winning theatre hit. The place: Sydney, aka where Cats is heading again from June 2025. Four decades ago, the show pranced and prowled through Theatre Royal Sydney — and the new season will scamper across the boards there again, too. There's no word yet on whether the show's 2025 Australian run will make stops in any other cities, so if you're keen for some new Cats memories, booking a seat in the Harbour City is your only current way of guaranteeing them. "Cats is a legendary show that I've admired for over 40 years. A sparkling fusion of music, dance and verse, it was revolutionary when it first opened and enticed new audiences into the world of musical theatre," said producer John Frost for Crossroads Live about the new Aussie performances. "I can't wait to bring the original production of Cats back to Australia where it all began, at Theatre Royal Sydney, to celebrate its 40th anniversary in Australia." If you're new to Cats, it spends its time with the Jellicle cat tribe on the night of the Jellicle Ball. That's the evening each year when their leader Old Deuteronomy picks who'll be reborn into a new Jellicle life by making the Jellicle choice. And yes, "Jellicle" is uttered frequently. Of late, audiences might be more familiar with Cats as a movie. In 2019, the musical made the leap from stage to screen with a star-studded cast including Idris Elba (Hijack), Taylor Swift (Amsterdam), Judi Dench (Belfast), Ian McKellen, (The Critic) James Corden, (Mammals) Jennifer Hudson (Respect), Jason Derulo (Lethal Weapon), Ray Winstone (Damsel) and Rebel Wilson (The Almond and the Seahorse) playing singing, scurrying street mousers. If you ever wanted to see Swift pouring cat nip on a crowd of cats from a suspended gold moon, or were keen to soothe your disappointment over the fact that Elba hasn't yet been James Bond by spotting him with whiskers, fur and a tail, this was your chance. For its efforts, the Tom Hooper (The Danish Girl)-directed film picked up six Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture. But while the movie clearly didn't hit the mark, you can see why this feline-fancying musical has been such a huge theatre hit when it makes its Aussie stage comeback. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cats Australia (@catsthemusicalau) Cats will play Theatre Royal Sydney, 108 King Street, Sydney, from June 2025. Head to the musical's website to further details and to sign up for the ticket waitlist. Images: Alessandro Pinna.
The traditional home of adventure, phone accessories and delicious food, Chinatown is like a holiday without leaving town. That's not to say there's no risks involved. Unfamiliar signs, labyrinths of stores and suspiciously enthusiastic street hawkers make this an adventure filled with peril. Fortunately, Concrete Playground has assembled the ten best bits for you. 1. BBQ KingWhere: 18 Goulburn Street, Haymarket 2000 Dead ducks hanging in the window, kitsch Chinese decor and the best Peking Duck in Sydney. What more could one ask for? Take advantage of the late opening hours - they don't close until 1.45 am - and swing by for a late meal accompanied by a few Tsing Taos, a crisp Chinese beer. There's plenty on offer, but our advice is to go straight down the cliché line. The signature dishes here are, obviously, the roast Peking Duck and Pork. If you're not here with a huge group, though, the full serves can be difficult to get through. An easier option is the Peking Duck Pancakes, served up with slices of roast duck, green onions, hoisin sauce and chili to taste (ask for fresh). For review and details, click here. 2. Morning GloryWhere: 22 Goulburn Street, Haymarket 2000 There are three Morning Glory stores to choose from in Chinatown, but our favourite is the one right in the thick of it. What this particular Morning Glory holds over all the others is that the entire store is organised by colour. This place is literally an encyclopaedia of cuteness. The store is overflowing with Hello Kitty, Pikachu, Totoro, pandas and a whole bunch of things I'll never be able to place. Take your pick from nail polishes, notebooks, lunch boxes, keyrings, pens, tissue box covers, socks and plush-toy phone holders. If it all becomes a little too overwhelming, retreat into one of the sticker booths in the far back corner, and emerge victorious with a sheet of glittery sticker photos of yourself and friend. 3. Ten Ren Tea Where: 696 George Street, Sydney 2000 This simple shop front on George Street is deceiving. Take away teas can be bought from the counter downstairs but, if you make your way upstairs, a whole new experience awaits you. Super cheap meals, adventurous Taiwanese desserts and a ridiculous range of teas are on offer in this laid back dining room. Begin with the teas, the raison d'être of the establishment. For a cold tea, opt for Black Milk Tea with QQ ($6.5/$7.50). This 'bubble tea' includes tapioca pearls - here called 'QQ', meaning 'chew-chew'. If you'd prefer a hot tea, try Osmanthus Oolong ($5.50/$6.50), a traditional blend where oolong tea is scented with osmanthus flowers. For a delicious pot, try fragrant and calming Lavender ($8.50). And if the menu simply seems too overwhelming, ask the staff for recommendations: they'll be happy to help. For review and details, click here. 4. MamakWhere: 15 Goulburn Street, Haymarket 2000 Mamak is the talk of the town and with good reason. It's one of the few places in Sydney to get exceptional Malaysian hawker food, still offered at an authentic price. It's no surprise that this place often has lines of eager customers stretching down the street. All I can say is: get in early, it's worth it. Walk in past the chefs, on full display, and bathe in the aroma of curries and fried roti. It's a long room, crammed full with wooden tables, and service is courteous but necessarily efficient. The menu is divided into Roti, variations on the warm bread served with curry dips and spicy sambal sauce, Satay, available in chicken or beef, Mains, featuring curries and fried chicken, and Noodle and Rice dishes. For review and details, click here. 5. Chinatown Night MarketsWhere: Dixon Street Mall, Haymarket 2000 Every Friday night, between 4 and 11pm, Chinatown becomes just a little bit more special. The weekly Night Markets offers the best bits of Chinatown right out on the street in the middle of a bustling crowd. Food, crafts, massage, bonsais and candy... You name it, it's here. Look out for the Takoyaki, or fried octopus balls - you'll typically find the tent by following the insanely upbeat techno pop. Dragon's Beard Candy is another rare treat, finely spun sugar reminiscent of a white beard. Or just grab a cup of freshly squeezed Sugar Cane Juice with lemon, and wander the stalls to see what turns up. 6. Emperor's Garden Cakes and BakeryWhere: 96-100 Hay Street, Haymarket This bakery is a must stop on any trip to Chinatown. Discover it in the mall next to its parent restaurant, you'll find it by the line of people waiting outside a small side window. They're after freshly baked Emperor's Puffs: hot little custard balls of pure delight. Wander inside, and you'll discover plenty more treats on offer. We're talking moon cakes, Sacher tortes, chocolate eclairs, egg tarts, sticky rice dumplings and barbeque pork buns. You'll find a slightly different selection every time you visit, so it's worth returning often. 7. Menya Noodle Bar Where: Shop TG8, 8 Quay Street, Haymarket 2000 It's a big call to claim that something is the best of its kind. Yet it doesn't feel like a stretch to hand Menya the title of Best Ramen Bar in Sydney. The noodles are fresh and chewy, the broth is incredibly rich, and the atmosphere is just the right kind of casual. For the beginner, we suggest the Menya ramen. Pick the Tonkotsu, beef, or Tori-gara, chicken, broth base then opt for either Shoyu ($9.30/$9), a salty soy sauce flavour, or Miso ($10.30/$10), a richer choice. Our favourite is the Menya Tonkotsu Miso ramen ($10.30). If you'd prefer a ramen with extra toppings, try the Tori Kara-age Ramen (from $10.90), with deep fried kara-age chicken, or add extras like Kakiage Tempura ($2.50) or Sweet Corn ($1.50). For review and details, click here. 8. Din Tai FungWhere: 644 George Street, Sydney 2000 An infamous Taiwanese noodle chain is introducing Sydney to the best dumplings it's ever had. Just make sure you turn up early, or be prepared to pull up a wooden stool and wait. That's not to imply that Din Tai Fung are not efficient. This they are, in the extreme. Peer into the kitchen and you can observe the production line: line baskets with cloth, cut dough into discs, roll the dough, fill and pinch it at the top, then pop the newly made dumplings into the baskets ready for steaming. It's strangely hypnotising. For review and details, click here. 9. Media Asia Where: 50 Dixon Street, Haymarket 2000 Looking for movies? This is the place to go for the latest and greatest. Media Asia has a huge selection of Japanese anime, including a sub-section with English audio for all you non-native speakers. There's also an impressive array of other titles, including kung fu flicks and Korean dramas. While you're there, make sure you pick up one of the pop group posters that adorn the walls. If the music playing here is anything to go by, they'll be your favourite group in no time at all. 10. Thai Kee IGAWhere: inside Market City, 9-13 Hay Street, Haymarket 2000 It's been a long day in Chinatown by now. Let's face it, you're probably feeling a little bit worn out. Why not leave with some take home memories? (We especially recommend the edible ones.) The Thai Kee IGA, hidden away above Paddy's Markets, can provide you with all you need. Dumplings and steamers, Koala biscuits, aloe vera juice, Japanese curry, kitsch bowls and crockery sets, Super Lemons, hot barbeque pork buns, Chrysanthemum tea, Chinese slippers: you name it, it's all here. In fact, you should probably allow an extra hour or so just to wander down these aisles. Trust me, you'll be surprised at what you find.
There are a lot of things to like about The Dock, and this is the first. I walked in on a Monday night, ordered a Stevie Nicks and was charged $10. I looked at the bartender with an expression of great confusion until he explained it was $10 cocktails Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Hoorah! The Stevie Nicks is a mixture of Amaretto, Carter Premium lager and Coke. I know it sounds odd, but it's surprisingly tasty and nothing else tastes quite like it. This cocktail is also served with the remainder of the beer on the side, so you can top it up if it's too sweet for your liking. After we sat down on the comfortable high tables, we were delivered a bowl of free popcorn. In my opinion, this salty snack should replace gross bar nuts the world over. Next cocktail was the Rusty Nipple, the house cocktail invented by Jed Clarke (formerly the infamous Beer Baron) who runs the joint. It's made up of rum, whiskey, ginger ale and a few other secret ingredients. The result tastes almost like an iced tea with a citrus tang. It goes down very easily - a good choice if you don't like tasting the alcohol in your drink. Next in line, The Bloody Mary, was expertly made with a cornichon, floating pickled onions and just the right amount of spice. If you've downed a few cocktails and decided your self-imposed 10pm curfew needs to be thrown out the window, try one of their shots. With titles like Flamin' Moes (a concoction of absinthe and a some other unnameables which is served burning like the devil's favourite tipple), you know you're in for a good night that you'll only have hazy memories of tomorrow. With Sinatra crooning in the background and super personable bartenders, it's equally the kind of place you could go for a quiet night, sipping on the excellent Carter lager (if you find a great bottled beer for $7 anywhere else I'll buy it for you), and maybe a Whiskey Sour or an Old-Fashioned as a night cap. If they decided to replace the 'vintage' beer posters, this place would be just about the perfect local watering hole to drink good alcohol without paying an arm and a foot. Watch this space, we hear talk of a regular fashion market on Saturdays with $10 cocktails on offer. Images: Katje Ford.
Has Jennifer Lawrence entered her Jennifer Coolidge era? With the spirit of American Pie lingering over No Hard Feelings like unpaid property taxes — a pivotal part of the movie's plot — the Silver Linings Playbook Oscar-winner and Winter's Bone, Hunger Games, X-Men and mother! star is flirting with that direction and loving it. No one sticks their genitalia in a warm home-baked dessert or talks about band camp in Lawrence's latest film, but it is a sex comedy about an inexperienced teenager that includes parents giving clumsy advice. It also involves getting lucky with an older woman; while Lawrence is only 32 and plays it here, an age gap — as well as the chasms between millennials and zoomers, and with the generations prior — is essential to the narrative. The spirit of Coolidge, a game Lawrence, gags about Hall & Oates' 1982 earworm 'Maneater' — a storyline that somewhat riffs on its lyrics, in fact — and battles over class, generational differences and gentrification: that's No Hard Feelings. Based on a real-life Craigslist ad, it's also the next movie from filmmaker Gene Stupnitsky, who penned Bad Teacher and made his feature directorial debut with Good Boys. Where the latter took a Superbad-esque setup but swapped 17-year-olds out for sixth graders, his second flick as a helmer tells a coming-of-age tale on two levels. Percy Becker (Andrew Barth Feldman, White Noise) is the introverted brainiac whose helicopter parents (Daybreak's Matthew Broderick and Life & Beth's Laura Benanti) want to live a little before he hits Princeton University, while Maddie Barker (Lawrence, Causeway) is the bartender and Uber driver who's been in a state of arrested development ever since giving up her plans to surf California's beaches when her mother got sick. Those taxes? Maddie owes them on her Montauk house, which she inherited from and remains in while the New York hamlet she grew up in is inundated by wealthy holidaymakers. And those tourists? Sweeping in for only part of the year, splashing around cash and causing property values to skyrocket while pushing locals out, they're the reason that Maddie's debt is so hefty. They're also why Percy and his family are in town for the summer. And, in general, those rich interlopers are a prime target for Maddie's anger, unsurprisingly. Still, usually the well-to-do influx helps boost her finances — driving folks around in a vacation town while the weather's right can be lucrative — but her car has just been repossessed, hence an advertisement offering a Buick Regal for dating and sleeping with Percy earning her attention. "These people use us, so why don't we use them?" is Maddie's pregnant pal Sara's (Natalie Morales, Dead to Me) take on the situation. Sporting that exact mindset, Maddie commits. The Beckers want her to bring their shy, reclusive and neurotic son out of his bedroom by taking him to bed — patriarch Laird fondly recalls his own first youthful fling, with Stupnitsky adding an extra layer by having Ferris Bueller's Day Off great Broderick in the role — and Percy has no idea about the deal. Whether Maddie is asking to touch his wiener at his animal-shelter volunteer job, inadvertently getting him suspecting that he's being kidnapped by offering him a lift in Sara's spouse Jim's (Scott MacArthur, Killing It) van filled with machetes and harpoons, teaching him how to drink Long Island iced teas, or taking him skinny dipping by moonlight and fighting the pranksters who try to steal their clothes in the nude, seducing the college-bound young man is far from an easy gig. Co-scripting with John Phillips (Dirty Grandpa), Stupnitsky also has both Percy and Maddie clutch onto the bonnet of speeding cars, and throws in hectic faux prom nights and eventful pre-uni parties; however, the raunchiest thing about No Hard Feelings is largely its premise. Bawdy humour still echoes, especially when Maddie is playing the libidinous part she's being paid to — but, as she genuinely starts to connect with Percy as a friend, so does earnestness. She's initially willing to slip between the sheets to get her life back on track, and pretends to be the stereotypical teen-boy fantasy to do so. He wants to talk, get to know her and build something physical out of a true emotional bond. Of course the film that results seesaws between the ribald and sweet, and of course it's never completely one or the other. That isn't a failure of nerve, but reflects the chaos that is growing up even when you're already supposed to be grown up. No Hard Feelings is rarely as consistently funny as it wants to be, but it'd be far more awkward than it's meant to be if Maddie and Percy weren't so well cast. The luminous Lawrence is a comic dream, no matter if Maddie is cringing at her own behaviour, bluntly decrying teens today and the ultra-rich always, attempting to climb stairs in rollerblades or turning on the sultriness. She serves up a physical comedy masterclass, and long may amusing movies that call upon her laugh-inducing skills keep joining her resume (well, other than the smug Don't Look Up). She's such a natural here that wanting No Hard Feelings to constantly ramp up the OTT antics stems wholly from her performance. (Also, as Coolidge keeps popping to mind, who wouldn't want to see Lawrence in The White Lotus in the future, whether in Thailand or wherever future seasons of the hit HBO series end up.) Feldman, who took time out from high school IRL to play the titular part in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway for a spell and then from uni for this, brings nuance to what could've been a stock-standard nerdy character in other hands. The key to his performance, and to Lawrence's: amid the overtly comic moments, they each know that they're stepping into the shoes of people who are stuck and struggling in their own ways, and they're sincere about having Maddie and Percy work through that together. So, crucially, is the sunnily shot picture itself. Although it's better when Stupnitsky and Phillips put their faith the movie's central portrayals rather than getting thematically heavy-handed, and it's also gleefully formulaic, No Hard Feelings has film-stealing stark-naked brawls, Lawrence in go-for-broke comedic mode, and insight and heart.
Goodbye golden arches, hello golden fries: that's McDonald's new makeover at its world-first fry-thru pop-up. And if you're wondering what a fry-thru is, that's the term that Macca's has coined to describe it's new fries-focused restaurant, which will make Tumbalong Park in Sydney's Darling Harbour its home for the duration of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. This fries-adoring McDonald's outlet won't just be serving up hot and crispy slivers of potato heaven in medium servings. It'll definitely be doing that, of course, but the space that it's selling them from is just as noteworthy. Head to the FIFA Women's World Cup Fan Festival to get some chips and you'll be ordering them from an eatery that's shaped like a giant packet of fries. If you've ever needed to see what a five-metre-tall version of Macca's potato slices looked like — and then get some fries from it — this is your chance. It's the dream that no chips lover ever realised they had, and it's coming true from Thursday, July 20–Sunday, August 20. Here, the question isn't "would you like fries from that?", because you're definitely getting fries. Instead, it's "would you like fries from that?". The giant packet of chips is pairing its medium fries with a couple of Macca's sauces of the world condiments, with outback barbecue sauce and wasabi-flavoured mayonnaise on offer to tie in with the Women's World Cup's participating countries. Not getting in on the fan fest fun but just want to drop by the restaurant? The fry-thru is open to both football fans hitting up the Fan Festival and the general public. Outside stadiums hosting Women's World Cup matches in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, Macca's is also setting up an interactive photobooth that'll gives you a personalised collectable card, plus Macca's swings. [caption id="attachment_907652" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Johannes Simon - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images[/caption] Find the McDonald's fry-thru in Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour, Sydney, as part of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Fan Festival from Thursday, July 20–Sunday, August 20.
School's back — and so is the escalating battle between humans and folks with superpowers, no shortage of chaos and gore, and nothing being quite what it seems at Godolkin University. Also returning at the centre of all of the above, as seen in the just-dropped full trailer for Gen V season two: the blood-bending Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair, Please Baby Please), her size-changing roomate Emma Meyer (Lizze Broadway, Kinda Pregnant), gender-shifting Jordan Li (Never Have I Ever's London Thor and Shining Vale's Derek Luh), the persuasive Cate Dunlap (Maddie Phillips, Overcompensating), super-strong Sam Riordan (Asa Germann, Monsters) and superhero Polarity (Sean Patrick Thomas, High Potential). This college-set spinoff from The Boys — which takes the latter's caped-crusader satirising to the next generation — first debuted in 2023 and was quickly renewed for a second run. Season four of The Boys arrived in 2024, and now it's time for Gen V's comeback from Wednesday, September 17, 2025, ahead of the Vought Cinematic Universe's OG series wrapping up with its upcoming fifth and final season. What if dealing with possessing superpowers turned higher learning into absolute mayhem? That's one of the concepts at the heart of Gen V — although the impact of part of the population having extraordinary abilities has always been at the core of the entire franchise. As the VCU's characters cope with the fallout from Homelander's (Antony Starr, G20) actions in The Boys, what if the Godolkin gang could rival him in strength? That's where Gen V is heading, too, the new sneak peek teases. As also seen in an earlier teaser for season two, there's a new uni head, Cipher (Hamish Linklater, Nickel Boys), on the scene with a far-from-trustworthy vibe. Indeed, he wants his pupils to be more powerful than ever. Marie's stint at the Elmira Adult Rehabilitation Centre, her home since the events of season one — and for some of her friends, too — comes to an end as well; however, going back to class isn't the same as it once was, including in a "Make America Super Again" world. Then there's the discovery of a secret program dating back to God U's founding. For those who missed Gen V 's initial season, Godolkin University is the college for superheroes that's meant to help prepare the best of the best for caped-crusader life — until exploding classmates, creepy secret facilities and unnerving professors complicate matters, that is. Season one spent its time with Marie, who knows that attending God U is a pivotal opportunity. After a traumatic experience when her powers kicked in, this is her chance to completely change her life, as well as achieve her dream of becoming the first Black woman in The Seven. Then, nothing turns out as planned. Also, things on campus (and underneath it) get shady, fast. The pair of glimpses at season two so far also dive into how the show is addressing an off-screen tragedy, after season-one talent Chance Perdomo (After Everything), who portrayed the magnetic Andre Anderson, passed away in 2024. Familiar faces from across the franchise feature in the new footage as well, alongside Ethan Slater (Wicked) joining the cast as Thomas Godolkin. Check out the full trailer for Gen V season two below: Gen V streams via Prime Video, with season two releasing from Wednesday, September 17, 2025. Read our review of season one.
For anyone born after 1978, it's impossible to imagine a world without Jamie Lee Curtis playing Laurie Strode, grappling with the ultimate movie boogeyman and being one of the OG final girls. Forty-four years ago, the then film first-timer slipped into the role and battle of a lifetime, taking on Michael Myers in John Carpenter's initial, iconic and now-highly influential October 31-set slasher Halloween. The picture, and the part, both launched and defined Curtis' career — and she's returned as the Haddonfield, Illinois babysitter-turned-survivor six more times since. Curtis' on-screen resume doesn't lack in other highlights, of course. Reteaming with Carpenter in The Fog, riding the scream queen wave in Prom Night, winning a BAFTA Award for 80s comedy Trading Places and scoring another nomination for A Fish Called Wanda: she'd managed all that before the 90s even hit. Since then, Curtis has tangoed into action-hero territory in True Lies, dispensed motherly advice in the My Girl movies, swapped bodies with Lindsay Lohan in Freaky Friday, joined Veronica Mars on the big screen, gotten her murder-mystery on in Knives Out and sported hot dog fingers in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Laurie Strode and Laurie Strode only, she definitely isn't. Still, Curtis and Laurie will always be synonymous. When you keep stepping into a character's shoes for four-plus decades — and when that character is one of the most famous there is in horror movie history, too — that's going to happen. Now, however, the unthinkable is also occurring. Curtis will always be Laurie, but she's also saying goodbye to the constant target of Michael Myers' slash-happy rampages. Yes, Halloween Ends has the perfect moniker for that turn of events. The 13th entry in the Halloween franchise, Halloween Ends is also the third in a trilogy that started in 2018, brought Curtis back to the fold after a 16-year gap and has clearly been working towards closure ever since. Indeed, in this iteration — as directed and co-written by David Gordon Green (Stronger, The Righteous Gemstones), and produced by Jason Blum — Laurie has weathered the pain of being Michael Myers' prey, and worn that survivor's PTSD as firmly as her silver hair. She's prepared to face him down again. She's tried and thought she's won, only for the mask-wearing murderer to re-emerge. She's lost friends and family to the monster, and seen how deeply Michael's mayhem has affected her home town. In other words, she's been as fascinating a horror-film final girl as any movie, franchise, actor or audience can hope for, and she's earned her farewell. With Halloween Ends releasing in cinemas Down Under on October 13, we chatted with Curtis about the series, her legendary character, and what it's meant to earn a part as a teenager and leave it half a lifetime later — plus being not just the final girl, but the final woman. ON THE HALLOWEEN FRANCHISE'S MASSIVE SUCCESS — AND HUMBLE BEGINNINGS "No one knew. If anyone knew, we'd be in Vegas today and we'd be betting money on something because we'd have some prescient idea of knowing about the future. No one knew anything about anything. We were young filmmakers. The oldest person was 30. We were a crew of about 15 people. It was made in 17 days, shot fast and furiously, and it turned into something quite magical. But that's the art of the movies. That's what happens once in a while. I did a movie this year called Everything Everywhere All At Once, which was the same thing. A group of people getting together, 38 days in an abandoned office building in Simi Valley, California — and what came out was this phenomenon, this beautiful movie. No, nobody had any idea." ON RETURNING TO LAURIE FOR THIS TRILOGY AFTER A 16-YEAR GAP "Honestly, the last thing I ever thought I'd do was another Halloween movie. And the phone rang, and it was Jake Gyllenhaal. I was in my house up in the mountains, and Jake said 'my friend David Gordon Green would like to talk to you about a Halloween movie'. And I said 'okay'. He called me, and what drew me back was that David had written a script about really what happens to somebody 40 years after that level of violence and trauma happens to them, and I felt it was very realistic. It was everything I'd hoped H20 could've been, and wasn't. For me it just was truth. It felt like it was truthful. It felt like it honoured victims. It gave a truth to really what happens. How many times do we see a disaster happen, all the news cameras, everybody's camping out on people's lawns — coverage, coverage, coverage, coverage — and then they go away? Then what remains are all these people whose lives have been ruined, and we never see a story about what happens to them ever. I felt like that was what David wrote — a story about what really happens to people who suffer that level of violence." ON EVOLVING FROM FINAL GIRL TO FINAL WOMAN "I represent something as Laurie Strode, the survivor of Michael Myers, for all these years. I take it very seriously. I commit to it. It's very important. She's, by the way, not only the final girl, not only the final mother, not only the final grandmother — ultimately, as you said, she's the final woman. This is a woman in full possession of her own life, and facing fear head on in that a way that I think people admire and respect, and people have certainly loved Laurie over the years for that fortitude. And I owe them. The gravity of the way I approach this work is due to them. If I was sitting here joking with you about how fun it was, and how I'm friends with the guy who's in the mask, and it's all light and easy, then what the fuck am I doing? Then why am I here? It has to be with this level of gravity and respect for Laurie Strode, who is a real person to many, many, many, many, many people. And I am Laurie Strode." ON MAKING A NEW HALLOWEEN TRILOGY WITH SOMETHING TO SAY "It wasn't a trilogy to begin with. We didn't start it out a trilogy. That I found out after the fact. But more importantly, I think also what this movie really explores is how we victim-shame, how we start to blame the actual victims of the crime because of the communal experience. The town is without resources to process their grief and who do they turn it against? Laurie Strode. Look at how we do this all day long. Look at how we use social media. Look at Twitter. Look at these portals of hatred and vile antagonism that we use in the spirit of free speech and all of the rest of it. It's terrible. The movie explores that in a very big way." ON FAREWELLING LAURIE — AND WHAT IT'D TAKE TO COME BACK "I think it'd be hard to come back now. I can't imagine a world where a filmmaker is going to come up with a scenario that explores Laurie Strode's journey and her conflict with Michael Myers in any better way than David Gordon Green has done with these three films. But I never say never, because there are great filmmakers today, and who knows? Maybe Guillermo del Toro will come up with a plan for it, or a filmmaker who's brand new will come up with some breathtaking story that can figure out a way to weave a version of Laurie's story. Who knows? But from my practical standpoint — I'm a very practical person — I can't imagine it. It's been a very emotional trip, this tour of talking and meeting fans, and really talking about the import of Laurie Strode on their lives. I have tried to receive it all, and it's a lot. It's just a lot. It's going to be hard. But I also am very joyful. I have a lot of creativity because of Laurie Strode. I now have all sorts of creative stuff I get to do. So it's not that I'm never going to get to act again — quite the opposite, I get to do that more now than I ever got to before. I get to produce things in a way I never did before. I get to direct things in a way I never did before, all because of this 2018 trilogy. So I'm sad to say goodbye to fans, for sure. But I'm happy for the opportunities that Laurie has given me, absolutely." Halloween Ends releases in Australian cinemas on October 13. Read our full review.
Wearing a pair of R.M. Williams says 'I'm ready for anything'. You could be going to the pub, walking into a work meeting or heading out to the farm to milk the cows. Sparkly footwear doesn't quite conjure up the same feelings of practicality. Well, until R.M. Williams released a special run of boots in gold metallic. For the past two years, the Aussie bootmaker has released a limited run of metallic gold boots to much fanfare — the shoes sold out quicker than most of us could transfer all our money into one bank account to pay for them. So we're sure more than a few people will be happy to hear that R.M.s will release a new limited edition metallic boot, this time in silver. This time it's the women's Millicent boot that has received the sparkly treatment. As with each R.M. boot, these have been crafted out of a single piece of leather and feature the same slim shape, elegant stitching and tapered heel cuban heel of the regular Millicent range. Each pair will be made to order, so expect a two-week delivery timeframe. R.M.s are arguably Australia's most iconic shoe. From a modest start in the Adelaide outback servicing the stockmen and women of the heartland, 85 years later, a diverse range of people still wear the boots — from farmers in the outback, to corporate businessmen, to the style set at fashion week. Australian designer Dion Lee has used R.M.s regularly in campaign shoots and runway shows, even creating his own for New York Fashion Week in 2014. Continuing to embrace contemporary styles and adapting to modern fashion without sacrificing their DNA has surely guaranteed the longevity of this historic label. This latest addition to the women's range is only available online. At $545 a pair, they're not exactly cheap — but if you're looking for an investment piece, a pair of R.M.s is the very definition of the phrase. If you ask nicely, maybe someone will chip in for them for Christmas. R.M. Williams' silver Millicent boots are available to order now at rmwilliams.com.au.
There's only one problem with the beach: it can make you dumb. Seaside days are the most tempting time to read trashy chick lit and airport novels, but what does that do to your brain? And what if you forget your book altogether and are forced to passively admire the glittering horizon while your companions enjoy tales of adventure and romance? Enter the beach pop-up library: a terrific notion from French architect and industrial designer Matali Crasset (whose website is really worth a visit for playtime). Currently popping up at La Romaniquette in Istres, France, the cute 'Bibliotheque de Plage' boasts more than 350 titles, so there's little chance you wouldn't find something that appeals. Adding a personal touch to the venture, the books on offer have been carefully selected and include many of Crasset's own favourites: for example, the classic architecture text The Poetics of Space, Gaston Bachelard's beautiful and influential meditation on how we experience interiors. The beach library creates its own special space to be experienced, composed of a simple steel frame with tarpaulin wings that form three shaded alcoves for peaceful reading. The idea for the project arose partly out of local government's focus on encouraging literacy. It would be great if charming libraries like this one were a common sight beside the food and drink kiosks that appear on beaches, ensuring you would never be stuck without a quality seaside read again. Via PSFK.
Sydney comes alive in summer — long lunches segue into golden-hour drinks, warm evenings spill into the streets and the city buzzes with new exhibitions and openair experiences. Whether you're browsing a waterside market or diving into a boundary-pushing gallery show, this season is built for discovery. Instead of dipping in for a single exhibition or market visit, treat each outing as the start of its own mini escape. In the spirit of making the most of every sunny moment, we've paired five must-see summer events with nearby neighbourhood gems that showcase the breadth of Sydney's food, culture and creativity. The Rocks Markets: Christmas Edition Why it's unmissable Set beneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge, The Rocks Markets: Christmas Edition brings together local makers showcasing their wares for three festive weekends of openair browsing. Add woodfired pizza, gozleme and crepes into the mix — along with furoshiki gift-wrapping workshops — and you've got one of summer's most charming holiday pit stops. Find out more here. Make a day of it Once you've filled your tote, wander a few steps to Hooked and Harvest, The Rocks' sunny new fish and chippery serving market-fresh fish, freshly shucked oysters and flavour-packed salads. If you're after something with a deeper sense of place, Midden by Mark Olive heroes native Australian ingredients via refined dishes like kutjera-braised beef cheek, blue gum-smoked miso eggplant and Olive's signature Bush Pavlova topped with a native fruit coulis and wattleseed cream, all from a breezy spot under the sails of the Sydney Opera House. [caption id="attachment_921470" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] Wind down nearby As the sun starts to slip, take the lift up to Martinez, Circular Quay's breezy rooftop bar with Mediterranean coastal vibes, panoramic views and a bright drinks list made for golden hour. Extend your stay Make a weekend of it at The Russell Boutique Hotel, the charming new stay in the heart of The Rocks (and set right above Sydney's oldest pub). With its warm, character-filled rooms — some of which have direct courtyard access — and unbeatable proximity to some of Sydney's most iconic spots, it's an ideal base for an urban summer escape. [caption id="attachment_918689" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Eugene Hyland[/caption] RELICS: A New World Rises Why it's unmissable This immersive new exhibition at the Australian Museum transforms discarded objects into intricate LEGO® civilisations, from a grandfather clock reverse-engineered into a time machine to a cryogenics facility inside a vintage freezer. Part art installation, part nostalgic playground, it's a summer experience for kids and adults alike — and a reminder that creativity and curiosity have no age limits. Find out more here. Make a day of it Kick things off with coffee and a pastry — or an inventive breakfast plate like avo and kale bagel with peanut chilli sauce, or soft scrambled eggs swimming in chicken broth and served with garlic-buttered baguette — in the charming sandstone-framed courtyard of A.P Bread & Wine in Darlinghurst. Post-exhibition, stroll down to Woolloomooloo for a late lunch at Akti, the breezy, coastal-Greek diner serving moussaka croquettes, lamb shoulder with chimichurri and summer-ready cocktails overlooking the Finger Wharf. Wind down nearby Round out your day at Monica, Paddington's new sun-drenched rooftop bar overlooking the bustle of Oxford Street. Head up to take in sweeping skyline views, playful cocktail — like a rhubarb and grapefruit paloma on tap — in hand as the city lights flicker on. Extend your stay Not ready to go home? You don't have to — Monica sits on the roof of the new 25hours Hotel Sydney The Olympia, a design-forward Paddington boutique set in a heritage-listed former cinema. Its prime location offers easy access to some of Sydney's most vibrant neighbourhoods, with hire bikes available if you're keen to explore more. [caption id="attachment_1045265" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Emmaline Zanelli, 'Magic Cave', 2024-2025, installation view, image courtesy the artist and Museum of Contemporary Art Australia © the artist, photograph by Hamish McIntosh[/caption] MCA double-header: Primavera 2025: Young Australian Artists and A Conversation with the Sun (Afterimage): Apichatpong Weerasethakul Why it's unmissable While we're never short of reasons to visit Australia's home of contemporary art, this summer, the MCA is giving us two more. Running until early March, Primavera 2025: Young Australian Artists continues the annual exhibition's nearly four-decade legacy of providing a platform to Australia's next generation of artistic and curatorial talent. This year's works invite visitors to consider what it means to continue making art in a digital and post-industrial world. Find out more here. Also on show: Palme d'Or-winning filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul's new cinematic site-specific installation for the MCA. The large-scale work — on display in the MCA Macgregor Gallery until early February — features video diaries projected onto floating fabric, creating a dream-like experience inspired by pondering the sun while walking in nature. Find out more here. Make a day of it Take a leisurely stroll around Circular Quay and drop anchor at Flaminia, the refined yet laidback venue by acclaimed chef Giovanni Pilu (Pilu at Freshwater) plating up Italian coastal classics alongside sweeping harbour views. Feeling adventurous? Hop on the ferry from Circular Quay to Manly and arrive at Felons Seafood for towering seafood platters, salt and vinegar martinis and a tap pouring Australia's coldest beer. Take a seat in the spacious outdoor terrace to soak up the sun, or nab a seat by the window for uninterrupted views across Manly Cove and Sydney Harbour. [caption id="attachment_1011783" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] Wind down nearby Next door to its namesake restaurant, Felons Manly brings the award-winning Brisbane brewhouse's beers to an expansive, sun-washed space, with regular events and live music keeping things lively throughout the evening. Or, follow the boardwalk around the shoreline to settle in at The Espy Manly, an alfresco bar serving up spritzes and sunshine in equal measure. If the mood is less wind down and more turn up, venture to neighbouring Freshwater and settle in at Bombies, a late-night bar and live music lounge that brings 1970s beach house energy to the rooftop of the historic Harbord Hotel. Extend your stay If there's a better way to start your day than at the beach, we're yet to find it. And at Manly Pacific Hotel, you'll wake up mere steps from the sand. And whether you choose to start your day with espresso on your sunlit balcony overlooking Manly Beach or you're popping across the road for a pre-breakfast surf, your morning will feel like its own little holiday. The Makers and Shakers Christmas Gift Market Why it's unmissable If you're hunting for holiday gifts with personality, this market at Rozelle's White Bay Cruise Terminal ticks every box: you'll find over 140 stalls selling Australian-made homewares, slow-fashion pieces and artisan treats in a bright, harbour-framed warehouse setting. Add drop-in workshops, kids' zones and free parking, and you've got all the ingredients for some feel-good festive shopping. Find out more here. Make a day of it Start the day with a hearty Middle Eastern-inspired brunch at The Rusty Rabbit, a light-filled corner spot in leafy Concord. If it's views you're after, it's hard to beat The Fenwick. This restaurant and art gallery on the edge of the East Balmain waterfront, set in an 1880s former tugboat store, plates up Italian-inspired fare and postcard-perfect views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. [caption id="attachment_706208" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Old Clare Rooftop[/caption] Wind down nearby Swap the Inner West waterfront for its indie bar scene. Start with the Inner West Distillery Trail, where small-batch gin, whisky and new-world spirits are poured straight from the source in tasting rooms across Rozelle, Marrickville and surrounds. The Inner West is also home to some of Sydney's best breweries, and the Inner West Ale Trail links a string of top-tier taprooms within a few easy kilometres. From hazy IPAs in sunny beer gardens to crisp lagers and barrel-aged sours in cavernous converted warehouses, it's a relaxed way to dig a little deeper into one of Sydney's most creative neighbourhoods. Extend your stay Make it a full weekend escape at The Old Clare Hotel, which blends luxe contemporary comforts with the character of a historic Chippendale building. By day, bask by the rooftop pool and bar, soaking up the city skyline with a drink in hand; then, wander into the laneways of Chippendale's buzzy food and bar scene to make a night of it. Ready to feel the Sydney side of summer? Discover the full calendar of what's on across the city at sydney.com.
Clear your calendar - Darlo After Dark is taking over Darlinghurst from June 19-29, serving up winter nights packed with live music, street performances, solstice rituals and all the good things that happen after dark. Curated by the team at Arts Matter, this ten-day festival spans ten venues between the Coke Sign and Green Park, encompassing Victoria, Burton and Liverpool Streets, as well as Darlinghurst Road. The neighbourhood will transform into a kind of cultural crawl - part pop-up, part performance, part party. This one's for the night owls, the curious, and the creatively inclined. Expect a sultry solstice performance from Malaika Mflame at The Darbury (yes, there'll be mulled wine). Over at Gino's Trattoria, you can catch live opera while tucking into Southern Italian eats. And if you wander into Ouzo, you'll find James Domeyko on sax, soundtracking your night with ambient jazz while you snack on Greek small plates. There's also limited-edition solstice ice cream from Messina, sake tastings at Nomidokoro Indigo, and tarot readings tucked away inside Dust Antiques. Need something hands-on? Head to Rainbow Studios for lantern-making workshops or craft your own whimsical flower crown at the twilight markets. Cap it off with an intimate screening of The Witches of Eastwick at Govindas Cinema - a dark fantasy comedy that hits that perfect sweet spot between witchy and wicked. This isn't your average winter festival — it's layered, hyper-local and full of surprises. Start early, stay late, or just wander. The fun is in the in-between. For more information, visit DarloVillage and be sure to follow us on socials @darlovillagesydney. Images: Supplied
When Princess Mononoke marked its 25th anniversary in 2022, the Studio Ghibli gem returned to cinemas. Because Hayao Miyazaki's movies should never be far from a picture palace, one his most-stunning features is making another big-screen comeback three years later. There's no milestone to celebrate this time, just an exceptional flick from a beloved Japanese animation house just because — as well as the fact that Princess Mononoke is getting both the 4K and IMAX treatment. This is also the first time ever that the 1997 film is being released in IMAX. So, no matter how many times you've seen it before, you haven't seen it like this. The date for your diary: Thursday, August 21, 2025. Language-wise, two versions of the movie are playing in both Australia and New Zealand: the original Japanese version, which is the one that every Ghibli fan should be flocking to, and the English-dubbed version as well. If you're a newcomer to this delight by the one and only Miyazaki — a film that only ranks behind Spirited Away and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind among the director's greats — get ready for a picture that makes a clear ecological statement. The iconic filmmaker has never shied away from doing just that; however, Princess Mononoke might just send his most forceful message about humanity's impact upon the earth. As set in Japan's Muromachi period (from the 14th to 16th centuries), the involving fantasy takes place among humans, animals and gods, all of which have been living in harmony until the movie starts. From there, the film charts the paths of a young prince with a curse and a young woman raised by wolves, as well as the conflict between a modernising town and the forest it's destroying. Every Studio Ghibli film is worth seeing — the animation house hasn't ever made a bad one, even if a few sit below the rest — but Princess Mononoke is a stone-cold classic. The highest-grossing Japanese feature of 1997, it's also the picture that helped bring the company's wonderful flicks to western audiences. If you do catch the English-dubbed version, the voice cast includes Gillian Anderson (The Salt Path), Claire Danes (Full Circle), Billy Crudup (The Morning Show), Minnie Driver (The Assessment), Jada Pinkett Smith (The Equalizer) and Billy Bob Thorton (Landman). Check out the trailer for Princess Mononoke below: Princess Mononoke returns to Australian and New Zealand cinemas from Thursday, August 21, 2025. For more information, head to the Crunchyroll website.
Yoda? Cartoon characters? Pamela Anderson emerging in slo-mo from the surf, flicking her hair to the Baywatch theme? Such are the visions that come to mind when viewing the high-speed photographs of violently shaking dogs, shot by Carli Davidson for her new book, Shake. With plenty more flabby skin and saliva at their disposal, our furry friends put human jowlers utterly to shame. Davidson appears to be a bit of a badass known for her wildlife photography, and according to her bio, was "raised on a secret volcano island by cheetahs". (Her biopic is recommended viewing). She first began photographing animals while working at the Oregon Zoo. The shake project was inspired by her pet dog Norbert (a name which I choose to interpret as an Angry Beavers reference), whose drool Davidson is apparently obliged to scrub from the walls of her home with some frequency. In Shake, she shares 130 high-speed photos of 61 dogs from a range of pedigrees, including a Chinese Crested, that exquisite breed famed for its tendency to win the World's Ugliest Dog competition each year. Different textures of fur coat and jowl surface area contribute to the extremity of 'shake', floppy ears and eyelids flying in opposing directions with a majesty comparable to that of hawks swooping above the Far Northern tundra. One can only imagine the sheer volume of drool lopped onto Davidson's bystanding studio assistants, who by the end must have resembled the victims of some terrible slug fight. The resulting portraits truly inspire — buy them singly as prints, ideal for your stylish home or super tasteful office wall. If that's just not sufficient, order the book on Amazon to be reminded of just how cute and demented doggies really are. The video below, created in conjunction with Variable, is an instant mood-lifter, as all kinds of puppies rattle and roll to an appropriately sentimental soundtrack. Via Colossal.
Kawaii alert: Hello Kitty and her adorable entourage are opening a colourful cafe in the heart of Melbourne. Opening on Friday, May 9, the Hello Kitty and Friends Cafe will be the first of its kind in Australia, bringing Sanrio's most iconic characters to life through food, art and, naturally, super-cute design. Popping up at Melbourne Central, this immersive, multi-zone experience merges Japanese pop culture with a bold dose of Melbourne flair, and is no doubt set to become a must-visit spot for fans of Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, Kuromi and My Melody. The whole concept has been brought to life by a team of Australian creatives, including art director Eddie Zammit — who was behind the striking visual identity for Hello Kitty's recent Chadstone pop-up — and illustrator Travis Price. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Eddie Zammit (@eddiezammit) Inside, you'll find four themed spaces, each dripping in pastel tones and Sanrio references aplenty. At the centre of the action is Cinnamoroll World, an ode to the eponymous cinnamon roll-tailed puppy. You can also explore the Friends Garden, where bespoke illustrations of Sanrio characters share the spotlight with Melbourne Central's iconic Clock and Coop's Shot Tower. In a rush? Stop by the Hello Kitty Corner, ideal for a quick, but no less cute, refuel to break up the shopping with a takeaway coffee and pastry. On the menu, you'll find appropriately kawaii Japanese-inspired picks, like strawberry sandos, fresh rainbow poke bowls and character-themed bento boxes that feel more like collectibles than meals. And that fourth themed space? That'd be a gift shop, stocked with limited-edition merch you won't find anywhere else. Think: embroidered patches, tees, plushies, key rings and monthly drops, all designed by Aussie creatives to celebrate the mash-up of the Hello Kitty world and Melbourne's creative energy. "This one-of-a-kind experience is a true celebration of two icons — Hello Kitty and Friends, and the vibrant city of Melbourne," says Silvia Figini, Chief Operating Officer Sanrio (EMEA, India and Oceania) and Mr Men (Worldwide). "We're proud to have seamlessly blended Sanrio's beloved aesthetic with Melbourne's unique spirit and creativity." The Hello Kitty and Friends Cafe opens on Friday, May 9, at Melbourne Central. For more info, head to the Melbourne Central website.
It's that time of the year: you've set your out-of-office, made the couch your new home, and only plan to leave to head to the beach, eat festive food or party. That means it's prime movie viewing time, and Google and Amazon have just the film-oriented gift for the occasion, offering up 99 cent film rentals. Need to catch up on The Jungle Book, Lights Out or Louis Theroux: My Scientology Movie? Get your Christmas mix courtesy of Love Actually, Elf or Die Hard? Revisit John Wick before the sequel arrives in cinemas next year? Or enjoy Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping seeing that it didn't end up making it to Australian theatres? Here's your chance. The good news: Google Play's deal is available in Australia and runs until January 23, 2017, with a limit of one film per user. The discount is applied at checkout, and once you finalise the transaction you have 30 days to watch your pick. The not so good news: Amazon might've launched Prime Video on our shores just last week, but their rental service hasn't made the jump. Of course, if you're interested in renting something from their library and you're handy with a VPN, you might know how to make that happen.
Chamomile gin, quinoa vodka and moonshine are among the spirits now available for tasting just outside of Melbourne in Healesville, following the opening of brand new distillery Alchemy. The business has taken over a century-old bakery, which you'll find hidden away up a laneway, off the main street. And not only is there a cellar door, there's a cocktail bar and accommodation too. At the centre of Alchemy's operations is a hybrid pot still with a 100-litre capacity. This mighty machine enables founders Evan Kipping and Jannick Zester to experiment with a variety of left-of-field flavours and ideas. While the aforementioned chamomile gin, quinoa vodka and moonshine are Alchemy's core products, there's also a bunch of small-batch spirits on the go at all times. "Sinking our teeth into making multiple spirits has allowed us to collaborate with local producers," says Zester. "We've been overwhelmed with support and are currently playing with local strawberries, cumquats and grapes from the Yarra Valley." You're invited to taste Alchemy's offerings and/or settle in for a signature cocktail, craft beer or local wine — either indoors, at the bar, or out in the sunny beer garden splashed with greenery. If you want or need to sleep over, there's a two-bedroom apartment overlooking the main street that'll sort you out. To get more deeply involved, join Alchemy's barrel-ageing program. The crew is giving 100 people the opportunity to own their own 20-litre barrel. You'll start by going through the whiskey-making process, including mashing, distillation and fermentation, then, throughout maturation, make return visits to sample your creation. Two years down the track, choose to release the whiskey, stick with it as it continues to age or pop it in a bottle and take it home. Alchemy Distillers is now open at 242 Maroondah Highway, Healesville. For more info or to book a room, visit alchemydistillers.com.
Last Friday, as you may well have heard, somebody set the Lansdowne Hotel on fire. Most Sydneysiders will be familiar with the Landsdowne. It’s the neon-lit three-storey art deco hotel on the corner of Broadway and City Road, overlooking Victoria Park, which is always open when everything else is closed. It's sleazy, and the clientele are scruffy, and it has been beloved of every University of Sydney student and every local criminal and eccentric for well over a hundred years. And there it was, burning down. If you've driven through Chippendale since Friday, you'll have realised it hasn't, in fact, burnt down. Rather, a fire started on the third floor, forcing the hotel guests to evacuate, closing City Road for most of the morning, and closing the pub until, well, further notice. But the spectre of the end of the Lansdowne upset not just me but also many people I know and many more I’ve never met. In a strange way it burrowed its way into our hearts over the years, and we realised for a few moments that we would feel lost without it. Conversations with friends that night revealed a particular pattern to individual histories of the Lansdowne. While they might have tried to put in a velvet lounge or two and introduce (very decent) band nights over the last couple of years, most of the stories of the Lansdowne I heard began or ended with heady, fuzzy alcohol-soaked staggers through the open doors in the wee hours of the morning. There were stories of arguing with the bartender over the price of beer, of people making out clumsily on the couches, of untidy break-ups, of punch-ups, and of impromptu dancing on tables. It's rarely a destination in and of itself. Rather, it is the beloved pub of last resort, eternally reliable in all its sleazy neon grandeur at the intersection of two busy roads. A little bit of research reveals the Lansdowne has probably always been that way. The current incarnation has been around since 1933, a stalwart of Chippendale well before anybody could even conceive of it being included in a list of Australia’s 'hippest' suburbs. For most of its existence, Chippendale has been a violent, drunken slum, home to criminals, gamblers, and prostitutes, and then, over the years, the equally questionable musicians, students, and communists. The people who lived there were overwhelmingly poor, and the combination of factory poisons, sewerage, and the reek of the brewery in the air made it a generally unpleasant place to live. The Lansdowne, true to the grimness of the neighbourhood, was nearly always sleazy. While the Temperance Unions won a small victory in the early 20th century with the introduction of six o'clock closing times (with the aim of sending men home to their families instead of the warm embrace of a bottle of whisky), it instead marked the beginning of Sydney's much-maligned binge drinking culture. The six o'clock swill saw men flood the Lansdowne to get as much drink into them before closing time as they were physically able. The Lansdowne became a kind of feeding trough between the hours of four and six, where the long bars had a trough at the base for the men to piss in as they stood. Tiled walls were also introduced. Not for any aesthetic appeal; rather, they were easier to hose the vomit off of. Like all inner-Sydney pubs, it was a place where men went to escape, and any woman who did walk into the Lansdowne wasn't somebody likely to be too worried about her reputation. It was somewhere bookmakers and standover men hassled 'sly-groggers', prostitutes, or anybody who looked at them in a 'funny' way. During the 1930s Kate Leigh, of Underbelly fame, had a slew of standover men who would frequent pubs, including the Lansdowne, to buy the booze she would sell on the sly. One of her men, Chow Hayes, finding he had been replaced while he'd been in prison, wandered into the Lansdowne one night to locate the man who'd replaced him. He invited him outside, and he shot him. The Lansdowne continued to be sleazy and rough well past the Razor Gangs, with one of Sydney's most renowned hit men Mr Rent-A-Kill, also a frequent patron. Yet it was also the occasional drinking hole of the Sydney Push, who had amongst their number Germaine Greer, Frank Moorehouse, and Lilian Roxon and were infamously described by Barry Humphries as "a fraternity of middle-class desperates, journalists, drop-out academics, gamblers and poets manques, and their doxies". In the '80s and '90s, the Lansdowne also became one of the first venues bands were likely to play in their early careers, hosting gigs by the likes of You Am I, Peabody, The Go-Betweens, and Died Pretty. When they renovated the Lansdowne a few years ago, they made the downstairs bar airier and brighter and got rid of the cheap meals to replace them with slightly less-cheap meals. Yet for all of that, it maintains the atmosphere of its many years of questionable history. It's probably fair to say that Sydney would in many ways be bereft without places like the Lansdowne, even though they don't necessarily make us look our glittering best. That’s where the attraction lies, and that's why we are very thankful that the Lansdowne did not, in the end, burn down last week.
"You know you're like the tenth guy to try this, right? It never works out for the dipshit in the mask." So scolds TV reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox, Shining Vale) in the latest trailer for Scream VI, saying what everyone that's ever watched this slasher franchise has long known. But, if bad past outcomes for fellow Ghostfaces were going to stop the next killer in the horror-film saga from getting stabby, there wouldn't even be a new flick to begin with. If you like scary movies, then you've likely watched a Scream film or five over the last quarter of a century. And, across that period — ever since the OG feature became a box-office smash in 1996, then delivered 1997's Scream 2, 2000's Scream 3, 2011's Scream 4 and 2022's Scream, plus TV spinoff Scream: The TV Series — you've seen the saga's mask-wearing killer Ghostface slash his way through the fictional Californian town of Woodsboro multiple times, as well as a college in Ohio and then Hollywood. This time, however, he's following in The Muppets' footsteps and making a date with Manhattan. In both the initial Scream VI teaser trailer from back in 2022 and the just-dropped full sneak peek, New York City has an unwanted guest — and the current person donning a Ghostface mask is more than a little obsessed with their task. Early in the clip, there's even a shrine to the franchise so far, taking a trip down memory lane through the saga's history. There's also another familiar face: Hayden Panettiere (Nashville), returning to the fold as Kirby Reed following Scream 4. She joins Cox as Weathers, the last Scream's Melissa Barrera (In the Heights) and Jenna Ortega (Wednesday) as sisters Sam and Tara Carpenter, and Jasmin Savoy Brown (Yellowjackets) as the siblings' film-obsessed pal Mindy among the existing franchise players making a comeback to get stalked by Ghostface once again. Or, make that Ghostfaces. In the two trailers so far, it's clearly Halloween, and costumes abound on a NYC subway. Among all that spooky attire: more than one black-clad person in a Ghostface mask, making Sam, Tara and Mindy more than a little distressed. Ghostface also whips out a gun in a convenience store, slinks around New York's streets and gets Gale on the phone. Does the latter signal an end to one of the series' original characters? Amid references to other horror movies, and to the franchise's own past, that's how those kinds of scenes usually play out. Whatever's in store for Gale, Kirby and company — and whether Kirby might be the killer this time around, because this series does love links when it comes to Ghostface's identity — will be revealed in early March, when Scream VI hits cinemas. Ready or Not's Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett return to direct, as they did with 2021's Scream. Also involved, featuring on-screen: She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and The Other Two's Josh Segarra, Servant and The Grand Budapest Hotel's Tony Revolori, and Australian Nine Perfect Strangers and Ready or Not star Samara Weaving, plus Dermot Mulroney (Umma) and Henry Czerny (another Ready or Not alum). Check out the full Scream VI trailer below: Scream VI releases in cinemas Down Under on March 9. Images: Philippe Bossé.
Weekends are all about catching up with mates, and there's no better way to do so than over a good brunch. Greater western Sydney is home to some excellent options for your weekend catch-ups. In partnership with Stockland, we've compiled this list of must-try spots — from sleek Parramatta CBD venues and a Mediterranean-style cafe in Merrylands to pan-Asian eateries in Cabramatta and top-notch coffee shops in Wetherill Park. Tuck into giant stacks of matcha pancakes, za'atar-spiced brekkie plates or truffle oil eggs benny — all ready to order at these six go-to brunch spots in the west.
With one of the most picturesque coastlines in the country right on our doorstep and a set of expansive rivers winding in and out of the city, Sydney's got plenty of options when it comes to hanging out by the water. Whether you're opting for a leg of the Georges River, or you're out on the coast, there's plenty to keep you occupied while you're there. Perhaps you're a wanderer who enjoys meandering at your own pace with a scenic view. Maybe you're certain that any beverage or bite to eat goes down better when you can feel the river or sea breeze against your skin. Or, you could like getting active on the water itself, but in a creative fashion. Whichever category you fall into, we've picked the best ways to make the most of your chosen body of H20 in Sydney. HEAD TO A WATERSIDE CAFE, RESTAURANT OR BAR When it comes to waterside drinks and dining, Sydney's got it in spades. There are options for just about every time of the day, from luxe brunch spots where you can start your day through to late-night oceanfront haunts like Ravesis or Manly Wine. And it's not just these stalwarts offering up dinner and drinks with a view. There are plenty of fresh faces popping up by the harbour. Take Bay Nine, for example, which has just opened in The Rocks and is offering six-, eight- and 11-course omakase menus right by the water. If you're in need of some inspiration, just make your way through our list of all the beachfront bars, restaurants and cafes you can find across this city. HIRE A PICNIC BOAT FOR YOU, YOUR DATE, MATES AND DOG Picnicking by the water in Sydney is a tried-and-tested way to spend an afternoon — and it's featured on this list a bit further down. But you can now also picnic on top of the water, all thanks to Denmark-born company GoBoat, which is sailing its 18-feet-long, dog-friendly vessels up Parramatta River. The company is all about making the whole boating caper more accessible for everyday folk, and its Scandinavian-designed vessels are slow-moving, a breeze to operate and don't require a boating licence — making for some fun, fuss-free sailing sessions. Each GoBoat boasts a central picnic table with room for eight people (and all the necessary snacks and booze). And despite what you might be thinking, they're even affordable enough to fit your budget — simply BYO food and drinks, find enough eager sailors to jump aboard and a GoBoat session will you less than $17 per person, per hour. That's $129 hourly in total. [caption id="attachment_754226" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bondi to Manly Walk by Destination NSW[/caption] PAIR A STROLL OR CYCLE WITH A WATERY VIEW Some folks prefer putting one foot in front of the other and seeing just where that takes them. Others like to sit on top of two wheels and start pedalling. Whichever one suits you best, if you live in Sydney, you won't be lacking in options — but we all know that the oceanside options sit at the top of the list. For walkers, you can pick from one of the many coastal strolls on offer ranging from the wild pathways of the Royal National Park to the sparkling new Barangaroo foreshore walk. Cyclists may find the ins and outs of the National Park a little tricky, but never fear. There are still countless bike rides to tackle from the bay run to the Manly Beach foreshore. TAKE A KAYAK TOUR You've seen Sydney and its surrounds from rooftop bars, strategically positioned restaurants and mountaintops. But jump in a kayak, where you can watch at human-powered pace, from sea level, and you'll discover a whole new perspective. Plan a day on the water leaving from one of Sydney's many choice kayak rental spots found everywhere from deep in the Hawkesbury to right in the hustle and bustle of the city. If you're looking to feel like you achieved something other than just an enjoyable day adventuring on the water, you can also add the option of helping the environment on your kayaking journey. Sydney by Kayak's Sydney Harbour clean-up tours means you can remove rubbish from the ocean while you float along Sydney Harbour. The sustainability-focused tours generally hit the harbour from 9.30–11am at $65 per person. [caption id="attachment_826961" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brooke Zotti[/caption] PICNIC IN A WATERSIDE PARK The weather is glorious. Your basket is packed with homemade salads, a big stack of cheese or the finest sandwiches your local deli can make. The lawn games are at the ready. A relaxing picnic is just moments away — and yes, because this is Sydney, it's easy to add a glistening view to your outdoor meal. While we may have been all picnicked out at one point, enough time has passed since the end of 2021's lockdown that the simple act of putting down a rug and having a snack can feel thrilling again. Sydney is home to quite an array of places that fit the bill. Whether you're keen to recline with views of the iconic skyline or rolling sand dunes, there are plenty of picnic spots that you can check off your list. For the ultimate inspiration, check out this huge guide to all the best picnic spots, as well as what to bring. [caption id="attachment_754009" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] TAKE A DIP IN A MAN-MADE OCEAN POOL There are over 100 ocean pools scattered around NSW, and Sydney is home to some of the most dramatic and fun among them. These idyllic and mostly free swimming holes can be found at some of the city's most beloved beaches and have become as much a part of Sydney's seaside culture as the sand has. These human-made wonders allow you to splash around in the saltwater or get in some laps without the risk of rips (or sharks). Highlights include Bronte Baths which was built all the way back in 1887, the iconic Bondi Icebergs and the newly renovated Dawn Fraser Baths which finally reopened to the public last year after two years. BOOK A STAY ON THIS FLOATING VILLA If you're looking to really immerse yourself in the deep blue areas of this city, what better way than to book a night's stay floating atop the ocean. Lilypad, the northern beaches' lavish floating accommodation is tipped to reopen later this month, following a series of upgrades and refurbishments. The villa, which first opened in 2019, has been fitted out with a whole new design that pulls from Spanish and Mediterranean coastal villas as well as an on-board sauna. The floating paradise has been built with respect for its natural environment, running entirely off of solar power. Inside you'll find all the comforts of a luxe home-stay from a full modern kitchen and king bedroom, to a wine cellar. The living space opens onto a deck on which you can sit and look out over the surrounding ocean while you eat or with a drink in hand. And if this is all a bit out of your price bracket, the northern beaches has plenty of other waterfront stays you can book. Top image: DNSW
Much-loved farm-to-table eatery Three Blue Ducks has expanding its ever-growing suite of establishments to regional NSW, with the Sydney restaurant group opening an outpost at Nimbo Fork Lodge, at the bottom of the Snowy Mountains, in late November. Originally opening in Bronte back in 2010, before expanding to Byron Bay, Rosebery, Brisbane (in the W Hotel) and Melbourne (inside a surf park), the restaurant collective is known for its dishes packed with locally and ethically sourced produce. The group's latest iteration is no different. The menu has been designed around the on-site kitchen garden, award-winning sustainably farmed Provenir Beef and trout from local Tumut waterways. If the locally sourced trout isn't fresh enough for you, though, you can head out to the renowned fly-fishing areas nearby and provide your own catch of the day for the chefs to use. You can eat that trout as an entree — smoked atop crisp bread with dill and crème fraîche — or as a main, where it comes whole, butterflied and with lashings of garlic, lemon and dill. Elsewhere on the menu, you'll find crumbed pork terrine, roasted beets with almond cream, Nimbo tomahawk lamb chops and harissa-spiced cauliflower with chimichurri and roasted hazelnuts. [caption id="attachment_788800" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Three Blue Ducks team by Nikki To[/caption] You can pair this food with cocktails filled with Aussie ingredients and spirits, such as the Native Negroni made with Brookies gin and Poor Toms Imbroglio; all-Aussie brews, including Bright Brewery sour ales and Heaps Normal's Quiet XPA; and local and international wines helpfully listed under headings like 'fruit forward and food friendly red' and 'light and aromatic white'. For a sweet finish, you've got three options: crema catalana (very similar to a crème brûlée), sea salt meringue with lemon curd and, the most decadent option, self-saucing choc pudding. We think the latter will be just what you're after when you head back to the lodge after a chilly day out on the snowfields — or down by the river fishing for trout. Because, of course, it's all about location at this latest Three Blue Ducks. While you could, on some days, convince us to drive four hours for the perfect chocolate pudding, that's not the only drawcard here. Located in the heart of the picturesque Tumut Valley, 30 minutes' drive from Gundagai, Three Blue Ducks is situated inside a boutique hotel with six cottages, five suites and a bar and restaurant. There are a host of activities you can experience nearby, including bike rides, bushwalks, fly-fishing and horse rides — or, if you're an avid skier or snowboarder, you can jump in the car and head to Selwyn Snow Resort, just under two hours away, when it reopens. The snowfield was extensively damaged during the 2019-20 bushfires, but is currently being rebuilt. The new restaurant is open for dinner from Wednesday to Sunday, with lunch available on weekends. For more ideas, check out our guide to activities in the Snowy Mountains region. Find Three Blue Ducks at Nimbo Fork Lodge, 330 Nimbo Road, Killimicat. You can make a booking at the restaurant here and at Nimbo Fork Lodge here.
There are harbour views, and there are harbour views. And Solaré, the full-service restaurant, cocktail bar and Mediterranean-style beach club, boasts some serious harbour views — as one might expect, given that it's housed in a 150-foot classic superyacht which sets sail twice daily from King Street Wharf for long lunches, daybed lounging and sunset spritzes. The experience unfolds across three distinct levels. The Dining Room is a refined, sit-down restaurant built for leisurely progressions; the Terrace Deck lifts the tempo with share plates and cocktails; and the openair Sun Deck nails the beach-club brief with custom daybeds, a panoramic bar and uninterrupted skyline views. Designer Alex Zabotto-Bentley (AZB Creative) leans into 70s-tinged Mediterranean glamour — think sunflower yellows, burnt oranges, teak and green marble. [caption id="attachment_1042022" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jonny Valiant[/caption] In the kitchen, Executive Chef Pablo Tordesillas (Totti's Bondi; two-hatted Ortiga in Brisbane) teams up with Head Chef Nick Mathieson (Bistecca, Otto) on a coastal Italian menu with a seafood focus. The Dining Room runs as a set journey — begin with oscietra caviar over house potato crisps and cultured cream, then roll into snacks like a vinegar- and bottarga-dusted potato scallop with chives, plus deep-sea royal red prawns with finger lime and bisque mayo. Bigger moments include reginette with Moreton Bay bug, crustacean butter and chilli, and market fish with clams, saffron butter, fregola and spring veg. Tables can add a one-kilogram bistecca alla fiorentina as a supplement. Upstairs, the Terrace and Sun Deck are made for graze-and-gather afternoons. Sit back and soak up those views while enjoying Queensland spanner crab tartlets crowned with chervil and salmon roe, a Moreton Bay bug sando with crisp iceberg and cocktail sauce, and spaghettini tossed with spanner crab, tomato, chilli and garlic. Desserts keep the coastal mood: lemon and mascarpone sorbetto is served in a carved lemon, while fior di latte ice cream is finished with an indulgent spoon of Umai Heritage caviar. Venue Manager Mikey Hamilton (Bistecca, The Gidley, Banksii) steers service, bringing big-league polish to the yacht. [caption id="attachment_1042019" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jason Loucas[/caption] Drinks are led by Ed Loveday, who builds a harbour-ready list of crisp Mediterranean wines, lively rosés and seasonal cocktails. Expect aperitivo-leaning spritzes, martinis, margaritas, daiquiris and champagne numbers — plus a martini trolley in the Dining Room for bespoke, tableside ice-cold pours. Art threads through the space, too, with commissioned works by Daimon Downey, Jeremy Kay and Tiarna Herczeg adding sculptural colour and texture between decks. [caption id="attachment_1042020" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jonny Valiant[/caption] Top images: Jonny Valiant | Jason Loucas
Sydney is flush with world-class steakhouses. In fact, the Harbour City has a whopping five entries in the top 50 of the World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants list for 2023. Liquid & Larder, the team behind two of those five standout meat emporiums, has now brought another beefy brasserie to Sydney's CBD in the form of Alfie's. Alfie's has arrived on Bligh Street from the crew behind Bistecca (number 32 on the best steak restaurants list), The Gidley (number 43) and The Rover. This one-of-a-kind opening boasts a more fast-paced dining experience than its sibling venues — aiming to provide a more approachable and affordable take on the steakhouse with a simplified menu, plus a more casual fitout inspired by graffiti and hip hop culture. "After years of perfecting the slow-dining and elevated experiences at Bistecca, The Gidley and The Rover, we're going off script at Alfie's by offering the same high-quality food and booze but fast-paced and full of action," says Liquor & Larder co-founder and Director James Bradey. There's just one cut of meat on the menu, the 220-gram Riverine sirloin which is available for $38 and is promised to hit your table within 15 minutes of ordering. This means that city workers can treat themselves to a world-class steak on their lunch break. Alfie's is the first Liquor & Larder restaurant to boast its own central butchery and steak-aging facility. This helps ensure the sirloin here — as well as the beef delivered to Bistecca and The Gidley — is all of the highest quality. It also gives diners a chance to peek behind the scenes through the butcher's window before they sit down to eat. Accompanying the steak is a range of sides which can be ordered in half or full portions. Take your pick from fire-roasted baby carrots, roast mushrooms, cucumber salad and Alfie's bubble and squeak slaw. Those looking to just enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail with a dose of people-watching can nab a spot in the walk-in bar looking out onto Bligh Street. Former Bartender of the Year and Group Bars Manager Alex Gondzioulis has designed the cocktail menu with classic and seasonal combinations on offer alongside a martini that the team claims is Sydney's coldest — served at a chilly negative-ten degrees. At the bar, there are a few British-inspired snacks to pair with your cocktail of choice, including a hot chip roast beef butty, thyme scones, cornish pasties and chips topped with chip shop-style curry sauce. There's also a daily happy hour adding to the approachability of the venue, featuring $16 martinis, $14 Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin spritzes, $3 Grifter beers, $10 wines and $17 chip and roast beef sandwiches between 4–6pm, Monday–Saturday. You'll find Alfie's at 4–6 Bligh Street, Sydney. The casual steakhouse is open for lunch (11.30am–2.30pm) and dinner (5–9pm) Monday–Saturday. Images: Dexter Kim.
City of Sydney has beefed up its fight against single-use plastic. Last week it launched a campaign in support of phasing out single-use plastic straws, which Aussies currently go through at a rate of around 10 million each day. Spearheaded by Deputy Lord Mayor and Deputy Chair of the Environmental Committee Jess Miller, the #SydneyDoesntSuck initiative throws its support behind venues taking positive action. The campaign identifies local bars and pubs that are ditching plastic straws, with punters able to search like-minded venues using the hashtag on social. It's operating alongside another initiative dubbed The Last Straw, which has set out to end the use of plastic straws in Australia, through its own extensive venue list published online. As part of the campaign, a new #SydneyDoesntSuck ad has been launched, which shows a patron at a bar asking for a straw in his drink, causing the whole room to stop and stare in silence. The guy pretty quickly caves in to the pressure, finishing with "Actually, I don't need a straw". The light-hearted video features local DJ Joyride in the role of bartender, plus cameo appearances by a bunch of Sydney bartending legends. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFBwdugk8YA Cr Miller's main aim for the campaign is to raise consciousness about our plastic use, especially within the entertainment and nightlife industries. "It's about looking to reduce single-use plastic straws in particular, because they're kind of like a gateway recyclability drug," Cr Miller told Concrete Playground. "But it also encourages venues to look at their broader operations." "It's not a full ban, it's not about saying 'we're not doing this', because some people will continue to need straws," Cr Miller said. "It's about the fact that the proliferation of straws we have is just way too much." The Sydney Opera house — including all of its on-site restaurants, such as Solotel's Opera Bar and Fink Group's Bennelong — is the latest organisation to join the #SydneyDoesntSuck campaign, pledging to be plastic straw-free by August 1, 2018. Solotel co-owner Matt Moran said in a statement that the ban at Opera Bar alone will prevent 1.3 million straws a year appearing in landfill. The campaign comes as venues across the country phase out single-use plastic straws, with even fast food giant McDonald's announcing it'll trial a switch to paper straws from next month. The movement has scored plenty of support on environmental grounds, though as highlighted by the ABC recently, it also has potential to marginalise disabled members of the community. A number of Aussies with disabilities rely on straws to eat and drink, and reusable versions aren't always an alternative. To find out what venues in your area are plastic straw-free, search #SydneyDoesntSuck on social media or head to The Last Straw website. Top image: Matt Moran and Deputy Lord Mayor Jess Miller
Sarah Silverman looks like a nice, wholesome, and sincere lady — the kind you could introduce to your mum. Well, unless your mum takes well to abortion gags, poo songs, and total disregard for racial and religious sensitivities, that may not be the best idea. But if "oh no, you didn't" laughs are your mum's thing, then you won't want to miss taking her to Silverman's Sydney show. Having started out as an occasional performer in Saturday Night Live nearly 20 years ago, Silverman has climbed the ladder and worked with showbiz giants Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chapelle, Jack Black, David Duchovny, Queens of the Stone Age, and (her former partner) Jimmy Kimmel. From 2007-10 she starred in and co-created the critically acclaimed The Sarah Silverman Program. But fame has never blunted her tongue; at 41 she remains the princess of black comedy. Rest assured, it won't be an evening of simplistic obscenity — as with all the great comics, underneath the jokes lie some pointed and unsettling truths.
Following successful stores in Dulwich Hill and Roselands, Greek bakery Alevri has arrived in Sydney's east — and it has brought its unbeatable selection of Greek treats. The Alevri menu is known for fusing Greek classics with cafe favourites. Take, for example, the bakery's latest hybrid food creation: the baklava croissant. The ingenious combo consists of a buttery croissant with layers of pistachios, almonds and walnuts, topped with a drizzle of honey lemon syrup. Other tasty selections from the menu include the signature moussaka pie, filled with Greek-style mince, eggplant, potato and topped with bechamel sauce, plus more traditional Greek eats including Tsoureki, tarts, loaf cake and loukoumades. Those looking for something heartier can turn to the lunch menu where you'll find Alevri's take on a club sandwich, burgers, salads and a lunch platter for two complete with souvlaki, chips, dip, chorizo and pita bread. Alevri was started by Aki and Kathy Daikos who were looking to bring a little Greek hospitality to Sydney. The bakery's aim is to encompass the Greek saying, 'San to spiti sou' which means to 'feel at home' and to make the trip to the bakery a daily tradition for Sydneysiders.
First, the sad news: as HBO fans in Australia and New Zealand already know, viewers Down Under can't watch HBO Max, the prestige US cable network's standalone streaming platform. Now, the great news: AMC, one of the other ace American stations behind plenty of top-notch TV shows in recent years — Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and The Walking Dead included — is now available via its own service in our neck of the woods. In Australia, this development might spark a bout of déjà vu, because AMC+ — as AMC's streamer offshoot is called — originally launched here a year back. But it made its debut in 2021 as a streaming bundle, rather than its own service. Instead of initially existing as a separate platform, it was an add-on that you had to access via the Apple TV channels on the Apple TV app and, also through Prime Video channels if you were a Prime member. Now, however, AMC+ is its own platform — with its own app and all — and is also available in New Zealand. And while you might be thinking about the fact that this is yet another subscription to sign up for, it also includes access to horror platform Shudder and the British TV-focused Acorn TV at no extra cost. Top-notch new television shows, horror flicks aplenty and indulging your British obsession? Yes, you can now find them all in the one place. That said, a heap of AMC's best-known past shows actually sit on other platforms due to past rights deals before it made its first foray Down Under. Still, AMC+ will be the future home of The Walking Dead universe in both Australia and Aotearoa, including the upcoming The Walking Dead: Dead City and fellow future spinoffs. Right now, viewers can also catch the new TV version of Interview with the Vampire, which starts a new Anne Rice franchise, with Mayfair Witches set to follow next year. AMC+ also currently includes animated series Pantheon, the clearly crime-focused True Crime Story: It Couldn't Happen Here, and the latest series of doco satire Documentary Now! among its recent releases. Or, there's also a back catalogue that also includes Mad Men, Portlandia, Halt and Catch Fire, TURN: Washington's Spies, Hell on Wheels, Riviera and Aussie outback-set vampire series Firebite. Thanks to IFC Films, the service includes independent movies and documentaries, too. To access AMC+, you'll want to head to the platform's Australian and New Zealand websites, or you can sign up via Apple, Android and Amazon Fire devices in Australia — and Apple and Android devices in NZ. AMC+ costs $8.99 per month in Oz and $9.99 per month in Aotearoa, and new subscriptions come with a seven-day free trial first. For more information about AMC+, or to sign up, head to the platform's Australian and New Zealand websites.
There's something about spending a long lazy summer day at the beach that just can't be beat. Some of our overseas friends have got this down to a fine art — think beach chairs and shady umbrellas set up ready and waiting on the white sand of a Brazilian beach, with caipirinhas and coconuts served up from the little stalls dotting the shoreline. But fear not! Although we're a little short on beach bars (except this one), back in Australia we've perfected beach luxury, BYO-style. Here are our ten favourite beach chairs to bring along with you to your favourite sandy spot, whether it's on the grassy knoll at North Bondi, on a buzzing Gold Coast main beach, Victoria's quaint Brighton Beach or a tiny secret beach at the mouth of the Hawkesbury. BANANA SUNLOUNGE, SOMMERSAULT We couldn't resist. No list of beach chairs would be complete without the humble banana lounge. They'll take you to the sand, to the park, and all the way back to those memories of the days before water restrictions when you plonked one under the sprinklers in the backyard. You can even pull them out for sleepovers. Inexpensive, functional, iconic... and don't forget they fold flat for easy storage with that familiar 'click-click'. BEACH SEAT HAVANA, SUNNY LIFE Modern comfort, lightweight portability and a retro-inspired colourful print? This chair ticks a lot of boxes for seaside adventuring. As well as that, being from the clever people at Sunny Life, you can even find a beach umbrella or towel to complement your chair. But it's not just about looks — this chair has a handy pocket providing a place to stash your valuables. And see that strap? That makes for easy carrying without bumping aluminium poles all over your shoulder. DANIA FOLDING TEAK BEACH CHAIR, SKAGERAK We know teak is pretty — Danish mid-century furniture sure taught us that. But did you know this tropical hardwood also has a number of special properties that make it an excellent outdoor material? A high oil and rubber content make it naturally weatherproof, it's strong, and with a little love and recent finishing is easily cleaned. This teak beach chair will let you bring all those perks to the beach, in a fetching Danish design. If you're into your eco-credentials and a bit wary of tropical hardwoods, check out this bamboo option, and the recycled number below. TRIOPLINA CHAIR, MUUMUU DESIGN With lush covers to choose from including black and white cowhide, leather, cotton canvas and even kangaroo, Muumuu Design makes each of their stunner folding chairs by hand right in Sydney. Featuring sustainable marine-grade plywood frames and hand-finished with either a stain or clear protective finish, they're designed to last, as well as look good. The Tripolina design was first patented in 1877, and has been popular as a campaign or safari chair ever since. This is a chair with a pretty long history — and it's had a modern update thanks to the folks at Muumuu Design. Check out their full range. RECYCLED DECK CHAIR, ECOCHIC We love a good folding deck chair. Especially when they're locally made and recycled, like this chair from Ecochic. Handmade out of recycled Australian hardwood, these chairs come in natural or white. As well as being made-to-order, they're made to last — right down to the stainless steel screws and bolts. Ecochic are on a bit of a mission to make eco-friendly furniture available to people around Australia, whether or not they have access to a store. That means they keep their shipping fees as low as possible. You can check out their eco credentials here. PANTONE FOLDING CHAIRS, SELETTI Introducing Seletti, the company bringing Pantone to the beach. Their range of folding chairs are available in those familiar colours loved by many a design aficionado. Team up with your friends and see what colour palette works best for your beach times this summer. TREKKER LOUNGE, THERMAREST Next on the lounging front is this cleverly designed number from Thermarest. Known for their top-notch sleeping mats, if you do already have a Thermarest packed away for your outdoor adventures, all you need is the Trekker Lounge chair to convert your mat into a lounge chair fit for the beach. It's pretty clever, and as a bonus it's super lightweight which means it can see you from the beach to the bush, if you're planning some summer hiking too (or both, if you're lucky enough to be hiking to a secret beach somewhere). ORSON DECK CHAIR, RODA Last but not least, check this one for style. Designed by Gordon Guillaumier for RODA, the lovely lines of this chair are perfectly complemented by its matching footstool. The chair features a teak frame, and the little capote (that's the shade sail) means this is another super comfortable, shady chair to kick back in. All that's missing from this picture is some kind of delicious cool drink, and maybe one of Sydney's cracker sunsets after a day at the beach. BUNGALOW BEACH CHAIR, BUNGALOW As part of our search for the ideal beach chair, something came to us. Shade. How nifty is it to have a little awning over your head, protecting your face from the beating rays and your arm muscles, tired from shielding your face all day? So it was with much delight we stumbled across the Bungalow Beach Chair. Not only does it have a comfy towel design that lets you lounge out right on the sand, there's a hammock-shaped back to support you. But what we're eyeing off the most is that shady shade, right above where our heads go. This chair also comes with a zippered pocket for your things. Want the ultimate summer set-up? Check out these seven nifty beach tents.
Playground Weekender is, for the uninitiated, a four-day extravaganza in arguably the most gorgeous festival location near Sydney, Del Rio's Riverside Resort on the Hawkesbury. We're talking lush green bush land, a sparkly river and all the trimmings of a 'Riverside Resort' - nine hole golf courses, tennis courts, riverside chalets and kangaroos that serve you cocktails. Add yoga, the Club Tropicana (!) swimming pool, cabaret, cinema, a beauty salon and a 24 hour general store. Now back for its sixth year with a cavalcade of amazing artists and things to do, the 2012 edition will feature performances by artists such as Chic ft. Nile Rodgers, Boy and Bear, Roots Manuva, Black Lips, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Unkle Sounds, Shapeshifters and Lanie Lane. If you need a break in between shows go and visit the Village Green, home to an array of food stalls, stand up comedy, and a beer and cider garden. Or, if you prefer, do a session of yoga and have a massage in a teepee. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Z5ExV8ABNNU
Sydney's cocktail scene is about to heat up this winter as popular Spanish liqueur Licor 43 is partnering with five top South American and Spanish restaurants to introduce the Carajillo 43. This twist on the classic Carajillo (kah-rah-HEE-yoh) cocktail combines fresh espresso with Spanish liqueur, known for its sweet, citrusy flavours, which come from a secret blend of 43 ingredients. For a limited time, from July 19, the first 43 amigos to order a meal can score a complimentary Carajillo 43 when they mention this promotion at each venue. Keep reading to find out where and how you can join the fiesta.
Matt Yazbeck knows a thing or two about an encore. After relocating his enduringly popular fine diner Toko to a moody George Street basement in 2022, the Sydney restaurateur is returning to the CBD this spring with KODA. Set to open on Tuesday, November 18, KODA will take over the former Monopole site on Curtin Place, bringing a "no-attitude, fun-times destination" to the heart of the city. "KODA is a cocktail bar and robata grill, fired up with the freshest daily ingredients and a twist on Japanese technique," Yazbeck shares in an exclusive interview with Concrete Playground. "We wanted to create something different from what we already offer [at Toko] — something more accessible without skimping on quality and experience." At the heart of the space is the robata grill, around which diners can perch for a front-row view of the kitchen in action. "The robata grill will be amazing," Yazbeck says. "Guests will be seated around it and all produce will be on an ice display for customers to choose, and chefs to grill and serve." While menu details are still under wraps, there'll be a clear departure from the envelope-pushing creations at Toko. "The flavours will be simpler and let the produce be the hero — flavours won't be too tricked-up," Yazbeck reveals. For something more relaxed, nab a sun-drenched seat by the north-facing wraparound windows for share plates and cocktails. "KODA is as much of a bar as it is a dining destination," Yazbeck explains. "The bar menu is fun and incredibly tasty — everything has a Japanese hint, but it won't be as refined as Toko." To that end, KODA's drinks list will draw inspiration from the kitchen — rooted in Japanese flavours, but not bound by them. "We use a Japanese sake or spirit as the base for most of our original cocktails," Yazbeck says. "[You'll also find] Japanese flavours and ingredients like yuzu, lychee, watermelon throughout." The venue's design will also echo the easygoing ethos. Timber star lights woven around the perimeter, cherry blossoms draped from the ceiling and those showpiece wraparound windows that let in plenty of natural light will define the room's aesthetic. "Again," says Yazbeck, "the atmosphere will lean into Japanese but won't be owned by it." Taking over the old Monopole site might come with the burden of expectation, but Yazbeck is clear that KODA stands on its own. "The concept was built before the site was locked in," he says. "The location lends itself perfectly to the concept, which has been years in the making — it's a very different offering targeting a different audience." In stark contrast to its predecessor, which was very much a venue for occasion dining, KODA is pitched as an everyday offer — the kind of place you could drop into for an after-work drink and snack, or settle in for a full robata feast. "We want people to use KODA as an escape from the usual," says Yazbeck. "We want people to feel that it's their own space to enjoy. It's an accessible venue for people to visit numerous times a week if they choose. Walk-ins are encouraged, but bookings will be taken for the grill and a handful of seats. We would love for KODA to be the highlight of our guests' week." KODA is set to open on Tuesday, November 18, at 16/20 Curtin Place, Sydney. Stay tuned to Concrete Playground for more details.
This Bondi Beach drinking and dining den has stood the test of time, hence its inclusion on our list of the best pubs in Sydney. The North Bondi RSL has held on to its loyal patrons with decent prices, classic meat raffles and honest community engagement while gathering plenty of other locals and tourists through free live music nights and the recently refurbished bistro. Plus, everyone loves those uninterrupted beach views. They'll never get old. Either spend a long sunny day out on the terrace or head inside to eat, drink and watch the footy with a bunch of rowdy sports lovers. And if you happen to be here for the marvellous sunset, be sure to pay some respect to the veterans by standing up and facing westwards with the rest of the staff and patrons. Appears in: The Best Pubs in Sydney The Best Rooftop Bars in Sydney
There are sandwiches, then there are sandwiches, and then there's Lucky Pickle. Take the sharp turn into High Holborn Street at the corner of Crown and Devonshire Streets, and you find yourself in a minuscule, hole-in-the-wall-type operation, where the staff stand behind a counter dishing out their own take on bread with fillings, and it's a take on things that's definitely worth trying. Opened by Tio's bartender Arash Katrak with Anna Berry, Lucky Pickle takes the approach of simplicity — simply choose from five different sambos. To accompany, there is a selection of soft drinks, and the whole deal is cash only. But rather than getting the feeling that there isn't much to choose from, it instead makes for a quick decision, and a high likelihood of being satisfied. The lunch variations are all a fancier version of classic sandwiches, using homemade sauces and ingredients prepared in-house. Take the pork belly sandwich, accompanied by duck liver pate, veggies and a crazily excellent sriracha. With the heat from the chilli and the spice from the coriander thrown in there, you get a unique twist on the classic Vietnamese banh mi. Sticking with the Asian theme, they also make a great chicken katsu, dished up with sesame and red cabbage, as well as the traditional Japanese tonkatsu sauce. It's not all meat (though there is also a mortadella with smoked mozzarella and pesto). The pescatarian option contains fish dip, radish, rocket and mayo, and a vegetarian option is always on rotation, whether it be a goat's cheese sandwich or quinoa salad. The style of the joint is, once again, in its simplicity. There's hardly room to sit, with a single communal table tucked in behind the door and a few bread crates outside. But that's the vibe of the shop — come in, grab a quick, tasty bite and be on your way. If you're going to sit down, grab a carafe of water and your sandwich on your canteen tray and enjoy with the magazines scattered about the place. It's important to get in quick, though, because this little gem is only open Monday to Friday, 10.30am to 2.30pm, or until they're all sold out. It's silly to say that the guys at Lucky Pickle are reinventing the sandwich because, well, how? It is fair to say, however, that this one-stop sandwich shop is creating intensely tasty versions of classic sandwiches that are well worth taking an early lunch break for.
