Sydneysiders love to boast about their good weather, pristine harbour and many beaches, with over 100 beaches scattered around the New South Wales capital. So, when it comes to picking Sydney's best waterside brunch spot for your next day out, the options are basically endless. Luckily for you, we've tackled the tough assignment of narrowing down Sydney's best waterside brunch spots. Whether it's an airy cafe perched on the beach or a local harbourside haunt, they all have one thing in common – good coffee and tasty food, with a side of impressive waterfront views. Don't be fooled, these cafes aren't limited to summer brunch sessions either. With Sydney's crisp, clear blue skies during the cooler months simply begging for a day by the water to get rid of any winter blues, many of Sydney's best waterside brunch spots will offer warm blankets and indoor heating. But, really, if good food and even better scenery aren't enough to get you going in the morning, what is?
Dan Hong, one of Sydney's renowned chefs, restaurateurs and television hosts, opens the doors to his no-frills and fuss-free Chinese diner, Good Luck Eating House, on Wednesday, November 12. Under the Merivale umbrella, the former Good Luck Restaurant Lounge has evolved into this latest iteration, serving casual, inviting food infused with Hong's signature flair. Hong is synonymous with contemporary, high-energy dining across restaurants such as Mr Wong, The Press, Sushi e and Establishment Bar. He says that Good Luck Eating House "is the casual and more approachable little sibling of Mr Wong." Think generous plates of stir-fries, noodles and dumplings, perfect for rowdy evenings out with a group, sitting alongside Aussie-Chinese classics like salt and pepper calamari and sweet and sour pork. "The inspiration is rustic regional Chinese fare, bringing it back to basics. It's the kind of place where anyone can drop in for a quick bowl of noodles or a plate of dumplings, but also come down for a big feast with friends. The menu includes traditional cold appetisers, potsticker dumplings, chilli oil wontons, scallion pancakes, cumin lamb skewers, simple noodle dishes and stir-fries. Highlights will be the dumplings, cumin lamb skewers cooked over charcoal, along with the rustic stir-fries inspired by the Hunan and Sichuan provinces." A range of cocktails, including the Strawberry Matcha Sour, Mango Spritz, Yuzu Paloma, and the Good Luck Dirty Martini, with the inviting addition of ginger and yuzu, are a welcome addition to the flavour-packed menu. Good Luck Eating House is fast and fresh, fun and full of energy, and sure to be a good time. Head in for lunch and dinner from Monday to Saturday, with late-night seatings available from Thursdays to Saturday. Images: Alana Dimou.
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
Sydney is gearing up to host the AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026™ — and the 21st edition of the tournament brings some serious stakes with it. From March 1–21, Asia's best will hit the pitch at Stadium Australia and Western Sydney Stadium, battling for continental glory and all-important spots at the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup™ and the AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Across three action-packed weeks, Sydney will host six group-stage clashes in Parramatta — including every one of defending champion China's matches — before Stadium Australia takes over with a blockbuster quarter-final, semi-final and the tournament's big finale. And for local fans, the unmissable showdown lands on Sunday, March 8, when the Matildas face South Korea under the lights at Stadium Australia — a fitting International Women's Day clash. [caption id="attachment_929029" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tiff Williams[/caption] On the field, all eyes will be on superstar striker Sam Kerr, who's targeting a full comeback after injury and looking to make her mark on home soil once again. Co-captain Steph Catley brings experience and composure to the back line, while Sydney-born young gun Holly McNamara, one of the Matildas' rising stars, promises spark and pace out wide. Add to that a new wave of regional talent from Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines, among others, and this Asian Cup is shaping up as one of the biggest and best yet. Tickets are on sale now, so secure your seat and don't miss a moment of the action.
In case you don't already have enough reasons to attend SXSW Sydney in 2025, here's more: the event's Music Festival keeps adding to its lineup, with over 50 new performers joining the bill, plus a heap of presenters as well. The latest round of names follows past announcements across all things SXSW Sydney for this year, spanning speakers, an initial batch of local and international acts, high-profile guests, more bands and folks getting chatting, Paul Feig and a 14-hour Freaks and Geeks marathon, and Tumbalong Park's free programming. Even beyond all of the above so far, there's also still lineup drops to come. Ninajirachi, 2charm, Drifting Clouds, Whitney, Picture This, Le Boom, Sonic Reducer, xiao xiao, Angela Ken, Maki, Modern Cinema Master, Lex Amor, Amy Gadiaga: they're now on the Music Festival bill, taking to the stage across Monday, October 13–Sunday, October 19. As for where you'll be catching them, SXSW Sydney's already-hefty range of venues is expanding, too, with The Eveleigh Hotel, Embassy Conference Centre, and outdoor stages at the Seymour Centre and on Kensington Street among the new places to hit up. Laneway Festival Co-Founder Danny Rogers, ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd, Support Act Wellbeing Content & Programs Lead Ash King, Skillbox Founder and CEO Anmol Kukreja, Backlash Productions's Tour and Production Manager Jamal Chalabi, UNIFIED's CEO Jaddan Comerford are just some of the speakers adding a little more conversation to the bill — and so are Tickets for Good Founder and CEO Steve Rimmer, Strawberry Fields Director Tara Medina and others. SXSW Sydney has also confirmed that a lengthy list of organisations will be putting on events, including American Apparel, APRA AMCOS, British Music Embassy, College of Hip Hop Knowledge, GYROstream, Impressed Recordings, Laneway Festival x Outside Lands, Moshtix, NPCC presents Taiwan Now, Rolling Stone, Virgin Music and more. The last dedicated Music Festival reveal came in June, and featured the likes of Rashmeet Kaur, Vandelux, The Thing and August Wahh, plus Tenxi & Jemsii, Holly Hebe, Munan and Yasmina Sadiki. In total, this year's fest is due to feature more than 300 music performances. Before that, the festival had already announced Jasmine 4.t, Freak Slug and Ristband + Pivots from the UK; Slowwves from Thailand; Japan's Suichu Spica 水中スピカ; New Zealand's Serebii and Tusekah; and Cardinals from Ireland; and Autralia's Jamaica Moana, JJ4K, RICEWINE, Sacred Hearts, Swapmeet and BADASSMUTHA. SXSW Sydney 2025 runs from Monday, October 13–Sunday, October 19 at various Sydney venues. Head to the SXSW Sydney website for further details. Select SXSW Sydney images: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for SXSW Sydney // Jess Gleeson.
Along with death and taxes, having a lip balm with us at all times is one of life's certainties. One choice of this essential bit of kit is Dermal Therapy lip balms. And we're not alone in thinking so. Search for them on TikTok and you'll be scrolling for hours. Because it's summer, the team at Dermal Therapy are popping up at Bondi Beach on Saturday, November 29, from 12–3pm to remind us all that slip, slop, slap applies to our lips too (care of their iconic SPF 50+ lip balm). The fun-filled pop-up is taking place on the last weekend before summer officially arrives in Australia, ideal timing to snap up a whole host of summery freebies. There will be free popsicles, a live DJ bringing the vibes, fun summer props to pose with, and the chance to win a $5,000 Sunshine Coast holiday. To enter now, head to Dermal Therapy's Instagram and check out their pinned post. Why does one product need such a big celebration? The Dermal Therapy Lip Balm SPF 50+ takes everything you love about the cult-favourite original lip balm and adds one essential upgrade: high-performance sun protection. You'll still get the same clinically proven formula that nourishes and soothes dry lips, but also with broad-spectrum SPF 50+ (UVA and UVB) to shield your skin from the harsh summer sun. The best part is you won't taste any notes of sunscreen on your lips — and it's less than $7 at your local chemist or supermarket. Dermal Therapy Lip Balm 50+ is the only holy grail lip multitasker you'll need this summer for hydration, repair and UV defence. To discover the rest of Dermal Therapy's effective, not expensive range, visit their website. For your chance to win a Sunshine Coast holiday, head to their Instagram.
Walking down Fitzroy Street in Surry Hills, any passerby with their face in their phone could miss the unassuming exterior of Dad and the Frog, save for a colourful chalk design that marks the charm and character of this inner-city gem. Owners Daniel Ng and Baptiste Viard are certainly doing something right — the cafe won Toby's Estate Local Legends competition for 2023, beating out every other Toby's Estate-pouring cafe in the state. The team prides their position in the legendary Surry Hills hospitality scene, curating a menu that combines locally produced ingredients with a range of sauces, relishes, jams and pickled delights made in-house. Tuck into french toast with brie cheese, berry compote, crumbled pistachio and caramelised apple or swiss brown mushrooms with pancetta, two poached eggs, sour cream and black truffle oil on toasted rye. The fun doesn't stop at breakfast either. The lunch menu is packed with toasted sandwiches, hearty burgers and nourishing bowls, while alcoholic drinks are available from 11am to close.
Replenish your wardrobe one kilo at a time as the Kilo Sale returns to Sydney with a truckload more secondhand and vintage clothing. Kicking off with an exclusive afternoon event at 29 Smith Street, Marrickville from 3pm on Friday, November 21, there's no need to rummage through the price tags when weighing up your budget. Instead, there's just one price to remember — a kilo will cost you $50 whether you're holding shirts, dresses or jackets. Plus, there's no minimum weight to worry about, meaning you can walk away with a refreshed wardrobe for a stellar price. Meanwhile, the Kilo Sale continues from 9am–1pm on Saturday, November 22. With the entire event featuring seven tonnes of continuously replenished stock, finding more than a few unique pieces that fit your style is almost guaranteed. In a Kilo Sale first, entry during both timeslots will be completely free, giving you all the more reason to come by. With Australia leading the world in textile consumption per capita at 56 new pieces per year, the Kilo Sale is on a mission to highlight secondhand and vintage shopping as the sustainable choice.
Milan in the 1980s was booming. Coinciding with a period of rapid economic growth, fashion houses like Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and Versace propelled the industrial city onto the world stage, transforming it into a glittering epicentre of design, culture and nightlife. It was a decade defined by confidence — the Milanese mastered the art of living fast and looking good. It's this glamorous spirit — neon accents, terrazzo floors, mirrored brass and all — that pulses through Bar Allora, the all-day Italian bar and restaurant by award-winning operators The Maybe Group (Maybe Sammy, Dean & Nancy on 22) and Accor's new in-house hospitality arm, Table For. The big-time collaboration has a fittingly big-ticket location, set on the corner of Bond and George Streets at Mantra 2 Bond Street. Taking its name from the Italian word 'allora', meaning 'back then', the venue nods to that golden era while reimagining it for today. Much like the city that inspired it, Bar Allora is fast-paced by day, and social and sultry by night. Pull up in the morning for espresso and cornetti from the bustling bar or street-facing window, or settle in for breakfast plates like the house frittata with stracciatella and salsa verde. From midday, the tight all-day menu by Chef Rosy Scatigna (Table For's Culinary Director) and Head Chef Josh Donachie (Jane, Jacksons on George) takes over. Their dishes draw inspiration from Milan's post-war dining boom, when southern Italian migrants brought warmth and soul to the sleek northern city. Expect plates like spaghettone with anchovy butter and lemon pangrattato, swordfish cotoletta with blood orange and radicchio and gorgeously retro desserts like a chocolate and Campari tartufo. As one might expect of a Maybe Group venue, cocktails are just as much of a focus as the food. The menu celebrates the art of aperitivo, with inventive takes on Italian classics: the Americanello mixes Campari and Oscar Rosso vermouth with lemon myrtle liqueur and mango soda, while the Allora Negroni's gin and Campari base is brightened with oloroso, pandan and pineapple. Later in the night, the after-dinner selection features playful pours like grasshoppers with salted pistachio cream and brandy- and whisky-spiked shakeratos. There's also a smart lineup of predominantly Italian wines, with many available by the glass.
The Lord of the Rings is turning 25 in 2026 — and one of the many ways you can celebrate a quarter century since the destruction of the One Ring is by listening to a candlelit rendition of its legendary score. The soundtracks of the fantasy films to end all fantasy films will get a string quartet treatment in cities across Australia thanks to Candlelight®: The Lord of the Rings. Presented by Fever and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences, the intimate concert series will recreate the iconic scores composed by Howard Shore in a smaller scale, but just as emotionally sweeping, format. From the humble tunes of the Shire to the stirring sounds of the plains of Rohan, and beyond, it's a trip to Middle-earth that you won't be forgetting any time soon. Tickets are limited, but you can join the waitlist now. "We are proud to be partnering with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences to host this unforgettable Candlelight concert series celebrating such a significant milestone as the 25th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings," said Isabel Solano, Global Vice President of Original Experiences at Fever. "With Candlelight®: The Lord of the Rings, we're paying tribute to the epic music from the timeless classic that continues to inspire generations and reinforcing our mission to make classical music accessible to every audience while celebrating some of the world's greatest composers." Candlelight®: The Lord of the Rings will be coming to Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney throughout early 2026. Adelaide shows will take place across two nights in February at the Capri Theatre, with Perth to follow at shows in March and April at Perth Town Hall. Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane dates are yet to be confirmed, but will take place at the Sydney Masonic Centre, Collingwood Town Hall and Saint John's Anglican Cathedral, respectively. For more information, or to join the waitlist for 'Candlelight®: The Lord of the Rings', visit the Fever website.
Built in 1921, the heritage listed hotel has had many of its features restored to their original state over the past decade or so, including fireplaces, the bars themselves and the almighty rooftop space. Overseen by the heritage council, the Glenmore now has a swanky Ladies Pamper Parlour, a lounge area on the first floor where the hotel rooms used to be, along with a new cocktail bar and collection of rooms with juliette balconies, plush carpets, retro posters and a pool table. And while this is all very grand, one of the best parts of The Glenmore has to be the rooftop terrace. The views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House can be seen clearer from this area. The retractable roof is a great addition, along with the rustic style wooden benches and red industrial chairs. [caption id="attachment_761766" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] Sit up here or in the dining room, munching on shared plates — think oysters, grilled octopus, polenta chips and prawn toast — alongside some burgers and larger plates including a great chicken parmie. For cocktails in the lounge area, the Santi Muerto — tequila, limoncello, watermelon juice and a dash of bitter lemon soda — is perfect for lazy hot summer nights. Alternatively, there's a compact list of wines, beers and Dom Perignon for special occasions. Like many popular pubs in Sydney, The Glenmore has refined its offerings without losing its old world charm. It remains a solid addition to the Rocks' dining and watering hole scene. [caption id="attachment_850853" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] Appears in: The Best Pubs in Sydney The Best Rooftop Bars in Sydney
It's been 25 years since the first episode, but people are still obsessed with Grand Designs. Sure, the futuristic and downright ridiculous homes are captivating. Yet many of us are tuning in to see how the insanely optimistic budgets, disappearing timelines and inevitable pregnancy announcement resolve themselves. Through it all, host Kevin McCloud is on hand to deliver a supportive quip or dire prophecy. Now you can hear McCloud's infectious energy in person with his old mate and self-confessed architecture nerd, Tim Ross, as the pair tour the country for Live in Interesting Places. On the back of a new podcast series, Tim and Kev's Big Design Adventure, they'll regale audiences with tales of modernist marvels, utopian visions and design-fuelled banter. And, as the name suggests, McCloud and Ross will come together in five architecturally significant venues throughout Australia. [caption id="attachment_1050527" align="alignnone" width="1920"] St George's Performing Arts Centre. Credit: Scott Burrows.[/caption] Presented across multiple dates from Thursday, February 5–Sunday, February 15, 2026, the tour kicks off in Perth at the University of Western Australia's Octagon Theatre. Onwards to Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra, audiences will gather in Brutalist theatres, heritage-listed churches and much-loved public buildings, from St George's Performing Arts Centre to the Lindfield Learning Village, fascinated by the duo's big design ideas. Several years in the making — the pair haven't appeared together since two sold-out Sydney Opera House shows in 2019 — get insight from these great thinkers and perhaps reconsider that intricate building project you had in mind. "These shows are going to be entertaining and edifying," says Kevin. "And full of surprises — you won't believe where our nerdy curiosity will take you," adds Tim. [caption id="attachment_1050526" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lindfield Learning Village. Credit: Alex Mayes.[/caption]
The best steaks in Sydney aren't only found at luxe steakhouses. French bistros cook up a mean steak frites, Argentinian grills know exactly how to treat all kinds of cuts before throwing them on the flames and there are some ripping pubs serving up affordable steaks that rival many a fine diner in the city. When you want to try the best steak in Sydney, you should expect to pay handsomely for it. The best of the best source only the most exceptional (and most expensive) cuts of meat from around Australia and abroad. Top-grade wagyu makes it onto a few Sydney steak menus, perfectly marbled and cooked with love. Pair it all with the right wine for an elevated experience (brilliant sommeliers abound at these steak spots, too) — but whatever you do, don't ask for your meat well done. Recommended reads: The Best Mexican Restaurants in Sydney The Best French Restaurants in Sydney The Best Italian Restaurants in Sydney The 50 Best Bars in Sydney — Ranked
The Art Gallery of NSW is spotlighting an often-overlooked chapter of Australian art history with Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890–1940. This landmark exhibition showcases more than 200 works by 50 pioneering women who left Australia to train, experiment and exhibit in the cultural capitals of Europe — long before modernism took hold back home. The survey period was one of radical change: those century-straddling decades saw the advent of the automobile, aeroplanes and moving pictures, as well as two world wars, breakthroughs in women's suffrage and the emergence of artistic movements like fauvism, cubism and abstraction. While Australia took a little longer to catch up, the artists featured in Dangerously Modern embedded themselves in studios, salons and artist colonies from Paris and London to the windswept coasts of Ireland. The show traces how these experiences shaped their practices — and how they returned with new ideas that transformed Australia's artistic landscape. [caption id="attachment_1046924" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Installation view of the 'Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890–1940' exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, 11 October 2025 – 15 February 2026, photo © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Anna Kučera[/caption] Expect works by big names like Margaret Preston, Grace Cossington Smith and Nora Heysen alongside under-recognised artists including Justine Kong Sing, Agnes Goodsir and Iso Rae. Highlights include the only known surviving major painting by 19th-century artist Eleanor Ritchie Harrison, a suite of post-impressionist paintings by Edith Collier — marking the Aotearoa-born artist's first Australian showing — and the earliest known cubist landscape by an Australian artist, painted by Mary Cockburn Mercer in 1925 and recently rediscovered in Germany. Whether you're an art buff or just keen to see something different, Dangerously Modern offers a rare opportunity to view long-unseen works and reconsider who gets remembered in Australia's creative story. [caption id="attachment_1046925" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Installation view of the 'Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890–1940' exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, 11 October 2025 – 15 February 2026, photo © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Anna Kučera[/caption] Top image: Installation view of the Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890–1940 exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, 11 October 2025 – 15 February 2026, featuring Hilda Rix Nicholas 'Une Australienne (An Australian)' 1926, National Gallery of Australia, purchased 2014 © Bronwyn Wright, photo © Art Gallery of New South Wales, image by Anna Kučera.
There's something particularly special about the time leading up to a holiday — whether it's a well-deserved, digital-free weekend or the overseas holiday you've been planning since 2019 (thanks, COVID). And, while most of us agree packing isn't something to swoon over — July aims to elevate how we approach luggage, so we can spend the time focusing on the parts of travel we love. The Melbourne-designed business had a bumpy start to takeoff, launching in 2018 before the pandemic. Since then, it's been smooth sailing with two Melbourne stores in QV and Collingwood in the last few years. Now, the team has launched their first New South Wales outpost in Sydney's Galeries. Offering premium luggage, suitcases and overnight bags, July suitcases are constructed with a solid German polycarbonate shell, and can include clever features like ejectable batteries for on-the-go phone charging, a hidden laundry bag and 360-degree wheels. All July cases come with a lifetime warranty, too, for any unexpected bumps and turbulence along the way. The suitcases are loved by the likes of Chrissy Teigen and Celeste Barber, so you'll be in good company wheeling these babies around on your next adventure.
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.
We're going back ... back to see Back to the Future, this time as a musical on the Sydney Lyric's stage. First floated 20 years ago by the big-screen trilogy's screenwriter Bob Gale, then finally premiering in 2020, the song-filled take on Marty McFly and Doc Brown's exploits has proven an award-winning success in London's West End and on Broadway. In 2025, the DeLorean has finally arrived in Sydney. The power of Back to the Future isn't really a curious thing. As viewers have known since 1985, the Michael J Fox (The Good Fight)-starring sci-fi/comedy is a timeless delight. But as well as making film lovers weep with joy for almost four decades, the iconic movie has been making other folks sing — the casts of the Olivier Award-winning Back to the Future: The Musical, that is. Aussie audiences can now experience the award-winning musical at the Sydney Lyric. Exclaiming "great Scott!" is obviously the only fitting response to this development, and to the production in general — and there's clearly plenty to get excited about. Since initially racing towards clocktowers onstage in the UK since early 2020 (around a pandemic hiatus or two, of course), Back to the Future: The Musical has picked up the Olivier Award for Best New Musical, and then was nominated for two Tony Awards in 2024. And yes, the show does indeed follow the Marty McFly and Doc Brown-led story we all know and adore, but with songs, including renditions of Chuck Berry's 'Johnny B Goode' and Huey Lewis and the News' 'The Power of Love' and 'Back in Time', naturally. [caption id="attachment_1049421" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daniel Boud[/caption] Australian fans will now want to speed at 88 miles per hour towards the Harbour City, given that it is the only Aussie city where a season of Back to the Future: The Musical has been announced so far, so bookmark a trip to the Harbour City to see it — or pop on your own white lab coat, start tinkering around with electronics and whip up your own time machine to try to make it happen. Also featuring music and lyrics by OG Back to the Future composer Alan Silvestri and acclaimed songwriter Glen Ballard (Jagged Little Pill the Musical), plus a book by Gale — who co-penned all three Back to the Future film scripts with filmmaker Robert Zemeckis (Here) — Back to the Future: The Musical was nominated for seven Olivier Awards. It only won the big one, but emerged victorious over heavy-hitters and fellow screen-to-stage shows Moulin Rouge! The Musical and Frozen. Tickets are on sale now. For more info, head to the website. [caption id="attachment_1049422" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daniel Boud[/caption]
Returning for its 14th edition, All About Women will take over the Sydney Opera House once more, offering a prodigious lineup of local and globally renowned speakers. Held on International Women's Day — Sunday, March 8 — this buzzy experience exploring gender, justice and equality has just revealed its first four names, bound to inspire and inform. These include the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, who'll open up about becoming the world's youngest female head of government and what it takes to leave behind a legacy of radical empathy. Meanwhile, London-born literary powerhouse Zadie Smith will unpack our present-day cultural chaos and explain why feed-friendly takes must be resisted. Audiences will also hear from admired BBC journalist Emily Maitlis, best known for her infamous interview with then-Prince Andrew, which helped kick-start the Duke of York's downfall. Hear how she challenges power and privilege. Plus, Moroccan-American author Laila Lalami will discuss her prescient new novel, The Dream Hotel, where AI punishes people for "potential crimes." For Melbourne-based fans, there's the chance to catch three of these incredible speakers at The Wheeler Centre. Laila Lalami will dissect surveillance culture on Wednesday, March 4, before Emily Maitlis reflects on her remarkable career on Thursday, March 5. Finally, Zadie Smith will discuss her new essay collection, Dead and Alive, on Tuesday, March 10. Images: Jaimi Joy / Cassandra Hannagan.
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.
Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from December 5–21, you can shop a curated selection of unique, handcrafted gifts from local artisans — including hand-blown glass and sterling silver jewellery by OR Design, nostalgic homewares by RetroKitchen and hand-printed apparel by b.carlon — at The Rocks' popular Christmas market. Featuring a wide range of handcrafted wares by local makers, this lively openair market will have all you need to tick off your holiday gift list. Between finding the perfect pressies, you can stay fuelled with woodfired pizza from Haberfield fave That's Amore, as well as paella, crepes and gozleme — whatever you choose, it's best enjoyed on the free picnic blankets and cushions under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. On Saturday, December 6 and Sunday, December 14, you can also take part in a gift-wrapping workshop to learn the Japanese technique of furoshiki, a traditional wrapping method that uses pre-loved fabrics to create reusable, zero-waste parcels. Images: Cassandra Hannagan
Known for its pristine white sand beaches, Jervis Bay is a well-known escape for Sydneysiders come summertime — and yet during off-peak seasons parts of its 20 kilometres of shoreline will be completely deserted. If you're heading from Sydney, prepare for a three-hour drive south before you hit a vast oceanic bay fringed by national parks. Jervis Bay is one of the deepest bays in Australia, and all its underwater creatures live in a protected marine park. Whether you're paddling, snorkelling or lazing on the beach, you're bound to meet dolphins, rays, weedy sea dragons, Port Jackson sharks, fish and, from late autumn, whales, too. [caption id="attachment_770529" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gunyah by Hutchings Camps Pty Ltd[/caption] EAT AND DRINK Before you travel to Jervis Bay, make a reservation at Gunyah at Paperbark Camp, which you'll find just east of Huskisson in the pint-sized village of Woollamia on the banks of Currambene Creek. Designed by Sydney-based architects Nettleton Tribe, this warmly lit, timber-filled restaurant feels like a treehouse for grown-ups. It's built on stilts and positioned just under the canopy — perfect for spotting possums and stars. Paperbark Camp is also one of the best glamping sites in Australia, so consider spending the night. For lunch, drop into Hyams Beach Cafe and General Store, where you'll not only meet the bay's cutest dog, Albert, but you'll also find a delicious midday meal. Owners Sue and Chris Alison, who run the cafe with their daughter Phoebe, grow much of the produce on their farm. Order a burger and you'll be rewarded with a stack of lamb (or chicken), salad and vegetables, lathered in house-made sauce and framed in soft turkish bread. Hanging out for a late afternoon tipple? The Huskisson Hotel, right on the water, is the spot for it. The pub's got a massive, well-shaded deck and floor-to-ceiling windows, so the views are panoramic. Or, for craft brews at a dog- and family-friendly beer garden, head to Jervis Bay Brewing Co. The brewery is open Wednesday to Sunday for when you want to sample pale ales and XPAs with food truck snacks, or swing by to take a growler home for a barbecue on the deck. [caption id="attachment_770531" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hyams Beach by Tourism Australia[/caption] DO For the big picture, grab your hat and start with a 90-minute dolphin cruise that takes travellers into the middle of Jervis Bay — searching for its 100 resident bottlenose dolphins, and when you return you'll have a good idea of just how epic the bay's proportions are. Jervis Bay's still, clear, safe waters are an excellent place to paddleboard. Book a lesson with Jervis Bay Stand Up Paddle and, after learning the basics, you'll take a mini-tour, watching out for eagle rays and blue gropers diving beneath your board. To go further afield, take a half-day or full-day tour with Sea Kayak Jervis Bay. You'll learn paddling techniques, trivia-comp-winning facts about the bay and, between paddling sessions, you'll stop for coffee, cake, fruit and a dip at a stunning beach. If you're feeling intrepid, venture away from the shoreline to Bowen Island. It's illegal to disembark, but there's stacks to see from your boat, including fairy penguins — approximately 5000 breeding pairs live there. For a gentle stroll, take the White Sands Walk and Scribbly Gum Track — a 2.5-kilometre loop, taking in Hyams, Greenfields and Seamans Beaches. Make sure you check the National Parks website for any alerts before you venture out. In Booderee National Park, which stretches across Jervis Bay's southern headland, head to Cape St George Lighthouse for dizzying cliffs, diving sea eagles and tragic sailors' tales. Go to Green Patch for more white sand, possums, kangaroos and camping. And, for surf, make tracks to Cave Beach or Steamers Beach, both outside the bay. [caption id="attachment_770505" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hyams Beach Seaside Cottages[/caption] STAY For proximity to restaurants and shops, stay in Huskisson. And Hukisson Hotel, located right by the water is one of our favourite places to stay by Jervis Bay. Alternatively, the Huskisson Holiday Motel Cabins is great for those who don't want to be right in the town centre. And if it's bushland and bird songs are more your jam, head to Hyams Beach. Back in the 1920s, a bunch of fishermen built a group of pocket-sized dwellings there, just 60 metres from the water. Now, they've been transformed into the Hyams Beach Seaside Cottages. Painted dusky pink, baby blue and canary yellow, each one has a little porch and ocean views, plus polished wooden floors and an ultra-comfortable, queen-sized bed inside. Travelling with mates? JB Beach Houses gives you a choice of six holiday homes. You'll find the properties metres from the beach and right on the edge of the national park. At Scarborough, you're greeted by a spacious deck overlooking Hyams Beach — a dreamy place to watch birds, read and do absolutely nothing. There's space for up to eight sleepers and it has direct beach access for when you fancy a cheeky midnight dip. 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: Jervis Bay by Hutchings Camps via Tourism Australia
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
In 2017, when Warwick Thornton's Sweet Country first reached cinema screens, the blistering Indigenous Australian western won awards in Venice, Toronto, Luxembourg and our own backyard. It's a sublimely shot and performed work of art that powerfully interrogates Australia's past and draws parallels with the country's present, so that's not surprising — and it joined a long list of acclaimed work by Indigenous Australian filmmakers. Thornton himself is no stranger to the spotlight, with his debut Samson & Delilah winning the Camera d'Or at Cannes in 2009. Sixteen years earlier, Australian artist Tracey Moffatt premiered BeDevil at the prestigious international festival, too, with her feature marking the first ever directed by an Australian Aboriginal woman. From Ivan Sen's Mystery Road and Goldstone to Rachel Perkins' Bran Nue Dae and Jasper Jones, the list of exceptional films by Indigenous Aussie directors goes on. Showcasing the breadth and depth of the nation's filmmaking talent — and, crucially, showcasing Indigenous Australian stories — they demonstrate Aussie cinema at its best. And if you're wondering where to start, here are 25 movies that you can stream right now. Mystery Road, Goldstone, Toomelah and Limbo When Ivan Sen and Aaron Pedersen (High Ground) teamed up for 2013 film Mystery Road, they gave Australia the ongoing gift of outback noir. Sen's writing and directing was so finessed, Pedersen's performance as Indigenous Australian police officer Jay Swan so riveting and the movie's entire concept so engaging that it's no wonder everyone wanted more. So, another followed. Across fellow big-screen effort Goldstone, Swan went to a different remote corner of the country, tried to solve a different case and became immersed in a different set of small-town politics. In both films, the franchise lays bare the state of Australia today, especially when it comes to the nation's treatment of its First Nations peoples. And if you're instantly hooked, it has also spawned its own two-season TV series also starring Pedersen — plus an exceptional prequel series as well. Also worth seeking out: Sen's 2011 drama Toomelah, as set in the titular New South Wales town, with ten-year-old Daniel (Daniel Connors, who is also in Mystery Road) at its centre. And, in 2023, Sen brought Limbo to cinemas, this time starring Simon Baker (Boy Swallows Universe) in a black-and-white Coober Pedy-shot tale about another police officer riding into a small Aussie town, and looking into a case that few people have been all that fussed about until now because the victim isn't white. Mystery Road streams via ABC iView, YouTube Movies and iTunes. Read our full review. Goldstone streams via ABC iView, Netflix, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review, and our interview with Ivan Sen and Aaron Pedersen. Toomelah streams via Netflix. Limbo streams via ABC iView, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review, and our interview with Ivan Sen and Simon Baker. Samson & Delilah, Sweet Country and The New Boy Before Warwick Thornton turned his camera on himself in the personal and reflective TV documentary The Beach — which is the best piece of Australian television that hit screens in 2020 — he directed two of the great Aussie films of the 21st century. And, since then, he's also added another, The first: a love story, a tale of fighting to survive and an unflinching look at teenage life in Australia's red centre, aka 2009's equally heartwrenching and stunning Samson & Delilah. Indeed, it's little wonder the multi-award-winning movie firmly put Thornton on the international map. With Sweet Country, he then returned to the Northern Territory with a film that makes a firm statement, as becomes clear when an Indigenous stockman (Hamilton Morris) kills a white station owner in self-defence. He's forced to flee with his wife Lizzie (Natassia Gorey-Furber), but a local posse is soon on their trail. As Sweet Country decisively confronts this all-too-real situation, it also confronts the country's history of racial prejudice. In 2023's The New Boy, Thornton headed to a remote monastery with a mission for Indigenous children, where Sister Eileen (Cate Blanchett, Tár) is in charge. Her faith is tested when the titular child (newcomer Aswan Reid), a nine-year-old orphan, arrives and has his own experience with religion, which clashes with the mission's take on Christianity. Samson and Delilah streams via SBS On Demand, Stan, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Sweet Country streams via ABC iView, Netflix, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. The New Boy streams via SBS On Demand, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review, and our interview with Warwick Thornton. BeDevil One of Australia's most astonishing films — and yet one of the country's lesser-celebrated gems — Tracey Moffatt's BeDevil took the Queensland visual artist, photographer and filmmaker to Cannes and back. That external validation is all well and good; however it's really just the cherry on top of a potent triptych of haunting tales that demands attention on its own merits. In not only her first and only feature, but the first feature by an Australian Aboriginal woman, Moffatt takes inspiration from ghost stories told to her as a child by both her Aboriginal and Irish relatives. A thoroughly distinctive and immersive horror movie is the end result, and one that smartly and engagingly explores Australian race relations in a disarmingly unique way. Surreal, eerie and simmering with intensity, it'll also show you the Aussie landscape in a whole new light. BeDevil streams via SBS On Demand and Vimeo. Sweet As In Sweet As, the red earth of Western Australia's Pilbara region couldn't be more pivotal. For this coming-of-age drama, Jub Clerc (The Heights) deploys the patch of Aussie soil as a place where teenagers find themselves. The first-time feature director and writer draws upon her own adolescent experiences for her full-length debut, while also crafting the first WA flick that's helmed and penned by an Indigenous female filmmaker. Murra (Shantae Barnes-Cowan, Firebite) is one of Sweet As' adolescents learning to be shutterbugs; with her mother (Ngaire Pigram, also a Firebite alum) grappling with addiction, the 16-year-old's police-officer uncle Ian (Mark Coles Smith, Mystery Road: Origin) enrols her on a trip that she doesn't initially want to take — with youth workers Mitch (Tasma Walton, Scrublands) and Fernando (Carlos Sanson Jr, Bump) as guides and chaperones, plus Kylie (newcomer Mikayla Levy), Elvis (Pedrea Jackson, Robbie Hood) and Sean (fellow first-timer Andrew Wallace) as her new friends. Sweet As is available to stream via SBS On Demand, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson A searing and impassioned take on a well-known Australian tale — a First Nations, feminist and anti-colonial version, too — The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson is the film that Leah Purcell (High Country) had to make. See: her lengthy history with Henry Lawson's short story of almost the same name. In 2016, she adapted The Drover's Wife for the stage. In 2019, she moved it back to the page. Now, she's brought it to the screen — and the end result is a must-see. Only minutes in, in what marks the actor-turned-director's feature filmmaking debut, it's easy to see why Purcell keeps being drawn to retell this 19th century-set story. In her hands, it's a story of anger, power, prejudice and revenge, and also a portrait of a history that's treated both women and Indigenous Australians abhorrently. And, ever the powerhouse, she writes, helms and stars. The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson streams via SBS On Demand, Stan, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. The Moogai First, The Moogai was a SXSW Midnight Shorts Grand Jury Award-winning short. Then, writer/director Jon Bell and his stars Shari Sebbens (The Office) and Meyne Wyatt (Strife) returned to turn this tale of Australia's past haunting its present on- and off-screen into a feature. This is an Aussie horror film born out of the Stolen Generations where the monsters of colonisation, White Australia policies and attitudes since remain inescapable, and where Indigenous children today are also snatched away by a literal monster — and it's a brilliant idea, as well as one that instantly feels as if it needed to have been made decades back. The Moogai begins on the Red River Aborigines Mission in 1969, where two sisters (debutants Aisha Alma May and Precious Ann) attempt to avoid being separated from their family by white men, only for one to be spirited away instead by the picture's namesake. When it jumps to half a century later, the film spends its time with Indigenous couple Sarah (Sebbens) and Fergus (Wyatt) as they prepare for the arrival of their second child, but find themselves dealing with malevolent forces. The Moogai via Netflix and YouTube Movies. Read our interview with Shari Sebbens, Meyne Wyatt and Jon Bell. Bran Nue Dae, Jasper Jones and Radiance When Rachel Perkins brought hit Aussie musical Bran Nue Dae to the big screen in 2010, she turned an already beloved stage musical into one of the country's cinema box office successes. The lively love story takes a road trip through 60s-era Australia, and brings plenty of famous faces along for the ride, with Jessica Mauboy (The Secret Daughter), Ernie Dingo (Squinters) and Deborah Mailman (Total Control) among the cast. Then, in 2017, she adapted another Aussie classic. This time, she set her sights on Craig Silvey's novel Jasper Jones, which examines race relations in a rural Australian town — particularly the treatment of the teenage titular character (Aaron L McGrath, Gold Diggers), who is considered an outcast due to his ethnicity. The book was already intelligent, thoughtful and engaging, and the film proves the same. Similarly worth watching is Perkins' moving 1998 filmmaking debut, Radiance, about three sisters (Wentworth's Rachael Maza, Deborah Mailman again and The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart's Trisha Morton-Thomas) working through their baggage after their mother's death. Bran Nue Dae streams via SBS On Demand, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Jasper Jones streams via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. Radiance streams via ACMI Cinema 3. The Sapphires, Top End Wedding and Firestarter — The Story of Bangarra An actor and a filmmaker, Wayne Blair boasts an eclectic resume. You've seen him on-screen in Wish You Were Here, The Turning, Emu Runner, Seriously Red and The New Boy, and he both directed and featured in episodes of Redfern Now and the second season of the Mystery Road TV series. Behind the lens, he's also helmed episodes of Lockie Leonard, and directed the 2017 US TV remake of Dirty Dancing. But, Blair is probably best known for The Sapphires and Top End Wedding. They're both big films — and Blair has a definite feel for feel-good material. One follows a group of four Indigenous Australian female singers (Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Preppers' Shari Sebbens and The Artful Dodger's Miranda Tapsell) sent to Vietnam to entertain the troops. As for the other, it tracks an Indigenous Australian woman's (Tapsell again) whirlwind quest to stage her perfect nuptials in her hometown of Darwin. Also on Blair's resume: documentary Firestarter — The Story of Bangarra, about Australia's acclaimed Indigenous dance theatre. Co-directed with Nel Minchin (Matilda & Me, Making Muriel), it's a powerful portrait that also steps through the nation's past and focuses on three siblings — Stephen, David and Russell Page — with dreams as big as their talents. The Sapphires streams via Prime Video. Top End Wedding streams via ABC iView, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. Firestarter — The Story of Bangarra streams via ABC iView, SBS On Demand, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. Here I Am Marking not one but two feature debuts — for writer/director Beck Cole (Deadloch) and star Shai Pittman (Around the Block) — Here I Am tells one of the oldest tales there is. It's also a prime of example of taking a familiar narrative and giving it a new voice; viewers have seen this story before in various guises over decades and decades, but never championing Indigenous women. When Karen (Pittman) is released from prison in South Australia, she embarks upon a quest for redemption, including reconnecting with her unimpressed mother Lois (Marcia Langton) and her young daughter Rosie (Quinaiha Scott). Unsurprisingly, that reunion doesn't go smoothly, but both Cole and Pittman are committed to riding the ups and downs. Both hit the big-screen for the first time in a striking fashion, and with a film that proves both intimate and clear-eyed in its multi-generational portrait. Here I Am streams via iTunes and Prime Video. We Are Still Here It begins with stunning animation, shimmering with the rich blue hues of the sea. From there, everything from lush greenery to dusty outback appears in its frames. The past returns to the screen, and a vision of the present finds a place as well — and crossing the ditch between Australia and New Zealand, and venturing further into the South Pacific, is baked into the movie's very concept. That film is We Are Still Here, which makes an enormous statement with its title, responding to 250 years of colonialism. Of course, filmmakers in the region have been surveying this history since the birth of the medium, because the topic is inescapable. Combining eight different takes from ten Indigenous filmmakers (including Here I Am's Beck Cole, A Chance Affair's Tracey Rigney, Carry the Flag's Danielle MacLean and A League of Her Own's Dena Curtis from Australia) instantly makes We Are Still Here stand out, however — and this Pacific First Nations collaboration isn't short on talent, or impact. We Are Still Here streams via SBS On Demand, Netflix, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Spear An Australian dance movie that uses its fancy footwork to step through the plight of the country's First Nations peoples, Spear is a striking cinematic achievement. First-time feature helmer, Bran Nue Dae and The Sapphires choreographer, and Bangarra Dance Theatre artistic director Stephen Page turns the company's performance work of the same name into a big-screen spectacle unlike anything crafted locally, or anywhere else for that matter. Mood, music and movement are pivotal, as a teenage boy wanders from the outback to the city to try to reconcile his ancient culture in a modern world. His journey is just as transporting for those watching as it is for everyone within the movie, as well as anchoring one of the most expressive pieces of Australian film perhaps ever made. Watch his with the aforementioned Firestarter — The Story of Bangarra for a fantastic double feature. Spear streams via ABC iView and Beamafilm. Read our full review. Satellite Boy On paper, it might seem easy to spot exactly why Satellite Boy proves so charming. Writer/director Catriona McKenzie smartly enlisted the now-late David Gulpilil (Storm Boy) as Indigenous elder Jagamarra, one of ten-year-old Pete's (first-timer Cameron Wallaby) guardians and the person teaching him about life on the land. It's a stroke of casting genius, clearly — and crucial to the film. That said, this dreamlike 2012 movie has several impressive casting touches as it traverses the Western Australian landscape, including unearthing young Wallaby as its lead and similarly finding fellow debutant Joseph Pedley to play Pete's pal Kalmain. McKenzie's feature also boasts a delightful narrative, which sees the two boys take to the bush en route to the city to save the home that Pete adores: a rundown drive-in cinema that this big-dreaming kid simply wants to get back into action. Satellite Boy streams via iTunes and Prime Video. Buckskin and Finke: There and Back The past few years have been memorable for Dylan River. The Alice Springs filmmaker directed delightful SBS web series Robbie Hood, was the cinematographer on rousing Adam Goodes documentary The Australian Dream, worked as the second unit director on the aforementioned Sweet Country, lensed The Beach (with the latter two both helmed by his father, Warwick Thornton), co-directed Mystery Road: Origin and was behind the wonderful Thou Shalt Not Steal. He also wrote, directed and shot two impressive documentaries of his own: Buckskin and Finke: There and Back. The first tells the tale of Jack Buckskin, Australia's only teacher of the near-extinct Kaurna language, while the second covers the rough, tough, two-day off-terrain trek that gives the doco its name. Both prove insightful, and showcase the astute skills of one of Australia's emerging filmmaking talents. Buckskin streams via SBS On Demand and Vimeo. Finke: There and Back streams via SBS On Demand, Netflix, DocPlay, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. It's also one of our ten best movies of 2019 that hardly anyone saw. Servant or Slave and Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky Watching a documentary directed by Steven McGregor involves exploring Australia's complicated history. There's much for the director of Black Comedy and co-writer of Mystery Road, Redfern Now and Sweet Country to cover, of course. In 2016's Servant or Slave, he turned his attention not only to the nation's Stolen Generation, but to the Indigenous girls who were forced to work as domestic servants. The powerful film features five women recalling their experiences — and it's impossible not to be moved and horrified by their accounts. With 2020's Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky, the filmmaker takes a more irreverent approach to Australia's past, while still remaining just as probing. The charismatic Steven Oliver leads the show on-screen, as this clever and engaging movie revisits the story of Captain Cook from a First Nations perspective, including via songlines with the assistance of Indigenous performers. Servant or Slave streams via SBS On Demand, DocPlay, Brollie, Prime Video, YouTube Movies and iTunes. Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky streams via SBS On Demand.
South Western Sydney has long been home to some of the city's most exciting and diverse eats — from longstanding Vietnamese institutions to generational Lebanese bakeries and thriving suburban restaurants, the region's culinary landscape has been defined by everyday generosity. But big-ticket fine-dining builds have traditionally sat closer to the CBD. MAGMA by Dany Karam — now open inside the all-new Cabravale Club Resort — aims to shift that balance, bringing a polished and theatrical dining experience to the south west. For Karam, a proud Western Sydney local, MAGMA is both the first chapter in a three-part, long-awaited follow-up to his acclaimed stint at The Star (though he's hardly been on holiday since stepping down as Executive Chef in 2022) and a deeply personal project. Four years in the making, the restaurant is inspired by the charcoal-fired Sunday family lunches of Karam's childhood, layered with flavours influenced by his travels through Turkey, Lebanon, Japan and Vietnam. Fire is very much the star here. An open charcoal grill is at the heart of the open kitchen, flanked by a glass-fronted dry-age room — dubbed 'Dany's Butchery' — where premium meats and seafood hang to peak flavour before hitting the pass, with availability changing daily. Karam has worked with longtime collaborators Ben and David Blackmore to secure whole-carcass deliveries of their sought-after Rhone wagyu, forming the backbone of a heavyweight steak program that also includes cuts from Hereford and Speckle Park. There's even a 600-gram Wagyu Trio designed for comparing different feeding styles side by side. Beyond the woodfired grill, the menu puts thoughtful twists on steakhouse classics. Highlights of the ingredient-driven one-page selection include Queensland spanner crab tossed with olive oil, dashi cream, coriander and finger lime with fluffy brioche; charcoal-kissed Condabilla murray cod with broccolini and a smoky mussel and ginger beurre blanc; and pillowy semolina gnocchi with exotic mushrooms, brown butter and crisp sage leaves. Drinks are similarly considered. The cocktail program by Charlotte Belvisotti (Mimi's, King Clarence, Amorica, Palmer & Co) moves from playful signatures like the açai sour — hibiscus vodka, sudachi and marshmallow foam — to the silky, umami-forward Magma Martini with vodka, olive oil, seaweed, sake and house pickles. Meanwhile, a 500-bottle, floor-to-ceiling wine cabinet is designed to encourage discovery across global varietals. The dining room makes a statement of its own: a dramatic six-metre-high space clad in black marble, dark copper and faux-fur panel accents that feel both luxurious and intimate. A striking produce display and sleek marble bar at the entrance give way to a 140-seat dining area, complete with a 16-person private room. Set within the new Cabravale Club Resort precinct — also home to a Novotel, event centre and sun-washed pool lounge — MAGMA is a defining new arrival for Sydney's south west. And, for Karam, it's not a moment too soon for this kind of destination dining. "What used to be a CBD-only experience is now here for our community," he says. "Western Sydney deserves a restaurant that's both elevated and welcoming. That's Magma."
In news that Sydneysiders have been eagerly awaiting, it has been announced that the new Sydney Fish Market will open its doors on January 19, 2026. The market will feature more than 40 retailers at its striking new location on the harbour at Blackwattle Bay. The new space will continue to showcase the incredible seafood Australia has to offer, from sustainably farmed oysters to wild-caught prawns, and will also feature the opening of vibrant new venues from celebrated chefs such as Luke Nguyen and Junda Khoo. Sydney Fish Market CEO Daniel Jarosch says, "We've waited decades for this new market, and taking this time means we can open with a bang. A January opening gives tenants the time to finish fit-outs this year, and then train staff and prepare operationally, so that they are ready to deliver an incredible experience from day one." After decades of operating at its existing site, this news brings significant change to the Sydney culinary and cultural landscape, with the market not only being a major tourist attraction but also a central part of Sydney's hospitality scene. And for a final hurrah, there will be one last 36-hour Seafood Marathon at the existing location, a Christmas tradition that sees retailers operate from 5am on December 23, straight through to 5pm on Christmas Eve. It is expected that Sydneysiders will turn out in record numbers this year to farewell the landmark site. Jarosch says, "It's the end of an era and the beginning of something extraordinary. We will celebrate one final Christmas in our current home before we open the doors to Sydney's newest waterfront icon. It will also mean a smooth experience for Sydneysiders as they buy their seafood for Christmas. It is an important tradition among many families, and we want to guarantee their access to seafood." The reimagined Sydney Fish Market will bring together old favourites and new vendors to create a vibrant venue that is expected to draw in over six million visitors annually. There will be exciting restaurant openings such as Luke Nguyen's new flagship Southeast Asian restaurant, Lua, and renowned Malaysian chef Junda Khoo's new Tam Jiak by Ho Jiak. Hamsi will bring Turkish charcoal dishes, Le Dea Pizza will offer Italian delights, Cow & The Moon will serve award-winning gelato, and Sergios will surprise with high tea and pastries. Of course, there is a strong focus on fresh seafood, with offerings such as GetFish and GetSashimi's exciting sushi train concept, TJ's Po Boys' lobster rolls, Tin Tin Harbour's classic yum cha and live seafood, and The Japanese Collective's seafood barbecue. "For decades, Sydney Fish Market has held a special place in the hearts of Sydneysiders and visitors alike — a place where people come not just to buy the freshest seafood, but to enjoy the unique blend of culture and heritage. With the new Sydney Fish Market, we honour that legacy while looking firmly to the future. The vision is simple: to create a destination people will return to again and again, not just to buy seafood, but to experience it. This is a place where you can take a behind-the-scenes tour, discover the origins of your meal, and explore the cultures that celebrate seafood across the globe. It's about education, enjoyment, and creating a real sense of connection to the produce, the people, and the place," says Jarosch. Images: Supplied. The Sydney Fish Market is slated to open on January 19, 2026. In the meantime, check out the best seafood restaurants in Sydney.
As far as food and drink matches go, the combination of messy Buffalo wings and an ice cold can of beer is one for the ages. And yet, only now has this classic duo spawned a Sydney restaurant of its own, with best mates Anthony MacFarlane and Alfredo Perez opening Darlinghurst joint, Wings and Tins. To make up for lost time, the boys are going hard on the concept — an assortment of wing varieties decked out with house-made sauces, seven styles of fries, and an enormous lineup of tinnies ranging from local craft brews to foreign favourites. As the kitchen flexes its creative muscles, there'll be new wings specials unleashed each week, but currently the menu has with nine types of wings including this beauty: a double fried, bacon-wrapped wing, served on a waffle with hot sauce, maple syrup and lime aioli. Regular offerings run the gamut from smoky chipotle barbecue wings, to a blackberry and brown sugar version. And, if you fancy playing with fire, there's the T-bone's Doom Juice wings, doused in a sauce made from Carolina Reaper chillies. Down a whole serve to get your mug on the wall of fame, or order the Russian Roulette, where one of these mouth-burners is secretly stashed amongst a basket of regular wings. As for the space, Perez and MacFarlane have taken over the former digs of Darlinghurst's No Name, decking it out with a series of cosy booths, each one complete with a can-crusher and its own theme. Spend the evening chowing down on wings and slamming cans, in a seat styled like a vintage Swedish ski cabin.
When someone spots a giant spider, they take notice, even when it's simply a tall metal piece of art. Seeing one of Louise Bourgeois' towering arachnids is indeed a stunning experience; however, so is watching people clock her lofty works. Her Maman sculptures demand attention. They're the type of public art that audiences just want to sit around, soak in and commune with. They're photo favourites, too, of course — and one is coming to Australia. This will be the first time that Maman has displayed Down Under, with the world-famous work heading to Sydney as part of Sydney International Art Series returns for 2023–24. As previously announced, Bourgeois is one of three hero talents scoring a blockbuster exhibition during event, alongside Wassily Kandinsky and Tacita Dean. And, the nine-metre-high, ten-metre-wide sculpture that she's best known for will be catching Aussie art lovers in its web. [caption id="attachment_914565" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Louise Bourgeois' Maman, located outside the National Gallery of Canada. Radagast via Wikimedia Commons.[/caption] That said, there won't be any physical strings of silk — but Maman is that entrancing. The sculpture hails back to 1999, and boasts its name because it's a tribute to Bourgeois' mother. The artist described her mum as "deliberate, clever, patient, soothing... and [as] useful as a spider". If you're keen to see Maman on home soil, it'll sit on the forecourt of the Art Gallery of New South Wales' South Building from Saturday, November 25, 2023–Sunday, April 28, 2024 during Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day?'s run. And if it sounds familiar, that's because you might've seen permanent installations of the bronze, steel and marble work outside the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo — or at the Tate Modern in the UK, National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville in Arkansas or the Qatar National Convention Center in Doha. [caption id="attachment_914560" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Louise Bourgeois 'Clouds and Caverns' 1982–89, metal, wood, 274.3 x 553.7 x 182.9 cm, Collection The Easton Foundation, New York, courtesy Kunstmuseum Den Haag © The Easton Foundation, photo: Christopher Burke.[/caption] "We are proud that the subject of our first major solo exhibition in our new SANAA-designed North Building, almost one year since opening, is the great Louise Bourgeois. We are honoured to introduce this deeply influential artist to new generations, and to have the opportunity to share the strange beauty and emotional power of her art with Sydney,' said Art Gallery of New South Wales director Michael Brand. "The scale of this exhibition, which is one of the most extensive ever dedicated to an international woman artist in Australia, demonstrates our commitment to revealing the depth and complexity of the artistic careers we explore and our commitment to celebrating the work of women artists in our collection and exhibitions." "We are proud to bring Maman, the largest spider sculpture ever made by Bourgeois, to Sydney for the very first time, and to be showcasing the extraordinary breadth of the artist's practice, which includes fabric sculpture, works on paper, bronzes, works from her series of Cells, mechanised sculpture, and more." [caption id="attachment_914563" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Louise Bourgeois 'Twosome' 1991, steel, paint, electric light, 190.5 x 193 x 1244.6 cm, Collection The Easton Foundation, New York © The Easton Foundation, photo: Elad Sarig.[/caption] A collaboration with The Easton Foundation in New York, Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day? will showcase more than 150 works. It's the largest survey of Bourgeois' work ever displayed in Australia — and, as Brand mentioned, one of the most comprehensive ever devoted to a female artist in the country. The Bourgeois exhibition will display 13 years after the Paris-born artist passed away in New York in 2010, and after she stamped her imprint upon the art of the 20th century. Visitors to will see her Personage sculptures from the 1940s, textile works of the 1990s and 2000s, and plenty in-between, with the showcase playing up the duelling themes and ideas in her work by taking over AGNSW's major exhibition gallery and 'the Tank'. Other highlights include The Destruction of the Father, which is among the pieces that've never been displayed in Australia before; Crouching Spider, and one of the biggest works ever to grace the Tank; Clouds and Caverns, which is rarely seen in general; and the mirrored piece Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day?, which shares the exhibition's moniker. [caption id="attachment_889027" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Louise Bourgeois, The destruction of the father 1974-2017, archival polyurethane, resin, wood, fabric and red light, 237.8 x 362.3 x 248.6 cm. Glenstone Museum, Potomac, Maryland. Photo: Ron Amstutz. © The Easton Foundation.[/caption] Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day? runs from Saturday, November 25, 2023–Sunday, April 28, 2024 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery Road, The Domain, Sydney, with tickets on sale from Wednesday, September 6. Sydney International Art Series runs from November 2023 — head to the AGNSW and MCA websites for further details. Top image: Louise Bourgeois 'Maman' 1999, installed during the exhibition 'Louise Bourgeois: To Unravel a Torment', Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Serralves, Porto, 3 December 2020 – 20 June 2021 © The Easton Foundation, photo: Filipe Braga.
On 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.
Potts Points proudly welcomes Parisian-inspired Le Frérot. The all-day diner serves crisp croissants from first thing in the morning and slings midday salads and sandwiches before transforming into an elegant yet easy-going bistro come evening. Standing alongside its older sibling, Franca Brasserie, which you might save for a special occasion, Le Frérot is designed to be a casual and inviting space to be enjoyed seven days a week, for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Le Frérot is the latest venture from Rivage Hospitality, which follows the success of their upscale, elegant French brasserie Franca, serving reimagined French classics such as a chicken liver parfait eclair with hazelnut praline and a pumpkin tarte tatin with blue cheese. Andrew Becher, Managing Director of the group, says, "We're absolutely delighted to be opening Le Frérot in the heart of Potts Point. This new cafe, bar and bistro will bring a fresh French concept to the neighbourhood, right alongside our beloved Franca…Le Frérot gives our guests an all-day dining experience while adding an exciting new layer to what we offer across Franca and Armorica. It's a natural little brother to Franca, with familiar nods to what has made it so successful, but with its own unique character and energy." Taking the lead in the kitchen is José Saulog, Group Executive Chef, who brings classic technique and a creative vision to create a menu that is both luxe and accessible. Mornings are made easier with fresh boulangerie baked goods, woodfired tartines, as well as more lavish dishes such as steak and eggs, Moreton Bay bug benedict and spanner crab omelettes. Classy lunch options include a smoked duck salad or a classic tuna nicoise, as well as speedy sandwiches. Bottomless fries are the star of the show come evening. Served alongside mussels in white wine and kombu butter, pork cutlets, roast duck breast and Black Angus hanger steak, they'll keep coming, as long as you keep eating. Images: 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.
No matter the name and no matter the hook, it seems that whosoever takes over the premises of 44 King Street shall open and operate a live-music themed bar in the basement. Once the home of lively New Orleans-themed joint The Swinging Cat, the venue is now home to Lucille's: the divier little sibling of nearby country music hotspot Jolene's. Recently opened by the same husband and wife duo that runs the aforementioned York Street mainstay, Simon and Lucille Rose-Hopkins, Lucille's is inspired by the pair's travels to the rock and blues heartland of the United States, and is named after Rose-Hopkins herself. In turn, she's named after a musical legend: "The name of the bar was a funny coincidence. Lucille is the name BB King gave his guitar after it was saved from a fire started at a bar… over a fight over a woman named Lucille. Lucille's parents saw BB King on a trip to the States many years ago and decided to name her after the guitar as well," said her husband and co-owner, Simon. While Jolene's is a love letter to the "classier side of Nashville," as the duo puts it, Lucille's takes inspiration from their favourite dive bars in Memphis and Dallas, with plenty of southern character and charm. True to the great blues and rock bars of the south, Lucille's welcomes regular live music from established and upcoming artists alike every Thursday from 7.30pm, and every Friday and Saturday from 8pm. The menu is simple but satisfying. The daily happy hour offering tells you everything you need to know about drinks: $14 margaritas, $7 beers, and $8 wines and select spirits from 5–7 pm daily. There's also a range of cocktails — some simple (like the whiskey and fresh apple), and some house specialties named after country songs, like Bright Lights, Big City and Southside of Heaven. The food is what you would imagine: comforting, moreish, Southwest-style snacks and shared plates to accompany the rock and blues tunes. Choose from mac and cheese balls, buffalo chicken bites, hotdogs and more, and you'll be whisked across the world to the home of the blues in no time.
When Ron's Upstairs opened on Redfern Street last year, the team left the space — which was previously occupied by longstanding Thai restaurant Pron Prohm — largely untouched. The panelled walls, the carpeted stairs and the (albeit altered) original sign out the front remain. The decision to keep these flourishes is a reminder that Redfern has changed rapidly in the last five years. Where dining options were limited to takeaway joints, there is now a rooftop bar, a corner wine bar and a ramen joint with a line snaking out the door. While some small bars like Arcadia Liquors and The Dock have been around for a while now, plenty of Redfern's restaurants and bars are brand spanking new. Here are the places worth checking out for dinner or a drink. Extra points to those that support the local arts community and erase the suburb's history altogether — even if it's just by keeping the sign out the front.
The KPMG Sydney Sail Grand Prix is hurtling back to Sydney Harbour from Saturday, February 28 to Sunday, March 1, 2026, marking a record seventh visit of the globally-touring race series to the city. Once again, the world's fastest foiling catamarans and their national teams will take to the iconic harbour for a high-stakes, high-speed display of world-class sailing, but this year, with a twist: racing kicks off at 5.30pm, delivering the first-ever twilight session in the event's local history. On home waters, the BONDS Flying Roos will be out to reclaim their dominance. Having already secured three championship titles, the rebranded team enters 2026 with fresh momentum and new co-owners (including Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds), and local fans no doubt keen to see them rule the race once more. You can catch the action from a range of spectator areas. There's the option to experience the ultimate view on Shark Island with all-inclusive food and beverages, live race commentary and boat transfers from Barangaroo. Otherwise, you can properly get in the splash zone on an open-top Official Spectator Boat, book a spot with a privately-owned vessel inside the public exclusion zone, or go full luxe with a chartered spectator superyacht. Sailing superfans can also kick off the weekend with a behind-the-scenes Tech Site experience on Friday, where you can get up close to the action before racing begins. Watch the high-performance F50 vessels being craned into Sydney Harbour, meet the athletes at Q&A experiences and soak up the festival atmosphere with live DJ sets, tech talks, food trucks and giveaways.
With two stores right in the heart of the city, Sydney Party Warehouse is there to look after the CBD's costume hunters — there's one at 147a King Street and another on the corner of Kent and Liverpool Streets. There's also a megastore in Mascot if that's a little more convenient for you. As well as stocking hundreds of ready-to-go costumes that won't break the bank, the warehouse has all the fancy dress accessories you need to put together your own costume. Pick up a crown and some elaborate jewellery, a wig and stick-on moustache, headpieces, ears, tails, wings, tutus, tattoos and more.
You won't have to hack together IKEA's latest collection, as the iconic furnisher of homes everywhere has just released its collaboration with Stockholm-based architect-turned-designer Gustaf Westman. Renowned for his bubbly, curvaceous pieces, it's Westman's first-ever product design collaboration, though he's far from an unknown quantity. He counts design-conscious celebs like Tyler, the Creator and Olivia Rodrigo among his fans. While we usually associate the Swedish giant with ready-to-assemble furniture made for functionality, this collaboration brings a little more personality to the fore. Created with joyful informality, Westman's 12-piece collection is inspired by seasonal celebrations, challenging tradition through his trademark sculptural shapes and bold colour combinations. "For me, this was an opportunity to take traditional holiday decor aesthetics and turn it on its head, instead, introducing a sense of playfulness and boldness," says Westman. "This is my interpretation of the holidays; it's a new design for a new generation." So, what's in store for IKEA and Westman fans? As you might expect, there's no shortage of pieces celebrating food and togetherness. The most attention-grabbing is a dedicated meatball plate — especially appropriate considering IKEA's iconic dish turns 40 this year. Meanwhile, Westman has designed an offbeat porcelain cup and saucer set for glögg, aka mulled wine, shaped by memories of his grandma's holiday baking. Westman's collection is also here to level up your lighting. There are matching candlesticks and holders in two candied colours — red and blue — and a portable, rechargeable lantern that twists from a round shape into an orbital one. Those familiar with Swedish Christmas traditions will also recognise a reimagined candelabra-style lamp, traditionally placed in windows during the holiday season. "Celebration often comes with established traditions, and we were curious to explore a more fun and inclusive take," says Maria O'Brian, IKEA Range Identity Leader. "Teaming up with Gustaf Westman felt like a natural match to help us reimagine the holidays with a twist." The limited-edition IKEA x Gustaf Westman collection will be available for purchase from Monday, September 29. Head to the website for more information.
North Sydney has scored a brand-new local, and it comes with serious pedigree. Hospitality veteran Michael Broome (Ette, formerly Jacksons on George) has turned his attention north of the bridge with Ost., a welcoming all-day eatery and neighbourhood bar designed for everything from morning coffee stops to after-work cocktails. Taking its name from 'osteria', Ost. is built around — and for — the local community. At its heart is an expansive, light-filled beer garden, complete with ten-metre ceilings, communal benches, intimate tables and plenty of greenery. By day, it's awash with sunlight for coffee catch-ups and laptop sessions; at night, it transforms into a sophisticated yet relaxed local with soft lighting and live acoustic tunes on Friday evenings. Inside, earthy timbers and stone textures set a warm, understated tone. Head in from 7.30am for Dutch Smuggler coffee, toasties, hearty breakfast wraps and pastries, plus the option to toast the day with a morning mimosa thanks to a 10am liquor license. As the day rolls on, the menu shifts to pizzas, steaks, burgers and bar snacks, including a run of $15 daily food specials from Monday to Friday spanning schnitzels, wings, burgers and fish and chips. Behind the bar, Ette's Beverage Director Claudio Matricini has crafted a lineup of approachable cocktails, local wines and beers, complemented by a daily happy hour (4.30–5.30pm) featuring $10 margaritas and $5 house spirits. With its wallet-friendly drinks and crowd-pleasing food menu, as well as one of North Sydney's most impressive beer gardens, Ost. is a smart new addition to Sydney's northside CBD. Images: Chris Chen.
For the cinephiles, TV addicts and all-around lovers of entertainment, the gifting season can sometimes be a little challenging. After all, everything they want, they can just watch…right? Wrong. It's 2025, physical media is making a comeback, and home cinema technology is better than ever. The only thing stopping you from getting your favourite movie lover a quality present is your attitude. Here's a list curated by our own film-addicted writers for all the blockbuster fans, Letterboxd diehards, nerds and tech heads who know how to make screentime into quality time. Shopping for someone who's never home? Check out our guide to the best gifts for frequent travellers. Two-Room Speaker Set, Sonos Anyone who knows their Hollywood blockbuster from their independent arthouse flick probably dreams of replicating theatre audio at home. With this speaker duo, they'll be able to precisely shape an immersive soundscape for all kinds of movies at home. Shop now. Popcorn Maker, Heller No true movie experience is complete without a bowl or box of hot, buttery popcorn. Sure, you could get a microwaveable packet from the shops, but this adds a novelty feeling to the in-home popcorn experience. Shop now. Freestyle Portable Projector, Samsung With some creative thinking and a smooth, vertical (and preferably white) background, this portable projector can upgrade any space into a theatre with pictures up to 100 inches across, 360º sound and inbuilt Samsung Smart TV tech. Shop now. TV Backlight Kit, Govee The dream of any at-home cinema curator, a tv backlight can synchronise the colour display of its lights to the colours on-screen, blending the picture into the room and making for a seriously immersive viewing experience. Compared to other brands, this kit gives you all the gear you need for a very reasonable price. Shop now. 120" Portable Projector Screen, AIWA Perfectly matched with the Samsung portable projector, this lightweight and reliable screen means you can set up a movie night anywhere with a power supply. If that's not a cinephiles dream, we don't know what is. Shop now. 4K DVD Player, Panasonic You heard it here first: physical media is making a comeback, at least among film lovers. If your loved one has a long-forgotten collection of ancient DVDs or a burgeoning collection of new ones, this player will give them the best quality possible for every sweet, ad-free, unbuffered moment. Shop now. One Year of Pro or Patron, Letterboxd Any movie diehard has either already downloaded or desperately wants to get into Letterboxd. A social media platform designed for film lovers, by film lovers, you can gift the Letterboxd user in your life a year of paywalled goodies and bonus features for their account. You just need an account of your own. Shop now. 'Star Wars' The Skywalker Saga DVD Box Set, Lucasfilm If a special someone in your life has a soft spot for the stories set in a galaxy far, far away — and has a compatible disc drive (any DVD player, external disc drive or disc-compatible gaming console will do) — you can gift them all nine feature films that come free of streaming hassle for the rest of their life. Shop now. Movie Log, A24 If Letterboxd, or social media as a whole, isn't the style of your giftee, maybe they'll prefer something more tactile? Available on a waitlist via independent production company A24, this paper logbook is a great print method for someone to track their movie-watching activities. Shop now. 2026 Daily Tear-Off Calendar, A24 Part calendar, part shopping list for some of the best films in the game, this desktop-compatible gift offers up 365 days of A24's award-winning movies in seasonal order. It's a great accessory, and an even better guide to going from general audience member to certified cinephile. Shop now. Gift Card, IMAX At long last, IMAX screens in Australia are on the rise. These massive theatre screens are the biggest and indisputably best way to watch a blockbuster, but tickets don't come cheap. Save your resident film nerd some precious movie snack money and cover their tickets with these gift cards. Shop now. Gold Class Ultimate ePackage, Event Cinemas If movies mean date nights for you and your special someone, you can save this for the next romantic release to get admission, a welcome drink, three small plates of food, nachos and popcorn for two. Yes, the food comes into the theatre with you. Shop now. Cinephile: A Card Game, Cinephile If you want to test the knowledge of a film lover, this party game is the best way to do it. With 150 cards covering difficulties from beginner blockbusters to diehard cinephiles, it can bring a bit of friendly competition to your next cinematic trivia sesh. Shop now. 100 Movies Scratch Off Poster, Uncommon Goods Do you feel like your special someone doesn't have enough experience with Hollywood's undeniable classics? This scratch off poster makes for a decorative and motivating reason to watch 100 one of the most classic films in human history. Shop now. Movie Night Bingo Cards, Uncommon Goods Admittedly, not all movies are classics, and some are classics for the wrong reasons. If you're the sort of person who hate watches a bad film, gamify your next predictable, cliche or uninspired watch with these genre-specific movie bingo cards. Prizes not included. Shop now. 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.
When it comes to orchestrating a first date, the suggestion of 'we could go grab a drink somewhere' is conventional but lacks creativity. The bar as a venue for first-date small talk is the 20-30-40-50-plus-somethings dating default. It's non-committal and virtually foolproof. But as a date concept, the classic 'grabbing a drink' milieu isn't exactly memorable. So, if you feel it's time to spice up your game, here are some ideas to get you started. From budget-friendly daytime spots to revamped tried-and-true classics, this is your guide to Sydney date ideas, providing an alternative to your regular rotation of bars. [caption id="attachment_722294" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Vic161015 via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] BYO Picnic at Wendy's Secret Garden in Lavender Bay In a city as spectacular as Sydney, why wouldn't you want to head outdoors? There's something uniquely romantic about a sunset picnic by the water in a garden created by a local cultural icon. Wendy Whiteley's Secret Garden is a leafy haven with history, hidden artworks and harbour views. And it is just as suitable for a leisurely stroll as it is for flinging out the rug and having a couple of beers. It's scenic and, importantly, as budget-friendly as you want it to be. Check out our favourite Sydney picnic spots if all goes well and you're up for a second date. [caption id="attachment_779829" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] See a Cult Classic Film at Golden Age Cinema Before you groan in protest at the idea of a movie as a date option, think again. Golden Age is more than your average movie theatre. Hidden underneath one of the best hotels in Sydney at Surry Hills' Paramount House, this venue brings back the romance and nostalgia of cinema in its heyday. Screening beloved cult classics plus a thoughtfully selected program of recent releases, Golden Age's intimate session sizes make this spot perfect for taking someone special. Best of all, you'll be sipping some of Sydney's best cocktails and stellar snacks like the ever-changing selection of popcorn flavours and a cheese or charcuterie board. If the vibes are high and you're looking for a spot to break down what you just saw with your plus one, head to one of the bars and restaurants nearby. Our picks would be Poly or the sleek lobby bar at the Ace Hotel. Paddleboard or Kayak Your Way Across Sydney Don't let the tourists have all the fun. For those who like a date designed around an outdoor activity, this one's just for you. Navigate the waters of the harbour like a pro by taking a stand-up paddleboarding lesson from the crew at Rose Bay Aquatic Hire. Or do it yourself and check out one of our five other favourite SUP spots around the city. There'll be possible spills and embarrassment, but this has to be one of the best ways to experience Sydney's sparkling scenic spots and, besides, water is just a naturally flirty medium. Otherwise, if balance isn't your strong suit, how about kayaking? Get Active Indoors If Sydney's unpredictable weather serves up a downpour or you're looking to add some healthy competition into your romantic endeavours, check out Sydney's indoor bouldering scene at either 9 Degrees in Waterloo or Blochaus. Both have multiple levels of difficulty, so they're perfect for beginners and pros alike. [caption id="attachment_885771" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sam Manchester[/caption] Stay After Hours at the Gallery Live music, drinks and the city's best art. No, this isn't the opening of the hottest new night-time venue. On Wednesdays throughout the year, the Art Gallery of NSW keeps its doors open late to bring together Sydney's art-loving community for Art After Hours. Each iteration features the likes of live music, talks, workshops and access to the gallery's latest exhibition. [caption id="attachment_797676" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] Learn Some Culinary Skills with a Cooking Class New year, new chance to learn new skills. For most of us, that's how every January starts — but once February, March and April roll around, it's easy to let that plan fall by the wayside. Enter Cornersmith, the cooking school run by the beloved cafe crew at the FoodLab Kitchen in Strathfield will load you up with new know-how. The organisation's hands-on workshops cover a range of topics but focus largely on the likes of pickling, preserving and fermenting. Always wanted to know how to make your own tofu? Fancy making your own bottled tomatoes? Desperate to create and perfect your own signature hot sauce? Head along, and you'll learn everything you need to. If seafood is more up your alley than making marmalade, check out the Sydney Seafood School's culinary classes. Located above the current Sydney Fish Market site, the school has been a staple for top-notch cooking classes for over 30 years. And pasta lovers can check out Paddington's Italian eatery Barbetta, where you can up your in-kitchen game thanks to its regular (and super popular) pasta-making classes. Running regularly throughout the week, the classes let you get your hands dirty while you learn to roll out the likes of gnocchi, lasagna, fettuccine, orecchiette and strozzapreti. Level up with Arcade Games, Dodgems and Bowling If the couple that hits the arcade together stays together, then this town of ours has a few options to help your relationship keep going strong. From the moment you walk into Redfern's Beercade, you'll feel like you've stepped back in time with rows of classic arcade games, pinball machines, darts and pool. Plus, as the name suggests, beer, cocktails, wine and non-alc options, so you and your date can hit flippers, smash buttons and pass go. Otherwise, you can head over to B. Lucky and Sons to shoot hoops, show off your dance game skills and race through Mario Kart, all while drinking boozy bubble cups; get weird at Hijinx Hotel for a series of larger-than-life activities and escape rooms; or head west to Sydney's largest indoor fun park. [caption id="attachment_712468" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Expedition Escape Rooms[/caption] Try to Escape from a Locked Room (For Fun) By now, we've all heard about escape rooms. They've been a big thing in adult puzzles for a few years now, so much so that Brooklyn Nine-Nine even based one of its storylines around the concept. And, they've popped up all around Sydney, so you can choose between an eerie Australian outback-themed room in Redfern, a 1940s espionage mission in Newtown and a version set in a haunted toy shop in St Peters that is truly cursed but also fun. Trying to find your way out of a confined space is a great bonding activity as well as a good way to stress-test compatibility. [caption id="attachment_701146" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daniel Boud[/caption] Lean into the Romance and Catch Some Jazz It may be a cliché, but it's a cliché for a reason: jazz is horny. There are plenty of places around Sydney where you can integrate jazz into a date each week. On the more opulent side of things, you can head to Restaurant Hubert — one of the best restaurants in Sydney for our money — which hosts daily live jazz with a luxurious side of magnificent French cuisine. If you're looking for a more relaxed spot to catch a wailing sax or silky piano, local favourites like LazyBones and Yulli's Brews host regular free jazz nights, too. Take Home a Memory from Your Date at a Pottery Class If you're eager to pick up a new skill but cooking isn't your preferred use of your hands, head to Clay Sydney for a pottery class. Catering to beginners and more seasoned pottery enthusiasts, the studio runs a variety of workshops that will have you getting messy and flexing your creative muscles. You can choose to make a keep cup, dinner set or teapot; opt for a wine and clay night where you can enjoy your favourite pét-nat or craft beer during the class; or there are even date-night specific packages if you want to really lean into the romance. Top image: Golden Age by Cassandra Hannagan
Matt Yazbeck knows a thing or two about an encore. After relocating his enduringly popular fine diner Toko to a moody George Street basement in 2022, the Sydney restaurateur is returning to the CBD this spring with KODA. Set to open on Tuesday, November 18, KODA will take over the former Monopole site on Curtin Place, bringing a "no-attitude, fun-times destination" to the heart of the city. "KODA is a cocktail bar and robata grill, fired up with the freshest daily ingredients and a twist on Japanese technique," Yazbeck shares in an exclusive interview with Concrete Playground. "We wanted to create something different from what we already offer [at Toko] — something more accessible without skimping on quality and experience." At the heart of the space is the robata grill, around which diners can perch for a front-row view of the kitchen in action. "The robata grill will be amazing," Yazbeck says. "Guests will be seated around it and all produce will be on an ice display for customers to choose, and chefs to grill and serve." While menu details are still under wraps, there'll be a clear departure from the envelope-pushing creations at Toko. "The flavours will be simpler and let the produce be the hero — flavours won't be too tricked-up," Yazbeck reveals. For something more relaxed, nab a sun-drenched seat by the north-facing wraparound windows for share plates and cocktails. "KODA is as much of a bar as it is a dining destination," Yazbeck explains. "The bar menu is fun and incredibly tasty — everything has a Japanese hint, but it won't be as refined as Toko." To that end, KODA's drinks list will draw inspiration from the kitchen — rooted in Japanese flavours, but not bound by them. "We use a Japanese sake or spirit as the base for most of our original cocktails," Yazbeck says. "[You'll also find] Japanese flavours and ingredients like yuzu, lychee, watermelon throughout." The venue's design will also echo the easygoing ethos. Timber star lights woven around the perimeter, cherry blossoms draped from the ceiling and those showpiece wraparound windows that let in plenty of natural light will define the room's aesthetic. "Again," says Yazbeck, "the atmosphere will lean into Japanese but won't be owned by it." Taking over the old Monopole site might come with the burden of expectation, but Yazbeck is clear that KODA stands on its own. "The concept was built before the site was locked in," he says. "The location lends itself perfectly to the concept, which has been years in the making — it's a very different offering targeting a different audience." In stark contrast to its predecessor, which was very much a venue for occasion dining, KODA is pitched as an everyday offer — the kind of place you could drop into for an after-work drink and snack, or settle in for a full robata feast. "We want people to use KODA as an escape from the usual," says Yazbeck. "We want people to feel that it's their own space to enjoy. It's an accessible venue for people to visit numerous times a week if they choose. Walk-ins are encouraged, but bookings will be taken for the grill and a handful of seats. We would love for KODA to be the highlight of our guests' week." KODA is set to open on Tuesday, November 18, at 16/20 Curtin Place, Sydney. Stay tuned to Concrete Playground for more details.
The Australian summer tennis swing kicks off in Sydney on Saturday, January 3, with the return of the United Cup. This fan-favourite tournament sees national sides battle it out in men's singles, women's singles and mixed doubles, bringing a lively, festival-like vibe to Ken Rosewall Arena at Sydney Olympic Park. The 2026 edition serves up plenty of reasons to get courtside. Local hero Alex de Minaur — who grew up playing at the Parkside Tennis Courts in Kogarah Bay and is now firmly entrenched in the world's top ten — will once again lead Team Australia. He'll be joined by rising star Maya Joint, making her national debut after a breakout season that saw her claim the mantle as Australia's top-ranked women's singles player. Across the net, they'll be facing the likes of British number ones Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu, both representing Team Great Britain for the first time, as well as Team Poland's world number two — and six-time grand slam winner — Iga Świątek and Hubert Hurkacz, who'll be looking to recapture the form that propelled him into the world's top ten before injury cut short his 2025 season. For Sydney fans, the Ken Rosewall Arena schedule is stacked. The opening night session on Saturday, January 3, launches the tournament under the lights, followed by a week of back-to-back ties as teams vie for knockout qualification. The energy ramps up for the quarter-finals on Thursday, January 8, the semi-finals on Saturday, January 10, and the final on Sunday, January 11. As well as national pride, there'll also be ranking points on the line — so expect sparks to fly from the first serve.
After months of anticipation, the revival of Chippendale's Old Clare Hotel has at long last been completed. Spearheaded by Singapore-based hotel and restaurant entrepreneur Loh Lik Peng of Unlisted Collection, the revamped watering hole as boutique hotel on Kensington Street is finally open for business — and it's spectacular. Reborn from the (metaphorical) ashes of the historic (and dearly beloved) Clare Hotel and adjoining Carlton United Brewery Administrative Building, the newly-opened hotel boasts 62 rooms and suites featuring high ceilings, heritage timber panelling and exposed brick walls, furnished with PSLAB pendant lighting, vintage furniture and cushions 'inspired by Australian flora and fauna'. Further hotel amenities include a rooftop pool and bar, private gym and a heritage meeting space, as well as a day spa expected to launch early next year. Guests can also take advantage of custom-made bicycles to explore the surrounding neighbourhood, or simply relax at the indoor bar near reception and enjoy the honest-to-god bespoke scent created by local perfumed candlers Maison Balzac. That being said, the biggest drawcard might be The Old Clare's three new high-end restaurants. Automata, the first solo venture from Momofuku Seiobo sous chef Clayton Wells, opened earlier this week, with a rotating five-course menu laden with such extravagances as storm clam with rosemary dashi, cream and dulse, and partridge with witlof, burnt apple and caper. Noma alumnus Sam Miller, meanwhile, opened Silvereye on September 22, offering short and long seasonal tasting menus featuring young coconut and mud crab, pumpkin with pomello, leeks with pig feet and white beer, and a plum and coffee tart. Last but not least, there's the Kensington Street Social, by Michelin-starred globetrotter Jason Atherton. Based on the competition, we have to assume they'll be bringing their A-game.
