Your weekend breakfast plans have been sorted with the arrival of Tita, a bustling new Filipino cafe that's opened in Marrickville. The Illawarra Road venue is the latest venture from the beloved Donut Papi crew, bringing hearty silogs and a new contender for Sydney's best breakfast muffin to the Inner West. The cafe has opened in place of Gluten Free Friends, the celiac-friendly establishment that the team decided to part ways with in January, citing the pressure currently on the hospitality industry as the reason for the pivot and rebrand. In its place, Kenneth Rodrigueza, Karen Rodrigueza-Labuni and Christopher Palamara have opened Tita — Filipino for aunt or aunty — a homely love letter to Filipino breakfast, with a fun and colourful fit-out, and more of the Donut Papi crew's signature sweet treats. The space has been given a quick refresh with the addition of a few trinkets and knick-knacks in homage to the team's 'titas', and some adorable kitsch vinyl covers sporting different fruits on the tables and chairs. The core of the Tita menu is the silogs, a classic Filipino breakfast plate made up of sinangag (garlic fried rice), a fried egg, pickled green papaya and mixed veggies with your choice of protein. There's the longsilog featuring the spiced Filipino longganisa sausage; the tapsilog, which pairs the rice with soy and garlic-marinated beef strips, and tocilog; bringing a sweet char siu-style pork belly to the fold. If the silogs are the star of the show, the breakfast sandwiches are a standout supporting cast. In place of your standard English muffin, the Tita team has made their muffins from pandesal, a sweeter bread reminiscent of a dinner roll. This is paired with a range of fillings, including the longganisa which returns on the signature sambo alongside egg, cheese, banana ketchup and mayo. There's also a deluxe spam muffin and an egg, cheese and hashbrown variety for the non-meat eaters. Plus, you'll find sides like cheesy chismosa chips, queso chicken nuggets and pork spring rolls. Then there's the doughnuts, sweet treats and other baked goods — another major drawcard of the Illawarra Road spot. Tita is the only spot in Marrickville where you'll find bibngka basque cheesecake wrapped in banana leaves, or pandalisa filled with Tuyo (dried herring) and topped with Everything Bagel seasoning. There's plenty of ube to be found on the menu as well, including ube soft serve, ube cheesecake, ube lamingtons and and ube affogato. "We try not to put too much ube [on the menu], but people are crazy about it," said Rodrigueza. Sometimes you've just got to give the people what they want. The last piece of the Tita puzzle is the coffee, with your classic brews made from Gabrielle Coffee beans available in tandem with a couple of Filipino-inspired drinks. There's the Manila latte, a take on the Spanish latte that you'd find over in The Philippines, mixing iced vanilla latte and condensed milk. And then there's a Calamansi Cold Brew, a variation of the viral orange juice and espresso mix that uses its namesake fruit instead. Tita Carinderia Shop 4/359 Illawarra Road, Marrickville. It's open 9am–4.30pm Wednesday–Friday and 9am–3pm Saturday–Sunday. Follow along on Instagram. Images: Luisa Brimble
Sydney's made headlines as one of the world's most liveable cities, but it's also one of the world's most expensive cities, and it's battling a homelessness crisis. Rough sleeping rose by 24 percent in 2025, and according to the ABS, almost half of Australia's homeless are aged 24 or under. Enter Sleep Under the Stars, the annual initiative by Stepping Stone House to raise awareness and funds to help fight youth homelessness across the country. In 2025, Sydneysiders can register to spend a night sleeping rough in Barangaroo's Stargazer lawn with the goal of raising $1 million for Stepping Stone House, money that will in turn go towards safe homes, education and life-changing support to young people at risk of or experiencing homelessness. Participants are encouraged to raise money on their team ahead of the night, but come 4pm on Friday, October 24, all registrants will head to the lawn for the night. There'll be a welcome to country, live music, games, food, drinks, stargazing, and all the supplies you and your crew will need to build a shelter for the night. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Stepping Stone House (@stepping_stone_house) In 2023-24, almost half (49 percent) of everyone supported by NSW Specialist Homelessness Services was under 24. Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of those seeking help in NSW were female, and more than 13,000 young people in Sydney presented alone at homelessness services last year. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people account for around one in three young people seeking homelessness support, with more than half of all Aboriginal clients accessing Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) aged under 25. Jason Juretic, CEO, Stepping Stone House, says, "We often think of youth homelessness as something that only happens in big global cities like London or New York, but the reality is it's unfolding right here in our own backyard. And it's not just happening to strangers, it's touching people we all know. It could be a mate, a colleague, or even the kids your children go to school with, forced to find shelter wherever they can." "People don't always associate couch surfing with homelessness, but that's exactly what it is. Just because it isn't happening on the street doesn't make it any less devastating, and the ramifications on a young person's health, education and future are huge." If you'd like to sign up, visit the website, but if you can't attend, you can still make a donation online.
April 14, 2018, will forever go down in history as the day Beyoncé took to the Coachella stage and made it her own. If you were lucky enough to be there, you'll no doubt remember it forever. If you watched the live stream — and it became the most-watched live-streamed performance of all time, so you probably did — then you'll never forget it either. Whichever category you fell into, you likely wish you were closer to the action — to the stage for the 137-minute performance, to the 100-plus dancers, to its powerful homage to America's historically black colleges and universities, and to the backstage antics as well. Enter Netflix's Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé, the concert documentary you definitely knew you needed, but didn't know existed until now. Yesterday, Wednesday, April 17, the streaming platform released the in-depth look at Bey's epic show, revealing "the emotional road from creative concept to cultural movement". Like the real-life performance, the film clocks in at 137 minutes, so expect a lengthy and intimate tour through the festival set everyone has been talking about for a year, including behind-the-scenes footage and candid chats that delve into the preparation process and Bey's stunning vision. You know what else is lengthy? The 40-track live album Bey just dropped on Spotify. Yep, the Queen has blessed us on two platforms this week. We are not worthy. As well as live renditions of 'Sorry', 'Crazy in Love' and 'Soldier' — the latter which was performed with former Destiny's Child group mates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams — from Coachella, the album, also called Homecoming, features a song by Blue Ivy (Bey's daughter) and two bonus tracks. It's also doubly exciting that the album is available on the easier-to-access Spotify, as Bey dropped her most-recent album Lemonade exclusively on Tidal, her husband Jay-Z's streaming service. The long weekend is here. You have four hours of Beyoncé content to consume. Happy listening and viewing, friends. Head to Netflix to watch Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé and listen to the album below:
Kirin J Callinan is stopping off at Sydney’s Goodgod small club, as part of a three-date tour along Australia’s east coast to launch his new single W II W (Way To War), described as “perverted, raw and fun”. Former guitarist of the now defunct Mercy Arms, Callinan’s forthcoming debut album, a songscape of vocals, guitars and machines paints a picture of war at its frontline. Released along will be Thighs, the tale of a deluded sexual predator. W II W's B-side, it will be released just two days before the first show of the tour at Brisbane. If you like your war stories in intimate surrounds, Kirin's Goodgod take on R&R is waiting for you.
Sydneysiders, your weekend plans just got bigger and better, because the New South Wales Government will scrap density limits in venues from this weekend. Premier Dominic Perrottet announced today, Thursday, February 17, that the current restrictions on venue capacities that have been in effect since mid-December will end as soon as Friday, February 18 ticks over. For almost two months, the hospitality industry has been operating under a one person per two-square-metre density requirement, as you've no doubt noticed whenever you've left the house for a bite to eat. And, in early January, the NSW Government shut down dance floors, too, including banning dancing and singing outdoor festivals — but the state will also no longer resemble the town from Footloose, the Premier confirmed as well, although that change is rolling out in stages. Basically, get ready to do more things in more places with more people — including make shapes — from this weekend onwards, all thanks to the decreasing community transmission and hospital admission numbers. Dancing and singing will be back in most venues from Friday, February 18, but the ban won't lift for music festivals for another week, on Friday, February 25. [caption id="attachment_716557" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Parker Blain[/caption] Also part of the first stage of eased restrictions from Friday, February 18: only requiring QR-code check-ins at nightclubs, and at music fests with more than 1000 people (so, scrapping them everywhere else); and ditching the recommendation to work from home, which'll now be at your employers' discretion. Then, in a week's time, singing and dancing will be back at music fests, and the 20,000-person cap on music festivals will also lift. In big news, Friday, February 25 will also see mask rules loosen, so you won't need to cover up your smile quite as often. From that date onwards, masks will only mandated on public transport, planes and indoors at airports, as well as at hospitals, aged and disability care facilities, and correctional facilities. You'll also need to keep making up at indoor musical festivals with more than 1000 people, and they'll still be encouraged indoors where physical distancing isn't possible — and for customer service staff as well. Even though it's happening across two phases a week apart, NSW's easing restrictions arrive sooner than expected, with the mask mandate, density caps, and singing and dancing bans previously extended in late-January until the end of February — a move that today's news overrides. "We don't want restrictions in place for any longer than necessary, and with hospitalisation and ICU rates trending downwards now is the right time to make sensible changes," Perrottet said. NSW reported 9995 new COVID-19 cases today, Thursday, February 17. New South Wales' density, dance floor and QR check-in rules will first ease on Friday, February 18, with mask rules and restrictions on music festivals relaxing on Friday, February 25. For more information about the status of COVID-19 and the current restrictions, head over to the NSW Health website. Top image: Prince of York, Mitchell Ferris.
When it comes to prime spring drinking turf, Chiswick's sprawling green lawn is up there with the best. And you can bet it's set to get a solid workout this spring, as the Woollahra restaurant sets up a pop-up bar for outdoor drinks throughout October. Join in the al fresco fun from 5.30–7.30pm each Thursday in October and make the most of those balmy pre-sunset temperatures with some hard-earned mid-week knock-offs. The pop-up Chandon bar will be pouring glasses of sparkling rosé and cocktails like the Garden Rosé, made with strawberry, lime, rose and, of course, rosé. And, to cap it off, there'll be live acoustic tunes setting the mood, games of bocce and lawn bowls, plus some free canapés making the rounds. Rosé on the Lawn runs from 5.30–7.30pm.
In Frances Ha, Greta Gerwig became the on-screen embodiment of a predicament most twenty-somethings can relate to: knowing what you don't want out of life, rather than what you do. In Mistress America, she offered a different side of failing to achieve your dreams, this time from a slightly older perspective. Now, in Maggie's Plan, she grapples with the fact that you can't control everything, no matter how hard you try. Consider it the next phase in her ongoing examination of the idiosyncrasies of quarter-life malaise. Written and directed by Rebecca Miller (The Private Lives of Pippa Lee) based on an unpublished novel by Karen Rinaldi, the film explores two schemes hatched by the eponymous Maggie (Gerwig), a college careers advisor whose life is...well...a bit of a mess. When the film opens, she's telling her married best pal Tony (Bill Hader) about her intention to become a mother using sperm donated by their high school classmate turned pickle entrepreneur Guy (Travis Fimmel). Cut forward three years and she instead has a daughter with John (Ethan Hawke), an anthropology professor and aspiring novelist who's struggling to cut ties with his imposing ex-wife Georgette (Julianne Moore). Although it may certainly sound like one, to simply call Maggie's Plan a romantic comedy doesn't quite do the film justice. While the situations the characters find themselves in are by no means unique, there's a level of intricacy to all the major players that ensures Miller's screenplay feels as authentic as it does amusing. When Maggie tries to muster a polite response to Guy's offer to help her get pregnant "the old-fashioned way", for example, her awkwardness feels ripped from reality. That's the gift that both Gerwig and Miller bring — an understanding of how to convey life's ups and downs in a way that's equally playful and relatable. The two prove as an apt a pair as Gerwig and Frances Ha filmmaker Noah Baumbach, — yet they're not the feature's only standouts. Adopting a severe Danish accent that she takes time to settle into, Moore proves both hilarious and surprisingly sympathetic. Of course, with its jaunty jazz score and New York setting, Maggie's Plan can't escape the shadow of other, similar films gone by. It's not only Baumbach that springs to mind, but Woody Allen — though any resemblance is likely by design. Miller has crafted a movie knowingly comprised of familiar parts, but cleverly filled with astute reflections that tell the tale from a fresh perspective. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAoEoWrOe8g
With life at its often unrelenting pace, many of us struggle to get through the day without at least one cup of coffee (okay, maybe five). And even though Melbourne seems to get most of the credit for Australia's stellar coffee making reputation, Sydney very much holds its own — you've just got to know where to look. Next time you need a caffeine hit, don't default to the nearest crumby cafe — there's a spot near you that has a brew of a better standard. To aid you in your search, we've teamed up with Shop Small supporters American Express to put together a list of our six favourite local Sydney cafes that consistently provide both quality caffeine and convenience. Plus, in a total win/win, these spots let you pay for your coffee with your American Express Card and reap the sweet rewards of being a Card Member — all while supporting local business. Save them to your Google Maps so you can easily hit them up on the go.
At the 2021 Emmys, The Crown won every acting award it could, with the regal series collecting shiny trophies for Olivia Colman's performance as the Queen, Josh O'Connor's portrayal of Prince Charles, Tobias Menzies' work as Prince Philip and Gillian Anderson's efforts as Margaret Thatcher. One star who didn't get a gong: Emma Corrin for playing Princess Diana. But her version of the people's princess is just one of several hitting screens — and not simply because Tenet's Elizabeth Debicki will take over the role when season five of The Crown arrives. When that new season of the show premieres in 2022, it'll continue to explore a part of royal history that's been talked about for decades, aka the difficult marriage between Princess Diana and Prince Charles. But on the big screen, the Kristen Stewart-starring Spencer will get there first. This isn't quite a twin films situation — where two movies about the same or similar topics appear around the same time, like Armageddon and Deep Impact in the 90s, Finding Nemo and Shark Tale in the animation space, and the two Fyre Festival documentaries in 2019 — but only because The Crown is a TV show and Spencer is a feature. Otherwise, there will indeed be two different takes on the tale hitting screens small and large in short succession. In Spencer's case, it hails from Pablo Larraín, the Chilean filmmaker who has never made a bad film — see: his recent masterpiece Ema — and also directed Natalie Portman to an Oscar nomination in Jackie. In both of these movies, he's honed in on complex women in difficult situations, one fictional and one factual, and shown a stunning eye for emotion and detail. And, based on the the initial sneak peek and the just-dropped full trailer for Spencer, that isn't going away in his next feature. After last appearing in films as varied as Underwater, Charlie's Angels, Seberg and Happiest Season, Stewart plays Diana in 1991, at a time where her relationship with Prince Charles (Jack Farthing, Official Secrets) is struggling, but the royal family has gathered together for Christmas. Spencer focuses on a few specific days, as rumours swirl about affairs and divorce, and Diana attempts to navigate the obviously complicated situation. She isn't handling it well, and she certainly isn't willing to just plaster on a smile and carry on because she's married into royalty — as this new trailer delves into. Timothy Spall (The Party), Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water) and Sean Harris (Mission: Impossible — Fallout) also feature, but Stewart is obviously the star of the show — and looks to be settling into Princess Di's wardrobe, bobbed hairstyle and simmering yearning with aplomb. Spencer premiered at the Venice Film Festival earlier in September, ahead of its US release in November and Australian debut on January 26, 2022. Check out the full Spencer trailer below: Spencer releases in Australian cinemas on January 26, 2022.
There are so many things to love about summer. Warm weather, being able to comfortably cruise around with your windows down and — most importantly for us — a few hours of sunshine after work courtesy of daylight savings. There's nothing quite like soaking up the afternoon sun, realising it's already 8pm and then deciding you may as well kick on well into the night. And after being cooped up inside all winter, we're gearing up for a sun-soaked summer like no other. Luckily, there's a gin seltzer that's going to take your balmy days and nights to new heights this year. Meet Sunny Eddy — Australia's first gin seltzer. Hailing from the northern beaches of Sydney, this new drink comes in three flavours — a cool lime and cucumber; crisp pink apple; and zesty blood orange and grapefruit. So, to ensure your summer is a slam dunk this year, we recommend working your way through this list of quintessential summer activities — with a refreshing Sunny Eddy in hand, of course. [caption id="attachment_805728" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Shelly Beach by Stef2230 via Flickr[/caption] GET POOLSIDE Whether it's in-ground, in the ocean or inflatable, getting yourself poolside is essential in summer. Thankfully, there's no shortage of superb swimming spots in Sydney and surrounds. If you've never been to the Cronulla's stunning Shelly Beach Rock Pool, add it to your summer 2021 bucket list. Not only is it an incredible place to swim, it's also located next to sprawling lawns that are ideal for that post-swim sunset picnic with friends. If you're after something even more secluded, head to the rugged North Curl Curl rockpool on the Northern Beaches or Nuns Pool in Wollongong. Or, if you want to submerge in a natural plunge pool and relax under rocky clifftops until the sun goes down, try Ivor Rowe rockpool in South Coogee. HOST A BEACHSIDE BARBECUE Getting behind the grill is somewhat synonymous with summer. So, why not level up your summer soiree by taking your backyard barbecue beachside this year? Luckily, there are plenty of beachside locations that are equipped with facilities to bring your outdoor cook up to life including The Basin in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. To get there, take the ferry from the Palm Beach wharf. Then, spend the day relaxing on the beach, snorkelling or take it one step further and stay the night at the campgrounds located just around the corner. Cromwell Park in Malabar and Arthur Byrne Reserve in Maroubra are both ideal for day-trippers who want to avoid crowds that beachside barbecue facilities often have. Or, if you want calm waters, sprawling parkland and incredible hikes at your fingertips, take your barbecue and some Sunny Eddy seltzer supplies to the Bonnie Vale picnic area in Bundeena. [caption id="attachment_664635" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Stand-up paddleboarding in Manly.[/caption] HANG OUT IN OUR WATERWAYS Sydney is surrounded by sparkling waterways. And, not only do they provide a stunning backdrop to our lives, there are also plenty of different ways to enjoy them all summer long. Feel like doing something active? Try kayaking in Pittwater Estuary, stand-up paddleboarding at Balmoral Beach or a conquer some of the 80-kilometre coastal trek that stretches from Bondi to Manly. Want a different type of adventure? Take the half-hour ferry trip from Palm Beach to Ettalong. Or, if you feel like going all out this year, hire out a boat for the ultimate harbourside hang out with your mates. Spirit Fleet Boat Charters offers a "bare boat hire" which allows you to bring your own food and drink on board — ideal if you want to sip on your favourite seltzer at sunset. [caption id="attachment_808627" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Overlooking Little Bay.[/caption] GO COASTAL Sydney is spoilt for choice when it comes to beaches. There's the golden sands and pine trees in the north, rugged cliffs and coastal walks in the east and cosy coves hidden in the harbour. To maximise your time in the sun this summer, we recommend ditching your go-to beach destination for the day to explore one of our city's more hidden offerings. Head to Little Bay and Little Conwong Beach — both about 30 minutes south of the CBD — for calm waters and picturesque views. If you don't mind putting in a little more effort to get to your destination, the idyllic Resolute Beach in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park or Burning Palms in the Royal National Park are definitely worth the trek. There's nothing better than feeling like a tourist in your own town to make you fall in love with your home all over again. [caption id="attachment_756337" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Volleyball at Manly Beach.[/caption] BRING ON THE BEACH GAMES Whether you're into soccer, cricket, paddle ball or tennis, all you need is the appropriate ball, an open space and some halftime refreshments to keep you energised. If you're keen to get playing, but want to try something new this summer, order your crew a spike ball kit. It's a bit like volleyball meets handball but most importantly — it's actually fun. For a more low key beach activity where you can keep hold of your seltzer, we can't go past a few rounds of Finska. Or, if some friendly competition is more your thing, check out the volleyball tournaments in Manly or Malabar. Want to win a summer's supply of Sunny Eddy? Enter our competition to do just that here. Learn more about Sunny Eddy by visiting the website here.
Some music festivals introduce you to your future favourites and today's biggest names. Others are all about enjoying yesterday's greats. Australia has no shortage of both kinds of events, but it's adding one more nostalgic-driven fest: the brand-new Pandemonium Rocks, which will debut on the country's east coast in April. Placebo, Blondie, Alice Cooper and Deep Purple lead the lineup, offering decades worth of tunes spanning everything from the Cruel Intentions soundtrack's 'Every You Every Me' to 70s hits 'Heart of Glass', 'School's Out' and 'Smoke on the Water'. The familiar tunes won't stop there, either, with Wheatus sure to bust out 'Teenage Dirtbag', and Wolfmother certain to give 'Woman' and 'Joker and the Thief' a whirl. The Psychedelic Furs, Dead Kennedys, Gang of Four, Palaye Royale, Cosmic Psychos, Gyroscope and Fetch round out the bill, as headed to Melbourne's Caribbean Gardens, The Domain in Sydney, Doug Jennings Park on the Gold Coast and Bribie Island's Sandstone Point Hotel. For Brisbanites, this means either heading north or south, with no local gig. One important note for folks in Queensland: if you want to see Debbie Harry sing 'Hanging on the Telephone', 'Rapture' and 'Call Me', you'll need to make a trip to the Goldie as Blondie aren't playing Pandemonium Rocks' last stop. The band's latest visit to Australia comes after playing Coachella 2023, which you might've caught on the fest's livestream. [caption id="attachment_938061" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Biha via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] TLC's Aussie trip with Busta Rhymes and En Vogue might've been cancelled, but there's always a new event with a retro-skewed lineup on the way. Another that's hitting the country in March, the month before Pandemonium Rocks: Aqua, 2 Unlimited and East 17. A point of difference with Pandemonium Rocks, however, is the fact that you can bring low-rise beach-style chairs that are smaller than 70 centimetres tall to the outdoor gigs. [caption id="attachment_938062" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Arek Olek from Kraków, Poland via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Pandemonium Rocks 2024 Dates: Saturday, April 20 — Caribbean Gardens, Melbourne Thursday, April 25 — The Domain, Sydney Saturday, April 27 — Doug Jennings Park, Gold Coast Sunday, April 28 — Sandstone Point Hotel, Bribie Island Pandemonium Rocks will tour Australia's east coast in April 2024, with tickets on sale from 9am on Tuesday, January 30 and pre-sales prior — head to the festival website for further details. Top image: Raph_PH via Wikimedia Commons.
A specials menu that changes daily. Live music and a trivia night each week. Monthly tap takeovers with the best in the craft beer scene — include a month with Wayward and Nomad. Rocks Brewing Co has transformed the old Lord Raglan Hotel into a local favourite with a serious fun side. Many of the changes we spoke to Johnathan Hepner about back in October 2014 have come to fruition. Of course, the Bottle Shop is still stocked with all things craft, from common to crazy. For the real enthusiasts, join the Bottle Club — you'll get a list of beers to try each month, with a free, special edition brew for you speedy drinkers out there. Now, the pub is much more than a haven for craft beer lovers. The menu, re-envisioned by a native New Yorker, marries classic American pub food with posh, lighter fare. Not many hotels serve sesame crusted tuna steak ($20) over a chilli lime vinaigrette salad. The tuna is delicate yet meaty with a fine crust and perfectly pink centre. The crunchy cabbage and herb salad packs a serious coriander punch. As far as classic pub food goes, the menu presents a nice mix of Aussie and American favourites: chicken schnitzel sits next to Philly cheese steak ($16 each) and a Latin Lover ($18). An American favourite, this panini pressed Cuban sandwich is layered with slow-roasted pork shoulder, thinly sliced leg ham and heaps of melted Swiss cheese. It's the house-made pickles and roasted garlic-Dijon aioli that makes the dish. All plates are served in pub portions and the nearby sauce station has both Frank's RedHot and sriracha. You really can't ask for much more. But wait, there's more. Lord Raglan may be craft-centric, but they're also doing monthly house infusions that they plan to make crazier by the month. When we visit, there's a Cucumber Martini ($12) or Habanero Margarita ($18), made from a local's home-made stuff. Since they are beer fanatics, the menu naturally includes beer cocktails, most recently the Holey Berry ($15), a collaboration with the Shenanigans duo which uses the last existing keg of Holey Porter ($9.5 schooner). If that isn't enough, there's much more on the horizon for this jack of all trades. Pinball tournaments will accompany their four new machines, jalapenos stuffed with peanut butter will hit the menu, and zanier beers are in the pipeline. This is one of the few pubs that tries to do it all and actually does it all well.
New year, new resolutions, new you. That's how it works, right? There's another new thing that January 1 always heralds: a new batch of movies to add to your watch list. 2018 was filled with great films, whether you fell head over heels for the year's best picture Oscar winner, reignited your love for web-slinging superheroes or found yourself laughing (and nodding) along to a savage satire. And, yes, we're calling it already — 2019 will serve up another ace cinema slate. We've said it before and we'll say it again: there's never a bad year for movies. With more than 400 hitting Australian cinemas across each and every 12-month period, that's more than 400 chances to be blown away by the latest big-screen offering. They won't all be winners, but some will boast something special. We've got our fingers crossed for crime epics, animated gothic families and the return of everyone's favourite assassin — and the rest of our ten must-sees. JOJO RABBIT When you've made the leap from offbeat New Zealand comedies to one of the most memorable Marvel movies in recent years, what comes next? A film about a young boy trying to survive the Second World War and just casually playing with an imaginary Hitler, obviously. Yes, that's Taika Waititi's next project. As well as writing and directing Jojo Rabbit (as based on Christine Leuen's book Caging Skies), Waititi is playing the Nazi leader, with Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Stephen Merchant, Rebel Wilson and Game of Thrones' Alfie Allen also among the cast. And if you're wondering about the tone, Waititi put it best when asked about being a Maori playing Hitler: "what better 'fuck you' to that guy?!" Release date TBC. THE ADDAMS FAMILY They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, and altogether ooky. They're also headed back to the big screen. The first two 90s-era Addams Family movies are still black comedy delights (just don't ever, ever watch the awful third effort, Addams Family Reunion), so here's hoping that the new animated version lives up to their legacies. And the legacy of the 60s TV series that started it all, of course, introducing the world to an all-round eclectic clan. Simply called The Addams Family, the 2019 flick certainly has the right voice cast, with Oscar Isaac as Gomez, Charlize Theron as Morticia, Chloë Grace Moretz as Wednesday, Stranger Things' Finn Wolfhard as Pugsley, and Nick Kroll as Uncle Fester. That said, a live-action version starring Isaac really wouldn't go astray. In cinemas December 5, 2019. [caption id="attachment_702544" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Lady Bird[/caption] LITTLE WOMEN After earning audience applause and critical acclaim for Lady Bird, anticipation was always going to be high for Greta Gerwig's second solo directorial effort. With the Oscar-nominated filmmaker now tackling Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, it's even higher still. Immersed in a family of sisters in 1860s Massachusetts, the novel is a classic for a reason — and, in its eighth big-screen adaptation, it'll come to life with a plethora of fantastic actors. Gerwig not only reunites with Lady Bird's Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet, but also directs everyone from Emma Watson, Lady Macbeth's Florence Pugh and French star Louis Garrel to Bob Odenkirk, Laura Dern and Meryl Streep. Release date TBC. US You shouldn't judge a movie by its poster. You shouldn't judge a movie before you've seen it, full stop. But you should definitely get excited by the first glimpses of Us, which both boast a very welcome phrase: "a new nightmare from the mind of Academy Award-winner Jordan Peele". In his follow-up to 2017's Get Out, the comedian turned writer-director is serving up something creepy once again, this time focusing on two couples (Lupita Nyong'o and Black Panther's Winston Duke, plus Elisabeth Moss and Tim Heidecker) holidaying by the beach. Like Get Out, it's probably best to know as little as possible before you see the psychological thriller, but your interest should well and truly be piqued. In cinemas March 14, 2019. [caption id="attachment_698252" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Shoplifters[/caption] THE TRUTH As well as winning this year's Palme d'Or for Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda has made eleven films this century alone. His twelfth promises something different, however, with the prolific Japanese auteur making his English and French-language debut. He has quite the cast to help, including French stars Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche and Ludivine Sagnier, as well as Ethan Hawke. Story-wise, The Truth focuses on family, as Kore-eda so often does in such an empathetic way. Here, he's charting the reunion of an actress and her daughter, all while the former plays a mother who never ages in her latest sci-fi movie. Release date TBC. [caption id="attachment_621299" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Okja[/caption] PARASITE Whether he's making monster movies or murder thrillers, forcing the remnants of humanity onto a constantly moving train or pondering loveable super pigs, a new Bong Joon-ho film is an event. Two years after Okja, his next effort takes the director back to his native South Korea — and back to working with Memories of Murder, The Host and Snowpiercer's Song Kang-ho. The feature's narrative is reported to follow two families, who are different but alike. It's being called a drama, and yet anything could happen from there in Bong's hands. That said, if you were hoping for something completely otherworldly and odd, apparently Parasite's title isn't as literal as you might expect. Release date TBC. ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD If Once Upon a Time in Hollywood really is Quentin Tarantino's second-last film — he's said he'll stop directing movies after ten — then he's working up to retirement with a bang. The filmmaker's ninth movie features Leonardo DiCaprio as a struggling actor, Brad Pitt as his stunt double and Margot Robbie as his neighbour, who happens to be Sharon Tate. If you know both your Hollywood history and your US crime history, then you'll know that QT's latest isn't just an account of Tinseltown in the 60s. With Australian actor Damon Herriman going all helter skelter, it's also a Manson family murders flick. The rest of the cast is a who's who of Hollywood today, including Tarantino regulars Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Bruce Dern, Zoe Bell and Michael Madsen, plus Dakota Fanning, Lena Dunham, Al Pacino, Timothy Olyphant and Luke Perry. Oh, and up-and-comers Maya Hawke and Rumer Willis as well, aka the daughters of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, and Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, respectively. In cinemas August 8, 2019. [caption id="attachment_622453" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] John Wick: Chapter 2[/caption] JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 Many a franchise will serve up many a next instalment in 2019, but only one really matters. It happens to be one of the best roles of Keanu Reeves' career. We'd all love a new Bill and Ted movie to happen. Some of us might just faint from excitement if Keanu made a Point Break sequel (Kurt Russell could swap in for Patrick Swayze, easy). But while we're waiting/dreaming for those, John Wick just keeps coming back. Halle Berry and Anjelica Huston join the cast for John Wick: Chapter 3, which sees the skilled assassin trying to stay alive while shooting his way out of New York. Once Keanu's stunt double, director Chad Stahelski is back in the hot seat for the third time, which should mean more kick-ass action scenes. In cinemas May 16, 2019. ` [caption id="attachment_536827" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Girlhood[/caption] PORTRAIT DE LA JEUNE FILLE EN FEU In 2011, Tomboy was one of the best films of the year, telling a tale of a young girl's struggle to be herself. In 2014, Girlhood was also ranked among the year's greatest, exploring teenage life on the outskirts of Paris. Come 2016, My Life as a Courgette achieved the same feat, with a gorgeous claymation account of an orphan's quest to be loved. They all stem from the pen of Céline Sciamma, with the French filmmaker also directing the first two — and now she's both writing and helming Portrait de la jeune fille en feu. Starring Valeria Golino (Daughter of Mine) and Adèle Haenel (BPM (Beats Per Minute)), the drama follows Heloise, who, after escaping convent life, is about to be married. Then, as was custom at the end of the 18th century, an artist, Marianne, arrives to paint her wedding portrait. Release date TBC. [caption id="attachment_579627" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Paterson[/caption] THE DEAD DON'T DIE Let's just throw a heap of great names at the page, like Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, Tom Waits, Adam Driver and Steve Buscemi. They've all worked with Jim Jarmusch before, and they're doing so again in The Dead Don't Die. If that roster of talent didn't instantly earn your intrigue, the film sees the Paterson, Ghost Dog and Dead Man writer-director enter zombie comedy territory. If he can make a haunting vampire movie, aka Only Lovers Left Alive, then of course he can tackle another type of the undead. The cast keeps going, too, with Chloë Sevigny, Selena Gomez, Caleb Landry Jones and Danny Glover also featuring. Release date TBC.
The haunting and atmospheric imagery created by Singapore-born, Sydney-based artist Ben Ali Ong will be on show at Artereal Gallery this month. The artist usually works across photo media, film, and mixed media; however, his newest series Nyctophilia is a nocturnal suite of black and white photographs. This understated and contemplative exhibition is aimed at inviting ideas rather than expressing them. Among the new batch of photographs, there are foggy nights with slivers of moon, spot-lit mannequins, creased love letters, and verses of censored poetry. Many of the works featured contain suggestive fragments. In combination, they take on the air of an arthouse murder mystery. Ong found himself in hot water a few years ago when he was accused of plagiarism. Back in 2012, he was an artist on the rise, exhibiting as a finalist across multiple art prizes and major galleries. The controversy ignited the familiar debate around originality in the art world. Three years later, it seems he's back on the path toward cementing himself as a significant Australian photographer.
There's something particularly special about the time leading up to a holiday — whether it's a well-deserved, digital-free weekend or the overseas holiday you've been planning since 2019 (thanks, COVID). And, while most of us agree packing isn't something to swoon over — July aims to elevate how we approach luggage, so we can spend the time focusing on the parts of travel we love. The Melbourne-designed business had a bumpy start to takeoff, launching in 2018 before the pandemic. Since then, it's been smooth sailing with two Melbourne stores in QV and Collingwood in the last few years. Now, the team has launched their first New South Wales outpost in Sydney's Galeries. Offering premium luggage, suitcases and overnight bags, July suitcases are constructed with a solid German polycarbonate shell, and can include clever features like ejectable batteries for on-the-go phone charging, a hidden laundry bag and 360-degree wheels. All July cases come with a lifetime warranty, too, for any unexpected bumps and turbulence along the way. The suitcases are loved by the likes of Chrissy Teigen and Celeste Barber, so you'll be in good company wheeling these babies around on your next adventure.
Coveting a piece that you spied on Instagram? Searched high and low for an object with absolutely nothing to show for your efforts? It's a dilemma we often find ourselves in, too. So, following our recent video with interior stylist Steve Cordony, produced in partnership with Samsung, we decided to help you bring some of the goods straight to your shopping carts. From style-heavy couches to smaller, more intricate choices, how you dress up your home should reflect your personal style. Make like Cordony and recreate his clean aesthetics, or pop your own stylist hat on and pick and mix with pieces you already own. THE SERIF, SAMSUNG (FROM $1389) Using Samsung's The Serif as the statement piece, Cordony was challenged to zhoosh up two living rooms in our recent styling video series. The boundary-pushing TV was conceptualised by Paris-based design duo Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and is a chic-yet-functional choice for any household. With clean lines and exceptional specs, it's the versatile piece you've been looking for. It boasts a sleek 360-degree design with a unique 'I'-shaped profile that acts as a shelf and has removable legs — so it's going to suit any space you're styling. This is all complemented by Samsung's QLED picture quality and powerful sound. HUXLEY TRACK ARM SOFA BED, COCO REPUBLIC (from $5775) If you're after comfort that's equally matched in style, this is the lounge for you. Natural linen is an ideal colour when forming the base palette of a room, leaving your finishings to bring the pops of colour or texture. INDIGO MERINO RUG IN SAND, CADRYS ($3600) If you want to nab this exact rug, you'd better hop to it. It's a one-of-a-kind on offer from Cadrys, the family-run business that's in possession of Australia's largest collection of antique rugs. Enjoy the pared-back colour, luxe material and the perfect base for your styled room? Find something similar here. LARGE FLOW BOWL, DINOSAUR DESIGNS ($450) Adding small, considered pieces to your space is an effortless way to add a personal touch. Splurge on a forever piece like the Flow bowl from resident resin-experts Dinosaur Designs — with a large range of colours and sizes, the hardest part will be choosing your favourite. EMILY BELLE ELLIS VASE, THE DEA STORE ($289) From Sydney-based contemporary ceramicist Emily Belle Ellis comes a vessel that allows you to get experimental with texture and form. Pop by Redfern's The DEA Store to check out this beauty among many other design-centric objects. CLASSICS CUSHION RANGE, LUCY MONTGOMERY ($285) These fringed cushions — courtesy of Lucy Montgomery, the Sydney-based interior architect and designer — allow experimentation with colour, sans commitment. Not quite ready for a bright feature wall? Or a statement lounge? Quell your desire for colour with accessories instead. MOON DISH IN ZEST, DINOSAUR DESIGNS ($80) This delightfully unique dish brings both a pop of colour and a home for trinkets — maybe shells from a morning beach walk or chic and fun marbles for a more playful edge. When it comes to a room that really shines, it's all in the details. CALACATTA NERO QUARTZ PLINTH, EN GOLD ($580) Made of solid stone, this plinth offers the perfect access point to considered style. Adding smaller pieces in differing heights will catch the eye, as well as create a base for your plant-filled pots and vases. JULIETTE BOWL, GARDEN LIFE ($70) A surefire way of making a room a delight to be in? The bright viridescence of plants. Start with your pots — play with colour, shape and size — then grab plants that are happy in the light conditions of your room. Plant your green friends in pots that are only 25 percent larger than their current ones and they'll be given their best chance to thrive. SIMONE KARRAS SPECKLED RAKU VASE, JARDAN ($390) Choosing a uniquely shaped vase will add an element of interest to any room. Sit this one atop a chic quartz plinth or side table to play with heights and finishes. Want to pop a cherry on top? Fill this speckled number with freshly picked florals or some bright citrus fruit. REX COFFEE TABLE, MCM HOUSE ($1950) From the luxury, Australian-designed furniture-heaven that is MCM House comes this circular table (which is available in two sizes and is sure to receive compliments). Designed by Sam Whitman, the table's smooth marble top and powder-coated legs form the perfect addition to any room, regardless of colour palette. VINTAGE CANE ARMCHAIRS, THE VAULT (POA) Sourcing the perfect vintage pair can be a pain, so you're best to leave it to the experts — namely, the curators at The Vault. When picking core pieces of furniture, don't be afraid to mix different styles — vintage cane chairs around a sleek coffee table or vintage books atop sleek marble plinths. MEDIUM ROUND BASKET, ORIENT HOUSE ($80) Storage and style combine in this cane basket from the treasure trove that is Orient House. Tucked under a table or with a pot plant propped up inside, it's the perfect way to add texture to the room. COLLECTION PARTICULIERE MEDIUM BOS VASE and RIPPLE TRAY, ONDENE (POA) Add finishing touches to a room in high-quality materials that are sure to go the distance. Placed on top of a side table, or the landing pad to your Serif's remote, these considered pieces from Collection Particuliere combine function and style seamlessly. To find out more about The Serif TV, visit the Samsung website.
On your next trip to the Blueys, be sure to call into Bilpin. The rural town is well-known among foodies for being home to a farm belonging to Sean Moran (of Sean's Panaroma on Bondi Beach), as well as for its delicious apples. For the latter, stop in at Hillbilly Cider, run by third-generation farmer Shane McLaughlin and his partner Tessa. Founded back in 2007, the company uses local fruit — and local fruit only — to produce a range of all-natural ciders, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Head to the Cider Shed, prop yourself up at the bar or grab a chair overlooking the orchard and run through a tasting, beginning with the too-easy-to-drink apple cider, which won bronze at the 2015 International Cider Challenge, and finishing with Sweet Julie, the only cider on the planet made from the Julie apple, a variety discovered on the property. Hillbilly also serves up some woodfired pizzas, should you need to line the stomach. The shed is open for bookings and walk-ins. Images: Destination NSW
Boasting first-class wineries, coastline, bushland and surf beaches, Margaret River has more than earned its reputation as one of Australia's most beautiful places to explore. It's a region where you can go mountain biking along twisty old logging tracks, seek out Australia's megafauna fossils at Mammoth Cave and visit Busselton's eight-metre-deep Underwater Observatory — all in one action-packed day, should you choose. If it gets too much or you're due a little 'me time', Margaret River has just as much to offer those who want to wind down and experience some of the finer things in life. From sampling wines at one of the oldest wineries in the area to sitting in natural spas or simply watching a beautiful sunset over the ocean, the region has no shortage of bounties in the self-care department. 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. Under current COVID-19 restrictions in Australia, there are some restrictions on where you can go on a holiday. But, you can start dreaming. Bookmark this for when you can explore once again. [caption id="attachment_720253" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] WATCH THE SUNSET AT SURFERS POINT A ten-minute drive from the main town of Margaret River, Surfers Point in Prevelly is one of the best surf beaches in Australia. But it's not only the waves that draw people to its white shores; well equipped with viewing platforms and benches, Surfers Point is also one of the best spots around for admiring the stunning pinks, oranges and reds of a sunset over the ocean. For those who want next-level sensory delights, pack a picnic basket with local wine and cheese to enjoy while you take in the views. Trust us, you won't regret it. [caption id="attachment_720296" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jarrad Seng[/caption] VISIT THE INJIDUP NATURAL SPA Nothing says serenity more than a secret natural spa. Found at the end of an unmarked gravel path, near the car park at the end of Wyadup Road in Yallingup, Injidup (or Wyadup) Spa is a natural rock pool with amazingly clear water that bubbles up like a jacuzzi as waves from the ocean are pushed through the crevasse. Now that the word is out, it's not quite the secluded spot it used to be, but if laying your tired body against warm rocks while water foams and flows around you is appealing, it's worth a visit. TREAT YOURSELF TO A MASSAGE AT BODHI J Nestled in the cliffs above Injidup Beach and offering panoramic views of the Indian Ocean is Bodhi J at Injidup Spa Retreat. Treatments range from body wraps to mineral facials and spa baths, but the Li'Tya Marta Kodo rock massage is a signature. Inspired by Aboriginal Australian techniques for realigning energy flow, the massage includes applying hot stones to your body's pressure points in a rhythmic massage that'll have you feeling so boneless you'll be floating on air long after it's over. STAY IN A LUXURY VILLA WITH YOUR OWN PRIVATE SPA AT THE LOSARI RETREAT Fancy being surrounded by 100-year-old peppermint trees while you sip champagne in a hot tub overlooking a pristine lake? Then the Losari Retreat is the place for you. Set on 26 hectares of lush greenery, the boutique hotel is only an eight-minute drive from the Margaret River town centre but makes you feel transported to a secret country escape much farther away. The four limestone villas each have their own private outdoor spaces with spa baths, as well as cosy lounge areas and fireplaces that are perfect for when the weather gets a little cooler. And, as if that wasn't enough, there are also in-villa spa treatments and massages for when you really need pampering. HIKE A PORTION OF THE FAMOUS CAPE TO CAPE TRACK White sand beaches, clear blue waters, rugged cliffs — Margaret River is filled with show-stopping scenery, and there's no better way to enjoy it than by hiking a portion of the famous Cape to Cape Track on one of Walk into Luxury's guided tours. Along the way, you'll explore the likes of surfer favourite Redgate Beach, bash through Boranup Karri Forest bush and witness spectacular ocean views at Canal Rocks. Once you've satisfied your sense of adventure, it's time to do the same for your appetite, via gourmet platters, lunch hampers and a particularly indulgent midday meal at Vasse Felix, Margaret River's first vineyard and winery. Whether you're planning to travel for a couple of nights or a couple of weeks, Holiday Here This Year and you'll be supporting Australian businesses while you explore the best of our country's diverse landscapes and attractions. Top image: Injidup Spa Retreat.
Black Capital is a collection of performances, seminars and exhibitions co-presented by CarriageWorks and the Sydney Festival as a major part of the 2012 programs of both. The decorated caravans and projection works of Brook Andrew's Travelling Colony project will make their debut moving through the city on Festival First Night and then take up residence and be open to explore at CarriageWorks for the rest of the month. Another major new work featured in the program is I Am Eora, a performance work directed by Wesley Enoch in which the stories of Pemulwuy, Bennelong and Barangaroo for the basis for an exploration of Sydney's spatial identity and history through music, dance and storytelling. The Barefoot Divas, a group of singers and songwriters from Australia, NZ and Papua New Guinea, will debut Walk A Mile In My Shoes. Alongside these landmark premiere performances, which incorporate the talents of emerging art and theatre makers alongside those of established performers headlining the works, there's also an exhibition at and a symposium on Addressing Black Theatre at 181 Regent St, founding home of the National Black Theatre, a Family and Culture Day. Together, this program is a celebration of the vitality and virtuosity of contemporary Aboriginal practice and an exploration of the histories and identities of Redfern as that 'Black Capital'.
Following the world-altering whirlwind that was 2020, award-winning Eau-de-Vie closed down, promising to return in the near future. While it's taken a little longer than expected, the sleek cocktail bar that was once 13th on the World's 50 Best Bars list has officially reopened to the public in Sydney's CBD. The Speakeasy Group (Mjølner, Nick & Nora's) and its directors Sven Almenning and Greg Sanderson have revived Eau-de-Vie at the Brookfield Place development inside the Beneficial House site at 285 George Street. It will be joined by its lavish new sibling venue The Sanderson on Thursday, May 25, an equally flashy restaurant with a focus on steak, Australian seafood and wine. "Eau-de-Vie is like our first child, we just have so much love for it! We looked long and hard to secure the new location, but the wait will be worth it," says Sanderson. "We really do see Beneficial House becoming a destination that our guests can spend an entire evening within. Aperitif cocktails at Eau-de-Vie, upstairs to The Sanderson for an amazing dinner, and then back downstairs for a whisky nightcap." All of the class of the original Eau-de-Vie is on show at the new opening with moody lighting, a smooth jazz soundtrack, the signature Whisky Room and private whisky lockers within the building's basement. The cocktails are built to impress, starting with the Hall of Fame section of the menu featuring Almenning's signature Smoley Rob Roy which combines two types of whisky, Diplomatico Mantuan rum, sweet vermouth and orange bitters before being served under a cloud of smoke. There's also a tangy take on the Moscow mule made with yuzu curd and your choice of rare aged spirit, Eau-de-Vie's famous old fashioned served hot or ice cold, and the Espresso Zabaione which reinvents the espresso martini with cold drip coffee, maple syrup, saffron and vanilla mouse and a touch of liquid nitrogen. All of this is on just page one of the ten pages of cocktails on the menu. A considered list of snacks, both raw (oysters, tuna tartare) and cooked (lamb croquettes, wagyu beef cheek pastry) are available at Eau-de-Vie, but if you find yourself hungry, you should head upstairs to The Sanderson. The restaurant will both aesthetically and conceptually complement Eau-de-Vie, centring its menu around Australian produce from the land and sea. The menu is kept simple, only just spreading to a second page, but there are plenty of options available, from Fraser Island spanner crab salad and heirloom zucchini served with cashew labneh to a selection of six different steaks headlined by a 700-gram MBS4 sirloin on the bone. "The Sanderson will bring together the many elements of 'celebration' that we ourselves love to enjoy with our friends and family," says Sanderson. The Speakeasy Group joins the likes of Shell House, Romeo's, Edition Coffee, Gojima, NeNe Chicken and PappaRich in Brookfield Place. Eau-de-Vie is now open 4pm–2am Tuesday–Saturday at 285 George Street, Sydney. The Sanderson will join it on Thursday, May 25, opening midday–late Tuesday–Saturday.
Sure, it's the middle of winter and most of those planned tropical getaways have been put firmly on hold (and relegated to the realm of dreams), but that hasn't stopped the folks behind renowned Sydney distillery Poor Toms from releasing their most holiday-worthy concoction yet: a bright and vivacious piña colada gin. The new drop is a labour of love that's been in the works for a while, taking the team two years to perfect thanks to hero ingredients like pineapple and coconut being notoriously tough to distill. There's freshly juiced pineapples in there, along with some dehydrated fruit, toasted coconut — that's been both distilled and fat-washed in coconut oil — and lots of aromatic extras like pandan, lime and allspice. https://www.instagram.com/p/CDN6gDvDHoy/ As such, there are only a total of 5000 bottles up for grabs, available now at select bottle shops, or from the online store. So, you'll want to be quick if you want to inject some boozy sunshine into your 2020. Fun and fruity, the newly dropped gin is like some international beach vacation, distilled into a bottle. "Our philosophy is about bringing surprise and pleasure to people's lives, however we can," Poor Toms Co-Founder Jesse Kennedy said in a statement. "You may not be able to travel overseas, but you can still have a holiday in your lounge room." The distillery's tasting notes describe a "toe-dip of milky coconut rough" and a "welcome tidal wave of brine-soaked juniper and lime peel". And, obviously, it pairs perfectly with Rupert Holmes' 'Escape (The Piña Colada Song)'. If that's not exactly the kind of vibe we need right now, what is? Poor Toms' Pina Colada Gin is available now at select Victorian and NSW bottle shops, or for Australia-wide shipping via the online store. The 700-millilitre bottle comes in at $77.
Here's what stuck with our critics. Top Five Movies - Rima Sabina Aouf, Editor-in-Chief Silver Linings Playbook Forget American Hustle; this January release was David O'Russell's big 2013 success. Not only is it funny and moving, it's a sensitive, generous portrayal of mental illness that means a lot to many people. The Act of Killing Your jaw just drops further and further with every minute of this documentary about the 1965-66 Indonesian genocide and the ongoing exaltation of its perpetrators. Upstream Color There is no filmmaker quite like Shane Carruth, and there is no forgetting the experience of watching Upstream Color, wondering what the fuck is happening and then letting go and running with it. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire It kicks so much arse. Short Term 12 The best Boxing Day release you've probably never heard of, Short Term 12 will make you feel all the feelings. Top Five Movies - Tom Glasson, Writer We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks A surprisingly sensitive inquiry into Wikileaks and the two men responsible for its overnight infamy. Complex and impressively even-handed, it's also far more compelling than last month's The Fifth Estate. Zero Dark Thirty People often forget (or simply don't realise) that Kathryn Bigelow directed Point Break. Fact is, she's arguably the best director of action right now, and Zero Dark Thirty was a sublime example, combining heart-pumping combat with deeply personal drama. Red Obsession Rightly described as a 'wine thriller', this documentary offered an enthralling, passionate and consistently amusing perspective on the extraordinary price boom of 2011, followed by its equally dramatic crash and China's growing obsession for the iconic Bordeaux reds. Moonrise Kingdom Perhaps the darkest of the Wes Anderson oeuvre, Moonrise Kingdom is also somehow his most romantic. Quirky, whimsical and wickedly funny, it's a delightful tale of young, forbidden love. The Gatekeepers Like the Shin Bet agents it scrutinised, this gripping documentary grabbed you by the throat from the opening scene and never let go. A remarkable and candid examination of one of the world's most secretive organisations. Top Five Movies - Lauren Carroll Harris, Writer Mystery Road Both bleakly beautiful and staunchly optimistic, and with an Indigenous cultural perspective that's rarely represented in the mainstream, I'm convinced that we'll look back on it as something important in Australian cinema. The Great Gatsby Luhrmann’s 21st-century bastard iteration of the sham-American-dream classic made me cry like a small child. I don't care how uncool it is to admit — this was the first version that made me feel the true tragedy of Gatsby (a perfect, shiny-eyed Leo DiCaprio) and Daisy's predicament. Behind the Candelabra Steven Soderbergh went beyond the cliches of both a 'gay film' and a biopic to deliver touching, if typically unsentimental, twin portraits: one, a dysfunctional, tragic relationship, and the other, a destructive American addiction to consumerism and celebrity. The Act of Killing A film that changed the documentary genre and terrified and transfixed audiences more than any fiction could. If it helps the victims of Indonesian war crimes achieve justice, it may even be one of the most effective documentaries. Top of the Lake Challenging, gorgeously shot, with difficult characters and deft observations of crimes against women and the relationship between childhood and adulthood — it had everything I expect from great film. It counts. *Tom and Rima would like to go on record with the actual no.1 film they've seen this year, Spike Jonze's Her. Unfortunately, it's not out till January 16. Look for it then, and on our 2014 lists.
You may have thought fancy dress parties were for kids, but they're a strangely inevitable part of adulthood, too. When that exciting (or doomed, depending on how you look it) invitation arrives, Crows Nest's Fancy That! Costumes has you covered. Hire outfits are available at this huge two-storey store, as are pieces to add to your own costume box collection. The range is beyond extensive, from era- and theme-inspired pieces — think 70s disco, carnivale and 'under the sea' — to film and TV costume replicas. Need help deciding? The passionate team are all fancy dress fanatics, with backgrounds in production and the arts, and put their heart and soul into finding the fun in every costume occasion. You'll also find a great selection of accessories and party props, including balloons. Images: Trent Van der jagt.
If you stream it, they will come: so discovered the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2020, when its biggest commitment to putting its lineup online resulted in the event's larget audience ever at the time. Now that the early days of the pandemic are over, the fest has been back in cinemas for a few years, and gloriously so. But for those located elsewhere around Australia, or folks who can't fit in as many IRL trips to the flicks as they'd like, or Melburnians who want to deploy every way there is to see as many movies possible during the festival, MIFF is still embracing its digital component. MIFF Online kicks off after the IRL event and runs past its in-person counterpart's end, too. To stare at the big screen, you'll be heading along between Thursday, August 7–Sunday, August 24. To play along from your small screen of choice, the dates are Friday, August 15–Sunday, August 31. While the range of films available to view on your couch via ACMI's Cinema 3 is smaller, there's still plenty to see — including both features and shorts. A post-apocalyptic musical starring Tilda Swinton (The Room Next Door), Michael Shannon (The Bikeriders), George MacKay (The Beast) and Moses Ingram (Lady in the Lake), The End hails from The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence's Joshua Oppenheimer — and it's one of the highlights on 2025's MIFF Online program. Fittingly, so is Videoheaven, with Alex Ross Perry (Her Smell) paying tribute to the video-store era via a Maya Hawke (Inside Out 2)-narrated film essay solely comprised from movie and TV clips. Or, you can visit Inner Mongolia's plains courtesy of To Kill a Mongolian Horse, catch coming-of-age tale Little Trouble Girls, explore a sunny sailing voyage with Kyuka Before Summer's End and join John Magaro (Materialists) for a road trip from Utah to Nebraska in Omaha. Tomorrow We Move from MIFF's 2025 Chantal Akerman retrospective is also available for viewing online, as is the new stop-motion animation Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass from the Brothers Quay (The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes) — plus SXSW-winning documentary Ghost Boy from Rodney Ascher (Room 237, The Nightmare, A Glitch in the Matrix), about a man with locked-in syndrome. 2025's MIFF spans Footy Shorts, a partnership with the AFL that's resulted in five short flicks focusing on the sport — and they're on the MIFF Online lineup as well. For more filmmaking in brief, the Australian shorts package is also making the leap to digital.
Located in the sunny corner space formerly occupied by Sunday, Snack Kitchen comes from one of Sydney's most successful restaurateurs, Maurice Terzini (Icebergs, Jacksons on George, Re), and his son Sylvester Terzini. The father-son joint is a simple yet elegant wine, snack and aperitif bar perfect for after-work drinks and cruisey weekend afternoons. The relaxed Macleay Street spot combines top-quality Italian snacks with a fun, social atmosphere. If you're looking to pair some anchovies or a tomato and olive salad with a glass of orange wine or a Campari soda, this is the spot. As the name suggests, the menu will focus on small plates, so you can order a bunch of things for the table and everyone can snack to their heart's content. Start with the lupini beans, tiny pickled morsels that serve a similar role to edamame at a Japanese joint. From there, you can roll through some classic antipasti plates (olives, crudo del giorno, carpaccio) or opt for something colouring outside the lines a little. The serve of ham, gherkins and mustard manages to feel nostalgic and chic at the same time, and the ricotta topped with chilli and garlic is the perfect accompaniment to a side of bread. As for what you'll be drinking, there's a to-the-point aperitif menu and plenty of great wines which the staff are happy to guide you through. Housed in a simple white space with playful splashes of colour and a few adorable childhood artworks by Sylvester, the whole venue feels like a bustling family-run hotspot you'd find on the shores of Santorini, transported straight into the middle of Potts Point.
This time next year, you could well be spending your summer immersed in legendary Japanese artworks. The Art Gallery of New South Wales has announced a blockbuster exhibition, dubbed Japan Supernatural, set to open in November 2019 as part of the tenth Sydney International Art Series. Made up of more than 200 works from all over the planet, it's an exploration of the spirit world in Japanese art. Expect a immersive experience involving paintings, sculpture, prints, film, animation, comics and games. Leading the show is a monumental piece by Tokyo-born Takashi Murakami. He's a bit of an international rockstar, renowned for bringing together high and low art — much like Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst and Andy Warhol. Chances are, you first heard of him in the 1990s, when he launched the inaugural Superflat exhibition. Since then, he's been a prolific creator of paintings, drawings, sculptures and animations, and collaborated extensively with Louis Vuitton. Representing a much earlier era will be Katsushika Hokusai, born in Edo in 1760. His best-known piece is Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, a series of wood block prints that includes the now iconic Great Wave off Kanagawa. While can't reveal, yet, which of his pieces will be travelling to Sydney, we're hoping we get some of the works that were at the NGV last year. Look out, too, for works by historical artists Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi and Kawanabe Kyosai, as well as contemporary pop artist Chiho Aoshima and photographer Miwa Yanagi. The artworks are expected to be announced in early 2019, but, in the meantime, you can check out the ninth Sydney International Art Series, which includes paintings by Monet, Matisse and Picasso and a retrospective of South African photographer David Goldblatt's work. Japan Supernatural is slated to open at the Art Gallery of NSW in November 2019, as part the Sydney International Art Series. Image: Takashi Murakami by Claire Dorn.
With over 45 million visitors globally, Body Worlds is one of the world's most visited health and wellness exhibitions. It's also frequently described as a "life changing experience" — visitors can expect to leave with an understanding of the marvel that is the human body. Now, the original exhibition of real human bodies is coming to Australia for the first time this August. The Body Worlds Vital exhibition, on display at the Melbourne Showgrounds from August 13–November 18, takes attendees on an intricate journey of the workings of the human body, through an authentic, visual display of over 150 donated specimens. The human bodies and body parts, donated for the benefit of public education, have gone through a meticulous process of plastination, and demonstrate the complexity, resilience and vulnerability of the human body in distress, disease and optimal health. The exhibitions were founded by anatomist and scientist Dr Gunther von Hagens and physician and conceptual designer Dr Angelina Whalley. And all the specimens displayed at the exhibitions are from an established body donation program with consenting donors — so far 17,000 bodies from around the world have been donated to Dr von Hagens' Institute for Plastination. The Australian tour specifically focuses on contemporary diseases and ailments and how everyday lifestyle choices can improve health and wellness, to live with vitality. The 150 specimens on display stem are preserved through a scientific process that replaces body fluids with polymers. Interactive elements include the Anatomical Mirror, where visitors will see how organs are positioned in their own body, a photo display that showcases longevity and healthy ageing, and healthy organs shown in direct comparison with diseased organs. Body Worlds Vital will be on display from August 13–November 18 at the Melbourne Showgrounds, Agricultural Hall 10, Epsom Road, Ascot Vale. Tickets are on sale now, via bodyworldsvital.com.
If your home needs a captivating piece to spruce up the interior design or you're on the hunt for a specific collectable, merchandise or record, you should check out the Antique and Collectors Fair at Wentworth Park Greyhounds Function Centre from 9am to 3pm on every third Sunday every second month. Hosted by The Collector's Mark, this market has 180+ vendors, great food options, and coffee to keep you fuelled for perusing the thousands of items on offer. Tickets are $8 each, but if you're keen to get the first pick of the offerings, you can take advantage of early bird entry from 8–9am for $12. The 2024 fair dates are February 18, April 21, June 16, August 18, October 20 and December 15. The venue is close to light rail stations and bike paths and has ample street and off-street parking.
There's a big, white container coming to The Rocks. But, like most shipping containers in the city, it's not being used to transport furniture. And the word 'séance' will be written on the side in black. It's kind of ominous. But Séance is actually a new installation where participants take a seat inside the tiny space, put on a headset and place their hands flat on the table in front of them. The lights go out and the container enters complete darkness. For the next 15 minutes, participants are fed 'suggestible information' through their headsets. You're probably thinking that there's something dark or supernatural about the whole thing — and going by the name, we don't blame you. But the installation's organiser assures us that 'séance' is simply a French word meaning 'session' or 'sitting'. And so Séance is a sensory experience that looks at the psychology of a group sitting together. Despite not being a horror or supernatural-themed piece, it's a scary indicator of how easy it is for confusion, information overload and the people siting right next to us to affect our judgment. Artists David Rosenberg and Glen Neath (who have collaborated in other sensory deprivation projects before) are the creative masterminds behind the project, which has been described as 'disorienting' and 'deeply unsettling'. It's not recommended for the claustrophobic or the easily frightened. After a residence in Melbourne, the installation come to Atherden Street in The Rocks from November 22 to December 10. Séance is open daily, three times an hour between 11am and 10pm until November 12. Tickets cost $20 each and you can purchase them through the website.
Combining booze and personal grooming is nothing new to Mike Enright. The man behind The Barber Shop, York Street's inspired gin bar and barber (and its spinoff at Barangaroo), he's a master of both the close shave and many a high-end spirit. Now he's taking the marriage to the next logical step. No, we're not talking about alcoholic shampoo — although you're kind of on the right track. Enright's Original Gin is a series of gin-scented grooming products – think shaving oil, hand soap, and after shave with 16 botanicals, including touches of juniper, cardamom, liquorice root and lemon. "I wanted to create a gin experience in The Barber Shop as well as the bar," said Enright. After years of research, the products — which are all made in Australia using natural ingredients — launched earlier this month. They're available at The Barber Shop's two Sydney locations as well as online. For more info or to get your mitts on Enright's Original Gin products, visit enrightsgincompany.com.
Every December, fans of sparkling sights are gifted a luminous feast for their eyes. No, we're not talking about Christmas lights. Regardless of whether you're bathing in a festive glow or hardly fond of all the merriment, 'tis the season for the Geminids meteor shower to soar through the sky — starting back on Sunday, December 4 and finishing for 2022 on Tuesday, December 20. Yes, that means that this shower is visible right now. Even better: Down Under, it's at its peak on the evening of Wednesday, December 14 and the morning of Thursday, December 15. If you have a telescope at hand, it's clearly a great time to put it to use. Eager to catch a glimpse, even from just your backyard or balcony? Here's everything you need to know. [caption id="attachment_882304" align="alignnone" width="1920"] ESO/G. Lombardi via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] WHAT IS IT Lighting up the end-of-year skies, the Geminids meteor shower is considered the most spectacular meteor shower of the year. Again, Christmas lights aren't the only spectacle worth peering at this month. The Geminids is caused by a stream of debris, left by an asteroid dubbed the 3200 Phaethon, burning up in Earth's atmosphere — and it was first observed in 1862. Some years, you can catch as many as 150 meteors every 60 minutes, so this definitely isn't just any old meteor shower. [caption id="attachment_699423" align="alignnone" width="1920"] NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, Jeff Dai.[/caption] WHEN TO SEE IT The 2022 shower kicked off on Sunday, December 4, but it really is just getting started. While the Geminids runs through until Tuesday, December 20 this year, it's expected to be at its peak in Australia overnight between Wednesday, December 14–Thursday, December 15. If you fancy a stint of stargazing, the best time to look up is on Wednesday, December 14 from around 9pm in Brisbane, 10pm in Perth, 11pm in Sydney, 11.30pm in Adelaide and 12am in Melbourne. The best time to catch an eyeful will be after midnight, when the moon has set and its light will not interfere, but before sunrise. [caption id="attachment_882301" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mike Durkin via Flickr[/caption] HOW TO SEE IT For your best chances, it's worth getting as far away from bright lights as possible. This could be a good excuse to head out of the city to a clear-skied camping spot — and pray for no clouds. To see the meteors, you'll need to give your eyes around 15–30 minutes to adapt to the dark (so try to avoid checking your phone) and look to the northeast. The shower's name comes from the constellation from which they appear to come, Gemini. So that's what you'll be looking for in the sky. To locate Gemini, we recommend downloading the Sky Map app — it's the easiest way to navigate the night sky (and is a lot of fun to use even on a non-meteor shower night). If you're more into specifics, Time and Date also has a table that shows the direction and altitude of the Geminids. The Geminids meteor shower runs from Sunday, December 4–Tuesday, December 20, and will be at its peak during the night on Wednesday, December 14–Thursday, December 15. For further details, head to Time and Date. Top image: A composite of 163 photos taken over 90 minutes during the Geminids by Jeff Smallwood for Flickr.
Australia's undying love of gin is set to be front-and-centre next month when the inaugural Sydney Gin Palooza comes to King Street Wharf. Hosted by the Australian Gin Distillers Association, the mini festival will bring 40 craft gin distillers from around the country under one roof on Friday, March 8 and Saturday, March 9. Apart from bottomless tastings, punters will also have the chance to chat directly with the makers. There will be 40 stallholders hawking over 200 gins, including Sydney locals Archie Rose and Manly Spirits Co., Tasmania's Lark Distillery, Yarra Valley's Four Pillars and Margaret River's The West Winds Gin. Representing NSW, there will be Karu Distillers, which will demonstrate the best way to mix gin and iced tea; Hemp Gin, which is one of the first Australian distilleries to create hemp seed-infused gin; and Distillery Botanica, which will share its internationally award-winning drops. Once you've picked your favourite, head to the gin shop, where you can purchase bottles for takeaway. Tickets will cost $70, with five tasting sessions to choose from across the two days. Each entry ticket includes unlimited gin tastings, mixers, and canapés. If you're keen to get in early on Saturday, a shorter two-hour brunch session will run from 11am at a discounted $55 per ticket. Apart from all of the above, the ticket will also include a coffee, croissant and a G&T to boot.
Of Bowral's many boutiques and specialty stores, Dirty Janes has to be the best known. The expansive antique market is an emporium of retailers, from vintage sellers to plant purveyors, and you could easily lose a couple of hours exploring each one at a leisurely pace. The family-run business underwent a major renovation in 2016, which saw its original emporium linked up with neighbouring cafes and bars so that you can sit and admire the antiques over a glass of pinot before loading up the car with unique, yesteryear gifts. Spread out over 1600 square metres, the indoor market is the largest in the Southern Highlands — and it's so popular that the owners are opening a second outlet in Canberra in 2020. At the Bowral location, you'll find an eclectic mix of homewares and antiques — from vintage cameras and fur coats to oak dining tables and brass doorknobs. It's become a landmark shopping destination that's worth a stickybeak on every trip to the Southern Highlands. Images: Destination NSW.
Bondi's Blanca Bar is revamping its menu this winter to focus on some hearty favourites with a Japanese flair. Its Ramen X Burgers pop-up will run from May 9 until September 30 and offers up — as you can expect — ramen, burgers and Japanese-style bar snacks. The menu is inspired by head chefs Tomi Björck and Samuel Cole's recent trip to Japan and the bar's interior has followed suit with a casual fit-out straight from Tokyo — including bespoke paintings and lamps sourced from the region. The dishes and cocktails all use local produce but have been given the Japanese treatment with specialty ingredients and flavours. This starts with the ramen, which is available in pork, chicken and even vegetarian broth options. Patrons can choose from the chef's selections — like shoya with mushroom broth and pickled egg, spicy seafood with kimchi and bamboo shoots or tonkatsu with silky pork broth and daikon — and then top with a protein, from roasted pork belly and crispy chicken to seafood and portobello mushroom. On the burger side of the equation, expect buns filled with wagyu, soft shell crab, chicken katsu and portobello mushroom, all of which come with a side of spicy kimchi fries. Apart from these, snacks from Blanca Dining are on offer, too, like beef tartare wrapped in sesame leaf and crispy ox-tail dumplings. The pop-up is open Wednesday to Sunday from 3pm till late.
Sometimes in life, the good comes with the bad. Maybe you've found yourself in a small American town after escaping from a lab, and you're desperate to discover everything about your past — all of which obviously is far from great — but also you make some fantastic new friends and discover frozen waffles in the process, for instance. Or, for all of us who've been watching Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown, Godzilla vs Kong) navigate that path in Stranger Things, perhaps you find out when one of your favourite shows is finally returning after a lengthy three-year gap, but you also learn that it now has an end date. Sorry Stranger Things fans, but the latter situation is now your reality — because the show has revealed when it'll drop its fourth season and also announced that there'll only be one more season to follow after that. The series' creators Matt and Ross Duffer revealed the news in a letter posted on social media, and also confirmed a few extra details about those season-four episodes that you'll be able to watch soon. So, sticking with the happy part of the announcement at first, Stranger Things season four will arrive in two parts — with the first dropping on May 27 and the second on July 1. And, while you'll have a gap between your binging this time around, the show's fourth season has "a runtime of nearly twice the length of any previous seasons," the Duffer brothers advised. Indeed, that's why it's being released in two volumes. uoos noʎ ǝǝs pic.twitter.com/pJ71dRgmo1 — Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) February 17, 2022 Now, the not-as-cheery news: the Duffers are planning to wrap up Stranger Things after its fifth season. Yes, that means you have all of season four and then a whole other season after that to look forward to — but it also means that your time with the 80s-set Netflix sci-fi series is officially limited. The Duffers also mention that they have more stories to tell in the Stranger Things world, though, so you know what that usually means: spinoffs. Netflix doesn't like letting go of its hits easily, after all, so the quest to find a way to keep wandering through this franchise is about as surprising as Jim Hopper's (David Harbour, Black Widow) gruff mood. If you need a refresher on where things are at before May hits, quite a few season four trailers have released over the past two years, starting back in February 2020. Since then, a couple more teasers dropped in May 2021, then another one in August, followed by yet another in September and one more in November. Across the clips, viewers have been taken to California, which is where Eleven, Joyce (Winona Ryder, The Plot Against America), Will (Noah Schnapp, Waiting for Anya) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton, The New Mutants) have washed up following season three. Eleven is settling in as well as she can settle in anywhere, as she explains in a letter to Mike (Finn Wolfhard, The Goldfinch) — but she also can't wait until she can see him in person again. And, we've also caught a glimpse of what happens to beloved police chief Hopper after the last season's big cliffhanger and Russian-set post-script, and spent time with Steve (Joe Keery, Spree), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo, The Angry Birds Movie 2), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin, Concrete Cowboy) and Max's (Sadie Sink, The Last Castle) in a haunted house in Hawkins. Plus, we've headed back to Hawkins Laboratory and its whole eerie setup, too. It's worth remembering that when Netflix announced the show's renewal for a fourth season back in 2019, it did so with the catchphrase "we're not in Hawkins anymore". That clearly applies in a number of different ways. And if you're wondering about timing within the show itself, season four will pick up six months since the Battle of Starcourt. Also, there'll be a new supernatural threat — of course there will — but if the series' latest mystery is solved, Eleven and the gang might be free of the Upside Down forever. Check out the most recent Stranger Things season-four sneak peek below: Stranger Things season four will be able to stream via Netflix in two parts, with Volume One dropping on May 27 and Volume Two hitting on July 1. Images: courtesy of Netflix.
The returning Fantastic Film Festival Australia isn't just about celebrating cult-classic movies. This cinema showcase is one of several in Australia that wears its love for the weird, wild and wonderful — the strange and surreal, too — on its screens, and that means going heavy on the latest flicks that fit that description. But when the Sydney and Melbourne event includes beloved retro titles on its lineup, it usually does something special with them. So, in 2023, as part of its just-announced program, it has particularly attention-grabbing plans for Zoolander and the OG Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action movie. Ben Stiller's comedy about the world of modelling might be all about donning clothes, but FFFA's session of the film is going in the opposite direction, joining the fest's growing spate of nude screenings. The event debuted the concept in 2021, then brought it back in 2022 for the 25th anniversary of The Full Monty. Now, patrons are asked to wear nothing but their best blue steel look — or magnum if they prefer — while watching a really, really, really, ridiculously good-looking movie. Clothes are required at FFFA's showings of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but don't worry about eating pizza beforehand — you'll be able to smell it during the session. The fest is going with a scratch-and-sniff experience, in what it's calling Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Stink-O-Vision and will be a world-premiere. As you watch Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael (and Sam Rockwell in a blink-or-you'll-miss-it part), you'll be told to scratch a card at certain moments to get smelling. Some scents will be tasty. Some definitely won't. Running from Friday, April 14–Sunday, April 30 at Ritz Cinema in Randwick and Lido Cinemas in Hawthorn, FFFA's 2023 bill also features a 2K restoration of Takashi Miike's Audition, but mostly it's serving today's fresh flicks that'll be tomorrow's cult favourites. Opening the fest is Polite Society, about a martial artist-in-training endeavouring to save her sister from an arranged marriage — and a hit at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Closing it: LION-GIRL, a futuristic, post-apocalyptic sci-fi film about saving humanity (aren't they all?) that boasts character design by manga artist Go Nagai. Elsewhere on its 2023 program, Fantastic Film Festival Australia will screen the 1997-set Zillion, the highest-grossing film in Belgium in 2022, which tells of a computer whiz who creates the biggest discotheque in the world; Evil Dead Rise, the latest title in the ongoing zombie franchise, and prime fodder for a midnight slot; and Holy Shit!, which is completely set in a portaloo rigged with explosives. Or, there's a movie that FFFA is calling An Untitled and Perfectly-Legal Coming-Of-Age Parody Film — it isn't naming it because it was surrounded by controversy at its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, but you can easily work out by a quick online search, especially if you're fond of comic-book characters. It'll screen with the director in attendance, in what'll be one of its rare public showings so far. A number of Australian efforts are also on the lineup, starting with Rolf de Heer's The Survival of Kindness, which recently proved a hit at the Berlin International Film Festival. There's also Beaten to Death, a new-wave Ozploitation thriller set in remote Tasmania; the giallo-style Blur, about an investigation into a strange entity; and The End of History, about Australian techno producers Darcy and Pat as they chase their creative dreams in Berlin. Back to the international flicks, Belgium's H4Z4RD has been compared to Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Estonia and Finland provide crime-caper comedy Hit Big, Spain's Manticore contemplates evil and French standout The Five Devils is about an eight-year-old with an inhuman sense of smell. Plus, Germany's The Ordinaries dives into a three-class society where a 'supporting character' wants to be a 'main character' — and Quantum Cowboys features Scream alum David Arquette and is designed to start a trilogy. Also, on the events bill, FFFA is bringing back Music Video Blind Date, to connect Melbourne musos with filmmakers in the hopes of making music video magic. Fantastic Film Festival Australia runs from Friday, April 14–Sunday, April 30 at Ritz Cinema, Randwick in Sydney and Lido Cinemas, Hawthorn in Melbourne. For more information or to buy tickets, head to the FFFA website.
A K-pop haven, Crossover Dance is Sydney's leading studio for learning all of the latest Korean pop moves. The dance studio even performs at Sydney's biannual Kpop Summit — the biggest fan-run, cover-dance showcase in the city. Apart from all that K-pop, the studio also specialises in hip hop and breakdancing, popping and locking and contemporary jazz, to name a few. Designed with students in mind, the schmick space features three large studios, sprung wood safety floors, changing rooms and a kitchen area. If you're new to dance, Crossover offers a heap of beginners classes and special deals, such as a three-class trial pass for $55. Regular single classes cost $22, or you can get a ten-class pass for $200.
A modern Lebanese restaurant has opened in Surry Hills where a taste of the fresh, authentic mezze will transport you to the banks of the Bardouni River in the shadow of Mount Sannine. Zahli is named after a city in Lebanon famous for food and wine, and draws inspiration from the rich tradition of mezze (small dishes designed to share) popular in the region. Owner Mohammad Issmail welcomes patrons like old friends, yet Zahli skips the overly casual banquet vibe. It retains the lively shared dining experience that comes naturally with mezze, but it's a bit more of a white tablecloth affair. The contemporary open-plan space is fitted with rendered concrete walls, stylish tiled floors, architectural lighting, hints of Scandinavian design and a grand marble bar. The acoustically designed ceiling muffles out the loud chatter at a nearby table and allows the Arabian chill-out music to quietly serenade our meal. The marble bar may be chic, but the dated cocktail list is a little out of touch in a suburb where trendy watering holes pride themselves on bespoke cocktails and crafted beer. With a namesake derived from 'the city of wine', it would also have been nice to see a bottle from the region represented on the menu. Nevertheless, we weren't disappointed too long as a glass of the sharp Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc ($60 bottle) hit the spot. The food, however, is arguably some of the best Lebanese in town. Issmail handpicked head chef Abdul Shams, whose international experience at some of Dubai's 5 star hotels aligned with the vision of a sleek inner east venue. Each dish has the authenticity of a Lebanese grandma's cooking, but with a sophisticated twist. The menu has an abundance of appealing options; so plentiful, in fact, we had trouble deciding. To buy some time, we opted for the mixed dips ($20) and shortly afterwards were presented with a basket of crispy spiced pita and a serving of soft pitas along with an enticing trio of freshly made smokey baba ghanoush, nicely tart labne and hummus. From the cold mezze offerings, the vine leaves ($14) come recommended. Served in an impressive Jenga-style stack, the soft pillows of rice-stuffed vines had a delicate flavour. We naturally progressed to the hot mezze. The entree-sized platter of the mixed finger food ($17) is the ultimate choice for the indecisive diner. It's an appetising selection of fried kibbeh (croquettes of minced meat and burghul), falafel and traditional pastries served with olives, imported Lebanese pickles and tahini sauce. The signature mansaf lamb ($28) is a traditional rice dish often produced at family gatherings, with strips of meat that are succulent and fall apart on your fork and lightly toasted almonds, cashews and pine nuts giving a satisfying crunch. On the side, order the refreshing fattoush ($15), a salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, peppers, onions and toped with crunchy baked pita, dressed with pomegranate molasses. The dessert menu is filled with alluring Middle Eastern sweets. The elegant mhalabiye ($10) is one of the prettiest desserts imaginable — a cold milk pudding scattered with fresh blueberries, edible flowers, juicy golden sultanas and speckles of pistachio and then drizzled with fragrant rose water. Linger over the thick and earthy traditional coffee, simply brewed in a metal pot. Its bitter taste is not to everyone's liking but is nicely balanced with the sticky, gorgeously sweet Turkish delight ($8), and if you shut your eyes tight enough, you might forget you're in Surry Hills.
Wansolwara is a pidgin word from the Solomon Islands meaning 'one salt water' — its message is a shared bond between those who live in the Pacific, or the Great Ocean. That bond is what connects more than 20 contemporary artists, whose works — from Polaroid pictures to bark cloth tapestries — can be experienced at multiple galleries in Sydney until April. At UNSW Galleries, in Paddington, you'll find a collection of works within the exhibition called O le ūa na fua mai Manuʻa (a Sāmoan proverb that describes incoming rain) presented by Sāmoan artist, researcher and curator Léuli Eshrāghi. The ground-level exhibit features two video works by artist Amrita Hepi, an award-winning First Nations choreographer and dancer from Bundjulung and Ngāpuhi communities. "As a child I had always thought that if my body could speak for me it meant I wouldn't have to talk," says Hepi, who describes her videos as "love letters to long-time collaborators". A dancer on the white cliffs of Clovelly is mesmerising to watch, and a former Bangarra dancer bathed in purple light the former Sydney nightclub Goodgod Small Club, is equally captivating. Upstairs, you'll find two large-scale bark cloth tapestries — called ngatu — created by Brisbane-based Tongan artist Ruha Fifita. Intended as family heirlooms, the works are the result of her family's handiwork over long nights with food and music to fuel a manually demanding tradition. "Our family is not all Tongan, but we share love and communication, so it was about how we honour everyone and make it inclusive," says Fifita. The second ngatu was created in the Pacific Islands Year of the Whale in 2016, and Fifita tells us she created it to advocate for the surrounding waters of New Caledonia to become an ocean sanctuary. In the far gallery, Fiji-born and Sydney-based artist Shivanjani Lal is using her works to highlight the indentured labour diaspora of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In Beta, ek story bathao, there's a series of 'Australian Hemisphere' maps that repeat around the room. Into each map, Lal has sewn red thread (two shades) to carefully track the movement of ships in the years 1879–1920. The ships transported both free and indentured labour passengers from India to Fiji. Some of those labourers would have toiled in sugarcane fields for Australia's Colonial Sugar Refining (CSR) company. A history which Lal is coming to terms with herself as her family operated a sugarcane field. "This year marks the centenary of the end of indentured labour," says Lal. "Over 60,000 men and women were removed from India to Fiji; people signed an agreement but really it was slavery." Though Lal, Fifita and Hepi's works tell distinct and personal stories, all of the works in the exhibition are connected by a sense of shared modes of expression, traumatic histories and continued cultural practices. Other artists featured include Sebastián Calfuqueo Aliste, a multidisciplinary artist of Mapuche heritage; Canadian video artist Caroline Monnet; and emerging Indigenous artist Gutiŋarra Yunupiŋu, among many others. Once you've explored UNSW Galleries, check out more of Wansolwara: One Salt Water at Haymarket's 4A Centre for Contemporary Art (running for a slightly shorter period from January 17–March 29). Images: 1. Amrita Hepi: 'A Body of Work (At The End Of The Earth) (Waangenga Blanco)', 2017. 2. Shivanjani Lal: 'Beta, ek story bathao' 2019. 3. Ruha Fifita: artist and installation in progress, 'Lototō 1', 2016. 4. Shivanjani Lal: 'Yaad Karo (1879–1920)', 2019. 5. Ruha Fifita and the family of Akesa and Iseleli Fifita: 'Koe Ngoue Manongi', 2019. 6. Caroline Monnet: 'Creatura Dada', 2016 and Gutiŋarra Yunupiŋu: 'Garrutu'mi Mala (My Connections)', 2019. UNSW Galleries. Photography: Zan Wimberley.
Situated between Wollongong and the Blue Mountains, Wollondilly is our latest discovery for a day-long out-of-the-city getaway. In fact, "there's something for everyone," in this expansive region — that takes in a number of small towns including Picton, Thirlmere, The Oaks, Appin and Wilton — an hour's drive from Sydney. So, in partnership with Visit Wollondilly, we've handpicked the best nine things to help you plan a perfect day trip to the Dilly. EAT CLASSIC COUNTRY BAKERIES Did you even road trip if you didn't stop for a handmade sausage roll? Wollondilly is home to a number of nostalgic country bakeries that focus on specialised, locally sourced and seasonal ingredients to give your classic vanilla slices, Vegemite scrolls and meat pies an artisan edge. Our picks are the Appin Bakery, which does a mean chocolate eclair, DeliciousLeigh Cakes in Thirlmere for the rotating cupcake selection and Picton's La Crema Cafe, where you can tuck into a more substantial meal like a fresh sandwich with a side of salad. OLD-SCHOOL PUB FARE (AND A PINT TO GO ALONGSIDE IT) Extend your embrace of all things classic Aussie road trip by checking out one of Wollondilly's many great pubs. Pull up for a schnitty at George IV Inn, one of Australia's oldest pubs, check out the retro Camden Valley Inn, an 80-year-old former milkbar turned venue centre whose recently renovated rooms deliver breathtaking valley views, or make a booking at the Bargo Sports Club for a spot of barefoot bowls. SOMETHING MORE SOPHISTICATED Lest you think that a trip to Wollondilly is limited to all things old-world, an emerging number of hospitality hotshots have set up shop around town and are showing off some seriously impressive skills. Like Picton's The Bowling Pheasant, where Sydney restaurant royalty (including former Rockpool executive chef Khan Danis) delivers a menu of honest, humble fare that celebrates the region's incredible local produce. Alternatively, keep it super simple by stocking up on a ready to go platter from local, fresh-food wholesaler, Pheasant's Nest Produce. The Dilly is also home to a number of impressive brunch spots. Stop by Picton Social for a hearty all-day breakfast and breakkie cocktail in front of its vibrant Instagram-approved mural, or nab an al fresco spot at vibey all-day spot Moses Barnes for a plate from its seasonally rotating menu that puts local ingredients front and centre. SEE COME TO CATARACT DAM Warragamba Dam is Dilly's most well-known and well worth a visit. This engineering masterpiece is Sydney's main source of drinkable h2o, but serves a purpose beyond the practical — namely some very impressive views of Lake Burragorang. However, our recommendation is to also pop past picturesque Cataract Dam. At the time of its construction Cataract Dam was one of the biggest engineering projects in Australia and remains popular today for its beautiful castle-like architecture. Commit to the 247-metre walk from one side of the dam to the other and you will be rewarded with magnificent views of the lake and Keele Island on one side, and the deep Cataract Gorge on the other. We highly suggest you stop half way to snap a shot of the charming Tudor-style valve house with slate-hipped roof and parapet gables in the centre of the dam. Other unmissable photo opportunities include a set of lovely cottages built at the time of the dam's construction, the remnants of ornamental gardens, grottos, and ferneries from the 1920s and 30s, and (if you're lucky), the outlets at the bottom of the dam wall 56 metres below which release giant plumes of water into the gorge below when open for a truly incredible sight. SIG-NATURE DILLY Wollondilly is packed with natural wonders just waiting to be discovered by urban dwellers seeking to escape the big smoke. These include the Picton Botanic Gardens (with a name that should naturally entice you to pack a basket of your favourite foods to be enjoyed under the sun!). However, if you're not about the picnic life, the Gardens also offer visitors the opportunity to cycle along bike paths or stroll through verdant walking tracks. As do Thirlmere Lakes National Park and Nattai National Park, with both green spaces featuring well-marked hiking trails to cater to all fitness levels. HISTORIC HOTSPOTS A trip to the Dilly delivers a masterclass in regional Australian history. Sure, there's a fascinating backstory to some of Wollondilly's oldest sites — like Picton's heritage-listed Stonequarry Creek Railway Viaduct — but the best bit for non-academic types is that they simultaneously offer the opportunity to snap a couple of shots that look really good on the 'gram. If modern history is more your style, then you'll be pleased to hear that the region is also home to contemporary public artworks and street murals that are sure to feature in the Dilly's history books somewhere in the future. Check them out at the Paint the Town Festival and make the effort to track down Animal Arches by Jimmy Dvate and the Floral Mural by Scott Marsh, both in Picton. DO EMBRACE YOUR INNER ADRENALINE JUNKIE The open spaces that surround the Dilly make it the perfect destination to bring all your adventure-seeking dreams to life. If you're an aerial enthusiast, book a spot with Balloon Aloft Camden Valley for morning views over the mountains or Sydney Skydivers for a heart-raising afternoon. Alternatively, get your thrills a little closer to the ground at Picton Karting or Ultimate Paintball, Sydney's largest paintball park that boasts 14 themed battlefields over its 120 acres. SHOP TIL YOU DROP The Dilly, is definitely the place to discover a unique range of stores that you won't find anywhere else in the world. Like The Elephant Emporium, a fairtade retailer packed with homewares and eclectic Asian-inspired accessories; Ruuska, a boutique brimming with books, bags and everything in between; and Hippy Luxe, where you can stock up on beautiful bohemian jewellery, clothing and bric-a-brac from across the globe. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING AT ALL While it might not make sense to drive 90 minutes just to twiddle your thumbs, we do recommend basing a day trip to the Dilly around a range of relaxed, rejuvenating, no-effort-required itineraries. Like a visit to low-key Palms Springs-inspired wellness spa retreat The Bathhouse in Douglas Park. Other options include a massage, facial or mani/pedi at Enlightened Beauty, or a chilled-out gals (or guys) day at sweating it out in one of City Cave Float & Wellness Centre's signature saunas. To find out more about Wollondilly and discover more ways to experience this scenic destination, head to the website.
Located en route from the city to Circular Quay, Taylor's Rooftop is the Republic Hotel's lush rooftop bar. As is usually the case with a venue's top floor space, here, after a seemingly endless flight of stairs, you'll be rewarded with a night sky, live music and a cold beer when you reach the top. If beer isn't your thing, the cocktail offerings are great for the locale — fruity, fresh and frozen could describe a large percentage of the menu. Try the Post Melone (white rum, elderflower liqueur, watermelon and pineapple, $18), a frozen coconut margarita ($17) or a pink gin spritz ($17). There are also a number of carafes to share, including the Frosty Fruit ($29), which tastes just like the beloved icy pole. The food menu covers all the usual pub classics — such as schnitzels ($20), fried chicken burgers ($19) and a sirloin steak with chips ($25) — plus some added delights. There's a trio of tacos to start; a salmon poke bowl complete with edamame, spicy mayo and crunchy wasabi peas ($22); a Beyond Meat cheeseburger ($22) for the vegetarians out there; a Japanese chicken curry ($23); and beef bourguignon pot pie with salad ($24). An otherwise smart-casual bar space is made remarkable by a vertical garden of lush greenery that sits nicely against a starry sky or a sunny afternoon. With the addition of live acoustic music and DJs throughout the week, Taylor's is the site of many glorious rooftop dance parties. Updated February 24, 2020.
You've probably heard of Salt Meats Cheese — the hospitality group has blown up in recent years, and now it has six venues across New South Wales and Queensland. The latest SMC to join the clan is a flagship store inside Circular Quay's Gateway dining precinct. This new iteration has taken over what was briefly Popina Kitchen, which was a collaboration between the group and North Bondi's Shuk. Taking ownership of the space, the Salt Meats Cheese group have changed things up a bit for the new flagship — it's a little different to its siblings. For one, with room for 110 guests, it's huge. And secondly, it will be the first SMC with a menu headed up by Massimo Mele. Inspired by Mele's childhood memories of Italy, the venue serves classic Italian fare with a couple of modern twists. Think deep-fried pizza with house dip, cavatelli with mushrooms and kale pesto, and a dish of tagliolini with raw tuna, rocket, garlic, chilli and capers. Each pizza at the new venue is made with a thinner Roman-style base than the Napoli-style bases SMC is known for. There are eight varieties to work through, from a classic margherita to a pork and fennel sausage pizza with charred broccolini and fontina cheese. To match the fare, Adriano Risi has curated a wine list of local and Italian varietals, with big influence from his home state of Tasmania. There's also a daily aperitivo hour from 5–6.30pm where you can grab $10 cocktails and $5 wine and beer, with complimentary bar snacks to top it all off. The Circular Quay outpost is open for business and a rooftop bar is set to join the offerings soon. The changes signpost a shift in direction for the group, which could be a good thing — we didn't think the Broadway store quite reflected the group's standards when we visited last year. Salt Meats Cheese Sydney is located on Level 2 of the Gateway building at Circular Quay and is open Monday through Friday for lunch and dinner and Saturday for dinner.
In what was probably the biggest celestial (and perhaps social media) event of 2016, last night the supermoon rose majestically in the sky, like a beacon reminding that, yes, the world will keep turning even if certain world events have us feeling like it will stop dead in its tracks. Token stargazers turned out to coastal and elevated vantage points around the country to catch a glimpse of the bigger-than-normal moon, which would come over the horizon Melancholia-style to take or save us all. Well, perhaps it wasn't quite as dramatic. The moon — while 13 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than usual — looked sort of normal. And that was just to those who could see it. Many parts of Australia had their view of the big piece of cheese obstructed by some very unconsiderate clouds. So if you didn't see it, here's the best photos from Australia and around the world. They should be enough to tide you over until 2034. SYDNEY A photo posted by T Vaclavek (@wayfarerphoto) on Nov 14, 2016 at 1:29am PST A photo posted by Jon Bader (@jon_bader) on Nov 14, 2016 at 12:52pm PST MELBOURNE A photo posted by D. (@ogonbatosan) on Nov 14, 2016 at 12:41pm PST BRISBANE A photo posted by Thiago Pacheco (@thiagopacheco) on Nov 14, 2016 at 3:51am PST A photo posted by Christopher Dakers (@chrisdakers) on Nov 14, 2016 at 12:22pm PST A photo posted by Daily Mail (@dailymail) on Nov 14, 2016 at 10:26am PST UTAH A photo posted by Jonathan Irish (@jonathan_irish) on Nov 14, 2016 at 10:24am PST epa editor's choice 14 November 2016 - https://t.co/XCGNo4r46z pic.twitter.com/MGvfpoS5Sx — epaphotos (@epaphotos) November 14, 2016 LONDON Outstanding photo of the #supermoon & a plane over London (📷 by @photogator96) pic.twitter.com/JgNbcZHKdV — Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) November 14, 2016 SOMERSET, UK A photo posted by Pearl Lowe (@pearllowe) on Nov 13, 2016 at 9:42am PST A photo posted by GreekGateway.com ® (@greekgateway) on Nov 14, 2016 at 9:26am PST Top image: thiagopachec via Instagram.
Pubs, restaurants and cafes around the country have been forced to close, meaning the loss of many hospitality jobs — and it's all happened very, very quickly. According to website I Lost My Hospo Shift, at last count, 2585 Aussie hospo workers had lost their jobs and 13,195 shifts had been cut, which equates to over $2 million in lost wages this week alone. To help those impacted by the sudden changes — and those without access to Job Keeper, such as those on temporary worker visas — a bunch of top Aussie chefs, including Matt Moran (Aria, Chiswick, Barangaroo House), Luke Mangan (Luke's Kitchen, Glass Brasserie) and Neil Perry (Rockpool Bar & Grill, Rosetta, Spice Temple), are getting behind a new financial relief initiative: Help Out Hospo. Started by Sydney group Momento Hospitality, the 'by hospo, for hospo' program works on a donation basis, providing you with access to a bunch of how-to videos featuring culinary legends, so, you can take your cooking and cocktail game to the next level while you're stuck at home. In turn, your donation will go directly towards supporting bartenders, chefs and waitstaff in need. It's a win-win. Donations start from $10 per video course — a pretty small price to pay when you're learning how to master a roast porchetta, barbecue pulled pork, stir a mean negroni or dry martini, and whip up a big, comforting bowl of pasta that even nonna would approve. Taught by some A-class chef and bartenders, no less. So far, the initiative has raised over $35,000. While it was started by Momento, any venue can sign up, post a video and receive financial support, too. So if you're in the industry and would like to get involved, you can make an enquiry via support@helpouthospo.com.au. To check out the courses on Help Out Hospo and donate, head helpouthospo.com.au.
If you’ve been feeling like a helpless bystander in the global food crisis, you can now take action — simply by, well, doing a wee. Problem is, it’ll only count if you do it in Amsterdam — and in public. A Netherlands’ utilities company by the name of Waternet has set up a bunch of pee-collecting urinals in the Dutch capital. Their plan is to send the fluid to a recovery plant, where the all-important phosphorus will be filtered out and transformed into struvite fertiliser. From there, it’ll be transported to farms and flower gardens. Fertiliser without phosphorous is kind of like coffee without caffeine — lacking the crucial kick. Even though phosphorus is, in and of itself, a renewable resource, modern agricultural access to it depends largely on phosphate rock reserves. Given that they’ve taken millions of years to form, they’re very much finite. But the good news is that, according to several studies, one individual’s urine delivers sufficient nutrients to grow food for themselves, as well as meet 50-100 percent of the dietary needs of another person. In that sense, Waternet is merely tapping into the biological processes that have kept us alive for thousands of years. And we thought our pop-up pissoirs were the hottest tourist attraction since the Opera House. Via Springwise.
To celebrate the start of the Year of the Pig, Darling Square's food hub Steam Mill Lane will be filled with giant zodiac lanterns, courtesy of Tumbalong Park's Lantern Festival, from Saturday, February 2. And that's not all that's happening in the buzzing laneway, either. Its residents will be serving up limited-edition eats, including nightly bottomless Szechuan-style buffets (for only $19.80) at Ricefields, an extra-porky roll pack from Marrickville Pork Roll, and loaded Chinese-spiced fries, milkshakes and lap cheong (Chinese sausage) beef burgers at 8bit. Plus from February 15–16, between 6 and 7.30pm, you can enjoy a night of bottomless wings and beer for just $40 at Belle's Hot Chicken (bookings essential) or dance with traditional dragon dance performances at midday and 2pm each day. And you can grab a free fortune cookie or test your mahjong skills (on Friday and Saturday night) and win some sweet prizes, too. You can head down to check out the laneway, its many eateries and large-scale lanterns from 8am–11pm until Saturday, February 23.
During the pandemic, we all sorely missed the experience of catching live tunes in heaving venues. To get musicians back onstage, the New South Wales government and ARIA launched Great Southern Nights. Following two blockbuster years that saw thousands of gigs pop up across the state, the series is returning in 2024 with a massive 300-plus shows over 17 nights. Live music will ring out throughout NSW between Friday, March 8–Sunday, March 24, with some of the country's biggest musicians and the hottest emerging talent performing in Sydney live music institutions as well as regional hubs including Newcastle, Wagga Wagga, Wollongong, Tamworth and the Northern Rivers. With such a huge lineup, it's hard to know where to start — but let's break it down. ROCK LUMINARIES If you love the classics and have a penchant for the singular sound that is Australian rock, you'll be able to catch sets from Peter Garrett & The Alter Egos, The Church, You Am I, Yothu Yindi, The Whitlams, Black Stump Band, Hoodoo Gurus and Kate Ceberano. BEATS AND BOPS Local hip hop heads can hit up gigs from Barkaa, 360, JK-47, Bliss n Eso, L-Fresh the Lion, Illy, Drapht, YNG Martyr and Jesswar. And if your prerogative is to dance, The Presets, Havana Brown, Tigerlily, Sneaky Sound System, Hermitude and Anna Lunoe are all performing. INDIE FAVES If you're an indie-rock aficionado, Ball Park Music, Sarah Blasko, King Stingray, The Buoys, Ruby Fields, Budjerah, Alex Lahey, Gordi, Gretta Ray, The Vanns, and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers will be coming to a stage near you. AND A WHOLE LOT MORE Plus, there will be shows from Becca Hatch, Cub Sport, Dune Rats, Vika and Linda, A.Girl, Xavier Rudd, David Campbell, Fanny Lumsden, Kasey Chambers, Kate Miller-Heidke, Redhook and Northlane — and also a special tribute to Rowland S Howard. Check where your faves are playing and what shows are happening near you via the full gig guide, then start planning an epic 17 nights of music stat. Great Southern Nights 2024 will run from Friday, March 8, to Sunday, March 24, throughout New South Wales. Tickets are on sale now via the festival's website. Images: Enmore Theatre, Destination NSW
Balmy spring nights, classic flicks and botanical-driven cocktails. If that sounds like your kind of midweek situation, you're going to want to snap up tickets to this month's Canvas Cinema series. The Golden Sheaf is teaming up with your mates at global gin brand Bombay Sapphire, hosting outdoor cinema screenings across four Thursday in October in the pub's fairy light-lit upstairs Canopy Bar. There's big love for inspirational classics in this movie lineup, kicking off with 2002 biographical drama Frida on Thursday, October 3. You'll also catch Academy Award-winning film, Lost in Translation (October 10), seminal hit Almost Famous (October 24) and a glimpse into the world of fashion photography with documentary, Bill Cunningham: New York (October 31). To match, Bombay Sapphire will be offering a range of gin and tonic options, complete with a diverse choice of garnishes, as well as cocktails like the rhubarb and vanilla gimlet. You'll enjoy it all from atop one of the Bombay Sapphire velvet couches, and you can get snacks delivered right to your seat, too. Tickets are just ten bucks, which includes the film screening and a gin and tonic on arrival. Further drinks and snacks are available to purchase on the night.
