Celebrating female runners around the globe, the Nike After Dark Tour is returning to Sydney, with the harbour city again scoring one of seven legs on this international nighttime running series. Launched in 2025 to foster a sense of community and self-expression, the event brought together over 7,000 athletes, regardless of ability, for the debut half-marathon. Now, Nike is running it back in 2026, once more hosting a long run around Sydney. With the precise date and course still to be revealed, just know that this tour invites runners of all backgrounds to show up for themselves, push boundaries and celebrate the collective power of Sydney's women running community. Last year's event started at Rozelle Parklands and finished at Tumbalong Park, featuring stunning views every step of the way. Yet this experience is more than just a 21.1-kilometre run under the stars. A pre-run expotique, complete with a personalised bra fitting, panel discussions and mobility sessions, ensured each athlete arrived at the start line ready to perform at their best. Designed to extend far beyond the traditional race format, each stop on the Nike After Dark Tour includes immersive pre- and post-race experiences that inspire movement, confidence and community. Then, finishing up long after the sun has set, the upbeat atmosphere carries over into the after-party, teeming with live music and rejuvenating food and drink. After your race is run, there's a good chance you'll be looking ahead to the next event on the calendar. With the other stops on this global experience including Shanghai, Mexico City, London, Los Angeles, Manila and Mumbai, each features a one-of-a-kind experience where women's running culture is celebrated in an entirely new way. "I had the privilege of being part of the inaugural Nike After Dark Tour last year in Sydney, Mexico City and Los Angeles," says Nike Pacific Run Coach Lydia O'Donnell. "The tour brought together more than 50,000 runners across seven races on five continents, with nearly half signing up because they were inspired by a series that is built for women — something I'll always be proud to be part of." The Nike After Dark Tour is happening throughout 2026, with Sydney race dates and course information yet to be revealed. Head to the website for more information. Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
For more than 75 years, Club Rose Bay has been a pillar of the local community. In 2026, it enters a new chapter under the management of Merivale, following a considered, year-long refurbishment — the venue's first since 1979 — that adds a suite of new features while honouring its legacy. Overseen by Merivale CEO Justin Hemmes and Surry Hills design studio Akin Atelier (who previously worked with Hemmes to reimagine The Newport), the new-look Club Rose Bay has been extensively transformed with major structural works, new kitchens, refreshed interiors and a landscaped, family- and dog-friendly outdoor area featuring rain gardens, pickleball and basketball courts and an outdoor Airstream bar. [caption id="attachment_1061334" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Vincent Yeung[/caption] While the Merivale stamp may feel incongruous, the renewed Club Rose Bay remains deeply rooted in its history. A newly created memorabilia hall honours more than a century of Australian service and sacrifice, providing space for reflection and education, while a daily reading of the Ode of Remembrance at 6pm — followed by a minute's silence — anchors the club firmly in its RSL identity. Merivale's influence is more overt in the hospitality offering. Leading the charge is Notti's (pictured above), Executive Chef Mike Eggert's playful, casual take on Totti's, serving snacks, pizza, pasta and wood-fired mains. There's also Mr Pop, a 1950s jet-age-inspired cocktail and record bar channelling the glamour of a classic airport lounge — a nod to the site's history as Australia's first international airport. [caption id="attachment_1061331" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Vincent Yeung[/caption] The more traditional club staples have also had a glow-up. Eggert has reworked the classic club menu — think fish and chips, schnitties, steaks, burgers and retro desserts served venue-wide. A revamped sports bar now boasts five pool tables, enormous screens and weekly events including pool competitions. Arguably, though, it's the expansive new courtyard that'll keep locals coming back. Set amid lush landscaping, the dog-friendly outdoor area features a full-size pickleball court, a basketball half-court, alfresco dining zones and an Airstream bar shaking up summer-ready bevs. And if you're rolling in straight from the sand, there are beach showers so you can freshen up before settling in. [caption id="attachment_1061335" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dougal Gorman[/caption]
Tucked beneath sibling venue The Charles Brasserie & Bar in an art deco building on King Street, Osteria Luna channels the moody energy of an old-school red-sauce Italian joint — the kind where the Rat Pack and their hangers-on lingered over martinis and plates of pasta — but reframed through a contemporary Sydney lens. The 106-seat room is draped in velvet, lit like a late-night movie scene and built for long lunches and after-hours rendezvous. Designed by Tom Mark Henry, the underground space layers burgundy velvet curtains, terracotta stone, blue leather booths and moiré wallpaper. A two-person performance stage adds to the sense of occasion, while two private dining rooms, including a terracotta-tiled wine room, further dial up the intimacy. [caption id="attachment_1053882" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] In the kitchen, Executive Chef Billy Hannigan (The Charles) and Head Chef Peter Fiander (Ragazzi, Letra House, Eleven Barrack) keep things anchored in Italian simplicity while borrowing the swagger of those classic Italian–American haunts. Signatures include the dramatic Piatto di Pasta — a single sheet of ravioli stuffed with mushrooms finished with brown butter — alongside spicy vodka conchiglie al forno served in a retro silver dish, pipis olio e aglio (an ode to the favourite order of Ol' Blue Eyes himself) and a golden veal cotoletta. Tableside caprese with seasonal tomatoes adds a touch of theatre, while the crudo bar turns out fresh seafood lifted with lemon, horseradish and capers. At lunch, a show-stopping muffaletta layered with cold cuts, cheese and a zingy olive salad on fresh Sicilian sesame bread takes centre stage. [caption id="attachment_1053883" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] To drink, sommelier Maxime Bellon's wine list champions Italian varietals and Australian expressions, while the signature cocktail, Frankie's Rusty Nail, tips its hat to Sinatra once more. Throughout the day, a silver bell rings out to announce complimentary frozen limoncello coupes gliding through the room. Come 10pm from Thursday to Saturday, the osteria slips into a late-night mode worthy of any self-respecting red-sauce joint — the soundtrack shifts from vinyl-spun Italo disco and vintage lounge to Rat Pack-era classics as the night deepens, matched by waitstaff swapping crisp white jackets for burgundy velvet. And while the full à la carte menu runs until 1am, there's also a tidy late-night selection featuring an Italian meatball burger with provolone and sugo, plus a richly sauced shared pasta that turns late-night supper into something a little more cinematic. [caption id="attachment_1053875" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] Images: Steven Woodburn.
If films that span the unconventional and provocative are what get you in front of the screen, the return of Fantastic Film Festival Australia (FFFA) is a must-see. Pushing boundaries again in 2026 with an audacious program, the festival is bringing its biggest and boldest experience yet, promising a kaleidoscopic showcase of genre, arthouse and alternative cinema that makes for three weeks of wild screenings. Running from Thursday, April 23–Friday, May 15 across cinemas in Sydney and Melbourne, this year's program is stacked for your viewing pleasure. Spanning 37 feature-length films, expect six premiere local features, 14 new international features and 17 iconic classics and restorations. Plus, there are 22 short films ready to give visitors the inside word on the next generation of fearless storytellers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMC8kkwbIQQ Kicking things off is the Australian premiere of Hokum, a supernatural horror starring Adam Scott (Severance) from the mind of Caveat (2020) and Oddity (2024) director Damian McCarthy. For another Aussie premiere, Obsession is director Curry Baker's feature debut, where a cringe-inducing teen rom-com turns into a gore-fest. Bound to make headlines soon, Focus Features recently acquired the horror-thriller for $15 million. On the local front, FFFA 2026 closes with Penny Lane is Dead, Mia'Kate Russell's rip-roaring punk-horror debut. Bringing a distinctly Australian twist to the slasher genre, expect a healthy dose of incisive social satire on internalised misogyny and toxic masculinity. For even more insight, catch Russell as part of a post-film Q&A. Meanwhile, FFFA 2026 also introduces its inaugural Fantastic Film Prize, with four local genre films — Cruel Hands, Lenore, Squids, and Wolf Cat Fever — vying for a $10,000 cash prize. This year's festival also includes two retrospective strands. The first — FLESH//GHOST//MACHINE: Japanese Nightmares — delves into J-Horror's distinctive legacy, featuring defining cinematic moments from the 1960s to the millennium. Think 4K restorations of Ichi the Killer, Dark Water, and Demons. Yet if blood-sucking is more your vibe, the Vampire Weekend retrospective serves up cult films like Let the Right One In, The Lost Boys, and Nosferatu the Vampyre, Werner Herzog's 1979 homage to the silent film. Ready to dive in? In Sydney, the Fantastic Film Festival 2026 is happening at Ritz Cinemas, Randwick, while Melbourne cinema buffs can catch the flicks at Lido Cinemas in Hawthorn, Thornbury Picture House in Thornbury and Brunswick Picture House in Brunswick. Adult tickets are $25, with five- and ten-film festival passes available for $90 and $165, respectively. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP2nDyQWBOU Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
Instantly recognisable in its freeform design and luminescent colours, Dinosaur Designs has become somewhat of a household name when it comes to homewares and jewellery. The Redfern store, Extinct, is the outlet and sample store, where you'll find discontinued designs. It is one of nine outposts for the brand, which also has stores in London and New York. The designs, spearheaded by creative directors Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy, have received acclaim via designer collaborations from the likes of Jac + Jack and Louis Vuitton. Resin remains its core material, with products — necklaces, bangles, bowls, jars, vases — meticulously handcrafted so not one object is ever the same as another.
Bringing the European beach club vibe to Sydney Harbour, Pier One is introducing a sun-drenched encounter designed to make your summer. Launching on Thursday, February 19, and running daily until the end of April from 11am–4pm, POOL by Pier One and Business & Pleasure Co combines a floating pontoon and pop-up swimming pool experience, primed for lazy days perched on the edge of Walsh Bay. Just steps away from the hotel's Pier Bar, guests can expect a social hub ripe with refreshing cocktails, summer nibbles and the buzz of Sydney's most iconic harbour setting. So, take a dip in the netted pontoon, then settle into the luxe poolside seating. While there's no sand or pebbles to sink your toes into, this Euro-inspired escape offers the fair trade of uninterrupted harbour views and undeniable coastal luxury. Once you've cooled off, you're invited to order summery small plates from the Pier Bar menu, like kingfish ceviche and bay bug 'Big Mac' sliders. Meanwhile, there's a signature Business & Pleasure Botanical Spritz to sip on. The namesake beach and outdoor furniture brand has brought the al fresco space to life with an assortment of pastel umbrellas, loungers and decorative touches that evoke Riviera resort towns and Slim Aarons' photographs. "POOL by Pier One is about creating a sense of escape without ever leaving the city," says Kristy McKellar, Director of Marketing at Pier One Sydney Harbour. "It is a space designed for relaxed moments by the water, swimming, socialising and soaking up the harbour views, and a natural extension of our vision to deliver memorable, design-led experiences on Sydney Harbour."
Curating a list of the 50 best bars in Sydney is no easy feat. This city is full of outstanding places to drink, whether they're up on a rooftop, by the water or hidden in a basement. But location is just one part of an extensive set of criteria used to create this definitive list. We've spent years drinking around town to find the tastiest and most creative drinks, the best bartenders, places with the friendliest atmosphere and menus that go above and beyond at just about any price point. To rank this list, we've combined this first-hand experience with scores for the calibre of the fitout, the quality of service, the tastiness of the food offering, the energy of the vibe and of course, the sky-high standard of the drinks. But to be clear, the 50 bars on this list are the best of the best and more than worthy of a visit. Read on to see if some of your favourite watering holes have made the list of the best bars in Sydney and, perhaps, discover a few places you haven't tried yet. Recommended reads: The Best Wine Bars in Sydney The Best Pubs in Sydney The Best Restaurants in Sydney The Best Underground Bars in Sydney The Best Bars in Sydney's CBD
Taking prime position on Kent Street, The James is bringing classic British dining rituals to Millers Point. Set within a charming space that makes you forget the world outside, The James is delivering elevated food and quality service. The latest venture from SRG Hospitality, the group behind venues such as Sails Lavender Bay, Akti and The Neilsen, draws on British heritage and old-world glamour to deliver a dining room that gives 'elevated grandma chic'. It's been designed by Perry Drakopoulos to reflect a modern interpretation of classic English dining rooms and hotel lounges with layered patterns, pink ruched curtains, bespoke ceramic lights and mosaic tile inlays. Head Chef Sam Tuchband's menu honours British icons, grounded in French technique and heroing quality ingredients. "I'm excited to welcome Sydneysiders, as well as guests from across Australia and beyond, to The James. I want people to experience my love for British cuisine. We have designed a menu where guests can visit time and time again and discover something new with each visit," says Tuchband. You might begin with Sydney Rockefeller Oysters, Welsh Rarebit Pain Perdue, or a luxe Lobster Arnold Bennett. Try Bubble & Squeak Lancashire Hotpot, a Blue Mackerel Nicoise, or the signature James Steak Tartare. Classic mains have a creative edge, such as beef short rib with Kampot pepper, Heritage lamb with leek and anchovy, and a spanner crab Waldorf. Or be adventurous and sample the likes of pigeon and venison. Tableside Beef Wellington brings a sense of theatre to the evening, as do showstopping desserts such as sticky toffee soufflé, fig tarte tatin, and rhubarb and custard millefeuille. Drakopoulos, Director at SRG, says, "The James takes something familiar and gives it fresh energy. Food, design, and atmosphere come together naturally. It's relaxed but considered, full of warmth and personality, and works just as well for a long lunch as it does late into the evening." Images: Zi Chen. Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
The way we see it, there are two types of people in the world. First, there are the early risers: those who spring out of bed, salute the rising sun, and throw themselves into the new day with all the gusto and impatience of those raring to get things done. The second group are the nocturnal creatures. Eyes bleary, hair a mess, they arise with a guttural grumble that dissipates only post-double espresso and undisturbed review of the morning paper. In our experience, the one thing that truly unites the early birds and the night owls, regardless of the time of morning, is a deep and enduring love for a hearty breakfast spread. So far, Concrete Playground has brought you Sydney's best brunches, her most delicious a la carte breakfasts and her winning hangover breakfasts. Today, we continue our love letter to the most important meal of the day with a round-up of Sydney's unbeatable breakfast buffets. GRANDMA'S LITTLE BAKERY Best for: A relaxed Saturday morning breakfast with family or friends. If all the Jewish grandmas got together to make one phenomenal breakfast spread, this would be it. Fluffy, homemade spinach and cheese bourekas compete for space on your plate with oven-fresh rolls, fleshy and colourful heirloom tomatoes, creamy pumpkin and zucchini frittatas and four different types of shakshouka. Fresh fruits and vegetables abound; they are sourced from the owners' farm in Collector, NSW and taste like they were picked the very same morning. You can also choose your own Mediterranean adventure, with a selection of hearty dips in tiny tasting plates, which include olive tapenade, hummus, feta sprinkled with za'atar and smoky baba ganoush. Be sure to leave enough space for a round of baked delicacies, like warm scones with farm-made jam and cream, tangy lemon tarts and flourless cakes that your gran would want the recipe for. Wrap it all up in quaint garden-party decor, Di Lorenzo coffee that packs a punch and a cost of only $20 per head (plus drinks) for all-you-can-eat goodness, and your perfect Saturday morning is sorted. 42 O'Riordan Street, Alexandria, Sat 8.30am – noon, www.grandmasbakery.com.au. CAFE OPERA Best for: Foodies who love quality and quantity in equal measures. Cafe Opera turns the breakfast buffet into an art form, with a la carte-quality dishes that showcase the unique talents of local producers. Take a crusty slice of Neu's handmade German bread and smear it generously with locally cultured Pepe Saya butter or honey off the comb, before moving onto a bowl of crunchy Barossa Valley muesli with a generous serve of organic yoghurt. Cafe Opera's executive chef Tamas Pamer takes breakfast seriously, and it shows. The sausages are fashioned from Tasmanian lamb and they burst with Moroccan-inspired flavours; the eggs are cooked to perfection no matter how you order them; and the impressive array of spiced, poached fruits, including pears, peaches and rhubarb, will warm even the frostiest of mornings. Set within the gorgeous sandstone Treasury Building that dates back to 1851, Cafe Opera is a classy location for a breakfast made from only the finest local ingredients. And the best bit? All of the leftover food gets whisked off by OzHarvest at the end of the morning to feed people in need. Intercontinental Sydney, 117 Macquarie Street, Sydney, Mon – Sun 6.30am – 10.30am, www.interconsydney.com.au/cafeopera. GLASS BRASSERIE Best for: A healthy, customisable breakfast buffet in a stunning CBD location When Luke Mangan is serving breakfast, we know to expect a lot, and Glass Brasserie at the Sydney Hilton doesn't disappoint. Fluffy hash browns, melt-in-your-mouth croissants and eggs whichever way you like them are highlights among a solid spread. Even better are the nifty design-it-yourself options that allow careful customisation of your breakfast experience. At the fresh juice bar, mountains of gorgeous seasonal fruits compete to be liquefied into your glass; the golden kiwi fruit and juicy rockmelon pieces had us at hello. The muesli stand offers another opportunity to create your own masterpiece, offering bowls heaped with grains, hazelnuts, dried apples, banana chips, almond slivers and raisins. Nestle in by the windows and watch the corporate types hurry past on George Street below, or marvel at the architectural beauty of the Queen Victoria Building across the street. Either way, you’ll leave feeling nourished, refreshed and ready to tackle the day. Hilton Sydney, 448 George Street, Sydney, Mon – Fri 6 – 10am, Sat – Sun 7 – 11am, www.glassbrasserie.com.au. THE WOODS Best for: A romantic breakfast date or a luxurious splurge with friends. The Woods is where you go when you want to feel pampered. Walk through the stunning marble entryway and into a forest-themed open restaurant where lush, mismatched pot plants and whimsical floral lights create an understated sylvan feel. Sip your morning roast to the sound of veteran pianist Michael's angelic melodies, and take a moment to review and appreciate the dainty and impeccably presented breakfast display. One countertop hosts a range of scrumptious home-style muffins, cakes and pastries; another offers plump sausages, herbed flat mushrooms and tender bacon. Or go bespoke and order a fluffy omelette, made while you watch and presented with an optional chilli kick. Look closely, and you'll find every condiment under the sun scattered throughout the buffet, from raspberry coulis to Nutella to chilli sauce. This attention to even the smallest of details sets The Woods apart as an especially lavish breakfast experience. Four Seasons Sydney, 199 George Street, Sydney, Mon – Fri 6:30 – 10am, Sat – Sun 6:30am – 11am, www.thewoodsrestaurant.com.au CAFE MIX Best for: A variety of bite-sized treats. What we love most about Cafe Mix is its dedication to all things miniature. From tiny tropical smoothies to mini muesli bars, fluffy corn fritters to baby chocolate croissants, if it's a cute and bite-sized breakfast treat, it's on the menu. Mini yoghurt tubs are accompanied by little fishbowls of compotes and coulis, tiny banana and carrot muffins are set out alongside a tray of pint-sized muesli bars, and little gourmet jam jars are presented beautifully at your table, offering interesting options like rose and apricot, Seville bitter orange, and garden strawberry. Many of the baked goods are prepared on-site and arrive on your plate warm and soft from the oven. Of course, breakfast is best accompanied by a suitably diminutive but punchy piccolo latte. Shangri-La Hotel Sydney, 176 Cumberland Street, The Rocks, Mon – Sun 6 – 10.30am, www.shangri-la.com BLUE Cafe Best for: A business breakfast in a chic location BLUE Sydney is an indisputably chic hotel and offers a breakfast buffet to match. Breakfast is laid out under the high gabled ceilings of the iconic Finger Wharf warehouse, with sleek standing heaters dispersed throughout the tables to bring cosiness to the enormous space. Highlights of the spread include hearty house-made baked beans and a delicious 'crunch pot' featuring layers of organic toasted granola, sweet yoghurt, mango puree and passionfruit coulis. Sleek, silver surfaces and stylish black and grey decor are lifted by bursts of colour: a bright bunch of flowers here, a dispenser of freshly squeezed 'detox' juice (watermelon, grape, orange and mint) there. BLUE Sydney gets down to business with breakfast, and is an ideal location for others to do the same. Blue Sydney, 6 Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo, Mon – Fri 6.30 – 11am, Sat – Sun 7am – 12pm, www.tajhotels.com. FEAST Best for: A holiday at home in Sydney. Feast, the recently refurbished restaurant at the Sheraton on the Park, offers a grand, traditional hotel breakfast. All the usual favourites are there, like herbed chicken sausages, sauteed mushrooms and eggs cooked to order by a cheerful chef named Alf. Every other day, Feast gets feisty with innovative interpretations of the morning meal. Most exciting is the breakfast pizza, served steaming from the stone hearth oven, heaped with crispy bacon, slices of sausage, eggs, mushrooms and cheese, and drizzled with a tangy barbecue sauce. Request a table by the storybook windows that overlook Hyde Park and watch the morning sun stream through the grand old fig trees and the twinkling water of the Archibald Fountain. You'll want nothing other than to head straight upstairs, change into a fuzzy bathrobe and spend the rest of the day lazing about in one of the hotel's stylish rooms. Sheraton on the Park, 161 Elizabeth Street Sydney, Mon – Sun 6.30 – 10.30am, www.feastsydney.com.au.
His hotel concierges are charismatic and committed, while his lobby boys are devoted and delightful. His foxes are nothing short of fantastic, and his dogs are as resourceful as they are adorable. Every time that he turns his attention to a family dynamic — be it siblings, strained parent-child relationships or friendships so close that they feel like bonds of blood — dysfunction always reigns supreme. And, when all of the above occurs, it does so within immaculately symmetrical yet immensely eccentric frames. Yes, we're talking about Wes Anderson, and the distinctive body of work that the American filmmaker has splashed across cinema screens over the past three decades. Usually chronicling some kind of caper, often featuring a retro 60s and 70s soundtrack, and styled so meticulously that each image could happily hang on anyone's wall (in fact, he's even curated museum exhibitions), his films are like no one else's. Often brought to life by a familiar cast of faces — Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Anjelica Huston, Tilda Swinton, Willem Dafoe, Adrien Brody, Bob Balaban, Edward Norton, Scarlett Johansson and Benicio del Toro, to name a few — they firmly resonate on their own frequency. And, understandably so, they've amassed quite a following. But, from a filmography to-date that spans from Bottle Rocket to The Phoenician Scheme, which is the best? As always, that's a subjective question. Like ranking Studio Ghibli movies, it's also a task made all the more difficult by a simple fact: Wes Anderson has never made a bad film, not once. That said, while some are flatout masterpieces that will always stand the test of time, others are entertaining but don't necessarily demand multiple rewatches. That's what we found when we revisited the 13 features (well, 12 and four shorts packaged as an anthology film, which we're counting) currently on his resume, and soaked in his inimitable cinematic creations. And, here are the results: our rundown of Anderson's films from worst — again, not that there's any such thing as a terrible Anderson flick — to best. 13. Moonrise Kingdom By virtue of their format, a ranked list always requires something to come in last place. Moonrise Kingdom earns that honour on Wes Anderson's filmography — not because it isn't great, which it is, but because it's the movie on his resume that can stick in the mind the least. A bittersweet story about first love and finding a home, it's also the rare Anderson film that feels as much a part of its genre as part of the director's oeuvre. In other words, it's definitely an Anderson flick, but it also charts rather recognisable coming-of-age territory. Still, watching 12-year-olds Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward, Slayers) and Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman, Angry Neighbours) set the New England island of New Penzance aflutter when they run off in the name of romance is typically charming. Moonrise Kingdom streams via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. 12. The Darjeeling Limited In Anderson's fifth film, three brothers take a train across India in the eponymous locomotive. During their trip, Francis (Owen Wilson, Loki), Jack (Jason Schwartzman, The Last Showgirl) and Peter (Adrien Brody, The Brutalist) work through their sibling baggage while literally carting around matching orange-hued, monogrammed baggage. It's been a year since they last crossed paths at their father's funeral, and life isn't treating any of them kindly — with Anderson and co-writers Schwartzman and Roman Coppola (Mozart in the Jungle) balancing the brothers' existential malaise with episodic antics both on the train and off. As stylish as any Anderson-directed feature, The Darjeeling Limited is served best by its performances, as well as its touching blend of sadness and humour. The Darjeeling Limited streams via Disney+, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. 11. Bottle Rocket When Anderson made his feature directorial debut back in 1996, he did so with this crime-comedy caper about three friends planning a series of heists in the absence of any other direction in their lives. Based on a short film of the same name that he helmed two years prior, and co-written with Owen Wilson, who also stars, Bottle Rocket establishes many of the filmmaker's trademarks from the outset — including his penchant for witty interactions, as well as his love of dressing his characters in coordinated outfits. Owen Wilson plays Dignan, the driving force; however, as his recently voluntarily institutionalised best friend Anthony, this is Luke Wilson's (No Good Deed) time to shine. A third Wilson, their elder brother Andrew (Father Figures), also pops up, because of course he does. Bottle Rocket streams via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. 10. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More It might've originally been released as four separate short films, led by Best Live-Action Short Oscar-winner The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, but this 2023 addition to Anderson's resume always made sense as an anthology. In its 39-minute namesake chapter, Ralph Fiennes (Conclave) plays Roald Dahl, who did indeed pen the tale that gives this suitably symmetrically shot affair its name — the book it's in, too. The account that the author spills to start is about a man who has learned to see without his eyes (Ben Kingsley, The King of Kings), the doctor (Dev Patel, Monkey Man) fascinated with him and the gambler (Benedict Cumberbatch, Eric) who wants to master the trick, and is one of several in a movie that enthusiastically makes Anderson's love of layers known in its playful structure as much as its faux set. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More streams via Netflix. Read our full review. 9. Isle of Dogs A literal underdog tale about scrappy canines, a plucky orphan and a pooch-hating politician with an evil scheme, Isle of Dogs is one of the most Wes Anderson-esque movies the filmmaker has ever made. Filled with heart, humour and witty dialogue, this doggone delight is constructed with the tail-wagging enthusiasm of man's best friend — and, as well as sporting all of the beloved Anderson traits (quirky quests, spirited characters, symmetrical compositions, a distinctive colour palette and a huge cast among them), it tells a stellar story. The setup: when his uncle, Megasaki City's mayor, bans all dogs to Trash Island, 12-year-old Atari (Koyu Rankin, Dead Boy Detectives) risks his life to follow his four-legged companion. At every moment, the director fills his narrative to the brim like an overflowing bowl of dog treats, spoiling viewers like he'd spoil his own animal companion. Isle of Dogs streams via Disney+, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. 8. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou will always be Anderson's undersung gem. It's so quintessentially Anderson and, with its length, it's guilty of sprawling — but every absurdist moment is a marvel. The premise, casting Bill Murray (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) as a Jacques Cousteau-style oceanographer intent on getting revenge on the just-discovered jaguar shark that killed his best friend, is instantly amusing. Trapping a crew of offbeat folks at sea while Zissou pursues his quest provides plenty of comic as well as thoughtful moments, too. The soundtrack of David Bowie songs, including Portuguese-language covers by The Life Aquatic co-star Seu Jorge, sets the pitch-perfect mood. And, visually, Anderson's pans through a cross-section of the ship are always striking. Also, no one has ever watched this film and not immediately wanted a pair of Team Zissou sneakers. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou streams via Disney+, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. 7. Rushmore In Anderson's 1998 breakout film, there's nothing that Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) loves more than Rushmore Academy. As the director conveys so engagingly, his 15-year-old protagonist has spent the bulk of his life at the exclusive private school — mainly starting extra-curricular clubs, as well as annoying both the headmaster (Brian Cox, The Parenting) and his classmates with his enthusiasm, all while barely caring about his grades. Then, just as he befriends a wealthy company owner (Bill Murray), Max falls for the new first-grade teacher (Olivia Williams, Dune: Prophecy). One of the best of Anderson's coming-of-age films, Rushmore deploys both Schwartzman and Murray to perfection, while weaving a smart yet also often dark comedy about learning to adjust your dreams. Rushmore streams via Disney+, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. 6. Fantastic Mr Fox Combine Anderson, a magnificent Roald Dahl-penned all-ages story and stunning stop-motion animation, and you get a match made in cinematic heaven. Dahl wrote the acclaimed 1970 children's novel about the canny and cunning titular fox, of course, while Anderson brings it to vibrant life with a voice cast that includes George Clooney (Wolfs), Meryl Streep (Only Murders in the Building), Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe (Nosferatu) and Owen Wilson (and via a script co-written with Frances Ha, Marriage Story and White Noise's Noah Baumbach, too). While Fantastic Mr Fox marked Anderson's first animated feature, he's a natural when it comes to witty comedy paired with playfulness and a whole lot of sight gags. As for the story, it follows Mr Fox's (Clooney) efforts to outsmart a trio of mean farmers — and it's told here with energy, personality and Anderson's usual flair. Fantastic Mr Fox streams via Disney+, Stan, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. 5. The French Dispatch Editors fictional and real may disagree — The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun's Arthur Howitzer Jr (Bill Murray) among them — but it's easy to use Wes Anderson's name as both an adjective and a verb. In a sentence that'd never get printed in this film's titular tome (and mightn't in The New Yorker, its inspiration, either), The French Dispatch is another one of the most Wes Anderson movies Wes Anderson has ever Wes Andersoned. It spins three main stories and a couple of delightful interludes like it's laying out pieces from its titular magazine, and it's as symmetrical, idiosyncratic and thoughtful as the writer/director's work has even been. Plus, the cast is packed, as well as glorious in offbeat performances as always, with Tilda Swinton (The Room Next Door), Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), Benicio del Toro (Reptile) and Jeffrey Wright (The Last of Us) among the standouts. The French Dispatch streams via Disney+, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. 4. The Phoenician Scheme It'll always be a glaring oversight that Ralph Fiennes didn't win every award that he could for The Grand Budapest Hotel. Here's hoping that Benicio del Toro's efforts in The Phoenician Scheme aren't similarly overlooked. After the actor's sublime work for Anderson in one of The French Dispatch's segments, the Traffic Oscar-winner is again exceptional as Anatole 'Zsa-zsa' Korda, who starts this film in a plane crash, then trying to appoint his sole daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton, The Buccaneers), a trainee nun, to agree to be his heir. They give each other a trial period — as a father, and as the person who'll carry on Zsa-zsa's legacy. Their other key focus: attempting to enact the titular scheme. Both del Toro and Michael Cera, as a Norwegian tutor, couldn't be more at home in front of Anderson's lens. This is also one of his movies that cuts deep emotionally, and seamlessly shows how he's a master at his usual touches while also venturing into new territory. The Phoenician Scheme released in Australian cinemas on Thursday, May 29, 2025. Read our interview with Benicio del Toro and Michael Cera. 3. Asteroid City Asteroid City is Anderson's 11th movie, also a desert spot known for a hefty crater caused 5000 years ago and a play about said locale. As the film itself tells viewers direct to-camera, however, the latter two — the setting and the theatre show — definitely aren't real, even within the world of the feature itself. Anderson gets especially playful in this film about a Junior Stargazer convention, the motley crew of folks that it brings to town in September 1955 and the otherworldly interloper who causes chaos. Staging a play within a TV show within a movie, he gets as smart and moving as his work has ever been to contemplate art, authenticity, and the emotions found in and processed through works of creativity, too. As the closest thing that the ensemble piece has to leads, Jason Schwartzman and Scarlett Johansson (Fly Me to the Moon) are astronomically spectacular, as are the film's look, feel, insightful musings, sense of humour and crater-sized impact. Asteroid City streams via Paramount+, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. 2. The Grand Budapest Hotel Many a well-known actor has graced Anderson's frames. Most have done so multiple times, with Bill Murray appearing in ten of his 13 films thus far. But no one has put in a performance quite like Ralph Fiennes as M. Gustave in The Grand Budapest Hotel. As the dedicated concierge at the titular holiday spot in the Republic of Zubrowka, he's a powerhouse — as amusing as he is charming, vibrant, confident, soulful, wily and determined. Indeed, it's no wonder that Anderson lets this layered tale of friendship, war, fascism and tragedy hang off his leading man. The rest of his ensemble cast works a treat, including Saoirse Ronan (Blitz) and then-newcomer Tony Revolori (Servant), and this is one of Anderson's most aesthetically stunning creations. Still, without Fiennes, it would've lacked quite a bit of its ample magic. The Grand Budapest Hotel streams via Disney+, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. 1. The Royal Tenenbaums In his first two films, Anderson focused on characters striving for greatness, be it through pulling off heists in Bottle Rocket or tying their identity to their school in Rushmore. In The Royal Tenenbaums, the titular family's three children were all once great. In fact, they were child prodigies. But as adults, their lives have seen more disappointment and joy, a truth that stern widower and finance whiz Chas (Ben Stiller, Nutcrackers), fiercely private playwright Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow, The Politician) and ex-tennis star Richie (Luke Wilson) are forced to face just as their father (the now-late, great Gene Hackman, Welcome to Mooseport) resurfaces and their mother (Anjelica Huston, Towards Zero) prepares to get remarried. Although undeniably whimsical, it's the most melancholy, poignant and deeply felt of the director's features. And, in its visuals and its performances, it's also oh-so-rich with affecting detail. The Royal Tenenbaums streams via Disney+, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video.
Sydneysiders are no strangers to a spa day. Some of the most luxurious pampering in the country can be experienced in the Harbour City, most notably at the wealth of top-of-class day spas found at Sydney's five-star hotels. For many, a day of self-care is typically a solo affair, but now, a new wave of wellness retreats are redefining relaxation as a group activity. While the facilities at these venues are cutting edge, the wisdom behind them dates back to antiquity, when bathhouses not only offered a chance to purify and unwind but also a place to gather. [caption id="attachment_977175" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Soak Bathhouse Alexandria[/caption] Originating in Queensland with bathhouses in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast, Soak has expanded its footprint to NSW, opening a new outpost in Sydney at Bondi Junction, with a second set to open in Alexandria in April 2025. Both will feature expansive mineral pools in leafy surrounds where guests can melt away their stress while enjoying each other's company. Communal areas will also boast thermal spas, saunas and steam rooms, and a chilled plunge pool for an invigorating dunk, while a range of private therapies and treatments — including infrared sauna sessions, LED facial treatments and expertly delivered deep-tissue massages — will be available for spa-day purists who prefer not to share their serenity. The signature luxe fitouts of Soak bathhouses, replete with marble tiling and brushed gold finishes, conjure a sense of opulent escapism, transporting visitors to a realm of zen far from the urban hustle of the city outside. [caption id="attachment_985804" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Slow House Bathhouse[/caption] Just down the road from Soak Bondi Junction, Slow House is located within the new Pacific Building overlooking Bondi Beach. This 700-square-metre subterranean spa complex is the brainchild of wellness mavens Natassjha and Jody Coggan and features a traditional cedar sauna, steam rooms (which they claim are the first ever located at Bondi Beach), ice baths and soothing magnesium pools. Much like Soak, Slow House complements its communal spaces with individual spa treatments, including private infrared sauna suites, and a variety of massages and facials. To meet the needs of a diverse range of clientele with different schedules, this up-market sanctuary is open daily from 6.30am–9pm, sporting a soothing interior of sandstone tones and piercing aquas that feel both modern and timeless. [caption id="attachment_985806" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Capybara Bathhouse, Surry Hills[/caption] One of the first of this vanguard of new Sydney bathhouses to open, welcoming its first tranquility seekers in April 2024, Capybara in Surry Hills draws on wellness rituals from around the world, from Japanese sentos and onsens, Russian banyas and Moroccan hammams to Mayan temazcals, Jewish mikvehs and Korean jjimjilbangs. Taking its name name from the large South American rodents with a penchant for hot springs, Capybara was created by six friends — Natalie Cheung, Rebecca Qin, Justin Lo, Daegeon Song, Nicholas Souksamrane and Sebastian Tsang — who shared a vision for a new way to unplug and unwind. While shared relaxation is central to this spa's ethos, the experience has been carefully curated to avoid overcrowding. Groups of up to four arrive in 15 minute intervals, with a maximum of 20 guests admitted per 90-minute session. After a soothing shower, guests can explore the hot-stone sauna or steam room before a relaxing soak in the generous magnesium baths and a bracing dip in the two-person ice plunge pool. There are heated benches and an ice scrub where guests can scour away dead skin or alternatively, there are a range of herbal and mineral scrubs that can be purchased on arrival, to be used in the spa's dedicated exfoliation nooks. [caption id="attachment_985807" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sense of Self Bathhouse, Surry Hills[/caption] Joining Capybara in Surry Hills, Melbourne wellness brand Sense of Self will boast the largest bathhouse in Sydney when it opens later this year, set across 1000-square metres in a converted warehouse on the Surry Hills–Paddington border. Hoping to replicate the runaway success of its debut venue in the trendy Melbourne suburb of Collingwood, which opened in 2020, Sense Of Self Sydney will boast multiple large mineral pools heated to a pleasant 39-degrees Celsius, as well as saunas, a Hammam-style steam room and chilled plunge pools alongside a suite of private treatment rooms for various therapies from massages to facials. Visits have no fixed duration — guests are encouraged to take their time and even have a nap should their levels of relaxation demand it. The aesthetic of the Surry Hills space is part industrial chic, part zen garden, part contemporary onsen with a modern palette of rust reds and deep terracotas contrasting exposed brick walls and striking structural columns, channelling a similarly uber-cool spirit to its sister venue in Melbourne. "Bathhouses are so much more than the sum of their parts. They serve different functions for different people; from recovery bathing through to social connection and body acceptance, and we love catering to all of those needs," Sense of Self Founder and Director Freya Berwick says. "Sense of Self is a space that holds and positively challenges our guests and our goal is to balance inspiring yet functional design with warmth, accessibility, and customer care."
On a future visit to Hoyts cinema in Australia, you might be catching your movie of choice not just on the big screen, but in IMAX. The two companies — Hoyts and IMAX — announced a partnership in July with the goal of launching up to five state-of-the-art IMAX with Laser systems around the country. First stop was Hoyts Melbourne Central, now we know the next four locations to follow. Before 2025 comes to an end, timed before Avatar: Fire and Ash arrives, Hoyts Chadstone will add IMAX to its offering in mid-November, before Hoyts Carousel in Perth, Hoyts Melbourne Central and Hoyts Blacktown in western Sydney open in mid-December — hopefully before the third Avatar film releases on Thursday, December 18, 2025. This isn't the first time that Hoyts and IMAX have joined forces, but they haven't worked together on an IMAX site since 2019. There could still be more additions to come, since the chain operates in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory, too. So, if you live in those states, start crossing your fingers. Wherever else Hoyts rolls out its new IMAX with Laser systems, viewers will enjoy 4K images displayed via an optical engine with custom-designed lenses — and showing the widest range of colours in IMAX yet — plus precision audio. "Hoyts is delighted to partner with IMAX to introduce four new screens across Australia, giving movie lovers even more ways to enjoy blockbusters on the big screen," said Hoyts Group CEO and President Damien Keogh. "The release of Avatar: Fire and Ash in December — and a tremendous 2026 slate behind it — represent a golden opportunity for IMAX and its exhibition partners around the world," added IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma1x7ikpid8[/embed] Fittingly, Australia is currently embracing IMAX in a big way. From just four locations earlier in 2025 — in Carlton in Melbourne, in Sydney, and also on the Gold Coast and in Canberra since late 2024 — the country is the tenth market box-office wise for the format around the globe. Expanding the country's super-sized cinema options, this is the third round of new IMAX locations announced in the last year. Another new Melbourne venue has been confirmed as well, launching at Village Cinemas Fountain Gate the end of 2025. Plus, EVT, the hospitality company behind Event Cinemas, has a quartet of IMAX screens on the way at venues yet to be revealed. Three will welcome in movie lovers in 2026, with the fourth arriving before 2027 is out. Hoyts' new IMAX locations are set to start rolling out in November and December of 2025. Keep an eye on the Hoyts website for more details in the interim.
The Surry Hills shopping experience is a rite of passage for Sydney locals. There's something distinctly cosmopolitan and a little bit magical about wandering the streets of Surry Hills, looking for your next purchase. One of the harbour city's most thriving cultural hubs, the suburb is known for its vibrant collection of shops that have everything you need, from artisan cheese to designer threads and rare books, as well as plenty of coffee. But with so many places to choose from scattered across a labyrinth of streets and lanes, it can be hard to know where to start. That's why we've put together a list of where to shop like a local in and around Surry Hills to help you navigate the quaint corners of Bourke Street and bustling crowds of Crown Street like a seasoned professional.
First, Lune perfected croissants, so much so that the Australian bakery chain is renowned for its flaky pastries all round the world. Then came giving cruffins, aka croissant-muffin hybrids, a spin. For Easter, the obvious next step followed: hot cross cruffins, for when you want a hot cross bun, but you're also hankering for a croissant and a muffin — and you don't want to have to choose. Lune's hot cross cruffins have been popping up annually for years, but 2025's batch is different. This time, they're made using the acclaimed bakery's signature croissant dough. You can also pick between two varieties this year, too: the OG and chocolate. Can't decide which one, after being unable to select between hot cross buns, croissants and muffins to start with? You can get mixed packs featuring both. The hot cross cruffins hit Lune's shelves at all stores on Monday, April 7 — so at Armadale, Fitzroy and the CBD in Melbourne; South Brisbane and Burnett Lane in Brisbane; and Rosebery and Martin Place in Sydney. You've only got until Easter Monday to enjoy them, however. Lune is open every day across the Easter long weekend from 8am, and will either close at each store's regular time or earlier if everything is sold out prior. Single hot cross cruffins cost $10.50 each — or, you can also order pre-order those aforementioned six packs for $63, but you can only do so until Friday, April 18, and only for collection at Fitzroy, Armadale, South Brisbane and Rosebery. If you're a fruit hot cross bun fan all the way, Lune's hot cross cruffins feature dried fruit, candied peel, mixed spice and brown butter mousseline. For chocolate lovers, you're getting hot cross cruffins made with cocoa choc-chip croissant pastry and chocolate mousseline. Each features a cross on top, of course, but only the chocolate version boasts a cocoa cross. Also worth noting: that Lune has just launched an ongoing loyalty program for pastry fiends. Lune's Easter specials are available until Monday, April 21. Head to the brand's website — or to its stores at Armadale, Fitzroy and the CBD in Melbourne; South Brisbane and Burnett Lane in Brisbane; and Rosebery and Martin Place in Sydney — for more details. Images: Peter Dillon.
The Southern Highlands may be just a 90-minute drive southwest of Sydney, but its string of villages, idyllic landscape and impressive producers will have you forgetting all about city life. Here, you can stay in a 19th-century estate, taste locally produced wine and whisky, peruse a whole heap of art and feast at a hatted restaurant — all in just one weekend. And to help you get the most out of your trip to the Southern Highlands, we've put together a guide to the best places to eat, drink, play and stay. Grab your partner or some mates, base yourself in the lovely little town of Bowral for a few nights and start exploring. [caption id="attachment_770250" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bendooley Estate via Destination NSW[/caption] EAT AND DRINK Every weekend away should involve a good brunch, and Bowral offers just that in the form of The Press Shop. Part printing workshop and part cafe, the diner showcases Southern Highlands produce at its best with its farm-to-fork mentality. The cafe also offers one fine cuppa — though coffee-fiends may want to save their caffeine intake for Bowral's boutique roastery Rush. At some point during the weekend, you'll need to make tracks to Bendooley Estate, which is on our list of ten awesome NSW cellar doors. But the 200-acre property doesn't just offer a cellar door — it's also home to a luxe restaurant, an alfresco cafe and an outpost of the much loved Berkelouw bookshop, with thousands of new, secondhand and rare titles. You can also expect stunning views across the vineyard and, of course, some fine regional wine. [caption id="attachment_771032" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Peppergreen Estate via Destination NSW[/caption] The whole region is home to over 60 vineyards and 17 cellar doors specialising in cool-climate wine varieties like pinot noir and riesling. You can use this handy Southern Highlands wine trail map to get you started. Be sure to include a stop at Peppergreen Estate, where you'll find wines on sale alongside extra virgin olive oil produced from the vineyards adjoining olive grove. Then there's Artemis Wines, which has woodfired pizzas on every Saturday and Sunday — plus BYO vinyl nights, movie nights and yoga events occurring regularly, too. And you cannot miss trips to the award-winning Tertini cellar door and Tractorless Vineyard — at the latter, the biodynamic wines are made by letting sheep graze on the weeds in lieu of using machines and pesticides. Wine not your thing? Whisky and gin fans should instead head to the Joadja Distillery, where free tours and tastings of its small-batch drops are on offer every weekend. Meanwhile, lovers of craft beer should stop by Eden Brewery in Mittagong — and pop across the road to Gumnut Patisserie for a pie to enjoy with your tasting paddle. And, if you have the cash to splash for dinner, be sure to reserve a table at Eschalot, which serves up fine dining from a quaint stone cottage in Berrima. [caption id="attachment_770408" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dirty Janes via Destination NSW[/caption] DO The Southern Highland's boasts some pretty spectacular outdoor sights, including the well-known trio of waterfalls — namely Fitzroy, Belmore and Carrington — and an abundance of hiking trails. If you do plan on stopping by the Fitzroy Falls and have a few hours to spare, you'll be well-placed to complete the 1.5-hour West Rim walking track through lush rainforest. Alternatively, epic views of Bowral and Mittagong are on offer at Mount Gibraltar Reserve, or swap your bushwalk for a trip to The Southern Highlands Botanic Gardens in Bowral. If you'd rather take things at a more leisurely pace, spend some time wandering through Bowral's many boutiques and specialty stores. You'll find a mix of eclectic and antique homewares at Barbara's Storehouse, Dirty Janes and The Bronte Tram, indoor plants at The Potting Shed and delicious handmade chocolates and marshmallows at Ms Peacock Confections. Art aficionados can easily enjoy an art trail, with heaps of studios set in and around the Bowral town centre. Popular galleries include Bowral Art Gallery — which offers a regularly rotating lineup of exhibitions, painting workshops and events — and The Milk Factory, where the contemporary exhibitions are paired with a gallery shop selling resin jewellery and blown glass. Around the wider Southern Highlands region, you can also take sculpture classes, pick up some handmade ceramic homewares and even visit a puppet centre. Find more art options in the surrounding region over here. [caption id="attachment_897212" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Peppers Craigieburn[/caption] STAY Bowral's small-town vibes make staying in boutique accommodation a must. Peppers Craigieburn offers just that — each of the rooms in this country hotel overlooks the expansive 36 hectare garden estate and private nine hole golf course. For something altogether more modern and glam, hit up Berida Hotel. Not only do you get spacious rooms with lavish furnishings and fittings, but you'll also have access to the hotel's own spa — an essential for anyone wanting to really spoil themselves on a weekend away in the Southern Highlands. For those travelling on a bit of a budget, you can even rent a room at the local Bowral Hotel. This pub has a few motel-style rooms around the back that have been recently refurbished. Grab some pints and classic Aussie pub grub before taking the short walk to your room for a good night's sleep. It will help you have a proper local experience in the Southern Highlands. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world. Top image: Destination NSW
Baptist Street Rec. Club is no more. In its place: Vitelli's Upstairs, which brings late-night, New York-Italian energy to Redfern's Wunderlich Lane precinct. From House Made Hospitality — the team behind Hinchcliff House, Martinez and Etheus — the low-lit newcomer draws inspiration from New York's classic red-sauce restaurants, where portions, flavours and vibes are dialled up to 11. The crowd-pleasing menu by House Made Culinary Director Stephen Seckold and Executive Chef Elliot Pinn centres on nostalgic Italian-American classics made for sharing. Sauce-heavy pasta — made daily by the Grana team — anchors the offering, with staples like pork-and-fennel meatball spaghetti and vodka-sauced pipe rigate topped with chicken parmigiana sitting alongside seasonal dishes like baked rotolo with summer greens and ricotta, and tiger prawn gemelli spiked with Calabrian chilli. Elsewhere, a dedicated milanese section reinforces the comfort-food brief, as do snacks and starters like fried lasagne bites, porchetta-crusted ribs and parmesan-packed garlic bread with a punchy parm dipping sauce. [caption id="attachment_1072954" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] A 20-seat cocktail bar becomes the centre of gravity as the night unfolds, especially when DJs arrive on Friday and Saturday nights. The drinks list follows the same Italian logic as the food, with a program of aperitivo-friendly cocktails, amari, house-made cellos and Italian wines designed to pair with a late-night bar menu. On it, you'll find dishes like garlic, chilli and broccoli capelli, waffle fries aglio e olio and a Calabrian chilli and stracchino cheeseburger, all available until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays. While the menu has undergone a complete overhaul, the space itself received a lighter touch. Dark timber tables and booth seating remain, now joined by burgundy walls, heavy velvet curtains and low-set pendant lighting above candlelit tables. Two new private dining rooms — including one with karaoke — add flexibility and intimacy for group gatherings. [caption id="attachment_1072944" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] Top images: Steven Woodburn.
Returning with another jam-packed program spanning natural, built and cultural heritage, the 2026 Australian Heritage Festival NSW features over 150 free and ticketed attractions. Themed around 'Change,' the latest edition asks audiences to consider how time shapes cultural, social and environmental heritage, and reflect on how these stories are remembered, forgotten and rediscovered. Decking out the NSW cultural calendar with an entire month of experiences and attractions, the festival launches on World Heritage Day on Saturday, April 18, and runs until Monday, May 18. Taking over both metropolitan and regional areas throughout the state, expect fascinating performances, special exhibitions, compelling talks and panels alongside walks, workshops and tours that bring people closer to history. In 2026, highlights include Paranormal Nights at Old Government House, an evening ghost tour of Australia's oldest public building, and Lindesay After Dark, where wine and canapes complement the manicured gardens of this remarkable 19th-century mansion. If you're more underbelly than upper crust, The Black Hand in Sydney delves into locations frequented by the city's early mafia kingpins. Beyond Sydney, the program remains just as fascinating. In Newcastle, historian Ed Tonks reveals the stories of Hunter Street, once home to 55 pubs. Then, rising to the Blue Mountains village of Faulconbridge, the Norman Lindsay Vintage Fair offers retro market stalls, classic cars, a vintage fashion parade and more throwback goodness. With hundreds more events to explore, this festival is the ideal opportunity to learn more about your corner of the world. Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
March in Sydney brings plenty of reasons to book a table, with a calendar stacked with limited-time menus worth planning around. From luxe champagne and fried chicken menus to rooftop spritz sessions and taco takeovers direct from Mexico City, this month's specials board is big on flavour and light on excuses. Here's what to eat and drink in Sydney right now — get in while it's good. [caption id="attachment_1077996" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Front of House[/caption] The Chicken & Champagne Club arrives at Barangaroo House Throughout March, Barangaroo House is going high-low with its month-long Chicken & Champagne Club. Available across House Bar, Rekōdo and Smoke Bar, the limited-time menu pairs Japanese fried chicken — think: togarashi fried chicken buckets, lobster-stuffed wings and karaage topped with caviar — with pours of Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot and Dom Pérignon by the glass or bottle. It runs from March 5–31, just ahead of Australian Venue Company's takeover of the three-level landmark in April. Find out more here. Mushroom pizza takeover at Gigi's This month, celebrated Balmain pizzeria Gigi's is putting mushrooms front and centre with a limited-time menu designed to prove they're the true heroes of pizza. Chef-owner Daniel Semrani — whose pies have earned praise from Jamie Oliver — is swapping tomato bases for whipped mushroom butter and topping slices with seared, steak-style Swiss browns for a juicy, umami-packed bite. Highlights include the prosciutto-topped Mushroom Whip and the marinara-inspired Umamified (both available until March 6) and the rich and creamy Mushroom Royale — so popular it's joining the permanent menu. Philthy Chapel: 20 Chapel takes over the Philter Brewing kitchen On Sunday, March 8, Marrickville favourites 20 Chapel and Philter Brewing join forces for a one-day collab dubbed Philthy Chapel. Corey Costelloe and his team will take over the brewery kitchen with a fire-led lineup including barbecue octopus with romesco, leek and hazelnut, grilled Mooloolaba prawn skewers and exclusive 20 Chapel snack packs, in which the restaurant's cult-fave wagyu fat wedges are topped with Blackmore wagyu, CopperTree Farms crème fraiche and housemade chilli jam — with Philter beers pouring all day long. It all kicks off at 11.30am and runs until sold out. Book your table here. Ramadan Nights at IFTAR Merrylands hotspot IFTAR returns with its Ramadan Nights series, extending into evening service this month with a dedicated post-sunset menu. Served at 7.30pm nightly throughout Ramadan, the shared menu moves from dates and lentil soup into generous plates of kibbeh nayyeh, lamb shish and mujadara rice, alongside new additions like burning cheese made for tearing and dipping, golden sambousek cigars and a fried fish sando. It's a warm, communal shift for the daytime cafe — and one of Sydney's most meaningful seasonal tables. Book your table here. Michelin-recommended Mexico City taqueria El Vilsito lands at Manly Wharf Michelin Guide-recommended taqueria El Vilsito is heading to Sydney for the first time this March, taking over Manly Wharf. Across two weekends (March 19–22 and 26–29), visiting chefs will recreate the Mexico City institution's famed tacos al pastor — marinated pork shaved from the spit and tucked into corn tortillas — exactly as they're served back home. The pop-up runs alongside Margarita Week, so expect plenty of Patrón-fuelled riffs on the classic cocktail. Find out more here. [caption id="attachment_1078711" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nick De Lorenzo[/caption] Aperol Long Lunch Sessions at Shaffa Weekends in March are spritz o'clock at Shaffa, Surry Hills' vibey Middle Eastern dining room. From 12pm Saturdays and Sundays, an eight-course grazing menu ($79pp) — with dishes like eggplant labneh, octopus al ha'esh and fire-roasted cabbage with thyme, sage and cumin — comes with the option to add 90 minutes of bottomless Apérol spritz, margaritas, beer, wine or sparkling wine for $49. Plus, Saturdays come soundtracked by guest DJs from midday. Find out more here. Nat Thaipun takes over Pullman Hotels with Thai-inspired snacks Chef Nat Thaipun is taking over bars at Pullman Hotels & Resorts with a bold, snack-led menu designed for drinks-hour dining. Expect punchy Thai flavours — from silky crab and egg custard with roasted chilli oil to Panang curry-glazed lamb ribs and mango sticky rice with coconut sorbet — made for sharing between rounds. The rollout kicks off in Sydney at Acapulco El Vista, before extending to participating Pullman properties in Australia, New Zealand and Asia through to October, with dishes adapted for each venue along the way. Ovata Sundays at Arturo's Rooftop Perched atop the historic Woolly Bay Hotel, Arturo's Rooftop is popping corks with Ovata Sundays — a limited-time takeover in partnership with Yarra Valley sparkling label Ovata by Oakridge. Running every Sunday until April 19 (excluding March 29), the 90-minute session pairs free-flowing sparkling and spritzes with roaming canapés and DJs, all set against sweeping harbour and skyline views. Expect luxe bites like wagyu katsu sandos and jamon croquettes, plus optional South Coast rock oysters and tempura Yamba prawns to level up your afternoon. Tickets are $75 per person, with seatings from midday. Find out more here. Top image: Front of House.
Choosing the best cafes in Sydney is never an easy feat. The city is full of great casual dining spots and pro-caffeine haunts where you can get perfectly brewed coffee and brunch that goes well beyond the classic avo on toast. We are certainly giving Melbourne — the self-proclaimed home of cafe culture — a run for its money. Here, you'll find the 20 best Sydney cafes, as voted by our editors and writers, that any food lover should consider visiting. Read on to discover some new spots and see if your favourite has made the cut. Recommended reads: The Best Bakeries in Sydney The Best Restaurants in Sydney The Best Spots for a Boozy Bottomless Brunch in Sydney The Best Coffee Shops in Sydney's CBD The Best Breakfast in Sydney
After six years in the hospitality game, the team behind Sydney venue, My Mother's Cousin pizzeria, knew it was time to stretch themselves — just like the dough they work with. "We saw Self Raised as the continuation of our passion for bread and baking. We didn't want anything trendy. We wanted timeless: Good bread. Good doughnuts. Good sandwiches," said Self Raised's co-owner, Sal Senan. The team opened a store in Carlton, and even after a year in the neighbourhood, the long lines of bread-loving customers still weren't easing. "The lines at Carlton got to upwards of 45 minutes on the weekends for over a year. At that point, we knew that we needed to get another venue out to the community to make Self Raised more accessible for everyone." They opened Self Raised Snack Shoppe in Bexley North, a quick-serve kiosk that aimed to ease the crowds of hungry weekend disciples. Yet, the people wanted more. A second Self Raised Snack Shoppe emerged in Merrylands, Western Sydney, late last year. So, what's all the hype about, and what actually goes into Self Raised's delicious baked treats? Signature Items If you're wondering why on earth people spend 45 minutes lining up for a slice of Self Raised, look no further. Sal says that the bakery's Boston Cream Donuts are Self Raised's signature item and have developed an almost cult-like following. "We started making them at our My Mother's Cousin pizzeria, and they would sell out within the hour every night we made them. They are the perfect nostalgic throwback to the original Cream Buns, which have been a lost art for a long time — simple and light but also super decadent." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Self Raised (@selfraisedbread) Another unique go-to for customers (because there are many) is Self Raised's Roman-style pizzas. The bread goes through a 36-hour fermentation using a mixture of Australian and Italian imported flours. "We also use a dry pre-ferment in the dough called Biga, which adds extra flavour and improves texture," says Sal. The co-owner notes that this wasn't a recipe they developed overnight. "It was something that took time to perfect, and we felt like it helped us stand out when it comes to focaccia-style bread specifically." For the toppings, they keep it simple: a classic cheese and a pepperoni with hot honey. "That way," says Sal, "we just let the ingredients and the dough shine." Behind the Scenes of Self Raised Sydney-siders get to enjoy the team's delicious baked goods from their many stores, but what actually goes into running a business like Self Raised? According to Sal, the bakers' days start at around 2–3am, with the sandwich and front-of-house crew getting in at an early 6am for the breakfast rush. While you may assume the team bakes the same amount of produce every morning, each day is different. "Everything has to be fresh, and you can't just make more on the spot," says Sal. "Dough takes time. Fermentation takes time. So you're always trying to get it right without waste and without selling out too early. It's a daily challenge." To know how much to make, the team checks factors including the weather and school holidays, as well as cloud-based point-of-sale and e-commerce platform, Lightspeed. It's designed for retail and hospitality businesses to manage inventory, payments, and customer data across physical and online stores. "We use Lightspeed to track what sells," says Sal. "They keep us organised and provide the data that we need. We can see what's selling, what's slowing down, and where we need to adjust. It takes a lot of guesswork out." As well as Lightspeed, Sal shares that the team also simply learns the rhythm of customers. "Fridays feel different from Mondays. Cold days are different from sunny ones." It's these customers who add Self Raised to their weekly routines, says Sal, that keep the company growing into the Sydney powerhouse it is. "The same order every week. Kids picking doughnuts like it's the biggest decision of their day. That's when you know it's more than just a shop." Image Credit: Supplied
When April 1 rolls around, it's always best to approach the day's news with a sense of humour, but one of this year's best gags isn't just a joke. For April Fool's Day, Google Maps transformed into a giant online game of Where's Waldo? — and it's available to play all week. After the company's Mario Kart caper a few weeks back, and their Pac-Man April Fool's Day update a few years back as well, it's now another iconic character's turn to roam through Maps. As anyone who has leafed through the books will know — aka everyone — good ol' red-and-white jumper-wearing Waldo likes to hide in plain sight, which means that it's up to you to find him. https://twitter.com/googlemaps/status/980203086512869376 Anyone keen to play along simply needs to update their Maps app or visit the desktop version, where Waldo is waiting to be spotted. You'll first find him waving to you from the side of the screen, and then you'll work your way through the game's five levels to find him in various places around the world. If that's not enough addictive fun, you can also try to locate his friends Wenda, Woof, Wizard Whitebeard and Odlaw. Chilean snowfields, the beach at Australia's own Surfers Paradise and South Korea's Olympic Stadium are just a few of the stops on Waldo's world tour. And yes, even when he's in countries other than the US and Canada, the game still refers to him as Waldo, rather than Wally. It'll always be Where's Wally? to us, though. Via Google Maps.
We're all familiar with the joys of popping into one of Sydney's cafes for a late morning (or, let's be real, afternoon) brunch on Sunday. But during the week, it's sometimes overlooked in favour of a few more snoozes and a couple of extra minutes in a warm bed. We're all about those zzzs, but it's no excuse for skipping the most important meal of the day — especially if you work or study in the city. Brekkie options are boundless in the CBD, with cafes opening early during the week, ready to ply you with good food and even better coffee to start your morning. So for the sake of nutrition, productivity, and your tastebuds, we've put together a list of Sydney CBD's best breakfast spots during the week. Take a moment to sit down, read the news and digest before you get locked into the weekday grind. Recommended reads: The Best Coffee Shops in Sydney's CBD The Best Cafes in Sydney The Best Bagels in Sydney The Best Bakeries in Sydney
When your name is Kate, you make a series with a heap of other Kates — "I think there was nine of us working on the show," Kate Box advises — and the streaming hit with all that Kate energy is the brainchild of Australian comedy queens Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan, accidentally punning on Deadloch's creators, aka The Kates, is probably inevitable. Ask Box about getting started on the award-winning mystery-comedy's upcoming second season, as Concrete Playground did, and the Rake, Wentworth, Stateless and Boy Swallows Universe star drops the perfect response: "I can't wait to get cracking on it". "Oh my god, they've taken over my body," she laughs about referencing one of the TV series before Deadloch that helped cement McCartney and McLennan's status as comedy greats, as sharp and smart satirists, and as creators of the very best comic television that viewers could ask for. Unlike morning TV spoof Get Krack!n, however, or cooking show sendup The Katering Show before it, McCartney and McLennan left the acting to others on Deadloch. Earlier in 2024, Box deservedly won an AACTA Award for Best Acting in a Comedy for co-leading the series as small-town cop Dulcie Collins. She's also rightly up for a Logie for Best Actress in a Comedy. The character of Dulcie is one half of Deadloch's lead double act, and also one part of a TV cop show staple: the odd couple. The Senior Sergeant was once a Sydney homicide detective, then moved south with her vet wife Cath (Alicia Gardiner, The Clearing), finding more solace in the routine and rules of the job than in a quieter Tasmanian life. Donning sandals and Hawaiian shirts, loving swearing as much as Dulcie loves structure, and incapable of containing her emotions for a moment, Eddie Redcliffe arrives from the Darwin Major Crimes division to complete the series' key duo. As the new colleagues investigate why the bodies of dead men have started piling up in the show's titular town, cue pairing Box with The Breaker Upperers, Baby Done and Our Flag Means Death's Madeleine Sami, and giving the small screen an instant-favourite chalk-and-cheese twosome. Imagining anyone else as either Dulcie or Eddie is impossible, but Box was initially in line to play the latter role. When the project came the Offspring, The Daughter and Fucking Adelaide alum's way, that's what she first auditioned for. Envisaging anything about Deadloch's first season differing from the eight excellent episodes that hit Prime Video in 2023 is equally inconceivable; however, knowing what might've been sparked some on-set fun. "I mean, I gave Mads quite a lot of shit when we'd get to the scenes that we were shooting that I'd done in my audition scene," Box explains. "I was like 'ohh, are you going to do it like that? Yeah, I wouldn't have when I was doing it'." It doesn't come as a surprise for a second that Deadloch's first season was a delight to make; as it charted Dulcie and Eddie's investigations, expertly parodied its genre, made a killer feminist statement, and always proved both a hilarious watch and a gripping crime series, the end product certainly was a joy to watch. It might've taken its streaming home a full year to greenlight more episodes of a show that The Kates originally gave the working title Funny Broadchurch, but that a second season is on the way is similarly understandable — and eagerly anticipated. As set up at the end of season one, Deadloch's return will take Dulcie and Eddie to Darwin, looking into the death of Eddie's former partner — plus beyond when more bodies pile up again. We not only chatted with Box about what she's excited about the second time around, but also the response to the show so far, why it has resonated with viewers, working with The Kates, auditioning for both Dulcie and Eddie, how she prepares for stepping into former's shoes not once but twice, what gets her interested in a project and more. On the Enormous Response to the First Season of Deadloch "Obviously it's been so wonderful. It's a project that I feel so deeply proud to be a part of. There's this really wanky thing, I suppose, in the industry where you're like 'don't say it was like a family' — but it really was. It felt like an incredible bunch of artists who all really were looking out for each other and looking out for this incredible new life that would be Deadloch. I think that everybody who worked on it had such great passion for it — and when you see something that you love reach so many people and have the response that it did, it's a pretty great feeling." On Why Deadloch Has Struck Such a Chord with Viewers "It's so funny, isn't it — you never know what's going to stick, really. But I think The Kates write such brilliant characters, they write such tight plots and their voices are so incredibly unique. I think watching Deadloch was that beautiful feeling of danger and surprise, because all of this feels very new — but also of real safety in trusting that the show was going to deliver the goods in terms of great characters and great politics. And once you got into the show and you got used to the fact that it was a fairly new genre — in the way that it was trying to balance these very dark topics with this very wild humour — I think there's that feeling of joy that you get in watching something that is so unique, that is really universal, that you're witnessing something new and wonderful. The Kates just managed to bring that genre to the world in such a smart and generous and joyful way." On How Box Reacted When a New Project by The Kates Came Her Way "I auditioned for Eddie, so when I got sent the first script or the first scene, that was to put down a tape for Eddie. And I read that character — and I'd been a bit madly in love with The Kates for a while now, and had watched their work and had always found them to be exceptional — and then I read this character and I was like 'who is this woman? This is a role that I don't see come across my iPad very often'. I was kind of gobsmacked by that. And I spent the first week preparing Eddie and just having the most-amazing time doing that. It was one of those things I was so excited to go into the audition for and just put the tape down. I just really wanted to play in that world. That's a really good sign, because it doesn't feel like it's a job interview — it feels like an opportunity to just relish a very cool human. Then, before I sent the tapes in, they said 'oh, can you also put something down for Dulcie?'. I'd grown so in love with Eddie and I hadn't read much of Dulcie's material, and then they sent the stuff through for Dulcie and I was like 'well, this is a different hat to put on' — and I had to really recalibrate how I imagined living in that world. Obviously Eddie and Dulcie approach the world in very, very different ways. But it was actually such a great start to being a part of Deadloch, because I got to inhabit the the madness and the straightness of what they were trying to create with this dynamic. It was really wonderful." On Working with Madeleine Sami as Eddie "I think nobody else could play Eddie except Mads. She's the perfect fit for that sandal, and so I was standing opposite her and just watching this cyclonic force of comedy — and Eddie had such big kid emotions and Dulcie is an incredibly restrained adult. Watching Mads was just a comedy masterclass, and my task was to try to stick to the words on the page and to the crime that needed to be solved, and just manage this whirlwind of madness around me. It was just fun. It was very, very fun — and really hard to keep my shit together in a lot of scenes." On How Box Approaches Playing Dulcie "If you look at who Dulcie fell in love with, they're not a buttoned-up, repressed, tight-lipped human. Dulcie's love for Cath speaks volumes in the kind of energy that Dulcie may thrive off internally as well. So while there's all this kind of madness around her, I think her love for Cath indicates that she is drawn to the parts of her that she can't access, which is that chaos and big emotion. And so I think in playing Dulcie, I was always really wary of giving her this massive internal life of responses. I would look at a scene and imagine the screaming and shouting and tantrum-throwing that Dulcie would be doing internally, and then shut the lid on that and play the professional, straight, repressed version of that — which was a really fun task. I think that the chaos of the show and the brilliance of the show is that it is able to hold this incredibly dark and serious storyline, and tackle some pretty rough and intense and vulnerable issues, but it also does it in a way that is wildly funny and absurd. And so finding that balance within Dulcie of somebody who can feel all this stuff but hold everything in felt like the right match for the piece." On the Preparation Process for Stepping Into Dulcie's Shoes the First Time Around "Because the script is so extraordinary, so much of your information is handed to you because The Kates are so specific and so excellent. I chatted to a few folks in the police force, a few women in the police force, and had discussions with them about what it was like working in a pretty dick-swinging environment. And I just watched the way in which they would talk about it. Often the women that I met had taken on a lot of the mannerisms of what you would imagine that really heavy testosterone environment is like. That was really interesting to watch, because I thought 'I don't think Dulcie's gone that way'. I think Dulcie doesn't play the game in that way. I think what she does is she follows the rules, and she does that hopefully to the point where she can't be thrown off or criticised because she's done everything by the book. So I chatted to quite a few yeah folks in the police force. And I rewatched Broadchurch, because that was such an amazing inspiration for it. And I tried to just get incredibly precise in my note-keeping, which is very different to me. Like me, Kate, my notes are chaotic. My brain is a bit messy. I'm not a particularly ordered person. And so as I was preparing for Deadloch, I tried very hard to keep really neat notebooks and to have little codes as to what certain things in the scripts would refer to. I tried to get into the mind of someone with that much precision. Unfortunately it didn't stay. And I'm a big fan of writing personal history for characters, so I have notebooks filled with imagined events that had happened to Dulcie in her life, like the first time she met Cath and the day of their wedding, and when she graduated from the police academy — all that kind of stuff. I journaled." On Returning to the Character Again for Season Two "I feel like I've got access to so many of Dulcie's memories because I wrote them down, but otherwise I may have forgotten. You know when you're moving house and you open that box of letters and photos and you're like 'oh my god, that!'? I feel like I've got Dulcie's box of letters and photos in my desk drawer, all ready to pull out and get going again." On What Box Is Most Looking Forward to with Deadloch's Second Season "I cannot wait to be in Darwin. I spent primary school in Darwin, and I've gone back there quite a lot in my life, and I love it. So I'm really looking forward to spending some time up north in the heat. And hopefully as we get closer to wet season, watching those clouds roll in and waiting for that rain to break at the end of the day. I'm looking forward to all of those things that the place dishes up so beautifully, the sunsets and the markets. So I'm looking forward to the lifestyle — not that I'll get out much because I'll be on set all the time. And obviously just being around Mads and Alicia and Nina [Oyama, Utopia] and The Kates again. I just adore them as humans. They are really good mates, and people that I feel really joyous around and really lucky to be in their company, so I'm looking forward to being in their orbit again." On What Gets Box Excited About a New Role at This Stage of Her Career "I think I'm at a point in my life where the greatest joy is the people that I'm working with. I get really excited about having opportunities to work with people who I love and whose work I find thrilling and challenging and smart. I think I get most excited about collaboration, to be honest. I get excited about building humans alongside other people who have great insight into humanity, and into how folks think and feel and walk through the world. The good thing about being at this point in my career is I feel like I'm able to come into conversations much earlier on than I was when I was younger. I feel like when I was younger, I'd enter projects at the final stage of everything and not trust my voice enough, either, to be able to help fill out those characters through conversation with the writers and the directors. So I think what I love now most is that I trust myself a lot more. I have some excellent relationships with artists who I admire wildly, and that collaborating with those people feels like a real two-way street rather than me getting a script and just trying to give somebody what I think that they want. The inventiveness that comes with working now, I find really thrilling." Deadloch streams via Prime Video, with no release date announced as yet for season two. Read our review of season one, and our interview with Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan. Deadloch images: Bradley Patrick / Prime Video.
Brunch cafes aren't typically the domain of fine-dining chefs, but Manteiga — from Bentley, Est. and Dinner by Heston alum Justin Martins — is rewriting that script. This Portuguese-inspired spot brings elevated daytime fare to a sunny Darlinghurst corner, framed by large arched windows and an inviting, timber-accented fitout that sets the stage for Martins' playful menu. On it, you'll find signatures like the Manteiga Muffin — daily stone-baked bolo lêvedo made to Martins' grandfather's recipe, served with fluffy eggs, American cheese, house sauce and your choice of double-smoked bacon or a sausage beef patty. Other highlights include the Iberian baked eggs, with Portuguese-style chorizo, salsa verde, golden capsicum and a fresh herb salad; and the signature ricotta pancakes, a cloud-like stack topped with strawberry gum compote, tonka bean and puffed grains. Come midday, you can tuck into the likes of a tempura fish burger on a soft milk bun, or the Summer Manteiga Bowl, a fresh soba noodle salad loaded with a veritable rainbow of veg, finished with pistachio dukkah and a zesty nam jim dressing. Wash it all down with Single O coffee or a house-made iced tea, poured in a room that's as bright and breezy as the menu. And while Manteiga is a purely daytime affair for now, Martins has plans for special pop-ups and intimate degustation dinners that'll showcase even more of his fine-dining pedigree.
If you're after an epicurean escape without the hassle of long flights or using up precious days of leave, look no further than the Orange region. Less than four hours by car from Sydney and two hours by air from Brisbane, the area boasts 40-plus cellar doors and wineries that produce everything from chardonnay to vermentino and pinot noir to tempranillo. While wine is obviously the star of the show, you should do more than just sip your way through the region on your next visit. That's why we've teamed up with Orange360 to spotlight six wineries that pair your tipples with tasty bites — whether it's fresh oysters, a long lunch with breathtaking views, or a decadent multi-course meal. Printhie Wines As a Halliday five-starred winery, you can expect the exceptional at Printhie Wines. Beyond its range of renowned wines, Printhie offers several bespoke experiences to take your tasting to the next level, including its hatted restaurant, Printhie Dining. Open for lunch from Friday–Sunday and dinner from Thursday–Saturday, Printhie Dining serves a four-course degustation featuring seasonal produce sourced from the estate and its surrounds. Expect delicate dishes like kingfish with sweet alyssum, celeriac and lemongrass tea; lamb with vadouvan and smoked bone marrow; and pepperberry tea custard with chocolate ganache, bottlebrush and fermented cherries — all served with paired wines. More modest offerings at Printhie Wine Bar include a curated cheese board, charcuterie and oysters shucked to order from a state-of-the-art oyster tank developed by a marine biologist and oyster farmer. If that's not enough, take it outside with a picnic on the grounds accompanied by a bottle of vino, or elevate your four-course meal with a sparkling masterclass, fly-fishing session or helicopter tour. Rowlee Wines Pull up a seat for elegant dining paired with single-vineyard wines and idyllic views at Rowlee. With floor-to-ceiling windows and al fresco tables, you'll feel like you're lounging on a farm in Tuscany as you drink in unobstructed views across the vineyard. If you have time to indulge in a leisurely lunch or dinner — you are on holiday after all — settle in at Rowlee Bar and Dining for communal-style, farm-to-table dishes. The seasonal menu focuses on innovation and sustainability, and includes plates like hay-fried chicken with pumpkin sauce and garden curry; coal-roasted fish with preserved lemon; roast pork collar with fermented rhubarb and honey; and sustainably sourced butter-poached lobster with shellfish sauce. Finish it off with an apple and strawberry gum ice cream sandwich or gelato topped with fennel and olive oil. You can also keep it casual at the Garden Bar, which offers snacks alongside more substantial fare, such as a pork and pecorino pancake, chilli of Black Angus beef with lettuce cups, and a lobster roll with bottarga mayo. Borrodell Estate With a restaurant, cellar door-slash-wine bar, and suites and cottages all on the property, you could easily while away a whole day at the expansive Borrodell Estate. Perched at the top of one of Australia's highest vineyards, Sister's Rock restaurant looks out onto rows of pinot noir vines and Towac Valley beyond. Accessible yet elevated, the set menu highlights local produce from Borrodell Estate and around Orange, and is available for lunch from Thursday–Monday and dinner on Friday–Saturday. Start with roast carrots and feta, grilled artichoke, and steamed mussels in tomato sauce, before choosing a main from the scotch fillet with Moroccan eggplant salad, pan-fried barramundi with green peas and zucchini sofrito, or vegetarian lasagne. Needless to say, you should enhance your meal with one of the recommended wine pairings alongside each dish. Ross Hill Wines Need to work up an appetite? At Ross Hill Wines, you can step into the kitchen and pick up some well-tried tips to whip up your own culinary creations at home. The carbon-neutral winery — proudly the first in Australia — boasts its own wine and food school, Barrel and Larder. Hosted by chef Michael Manners and other guest chefs from the region, the classes range from Spanish cooking to Swiss dishes and pie-making. Of course, the winery also caters to those who'd rather have their food prepared for them, with tasting plates of snacks and dip available at the cellar door. For something more special, book in advance for their Pinnacle long lunch series, where renowned local guest chefs prepare a three-course spread on select Saturdays of each month. Swinging Bridge Let's face it — all that wine tasting might not leave much room for a multi-course feast. Swinging Bridge has you covered with two dining experiences at its cellar door near Mount Canobolas. For something lighter during the day, the winery offers a tasting of seven wines complemented by a selection of canapés. These are designed by the chef and sommeliers to enhance the flavour and notes of the wine, without the risk of sending you into an afternoon slump. If you decide you are hungry after all, book in for an in-depth tasting and long lunch. The three-hour experience starts with a guided tour of the family-run estate, followed by a five-course lunch and accompanying wines. Indulge with Swinging Bridge is only available at 11am or 1pm on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Heifer Station Heifer Station might not have a restaurant, but it makes up for it with a range of picturesque grazing experiences. The setting varies seasonally — you'll either be sprawled out on the vineyard lawns with your own private picnic in summer or snuggled by the indoor fireplace in winter. Both packages include a glass of sparkling and a tasting flight of Heifer Station's esteemed, single-vineyard wines, along with a gourmet cheese and charcuterie platter. There's also an option that includes an interactive tasting tour before you settle in with your nibbles. Otherwise, you can go big before you go home by adding on a helicopter tour of the estate and Mount Canobolas, followed by a guided wine tasting and a picnic or fireside spread. Plan your trip now to the Orange Region at the Orange360 website. Images: courtesy of Destination NSW and Orange360.
Bendigo is fast becoming a cultural hub. Just a couple of hours north-west of Melbourne, the City of Bendigo and its surrounding towns are a gold mine of regional creativity, food and drink. Old school trams rattle through the streets, galleries showcase local art and heritage, and bars stay open late for pints, stories and a healthy dose of small-town charm. In 2019, Bendigo was named Australia's first UNESCO Creative City and Region of Gastronomy, solidifying its reputation as one of the most exciting spots to explore. It's fitting then, that an exhibition for an artist whose life was an act of bold rebellion against convention and expectation has landed at Bendigo Art Gallery. Until July 2025, Bendigo is giving an intimate view of influential Mexican artist Frida Kahlo in 'Frida Kahlo: In her own image', and it's the perfect excuse to plan a weekend trip. Getting there is easy. Drive up from Melbourne in around 90 minutes, hop on an $11 V/Line train straight from Southern Cross Station to Bendigo's town centre, which is a short stroll over to the gallery, or fly direct from Sydney into Bendigo's own airport. So, whether you're making a day trip or staying for the weekend, here's our guide for where to stay, eat and drink while you're in town. Fiesta Bendigo Venture beyond the gallery walls and you'll discover a citywide fiesta. Across town, the artist's spirit is being celebrated with Frida-inspired experiences and events, murals, Mexican food and tequila flights at local bars. There's even pop-up workshops and cooking classes available for anyone feeling creative. Spend a few hours following the 22-spot Taco Trail, duck into a tequila tasting, or join a street art tour to see the city through Frida's lens. Check out the full Fiesta Bendigo program here. Wine Bank on View Before Bendigo was a hub for the arts, it was a gold rush town flush with ambition and you can still feel that energy inside Wine Bank on View. This heritage-listed former bank has been reimagined as a wine bar and merchant, with soaring ceilings, plush chairs and one of the best wine selections in the region. Come for a quiet glass of something local, or try Chef Callum's Mexican inspired menu during the exhibition period. Nimbus Rooftop If you prefer your post-gallery drinks served with city views, Bendigo's Nimbus Rooftop has you covered. Sitting high above Mitchell Street in the town's centre, this fun, open-air bar offers laid back couches, classic cocktails, pizzas and panoramic views. The vibe is modern and it's open til late Thursday to Sunday, making it the perfect pit stop for a night out on the town. Rifle Brigade Hotel Every city needs a good pub and The Rifle Brigade Hotel (known as the "Gun Club" by locals) has been Bendigo's gathering place since 1887. Located just a stone's throw from the Bendigo Art Gallery, this is where you'll find live music, local brews and that classic pub familiarity. It's casual, a little bit raucous, and 100% the right call for anyone chasing a more spontaneous night out. Alium Alium is a modern, intimate restaurant in Bendigo's heritage-listed Royal Bank building, serving comforting, seasonal dishes until 11pm on weekends. Expect a more fine dining experience, with plenty of local ingredients and unexpected pairings that are crafted to be enjoyed over a slow, long sit-down dinner. Hotel Earnest After a day (and night) of exploring, eating and drinking, rest your head at Hotel Ernest. Housed in another of Bendigo's beautiful heritage-listed buildings just steps from the Frida exhibition, this boutique stay is packed with character, history and understated luxury. Each of the rooms have been thoughtfully designed to blend modern details with historic charm, including featuring a different Australian artist in each space. Frida Kahlo showed the world just how impactful it is to live life on your own terms. In Bendigo, that spirit is alive and well. So, drop a link in your group chat and start planning your next visit. Head to visitmelbourne.com.au to discover more of what makes Melbourne every bit different. By Jacque Kennedy. Images courtesy of Melbourne. Every bit different.
Tuesday, February 17, marks the 2026 Lunar New Year: a time for family feasts, good fortune, well-wishing, and a fresh start. For Lotus Dining Group executive chef Steve Wu, it's his favourite time of year. "To me, it is a celebration dedicated entirely to family and connection. A holiday where relatives who haven't seen each other in a long while gather to share meals filled with blessings." Steve grew up in Tainan, the oldest city in Taiwan, a place renowned worldwide for its incredible food culture and warm hospitality. While Steve has been based in Sydney since 2012 and is now the chef behind local restaurants Pearl Dining, Lotus and the Dumpling Bar in Circular Quay and Summer Hill, his culinary roots reach back to his childhood. "My mother was a traditional housewife who mastered the craft passed down from my grandmother. Every festival, she would hand-make everything — from Nian Gao (rice cakes) to Zongzi — using the most traditional methods," Steve tells Concrete Playground. "Watching my mother cook and helping her transform raw ingredients into a festive feast was the most captivating thing to me. That process is truly what inspired me to become a professional chef." Lunar New Year in Australia may look different from the festivities of his childhood, but Steve is still using food to reconnect with his culture. "Nowadays, you see major events and activities all over Sydney, and even Western restaurants have started incorporating Lunar New Year elements into their menus. It's become a shared experience for all Australians," says Steve. "For Chinese restaurants, this is the busiest period of the year, so we celebrate in the thick of the action. However, on my rare days off, I love heading to Yummy Seafood in Beverly Hills for a proper Chinese feast." To celebrate the 2026 Lunar New Year, Steve has created a recipe for Pan-Fried John Dory Fillet made with S&B Golden Curry. The pre-mix sauce lets you easily recreate restaurant-quality flavour at home this Lunar New Year, and the sauce's golden hue fits the festive theme. "In Chinese culture, we have a saying: "Nian Nian You Yu" (年年有餘), which means "May there be a surplus every year." Because the word for fish (Yu) sounds exactly like the word for surplus, a fish dish is an absolute must-have on the table to bring good fortune." If you want to try the dish yourself this Lunar New Year, follow Steve's recipe below. PAN-FRIED JOHN DORY FILLET Ingredients: 200g of John Dory fillet (if you can't find John Dory fillet, any type of fish works well) Plain Flour (as needed) Pinch of S&B Seasoned Salt and Pepper 2 cubes of S&B Golden Curry Mild 92g 200 ml of chicken stock 1/4 piece of onion, diced 50g of diced carrot Olive or vegetable oil (as needed) Steamed rice (as needed, for serving) Pickled red ginger Method: To Prepare the Fish Use paper towels to pat the fillet dry. Season both sides of the fillets with a pinch of S&B Seasoned Salt and Pepper. Place plain flour on a plate. Dredge the fish fillets to coat them evenly with a thin layer, then shake off any excess. Make the Golden Curry Heat a small amount of oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the diced onion and carrot for 2–3 minutes until soft and translucent. Pour in the 200 ml of stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, then cook for 10 minutes with the lid. Add the 2 S&B Golden Curry cubes. Stir until the cubes are completely dissolved and the sauce is smooth. Turn the heat back to low, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reaches your desired thickness. Keep warm. Pan-Fry the Fish Fillets Heat a clean frying pan, then add the oil over medium heat. Carefully place the coated fish fillet into the hot oil. Pan-fry each side for about 3–4 minutes, or until the exterior is golden brown. Remove the fillets and place them on paper towels to drain any excess oil. Plating and Serving Ladle the hot Golden Curry Sauce in the middle of the plate. Place the pan-fried John Dory fillet on top of the curry sauce, served with pickled ginger. Serve with rice. Steve's top tip? "Chop up the Golden Curry cubes before you put them in the pan to prevent them from burning. And if there's any curry left on the plate, get some bread and scoop it up — you won't regret it" Feeling inspired by Steve's recipe? For the tenth year in a row, Asian Inspirations is hosting the Lunar New Year Cook Snap Win competition. There are $20,000 in prizes to be won, including the grand prize: the ultimate foodie travel adventure for two. Head to the Asian Inspiration website to learn how you could win big. Discover more recipes. Image credit: Josh Mullins
From within the heritage-listed walls of a former Rose Bay church, aambra brings the fire, ritual and generosity of Levantine cooking to one of Sydney's most striking dining rooms. After sitting dormant for more than a decade, the 120-year-old landmark on Old South Head Road — whose foundation stone was laid in 1904 — has been reimagined as a 140-seat restaurant that leans into both history and spectacle. Behind the transformation is owner Cristian Gorgees, who spent more than three years working with DS17's Paul Papadopoulos to respectfully restore the building into a smart, contemporary dining space. Inside, sunlight filters through original stained-glass windows onto custom Italian marble floors in warm burgundy and peach tones, while Venetian plaster walls are adorned with custom lighting and a statement art deco mirror. Overhead, a sculptural brass-and-linen light installation draws the eye up to the 10-metre-high cathedral ceiling, with a glassed-in mezzanine private dining room floating above one half of the space. Out back, an alfresco garden space with olive trees, lounge chairs and a multi-level wraparound deck offers a relaxed counterpoint to the drama inside. [caption id="attachment_1053488" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Vincent Yeung[/caption] Running the length of the room, an open-plan bar and kitchen gives diners a front-row seat to the open-flame grill. The refined, share-style menu draws on centuries-old family recipes from Gorgees' Iraqi heritage alongside flavours from Lebanon, Jordan, Cyprus and Egypt, with Executive Chef Gianluca Lonati (Nour) at the helm. Start with snacks like smoked oyster taramasalata, raw beef with lupini and baharat, or a Moreton Bay bug borek with daggah ghazzawieh, before moving to small plates like a tuna kibbeh nayeh, tongue shawarma skewers and woodfired chicken manti with whey. Larger dishes include whole blue grouper masgouf with tamarind and tomato, a dry-aged carob duck crown, merguez-stuffed lamb saddle and an 800-gram wagyu rib eye cooked on the bone. Drinks are equally expressive, with sommelier Sasa Savic curating a 130-plus-bottle wine list alongside playful signatures like a watermelon martini, arak elderflower spritz and jaffa margarita — all just as suited to slow afternoons in the garden as they are to lingering dinners inside. [caption id="attachment_1053489" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Vincent Yeung[/caption] Images: Vincent Yeung.
When that big city life feels like it's getting a little bit much, there's no better antidote than to whisk yourself away for a dose of countryside. Lots of fresh air, an abundance of nature and a slower pace that's guaranteed to relax and revive. And you can find all of that just a quick hop out of the big smoke, with idyllic country cottages, wilderness huts and secluded farm retreats dotted all across the state. Places where you can wake up to nature and spend your days lounging by the fire or exploring acres of surrounding bushland. Well, we've done the hard work for you and pulled together twenty of the most unique country stays you can book right now in NSW. Choose a favourite, pack those bags and get set for a taste of rural living. Recommended Reads: The Best Places to Go Glamping in NSW The Best Tiny Houses You Can Book Around NSW The Best Hotels in Sydney The Best Places to Stay in the Blue Mountains Wilderness Hut Studio, Worrowing Heights Embrace the best of country and coast, at this secluded, self-contained cabin. It's a modern beauty, surrounded by nature and crafted from reclaimed timber. From $335 a night, sleeps two. Casa Del Casson, Smiths Lake A little slice of Mexico in the coastal village of Smiths Lake. With a wood fireplace and dense wilderness surrounds, this log cabin is endlessly cosy. From $250 a night, sleeps six. Billabong Cottage, Termeil This secluded cottage for two overlooks its own lush billabong. Enjoy a cosy fireplace, sunny verandah and complete serenity throughout. From $160 a night, sleeps two. Laguna Sanctuary, Upper Colo A Balinese-inspired cottage, bordered by a freshwater lagoon. This one's got a firepit, heated outdoor spa and sun-drenched overwater deck. From $390 a night, sleeps four. The Stables, Holgate A secluded country escape, just minutes from the beach, this modern cabin is primed for relaxing and romancing. And that bath features incredible views. From $250 a night, sleeps two. JR's Hut, Nangus Escape the world at this mountaintop eco-hut, complete with 360-degree views. It's entirely off-grid, with a fire to keep things extra snug. From $660 a night, sleeps two The Shed at Broger's End, Upper Kangaroo River This former machinery shed is now a stylish cottage, cleverly built with reclaimed materials and boasting its own outdoor pizza oven. From $600 a night, sleeps seven. Japanese Studio, Fitzroy Falls Enjoy your own private Japanese-style retreat set among the lush surrounds of Fitzroy Falls, which is on the doorstep of both national parkland and wine country. From $250 a night, sleeps two. Nearest Neighbour Cabin, Cambridge Plateau Unplug at this charming, off-grid couples' cabin, backing onto heritage-listed rainforest and rolling green acreage. It's as private and peaceful as they come. From $80 a night, sleeps three. Spiral House, Robertson This unique tiny home comes complete with alfresco tub, sweeping views and 33 acres as your private backyard. From $277 a night, sleeps two. Warramba, Glen Alice A contemporary country cottage with styling that'll make you swoon. Unplug, recharge and soak up a taste of rural life. From $805 a night, sleeps six. Romantic Guesthouse, Foxground Recapture the romance at this private studio, overlooking rolling green hills. Enjoy cosy nights around the firepit and sunny days in the infinity pool. From $514 a night, sleeps two. Strikes 2, Eurunderee Enjoy an epic outlook and serenity aplenty when you book a stay at this eco-friendly couples' cottage, set high above the Eurunderee Valley. From $357 a night, sleeps two. The Treehouse, Kangaroo Valley Nab your own treehouse paradise, overlooking the Kangaroo River. This group-friendly retreat is enveloped in nature, featuring a firepit and sun-drenched deck. From $508 a night, sleeps four. The Shearing Shed, Cowra This stylishly repurposed shearing shed makes for a dreamy couples' escape, complete with log fire and loads of farm-style charm. From $250 a night, sleeps two Black Rose Cottage, Mudgee A sweet country cottage with room for ten, this stylish retreat sits just minutes from the heart of Mudgee and is surrounded by wine country. From $375 a night, sleeps ten. Kookawood, Rydal A quaint farmhouse cottage perched high overlooking the Blue Mountains. Enjoy the cosy log fireplace and some truly breathtaking views from the outdoor bath. From $550 a night, sleeps four. Loughmore Cottage, Kangaroo Valley Load up on country-style tranquility at this revamped Irish settler's hut, complete with comfy furnishings and a library full of books. From $250 a night, sleeps two. Barrington Eco Hut, Cobark An eco-friendly tiny home that's primed for an unplugged getaway, featuring a hot shower, cosy fire pit and delightfully remote wilderness setting. From $230 a night, sleeps two. Practice Ground, Glen Davis Surrounded by the rugged cliffs of the Capertree Valley, relax and unwind in this architectural wonder nestled on a 20-acre plot of bushland. From $455 a night, sleeps four. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy. Images: courtesy of Airbnb.
On a warm night, there's no more consoling sound than crashing waves and on a blistering morning, there's no more refreshing wake-up than an immediate plunge into the sea. You and your mates can treat yourselves to both with a fun road trip to a beachfront camping spot in NSW. Because nothing brings people together like a group getaway, we've teamed up with Jim Beam to bring you this must-visit list of the best beach camping sites near Sydney — from secluded five-tent campgrounds to easily reached gems a stone's throw from the city and everything in between. Expect good times, core memory-making moments and plenty of fun in the sun at the best spots for beach camping in NSW. Recommended reads: The Best Ocean Pool Around Sydney The Best Hot Springs in NSW The Best Free Camping Sites Near Sydney The Best Beaches in Sydney [caption id="attachment_601757" align="alignnone" width="1280"] National Parks NSW[/caption] Diamond Head, Crowdy Bay National Park Diamond Head Campground lies in the sheltered southern corner of Dunbogan Beach, on the watery edge of Crowdy Bay National Park. There's plenty to do at this NSW beachside campsite, from swimming in the calm, aquamarine water to exploring spectacular Split Rock. Walkers will be keen to conquer one of the nearby hiking trails, which take in swamp mahogany and paperbark forests, as well as coastal panoramas aplenty. Just check NSW National Parks website first, to make sure there are no closures. The campground has 75 pitches for tents, but you're welcome to pull up in your caravan or motor home, too. Among the facilities are showers, toilets, barbecues and picnic tables, so you're fully covered here. [caption id="attachment_602747" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jervis Bay Wild[/caption] Honeymoon Bay, Jervis Bay This magical beach is tucked inside Jervis Bay's northern head, just a stone's throw from magnificent Point Perpendicular in Currarong. It's made for lazy, sandy days and safe swimming. If you're keen for a bit more of an adventure, bring your snorkel along and follow the rock ledges beyond the bay's entrance to meet garfish, yellowtails and old wives. The NSW beach campsite is pretty rustic, with facilities limited to portaloos and rubbish bins, plus no fires or pets allowed. And don't forget to BYO drinking water, cooking gear and toilet paper. But the extra effort is so worth it for these pristine surrounds. Outside of the summer months (when you need to book through a ballot system), this campsite is only available on a first-in, best-dressed basis — so be sure to get in early to nab a spot. Word has gotten out that this is one of the best places for beach camping near Sydney. For more information, head to the Shoalhaven website. [caption id="attachment_601760" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bouddi Coastal Walk, Central Coast Tourism[/caption] Little Beach, Bouddi National Park Little Beach is another spot for people who don't like to share. You and five mates can claim the entire campsite for yourselves — there are just six pitches in this tiny campground. It's hidden along a small, secluded cove within the Central Coast's expansive Bouddi National Park. Backed by coastal rainforest and shaped by stunning cliffs, the Little Beach surrounds are hard to beat. The NSW beach campsite also offers picnic tables, barbecues and toilet facilities for those who need a little extra creature comfort. If you have time to spare, take on the eight-kilometre Bouddi Coastal Walk, which runs between MacMasters Beach and Putty Beach. [caption id="attachment_602765" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andrew Gregory for Destination NSW[/caption] The Basin, Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park At The Basin, you can camp on the beach without leaving the city limits. Perched on Pittwater's western shore (with Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park as a backdrop), it's the ideal campsite if you're looking for a quick, nature-drenched getaway. Forget long drives, or driving at all — the easiest way to get there is by boat, in the form of a water taxi or ferry from Palm Beach. Another option is to park at West Head Road and walk, but keep in mind the trail is steep and 2.8 kilometres. It's a big beachside campground, with space for 400 campers, and boasts facilities, including showers, toilets, barbecues, drinking water, picnic tables and — in case you're feeling nostalgic — public phones. Be sure to pack your snorkel because we rate The Basin among Sydney's best snorkelling spots. [caption id="attachment_602773" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dee Kramer Photography[/caption] Mystery Bay, Eurobodalla Those really looking to get back to nature should make tracks down the south coast — five hours' down from Sydney, to be exact. Here, the Mystery Bay campground boasts one of the few 'off-the-grid' Beach campsites in New South Wales. This means cold showers and pit toilets, to be exact. There are fire pits for cooking, and the nearest supermarket is 12 kilometres away in Narooma. But, for those that don't mind roughing it, the surrounds are truly spectacular. Expect turquoise waters, rocky coves and surf beaches to boot. The beach campsite near Sydney is also dotted with native bush, including spotted gums, acacias and banksias, and is a good spot to try your hand at fishing, too. You can also spend your time just hanging out on the beach or exploring the nearby Eurobodalla National Park — here, you'll find lookouts and walks, plus quiet stretches of sand and stacks of picnic spots. [caption id="attachment_601755" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] Picnic Point, Mimosa Rocks National Park You'd be hard-pressed to find a camping site any closer to the sand than at Picnic Point Campground in Mimosa Rocks National Park — and it's a lovely stretch of sand at that. Commit your visit down the far south coast to beach hangs, fishing and exploring the nearby coastline. Or jump in your car and check out the park's many other beaches filled with active wildlife. Picnic Point has room for 18 tents, plus barbecue and toilet facilities. Pitches are handed out on a first-come, first-served basis, though, so get in early. Luckily, if you miss out, you can drive 30 minutes further down the coast to the 70-site Gillards Campground. [caption id="attachment_601899" align="alignnone" width="1280"] National Parks NSW[/caption] Woody Head, Bundjalung National Park As the chilly weather heads our way, set your sights on the Far North Coast, where the perennially warm temperatures make camping in winter a breeze. Pitch your tent at Woody Head Campground, which sits just north of Yamba on the southeastern corner of Bundjalung National Park. There's room for up to 94 tents, so the facilities are pretty schmick — expect toilets, showers, drinking water, barbecues, picnic tables and even a boat ramp. The beach campsite in NSW also gives you direct access to the Iluka Rainforest Walking Track, which travels through the ancient, heritage-listed rainforest and offers breathtaking coastal views for 2.6 kilometres. [caption id="attachment_601927" align="alignnone" width="1280"] National Parks NSW[/caption] Brought Island, Myall Lakes National Park Broughton Island — which lies near Hawks Nest off Dark Point — is the only beach campsite in New South Wales where you're allowed to sleep among a sea bird colony. Here, you'll wake up surrounded by wedge-tailed shearwaters. The pint-sized campsite is set at Little Poverty Beach and fits just five tents, so you can enjoy the island's pristine beaches and walks without having to worry about the crowds — even in the height of summer. The limited size also means it's crucial to book in advance, though. And facilities consist of toilets only, so be prepared to boat in with everything you need, including drinking water. Depot Beach, Murramarang National Park Depot Beach is another NSW campsite that's just a stone's throw from the beach. And, unlike the beaches in nearby Batemans Bay, it doesn't draw as much of a crowd — leaving a pristine, white sand beach that's ideal for swimming, surfing, snorkelling and canoeing. Local dolphins are often sighted just offshore, too. Apart from all of the beachside activities, the location is also home to plenty of treks, including the Rock Platform walk and the Depot Beach Rainforest walk. Just check NSW National Parks website first, as some are still closed because of the bushfires. Back at the spot, one of the best beach campsites in NSW, you'll be sleeping among spotted gums and heaps of wildlife, including kangaroos, possums, goannas and native birds. [caption id="attachment_508361" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Coledale SLSC.[/caption] Coledale Beach, Thirroul A quick 1.5-hour train ride from Sydney, Coledale Beach boasts a vast, rocky landscape that has a real 'edge of the word' vibe. And its small, grassy campsite is so close to the beach that you can almost reach out of your tent and touch the sand. With a glorious backdrop of green hills and all the amenities — including a kitchen with power points, a laundry facility and hot showers — this is an ideal getaway from the city without going too far at all. Or even needing to rent a car. While you're at the beach campsite in NSW, check out the beach's deeply carved rock pool, which made our list of the best out-of-town ocean pools near Sydney. Or, if you're keen to traverse on foot, you can also walk along the incredibly idyllic Sea Cliff Bridge. [caption id="attachment_602771" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] Pebbly Beach, Murramarang National Park Want to share your brekkie with wild kangaroos? Set up your tent at Pebbly Beach, which you'll find nestled behind the forest of Murramarang National Park, about four hours' drive south of Sydney. The beachside campground near Sydney is just a stumble from the sand, with room for 23 tents all up. And you can pitch just next to your car, unlike other campsites in the area. Facilities include barbecues, showers, toilets and drinking water. From here, you can take a dip in pristine waters, go fishing or tackle a bushwalk — the campsite is a jump-off point for quite a few treks, including the Durras Mountain and Snake Bay walking tracks. Keep an eye on the National Parks NSW website for updates. Like Jim Beam, camping and other outdoor adventures are all about bringing people together, so get out there this summer and find your tribe in the great outdoors. Top image: Mimosa Rocks National Park by DNSW.
After a particularly devastating bushfire season, the Blue Mountains community is calling everyone to come #BacktoBilpin. The community and its local businesses have been hit by not only the fires, but also by a drop in tourism during what should have been one of the busiest times of the year. While, devastatingly, some 80 percent of the Blue Mountains World Heritage area has been burned, there's still plenty of areas to explore, wildlife to spot and fresh produce to devour. So, put that esky in your boot, get out of Sydney and head to the land of the mountain apple. For this trip, you won't be going through Katoomba and Leura, but taking the historic Bells Line of Road. Here, you'll find tasty food, warm hospitality, cute cabins and many outdoor activities throughout Bilpin and its neighbours Kurrajong, Berambing and Mount Tomah. Here's our guide for what to check out while you're there. EAT AND DRINK [caption id="attachment_760286" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hillybilly Cider by Destination NSW[/caption] Bilpin is all about them apples. There are probably more orchards here than people. Set out on a drive along the Bells Line of Road, stopping for fresh apples, juice, cider and pie along the way. Keep an eye out for the big Bilpin Fruit Bowl, where you can pick your own fruit or enjoy a hot-from-the-oven apple pie (or peach if you're really lucky) and a glass of fresh juice. Stop for a tipple at Hillbilly Cider and Bilpin Cider (both of which offer non-alcoholic options for the deso drivers), pick some more fruit at Pine Crest Orchard and have a burger for lunch at Maggie Lou's Bite. The Hive just up the road in Berambing is definitely worth a stop for some Bilpin bush honey and a good coffee. For more substantial bites, there are plenty of options in the area, most of which come with spectacular views of the Blue Mountains and the foothills. In nearby Kurrajong, stop at The Village Kitchen for brekkie and a squiz at the on-site art gallery — this cute little spot also offers dinner on Fridays and Saturdays, and often has live music to set the tone. For dinner, Kurrajong Heights is home to Archibald Hotel — which serves up modern gastropub classics with a side of sweeping Sydney views — and Lochiel House, for something a little more refined. Try the pan-fried ricotta gnocchi with pickled mushroom, and the miso-glazed lamb rump with local apple kimchi. The Potager Mount Tomah is right in the heart of the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden (which was thankfully saved from the fires) and a must-visit. The restaurant has an unrivalled aspect, from its terrace draped in wisteria vines — perfect for brekkie or lunch whilst out for a day exploring the gardens. DO [caption id="attachment_760285" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mount Wilson by Destination NSW[/caption] While Bilpin is best-known for its produce, there's plenty more to explore. And while no one will judge you for spending the entire weekend ticking off every farm gate on this Hawkesbury Harvest Experience list, it would be a shame not to get out in nature. We know you're already planning a trip to The Potager, so the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden in Mount Tomah should definitely be on your must-visit list. While much of the vegetation surrounding the garden was affected by the bushfires, much of the Living Collection was able to be saved, including some of the garden's rarest plant species. The garden has become a safe haven for much of the area's wildlife, so there are lots of birds around and new blooms to be seen. A lot of the hikes around the Grose Valley and north of the Bells Line of Road are still closed due to safety reasons, but Walls Lookout is now open and has a must-see view. Take the turnoff for Pierces Pass Picnic Area just past Mount Tomah, park your car, and walk down to the lookout (it's an hour return) for breathtaking vistas over the Megalong Valley. If you don't mind the hour drive from Bilpin to the Blackheath area, we also recommend a visit to Govetts Leap Lookout, Evans Lookout and the Grand Canyon track. [caption id="attachment_760280" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mount Tomah by Destination NSW[/caption] Although the glow worm tunnel walking track in Wollemi National Park is currently closed, you can still see the magic little creatures with a Blue Mountains Glow Worm Tour on private property near Mount Tomah and Bilpin. If you've got time to spare and want to do even more to help the local community, you can register to volunteer for bushfire recovery with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service or spend a day helping rebuild the Zig Zag Railway, which was still being restored following the 2013 bushfires when it was again burned over Christmas and New Year. [caption id="attachment_757913" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Eden Farm Escape[/caption] STAY One of the remarkable things about Bilpin is that it never feels like you're only 90 kilometres from the hustle and bustle of the city, it's a proper nature retreat. Escape to Rustic Spirit for a weekend in a secluded bushland cabin or treetop pavilion on the edge of the Wollemi National Park. You can also book a package with inclusions like couples massages, meals, picnic hampers and champagne. If you'd prefer a farmstay on a 90-acre property, Bilpin's Eden Farm Escape is offering 50 percent off its rates if you can get there in February 2020. Make yourself at home on a lush five-acre hobby farm in Mount Tomah. Spend some time with the animals that have also found refuge at Tomah Retreat (like Flora the pig), taste some of the fruit, nuts and vegetables grown in the garden, and find peace in the living labyrinth. And, to live your best Instagram life, Wollemi Love Cabins are almost too beautiful to be believed. Spend a night under the stars in a luxury teepee that comes complete with a spa bath ensuite, or be right among the trees in a private cabin or studio with a bath right out in nature on the deck. Top images: Destination NSW.
If you're after authentic dumplings, you go to Haymarket. And similarly, if you want real, bona fide Vietnamese food, you head to Cabramatta. The suburb has the largest concentration of Vietnamese in the state, and thus also has some of the best Vietnamese food in the state, making a trip to Cabra well worth it. The footpaths on John Street are lined with shops hawking fundamental ingredients for the cuisine, alongside a slew of restaurants that specialise in a particular dish, or simply Vietnamese cuisine as a whole. No need to hunt down reviews, just head down, pick a spot and hope for the best. It usually works out. Image: @tom_cyh / Instagram.
Sydney may be well-known for its sand and surf — from beachy, bleachy Bondi to the Harbour's numerous secluded coves — but Sydney waterfalls don't often receive the same attention. Our shores are home to some of the best, whether that's within a national park or set right along the coast. Here are five waterfalls in and around Sydney to tick off your swim list this summer. At each, you can cool off in crystal clear pools while marvelling at the rush of water above you. And, since many are lesser-known, you might just have it all to yourself. Recommended reads: The Best Ocean Pools in Sydney The Best Beaches in Sydney The Best Swimming Holes in Sydney The Best Rivers for Swimming in Near Sydney [caption id="attachment_784927" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] Rainbow Falls, Macquarie Pass National Park A two-hour drive south of Sydney in Macquarie Pass National Park, you'll find a hiking track scattered with waterfalls. Walk through the rainforest, eucalypts, Illawarra flame trees and ferns of Clover Hill trail to find a big waterfall — Rainbow Falls — and three smaller falls upstream on the Macquarie Rivulet, which you can swim under. But, bring a towel and a brave face — the water can be very chilly. The whole walk will take you about two-to-three hours, plus swimming time. Want to ignore the words of TLC and continue chasing waterfalls? A five-minute drive away, you'll find the easy Cascades walking track, which takes you along a creek to the stunning Cascade Falls [caption id="attachment_784921" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Goran Has via Flickr[/caption] Collins Beach Waterfall, Spring Cove If it weren't for the occasional passing ferry, swimmers at Collins Beach could easily be fooled into thinking they were in the middle of nowhere. Located in Spring Cove (near North Head), it's one of Sydney's least-visited beaches despite being just 1.3-kilometres from the Manly Wharf. The trick is, it's only accessible on foot — or by boat. You can't exactly swim under the waterfall, but you can partake in the slightly surreal experience of standing in it — or behind it — while looking out at Sydney Harbour. Visit shortly after the rain to see the waterfall at its best. You may just catch a few fairy penguins sunbathing on the rocks while you're visiting the Sydney waterfall, too. [caption id="attachment_703777" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Scott Brown via Flickr[/caption] Wattamolla, Royal National Park As far as watery day trips go, Wattamolla has everything — not only a waterfall but a lagoon and a beach to boot. It's a bit of an adventure to reach the seven-metre high waterfall, requiring a 50-metre swim from the lagoon's edge to start. Some people attempt a shortcut by jumping straight in, but that's actually against National Parks and Wildlife regulations. After a swim, relax in the shade of cabbage tree palms, take a bush walk or spend the rest of the day looking out for sea eagles and oystercatchers. Set in the eastern section of the Royal National Park, Wattamolla has the added benefit of being about a one-hour drive from the Sydney CBD. [caption id="attachment_703779" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Adam Harvey via Flickr[/caption] Winifred Falls, Royal National Park To reach Winifred Falls, you'll need to take the one-kilometre, occasionally steep Winifred Falls Fire Trail, which begins near Audley at Warumbul Road. This more difficult track might sound like a bit of an effort, but it's worth it. Seven metres in height, the falls tumble down a series of steps before hitting a deep, forest-green pool. If you want to continue your adventure, you can take the track the rest of the way (about another three-kilometres in total), continuing on to the South West Arm Pools and Anice Falls. We suggest you travel during the week, when there's every chance you'll have one of the best waterfalls near Sydney all to yourself. [caption id="attachment_703780" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Martyvis via Wikicommons[/caption] Nellies Glen, Budderoo National Park You'll find this misty, magical swimming hole in the Budderoo National Park, near Robertson in the Southern Highlands — about a two-hour drive from Sydney. Home to lush, ferny vegetation, brightly coloured orchids and satin bower birds, Nellies Glen is like a scene from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. If you're feeling particularly adventurous, a two-hour 'hike' (it's part bush-bash, part rock scramble) will take you to the base of the spectacular 50-metre-high Carrington Falls. Note that this trail is unmarked and therefore unsuitable for inexperienced walkers. For those that do not boast the experience, the other option is to drive to Carrington Falls picnic area. Top image: Macquarie Pass National Park by Destination NSW
There are baths, and then there are baths. And, we're sorry to say, your questionably clean five-foot bath with a view into your neighbour's backyard just isn't going to cut it after you've been exposed to the beauty of Japan's many bathing houses — no matter how many 'winter forest'-scented candles you burn. The ritual of visiting an onsen is one that's intrinsic to Japanese culture. As well as the healing and meditative qualities of the baths, it's pretty special to be able to sink into a hot body of water (naked, of course) with nothing but a view of a snowy Mount Fuji to distract you. People have been bathing naked in the natural hot springs of Japan since way back, and while it's basically second nature for its inhabitants, tourists are welcome to jump on board (as long as you can respect and adhere to their customs). There are over 2000 onsen in Japan, and Steve Wilde and Michelle Mackintosh visited a whole heap of them as 'research' for their new book, Onsen of Japan. While they've collected handy information about 140 onsen across the country, we've pulled out ten of the more secluded, snow-surrounded, totally idyllic spots that you should pencil in for your next trip to Japan. GOTENBASHI ONSEN KAIKAN, GOTEMBA Day or night and in any season, Gotemba offers you a knockout view of Mount Fuji that you don't have to shell out the big yen for. At around one‑and‑a‑half hours from Toyko, Gotemba makes for an excellent day trip. A shuttle bus from Gotemba Station will whisk you to an onsen where, for a rock‑bottom price, you can get the full Fuji‑san view that would cost a bomb at a ryokan or designer hotel. KAWAYU ONSEN, WAKAYAMA One of the three onsen to make up the Hongu onsen-kyo area, Kawayu stands alone due to its popular Oto-gawa River bathing. Deep in the forest, this remote, majestic river bath was discovered in the mid-1600s when a local was tipped off to its existence by an enigmatic stranger. Fast forward hundreds of years later to a township that now has actual roads and hotels, but somehow manages to maintain its reputation as an esoteric and remote haven. SHIMA TAMURA, SHIMA ONSEN Founded in 1563, Shima Tamura is a ryokan experience that shows you just how the Japanese have elevated hospitality into the realm of an art form. The building itself is beautiful, with a traditional and inviting wood–entrance and sliding doorway under a thatched peaked triangle roof that looks almost like it has grown organically from the mountain slopes around it. Shima Tamura features an outdoor bath by a waterfall and seven hot-spring baths nestled in the forest; if you've dreamed of an onsen girded by foliage, hidden from the world and touched with the scent of forested glades with woodland creatures flitting among the cypress, Shima Tamura exists to make your dreams a reality. ZAO ONSEN, YAMAGATA In winter, Zao Onsen (a 40-minute bus ride from Yamagata station) is one of Japan's top ski resorts and the trees become pudgy with snow, so much so that they are known as 'ice monsters', snow-smothered conifers that take on the appearance of a crowd of glacial goblins that huddle together on the mountains as if plotting to take over civilisation (don't worry, they're way too cold to bother). In other seasons, the abundance of nature, greenery and the changing hues of the foliage make Zao popular with lovers of the great outdoors. TSURUNOYU, NYUTO ONSEN A fairytale onsen village hidden beneath low-lying clouds among mountains thick with beech trees, Nyuto Onsen is famous throughout Japan, and the seven hidden onsen all have something magical to offer. Catch the onsen bus (it has a model onsen bath on the roof) that ferries you around to each different hot spring. We've featured Tsurunoyu, Taenoyu and Kuroyu, but everything here is something special. Ogama Onsen is housed in a picturesque old wooden building that was once a school. Ganiba Onsen dates back to 1846 and has a beautiful outdoor unisex bath hidden in a beech forest. HOSHI ONSEN CHOJUKAN, MINAKAMI Hidden in the depths of the Joshinetsu Kogen National Park, Hoshi's dreamily beautiful building with a stunning dark wooden exterior accented by flecks of green foliage, flowers, leaves or snow, will transport you to simpler, quieter times. Inside you'll find winding corridors with low ceilings showing faded photographs of times gone by, taxidermied local fauna and small mementos of the building's past – all in glass cases. The 140-year-old Hoshi is a Meiji-period onsen featuring six baths of equal size under an awe-inspiring vaulted wooden ceiling. The architecture echoes the waiting rooms and stations of the railway boom of the 19th century and its beauty has earned it status as a protected 'cultural property'. MANZA PRINCE HOTEL, MANZA ONSEN With more than a hint of the Overlook Hotel in Stanley Kubrick's horror flick The Shining, the Manza Prince, set along an alpine ridge, is a sprawling hotel that has acquired the well-deserved description of 'grand' over the years. The world surrounding the Manza Prince is a snow-dressed highland in winter (skiers flock here), an ocean of rusty gold in autumn, and intense greenery in spring and summer. Like the lord of the peaks, the Manza Prince perches serenely among the clouds surveying all before it. The hotel has a memorable bathhouse alongside its labyrinthine corridors and abundant rooms, and they happily throw their doors open to day visitors. TAKARAGAWA ONSEN, MINAKAMI Takaragawa means 'treasure river'. Legend has it that the Yamato-dynasty prince Takeru fell ill on his journey east and a hawk led him to this hidden spring where he was miraculously healed. Today you can heal your metaphysical wounds in this hidden forest retreat. Sheltered in deep, wooded groves, Takaragawa's outdoor mixed baths are perched on the banks of the Takara River and encompassed by hewn rock, weathered wood, stone monoliths and a vista of charming traditional Japanese buildings. SATONOYU-WARAKU, KUROKAWA ONSEN Kurokawa Onsen is Kyushu's heart, a 300-year-old onsen town, lost in the mountains, barely touched by modern life and channeling the true spirit of the Edo era. Twenty-four inns line the Chikugo River, housed on winding lanes with small bridges, narrow pathways, moss covered stones and lazily spinning waterwheels. It's here you'll find the onsen, as most of these ryokan open their doors to day bathers. Many of the inns have private baths for an extra cost, giving you choices usually reserved for ryokan guests. HAKONE YURYO, HAKONE The free shuttle bus from Hakone‑Yumoto Station takes you on a steep winding ride into the mountains, delivering you to this contemporary, ultra‑stylish onsen nestled among some of Hakone's most beautiful mountainside foliage. This is the perfect city day escape, a bath in a forest, surrounded by Japanese nature at its finest. The range and quality of the outdoor baths is excellent, the pinnacle being the cypress bath that extends out over the forested glade. The many spacious rock baths are perfect for lying back and gazing at trees towering into the sky while you listen to insects as they lazily drone by. Solo baths give you your own space, and well‑spaced‑out benches allow you to kick back and be nude in nature. This is an edited extract from Onsen Of Japan by Steve Wide and Michelle Mackintosh published by Hardie Grant Travel, RRP $29.99. The book is available in stores nationally and online.
When the time comes to celebrate with a group on different budgets, or doing something special but not too splashy, you need some great (yet affordable) options in your dining arsenal. Just because your payslip may not scream 'long lunch at Catalina', that doesn't mean you can't enjoy an all-out settle-in food experience in Sydney. And there are plenty of next-level set menus that may surprise you — and your wallet. In fact, several restaurants around our fine city offer tasting banquets for less than $100 — with many under $80. So we've looked to some of our favourite eateries to gift you this handy guide to the more affordable high-quality set menus in Sydney. When it comes to value for money, these are top of the crop. [caption id="attachment_698814" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] POLY, SURRY HILLS Helmed by Mat Lindsay of Ester and A.P Bakery, Surry Hills restaurant and wine bar Poly has all you need to celebrate a special occasion — without dipping too far into your savings. Fire is the hero of the kitchen here, and its inventory of vino is impressive. And it has a four-course set menu for $95. It changes regularly, but each diner is promised snacks, bread, a seafood starter, meat, sides, sauces, and sweets to finish things off. Whatever you're served, you're in good hands and you'll be able to pair the set menu of flame-grilled treats with a drop from one of the best wine lists in Sydney. Cost: $95 Book now. MAIZ, ENMORE Maiz is a citywide Mexican food favourite, pushing Sydneysiders' understanding of the cuisine well beyond burritos. The banquet here is super affordable, clocking in at $65 for a welcome shot of mezcal and hibiscus followed by a selection of starters, a main of your choice, and dessert. The set menu traverses sweet corn soup, grilled onion- and charred jalapeño-topped guacamole, and market fish ceviche tostadas, before you take your pick of the larger share plates on offer and round out the night with paletas (that's a a Mexican-style ice block). Cost: $65 Book now. [caption id="attachment_731630" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent van der Jagt[/caption] HO JIAK, HAYMARKET Originally hailing from Strathfield, Penang-style restaurant Ho Jiak now has four Sydney locations. Each location has its own unique (and uniquely delicious) menu, but head to the Haymarket spot for the best bang for your buck with an eight-dish tasting menu that is hard to pass up ($85). Expect plates of elevated Malaysian fare, including bite-sized nasi lemak, one of the city's best renditions of satay chicken, and Nyonya-style assam barramundi. Vegetarians can also eat happily here with a $75 tasting menu that features dishes like eggplant ya cniau chye, sam wong dan (three types of egg), and a garlic spinach stir fry. Sure, you could just order from the extensive a la carte menu, but this feast is a home run when you want a finer night out. Cost: Tasting menu $85, vegetarian tasting menu $75 Book now. [caption id="attachment_613611" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alana Dimou[/caption] TWO CHAPS, MARRICKVILLE Two Chaps is the gold star winner on this list. Not only does its set menu on set you back $70 but it's also BYO (for $10 per six-pack or bottle of wine). Bargain. Brush off that nice bottle of wine gathering dust in the back of your closet — this is the occasion you've been saving it for. The seasonal feast changes monthly and consists of homemade pasta, local Australian cheeses and fresh salads, plus rich desserts made from scratch. At the moment, the lineup includes focaccia with olives and baby zucchini, handmade ricotta and Tasmanian pepper ravioli, zucchini campanelle and an almond panacotta for dessert. You'll experience something new and completely delicious every time you go — which, believe us, you'll hope will be often. Dinner is only available on Friday and Saturday nights. Cost: $70 Book now. [caption id="attachment_787137" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] LILYMU, PARRAMATTA You'll find Lilymu on our list of the Best Restaurants in Sydney. The contemporary Chinese and Southeast Asian diner does a lot right — including its banquets which are available for either $78 or $95. The more affordable option still offers up plenty of value, with kingfish ceviche, chicken gyoza and roasted eggplant to start, followed by your choice of barramundi in a turmeric curry or wagyu beef massaman. Both mains are paired with fried rice before your night is wrapped up with a serve of mochi sorbet. Cost: $78–95 Book now. DIMITRI'S, DARLINGHURST While the set menu is only available for groups of four or more, it's one hell of a deal, perfect for a birthday on a budget. Beloved pizzeria Dimitri's has a group dining option that'll only set you back $50 per person and includes house-made sourdough, a mix of antipasti, salads and a pizza per person — what a deal from one of our top spots in Sydney for cheesy rounds. Cost: $50 Book now. PINKY JI, SYDNEY Chef Jessi Singh's Pinky Ji brings his vibrant take on Indian food to Sydney's CBD. At this neon-lit York Street restaurant you can bypass the ordering process and hit up the Chef's Selection menu ($69 per person). You'll kick things off with the venue's Balls of Happiness, followed by kingfish ceviche, fired cauliflower and tandoor chicken. From there, your group will get to sample the array of curries on the menu paired with rice and naan, before the meal finishes with a sweet serving of cardamon pistachio kulfi. This is one of the best set menus in Sydney when it comes to bold flavours and value for money. Cost: $69 Book now. [caption id="attachment_786748" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] CHACO BAR, POTTS POINT Chaco Bar owner Keita Abe snatched up the old Jimmy Liks space on Victoria Street transforming it into a dedicated yakitori joint and converted it into a genuine expression of Japanese izakaya culture in the middle of Sydney. At Chaco Bar you'll find a pretty bloody terrific seven-course set menu for $95. It features dishes that are fun but also showcase serious Japanese cooking including crab chawanmushi (a savoury egg custard), sashimi, a selection of yakitori and chicken liver pate. If you'd to pair your celebratory eats with some celebratory drinks, the bar is pouring a lineup of premium sakes and inventive cocktails. Cost: $95 Book now. [caption id="attachment_701411" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] TOTTI'S, BONDI Totti's kitchen is a beloved staple of Sydney's hospitality scene. If you haven't had the chance, trust us, you'll want to taste its set menu. The four-course meal starts with bread and antipasti, including burrata, olives, 'nduja and prosciutto. Then choose two pastas to tuck into, with the likes of lamb ragu pappardelle and milk-braised pork and chilli lumachine on the current menu. For mains, there's a whole-roasted fish and a half smoked chicken, served with veggie sides. And, because no meal is complete without dessert, you'll get both tiramisu and Neapolitan ice cream sandwiches brought to the table, too. If Bondi is a trek, you can also experience the banquet at Totti's newer Rozelle location. Cost: $90 Book now. THE APOLLO, POTTS POINT Long-standing Potts Point favourite The Apollo is serving up a modern approach to Greek food. The stylish, always buzzing taverna serves up a Hellenic menu amusingly titled The Full Greek ($70), featuring favourites like taramasalata, the magnificent saganaki, pita bread, cucumber salad and oven-baked lamb shoulder with lemon yoghurt. For dessert, there's filo pastry accompanied by semolina custard and rhubarb. The only thing missing from this Greek experience is some ouzo — which you can easily add for an additional fiver. Cost: $70 plus $5 for ouzo Book now. CONTINENTAL DELI BAR BISTRO, NEWTOWN Known for its canned cocktails and delicatessen spreads, Newtown's Continental Deli also offers an unmissable Chef's menu for $85 a head. Nab a spot in the Australia Street restaurant's romantic dining room and treat yourself to a combination of highlights from the bistro's menu. While what's on offer is constantly changing, you can always expect to start with an array of snacks and charcuterie from the deli like gildas and Nardin White anchovies. Following this, the mains can go a few different ways, from roasted cauliflower puree with broccolini and fried egg to roast lamb rump. Just arrive without expectations, order yourself a mar-tinny and leave it up to the chef. Perfect. Cost: Chef's menu $85 Book now. COLOMBO SOCIAL, ENMORE Part of Plate It Forward's collection of charitable and always tasty venues, Colombo Social gives back by providing employment, training and hearty meals to those seeking asylum in Australia. Its pair of set menus are perfect for groups looking for an all-out Sri Lankan feast without dipping too far into their savings. The Amma's Favourites ($80) banquet includes soft shell crab tacos, beetroot bhajis and saganaki with kithul treacle, plus your choice of curries paired with a mix of sambals and hoppers. Or there's the even more affordable Vegan Delight Menu for $65. If you're more in the mood for chicken kyiv and cabbage rolls, Colombo Social's Ukrainian sibling venue Kyiv Social has an equally impressive $79 set menu. Cost: $65–80 Book now. [caption id="attachment_905602" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jason Loucas[/caption] LONGSHORE, CHIPPENDALE This one's for all the snackers and the seafood lovers out there. Longshore, the stunning Chippendale diner from Hartsyard's Dot Lee and Jarrod Walsh, boasts a $90 snack-tasting flight. The four-course set menu runs through ten dishes including pickled red spot whiting, raw tiger prawns, grilled margra lamb ribs and charred octopus skewers. You can also pair your flight with a glass of wine from the restaurant's impressive drinks list — ask the fantastic staff for a recommendation, they're happy to help you create the perfect combo. Cost: $90 Book now. Top image: Totti's by Nikki To
The best restaurants in Sydney's CBD are hard to nail down. For one, we have so many outstanding places to eat in the city centre. They range from cheap eats haunts and old-school dining institutions to more contemporary fine diners with views for days — all pumping out some of the best food in the city. The Sydney CBD is also a difficult area to draw a line around. But for the purpose of this list, we've decided not to include Haymarket or Quay Quarter Lanes, for they deserve their own individual praises. Also, this list of the best Sydney CBD restaurants is long enough as it is. So, if you do find yourself wandering around the city centre in need of a good feed, read on and find the best places to eat and drink the day away. Recommended reads: The Best Restaurants in Sydney The Best Bars in Sydney The Best Coffee Shops in Sydney's CBD The Best Pubs in Sydney
With the new Sydney Fish Market now welcoming visitors to its landmark precinct on Blackwattle Bay, the harbourfront destination has opened a dedicated all-day restaurant. Perched on a sun-soaked corner of the market complex, Touch Wood poses a simple question: what happens when classic Australian brunch is reimagined through a seafood-focused lens? The answer might arrive in the form of blue swimmer crab and XO butter sourdough crumpets topped with maple syrup. It might also look like smoked white fish bruschetta with avocado cream and fennel salt — or even a hearty fish chowder pie. [caption id="attachment_1074873" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Leigh Griffiths[/caption] It's not all seafood, though — the breakfast lineup also features fish-free dishes like buttermilk hotcakes with lemon myrtle cream and even a turkey croque monsieur. The kitchen is led by Head Chef Courtney Blyde (Baba's Place, The Apollo, Cho Cho San), who leans into clean, seafood-forward cooking shaped by his Samoan heritage and upbringing in New Zealand. The menu centres on bright, balanced flavours and seasonal produce sourced from the market itself, keeping dishes familiar while letting premium seafood take centre stage. That sense of comfort carries through to a concise dinner menu featuring dishes like anchovy-topped potato cakes and fish-sausage vodka rigatoni. [caption id="attachment_1074880" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Leigh Griffiths[/caption] Inside, the airy space pairs warm timber finishes with native botanicals and a large-scale flora mural inspired by the Australian landscape. The venue seats 150 diners, including 100 on a north-facing terrace overlooking the harbour — the only restaurant in the precinct with this orientation. Coffee also plays a central role, with industry veteran Paul Cabezas-Heathwood curating a rotating selection of beans from boutique Sydney roasters and overseeing more experimental brewing methods, including nitro coffee on tap. Created by Tyson Rowsell (Dirty Red), Touch Wood brings a neighbourhood cafe sensibility to the city's biggest seafood destination, offering a relaxed way to experience the Sydney Fish Market beyond the trading floor. [caption id="attachment_1074883" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Leigh Griffiths[/caption] Top images: Leigh Griffiths.
The World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants has handed down its list of the top spots in Australia ahead of its annual global awards in May. And this year, a Sydney favourite has taken out the top spot. The World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants, managed and published by Upper Cut Media House, headquartered in London, launched in 2019. It's Steak Ambassadors work tirelessly across each continent to discover the best quality steaks in the world. The criteria for evaluation include such categories as the selection and quality of meat offered (including the taste, terroir, marbling, preparation, aging process, and breeds), the service and expertise in the product, the description given on the menu, the ambiance of the restaurant, and a curated wine list. Before the global list is revealed, the Steak Ambassadors have unveiled the 30 Best Steak Restaurants in Australia. No surprise to anyone who has kept tabs on the many awards and accolades received in recent years, that Neil Perry's Margaret in Double Bay has taken out the top spot. In fact, Sydney took out the top three spots, with Firedoor coming in second, and Aalia in third. Next up on the list are Agnes in Brisbane, followed by Arkhé in Adelaide. At this point, you might be wondering if the ambassadors made it to Melbourne. But fear not, Steer Dining Room took out sixth place, Victor Churchill eighth, and Gimlet at Cavendish House came in at number 15. Images: Supplied. Feeling carnivorous? Check out the best steak restaurants in Melbourne and the best steak restaurants in Sydney.
Some music festivals head on tour, be it the nation or the world, to share their fun. Others livestream. Tomorrowland ticks both boxes, hopping between countries and broadcasting live. The electronic dance music fest that first started in Belgium in 2006 also has a different way of spreading the love: taking its CORE stage to other locations, including to Australia in 2026. After expanding to Colombia for two editions so far, CORE has confirmed bigger plans for next year, embarking upon a global festival tour. First comes a return to Medellín in February, before making its US debut in Los Angeles in May, then hitting up Melbourne for its first-ever trip Down Under in November. While the two other cities will get a two-day CORE experience, its Aussie stint will make the most of just one: Saturday, November 28. So far, there's no other details on offer, including venue or lineup; however, the latter is due to be revealed in early 2026. This is the first time, too, that CORE will host standalone festivals on a trio of different continents — growing from its beginnings within Tomorrowland. It started as part of the overarching event back in 2017, but think of it as a fest within a fest that's now expanded to become its own unique experience, host its own dates and take on its own tour of the globe. So, the full Tomorrowland production isn't journeying to Australia — but CORE, one of its most-beloved stages, popping up in Melbourne is still huge news. The Aussie jaunt is a collaboration with agencies Framed and Pitch Control, and promises attendees "a natural, enchanting setting" for its alternative house and techno tunes, as paired with vivid multisensory staging. Think: lights, an immersive audiovisual approach and even scents. "We are thrilled to bring the iconic CORE stage to Australia. As one of the signature experiences of Tomorrowland, CORE represents the essence of our music, art and stage design. We look forward to sharing this unique atmosphere with fans in Australia and around the world," said Debby Wilmsen, spokesperson for WEAREONE.world, which is behind CORE and Tomorrowland. CORE Melbourne is taking place on Saturday, November 28, 2026, with venue details yet to be announced and the lineup set to be revealed early in 2026. Head to the event's website for more information and to pre-register for tickets.
The Felons takeover of Manly Wharf is now complete with the opening of Manly Fish & Chips, a nostalgic waterfront shack designed for beach days and pre- or post-ferry pitstops. Now open on East Esplanade, the grab-and-go spot rounds out the Brisbane brewery's Northern Beaches stable, which also includes all-day diner Felons Seafood, supper club-meets-live music venue, Felons Barrel Room, and flagship microbrewery Felons Manly. The fitout keeps things simple and familiar, taking cues from old-school beach kiosks and the long-gone Burt's Milk Bar, which operated on the wharf in the 1930s. Checkerboard tiles, white-tiled walls and art deco lighting fixtures give the space a nostalgic feel without overdoing it. [caption id="attachment_1055655" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ethan Smart[/caption] The food follows suit, sticking to exactly what you'd want by the water: crumbed or beer-battered fish with hot chips or fat-cut tallow fries, fresh prawn rolls, fish burgers and the Burt's Burger served with the lot. There's also chilled seafood like Sydney rock oysters and sashimi, alongside grilled seafood, classic sides, poke bowls, salads and pineapple fritters with vanilla ice cream for dessert. To drink, there's a selection of soft drinks like Good Happy kombucha, a tight wine list, a fridge of chilled RTDs and, naturally, Felons beers. Grab a perch at the smatter of tables at the front, or take your feed around the corner to the bench that sits right above the water. [caption id="attachment_1055654" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ethan Smart[/caption] Top images: Ethan Smart.
After initially revealing parts of its 2025 lineup in late 2024, Sydney Opera House's annual All About Women festival has unveiled the full program of events that'll focus on gender, equality and justice in March. Across two days, more than 50 speakers, including artists, thinkers and storytellers from both Australia and overseas, will participate in sessions that span women in sport and the influence of the Matildas, racism and sexism in the music industry, the impacts of skincare routines, and plenty more. For 13 years, marking International Women's Day with talks, panels, workshops and performances has been as easy as attending this highlight of the cultural calendar — a must-attend event not only in Sydney, but also nationally in recent years, thanks to the streaming of sessions online (which continues in 2025). For this year, Kate Berlant and Gina Chick joined the All About Women bill first, as did the return of the Feminist Roast. Kara Swisher, Rachel House, Jaguar Jonze and Grace Tame are now among the folks joining them come Saturday, March 8–Sunday, March 9. As revealed last year, Berlant is making her first trip Down Under, with the comedian and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Don't Worry Darling and A League of Their Own actor set to debut a new stand-up show. Alone Australia's first-season winner Chick is on the bill fresh from releasing her memoir We Are the Stars in October, and will chat about following your own path, grief and resourcefulness. Among the latest additions on a lineup overseen by the Sydney Opera House Talks & Ideas team — as led by Chip Rolley, alongside 10 News First's Narelda Jacobs and actor and writer Michelle Law — journalist and Burn Book: A Tech Love Story author Swisher will dig into the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter, while Heartbreak High star and The Mountain director House will chat through the importance of community and her Māori culture in her career. Jonze is on the panel discussing the present state of the music industry, as is Barkaa. And Tame is part of the Feminist Roast alongside Michelle Brasier, Nakkiah Lui, Lucinda 'Froomes' Price and Steph Tisdell. The Tillies join the roster via former Matildas goalkeeper Lydia Williams, plus Football Australia, the Matildas and the ParaMatildas Media Manager Ann Odong, with their session exploring the current situation for women in sport. Elsewhere, Dr Michelle Wong, Jessica DeFino and Yumi Stynes — plus Price again — will examine the impacts of beauty standards, especially upon younger generations. All About Women's 2025 program also spans sessions on the women who gave testimony at the Ghislaine Maxwell trial, the rise of domestic violence-related deaths in Australia, systems that are meant to protect First Nations children, perimenopause and how women's health is being commercialised, tradwives, grief, motherhood, the nation's declining birth rate, bodily autonomy and abortion, and being friends for life. "There is so much power in women and non-binary folks coming together to talk about the issues we are facing, whether that's in our workplaces and homes, throughout our country or the world," said Jacobs back in 2024, when the lineup's first details were announced. "The events I've co-curated are inspired by hot topics that dominate conversations with the women in my life — from the transformations women undergo at pivotal points in their lives, to the ways modern culture rejigs and repeats old stereotypes. We'll be having some cracker discussions that I'm sure will continue beyond the steps of the Opera House!" added Law. All About Women 2025 takes place on Saturday, March 8–Sunday, March 9 at the Sydney Opera House, and streams online, with pre-sale tickets for the full program available from 9am on Tuesday, January 14 and general sales from 9am on Thursday, January 16. Head to the event's website for more details. All About Women images: Jaimi Joy, Jacquie Manning and Prudence Upton.
There are times to be sensible, and there are times to treat yourself. If you fancy the latter right now, you're in luck — Sydney is blessed with heaps of dreamy destinations within a stone's throw. As long as you have the credit card to back it up, of course. We've rounded up 15 of the best luxury hotels, resorts, villas and stays in New South Wales — from architectural masterpieces and luxe vineyard escapes to next-level beach houses and seven-bedroom dream homes that'll fit all of your mates. But be prepared to splash some cash, these retreats are in a class (and price point) of their own. Recommended reads: The Best Glamping Sites in Australia The Best Hotels in Sydney The Best Spas in Sydney The Best Glamping Sites Near Sydney SPICERS SANGOMA RETREAT, BLUE MOUNTAINS Spicers Sangoma Retreat is comprised of five luxury suites that are perched on the eastern edges of the Blue Mountain ranges overlooking the Nepean River delta below. Each of the accommodations is surrounded by nature and decked out with all the top luxury fittings. Find king-size beds, fireplaces, private heated plunge pools, under floor heating, outdoor decks, kitchenettes, baths with views and heaps of space to relax within. You can even dine on the property at the hatted Restaurant Amara, where degustations are the name of the game — forever changing depending on what local and seasonal produce is available to the chefs. THE CAPE AT WATEGOS, BYRON BAY If you're after a laidback luxury stay with uninterrupted sea views, then these Byron Bay lodges should more than do the trick. The Cape at Wategos sits above the area's much-loved Wategos Beach (backed by a national park) and is super close to a bunch of great restaurants and bars. It has the ideal blend of feeling totally remote but still close to Byron Bay's fun stuff. Choose from one of the two-bedroom suites — each with massive private decks overlooking the beach — or go for the large Residence that sleeps up to six guests. Expect stark white interiors, Hampton-style furnishings, spacious kitchens and living areas, an infinity swimming pool and comfy king-sized beds. Either spend all your days up at the lodges or take a short walk down for afternoons of swimming and surfing with mates. [caption id="attachment_778161" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] EMIRATES ONE & ONLY WOLGAN VALLEY, BLUE MOUNTAINS This eco‐friendly resort is surrounded by all of the things you know and love about the Blue Mountains: endless greenery, wilderness and misty mountaintops. And you can take it all in while experiencing the utmost luxury that Emirates One&Only's 7000 acres have to offer. The resort's villas each offer a private swimming pool, veranda and fireplace. The property's grounds also include a communal swimming pool, a tennis court, spa, sauna, steam room and an array of outdoor experiences. If that isn't enough, there's a restaurant boasting seasonal menus, a wine cellar and a bar — pouring 1832 Wolgan Gin, which is distilled locally. [caption id="attachment_720481" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Peter Aitchison and Baille Lodge, courtesy of Destination NSW.[/caption] CAPELLA LODGE, LORD HOWE ISLAND If you're taking the trip to Lord Howe, why not stay in the island's most opulent resort? At Capella Lodge, you don't need to choose between mountain, lush rainforest or striking ocean views — this super-luxe hotel offers all three. The boutique accommodation has been operating for over a decade and has become an Australian icon, especially after its $4 million facelift a few years ago. Views include the island's twin peaks, Mount Gower and Mount Lidgbird, along with pristine Pacific Ocean coral reef. In summer months, cool off in the onsite pool, or take a short walk down to the nearby beach. You can also enjoy one of the many long hikes in the region, followed by a relaxing treatment at the hotel's spa. SEIDLER HOUSE, SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS Seidler House is one of Australia's great architectural masterpieces — thanks to famed architect Harry Seidler. But did you know that you (and all of your closest friends) can actually book a stay here? The four-bedroom, futuristic-looking home is dramatically built into the cliff's sandstone rock formation and offers unobstructed views across the Southern Highlands. Expect sweeping vistas of the Wingecarribee River gorge, with plenty of balconies, patios and viewing decks to enjoy those views. Other key features include an outdoor swimming pool, barbecue and wood fireplace. Plus 150 acres of private gardens and two kilometres of river frontage to explore. And it's located a short 90-minute drive from Sydney, so is great for a weekend away with your fanciest mates. LASCALA HOLIDAY HOUSE, WOY WOY This seven-bedroom home is made for big groups of mates or a couple of families who are looking for a glam getaway on the Central Coast. You can squeeze up to 22 people on beds. And it still doesn't feel cramped. That's thanks to the large rooms, plenty of common areas and the stunning pool that overlooks the water. The Lascala Holiday House even has its own bar, billiards room, squash court and tennis court. This is the kind of place you'll remember staying at forever. [caption id="attachment_778158" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anson Smart for DNSW[/caption] PRETTY BEACH HOUSE, BOUDDI NATIONAL PARK Located within the gorgeous surrounds of the Bouddi National Park, the Pretty Beach House is not your average waterfront stay. As the name suggests, the resort is set above the escarpment of Pretty Beach and is located just 90 minutes north of Sydney. The exclusive retreat is home to just four villas, which include bayview split-level pavilions and treetop penthouses — each of which features separate king-sized bedrooms, log fireplaces and sandstone flooring. Then there's the main house, which offers guests unfettered access to an open bar, wine cellar, outdoor infinity pool and poolside pizza oven. Indoors, there is an open-plan kitchen, an expansive dining room, a huge sandstone fireplace and a library, all of which are yours to enjoy to the fullest. [caption id="attachment_718055" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kimberley Low[/caption] MONA FARM, BRAIDWOOD Mona Farm's luxurious yet homely farm is the perfect excuse for an out-of-town holiday. Located a three-hour drive south of Sydney in the town of Braidwood, the property is part luxury farm stay, part nature retreat and part art gallery. The country estate offers six historic farmhouses that have been luxuriously revamped by Australian architecture heavyweights. Beyond the accommodation, over 20 Australian and international sculptors have installed works throughout the gardens and grounds, giving the natural surrounds a modern appeal. And it really is a working farm, with Scottish Highland cattle, English Wiltshire Horn sheep, Wessex Saddleback pigs and Clydesdale horses all sharing the land — and platypuses, long-necked turtles and rainbow trout sharing the lake. BEACHCOMBER HOTEL & RESORT, TOUKLEY The Beachcomber Hotel & Resort is an iconic waterfront destination located in the heart of the Central Coast, Toukley. With sweeping waterfront views, Hamptons-inspired ambience, boutique-style accommodation, an exclusive pool club and multiple eateries and bars, it's a damn good place to switch into holiday mode. Be sure to also check out its list of weekly events for live gigs, DJ sets and food and drink deals — taco and tequila Tuesdays are not to be missed. [caption id="attachment_774383" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] BANNISTERS, PORT STEPHENS Bannisters Port Stephens is one opulent escape. The resort overlooks the Soldiers Point beachfront and offers 80 Hamptons-inspired suites — four of which are super-luxe one-bedroom suites with expansive ocean-view balconies and one of which is the over-the-top penthouse. A few of the rooms are also dog-friendly, with easy access to outdoors and walking distance to Wanda Beach. Other onsite indulgences include a seafood-heavy restaurant by an acclaimed Chef Rick Stein, a terrace bar with an infinity pool and a beer garden. These rooms understandably book out quickly, so be sure to plan in advance. [caption id="attachment_812064" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] BENDOOLEY ESTATE, BERRIMA The 200-acre property that makes up Bendooley Estate doesn't just offer a cellar door — it's also home to a luxe restaurant, an alfresco cafe, an outpost of the much-loved Berkelouw bookshop and an extravagant cottage stay. Located in gorgeous surrounds just 90 minutes outside of Sydney, the estate's cottages are perfect for a quick escape out of the city. Choose from up to three-bedroom layouts, each of which offers lakeside, valley or stunning vineyard views, which brings us to the added benefit of being able to fully enjoy the cellar door's wines without having to drive home. The winery serves up some of the best drops in the Southern Highlands, and also boasts a large fire and daily lunch service. BLACKBIRD, BYRON HINTERLAND Blackbird takes bed-and-breakfast to a new level, with its three high-end pavilions, views across the Pacific Ocean and tropical landscape. Each one-bedroom villa accommodates two guests and offers a large verandah, a Moroccan-tiled ensuite with a freestanding bathtub, a king-sized bed with Egyptian cotton linen, a fireplace and an outdoor barbecue. There's also a ten-metre magnesium mineral pool on site, and you'll receive complimentary champagne and local produce on arrival, plus breakfast each morning. Set on acres of rainforest in the Byron Hinterland, this is a retreat for nature-lovers. Heaps of outdoor activities are within easy access of your doorstep, including kayaking, mountain-biking and bushwalks, and the secluded spot is great for star gazing. Grab a few mates and book out the entire resort for a truly special getaway. ANCHORAGE PORT STEPHENS, PORT STEPHENS Anchorage Port Stephens is as waterfront as it gets. Many suites come with their own north-facing balcony or terrace, giving you dreamy views of the bay, foregrounded by the Anchorage Marina and backdropped by Corrie Island. The spacious interiors take inspiration from The Hamptons — think crisp, white linen and pale timber furnishings, splashed with blues and oranges. There's a variety of rooms on offer, from one- and two-bedroom loft suites to self-contained villas. This luxe resort also boasts a pool, day spa and two onsite restaurants, making it a true escape from your day-to-day. WHITEVALE ESTATE, HUNTER VALLEY A rather extravagant country retreat, Whitevale Estate will show you a whole new side of Hunter Valley. Drive down a tree-lined driveway to reach this expansive home, which fits you and up to 17 of your nearest and dearest. The open plan space boasts floor-to-ceiling windows with native bushland views, a vaulted lounge area with wood fireplace, galley kitchen, large leather sofas and a separate games room with a custom pool table, bar fridge and tele. Then there's the outdoor kitchen, which comes complete with another huge concrete table, a five-burner barbecue, a built-in esky and an adjoining in-ground pool. The seven bedrooms and six bathrooms include a master suite that features a herringbone-tiled hydro spa bath, marble walk-in rain shower, double vanity and expansive walk-in dressing room. It's safe to say you'll be fighting over this room. [caption id="attachment_812116" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nat Hallyer[/caption] SUNDARA BEACH HOUSE, SOUTH COAST Just steps from Werri Beach, Sundara Beach House is a two-storey retreat that is as luxurious as it gets. Its seven bedrooms sleep 14 people and feature stunning ocean, farmland views. The house is decked out with top-notch facilities including the ten-metre heated saltwater pool with a spa and adjacent Weber barbecue, a detached games room with a pool table and bar, and two lounges — one of which includes a fireplace and large windows that offer regular dolphin and whale sightings. For things to do when you're not in the lap of luxury, check out the nearby Gerringong town centre, which boasts award-winning restaurants, cafes and wineries. The oceanfront property is also five minutes from the Kiama Coast Walk. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world. Top image: Pretty Beach by Anson Smart for DNSW.
