Imagine a place where cheese reigns supreme, other than in your own kitchen. Imagine more than 100 different varieties on offer for the tasting. Imagine being able to sample whatever you liked from this dairy feast, too. And, picture just buying one ticket to devour all the cheddar, brie, camembert, raclette and whichever other cheeses take your fancy. Is this the real life? It isn't just a cheesy fantasy at Australian dairy festival Mould, which started making cheese-loving dreams come true in 2017. In 2024, it's not only returning — it's back for its biggest festivals yet, including adding a fifth city to its stops. As well as hitting up Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, the event is heading to Adelaide as well. If you're a cheese fiend, then you'll know that there's only one suitable way to tuck into the beloved dairy product: all the time, or at least as much as possible. As presented by Revel — who are also the organisers of Pinot Palooza — that's an idea that Mould not only understands but encourages, celebrating the mild, hard and soft bites made by Australia's best cheese wizards. When it does so again this year, it'll serve up its cheese slices and bites from May–August. Running for either two or three days in each city, Mould will kick off in Brisbane in May as it has in past years, then travel to Melbourne in early June, plus Sydney at the end of July. As for Adelaide and Perth, they're both getting a Mould x Pinot Palooza combo — because cheese and wine are a fine pairing — with the fest arriving in South Australia in June and Western Australia in August. There won't just be a few cheeses on the menu at each stop. More than 100 artisan cheeses from around the country will be ready and waiting, spanning dairy from around 27 producers. In past years, that lineup has included Bruny Island Cheese Co, Grandvewe, Milawa Cheese, Yarra Valley Dairy and Stone & Crow, as well as Section 28, Red Cow Organics, Nimbin Valley Cheese, Dreaming Goat, Long Paddock Cheese and Second Mouse Cheese. Alongside unlimited tastings of Australia's best cheeses — snacking on samples is included in your ticket, but you'll then pay extra to purchase slices and slabs to take home with you — the fest features cooking demonstrations, masterclasses and talks. Courtesy of 2024's The Grate Cheese Commission, a range of cheeses created solely for the fest will also tempt your tastebuds. This year's events will include more of the foodstuffs that pair extremely well with cheese, too, such as olives, crackers and conserves. It wouldn't be a cheese festival without beverages to wash it all down with, so expect a bar serving Aussie wines, whisky, vodka, gin, beer, cider, cocktails and sake, all of which match nicely to a bit of cheese. Archie Rose and Hartshorn will be among the tipples featured. Unsurprisingly, Mould is mighty popular. In 2023, attendees tucked into a one million samples across three cities, and also took home over 8.5-tonnes of Aussie dairy products. So, if this the kind of event that your cheese dreams are made of, you'll want to nab an early-bird ticket ASAP. Mould — A Cheese Festival 2024 Dates: Friday, May 24–Sunday, May 26 — Mould Brisbane, John Reid Pavilion, Brisbane Showgrounds Friday, June 7–Saturday, June 8 — Mould x Pinot Palooza Adelaide, Queens Theatre, Adelaide Friday, June 28–Saturday, June 29 — Mould Melbourne, Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton Friday, July 26–Sunday, July 28 — Mould Sydney, Carriageworks, Eveleigh Friday, August 9–Sunday, August 11 — Mould x Pinot Palooza Perth, Centenary Pavilion, Claremont Showgrounds Mould — A Cheese Festival tours Australia from May 2024. For more information or to buy tickets, head to the event's website.
Last week it was Thom Yorke giving other people’s songs a spin over in the sweaty Danceteria of Goodgod, and now the Australian Chamber Orchestra will be giving some Radiohead a go on the beer-stained stage of The Standard. Tacking “Underground” onto the end of their name as part of their transformation into what Time Out New York has recognised as one “badass classical band”, the ACO will flex their artistic muscles performing a set-list that stretches from Radiohead, David Bowie and REM to Paganini, Bach and Vivaldi. The musical metamorphosis will be overseen by founder, curator and front-woman Satu Vanska, who will be demonstrating her own prowess on the strings of the $2 million Stradivarius violin she was gifted last year. Surf cinematographer and visual artist Jon Frank has assembled an audio-visual installation to be projected onto The Standard’s walls before the gig. It might not imbue this space with the majestic cathedral-like ambience of the Opera House Concert Hall, but should be pretty enthralling in its own right.
It's not only the playing of tennis that works up a healthy appetite — it's also the watching of it. But, when you're at the Australian Open, surrounded by fellow ravenous spectators in 40-degree heat, working out where to get a decent bite can be a challenge. So, we thought we'd save you some trouble by tracking down the best places to eat in and around Rod Laver Arena this year. Whether you want to stick to the village or roam over to the CBD or Richmond, here are some spots to try. And if you're visiting from out of town, you'll also get to tick a few of Melbourne's best places to eat off your list. [caption id="attachment_704328" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 400 Gradi[/caption] GRAND SLAM OVAL, AUSTRALIAN OPEN VILLAGE Grand Slam Oval – located within the Australian Open village – is a gathering place for pop-ups, food trucks and bars. You'll find OTT kebabs by Biggie Smalls, Mexican street food by Collins Street's Mamasita, burgers by Neil Perry's Burger Project, some of the world's best slices from 400 Gradi, and, from Beijing Betty, Chinese fusion snacks created exclusively for the event. There are also bars for drinkers of all kinds, including one dedicated to champagne, one to beer and another to Aperol Spritz. Ideal if you don't have much time before the coin toss or can't be bothered to leave the village between matches. HARLOW, RICHMOND If you're looking for a new adventure, settle in at Harlow, a pub that, in December, took over the space then belonging to the Great Britain. It's on Church Street, Richmond. Whether you hang out in the dining room or head into the beer garden, you'll be starting with creative bites, like mini crab doughnuts and duck and bacon sausage rolls. The mains list is more about decadent takes on classics: there's a steak sandwich loaded with maple bacon and Swiss cheese, a smoked beer hot dog and a behemoth vegan burger. It's open from midday right through until late. ARBORY AFLOAT, SOUTHBANK Cool off by the Yarra at Arbory Afloat, at 69-metre-long floating bar that, since 2015, has set up on the river every spring, ready to get you through long hot days and balmy evenings. Downstairs is a citrus-and-fig grove, inspired by the Cinque Terre, while upstairs is dotted with day beds. Wherever you are, you'll be sipping on blood orange Aperol spritzes, watermelon sangria and piña coladas, and tucking into Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizzas, seafood platters and salads. Arbory Afloat is at 2 Flinders Walk – just a 15-minute walk down the Yarra from the Australian Open. THE CORNER HOTEL, RICHMOND Two years ago, this Melbourne live music stalwart scored a rooftop refurbishment and a tasty new menu. Thankfully, it hasn't lost any of its down-to-earth good vibes. If you haven't caught enough sun at the Open, go straight upstairs to relax in the fresh air; otherwise, stay downstairs where many a band has played into the wee hours. Either way, the food offerings include fried chicken, roast chicken roulade, the Corner parma and the Patti Smith beef burger. Craft beers a-plenty are on-tap. The Corner is a 15-minute walk from the Open. GAZI, CBD Weekend attendees can factor in a little trip to the Greek Islands at Gazi. This Hellenic eatery is hosting yum cha every Sunday, from midday till 3pm. The dishes have their roots in Mediterranean cuisine, but pay homage to Chinese, too. Among them are spanakopita gyoza, feta honey sesame spring rolls and sweet bread filled with lamb. A reasonable $49 buys a ten-course banquet and, for $35, you can add bottomless cocktails. Gazi is at 2 Exhibition Street in the CBD – 15 minutes from the action. FEAST OF MERIT, RICHMOND Fuel up before you hit the court at Feast of Merit, on Swan Street, around a 20-minute walk from the Rod Laver Arena. Among street art, vintage furniture and hanging greenery, you'll be feasting on hearty, Middle Eastern-influenced brekkies, such as börek, a vegetarian dish of corn fritters, poached egg, garlic yoghurt, feta and dukkah, or smoked ocean trout with asparagus, potato rosti and sour cream. For hardcore ticket holders, it's hard to knock back the büyük kahvalti, a big breakfast piled with eggs, sucuk sausage, haloumi, spinach, heirloom cherry tomatoes and flatbread. It's also open for dinner if you're looking for something post-match. [caption id="attachment_636986" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Emily Blake[/caption] CUMULUS INC., CBD Take a rest from the heat, grit and grunts in a low-lit corner at Cumulus Inc., a dreamy escape designed to soothe your every sense. Owned and run by chef Andrew McConnell (Builders Arms Hotel, Cutler & Co. and Supernormal), this all-day eatery celebrated its tenth anniversary last year and has been stocking up on Good Food hats since 2010. Begin with beef tartare, tarragon and anchovy toast, then move onto snapper with mussels, fennel pollen and dill oil. There's also a tasting menu, which changes daily. Cumulus Inc. is at 45 Flinders Lane – 15 minutes' walk from the tennis. Top image: Visit Victoria.
This rooftop is a particularly pleasant surprise. On top of what looks like a very dingy, average city pub is a pretty decent-sized tiled rooftop, high enough that you really feel you're up in the air. Huff your way up the stairs to emerge in the bright sun and reward yourself with a glass of champers.
Boasting programs where anything and everything can and does happen, fringe festivals are an ode to leaping out of your comfort zone, revelling there and never wanting to leave. New South Wales' largest independent arts fest, Sydney Fringe Festival fits that bill perfectly. Each year, it amasses a jam-packed lineup that's never the same twice, and splashes its playful vibe all around the Harbour City — and, based on its just-announced first highlights for 2023, that's firmly in order again this year. The full 2023 program hasn't be revealed as yet, but will arrive in advance of the fest's Friday, September 1–Saturday, September 30 dates. For now, however, it has dropped details about a number of headliners, as well as a brand-new hub. First, the shows. Musical-comedy The Marvellous Elephant Man the Musical is one instant standout, and will make its Sydney debut at Sydney Fringe. It takes the story of Joseph Merrick, which has been seen on-screen and on the stage before, and turns it into an all-singing, all-dancing spectacle — and it's playing the fest before making its way to Broadway and the West End. Also on the bill is GODZ, which heads to Ancient Greece, hangs out with gods such as Cupid and Hercules, and sends them on an odyssey with storytelling, circus and laughs. Or, for audiences of all ages, there's CIRCUS — The Show, which even includes a clown with a six-foot balloon. [caption id="attachment_905021" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mali Cohen[/caption] Sydney Fringe's 2023 lineup spans the return of pop-up musical-theatre club Lola's Piano Bar, Young Henrys' Best Served Loud live music series hitting Parramatta for the first time and free morning concerts courtesy of proven favourite Acoustic Ritual at George Place, too. To kick things off, Fringe Ignite will take over The Rocks with an opening-night shindig, while a closing-night party on Kensington Street will bookend the fest with a celebration of Caribbean culture. And, this year's fest features a big new spot to hang out thanks to the Spiegeltent Festival Garden at the EQ Showring in Moore Park. The Entertainment Quarter will host Sydney Fringe's big top, which is where The Marvellous Elephant Man the Musical will entertain audiences — and 300-seater circus dome The Vault, which'll be home to GODZ. Elsewhere around town, the Sydney Fringe Sideshow will also be back in The Rocks, and Parramatta's Riverside Theatre will turn into a pop-up cabaret club headlined by Big Thick Energy. If that sounds huge already, it is, but that's always the case. The festival also released an impact report about the event, as produced by Hawkridge Entertainment Services, which found that the 2022 festival generated over $36 million in economic impact for the city of Sydney and produced over 400 full time jobs. "Each year Sydney Fringe Festival has gone from strength to strength, hosting big international names and nurturing local talent. Over my ten years as Festival Director and CEO, I've seen Sydney Fringe Festival develop into a world-class event and I'm so proud of what our community has created," said Kerri Glasscock, announcing both the 2023 lineup highlights so far and the impact report. "Globally recognised for our unique festival model, we've established game changing activations and pilot projects that have driven lasting change within the city, and this new report is evidence of the vital role Fringe and our local artists play in Sydney's economy." "This 2023 program is set to be better than ever, kicking off with Fringe Ignite and seeing the return of the fabulous Spiegeltent as part of our exciting precinct takeover at Entertainment Quarter." Sydney Fringe Festival 2023 will take place from Friday, September 1–Saturday, September 30, with the event's full program set to be announced in the coming months. For further information in the interim, head to the fest's website.
Walk into Penny's Cheese Shop, and you'd think you'd died and gone to cheese heaven. With two fridges stocked to the brim with creamy, stinky, funky and hard cheeses this little unassuming fromagerie is one of the best in Sydney. Why, you ask? Because of Penny. While the beauty of the fit-out is only outdone by the cheeses on show, Penny Lawson is the reason you should come to Penny's Cheese Shop. Whatever you're looking for, or even if you're not looking for anything at all, you'll leave with a cheese that is your new favourite. Almost everything, like nearby Whole Beast Butchery, is cut to order. Little tasters are on offer most days, too, which should make it even easier to find a cheese you like. With an emphasis on education and service, Lawson, a self-professed "curd-nerd", will guide you through her selection of local and international cheeses with humour and excitement. Lawson's commitment to local produce doesn't end with cheese, either, the shop also showcases honey from the Blue Mountains, Papanui eggs and bread from Pyrmont's Pioik Bakery to accompany your cheese. Aside from the service and the cheese, Lawson's golden toasties, which quickly achieved cult status, are another reason you'll return to the shop again and again and again. With cheese both on the inside and the outside of the Pioik bread, as well as a rotating range of fillings — from kimchi to smoked wagyu and jalapeños — we think they might just be the best in the city. Images: Kimberley Low.
In the heart of Sydney's centre is a haven of enthralling cuisine: Nel, the passion project of owner and Chef Patron Nelly Robinson. Described as a "culinary odyssey" Nel's constantly evolving 11-course degustation menu is crafted to elevate modern Australian fine dining experiences. Nel's exquisitely formed dishes show a delicacy, imagination and precision of technique that quickly sets the place apart. Each course is plated to precision under the watchful eye of Chef Nelly who started his career as a kitchen hand when only a teenager at the Michelin-starred restaurant Northcote (UK). He has built his vast culinary experience working in restaurants across the UK and abroad — including a stint at the Michelin-starred Lancashire chef Nigel Howarth — before earning his spot as one of Australia's top personalities and opening Nel in March 2015. [caption id="attachment_893950" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gardens By The Bay. Nel. Supplied[/caption] Located in an underground bunker in an otherwise drab stretch of Wentworth Avenue, Nel is a subdued but stylish space with exposed brickwork and an open kitchen. The set menu ($185PP, wine pairing $165PP, non-alc pairing $85PP) is a prix fixe affair that changes periodically. Each menu concept created by Chef Nelly tells a unique story with engaging and thought-provoking elements. The innovative dishes serve as a masterclass on combining different textures into a harmonious whole. There's a touch of Philippa Sibley in the exquisite presentation and maybe even a bit of Heston's playfulness to Robinson's cooking. Every dish brings at least one touch of left-field inspiration, be it an unexpected crunch or a surprising citrus zing. If you are opting for the wine pairing, drops are carefully calibrated to match the food while building on the profile of the partnering wine. As with everything at Nel, it is clear a lot of thought has gone into these pairings. With exemplary, well-informed service to guide you through a heady menu, Nel is exceptional from start to finish. Originally published in 2015. Updated March, 2023.
The atmosphere of a writer's den, insanely long opening hours, fun and flavorsome food, a drinks menu that will keep even the most inspired drinker guessing, and not even the slightest degree of pretension. In short, Hemingway's must be one of the best spots in town right now. And it's perhaps not where you would expect it to be. A far cry from the back lanes of Darlinghurst or even the fame of King Street, this bar is firmly situated on Manly's main strip, right across from the beach. Despite this, it's about as dissimilar from a tourist trap as you can imagine. For a start, the prices. The house cocktails are $15 and the suggested mixers, almost good enough to be cocktails themselves, are a mere $10. Hemingway's Cup is the ten to one favourite cocktail, spotted in the hands of almost every lady in the place. It's gentle mix of Hendrick's gin, rose and apple tea, sugar, and spice, served in a tea cup and saucer with slices of cucumber alongside. While it's very good, my pick would be the Miffy: house-infused vanilla rum, Falernum, orange, lemon and egg white whisked into a cloud-like dream. On a summer's day, the Creaming Soda might be more your style, with vodka, crème de cassis, home-made lemonade, wild berry foam and a paper cocktail umbrella. As far as mixer ideas go, Aperol and Fanta isn't a bad choice, and neither is Rum, Spicy Bitters and Ginger Beer. Both pack a flavoursome punch. The food, too, picks up on this childhood-made-tastier theme. From the bar menu, the Corn ($6) with lime butter, black salt and finely grated Manchego is reminiscent of one of the Norfolk's best menu items. Of the sliders , we're told that the Beef ($14 for two, $26 for four) is the best pick and it definitely lives up to the hype. With cheese, bacon, barbeque sauce, mayo and pickles, it's the burger you wish fast food joints served. The Chilli Dog ($8), with a smoked frankfurt, chilli con carne, mustard, jalapenos and cheese, rounds the meal off nicely. For two, that is. While dessert might sound like a stretch, these offerings demand to be taken up. We tried a new one, titled simply Milo ($10). It turned out to be a rich chocolate marquise with vanilla ice cream to the side, balanced on a soil of Milo and Coco Pops, alongside a smear of salted caramel, and topped with milk foam. In other words, a stoner's dream. It's worth mentioning that these are only two of the many menus on offer. Hemingway's serves breakfast and lunch and, between Monday and Saturday, offers a full, fancy dinner upstairs. In a place this good, I suspect that I'll be an expert on all of those menus within the month. [nggallery id=117]
Australians do many cuisines very well. Arguably, Mexican isn't one of our strong suits. Whether it's our geographical distance or aversion to spice, Australian-Mexican food can often pale in comparison to the bold flavours the authentic dishes are known for. San Pancho, a taquería in Marrickville, aims to subvert this stereotype. The taquería opened its doors in June 2024 with one premise: cooking food the way it's eaten day-to-day in Mexico. The founders chose Marrickville from a line-up of Sydney suburbs for its authenticity. "It's a neighbourhood where food is part of everyday life, not something overly polished or staged. San Pancho belongs in that kind of setting. Somewhere casual and grounded, where substance matters more than spectacle," says co-owner and chef, Roberto Garcia. View this post on Instagram A post shared by San Pancho Taqueria (@sanpancho_taqueria) The restaurant takes its name from a beach town in western Mexico, adding to the laidback and warm energy of the communal dining setting. "These are the flavours of our childhood, the dishes from our Abuela's table, and the spirit of the taquerías that bring people together every day." Roberto studied Culinary Arts in Puebla, Mexico, and grew up with a principle of Mexican food: to be simple yet bold. "That background shapes everything I cook, with a focus on flavours that feel true to Mexico, without overexplaining or dressing them up for trend. What I do is straightforward: cook real Mexican food, the way it's meant to taste." What are the flavours that define Mexican cuisine? While we may assume that it's all heat and power, Roberto shares that Mexican food is actually about balance. "Acidity, heat, richness, freshness. Each element has its place. Mexican food isn't about overpowering flavours, but about how they work together." San Pancho's enchiladas suizas, Roberto's most recommended menu item, are just this. Comforting, straightforward, and all about balance rather than complexity. If you want to impress your dinner guests with your own Mexican food that tastes straight out of Oaxaca, these are the staples to keep in your pantry, according to Roberto. View this post on Instagram A post shared by San Pancho Taqueria (@sanpancho_taqueria) Fresh herbs Roberto recommends using fresh herbs to garnish your Mexican dishes. While coriander, oregano and salt may come to mind instantly, one spice you may not have in your pantry is epazote. The traditional herb (also named Mexican tea) is used in chilli sauces and Mexican bean dishes. It'll add a strong blend of mint, citrus and anise to your dishes, creating that unmistakable Mexican taste. Dried chillies A range of chillies (not just Sriracha) is a must for authentic Mexican flavour. Morita, guajillo, pasilla, ancho and arbol chillies all add the Mexican heat and smoky flavours you know and love. Each brings its own balance of sweetness, depth and heat, forming the backbone of countless traditional salsas, garnishes and marinades. Handmade tortillas Store-bought tortillas make a good substitute for busy people, but handmade tortillas will elevate your Mexican cuisine. Authentic tortillas are made of flour or corn, salt, and oil (or fat). The simple flavour of the crispy dough will make your flavours and spices stand out even more than pre-packaged tortillas. "With those basics," says Roberto, "you can already cook food that feels genuinely Mexican. It's less about having everything and more about using a few things properly." If you're ready to start cooking more authentic Mexican foods and flavours, Roberto recommends experimenting with a simple salsa roja (a smoky, tomato-based salsa) or salsa verde (a lime-centric green salsa). "It's where Mexican cooking really begins, and it teaches heat control, balance, and restraint." By investing a little more time in cooking and sourcing these pantry staples, your Mexican will taste more elevated than your usual burrito night. If you find yourself stuck, San Pancho's in Marrickville is always there to scratch the itch.
Usually when we all encounter fog, it's hanging there in the sky, misting things up and reducing visibility. But when London-based, world-renowned food artists and multi-sensory design studio Bompas & Parr head Down Under for their first-ever Australian sensory installation, the fog will be considerably different. This mist will be fruit-flavoured, for starters, and it'll be edible. If you're intrigued by weird, wonderful, creative and inventive experiments with food — and with the senses in general — then Bompas & Parr's name should be familiar. Sam Bompas and Harry Parr first garnered attention with their jellies, and then whipped up a 200-course dinner party, unleashed an edible fireworks display, barbecued using real molten lava and served up anatomical whisky tastings. Also on their resume: bespoke cocktails based on your DNA, a feast where diners had to kill their own meal and non-melting icy poles. Yes, tastebud-friendly mist mist fits right in. [caption id="attachment_851679" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ann Charlott Ommedal[/caption] We've all heard of pea soup fog, of course — but no, that won't be what you're tasting at Bunjil Place in Narre Warren in Melbourne. Rather, the consumable mist will form part of a flavoured fruit weather installation, and will swirl around oversized food sculptures laid out in a garden. And, there'll be three different varieties seeping through the air each and every day. The aim: to unleash some 'fruit weather' upon the Victorian capital, and to highlight the City of Casey's food heritage. When you're not thinking about horror movies like The Fog and The Mist, you're bound to be contemplating food while you're wandering around these giant versions of it, all with mist seeping out of the bottom. Well, we expect so at least, given that the flavoured fog is a world-first. Everyone keen to experience this hopefully delicious haze will find it lurking around Bunjil Place thanks to a free event called Casey Cornucopia, which'll run from June 24–July 17. Over that 24-day period, there'll be tours explaining how the garden installation came about, too — because it is really is the kind of thing that'll leave you with questions — plus parties, dinners and art. You'll also be able to hit up a food hub that brings together local farmers, growers, artisans, sustainability gurus and artists for a series of daily talks, demonstrations, samples and workshops. Casey Cornucopia will pop up at Bunjil Place, 2 Patrick NE Dr, Narre Warren, Victoria, from June 24–July 17. Images: supplied by Bunjil Place and Bompas & Parr.
On Tuesday, a landmark decision was made that will affect hundreds of thousands of Australians. The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has announced that discounted junior pay rates will no longer apply to young Aussies, with workers aged 18 to 20 now entitled to salaries reflective of those received by their older coworkers. This means that starting from December 2026, an estimated half a million employees will be entitled to a pay rise. Specifically, the ruling dictates that young employees are required to have at least six months of experience to be eligible for the rates, and employees aged 17 and below will still be paid on junior rates. Said discounts are based on the historical precedent that young employees incur training costs to offset their inexperience, and that businesses have historically been incentivised to hire younger employees because they'd have to pay them less. [caption id="attachment_1088266" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Getty Images[/caption] Typically, young people in Australia get their start in hospitality, fast food, pharmaceutical and retail industries, and responses within those industries have been mixed. According to the Australian Retail Council (ARC), one in eight Australians gets their first job in retail, and in a statement, ARC Ceo Chris Rodwell said that while the ARC welcomes the FWC's decision, it "does add another layer of cost at a time when many retailers are dealing with a cost-of-doing-business crisis." The ruling was set in motion in 2024 by an application from the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA). Following the ruling, SDA National Secretary Gerard Dwyer said, "It may take longer than we would have liked, but the principle has been established that no longer will 18-year-olds be treated as second class citizens," citing that 18-year-old employees are old enough to vote, enlist in the armed forces and to drive, adding the decision was "up there with the introduction of equal pay for women in the 1970s." View this post on Instagram A post shared by SDA SA/NT (@sda_sa_nt) While the added cost for businesses cannot be overlooked, this decision will go a long way to support young Australians struggling to make a start amidst the cost-of-living crisis. It will take some time to go into full effect, though, with the rates set to increase five percent each year until 2029 until they match adult rates. Upon completion, 18-year-olds will be entitled to 70 percent of the adult pay rate, 19-year-olds to 80 percent and 20-year-olds to 90 percent. Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
Sydney has lit up once again with its annual festival of lights, music and ideas. Even with the sudden cold, Vivid Sydney has got us getting out from under the doona and exploring our city. The CBD's three-kilometre Vivid Light Walk, spanning precincts at Darling Harbour, Barangaroo, Luna Park and Circular Quay (including an interactive playground for kidults), has a total of 50 large-scale projections. Plus, there are additional happenings taking place at Taronga Zoo and Chatswood and 15 light installations within the Royal Botanic Garden, including an immersive field of 500 fireflies. Yep, it's the biggest Vivid yet. And while it's a must-do every year for locals and tourists alike, battling through the crowds, unfortunately, comes as part of the package. If the hubbub is a bit too much, but you still want to enjoy the sights, American Express has got the spot. You can find the American Express rooftop lounge atop the Overseas Passenger Terminal in Circular Quay. Once there, you can lounge about, drink in hand, and take in all the surrounding lights, without elbowing your way through the masses. Located on Cruise Bar's rooftop, the exclusive lounge is aglow with blue lights and starry night projections, immersing you in a neon cosmos. Along with feeling as if you're part of a light installation, with the bright blue wash over the entire space, the lounge has some of the best Vivid views, including spectator-favourite the Sydney Opera House's sails and the glittering harbour beyond. The interior has ceiling-to-floor glass for uninterrupted views, with a selection of barstools, higher tables and lower, cosier seating. Meanwhile, outside, you'll find chairs aligned with Vivid vistas. The bar has drinks galore — bubbly, wine, beer, a couple of cocktails and a range of spirits. So, grab a drink and nab a spot next to a heater on the balcony or get cosy on one of the many comfy chairs inside the luminous lounge — Vivid views don't get much better than this. From here, you'll see LA-based Chinese American artist and filmmaker Andrew Thomas Huang's Austral Flora Ballet dancing across the Opera House sails; the 'symphony of beams that play across the city skyline' that is City Sparkle; the MCA's facade lit up by Claudia Nicholson's Let Me Down; an underwater wonderland at Customs House; and, of course, a neon Sydney Harbour Bridge. Plus, as you ride the escalator up to the lounge, you'll get an up-close look at Celestial Pancake — a fibre-optic suspended light installation simulating the night sky. These exclusive, high-up views are free for American Express cardholders. Plus, you can also get $5 back when you spend $30 or more at the bar — just save the offer to your Amex card in the lounge's 'tap and save kiosk'. But perhaps best of all, you don't even need an American Express card to get in. Non-cardholders can register here to gain complimentary access to the lounge from 8pm onwards — simply show your confirmation email at the door. Whether you're kicking off your night here or dropping in midway through your Vivid tour for some relief from the cold (and crowds), the American Express lounge is your haven in the centre of all things Vivid. Gaze upon uninterrupted, panoramic views while sipping on a glass of vino and snacking on oysters, cheeses and charcuterie, Lebanese chicken wings and flatbreads with dip. Plus, DJs will also be playing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. The Amex Vivid Lounge will be open every night of Vivid — from Friday, May 24 to Saturday, June 15 — between 5.30–10.30pm. To get your name on the list, head over here. When you need a break from the crowds but not the lights this Vivid season, American Express has your back. Gain access to the American Express Vivid Lounge for free — even if you don't yet have an American Express card. All you have to do is sign-up here. Images: Kimberley Low.
The Art Gallery of NSW has announced the finalists for the 2016 Archibald Prize — and this year's got some good'uns. This is the 95th year for the highly sought-after portraiture award.Considered the "who's who of Australian culture", portraits entered into the prize generally depict notable Australians, from politicians and celebrities to artists and athletes. This year's finalists include Natasha Bieniek's oil painting of Wendy Whiteley (above), Clara Adolphs' portrait of actor Terry Selio, Betina Fauvel-Ogden's painting of MasterChef's George Calombaris (which is also the winner of the Packing Room Prize) and — our personal favourite — Carla Fletcher's portrait of fashion icon Linda Jackson. Seriously, look at those colours. [caption id="attachment_579238" align="alignnone" width="455"] Carla Fletcher, Twin souls, Linda Jackson, mix media on board, 200 x 150.5 cm, © the artist, Photo: AGNSW, Felicity Jenkins.[/caption] The Archibald finalists will be exhibited at AGNSW from July 16 to October 9, along with the finalists for the Wynne Prize (which awards the best landscape painting of Australia or figure sculpture) and the Sulman Prize (for the best subject painting, genre painting or mural project), which were also announced yesterday. After exhibiting in Sydney, the finalists will then tour regionally until August 2017, after which time the winner will be announced by the trustees of AGNSW. The winner will be awarded $100,000 in prize money and some serious bragging rights to boot. The prize was created by Jules Francois Archibald, the founding editor of The Bulletin magazine. He established the prize with the goal to promote both great Australian portraiture and great Australians. The only real stipulation within the contest is that the painting must have been created in the last 12 months and include at least one live sitting with the subject. The award is an open competition, which means that any resident of Australia or New Zealand can enter. Something to keep in mind for next year. Top image: Natasha Bieniek, Wendy Whiteley, oil on wood, 34.5 x 32.5cm, © the artist Photo: AGNSW, Mim Stirling.
UPDATE, MARCH 5: Due to concerns around the coronavirus, Universal Pictures has announced that No Time to Die will no longer release on its initially scheduled date of Thursday, April 8, 2020. It will now release worldwide in November 2020 — including Down Under on November 12, 2020. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. It's trailer time. James Bond trailer time. That means espionage thrills, world-in-peril action, formidable villains, savvy ladies, plenty of gadgets and — since 2006's Casino Royale — Daniel Craig as 007. All of the above is present and accounted for in the just-released first look at No Time to Die, which'll mark the British spy's 25th official big-screen outing. It's also Craig's final go-around as the martini-loving hero. After the events of 2015's Spectre — and after retiring from active service to soak in Jamaica's splendours — Craig's version of Bond is looking a bit shaken and stirred in the No Time to Die trailer. That's bound to happen when he's told his skills are needed to rescue a kidnapped scientist, only for that mission to bring him face-to-face with an unhinged new adversary (Bohemian Rhapsody Oscar-winner Rami Malek). Throw in a new 00 agent (Captain Marvel's Lashana Lynch) covering Bond's turf, a forced meeting with imprisoned ex-opponent Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) and things not seeming to have ended well with psychiatrist Dr Madeleine Swan (Lea Seydoux), and it's safe to say that the mood is rather tense. The instalment is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga (True Detective, Maniac) and penned by a team that includes Fukunaga, The Report director Scott Z Burns and Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge — and all the usual Bond offsiders are on hand, too. Yes, Ralph Fiennes is back as M, alongside Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny, Ben Whishaw as Q, Rory Kinnear as MI6 head Bill Tanner and Jeffrey Wright as CIA agent Felix Leiter. Plus, reuniting with Craig after co-starring in the fabulously entertaining Knives Out, Ana de Armas also joins the cast. And, naturally, the first No Time to Die sneak peek delivers plenty of impressive action. It is a Bond film after all. Indeed, if Craig is stepping away from the role after five features (including 2008's Quantum of Solace and 2012's Skyfall), he looks to be going out in suave, stunt-filled, Aston Martin-driving style. Watch the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo-jtTLBhok&feature=youtu.be No Time to Die was originally due to release in cinemas on April 8, 2020, but will now release in Australia on November 12, 2020.
These days, there's seemingly no end to the list of things you can have delivered to your door. Craving a midweek bottle of wine but can't be stuffed leaving the house? Jimmy Brings has your back. Fancy a fresh addition to your plant collection, dropped at your doorstep monthly? You're in capable hands with Botanic Box. Need a new jigsaw puzzle sent to your house each month, carefully selected based on your tastes? Now, there's even a service for that. Those who love spending hours creating intricate cardboard artworks can now enjoy a personalised puzzle subscription platform, thanks to the recently launched Puzzle Post. From the same minds behind book subscription service Bookabuy, the idea for this new venture spawned after owners Chris and Mel Tantchev noticed something of a jigsaw puzzle resurgence. Look around and you'll notice those little cardboard pieces are making a bit of a comeback. With Puzzle Post, you can opt for a one-off puzzle delivery or organise a three-, six- or twelve-month subscription, which'll set you back between $39–83 each time. You might want to add to your own collection or send one to your puzzle-obsessed mate as a present. The Tantchevs have been busy sourcing puzzles with a whole range of themes from over 25 categories — including cats, nostalgia, flowers, Disney and food — ranging from easy (500 pieces) to 1000-plus piece hard puzzles. By answering a few quick questions at checkout, recipients will end up with a jigsaw haul personalised just for them. And even the fiercest of jigsaw aficionados needn't worry about doubling up — Puzzle Post offers subscribers a replacement if they're sent a puzzle they already own. Puzzle Post is available for delivery across Australia.
Phamish is one of those places that a friend of a friend will tell you about, you'll go, your mind will be blown and you'll wonder how you'd never heard of it before. It's been a local favourite for years, dishing out some of the best Vietnamese food outside of Hanoi to a packed out shop. The menu changes relatively often, though they keep the old favourites (did someone say salt and pepper squid?) going for a while to keep the crowds happy. Of course, there are the rice paper rolls and the papaya salad, as well as more inventive dishes like the crispy chicken in plum sauce. And they are all unbelievably tasty. The portions are monstrous, the prices are reasonable and you'll never leave unhappy. Takeaway is on offer, too, so you can always get your fix at Phamish.
Summer nights mean warm air, good vibes and great company shared longer and later. One iconic summer experience is food markets, treasured events for communities around Sydney, and some experts in that field are launching a new series of markets this summer in Canterbury Park. Taking place at Kia Friday Racing in Canterbury Park, the Canterbury Summer Night Markets are the latest project of Cambridge Markets — organisers of similar events, day and night, year-round across Sydney. Now, the team is coming to Canterbury for this evening offering alongside events at the park. The markets are kicking off on Friday, November 17, and will run sporadically at Canterbury Park until Friday, February 23. Coinciding with the summer racing calendar, attendees will be able to take advantage of both events simultaneously. Expect free activities for the kiddos, like face painting, a petting zoo and a jumping castle. Plus, for all ages — there'll be local (and delicious) hot food, decadent desserts and cool drinks to beat the summer heat. The Canterbury Summer Night Markets will run alongside Kia Friday Night Racing throughout summer. For more information, visit the Cambridge Markets website.
For over 30 years, Aquarius Rising has been a western Sydney go-to for one-of-a-kind gifts. Does your auntie swear by her calming blue lace agate crystal? Has your maybe-kinda-psychic friend always wanted their own pack of tarot cards? Or is your dad currently obsessed with collecting essential oils for his new Muji diffuser? The perfect gift is awaiting them at Aquarius Rising. Home to a huge range of crystals, incense, cards, books and salt lamps, the Civic Arcade spot isn't your run-of-the-mill gift shop (you won't find any 'live, laugh, love' posters here), but it has something for all the Co—Star-loving and astrology meme-sharing people in your life.
Jed Kurzel boasts one of the most-enviable recent resumes in Australia's film industry. It was back in 2011 that the founding member of The Mess Hall added a haunting layer to Snowtown, the first feature directed by his elder brother Justin, via its score. The pair have worked together on every one of Justin's films since. But Jed doesn't just have the sounds of stunning Shakespeare adaptation Macbeth, game-to-screen flick Assassin's Creed, the dark-but-playful True History of the Kelly Gang, the complicated Nitram and the upcoming The Order to his name. Jennifer Kent's The Babadook and The Nightingale, Ridley Scott's Alien: Covenant, Dev Patel's feature directorial debut Monkey Man: he has scored them all as well. With a filmography that also hops from The Turning, All This Mayhem and Slow West to Overlord, Seberg and Encounter — plus Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities on the small screen — it might seem an impossible task to pick favourites. Even whittling down what to talk about at Kurzel's Screen Commentary session at SXSW Sydney 2024, where he's chatting through his work, might sound difficult. But ask him which of his projects stand out, as Concrete Playground did, and he has answers, even if he notes that his responses differ over time. "There's a few. But then they start to change as I go on, because I guess you learn more things, and some films follow a particular style that you might have gotten onto, or a particular thing that I've discovered and I will push that through a few films," he explains. "Snowtown for me is the one that that really stands out, I think because it's the first one and I still get offered films today that have put Snowtown in their temp music, which is the music they put in while they're editing — it's kind of crazy that's it's still being used. So that one particularly, it still pops up. Macbeth as well, I think just because it was the first real string score I've done, orchestral score, and I did it all over in the UK, so I met a lot of people that I'm still collaborating with then and I felt like we were all jumping into this thing together," Kurzel advises. "I think those two stand out for me, and The Babadook." His fruitful career composing for the screen might've come about as one could expect when your brother is a filmmaker — Justin asked him to have a go at scoring Snowtown — but working together and taking this path wasn't a long-held childhood plan. "Never. No, I don't think that we have ever spoken about it. It was just how it worked out," Kurzel notes. "We'd been working together before that, in that he'd been doing the video clips for us and all that kind of stuff. We were always doing things together. So it wasn't like it felt like an 'oh, here we go' kind of thing. It was really just one of those things where we're always a part of what the other was doing." Viewers can be thankful for sibling bonds and the route it has taken Jed down. As brilliant as everything they each splash across the screen is, Snowtown, Macbeth, Nitram, The Babadook, The Nightingale and more wouldn't be the films they are without Kurzel's scores. Ahead of his session at SXSW Sydney, we also chatted to the composer about what sparked his contributions to some of the above films, how collaborating with Justin is different to working with other filmmakers, ensuring that his music isn't commenting on the content of the movies, the influence of genre, challenges he'd like to take on and plenty more. On How Kurzel Began Composing for the Screen "I was touring around with The Mess Hall and I had some time at home. Then Justin, my brother, was doing his first film Snowtown, and he asked me if I'd like to have a go at scoring it because, outside of the things I was doing with the band, I was always messing around with stuff at home. I guess it was more in the film soundtrack kind of land, but I was just doing it for my own enjoyment. And he said 'oh, you know, some of that stuff could work well, all that kind of thing could work well'. And I said 'I've never done that before, so'. And he said 'look, it's fine if it doesn't work, I'll get someone else. But you have a go with it'. So I did and then that was kind of it, it just it snowballed from there. It wasn't something that I had set out to do really. At that point, I was really happy playing music — and playing, actually. But I was missing just being in the room and making music. We were out playing a lot, and it's very hard to make music when you're doing that. So I was missing that at that time — so it came at a perfect time, I think." On Collaborating with Justin on All of His Features So Far — and How It's Different to Working with Other Filmmakers "It is different now, because I think we've developed — I mean, we always had a shorthand, but it feels like it's become even shorter now. We almost hardly ever discuss it while we're doing it. It just happens, in a way, now. We used to take a long time. I'd start really early on his films and it would be this drawn-out process, and sometimes the process could get quite difficult as the edit changed and things like that. I think just through experience, we've started to work out an efficient way to work that is still as creatively rewarding. And the last couple of things I've done with him, like The Order, it was all very free-flowing and it came quite quickly, and it wasn't something that we laboured over. I think we've discovered that the more we labour over things, it doesn't help anything." On What Sparked the Score for a Film as Complicated as Snowtown "With that one, we always talked about that hitting the bullseye was a very slim chance in some ways, because we found that with most music that we put on it, it felt like it was commenting on it. So immediately it was like 'well, we don't want to do that' because that just wasn't what the film was doing — and it didn't want it anyway. So it became a really instinctive thing about what it wanted, and there was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing of changing the edits to suit where we were taking it. So a lot of back and forth between us. And then, I always feel like if you just listen to the film, it'll eventually tell you what it wants. You throw things on it and just sort of shrug it off, and then there'll be something that starts to stick. And as soon as it starts sticking, you're on your way." On Whether Working on Films Like Snowtown, Nitram and The Nightingale Brings a Sense of Responsibility Given the Historical Details They're Diving Into — and How to Avoid a Score That Comments "I think so. But, I mean, I think with those projects, you're well-aware of that before you've even started them. There is a certain responsibility, I think, not to — I guess what it is musically, I'm always aware of not commenting, and that you're adding. I feel like you're just adding another layer and energy to the film, rather than going 'this character comes on and they've got a theme' or anything like that. It's just different, it's adding a feeling. It's what the film wants — and if you start commenting with some of these films, it just doesn't work. It just feels wrong. But on other films, you can go into those areas and the film absolutely wants to have that. I think it just depends on what you're working on. I always love to look at the film itself, and how it feels and what it looks like, and where it's set and those kind of things, because I think with music, you can actually add to that even more so. Even cinematography, I think, is really a big one for music, too, that maybe gets overlooked a little bit, because we are responding to images, so that's the first thing you're looking at." On Adding Playfulness to a Score That's Also Quite Dark, Such as True History of the Kelly Gang "That one, I'm glad you said that, because actually that's what I wanted to achieve with that score — that there was a playful quality to it. I always really loved the Sidney Nolan paintings, and I was sort of taking a cue from that. And also I love the old Hanna-Barbera cartoons and things like that. So for me, they were the influences that I was grabbing. I guess if you've got a concept or an idea that you want to launch things off of, that's always helpful." On How to Find the Score for a Shakespearean Adaptation Like Macbeth When There's So Many Past Big-Screen Versions —Including Initially Skewing Electronic "I remember doing that and both of us [Jed and Justin] feeling a lot of pressure because it's been done. There's not many times when you do a film that's like 'well, this has been actually been done before word for word'. When films are made, I think there's some directors who've got it all in their head and then they go out and make it, and what happens in the edit is the film just wants to be something else — and if you fight against that, usually you'll end up with something that's probably nowhere near your vision, and that frustrates you. Whereas if you follow what the film wants and then listen to it, and just go with where it wants rather than trying to hold onto your initial idea, then I think you can end up in really interesting places. In that case, yeah, it started out as an electronic score, that's what we wanted to do, but the film just, again, didn't want it. So we had to change tact a little bit, and we got something completely different, but I think it's the same sort of idea that we started out with. We had an initial idea, and then we just followed our gut while we were doing the edit." On How Working on Something Smaller, or More Character- or Mood-Driven, Differs From a Big-Budget Sci-Fi Sequel Like Alien: Covenant "I think there's similar pressures with both. On a smaller film, even though it's a smaller budget, there's almost more at stake because a lot of the times that might be someone's first film that they've directed. So they're kind of like someone's baby. Whereas the big-budget films, there's so many people involved, and they keep changing and they tend to have a lot more time to sit with things. The smaller budgets, the smaller films, they don't, they have to finish by a particular time because they don't have the money to keep editing or keep doing things. So I think there's different pressures with both. But in terms of scoring them, I just I think they just different hills to climb." On the Way That Genre Has an Impact on How Kurzel Approaches Scoring a Movie "We all grow up watching films, so we've all got that language. So whether you like it or not, you're aware of genres, and what those genres are and what's come before you, which I think is great because it can set benchmarks for you. If you're looking at something and going 'I want to do a horror film' and 'what are the films that I really like in this sort of genre?', you can go back and have a look, and just see the way they've been approached — which may make you go 'well, I don't want to approach it like that, I want to approach it like this'." On What Drives an Unnerving Score Such as The Babadook "That's a good question because that score, the inspiration for that — I think I wrote this in the sleeve of the vinyl — when I was scoring that, I was living in Erskineville and there was a possum on my roof or in the tree above me. And it was knocking things down through the night, and it would jump off the tree onto the roof. So I was always listening to what sounded like people throwing bodies on my roof. On top of that, it would make these strange noises, or there'd be strange noises outside. So a lot of the time, I was keeping the door open and making music, and just letting those sounds come in as well — and going 'okay, that's interesting. I could kind of do something'. So I think what I'm listening for is what's unnerving me — and particularly late at night, if I'm doing something, you can hear things. The world really is making music all the time. So the environment's always really great, if you've got your ear out, you can always hear really interesting stuff. But in terms of horror, I like to be unnerved. I'm not that much into the jump scares and things like that. I like an eerie, unnerving kind of feeling." On the Response to The Babadook — Then and Now "Even internationally, you mention it and everyone knows it, and the characters. It's pretty amazing. I'm really proud of the work we all did on that and how much Jen stuck to her guns with the film. I think it's just been re-released on screens in the US, it's doing a tour of America at the moment, which is amazing. And that was a film that if you told us that's what was happening, and most of the things that happened with that film, we would have laughed at the time because it just was not on anyone's radar. Even when it was released here, it had such a tiny release, I don't think anyone even knew it'd come out." On Being in Action Mode with Monkey Man, But Using the Score to Build an Emotional World "That was really different, because Dev already had, for a lot of the action scenes, there was already a lot of source music placed in there as music that already existed. And he had a definite thing for me, which was 'I want the film to be the emotional underground of the character'. So a lot of it, we talked a lot about memory, and the music was representing his memory of his mother. And so it was really strange, I was doing an action film but I wasn't really doing the action side. There's a few chase scenes and things like that. But in terms of that being the focus, it really wasn't, it was this whole other world that Dev was after which I found really appealing and exciting when we first spoke about the film." On the Most-Important Task for a Film Score to Achieve "I always feel like I'm there to add a layer that's almost not even music — it's another layer to the film that wasn't previously there, that if you took out, you would really notice it. A lot of people talk about watching films and not noticing the music. But I feel the other way. I want to notice it. And I want it to give me another layer on there that I know wouldn't exist otherwise — the performances wouldn't get it, the editing, it's adding something that's unique and almost impossible to describe, which is what to me that music is. It feels like some sort of magical language." On the Ultimate Challenge in Composing for the Screen That Kurzel Hasn't Taken on Yet — But Would Like To "I really don't know, because I find everything that I do, there's a new challenge and it usually rears its head pretty quickly. You get into something and you think 'oh yeah, I know how to do this' — and suddenly the film, like I said, the film starts to move into a direction and that tilts everything. Being aware of those things, I think that's the exciting part about it. If you're living in the moment and scoring things for the moment, listening out for really happy mistakes — which I call those things that you kind of go 'ohh, I'm going to try this' but something else happens that was a mistake, and you think 'that's actually better than what I was going to do. I'm going to go down that path for a while'. They're the things that I love about composing. In terms of feeling like there's something I haven't done yet, I haven't really done any romantic comedies. But I just, for some reason, I don't think I'm the go-to guy for those." [caption id="attachment_875685" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Courtesy of Netflix © 2022[/caption] Concrete Playground: "I chatted with Justin about Snowtown and he told me at the time that the next film he had in mind was a tennis rom-com." Jed: "Yeah, yeah, yeah." Concrete Playground: "So maybe if he does end up doing one, you'll get one." Jed: "I keep saying to him, because he's very funny, so I keep saying 'you need to do a comedy. That has to be your next one'." Screen Commentary: Jed Kurzel takes place at SXSW Sydney from 11am–12pm AEDT on Friday, October 18, 2024 at Fortress Sydney. Head to the SXSW Sydney website for more details.
The 'Share a Coke' campaign has succeeded tremendously in Australia by allowing consumers to search for a can of Coca-Cola with their name on it. However, American company UFlavor has not only allowed customers to design their own soft drink labels with whatever name they choose, but also determine the taste of the beverage by choosing from 42 different ingredients, including everything from blueberry to pure sugar cane. Online users change the percentages of whatever ingredients they choose to go into the drink, and can further determine the drink's colour, name and label. It is then shipped to them directly. Other users can then purchase and rate the flavour combination, with a slice of the profits going to the drink's creator. Therefore UFlavor have not only given you the opportunity to make your dream soft drink, but you also might make some spare coin if you hit the right recipe. With this much discretion left in your hands, the possibilities are literally endless. UFlavor users have already begun adding their own unique touches to their creations, as the website shows that drinks have already been named 'Juicy Love Soda' and 'Cerebral Asylum'. Sounds refreshing. There are plans to expand their ingredients in the near future, as well as install UFlavor vending machines where drinks can be made and delivered on the spot. Get creative and make your own ideal soft drink. If you don't fancy yourself as a mixing connoisseur, you might just want to stick with a solid can of Mountain Dew. https://youtube.com/watch?v=d9U9VUfgkPc [via PSFK]
When National Tim Tam Day hit earlier this year, biscuit brand Arnott's gave Australians something we didn't know we wanted: the opportunity to smell like Tim Tams all day long. That chocolate biscuit-scented perfume was a limited-time-only affair, however, but there's now an option for your home, too — or for your mum's, because this a Mother's Day special. To mark 2022's celebration of mums, Arnott's doesn't simply want you to simply give your mother Tim Tams — although it clearly does still want you to do exactly that. To really get everyone's tastebuds in a tizzy, the biscuit brand has also just launched gift packs filled with Tim Tam-smelling candles and diffusers. Try getting a whiff of that and not having instant bikkie cravings. Yes, if Victoria Bitter can make a fragrance inspired by beer, The Louvre can drop perfumes that take their cues from its famous artworks and Messina can release gelato-scented candles, then making the air around you smell like Tim Tams really isn't that outlandish at all. It's the aroma that'll make you hungry all day, and features not only cocoa notes, but also caramel, tonka bean and a hint of sandalwood as well. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tim Tam (@timtam) The Melbourne-made, cruelty-free and vegan packs cost $100 a pop and are only on sale until Thursday, April 28, and include a 200-millilitre Tim Tam-scented reed diffuser and a 300-gram Tim Tam-scented candle, as well as packs of original and salted caramel brownie Tim Tams. So, if you're buying this as a gift, that means you won't need to take a dessert along to Mother's Day lunch. And if you're purchasing it for yourself instead, well, you're only human. Stocks are limited, though — but delivery is free Australia-wide. The Tim Tam Mother's Day gift boxes are available to purchase until Thursday, April 28.
Today, Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the new arrangements for NSW, specifically for Greater Sydney, in relation to New Year's Eve. Back in November, the Government announced it would be allocating spots along the Sydney Harbour foreshore for frontline workers to view the seven-minute fireworks display at midnight. While the Premier has confirmed the fireworks will be going ahead, the vantage point offering for frontline workers is no longer available, stating the government "don't want any crowds on the foreshore around Sydney whatsoever". Instead, she encouraged everyone to watch the fireworks on television. Events at hospitality venues are permitted to proceed provided they adhere to the four-square-metre rule and have a COVID-safe plan in place, and all patrons who have a reservation must apply for a permit through Service NSW to attend. In keeping with the current restrictions on indoor gatherings, residents of Greater Sydney (outside the northern beaches), Central Coast and Wollongong are allowed to have ten visitors in their home. If you are a resident or guest of a resident within the designated green zones on New Year's Eve, you must also apply for a permit through Service NSW. Meanwhile, outdoor gatherings, including picnics and barbecues, are restricted to 50 guests (down from 100). Stay-at-home orders remain in place for northern beaches residents until January 2 for the southern zone and January 9 for the northern zone, with some easing of restrictions for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Residents of the northern zone are allowed to have indoor and outdoor gatherings of up to five visitors provided they are also from the northern zone. Meanwhile, those in the southern zone can have indoor and outdoor gatherings of up to ten visitors from within their zone. Restrictions on gatherings in regional NSW remain unchanged, with 50 allowed at indoor gatherings and 100 at outdoor. The announcement comes as NSW records five additional cases of locally acquired COVID-19 in the 24 hours leading up to 8pm on Sunday, December 27. Four of those are directly linked to the Avalon cluster with one under investigation. Yesterday saw around 15,364 tests — a significant drop from the high testing numbers between December 24–27 — with the Premier stating she wants the testing rates to "go higher and stay high to give us confidence about the decisions we can take moving forward". For more information about NSW's coronavirus restrictions and NYE plans, head to the NSW Government website. Top image: NYE Fireworks 2016 by City of Sydney.
If you're fond of a certain 1996 sports comedy that features Adam Sandler (Spaceman) taking to the green, then this'll be magic: the full sneak peek at Happy Gilmore's long-awaited sequel. Netflix has been teasing the film for months, but the streaming platform has saved the longest look at the movie yet for just under two months out from Happy Gilmore 2's Friday, July 25, 2025 arrival. As Virginia Venit's (Julie Bowen, Hysteria!) told the feature's namesake in an earlier teaser trailer, "we're not done with golf". Almost three decades after first getting tap, tap, tapping as a hockey player with an anger problem who makes the jump to a different sport — and after Happy Gilmore became one of the best-known comedies of the 90s, as well as one of Sandler's best-known films — its star is back chasing more glory with a club in his hand. In the initial flick, Happy won the Tour Championship in 1996 in an effort to make enough money to save his grandmother's house. Since then, he's repeated the trophy-claiming feat several times over, and now has a bust of his head to honour five-time winners to show for. It's been years since he has played the sport, though, and he's a little intimidated by today's golfers — but soon he's back in the swing again, albeit with a few missteps, to help rustle up some cash to put his daughter through ballet school. Alongside Sandler and Bowen, Ben Stiller (Nutcrackers) and Christopher McDonald (Hacks) return from the original Happy Gilmore. Among those joining them in the cast: Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (Cassandro) aka Bad Bunny; Sander's daughters Sadie (You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah) and Sunny (Kinda Pregnant); Travis Kelce; Blake Clark (a regular Sandler collaborator, as seen in The Waterboy, Little Nicky, Mr Deeds, 50 First Dates, Click, Grown Ups and more); and Margaret Qualley (The Substance). Then there's the lineup of IRL professional golfers, such as John Daly, Rory McIlroy, Paige Spiranac, Scottie Scheffler, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Will Zalatoris and Bryson DeChambeau. All part of trailers so far, too: a new happy place, unexpected reunions, broken clubs, more than a few rounds of advice encouraging Gilmore to get back to the sport, shanking shots, Happy's temper, breaking in his caddy, getting everyone talking and, unsurprisingly, a heap of nods to the first film. Just as with the original, Sandler co-wrote Happy Gilmore 2 with Tim Herlihy (who has also penned or co-penned Billy Madison, The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy and eight other Sandler flicks through to Hubie Halloween), but Kyle Newacheck (Murder Mystery) steps into the director's chair instead of the initial film's Dennis Dugan (Grown Ups 2). Check out the full trailer for Happy Gilmore 2 below: Happy Gilmore 2 will stream via Netflix from Friday, July 25, 2025. Images Cr. Scott Yamano/Netflix.
Fully functioning gents’ barber shop and warehouse style bar, named (wait for it) The Barber Shop, is bringing old school back to Sydney CBD this Thursday, and every Thursday thereafter, with the Barber Shop Sessions: a mixture of close shaves, cocktails and live jazz. Opened last year by ex-Merivale head honcho and award-winning mixologist Mike Enright, this seriously nifty bar is a literally hidden gem on York Street offering a bright, white front of house where you can relish in the aforementioned professional services before sliding back a stainless steel door to reveal a dimly lit playground housing 30+ gins (including one on tap), a brooding atmosphere and now live house-acid jazz fronted by talented vocalist Wallace Gollan. Get in early and book yourself a cut with the barber and you’ll receive a complimentary cocktail and shoe shine. Talk about cool.
Where do artists find inspiration? The answer to that question is virtually endless, as perusing the Archibald Prize finalists every year illustrates. For the acclaimed Australian portraiture award, sometimes actors, musicians, comedians and filmmakers provide a spark. Authors, footballers, the folks doing the painting themselves: they all fit, too. Frequently, though, fellow artists inspire others to get the creative juices flowing. Among recent Archie winners, that was true for Tony Costa with Lindy Lee, Blak Douglas with Karla Dickens and Peter Wegner with Guy Warren, for instance — and, in 2025, it's also the case for Julie Fragar with her likeness of Justene Williams. This year's pick for the prestigious prize, Flagship Mother Multiverse (Justene), is also an instance of one Brisbane artist painting another to claim the $100,000 award. Fragar's win makes it three in a row for women at the Archies since 2023, following Laura Jones in 2024 with her portrait of author Tim Winton and Julia Gutman the year prior for a depiction of Montaigne. That said, Fragar is still just the 13th woman to win the 104-year-old art accolade. Even with recipients who've emerged victorious more than once — Judy Cassab in 1960 and 1967, and Del Kathryn Barton in2008 and 2013 — this is still only the 15th time that the prize has gone to a female talent. [caption id="attachment_1003358" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Winner Archibald Prize 2025, Julie Fragar 'Flagship Mother Multiverse (Justene)', oil on canvas, 240 x 180.4 cm © the artist, image © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Jenni Carter.[/caption] "You work your whole career imagining this might happen one day. Thinking back to myself as a 17-year-old showing up at the Sydney College of the Arts — a kid from country New South Wales — it's incredible to think I have won the Archibald Prize," said Fragar about her win. "Portrait painting wasn't taken as seriously in the 1990s as it is today. I have always regarded the Archibald Prize as a place that understood the value of portraiture. To be the winner of the Archibald Prize is a point of validation. It means so much to have the respect of my colleagues at the Art Gallery. It doesn't get better than that." Fragar is the Head of Painting at the Queensland College of Art and Design, where Williams is the Head of Sculpture. "Justene is incredible. I feel very fortunate that she allowed me to do this portrait. There is nobody like her. The work is a reflection on the experience of making art to deadlines, and the labour and love of being a mother," said Fragar of her now-Archibald Prize-winning subject. "Here are two of Australia's great artists in conversation about what matters most to them. Julie Fragar has a sumptuous ability to transcend reality and depict her subjects technically but also psychologically. Justene Williams is a larger-than-life character, a performer — cacophonous and joyous," noted Art Gallery of New South Wales Director Maud Page about 2025's pick. "In this work, she is surrounded by her own artworks and, most important of all, her daughter Honore as a tiny figure atop a sculpture. It speaks to me as a powerful rendition of the juggle some of us perform as mothers and professionals." Flagship Mother Multiverse (Justene) was selected from a pool of 57 finalists, including another awarded two-artist combination in Abdul Abdullah's portrait of fellow creative Jason Phu, aka 2025's Packing Room Prize recipient. Other contenders included likenesses of Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving, Boy Swallows Universe star Felix Cameron, Miranda Otto, Grace Tame, Vincent Namatjira, filmmaker Warwick Thornton and comedian Aaron Chen, as whittled down from a total pool of 904 Archibald Prize entries for 2025. AGNSW also awards the Wynne and Sulman prizes at the same time as the Archibald — and across all three, from 2394 submissions, 2025 marks the first year that there were more finalist works by women artists in the accolades' history. [caption id="attachment_1003359" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Winner Wynne Prize 2025, Jude Rae 'Pre-dawn sky over Port Botany container terminal', oil on linen, 200 x 150.4 cm © the artist, image © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Diana Panuccio.[/caption] For $50,000 Wynne Prize, which is all about landscape painting — and is Australia's oldest art award — Sydney artist Jude Rae's Pre-dawn sky over Port Botany container terminal was picked from 52 finalists and 758 entries. This is the third time that Rae has made the top batch of Wynne contenders. She's also been an Archie finalist four times (in 2014, 2019, 2021 and 2022) and was a Sulman finalist in 2021. "There is something compelling about the constantly flashing gantry lights and the floodlights blasting away in those hours just before dawn. I am up at various times and love to watch the pre-dawn light, when the sky is just starting to change colour. From my bathroom window on the fifth floor of my building, I have a clear view of that scene. There is no way to photograph it — it's too subtle and too fleeting. It's a big sky and we're all really little," Rae said about her piece. [caption id="attachment_1003361" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Winner Sulman Prize 2025, Gene A'Hern 'Sky painting', oil and oil stick on board, 240 x 240 cm © the artist, image © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Diana Panuccio.[/caption] The Sulman rewards genre painting, subject painting and mural projects, with Gene A'Hern 2025's pick for the Blue Mountains-inspired Sky painting, getting the top nod for the $40,000 gong from this year's 30 finalists and 732 entries. "Painted with expansive movements to capture a sense of scale and colour, this painting unfolded as I immersed myself in skywatching, while reflecting on the ceremonial choreography of the surrounding environment. It conveys a sensation of nature's gestures, composed to resonate from within, translating an omnipresence that comes from dust and returns to dust," said A'Hern. "The work draws on charged memories — birds singing in harmony, branches sighing in the wind, the closing curtain of the setting sun, all forming a living landscape that I breathe with and through. For me, the sky and the Blue Mountains intertwine and reveal themselves as a place of origin, deep memory and belonging." 2025's winners and finalists across all three prizes are on display at AGNSW from Saturday, May 10–Sunday, August 17, 2025, before touring to Geelong Gallery, Gosford Regional Gallery, Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre, Mudgee Arts Precinct and Shoalhaven Regional Gallery over the 11 months afterwards. Archibald Prize 2025 Exhibition Dates Saturday, May 10–Sunday, August 17, 2025 — Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney, NSW Saturday, August 30–Sunday, November 9, 2025 — Geelong Gallery, Victoria Saturday, November 22, 2025–Sunday, January 11, 2026 — Gosford Regional Gallery, NSW Saturday, January 23–Saturday, March 7, 2026 — Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre, NSW Friday, March 20–Saturday, May 3, 2026 — Mudgee Arts Precinct, NSW Saturday, May 16–Sunday, July 19, 2026 — Shoalhaven Regional Gallery, NSW 2025's Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prize-winners will display at various locations around the country from Saturday, May 10, 2025. If you can't make it to any of the above exhibition dates, you can check out the winners and finalists of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes on the Art Gallery of NSW website. Top image: Excerpt of winner Archibald Prize 2025, Julie Fragar 'Flagship Mother Multiverse (Justene)', oil on canvas, 240 x 180.4 cm © the artist, image © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Jenni Carter. Sitter: Justene Williams. Excerpt of winner Wynne Prize 2025, Jude Rae 'Pre-dawn sky over Port Botany container terminal', oil on linen, 200 x 150.4 cm © the artist, image © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Diana Panuccio. Excerpt of winner Sulman Prize 2025, Gene A'Hern 'Sky painting', oil and oil stick on board, 240 x 240 cm © the artist, image © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Diana Panuccio. Installation images: Installation view, 'Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2025', Art Gallery of New South Wales, photo © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Diana Panuccio.
A sense of nostalgia runs deep in Tracey Moffatt’s Plantation and Other exhibition at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery. Hand painted in technicolour hues, the vintage-looking diptychs of burning sugar cane and stilted houses conjure up the flavours of the Deep South, despite being shot in Australia’s own sunshine state, Queensland. Moffatt, who took the pictures about 13 years ago, originally discounted the shots for their simplicity and directness, but upon discovering them again knew there was a mysterious story there she could work with. In conjunction with the show is a video collaboration by Moffatt and Gary Hillberg, titled Other. It’s a roller-coaster of a ride and you’ll struggle to guess all the movies in the montage; it’s well worth it for the explosive finale.
Even in 2020, the most unpredictable of years, the end of November marks two things: the shift to warm summer weather and an influx of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. While we may not celebrate Thanksgiving here in Australia that doesn't mean we can't enjoy some outrageous deals in the lead-up to the holiday season. To help you sort through all the emails and Facebook ads you're being served up right now, we've collected a few of this year's biggest sales in one place for you — so you can pick up between 20 and 70 percent off a new gym outfit, mattress or reusable cup.
One of the world's most visited multi-sensory experiences will come alive in Sydney this spring. From Friday, September 18, Van Gogh Alive will see more than 3000 large-scale images of the Dutch master's works projected onto walls, columns and floors at The Royal Hall of Industries in Moore Park. The project is the brainchild of Melbourne-based Grande Exhibitions, which, for the past 15 years, has hosted immersive exhibitions and gallery experiences in over 140 cities across the world. The company also owns and operates Rome's Museo Leonardo da Vinci. The family-friendly experience will create the sensation of walking right into Van Gogh's paintings. Famous works including The Starry Night and Sunflowers are presented in fine detail using Grande Exhibitions' state-of-the-art technology combining 40 high-definition projectors, while a classical musical score accompanies the vibrant colours in cinema-quality surround sound. The exhibition has already wowed audiences at 50 cities throughout the northern hemisphere and parts of South America — and was was initially meant to be unveiled in Melbourne this year inside a new multimillion digital art gallery in Melbourne called The Lume, but, because of the city's strict lockdown, the Australian premiere will now happen in Sydney.
NAIDOC Week is always a special occasion on the cultural calendar. But in 2025, the event takes on even more significance, as it reaches its 50-year milestone as a week-long extravaganza. Though the seeds of this event stretch back much further — usually pinned to 1938, when Indigenous activists held the Day of Mourning — NAIDOC Week has grown into a national movement, offering up a thriving annual event filled with rewarding experiences. Each year, NAIDOC Week has a unique theme. In 2025, it speaks to a promising path — 'The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy'. Celebrating the achievements of the past while stepping into tomorrow, expect a nationwide event grounded in community, where culinary experiences, cultural encounters and kid-friendly activities build towards a bright future. Ready to get involved? Here's what you can't miss during NAIDOC Week 2025. KOORIE HERITAGE TRUST NAIDOC WEEK MARKET — MELBOURNE Fed Square bursts to life with NAIDOC Week each year, with cultural non-profit Koorie Heritage Trust (KHT) central to the action. This year, the organisation is hosting the KHT NAIDOC Week Market – a free celebration featuring 20 Indigenous-run stalls that showcase the creativity of Victorian First Peoples makers. Stock up on fashion from Clothing the Gaps, discover handmade jewellery at Haus of Dizzy, or make your home smell better than ever with Mob Melts candles. Held from 1–6pm on Friday, July 11, the market coincides with the free 'NAIDOC in the City' concert, where artists like Electric Fields, Isaiah Firebrace and Scott Darlow take over the stage. NATIONAL INDIGENOUS ART FAIR — SYDNEY Returning to the Overseas Passenger Terminal in The Rocks for its sixth edition from Saturday, July 5–Sunday, July 6, the National Indigenous Art Fair (NIAF) highlights almost 100 Indigenous artists from 30 of Australia's most remote communities. Most prominently, this year's event features the work of Regina Pilawuk Wilson, an internationally renowned Ngan'gikurrungurr creative and cultural leader behind the Northern Territory's Durrmu Arts. Plus, guests can get immersed in live performances, discussions, bush tucker tastings, celebrity chef cooking demonstrations, interactive weaving circles and more. Entry is $3, with proceeds supporting the artists attending the event. LITTLE MOBS AT THE NATIONAL INDIGENOUS ART FAIR — SYDNEY Getting down to the National Indigenous Art Fair? Don't leave the kids behind. Just in time for the first weekend of the school holidays, the NIAF presents Little Mobs — a cultural activity program for children guided by First Nations artists. Young visitors are invited to get hands-on with art, nature, movement and culture, with activities such as ochre painting, gumnut jewellery-making, shellwork and more. Meanwhile, inclusive dance workshops led by renowned Indigenous organisations make for an even more interactive encounter. Activities at NIAF are free, with entry to the fair costing $3 per adult and free for kids under 12. '50 YEARS OF NAIDOC' AT THE AYERS ROCK RESORT — NORTHERN TERRITORY The Ayers Rock Resort has gone big for its '50 Years of NAIDOC' feast for the senses, with renowned chef Mark Olive, aka 'The Black Olive', transforming its Arnguli Grill & Restaurant with a set menu teeming with bush food and Indigenous wines. Meanwhile, Olive will also host an intimate dinner on Wednesday, July 9, recounting fascinating stories and insight behind the ingredients. The resort also brings numerous art experiences and cultural activities to the celebration. Aṉangu artists Billy and Lulu Cooley present wood carvings in the Town Square Circle of Sand, while the Sunrise Journeys encounter sees guests connect to Country at dawn through an absorbing combination of laser projection, music and the natural environment. FIRST NATIONS FILM FESTIVAL — NATIONAL There are few better mediums for reflection, celebration and storytelling than film. That means catching a movie or two is ripe for making the most of NAIDOC Week, as online streaming platform FanForce offers the First Nations Film Festival 2025 from Sunday, July 6–Wednesday, August 6. With the Reconciliation Week Collection now extended to Wednesday, August 6, the platform is adding the NAIDOC Collection too, featuring four more features and seven short films. Highlighting cultural strength, connection to Country and intergenerational resilience, the flicks include Warwick Thornton's We Don't Need a Map and Beck Cole's Here I Am. Each collection is available to stream for $38. DOCPLAY NAIDOC WEEK 2025 — NATIONAL Need even more content to stream? DocPlay celebrates Indigenous storytelling by making 11 incredible documentaries free to watch throughout NAIDOC Week. Covering a wide range of topics, from sport and the education system to Canberra's long-standing Aboriginal Tent Embassy, some of the biggest highlights include the Adam Goodes-focused The Australian Dream and You Can Go Now — an examination of influential Australian Aboriginal artist and activist, Richard Bell. With this collection of stories offering rich insight into the community and culture, expect deep dives into remarkable achievements and complex challenges on the road to a brighter future. 'BLING MY HOODY' AT THE HAUS OF DIZZY — MELBOURNE Guided by self-proclaimed Queen of Bling and Wiradjuri designer Kristy Dickinson, 'Bling My Hoodie' is a fun two-hour session made for engaging with First Nations peoples, culture and community. Held at Fitzroy's Haus of Dizzy from 11am on Saturday, July 5, this hands-on lesson invites kids aged six and up to test their eye for design. Customising a blank hoodie using various techniques, Dickinson will teach guests the ins and outs of direct-to-film transfers, iron-on patches and heat-pressed decals to make their piece resonate with big colours and powerful messages. Tickets are $99 and include your hoodie. NAIDOC WEEK AT OPERA BAR — SYDNEY Perched on Sydney Harbour, Opera Bar has a scenic dining experience that will level up your NAIDOC Week adventure from Sunday, July 6–Sunday, July 13. Crafted by a First Nations culinary team, expect four innovative takes on native ingredients, including kangaroo salami pizzetta and lamb sliders with bush tomatoes. Dessert is also unskippable, as a wattle seed pavlova with poached quince and crème fraîche delivers a rousing finish. Plus, the experience also extends to the drinks, with a signature cocktail duo highlighting foraged plants, like mountain pepper and samphire. Rounding out this delicious encounter are stunning visuals created by Indigenous artist Kyara Fernando, which adorn the menus.
For 24 hours from 6pm on Saturday, February 4, Macquarie Street East will score a new — and free — all-night art, music, food and creativity festival: Mopoke. Taking place from Shakespeare Place through to Hyde Park Barracks, it promises an impressive feast of pop-ups, activations and cultural offerings, and it is indeed running all throughout the evening. If you're a cinephile, however, it's the free 24-hour cinema that'll have you most excited. Across Mopoke's duration, the fest is teaming up with the crew behind Mov'in Cinemas — aka the team that's given Sydney and Australia in-bed cinemas, and also a rooftop drive-in and a floating cinema with boats in the Harbour City — to set up a non-stop outdoor cinema. It all kicks off at 6pm, like Mopoke itself, and has movies playing in specific slots for the evening and day afterwards. The last will start screening at 3.30pm on Sunday, February 5. Even better: Mov'in's powers-that-be clearly know that everyone loves Studio Ghibli flicks because there's two on the lineup. Greet the dawn with a 6am session of Spirited Away, or enjoy an 11.30am Sunday morning date with My Neighbour Totoro. Still with filmmaking favourites, Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation is the midnight movie — if you want to do karaoke before or afterwards, you'll need to head elsewhere, though — and Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch has the 8.30am slot. Also on the bill: ABC documentary Secrets of the Australian Museum at 6pm, The Mopoke Short Film Festival from 7pm, Aussie art doco Whitely at 10pm and 1928's Show People at 2am. Or, there's Oscar-winner The Artist at 4am, Midnight in Paris at 1.30pm (in what seems like a missed opportunity, time-wise) and the Willem Dafoe-starring Vincent van Gogh biopic At Eternity's Gate in the last slot. While entry is free, bookings are required in advance — and expect to have plenty of company. As for the rest of Mopoke, it includes theatre performances and gigs, as well as live art and magic shows — plus ten multicultural rotation of food trucks to keep you well-fuelled — as connected by black-lit paths.
Have you heard? Legendary pop and dance icons Charli XCX, Duke Dumont, Cosmo's Midnight and Sonny Fodera are taking to the stage with other stellar artists across four stunning waterside locations for the 2023 run of For The Love. On Sunday, February 26, stars from here and abroad will be taking over Wollongong's Thomas Dalton Park for one massive day and night of good-time vibes — with The Gong's glistening stretch of coastline as your backdrop, you'll be dancing to hits and sending out your summer on a high. The 2023 lineup is stacked. The team at Untitled Group — the same minds behind Beyond the Valley and Pitch Music & Arts — have gathered an incredibly strong list of acts to keep the energy high while FTL delivers its signature elevated experience (complete with stand-out fashion and lifestyle elements). Expect Snakehips, Budjerah and KYE, as well as Sumner and Jade Zoe, to make appearances. And while you can experience all of this as a regular punter, For The Love's VIP tickets make it that much better. Enjoy a private bar (avoiding longer lines elsewhere — huge win), upgraded amenities and access to the coveted VIP deck (for uninterrupted views of the stage) and the double-storey VIP fashion lounge (where you'll mingle with FTL's fun-loving ambassadors and social personalities). Is is, by far, the best way to experience this red-hot lineup, which is why Concrete Playground Trips has teamed up with For The Love to create an epic VIP travel package. First off, we're putting guests up in the Novotel Wollongong Northbeach for two nights — just a short drive from the For The Love venue. In each room? Grey Goose Vodka Essences (to start your pre-drinking the right way) and Tend-2 Hangover Relief (the 100% organic pills that will save you a bit of pain the next day). The much-anticipated event is an exceptional way to send off summer — set your reminders now, legends. The VIP For The Love Wollongong package is exclusive to Concrete Playground Trips. To book your curated experience, head to the website.
MilkBar has big shoes to fill. Located smack bang next to the Dendy on King Street, this Newtown newbie inhabits the spot where the old Cinque used to be — the spot endowed with the responsibility of warming up serious moviegoers with a bit of grub. Fortunately, MilkBar doesn't disappoint. It opens out onto King Street, and passersby eagerly pop in for some takeaway; a famed Coffee Alchemy brew or a homemade blueberry muffin, moist and deliciously dense, is enough for punters to want to pull up a chair. The menu is popular with locals who can be found happily chatting away at one of the booths, tables, or quirky wooden wheel stools for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The eggs benedict ($10) sing out from the breakfast menu, with a thick, flavoursome hollandaise sauce that is complemented well by the avocado and feta add-on ($3 extra). The red omelette ($13) is a wholesome combination of chorizo, potato, spinach and Spanish onion in what may be one of the largest omelettes you've ever seen. While the omelette itself could benefit from some fresh herbs, there's always the buttery bread accompaniment. Can't go past a few morning carbs, we say. Lunch and dinner offers an assortment of burgers and pastas amongst a few exotic numbers. The pumpkin quesadilla ($14) lives on from the cafe's Cinque past, packed with pumpkin, capsicum, cheese, chilli, and coriander. The spaghetti meatballs ($16) are homely and warming. And vegetarians will surely find solace in the quinoa veggie burger ($14), served with chips or salad. But temptation really lies in the cake selection; mud cake, tarts, and a variety of cheesecakes, including a creamy baked ricotta cake, are served for $8 a slice. Enhance the richness of each mouthful with something from MilkBar's drinks menu, such as a decadent hot chocolate ($4.50). It can be flavoured by the likes Mars bar, peppermint, or Turkish delight, which you'll find swimming in the bottom of the glass. With attentive staff and atmosphere aplenty, MilkBar's our pick for a prolonged bite to eat before catching a flick. Be sure to get in early on the weekend, however, because the tables fill up quick.
Japanese izakaya Nakano Darling and cheesecake-maker 15cenchi have joined forces to create the dessert of your dreams. They've taken Nakano's signature apple chu-hi cocktail – a mix of shochu, soda and apple – and transformed it into a Basque cheesecake of the same name. Just like the drink, the cheesecake is slightly boozy, slightly tangy and slightly sweet. But, unlike the drink, it's only available until Sunday, June 1. To try it, you'll need to get along to Nakano Darling, which you'll find at 14 Steam Lane, Haymarket, before then. It's being served throughout opening hours — Sunday–Wednesday from 5pm till midnight, and Thursday–Saturday from 5pm till 2am – making it a good stop before heading home. Along with the special apple chu-hi cheesecake, Nakano Darling has also added 15cenchi's original (and extremely decadent and creamy) cheesecake to the menu for the same limited period.
Struggling to pay the electricity bill this month? What would you say to jumping rope instead? Innovative technology-with-a-conscience company Uncharted Play has come up with PULSE, a skipping rope that harvests energy with every single jump. That’s energy that can later be used to power electronic devices — including smartphones — and lights. Made of strong, resilient plastic, the device features 3D-printed handles which store the kinetic energy created by each spin. It’s converted to electricity via an adaptor. One hundred PULSEs, priced at US$129 each, comprise the first run. But Uncharted Play’s higher goal is to make the invention accessible to individuals and communities in the developing world, where electricity can be insanely expensive and resorting to high-risk alternatives such as kerosene is often the only option. If the initial distribution takes off, the company will start looking at ways to bring the price down. Previous Uncharted Play successes include the SOCCKET — an energy-harvesting soccer ball connected to an LED lamp — and a foldable, sustainable, recyclable, eco-friendly water bottle. All sales proceeds go towards providing SOCCKETs to disadvantaged children and lifting educational standards in remote areas. Via Springwise.
Sydney's Queen Ester — part Israeli café, part falafel bar — wholly matches Newport's laidback beach town vibes. Have a swim or surf down at the beach, then stroll up the lane to Queen Ester for a healthy and damn tasty lunch surrounded by friendly locals. The falafel pita pocket filled with homemade hummus, labneh and pickled peppers is a crowd favourite — and can easily be taken on the road when exploring this coastal Sydney suburb. You'd also be well placed to try the daily made ziva (a puffy crunch of Yemeni pastry filled with cheese and olives, served with a sliced egg and grated tomato), the cauliflower shawarma or a falafel salad topped with all the best Middle Eastern trimmings — hummus, flatbreads, fresh veg and all the brightly hued pickles you can dream of. It's clearly a paradise for vegans and vegetarians, but there are plenty of charcoaled meats and schnitzel specials to keep everyone happy. And in the morning? Drop in for coffee and light bites — think tahini cookies, croissants and an assortment of other Middle Eastern desserts made in the tiny kitchen. Queen Ester is one of our favourite places to eat in Sydney, thanks to its fresh and tasty Israeli food and its laidback vibes that come from both the beach-going locals and effortlessly friendly staff. Plus, the team have just opened another spot just up the road in Mona Vale — which is open Monday to Friday, from 10am–2.30pm. Appears in: The Best Cafes in Sydney
It's not always easy being green, but for the inner west's coffee lovers, it could soon be a whole lot more convenient, as the local council announces plans to trial a reusable coffee cup scheme. Taking its cues from a similar initiative in Germany's Freiburg, the pilot program would involve a rotating network of reusable cups that could be collected from, returned to and cleaned by any of the participating cafes. The pilot would launch in a not-yet-specified area in the inner west and, if successful, would be rolled out across the whole region. You'd enjoy all the benefits of owning an environmentally friendly cup, without having to buy one, keep it clean, or stress about accidentally leaving at home every day. And you'd be helping to make a dent in the estimated three billion single-use cups Aussies go through each year. As Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne explains, the initiative would also help reduce the amount of taxpayer funds that are currently being poured into dealing with all those non-recyclable cups. "This is a practical way we can reduce waste, save money and help local cafes meet their customers' preferences for environmentally sustainable products and services," Mayor Byrne said in a statement. Having voted to support the scheme, the Inner West Council will now explore ways of best implementing it across the region and getting local businesses on board, looking to international examples in the fight against waste. It has also agreed to become a partner in the Responsible Cafes program — a nationwide not-for-profit scheme encouraging reusable coffee cup use. The program currently helps save more than 36 million cups and lids from going into landfill each year. Image: Frank Green
Ending the year as you mean to go on is the ultimate New Year's Eve mantra, and it seems that Australia's weather has taken the sentiment to heart. After the country clocked up its third-warmest year on record in 2018, it kicked off 2019 with toasty spells in both Sydney and Melbourne — and another country-wide spate of hot, hot heat is on its way. It is summer, of course; however the next run of warm weather will see the nation affected by a heatwave from Monday, January 14. According to AAP and The Guardian, every state and territory will feel the heat. The mercury will hit the 30s in every capital city, although the impact will differ around the country. And again, while sunny, sweaty days are part and parcel of this time of year, each capital will experience temps above its average maximum for January. The Bureau of Meteorology predicts that Sydneysiders can expect at least a five-day stretch of 30-plus temperatures from Tuesday, while Brisbanites will swelter through the same temps for the whole week. In Melbourne, a maximum of 37 degrees is forecast on Monday, followed by 35 on Tuesday, before easing off down to 21 on Saturday. https://twitter.com/BOM_au/status/1084218154782478337 In what's proving to be a particularly hot start to 2019 in South Australia, Adelaide will reach 41 degrees on Tuesday and 40 on Wednesday — part of a southern spike that'll also see Hobart make it to 30 degrees on Tuesday and Canberra endure a four-day span of temperatures between 38–40 degrees. Perth will bake on Saturday, when a 37-degree day is expected, while Darwin will stay above 30 all week. Wherever you're spending the next seven days, air-conditioning, pools and the beach are your friends.
Whether you spend all day each day at Sydney Film Festival when it rolls around every year, or just fit which flicks you can into your schedule, no movie lover ever wants the Harbour City's annual celebration of cinema to end. That goes double for the fest crew itself, with the team understanding that managing to catch everything that you want to during SFF is impossible. The solution: adding extra days after the event's official closing night for more sessions. For a few years now, SFF puts on a Back By Popular Demand program post-fest — and this year's lineup has just been announced. Yes, closing night will still be on Saturday, June 16. But across Monday, June 17–Thursday, June 20, you'll be able to watch a handful of the festival's films at Dendy Newtown, Palace Cinemas Norton Street and Ritz Cinemas Randwick. From 2024's most-popular titles, 16 pictures are getting encore showings. Each movie is only popping up once more in the Back By Popular Demand season, so this is still a case of needing to snap up tickets quickly. Three such highlights: I Saw the TV Glow, the Sundance hit from We're All Going to the World's Fair's Jane Schoenbrun that's about two teens grappling with their favourite television show getting cancelled; Sasquatch Sunset, which is directed by the Zellner brothers (Damsel), and stars Riley Keough (Daisy Jones & the Six) and Jesse Eisenberg (Fleishman Is in Trouble) as a sasquatch family; and Problemista, as directed by and starring Los Espookys' Julio Torres opposite Tilda Swinton (The Killer). Other returning films include Saoirse Ronan (Foe) as a recovering addict in page-to-screen adaptation The Outrun; In Vitro, an Aussie sci-fi thriller about a couple doing biotech experiments, which features Succession alum Ashley Zukerman; and La Cocina, a restaurant-set dramedy starring Rooney Mara (Women Talking) and directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios (A Cop Movie). There's also Grand Tour, which hails from 2015 Sydney Film Prize-winner Miguel Gomes (Arabian Nights) — and All We Imagine As Light, the first Indian film to play in Cannes' competition in three decades. Viewers can also catch thriller Brief History of a Family from China, documentary Agent of Happiness from Bhutan, Berlinale Teddy Award-winner All Shall Be Well and Silver Bear-winner Dying, plus the Cannes-debuting Motel Destino, Italian box-office hit There's Still Tomorrow, biodoc Charmian Clift — Life Burns High and the Taika Waititi (Next Goal Wins)-produced We Were Dangerous. In total, the encore sessions feature 19 films, with the extra three covering sessions in the fest's Nancy Savoca: True Love Stories retrospective: 1989 Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winner True Love, Dogfight with the late, great River Phoenix and Household Saints. Sydney Film Festival's 2024 Back By Popular Demand bonus screenings hit Dendy Newtown, Palace Cinemas Norton Street and Ritz Cinemas Randwick between Monday, June 17–Thursday, June 20. Sydney Film Festival 2024 takes place from Wednesday, June 5–Sunday, June 16 at various cinemas and venues around Sydney. For more information — and for tickets — head to the festival's website.
These days, you don't have to search too hard to find a bar that talks big about its low-waste ethos and sustainability focus. But the soon-to-open venture from Sydney hospitality stars Matt Whiley (Scout) and Maurice Terzini (Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, Ciccia Bella) will be taking the philosophy to a whole new level and very much putting its money where its mouth is. Making its home in a heritage-listed, late-19th century railway engineering workshops in the newly revamped South Eveleigh precinct from February, Re- is on track to become the first permanent no-waste bar on the planet. It's designed to be a truly world-class drinking destination, but with every single aspect built on an overriding commitment to sustainability — from the furniture, to the light fittings, to the glassware. Having already earned a reputation for his pioneering, planet-conscious methods at Scout, Whiley is keen for this new bar to become a world leader in the low-waste game, helping to shift perceptions and spur on some big changes for the entire hospitality industry. "This is not about preaching what should be done, it's about creating the platform to take the vital conversation around waste in hospitality forward," Whiley said in a statement. Re- is set to serve up a regular rotation of around eight-to-ten signature cocktails, driven by both a strong sense of innovation and that minimal-waste mentality. Expect reimagined classics, including plenty of creatively charged highballs and spritzes. There'll be a tidy food menu of flatbreads, toasties and other snacks to match, heroing reclaimed produce and sustainable ingredients. Whiley will be joined behind the bar by some big-name local talent with Evan Stroeve (Bulletin Place) and Jake Down (This Must Be The Place), who currently work at Four Pillars Laboratory, both set to join the team. [caption id="attachment_716905" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Matt Whiley's now-closed Sydney bar Scout.[/caption] Of course, with a visionary like Terzini at the helm, Re-'s space is set to be every bit as groundbreaking as its offering and ethos. Creative production company Alfred is transforming a section of the historic former Eveleigh Locomotive Workshop into a study in sustainable design. You'll find stairs made from recycled plastic bags, terrazzo-inspired tabletops crafted from recycled bottles and tupperware, and banquette seating finished with pineapple leaf fibre. Reclaimed materials star throughout an assortment of furniture by Philippe Starck and Odger, while mycelium has been used to create the light fittings and wine coolers. Last year, it was announced that the Mirvac's ambitious South Eveleigh project will also play host to a huge dining precinct, espresso bar and coffee research lab from The Grounds team, as well as a new modern Cantonese restaurant by acclaimed chef Kylie Kwong. Re- will open at 2 Locomotive Street, Eveleigh, from February 2021. We'll share further details as they drop. Top image: South Eveleigh Precinct by Mirvac
Sitting on the Pacific Highway, this Killara pub is kind of like a great grandparent — it has your undying respect, just because it's been around so for long. Beyond that respect, though, the Greengate has a whole lot on offer to enjoy, carving its name as one of the North Shore's favourite watering holes. First cab off the rank, it's a really pretty looking pub. The old facade is gorgeous, and the fitout has the feeling of an old style pub that's been updated over time and kept impeccably clean. Which is exactly what has happened, I imagine. The menu at the Highway Bar sticks to the theme, updating a few pub classics like salads, burgers, and standard mains, like the chilli prawn linguine, of course. The menu at the Portico Restaurant deftly handles the more upmarket of the menus, and adds a few contemporary twists to well-known dishes, like the slow cooked pork cheeks with edamame, Thai eggplant and sweet potato. There's also an ample selection of adult beverages throughout both bistros and bars, and the pubs welcomes your doggo to join you for your meal, as long as your best bud is kept on a leash. Image: Greengate Hotel.
Australia's first-ever Ace Hotel, set to open in May this year, has just revealed its highly exciting set of food and drink offerings to complete its sleek design. Set to open in autumn this year, Ace Hotel will boast Kiln, a rooftop restaurant 18 stories above Sydney with acclaimed local chef Mitch Orr (Pilu, ACME) at the helm. Acclaimed interior designer Fiona Lynch will be in charge of crafting the space, while P&V's Mike Bennie rounds out the all-star cast, lending his knowledge of top local drops to help curate the drinks menu. Named for the historic ceramic kiln that used to be located downstairs, Kiln will offer a menu of smokey delights, nightly dinners and weekend brunches. Orr and the team will utilise the kitchen's wood-burning grill and seasonal, locally sourced produce to create the dishes. "Cooking with fire is the most elemental part of cooking, and something every chef loves doing, whether on a hibachi grill in your garden or on a live-fire grill that's the centrepiece of the restaurant," said Orr. "The menu will be structured around sharing — heavy on snacks to start, before moving into a raw section, and then the larger vegetable and protein-led dishes — all with lots of bright acidity to finish the dish, which is exactly the way you want to eat in the open space." The restaurant's dining room will be lined with glass walls offering panoramic views of the CBD surrounds. With the help of Lynch, the space — a former brick factory — is being converted into a vast, open and distinctly Australian eatery inspired by the work of Italian-Australian architect Enrico Taglietti. Accompanying Kiln is a coffee shop, lobby bar and Loam, an all-day diner on the hotel's ground floor. This more relaxed venue will offer sustainably sourced meats and seafood for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day, while the coffee shop will serve up Mecca Coffee to inner-city workers and hotel guests alike. Bookings for the hotel are available through Ace's website. Ace Hotel is located at 47 Wentworth Avenue, Sydney and is set to open from May 1. Kiln's opening is set to follow close behind.
Never has the vegan lifestyle seemed quite so doable as right now. Chefs across the world are doing incredible things with meat-free menus, the move towards conscious fashion has spawned vegan threads that you would actually wear out of the house, and now you can even take a jaunt on the world's first all-vegan ocean cruise. Run by a company called Cruise and Maritime Voyages (CMV), the 100 percent vegan cruise pulls out of London at the end of this month, setting off on a week-long journey through the Norwegian fjords. On board, guests have all the ingredients for a luxe, plant-based vacation, right at their fingertips. Chefs will whip up gourmet vegan eats for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the bar will pouring a range of vegan wines from across Europe alongside plant-based cocktail creations, and even the cabins are stocked up with organic vegan body products. Along with organised activities, spa facilities and onshore excursions, there's also a hefty program of lectures and classes, hosted by a lineup of doctors, nutritionists and other vegan experts. The vegan voyagers will be given free reign to chat about all things vegan without one eye-roll in sight. CMV also runs cruises around Australia and New Zealand so, who knows — it could be just a matter of time before the concept comes here.
Victoria's Grampians National Park is already home to a number of world-class hiking trails, but, come next year, it will have a giant new one that's will be a whole trip in itself. Start stretching, because this will be a big one. When completed in late-2020, the Grampians Peaks Trail will cover 160 kilometres and take 13 days to traverse. It'll connect some of the Grampians' best mountain peaks, providing panoramic views of the southern volcanic plains from Mount Abrupt, winding through the parks low-lying greenery and waterfalls to Mount Zero in the north. The track has been designed so everyone can get some use out of it — whether you're looking for a leisurely day trip or an overnight hike, or ready to commit to an epic two-week adventure. Gariwerd — as it's known by the land's Traditional Owners, the Jardwadjali and Djab Wurrung people — is more than just its rugged, sandstone mountains. The park is heritage listed for its Aboriginal significance (there is a large number of ancient rock art paintings and shelters in the area), its abundance of animal and plant life, and its damn spectacular views. If you're raring to get started, a section of the Grampians Peaks Trail is already open — and it's a three-day circuit, so you can easily make a weekender out of it. As it stands, the 36-kilometre walk starts and ends at Halls Gap and has two campsites — Bugiga Hiker Camp and Borough Huts Campground — and takes in highlights like the Pinnacle, Spitters Falls, the Gate of the East Wind, Mount Rosea and Bellfield Lake. The Grampians Peaks Trail will open in full in late 2020. We'll keep you updated with new details on the track as its launch gets closer.
In news that Sydneysiders have been eagerly awaiting, it has been announced that the new Sydney Fish Market will open its doors on January 19, 2026. The market will feature more than 40 retailers at its striking new location on the harbour at Blackwattle Bay. The new space will continue to showcase the incredible seafood Australia has to offer, from sustainably farmed oysters to wild-caught prawns, and will also feature the opening of vibrant new venues from celebrated chefs such as Luke Nguyen and Junda Khoo. Sydney Fish Market CEO Daniel Jarosch says, "We've waited decades for this new market, and taking this time means we can open with a bang. A January opening gives tenants the time to finish fit-outs this year, and then train staff and prepare operationally, so that they are ready to deliver an incredible experience from day one." After decades of operating at its existing site, this news brings significant change to the Sydney culinary and cultural landscape, with the market not only being a major tourist attraction but also a central part of Sydney's hospitality scene. And for a final hurrah, there will be one last 36-hour Seafood Marathon at the existing location, a Christmas tradition that sees retailers operate from 5am on December 23, straight through to 5pm on Christmas Eve. It is expected that Sydneysiders will turn out in record numbers this year to farewell the landmark site. Jarosch says, "It's the end of an era and the beginning of something extraordinary. We will celebrate one final Christmas in our current home before we open the doors to Sydney's newest waterfront icon. It will also mean a smooth experience for Sydneysiders as they buy their seafood for Christmas. It is an important tradition among many families, and we want to guarantee their access to seafood." The reimagined Sydney Fish Market will bring together old favourites and new vendors to create a vibrant venue that is expected to draw in over six million visitors annually. There will be exciting restaurant openings such as Luke Nguyen's new flagship Southeast Asian restaurant, Lua, and renowned Malaysian chef Junda Khoo's new Tam Jiak by Ho Jiak. Hamsi will bring Turkish charcoal dishes, Le Dea Pizza will offer Italian delights, Cow & The Moon will serve award-winning gelato, and Sergios will surprise with high tea and pastries. Of course, there is a strong focus on fresh seafood, with offerings such as GetFish and GetSashimi's exciting sushi train concept, TJ's Po Boys' lobster rolls, Tin Tin Harbour's classic yum cha and live seafood, and The Japanese Collective's seafood barbecue. "For decades, Sydney Fish Market has held a special place in the hearts of Sydneysiders and visitors alike — a place where people come not just to buy the freshest seafood, but to enjoy the unique blend of culture and heritage. With the new Sydney Fish Market, we honour that legacy while looking firmly to the future. The vision is simple: to create a destination people will return to again and again, not just to buy seafood, but to experience it. This is a place where you can take a behind-the-scenes tour, discover the origins of your meal, and explore the cultures that celebrate seafood across the globe. It's about education, enjoyment, and creating a real sense of connection to the produce, the people, and the place," says Jarosch. Images: Supplied. The Sydney Fish Market is slated to open on January 19, 2026. In the meantime, check out the best seafood restaurants in Sydney.
Any chance to see Yayoi Kusama's work in Australia is huge news, and reason to make a date — including travel plans, if needed — to get immersed in the Japanese icon's infinity rooms, and also be surrounded by pumpkins and dots. So when the National Gallery of Victoria announced that its big summer 2024–25 showcase would be dedicated to the artist, that was enough to make the resulting exhibition a firm must-see. Adding Friday-night parties to the mix is the cherry on top, then. How many ways can Melbourne go dotty for Kusama? It's time to find out from the exhibition's opening on Sunday, December 15, 2024, although answers have been arriving in advance. Kusama's five-metre-tall dot-covered Dancing Pumpkin sculpture has made NGV International's Federation Court its home first. Then came the revelation that the showcase will feature a world record-breaking number of infinity rooms and other immersive installations. And, outside the gallery on St Kilda Road, Kusama's Ascension of Polka Dots on the Trees has wrapped the trunks of more than 60 trees in pink-and-white polka-dotted material. NGV Friday Nights often forms part of the venue's high-profile exhibitions, so it should come as no surprise that the event series is back for Yayoi Kusama. The after-hours parties kick off on Friday, December 20, 2024 for some pre-Christmas fun, then run for 18 weeks until Friday, April 18, 2025. Come quittin' time for the week, Melburnians can add spots to their late-night shenanigans. If you're making a visit from interstate, you'll want to ensure you time it to hit one of the soirees on your trip. Seeing art is obviously on the NGV Friday Nights itinerary, but so is music and culinary experiences. The NGV's Great Hall will welcome live DJ sets, including from Dijok, Small FRY, Elle Shimada, Tanzer and more. In the NGV Garden Restaurant, acclaimed chefs Martin Benn is doing a residency for the exhibition's duration, serving up Asian-inspired dishes using Australian produce, Attendees can also look forward to other dining and drinking options, such as the Moët & Chandon champagne bar, Four Pillars gin bar, Yering Station wine bar and Häagen-Dazs ice cream cart — so there's sparkling, G&Ts, wine flights and frozen treats covered — plus a Japanese-inspired menu from the Great Hall and Gallery Kitchen. Gracing NGV International's walls until Monday, April 21, 2025, Yayoi Kusama features over 180 works, in the largest Kusama retrospective that Australia has ever seen — as well as one of the most-comprehensive retrospectives devoted to the artist to be staged globally, not to mention the closest that you'll get to experiencing her Tokyo museum without leaving the country. Images: Michael Pham / Tobias Titz.
The winter chill is starting to set in across Sydney, which means it's time to bust out your warmest winter woolies once again. Happily enough, to coincide with the start of winter, a heap of private igloos are popping up across the city so you can get your winter escape without even having to leave the big smoke. You'll soon find pop-up winter wonderlands across Sydney as Surry Hills' The Winery and Darling Harbour's Cargo Bar are set to bring back their popular igloos from June. Head to The Winery between Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, September 26, and you can chill out in your wintry bubble with up to seven of your mates. For $50 per person, you'll get a hearty winter set menu for you and your buddies to share featuring olives, Sydney rock oysters, ricotta and pine nut ravioli, The Winery's sausage rolls, baked camembert and a triple chocolate brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Want to take things up a notch? You can add on two hours of unlimited booze for an additional $39 a head. To book, just head over to The Winery's website. [caption id="attachment_773890" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Winery[/caption] If you're keen to kick back in a waterfront igloo, head to Cargo Bar instead. Here, 90 minutes inside a fairy light-lit dome will cost you $59 a head — and includes four tasty dishes and endless drinks, with a choice of beer or wine, and the option to add an espresso martini into the mix for $10. For food, you'll be feasting on mac and cheese balls, birria tacos, buffalo wings and margherita pizza. Hit up the Cargo Bar website to book a spot between Thursday, June 17 and Sunday, September 26. The phenomenon of pop-up winter igloos has been growing in recent years, with igloos currently also occupying Pier One, as well as a bunch of venues down in Melbourne. Private igloos are available to hire at The Winery from Saturday, June 8 and Cargo Bar from Thursday, June 17.
As you're (hopefully) well aware, the season of celebrating all things Mum is mere days away. If you've got a mother in your life who can be a bit trickier to book for on Mother's Day, how about a fried chicken feed that's a hot bucket of finger-licking fun? That opportunity doesn't come around often, but it just so happens to be the occasion taking over the Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel on the big day (Sunday, May 11, if you're yet to mark your calendars). This is the world's first KFC Habanero High Tea. It's the time and place to give back to mums who love a bit of spice and childlike fun. Mums are the guests of honour, and their cliques are welcome too. A DJ will play Mum's favourites all afternoon long, while a crispy menu of fried chicken and the like occupies the tables. Drinks will be flowing to wash down KFC's Popcorn Chicken, nuggets, chips, and the new limited-time Habanero Hot & Crispy, with plenty of other delicious treats available. Tickets are on sale now for $50 per person, and must be purchased in pairs. Who would dare send their mum to a Mother's Day lunch alone? All ticket proceeds will go towards Aussie youth's mental health and wellbeing, through the KFC Youth Foundation, Black Dog Institute and ReachOut Australia.
For one afternoon only, Messina's headquarters in Marrickville is transforming into a massive dance floor. The gelato maker is teaming up with events collective Maple Social for a sun-drenched day party. Leading the DJ lineup is TikTok hero Touch of Funk, who'll be joined by locals CHRS and steevie. They've all been charged with getting you moving, and keeping you that way. In between dance breaks, kick back with a burger and hand-cut fries from Marrickville's Whole Beast Butchery. Meanwhile, Messina's Erin Bar will be peddling signature cocktails. Then, of course, there's the gelato — bucketloads of it. Tuck into all the usual flavours at your leisure, but do make sure you leave room for the Maple Social-inspired special. It's a Canadian maple scoop infused with butter, dotted with chunks of waffle cone crunch and drizzled with maple caramel. Entry to the Maple Social x Gelato Messina Car Park Party is free, but you need to RSVP beforehand. Do that via Instagram @maplesocialclub or Partiful.
Two years after closing to the public back in early 2019 — and three years after first announcing it was undergoing a big makeover — Melbourne's Australian Centre for the Moving Image is set to reopen its doors on Thursday, February 11. And, when film and television lovers step back inside its Federation Square building, they'll notice plenty of changes. If you're going to shut down to undertake extensive $40 million renovations, you want people to see it, after all. Details have been announced over the past couple of years; however, that doesn't make the revamp any less impressive. So, visitors can expect revamped exhibition spaces, new immersive experiences and added interactive activations, including a permanent ode to Mad Max. And, the venue definitely looks different, all thanks to Melbourne architects BKK and experience design firm Publicis Sapient/Second Story. Also part of the makeover: the Lens, a handheld device made out of compressed cardboard that you use while physically moseying through ACMI's galleries, and tap at around 200 different touchpoints to collect objects of interest as you wander. You then take it home with you, and whip it out again to check out all the items you've collected — even after you've left the museum. One of the things you'll want to use the Lens on is ACMI's huge — and free, and permanent — The Story of the Moving Image exhibition, which has an online component and also physically sprawls across 1600 square metres. It's all about the past, present and future of screen culture in all of its forms, including optical illusions, the first projected images, and the ways in which cinema, TV and games have evolved over the past century. ACMI has also spent big on commissioning new work — to the tune of $880,000, which has gone towards 15 projects. Seventy percent are by First Nations artists, and 60 percent feature women in a lead creative role. Visitors will be able to see one, from Gabriella Hirst, during the venue's first solo exhibition after reopening. Called Darling Darling, the video work finds commonalities between the efforts to preserve colonial paintings of the Australian landscape and the real-world preservation of the Murray Darling Basin. The site's two cinemas are also restarting their screening program, beginning with Love & Neon: The Cinema of Wong Kar Wai, a season dedicated to the acclaimed director. And, its curated streaming service, which launched in 2020, is still up and running as well. Other big new ACMI highlights include the Blackmagic Design Media Preservation Lab, which is dedicated to preserving Australia's analogue past and also ensuring that the country's digital present remains accessible — and the high-tech Gandel Digital Future Labs, which are aimed at fostering young creatives. There's also a retail space that boasts decor as vivid as the film and TV-focused items on sale, plus a new dining space called Hero. The latter is a collaboration with Melbourne chef Karen Martini and new venture HospitalityM, takes inspiration from Jacques Tati's 1967 film PlayTime, and serves bites to eat and casual drinks all day. HospitalityM will also run a coffee cart on Flinders Street, and sell cinema snacks. The Australian Centre for the Moving Image reopens its doors on Thursday, February 11, at Federation Square, Flinders Street, Melbourne. Images: Shannon McGrath.
Sip, savour, and step into spring with Roku Gin. The Japanese craft gin brand is celebrating the beauty of the season and the launch of Roku Gin Sakura Bloom Edition with a series of special offers at select Sydney venues. Each venue will craft a bespoke cocktail showcasing the refined flavours of the newly launched gin—the first in the Japanese gin's Seasonal Festive Collection—which highlights the delicate cherry blossom notes. So, which venues are getting involved? Check them out below: [caption id="attachment_970468" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Roku Gin Sakura Bloom Edition at Botanic House[/caption] Botanic House — October 1–31 First up on the roster is Botanic House hidden away in the heart of the Royal Botanic Gardens. Fresh off the launch event for Roku Gin Sakura Bloom Edition with Luke Nguyen, the talented bartenders at this watering hole are adding a special cocktail to its menu called 'A Night in Tokyo' — a delicate fruity number with Roku Gin Sakura Bloom Edition, strawberry-infused Campari and jasmine tea. Terrace on the Domain — October 1–31 Next on the list is this convenient locale at the cusp of the Royal Botanic Gardens opposite the Art Gallery of NSW. Finish a day of perusing the incredible art exhibitions at the Gallery or its new modern art sister gallery next door with a special cocktail and some tasty bites here. Bar 83 — October 1–31 Not one for the faint-hearted — or those afraid of heights — this literal next-level venue is perched atop the iconic Sydney Tower. Bar 83 doesn't just deliver great views; its food and cocktails stack up as well. Its bartenders are serving up the My Amai cocktail. Translated, it means "my sweetness," and it is a subtly sweet drop with Roku Gin Sakura Bloom Edition, rose syrup for even more floral notes with lemon juices and whites for balance. Make the journey up Sydney's arguably most recognisable tower and toast to good company and epic vistas. [caption id="attachment_972384" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Roku Gin at Reign at The QVB[/caption] Reign at The QVB — October 1–31 The 120-year-old Queen Victoria Building has added a regal-themed bar to its decadent offerings. After spending an arvo working your way through the building's sprawling retail venues, make your way here to perch by the opulent windows and people-watch as you enjoy a delectable Roku Gin Sakura Bloom Edition cocktail with your friends (and some delicious eats). Dubbed the Sakuragi Spritz it's a suitably bubbly and fruity number made with Roku Gin Sakura Bloom Edition, St Germain, Pommery Brut Royal Rosé Champagne and chrysanthemum syrup. Me-Gal Mosman — October 1–31 Taronga Zoo's one-of-a-kind eco-retreat is home to an elegant dining room that opened to the public last year. Me-Gal Mosman boasts panoramic views of the Sydney skyline from across the harbour — and a soundtrack of wildlife that you won't enjoy anywhere else in the city. We can't think of a more unique spot to wile away an evening this spring with a delicious floral cocktail. Kid Kyoto — October 1– November 31 Transport yourself to the bustling Japanese city — without the airfare — with an evening at this neon-lit izakaya, Kid Kyoto. Expect nineties tunes (think grunge and rock: lots of Nirvana and Nine Inch Nails) paired with a menu that pays homage to classic Japanese flavours while toying with surprising ingredients and textures. Contrast your surroundings with a bright and floral concoction dubbed the Hanami-tini with Roku Gin Sakura Bloom Edition, Cinzano Bianco and a dash of cherry blossom syrup — it'll put you in the mood for spring. [caption id="attachment_972494" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Roku at Bistro George at Jackson's on George[/caption] Jackson's on George — October 15–November 15 This CBD stalwart is back with inventive pub feeds, a European bistro and an expansive rooftop bar. Jackson's on George is a flash multi-storey and multi-concept pub with a classic pub on the ground floor, a lush bistro above that and an expansive rooftop bar up on top. Here, you can enjoy a Pink Sakura cocktail, a nice celebration of the floral gin with Roku Gin Sakura Bloom Edition, apricot, honey-fermented blueberries and lemon as the sun sets on these warmer evenings in the city. Green Moustache — October 1–November 15 North Sydney's foliage-filled Green Moustache is also taking part in Roku Gin's spring series with a cutesy Princess Peach cocktail. It's a delightfully fruity blend of Roku Gin Sakura Bloom Edition, crème de peche, lemon, rose syrup and whites for lift. Located mere steps from the new Victoria Cross Metro station, it's the perfect place to relax away from the hustle and bustle of the city north of the bridge with a bespoke cocktail. [caption id="attachment_972819" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Roku Gin Sakura Bloom Edition and Grandiflora fragrance[/caption] Each participating venue will offer a unique cocktail, and as a special gift, anyone who orders one of the special cocktails will receive a complimentary sample-sized Grandiflora sakura perfume crafted by florist-turned-perfumier Saskia Havekes, founder of Grandiflora. Havekes used the seasonal gin as the template and inspiration for the delicately floral perfume. This fragrance will only be available at exclusive Roku Gin and Grandiflora events happening throughout spring in Sydney. Sip, savour, and step into spring with Roku Gin. The gin is available at Dan Murphy's stores nationwide. Find out more info and purchase on the website. Enter Roku Gin's competition to win a full-sized perfume here. Images: Mark Sherborne
